Slant

Patrick Leonard Talks Madonna, Leonard Cohen, and Tori Amos The legendary composer and producer discusses Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light,’ working with Leonard Cohen in his final days, and more.

Back in 2018, legendary composer/producer Patrick Leonard talked to us about Madonna's 'Ray of Light,' working with Leonard Cohen in his final days, and why he thinks Tori Amos likes covering his songs.

Chappell Roan’s “The Subway” Is the Hit That Almost Got Away An official release of the singer’s latest single almost never happened.

Chappell Roan's new single, #TheSubway, almost didn't happen. Read our review!

Review: Portishead, 'Third' The Bristol trip-hop pioneers’ 'Third' is starker, leaner, and more dissonant than its immediate sibling.

It's a full two minutes into #Third before we’re even sure what we’re hearing is a Portishead album at all. Revisit our review!

Mario Bava’s ravishing and ridiculously entertaining DANGER: DIABOLIK gets a stunning 4K upgrade from Kino Lorber. tinyurl.com/427bsm3e

'She Rides Shotgun' Review: A Desert-Set Father-Daughter Ordeal Nick Rowland's 'She Rides Shotgun' doesn't seem to have faith in the story that Jordan Harper's 2017 novel tells.

Nick Rowland’s SHE RIDES SHOTGUN doesn’t seem to have faith in the story the novel tells. Read Ross McIndoe's review.

'The Naked Gun' Review: An Uproarious, Old-School Spoof 'The Naked Gun' is of a piece with the "joke in every frame" approach that Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker brought to their best work.

Akiva Schaffer’s THE NAKED GUN is of a piece with the “joke in every frame” approach that Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker brought to their best work. Read @justinofclark.bsky.social's review.

'Harvest' Review: A Moody, and Mopish, Medieval Period Piece Athina Rachel Tsangari's 'Harvest' is a handsomely mounted production in which much of the filth feels stage-managed.

In Athina Rachel Tsangari’s HARVEST, dialogue is sparse, much of it denoted as overheard half-phrases, and the overall ambience alien, which is more than apt for a setting effectively lost to time.

Larry Cohen’s THE STUFF, now available on 4K UHD Blu-ray from @arrowvideo.bsky.social, is a barbed satire of 1980s consumer culture. tinyurl.com/2n9mctbk

Michael Shanks on 'Together' and the Horrors of Codependency Shanks discusses working with Dave Franco and Alison Brie, the film's bodily contortions, and what the ending means to him.

Read our conversation with Michael Shanks about working with Alison Brie and Dave Franco on TOGETHER, how they pulled off those bodily contortions, and what the film’s ending means to him.

'Together' Review: Body Horror Meets Relationship Angst The film's smartest move is treating its body horror as just another wrinkle in the complexities of what it means to love someone else.

That TOGETHER treats its body horror as just another wrinkle in the complexities of what it means to love someone else is writer-director Michael Shanks’s smartest move. Read @roccotthompson.bsky.social's review.

Ramon Zürcher on 'The Sparrow in the Chimney' and Family Secrets Writer-director Ramon Zürcher discusses his studious production approach and how houses can aid and abet voyeurism.

Read our interview with Ramon Zürcher about the making of THE SPARROW IN THE CHIMNEY and how houses can aid and abet voyeurism.

'The Sparrow in the Chimney' Review: Misery Loves Company Writer-director Ramon Zürcher's 'The Sparrow in the Chimney' sees intimacy and isolation as two sides of the same coin.

Ramon Zürcher’s THE SPARROW AND THE CHIMNEY sees intimacy and isolation as two sides of the same coin. See it at BAM starting this Friday.

Review: Joanna Newsom, ‘Ys’ The album is a precious, in every sense of the word, masterpiece.

Joanna Newsom's 2006 album #Ys is a precious masterpiece. Revisit our 5/5 review!

'Donkey Kong Bananza' Review: Lone Ape and Cub 'Donkey Kong Bananza' isn't just a game that lives up to the standard of greatness set by 'Odyssey,' it's setting a new one all on its own.

DONKEY KONG BANANZA’s colorful landscapes are brimming with good humor and oddball enemies, and there isn’t a single square inch of them that doesn’t have something for you to unearth. Read @justinofclark.bsky.social's review.

'Souleymane's Story' Review: A Blistering Immigration Drama The film traces an asylum-seeker's progress, at once literal and existential, through moments of hope and desperation.

Boris Lojkine’s SOULEYMANE'S STORY powerfully depicts an immigration process that offers no clear path to success.

