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CIFF 2022 | ‘R.M.N.’ review: A brutal, bold and unflinching dissection of European xenophobia
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘R.M.N.’ review: A brutal, bold and unflinching dissection of European xenophobia

Romania’s stalwart arthouse director Cristian Mungiu returns after six years to examine Europe’s rising tides of racism and xenophobia.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘One Fine Morning’ review: A welcome addition to the arthouse slice-of-life canon
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘One Fine Morning’ review: A welcome addition to the arthouse slice-of-life canon

Mia Hansen-Løve’s intimate character study moves her one step closer to becoming one of her generation’s best writer-directors.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Raymond & Ray’ review: Heartbreak feels good in a film like this
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/17/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Raymond & Ray’ review: Heartbreak feels good in a film like this

Ethan Hawke and Sophie Okonedo shine alongside Ewan McGregor in Rodrigo García’s new tale of family and forgiveness — or lack thereof.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Decision to Leave’ review: Masterful Hitchcockian neo-noir from Korea’s finest
Film and TV, Entertainment, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/16/22 Film and TV, Entertainment, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Review Nestor Kok 10/16/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Decision to Leave’ review: Masterful Hitchcockian neo-noir from Korea’s finest

With far less violence and far more sentimentality than usual, “Decision to Leave” finds Park Chan-wook in a reflective mood.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Return to Dust’ review: Enough with the “poor Chinese peasant” stories, please
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/14/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/14/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Return to Dust’ review: Enough with the “poor Chinese peasant” stories, please

Li Ruijun’s arthouse crowd-pleaser is a middling underdog romance at best, and gratuitous poverty porn at its worst.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘My Sailor, My Love’ review: Brid Brennan shines in romantic drama done right
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/12/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/12/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘My Sailor, My Love’ review: Brid Brennan shines in romantic drama done right

Watch out, Richard Curtis — Klaus Härö and his English-language debut film are coming for your rom-com drama throne.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘The Novelist’s Film’ review: A soft-spoken ode to the creative spirit
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/12/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/12/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘The Novelist’s Film’ review: A soft-spoken ode to the creative spirit

Hong Sang-soo claims yet another Silver Bear for a movie with no shortage of mirth or merriment.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Runner’ review: Stuffy, thankless Midwestern pretentiousness
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/11/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/11/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Runner’ review: Stuffy, thankless Midwestern pretentiousness

Who knew first love could be so bland?

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CIFF 2022 | ‘The Great Silence’ review: A great snoozefest
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/11/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/11/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘The Great Silence’ review: A great snoozefest

Katrine Brocks’s debut feature about faith and forgiveness starts out strong, but soon falls into staid, illogical shambles.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Monica’ review: A bold and bittersweet family portrait
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/9/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/9/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Monica’ review: A bold and bittersweet family portrait

Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson helm Andrea Pallaoro’s new drama, forging new paths in the craft of transgender character studies.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ review: Martika Ramirez Escobar’s daring metatextual masterwork
Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/9/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022, Capsule Review Nestor Kok 10/9/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘Leonor Will Never Die’ review: Martika Ramirez Escobar’s daring metatextual masterwork

Compulsively enjoyable and refreshingly genuine, “Leonor Will Never Die” is a meta-comedy like no other.

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CIFF 2022 | ‘A Human Position’ review: A beautiful but insubstantial drama
Entertainment, Capsule Review, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022 Nestor Kok 10/8/22 Entertainment, Capsule Review, Film and TV, Chicago International Film Festival 2022 Nestor Kok 10/8/22

CIFF 2022 | ‘A Human Position’ review: A beautiful but insubstantial drama

Anders Emblem’s insular new drama is a feast for the eyes, but ultimately leaves much more to be desired.

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‘Amsterdam’ review: A comedy of errors, but not the good kind
Entertainment, Film and TV, Review Nestor Kok 10/7/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Review Nestor Kok 10/7/22

‘Amsterdam’ review: A comedy of errors, but not the good kind

David O. Russell’s newest film can’t decide if it wants to be a comedy, a political thriller, or a heartfelt exploration of friendship. It ends up just being a mess.

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Of Marxists and Models: In ‘Triangle of Sadness,’ power is a real bad trip
Entertainment, Film and TV, Review Nestor Kok 10/5/22 Entertainment, Film and TV, Review Nestor Kok 10/5/22

Of Marxists and Models: In ‘Triangle of Sadness,’ power is a real bad trip

You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. Maybe you’ll projectile vomit. But you’ll definitely have a good time.

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Maybe The Real ‘Elden Ring’ Was The Friends We Made Along The Way
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Maybe The Real ‘Elden Ring’ Was The Friends We Made Along The Way

Through the fire and the flames of FromSoft's newest release, friendship and community spirit prevail.

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Ghosts in the Machine: Trick-Editing, Time Loops, and Terror in ‘No Through Road’
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Ghosts in the Machine: Trick-Editing, Time Loops, and Terror in ‘No Through Road’

Steven Chamberlain discusses analog horror, careers in film, and the age-old question of, “What would you do if there was a guy with a giant knife walking towards your car?”

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Ghosts in the Machine: Archiving the Apocalypse with ‘Gemini Home Entertainment’
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Ghosts in the Machine: Archiving the Apocalypse with ‘Gemini Home Entertainment’

The revolution will not be televised — but the end of the world will be, if “Gemini Home Entertainment” has anything to say about it.

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Ghosts in the Machine: Examining the Origins of Analog Horror in ‘CH/SS’
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Ghosts in the Machine: Examining the Origins of Analog Horror in ‘CH/SS’

Exploring the genesis of analog horror with “CH/SS” and its enigmatic creator, Turkey Lenin III.

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Ghosts in the Machine: The Star-Spangled Monsters of Mister Manticore’s ‘The Monument Mythos’
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Ghosts in the Machine: The Star-Spangled Monsters of Mister Manticore’s ‘The Monument Mythos’

A deep dive into no-budget filmmaking and living the American nightmare with Mister Manticore, creator of “The Monument Mythos.”

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Ghosts in the Machine: The Fearful Symmetry of Alex Kister’s “The Mandela Catalogue”
Nestor Kok 10/1/22 Nestor Kok 10/1/22

Ghosts in the Machine: The Fearful Symmetry of Alex Kister’s “The Mandela Catalogue”

Alex Kister, the fresh new face of analog horror, discusses his unique brand of terror in “The Mandela Catalogue.”

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