Hammer to Nail

Following her 2019 Oscar-nominated documentary The Edge of Democracy, director Petra Costa continues to examine Brazil’s rocky politics in her newest film, Apocalypse in the Tropics. Having premiered on the festival circuit last year before America entered its second term...

(We here at Hammer to Nail are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films of yesteryear that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week Brad Cook pops in...

In his new documentary, Holding Liat, director Brandon Kramer follows an American-Israeli family in the middle of the worst crisis imaginable: the kidnapping of relatives on October 7, 2023, by members of the terrorist organization Hamas. The titular Liat Atzili...

Familiar Touch represents a unique entry in cinema’s exploration of aging and dementia, offering a perspective rarely seen on screen: that of the person living with the condition rather than the family members watching from the sidelines. Director Sarah Friedland’s...

With the fall movie season not too far down the line, the latest collaboration between Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos is one to get excited over. Bugonia is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green...

Clown in a Cornfield brings Adam Cesare’s beloved YA horror novel to terrifying life under the direction of Eli Craig, known for the cult classic Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. The film follows Quinn (Katie Douglas)  and her father as...

Director Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana just premiered his latest documentary, Backside, at the 2025 Tribeca Festival (where I reviewed it). The film focuses on the grooms and hotwalkers of Churchill Downs (home of the Kentucky Derby), most of whom are Latine....

“This is the story of the birth, life, death, and afterlife of the video store.” Hammer to Nail alum Alex Ross Perry is gearing up for his second film of this year. Following its premieres at the Rotterdam and Tribeca...

(We here at Hammer to Nail are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films of yesteryear that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week Brad Cook stumbles into...

Six years after working together on their breakout feature, The Climb, director Michael Angelo Covino and co-writer Kyle Marvin navigate complex marriages in Splitsville. This NEON comedy is fresh off its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it screened...