PJ Knapke’s Top 10 Films of 2020

In the introduction to my top 10 list from last year, I was brimming with enthusiasm about the year’s cinematic haul. I had an endless supply of motivation to see everything I could from that year, and as a result I had the luck of finding many films that I will surely remember as longtime favorites. This article was published in January of 2020, and just about 2 months later, our new reality of everything being bad all of the time in just about every way began. Continue reading “PJ Knapke’s Top 10 Films of 2020”

Review: ‘Vitalina Varela’ is the Best and Most Challenging Film of the Year So Far

Vitalina Varela is playing online at Northwest Film Forum from March 27th to April 10th.

Art-house cinema has its fair share of auteurs who prefer to pace their films with great patience, be it Bela Tarr, or Terrence Malick, or Andrei Tarkovsky, or any other of the long list of names of who fit this particular bill. It is a facet that can allow such a director to delve deeper into whatever it is they have honed their focus upon, or even further activate the subconscious throughout the viewing, that is if the audience has the patience themselves. Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa — director of new film Vitalina Varela — is undoubtedly one of these directors. Continue reading “Review: ‘Vitalina Varela’ is the Best and Most Challenging Film of the Year So Far”