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2 weeks ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
Bobcat Goldthwait has had one of the more fascinating career reinventions in Hollywood. Originally known for his wild, anarchic stand-up and memorably chaotic appearances in Police Academy and Scrooged, Goldthwait has since made a name for himself (and what a name!) as a fiercely original filmmaker.
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1 month ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
It’s unusual for a film to debut on home release as part of the Criterion Collection – the only other examples I can think of are co-productions with platforms like Netflix (The Irishman or The Power Of The Dog). But somehow, it feels strangely fitting for Anora, a film that swept the Oscars despite being far from traditional awards fare. Sean Baker brings his characteristic blend of realism, low-key humour and human poignancy to this much more realistic take on Pretty Woman.
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1 month ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
Kiyoshi Kurosawa had a notably prolific 2024, outdoing Steven Soderbergh in terms of the amount of films releases in a single year. While Chime and Serpent’s Path both featured overt echoes of his earlier work, Cloud feels very different. An action thriller with dark comedic undertones, it’s a more accessible, even playful film by Kurosawa’s standards, while still retaining that characteristically fatalistic edge.
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1 month ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
Following in the footsteps of Civil War, Alex Garland returns – this time in collaboration with Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza – with Warfare, a blisteringly intense and technically immaculate war film rooted in the real-life experiences of Mendoza himself. Told in real time and set during the fallout from the 2006 Battle of Ramadi, Warfare is as immersive and gripping as war cinema gets—but whether it has anything to say about war is another matter entirely.
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2 months ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
There have been a few films that tackle weighty issues through the lens of a child’s perspective, often choosing one of two approaches: either an overly stylized, fairy-tale-like presentation (Pan’s Labyrinth, Tideland) or a stark, unflinching realism (Ratcatcher, The Florida Project). The final film in our coverage of the Glasgow Film Festival, Spilt Milk manages to have it both ways, while still maintaining a consistent tone – just about.
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2 months ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
Athina Rachel Tsangari’s English language debut is a moody, atmospheric, sometimes enthralling, sometimes maddening experience. It’s a film with a potent sense of identity and huge potential, but much of the significant runtime feels like the set-up for a bloody resolution that never happens. Adapted from Jim Crace’s novel, Harvest depicts the slow destruction of a secluded English village in the Middle Ages, unraveling over the course of a single week.
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2 months ago | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
The mystery surrounding the death of Charles Walton has been the source of speculation for years. One of the most quietly notorious crimes of its era, it effectively gave birth to an entire subgenre of British horror – the folk horror. The Last Sacrifice is an energetic and compelling exploration of what may have been Britain’s last ritual killing. The murder itself is shrouded in a very morbid intrigue.
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Mar 7, 2025 | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
A darkly comic sci fi thriller, Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17 is a darkly comic sci-fi thriller that wrestles with themes of identity, mortality, and exploitation. While it carries the DNA of Bong’s previous films—Parasite’s social critique, Snowpiercer’s dystopian class struggle, and Okja’s ethical quandaries—it never quite reaches the incisive, subversive heights of those works.
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Mar 6, 2025 | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
Nacho Vigalondo has always been a director more interested in form than content, consistently pushing cinematic boundaries. At his best, he is able to blend his experimental approach with emotionally grounded storytelling, such as in his previous film, Colossal. Even his weaker efforts, (looking at you, Open Windows) burst with undeniable creativity. Daniela Forever continues this trend, delivering a visually inventive yet tonally uneven meditation on grief, memory, and control.
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Mar 5, 2025 | 
criticalpopcorn.com | Nick has written |Walter B. Hill |Nick Bartlett
It’s become almost obsolete to point out that Nicolas Cage has made some discerning choices in film roles lately. Whether delivering over the top, bombastic performances (Mandy, Color Out of Space) or embracing quieter, more introspective roles (Pig, Dream Scenario), Cage seems to be really revelling in this stage in his career, and has cultivated one of the most fascinating late-career renaissances in Hollywood.
