Category: best of 2025

Movie Review – Reflection in a Dead Diamond

Reflection in a Dead Diamond (2025)
Written and directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani

The married filmmaking duo of Cattet and Forzani first caught my eye with their 2009 feature debut, Amer, a postmodern homage to the uniquely Italian horror genre of giallo. In that film, they established their signature style: hyper-sensory hallucinations—fragmented, fetishistic collages of giallo, Eurospy, and grindhouse cinema. Narrative is secondary to texture, rhythm, and the ecstatic violence of the images. There is not much dialogue in their work, but you never feel lost because they maintain tight control in the editing room.

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Movie Review – The Phoenician Scheme

The Phoenician Scheme (2005)
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Directed by Wes Anderson

There was a time in the mid-to-late 2000s when I was tired of Wes Anderson. I look back on that now and realize I was simply out of sync with what he was doing. I discovered him via Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, and like so many young film fans, I thought a director I liked should keep making things for me. This is where so many of us misunderstand film, seeing it only as a product to be consumed. It seems obvious to me now that Anderson isn’t particularly concerned with making blockbuster movies; rather, he wants to compose images and explore ideas. He’s also the reason I finally sat down and watched Neon Genesis Evangelion after his episode of Le Club Vidéo.

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