'Architecton' Review: A Magnetic Reflection on Architecture 'Architecton' reinforces the notion that objects, in the properties that derive from their structure, exert a subtle yet powerful agency.

Throughout ARCHITECTON, Victor Kossavosky finds novel ways to create a sensation of deep time. Read William Repass's review.

We had the incredible honor of speaking to Charles Burnett about how the challenges of production benefited KILLER OF SHEEP’s form, what the project means to him today, and why it remains so important to show Black life as it is. tinyurl.com/3wrjcwv7

Tyler, the Creator ‘Don’t Tap the Glass’: Music for the Idea of Dancing The album unfolds like a Pinterest mood board of regional dance subcultures.

Tyler, the Creator's 'Don't Tap the Glass' unfolds like a Pinterest mood board of regional dance subcultures. Read our review.

Madonna's #VeronicaElectronica may feel like a half-hearted cash grab, but the previously unreleased "Gone Gone Gone" is a proverbial lost gem. Read more: slantmagazine.com/news/madonna-gone-gone-gone-demo-ray-of-light-veronica-electronica/

Tyler Childers ‘Snipe Hunter’ Review: A Reflection on the Human Condition The album is both an aesthetic and a thrillingly profound philosophical statement.

Tyler Childers's #SnipeHunter is both an aesthetic and a thrillingly profound philosophical statement. Read our review!

Review: PJ Harvey, ‘White Chalk’ Harvey’s eighth studio album is a triumph of both micro- and macro-level structure.

Even when measured against her own otherwise peerless standards, PJ Harvey’s 2007 album #WhiteChalk is a triumph. Revisit our 5/5 review.

'The Home' Review: A Cynical Horror Freak-Out James DeMonaco's film, starring Pete Davidson, is a hodgepodge of jump scares and disturbing imagery in search of a cohesive story.

James DeMonaco’s THE HOME, starring Pete Davidson, is a hodgepodge of jump scares and disturbing imagery in search of a cohesive story. Read @positivelytonsils.bsky.social's review.

'Shoshana' Review: A Studiously Evenhanded History Lesson It's difficult to shake the feeling that the film's vagueness is the calculated strategy of those unwilling to take a side.

Michael Winterbottom's SHOSHANA serves primarily as an efficient, workmanlike history lesson.

'The Jet Li Collection' 4K UHD Blu-ray Review: Shout! Factory This set presents five of the martial arts star’s earliest and most beloved hits.

"@shoutstudios.bsky.social puts its best foot forward for its new line of Hong Kong classics with a slate of beautiful transfers and a wealth of extras for some of Jet Li’s most entertaining movies." Read @jakecole.bsky.social on THE JET LI COLLECTION.

'Diciannove' Review: An Unpredictable Coming-of-Age Story In line with Leonardo's ever-shifting whims, a spirit of restless reinvention characterizes Giovanni Tortorici's aesthetic approach.

In line with his protagonist’s ever-shifting whims, a spirit of restless reinvention characterizes director Giovanni Tortorici’s aesthetic approach throughout DICIANNOVE. Read @marshallshaffer.bsky.social's review.

'Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' Review: A Nearly Parodic Soulslike 'Wuchang: Fallen Feathers' is an ambitious Soulslike that, betraying only glimmers of conviction, verges at times on parody.

WUCHANG: FALLEN FEATHERS’s politics, like its labyrinthine world, gesture at meaning but find nothing to grasp. Read @nivmsultan.bsky.social's review.

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review: A Family Affair Marvel gives its first family the expansive and heartfelt big-screen treatment it deserves.

With THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS, Marvel gives its first family the expansive and heartfelt big-screen treatment it deserves. Read @justinofclark.bsky.social's review.

'Oh, Hi!' Review: What Witchcraft Is This? Sophie Brooks's 'Oh, Hi!' might have been stronger had it stayed in the bedroom with its two most interesting characters.

OH, HI! is constantly on the verge of falling into age-old gendered stereotypes and might have been stronger had it stayed in the bedroom with its two most interesting characters. Read @roccotthompson.bsky.social's review.

'2000 Meters to Andriivka' Review: A Harrowing Portrait of Resilience Sundance: Beyond the horrific violence, the film makes us privy to the struggle of men to hold onto their humanity.

Beyond the violence, Mstyslav Chernov’s 2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA makes us privy to the struggle of men to hold onto their humanity. In theaters this Friday. Read @positivelytonsils.bsky.social's review.

Age hasn’t dulled the heartache of YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, Kenneth Lonergan’s finely tuned portrayal of grief. Available on 4K UHD Blu-ray this Tuesday from the Criterion Collection. tinyurl.com/y2e3zjap