Hammer to Nail

(Here at Hammer to Nail, we are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week, Brad Cook takes a wild ride...

One film that made an unexpected splash on the fall festival circuit, which made it one of the most anticipated films of the year, is Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World. His newest...

“I think real life is something you need to feel for yourself.” Documentary filmmaker Benjamin Mullinkosson explores China’s rave scene and youth culture in his newest film, The Last Year of Darkness. Set in Chengdu, the capitol city of the...

(Check out Chris Reed’s Io Capitano movie review. The film is in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Here in the third decade of our 21st century, we face multiple global emergencies, from climate change, armed...

(The 2024 Sundance Film Festival ran January 18-28. Check out Melanie Addington’s movie review of Every Little Thing. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) First-time filmmaker but established artist Titus Kaphar showed Exhibiting Forgiveness at Sundance this year. Kaphar also...

Zendaya is a master of tennis pulling all the strings in Luca Guadagnino’s steamy new film, Challengers. Originally slated for release last fall, as well as a Venice premiere, it was delayed due to the actors’ strike but it’s now...

One of the most promising American indies of the year, writer-director Ryan Martin Brown’s comedy Free Time explores the delusions of young freedom through the eyes of a man pushing 30 (played by comedian Colin Burgess). It also features an ensemble...

Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother of All Lies premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, after which it traveled to other festivals such as TIFF (where M.J. O’Toole reviewed it) and then Sundance 2024 (where I reviewed it)....

(Check out Chris Reed’s God & Country movie review. The film is in theaters now via Oscilloscope Laboratories. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) After an early childhood passed without religion, I became an Episcopalian choirboy at the...

When Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away from cancer in March 2023 at age 71, the world lost one of its greatest musicians. Now, his legacy is captured in a stunning new documentary directed by his son, Neo Sora. The iconic, Oscar-winning...