If “Dune” was “the best possible version” of its story, it was deemed so because it was decidedly incomplete, opting to take the time to properly oil the cogs of its massive spice-harvesting machine so as to ensure it reached its final destination intact, rather than quickly. “Dune: Part Two,” then, promised to make up for the three-year wait separating it from its predecessor, fulfilling the prophecy of the Muad’Dib and delivering an Arrakis-shattering finale to complete the arc of…

It’s a heralded fact that the movie took over 16 months to shoot, with the director working with its two magnetic leads to devise scenes and write dialogue on the fly. This exorbitant amount of time reflects in the film’s perfect framing, with each scene constructed with the care of a midwife and realized with the precision of a surgeon. It is no surprise really that the film has managed to remain so impactful and resonating even after so many…

“I’m Still Here” is not the first film that writer/director Walter Salles has made about the consequences of living under a military dictatorship, as his personal politics have become an inseparable aspect of his identity as an artist. Salles’ films have all been highly specific in calling out the evils of fascism and militarism, but that does not mean his work should generally be classified as some form of protest art.

Salles is a humanist, which is perhaps why he…

Some say that the hardest performance any actor would ever have to play is the role of themselves; be it the mask we wear to make it through everyday life or the performance we put on for ourselves every time we look in the mirror, it’s that internalized truth (and lie) placed front-and-center that proves more challenging than any Shakespeare soliloquy. To that effect, there’s probably no place more conducive to examining that reality than the confined space of a…

The popularity of anime as well as manga as an art form has touched mainstream at the crossroads of media consumption, be it in smaller reels or with the availability of streaming services, as well as stacks of tankobons available in prestige bookshops for fans of sequential art form. But exposure to the art form brings forth revelations of the unglamorous lives of the mangakas (manga artists), their hectic work schedules, etc.

"Look Back" seeks to shed light on the…

Mahanagar (1963) (The Big City) is unarguably one of Ray’s finest creations. This film is based on ‘Abataranika,’ a short story by Narendranath Mitra. The narrative primarily illustrates how social relationships between the private and public spheres are maintained by ‘ideal’ housewives of Bengali middle-class families. In this film, Satyajit Ray presents a very strong female protagonist who plays a critical factor in social change. Ray’s symbolic portrayal of women in contemporary society can be identified as path-breaking.

The narrative…

Sergio Leone cemented his legendary contribution to the history of cinema with only a handful of grandiose, larger-than-life, and screen-popping gorgeous epics that left a huge influence on how stunning a film could be shot, how beautifully music could be incorporated, and how masterfully a story could unfold—his last and longest film, Once Upon a Time in America is what I believe is his crowning achievement.

Debuting with a socks-and-sandals film and then directing five Spaghetti westerns (all of which…

For his latest film, “The Wild Robot,” director Chris Sanders stated that he took inspiration from a range of sources, including classic Disney animated films and, more promisingly, the works of Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki. The first trailer for the film shows flashes of this influence, opting towards a largely nonverbal ment of the film’s expansive visual scope and supposed interest in mature storytelling.

In hindsight, this promise of a mostly atmospheric, silent project akin to something like Studio Ghibli’s…

Childhood is a crucial part of one’s life. It’s the phase where we learn to make sense of the world we live in based on our circumstances. It’s a significant chapter in our parents’ lives, too. So, one can’t possibly imagine the emotional burden a parent must feel when they cannot experience the child growing up in their presence. “Daughters” (2024), directed by Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, addresses these conflicts. It follows a group of African American prisoners who…

Despite the absolute unanimous praise, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut Lady Bird received, I hated what I thought was an unlikable film that was enamored with its unlikable lead character. Gerwig’s sophomore film, Little Women (2019) is, conversely, a tremendously likable film – all the praise for her first film should’ve been reserved for her second. Little Women is brimming with life (perhaps even overflowing), so that the astonishing performances from all involved, their peculiar, yet very life-like dialogue with each…