Drama Archives | Smash Cut

April 9, 2025April 10, 2025

‘Sinners’ is the best movie of the year | movie review

Sinners follows a pair of infamous twins who return to their hometown to open a juke joint of their own only to find a darkness. Continue reading ‘Sinners’ is the best movie of the year | movie review

September 13, 2024February 6, 2025

‘Presence’ is a ghost story like no other | movie review

Unfolding from the perspective of a ghost haunting their house, a family deals with family tensions in Presence. This review was originally published out of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. If you think you’ve seen every haunted house movie, Presence is here to prove you wrong. Steven Soderbergh ditches the usual ghost story formula by letting…

September 16, 2024December 4, 2024

‘Queer’ is messy, mad and marvelous | review and analysis

Based on William S. Burroughs novel of the same name, Queer follows an American expat’s obsession with a young man he meets in 1950s Mexico City. Continue reading ‘Queer’ is messy, mad and marvelous | review and analysis

November 19, 2024November 19, 2024

‘Wicked’ defies expectations, a fearless movie-musical | movie review

Wicked, the long-awaited adaptation of the smash Broadway musical, finally flies its way into theaters Wicked is a bold, vibrant movie-musical that celebrates its Broadway roots with expansive musical numbers and captivating performances. Director Jon M. Chu’s adaptation embraces the magic of the original, expanding the world and deepening the characters. With stunning chemistry between…

September 15, 2024September 16, 2024

Surreal dramedy The Life of Chuck ponders life and death | TIFF 2024

TIFF 2024 | The Life of Chuck follows an enigmatic man starting as a surrealist meditation on existential dread and ending as a life-affirming portrait of youth. The Life of Chuck is a dramedy that ponders existential dread through surreal comedy (and a dance number!). A philosophical pondering of the moments that add up to…

May 24, 2024September 9, 2024

Anora gives Mikey Madison her star-is-born moment | Cannes review

When escort Anora meets the son of a Russian oligarch it seems like a too-good-to-be-true Cinderella story—and it is. Continue reading Anora gives Mikey Madison her star-is-born moment | Cannes review

October 2, 2023August 8, 2024

Natalie Portman and Julianne spar in high camp melodrama ‘May December’ | review and analysis

May December follows an actress (Natalie Portman) as she prepares to play a notorious tabloid figure (Julianne Moore) by shadowing her dredging up old wounds Continue reading Natalie Portman and Julianne spar in high camp melodrama ‘May December’ | review and analysis

September 27, 2023August 8, 2024

Evil Does Not Exist: An eco-thriller with hidden horrors | review and analysis

A small town tucked in the mountains of Japan has to decide whether or not to allow a company to build a new luxury campsite in Evil Does Not Exist Continue reading Evil Does Not Exist: An eco-thriller with hidden horrors | review and analysis

September 30, 2023August 8, 2024

Foe is its own worst enemy | review

NYFF 2023 | Foe follows the fallout after a young couple receives news that one of them will be sent to space with a clone to keep the other company The collective star power of Academy Award nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal isn't enough to save this sweaty (both literally and figuratively) lo-fi sci-fi…

July 25, 2024August 6, 2024

Dìdi is a love letter to an Asian-American childhood | movie review

Dìdi is an autobiographical romp through the life of a shy 13-year-old Taiwanese-American as he tries to find his place in the summer before high school. Continue reading Dìdi is a love letter to an Asian-American childhood | movie review