Kevin Nguyen

I quite liked (but had some issues with) Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest. But critic (and very good Letterboxd follow) Kristen Yoonsoo Kim is a hater. Her take:

Janet Planet, the film directorial debut from the widely celebrated playwright Annie Baker, premiered at NYFF yesterday. Set in Western Massachusetts in the early ‘90s, we see Janet (Julianne Nicholson) through the eyes of her 11-year-old daughter Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) watching her mother navigate several relationships. It’s funny, richly layered, and avoidant of tropes. (I also relish any movie where a child actor does not come across as too precocious!)

For the New York Times, Beatrice Loayza admires that NYFF’s slate features so many movies that are light on story and instead heavy on sense, mood, and image. A good read!

Priscilla premieres tonight at NYFF. I caught the press screening earlier today (pretty good, will get my thoughts down on paper shortly). It fits snugly in the middle of Coppola’s body of work, and is her strongest film in over a decade.

Liz Lopatto is on the ground, covering the Sam Bankman-Fried trial. But if you want even more curly-haired crypto baby in your life, our pals at New York will be reporting it out in their excellent newsletter Court Appearances.

I enjoyed Richard Linklater’s Hit Man (review here!) but like Vulture’s Alison Willmore, I’m bummed it will likely get a diminished theatrical release next year. Sometimes a movie needs to be seen in the theater — not for eye-searing IMAX spectacle, but just to be around a room of strangers you can laugh with.