(The 2026 SXSW Film Festival runs March 12-18 in beautiful Austin, TX. Check out Chris Reed’s A Safe Distance movie review, fresh from the fest. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Written by Aidan West and directed by […]

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I recently enjoyed a Zoom conversation with J.R. Escalante, the screenwriter for the new film from Mexico, Contraataque (Counterattack). It premiered on Netflix on March 4th and within just a few weeks had achieved 58 million views. Stewart Clarke recently […]

The post A Conversation with José Rubén Escalante (CONTRAATAQUE/COUNTERATTACK) appeared first on Hammer to Nail.

(Check out Chris Reed’s 40 Acres movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Director R.T. Thorne’s feature debut, 40 Acres, has a lot going for it, most notably the lead performance […]

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Rising filmmaker Roxy Sophie Sorkin brings her unique comedic sensibility to the screen with Swollen, a sharp-witted short film which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. In this 13-minute horror-comedy, two best friends recovering from facial plastic surgery find […]

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(The 2024 New York Film Festival (NYFF) runs September 27-October 14. Check out M.J. O’Toole’s The Shrouds movie review from the fest. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) No other mind exists in cinema like David Cronenberg’s. […]

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(Check out Matt Delman’s Misericordia movie review, it’s in theaters now! Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Misericordia is quite the title for a film, and learning that it’s a Latin word meaning ‘Mercy’ makes it even […]

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(Here at Hammer to Nail, we 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 hustles into […]

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The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5-15, and this year’s edition promises a strong, exciting variety of new cinema – ranging from Almodovar’s English feature debut The Room Next Door, to Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner Anora, to […]

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The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival runs June 5-16, and as always, we have many boots on the ground. What follows are recommendations of what to see (5 apiece) from critics Melanie Addington and M.J. O’Toole, lead critic Christopher Llewellyn Reed, and editor-at-large […]

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(The 2024 Maryland Film Festival ran May 2-5 in Baltimore, Maryland, Check our Chris Reed’s movie review of Propriedade which played the fest. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Countries with vast disparities between haves and have-nots […]

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