Articles by James Brotheridge

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  CUFF Review: 'Summertime' Offered a Unique but Unfocused Snapshot of L.A.

  Directed by Carlos López Estrada

  PUBLISHED Apr 26, 2021

  Director Carlos López Estrada's first feature, 2018's Blindspotting, succeeded in showing a place both as it is and how it feels. His follo...

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  Viggo Mortensen's 'Falling' Finds Empathy for the Unredeemable

  Directed by Viggo Mortensen

  PUBLISHED Feb 8, 2021

  "I'm sorry that I brought you into this world so you could die." A father whispering that to his son is the first signpost of trouble to c...

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  'Undine' Puts a Unconventional Spin on a Fairy Tale Romance

  Directed by Christian Petzold

  PUBLISHED Oct 14, 2020

  German director Christian Petzold takes on bold premises, working with interesting and difficult ideas without losing the emotional dimensi...

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  'Siberia' Is So Desolate That Even Willem Dafoe Can't Save It

  Directed by Abel Ferrara

  PUBLISHED Oct 14, 2020

  Abel Ferrara's built a reputation as a confrontational, upsetting director, so much so that a simple, prosaic scene shocks in and of itself...

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  'Last and First Men' Is a Poignant Reminder of Jóhann Jóhannsson's Mood-Setting Mastery

  Directed by Jóhann Jóhannsson

  PUBLISHED Oct 13, 2020

  "But listen patiently — this is not the last word." Tilda Swinton speaks these words as the narrator in Last and First Men as an agent of...

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  'The Trial of the Chicago 7' Shows That Aaron Sorkin Is a Better Writer Than Director

  Directed by Aaron Sorkin

  PUBLISHED Oct 8, 2020

  The Trial of the Chicago 7 has many masters to serve. When a movie captures a notable moment in American history, staying true to the event...

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  'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Takes a Surprisingly Joyful Look at Death

  Directed by Kirsten Johnson

  PUBLISHED Oct 6, 2020

  A notable moment from 2016's Cameraperson finds director Kirsten Johnson watching offscreen as a child plays with an axe with no one but th...

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  'Kajillionaire' Is a Wacky Romp with an Honest Emotional Core

  Directed by Miranda July

  PUBLISHED Sep 28, 2020

  A con artist story can sometimes be full of flash and fun. Sometimes they can find desperate characters trying to use their wits to score b...