Letters of Rec

In Downtime's final TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews films about the GameStop short squeeze and John le Carré.

In Downtime's second TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews a Palme d'Or-winning legal thriller and a tearjerking family drama.

In Downtime's first TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews new crowd-pleasers from Alexander Payne and Richard Linklater.

Steamrolled by Star Wars, the director's grim follow-up to The Exorcist remains an intense highlight of '70s American moviemaking.

Her fascination with the relationship between interior spaces and existential plight finds purchase in this vacation drama.

The Reckless Moment stars Joan Bennett as a lonely heroine whose suburban American dream curdles into a nightmare.

Remember the Titans succeeds partially because it frames sports and entertainment as cultural battlegrounds for larger political forces.

Lee Chang-dong's Burning captures the conspiracy-laden paranoia and free-floating resentments that defined the last decade.

With his YouTube channel, Dr. Kirk Honda provides psychological commentary on Love Is Blind participants that emphasizes self-reflection.

The cult erotic thriller not only provokes and unsettles, but also follows a genre truism: everyone is horny and no one can be trusted.

The 1989 cult favorite works as a shorter, and possibly stranger, alternative to A24's splashy "Beau Is Afraid"

The great midcentury director's final film follows a female wrestling duo trying to eke out a victory on the road.

In an age obsessed with representation, this unassuming mid-aughts comedy dared to portray Asian Americans as "people who exist."

The story of a codependent father-and-daughter relationship pays tribute to the work of Yasujirō Ozu’ and Denis' own mother.

In a decade defined by social and political alienation, John Sayles' lo-fi sci-fi adventure embraced spontaneous spiritual connections.

Clint Eastwood's 1995 romantic drama energizes the domestic space with the liberating possibility of life's freedoms.

John Frankenheimer's head-trip points to a future filled with grifters falsely promising a better life.

Kathryn Bigelow's 1995 cyberpunk thriller perfectly captures its moment while looking towards a more fraught future.

This German supernatural horror film employs an outré sound design to convey the experience of hypnosis.

Altman's classic '70s psychological drama tackles gender as a Gothic team sport.

At first glance, Tamara Jenkins' sophomore feature resembles a typical "Sundance film," but it's much thornier than typical indie fare.

The Coen Brothers' 1994 screwball comedy uses its heightened reality to tackle corporate greed and consumerist folly.

The work of an unsung, but essential Soviet director is ripe for discovery via a YouTube channel.

After a 25-year-long hiatus, Lars von Trier returns to the haunted hospital of his landmark supernatural miniseries.

May's sharp satire of the wealthy refuses to pull any punches while also chronicling a sincere personal transformation.

Juzo Itami's freewheeling, genre-bending comedy turns cuisine into a meditation on craft and culture.

Amy Heckerling's indelible debut feature captures early-80s adolescence in all of its complex glory, minus the judgement or sanctimony.

The second in Levinson's Baltimore tetralogy follows two aluminum siding salesmen whose rigid worldviews finally fall under a spotlight.

In his final dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews an Irish comedy of discontent and an Icelandic religious drama.

Our humble correspondent reviews an urgent environmental thriller and a Canadian existential space comedy.

Our humble correspondent reviews Steven Spielberg's coming-of-age memoir and the new Knives Out sequel.

In Downtime's first TIFF dispatch, our humble correspondent reviews a farcical satire of the super-rich and a collage-style David Bowie doc.

The rise and fall of Stephen Glass serves as a cautionary tale about the hesitancy of the media class to investigate their own.

The essential post-New Wave comedy-drama follows an ensemble of restless Parisian academics falling in and out of careers and love.

Alfonso Cuarón's risqué road movie emphasizes sexual exploration as well as life's ephemeral nature

Its trashy, fetishistic imagery and borderline dream logic are features, not bugs.

Potrykus specializes in offbeat, regionally-focused portraits of post-Linklater slackers on the edges of 21st century society.

This charming Rohmerian comedy follows three buddies looking for love in the south of France

Stay inside and avoid the heat with this zesty, shaggy psychological thriller.

Von Trier's mentor Jørgen Leth must adhere to a different "obstruction" each time he remakes the film

The Boyhood director resurrects the past once again, but this time with a keen eye to present sensibilities.

A year after winning the Oscar, Swinton stuns in her performance as a crazed alcoholic kidnapper

While the crime dramedy's premise may be commercial, its execution is anything but.

The eternal pleasure of revisiting a moment in franchise, cultural, or personal history from the comfort of your own couch

An under-appreciated concert film deserves to join the canon.

By combining body horror and existentialism, Ridley Scott's Alien prequel shows more imagination than most contemporary studio films.

A sub-Basic Instinct erotic thriller tips the scales in favor of sex over thrills

For fans of The Big Lebowski and all things hazy and mysterious.

These hilarious short films are perfect to throw on in the background

How a tiny horse walked into a family's life at the perfect time.

A love letter to the least aspirational game show ever made

Now is the perfect time to pick up the unrelenting but deeply rewarding fantasy game

A rewarding film for every genre, all under 40 minutes

Ignore the grayscale. The Return of the Obra Dinn is one of the most visually rich games out now.

Travis Scott's in-game Fortnite show might not have reinvented concerts, but it was still tight.

How "Below Deck" became my go-to show for the quarantine

Annapurna's critic-beloved space game is even deeper than it looks

Forgive the gimmick and enjoy these well-made films

The winding series—which is now on HBO Max—is one of the era's most subtle and rewarding shows

Austin Powers is surprisingly timeless. Hear me out.

How the deliberately slow-moving game rewards patience and observation

Many critics consider 'Mad Men' a prestige drama. That's too bad.

Gone too soon, the Wyatt Russell-starring series is a humanizing and life-affirming gem

Casa Amor is so much more than a gimmick. It's an emotional tour-de-force

Why the singing dog is the true star of the summer's biggest game

You might not usually turn to a horror movie for emotional relief, but Midsommar makes a case for it

The Harrison long-player—and we mean long!—was far ahead of its time

Neil Marshall's magnetic horror film is a cult classic for a reason.