The Film Stage

As we get closer to the end of 2025 and various critics and voting bodies collate their year-end lists and ballots, the question of what is eligible for such selection often crops up. It’s become common practice for distributors to...

Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.  Today we talk about a performer that we lost far too...

Criterion will not begin 2026 on a quiet note. It’s notable enough that we now have Edward Yang’s Yi Yi, a consensus pick for the 21st century’s greatest film, upgraded to 4K, but two titles long rumored for the treatment...

Jafar Panahi arrives in the United States as both a vector of history and blank slate. His profile would be enough were he only one of Iran’s leading filmmakers, a contemporary and collaborator with the likes of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Mohammad...

It’s that frenzied time of year as each country puts forth its pick for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards; the decision is always striking when the selection is for a directorial debut, showing utmost confidence in an emerging...

Capturing the city of angels like few other writers, The Black Dahlia and L.A. Confidential author James Ellroy is the subject of the latest documentary from director Francesco Zippel (Friedkin Uncut). Ellroy vs. L.A. features an exclusive interview and archival...

Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2025 Cannes coverage. It Was Just an Accident is now in theaters. If you were handed over the man who destroyed your life and those of countless others––a psychopath who...

Telling an authentic, politically charged story from a child’s perspective can be a challenge. For tales set during a period like WWII, a lifelong combination of school lessons and pop culture ensures an instant familiarity for audiences, allowing films to...

Jan Komasa’s Anniversary should be in the running for least-subtle movie of the year. It should also be in the running for most terrifying. This ruthlessly effective thriller rarely beats around the bush with what it’s trying to say, nor...

Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2025 Telluride coverage. Ballad of a Small Player is now in theaters and arrives on Netflix on October 29. In Ballad of a Small Player, we are given the gift...