Venice 2024: Nicole Kidman in "Babygirl"

by Elisa Giudici

Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson in "Babygirl" (Credit: Niko Tavernise)

I believe that many of the negative reactions about Nicole Kidman's newest film Babygirl stem from a genuine misunderstanding. Personally, I find the polarizing erotic drama to be one of the most successful films in competition, as long as one understands and accepts where it stands and what it's aiming for...

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Venice 2024: Luca Guadagnino's "Queer"

by Elisa Giudici

Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey in QUEER (photo: Yannis Drakoulidis)

Luca Guadagnino's 2024 double feature, early release Challengers and the new premiere Queer, explore the intricate and slow process of calibrating love. In both,love is a delicate balancing act where one person loves intensely, perhaps even desperately, while the other remains more passive, content to be loved without being deeply invested in the relationship. The fundamental difference between the two lies in how they resolve this imbalance...

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Venice 2023: Elisa, Jury of One.

by Elisa Giudici

"Poor Things" was the consensus favourite of the fest

The 80th Venice Film Festival is nearing its end, with the final ceremony and the Golden Lion awards on the horizon. It's time for some personal reflections, recognition for my favorites, and the challenging task of predicting the winners. Please note that these predictions may already be outdated depending on when you're reading this. 

General impressions, trends, predictions, wtf moments, and personal favorites after the jump...

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Venice 2023: Mongolia's "City of Wind" and Michael Mann's "Ferrari"

by Elisa Giudici

"City of Wind"

The first surprise in Venice, City of Wind, was a delightful one. It's incredibly rare to come across a Mongolian film, so I made sure to set aside 104 minutes for a teen romance and shamanic party time adventure;xTime well spent! Keep an eye on this title for both the Orizzonti Palmares and the Best International Movie Oscar race. And speaking of Oscar hopefuls, Ferrari also pulled up on the Lido...

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NYFF Review: João Pedro Rodrigues’ Will-o’-the-Wisp Gives Wood As Good As It's Got

by Jason Adams

How many wood puns would a reviewer chuck into his review of a movie about wood puns? Admittedly not quite as tight a tongue-twister as the “how much wood would a woodchuck” original, but we work with what we’ve got. And I’ll try to rein myself in when it comes to queer sensualist and provocateur João Pedro Rodrigues’ Will-o’-the-Wisp (aka Fogo-Fátuo) as far as such woody things go, but when he’s got his own characters talking about the trees being “tumescent with sap” I can only be so discreet. But I know when I’ve been beaten, and this wood master already beat me at my own game. Point João once more!

At sixty-seven minutes Will-o’-the-Wisp is as slight as is its central figure, a dazzled Portuguese princeling named Alfredo (Mauro Costa) in an alternate-reality timeline...

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