film criticism Archives - Hammer to Nail https://www.hammertonail.com/tag/film-criticism/ What to Watch Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:35:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.hammertonail.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-logo02-1-32x32.png film criticism Archives - Hammer to Nail https://www.hammertonail.com/tag/film-criticism/ 32 32 A Conversation with Maya Annik Bedward (BLACK ZOMBIE) https://www.hammertonail.com/interviews/maya-annik-bedward/ Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:44:19 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=55348

The documentary Black Zombie marks director Maya Annik Bedward’s feature debut. In the film, Bedward examines how the cinematic zombie has its roots in the Haitian Vodou faith, even though the original term refers to a live person enslaved by a sorcerer, and […]

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]]> BLACK ZOMBIE https://www.hammertonail.com/reviews/black-zombie/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 18:11:38 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=55299

(The 2026 SXSW Film Festival ran March 12-18 in beautiful Austin, TX. Check out Chris Reed’s Black Zombie movie review, fresh from the fest. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) In her feature debut, Black Zombie, director Maya Annik […]

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]]> FIRST THEY CAME FOR MY COLLEGE https://www.hammertonail.com/reviews/first-they-came-for-my-college/ Tue, 17 Mar 2026 20:17:21 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=55268

(The 2026 SXSW Film Festival runs March 12-18 in beautiful Austin, TX. Check out Chris Reed’s First They Came for My College movie review, fresh from the fest. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) Most people are familiar with at least […]

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]]> LITTLE TROUBLE GIRLS https://www.hammertonail.com/reviews/little-trouble-girls/ Fri, 12 Dec 2025 20:04:43 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=54642

(Check out Chris Reed’s Little Trouble Girls movie review, it’s in theaters now. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) “If you want me to/I will be the one/That is always good/And you’ll love me, too/But you’ll […]

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]]> HTN’s 9 Most Anticipated Films of DOC NYC ‘25 https://www.hammertonail.com/film-festivals/doc-nyc-picks-25/ Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:36:19 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=54412

It’s that time again as New York City’s venerable celebration of documentary cinema, DOC NYC, kicks off today (November 12) running all the way through the end of the month with a November 30 wrap date. As has become the […]

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]]> A Conversation with Kleber Mendonça Filho (THE SECRET AGENT) https://www.hammertonail.com/interviews/mendonca-filho/ Tue, 04 Nov 2025 15:37:20 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=54353

Winner of the Best Director and Best Actor awards at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, The Secret Agent, from Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau), takes place in 1977 during Brazil’s military dictatorship. It was a time of violence and […]

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]]> LA JETÉE THE FIFTH SHOT https://www.hammertonail.com/reviews/fifth-shot-of-la-jetee/ Thu, 13 Mar 2025 18:00:36 +0000 https://www.hammertonail.com/?p=52784

(The Museum of Moving Image’s First Look Festival runs March 12-16. Chrck out Jonathan Marlow’s movie review of The Fifth Shot of La Jetée. Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.) “We’re entertaining ghosts now.” One year to […]

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]]> Roger Ebert, Life Itself, and Conflict of Interest in the Digital Age https://www.hammertonail.com/editorial/roger-ebert-life-itself-and-conflict-of-interest-in-the-digital-age/ Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:34:48 +0000 http://www.hammertonail.com/?p=24112 (As Hammer to Nail morphs into version 2.0, we still feel this site needs to champion new and truly independent cinema. But with so many filmmakers, critics, writers and industry professionals wearing so many hats, is conflict of interest a […]

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]]> KEYS TO THE CASTLE https://www.hammertonail.com/editorial/keys-to-the-castle/ Mon, 02 Mar 2015 05:10:52 +0000 http://www.hammertonail.com/?p=24059 I’m sitting in my hotel room in Oxford, MS where I’m a juror for the 12th Annual Oxford Film Festival. My trip here marks my fourth one and also, my first as the new editor here at Hammer to Nail. […]

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]]> SHOOTING DOWN PICTURES #902 (43): HOUR OF THE STAR https://www.hammertonail.com/reviews/documentary/shooting-down-pictures-902-43-hour-of-the-star-film-criticism-as-autobiography/ Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:36:24 +0000 http://www.hammertonail.com/?p=2580 (Kevin B. Lee’s website features all of the Shooting Down Pictures essays and videos. Lee’s YouTube page also carries the videos, plus it enables you to watch them full screen.) Kevin B. Lee is a New York-based filmmaker and film […]

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