Documentarian Shalini Kantayya's latest, LOVE APPTUALLY, examines the increasingly dark side of online dating. The apps themselves that is, not the men. Chris Reed spoke to her about the film... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/k... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Ari Aster along with Lars & Amy Knudsen have announced dates for the 2nd Annual Square Peg Social where less experienced filmmakers can to join a weekend of networking. Hammer to Nail has a special offer to get 20% off applying! Check it out! www.hammertonail.com/features/squ...

Jessica Baxter pulls no punches in her review of the Seth Rogen/Ed Norton/Penelope Cruz film THE INVITE saying star/director Olivia Wilde has "leveled the fuck up" and the film is "an instant classic." It his theaters Friday,,. www.hammertonail.com/reviews/the-... @thebaxter.bsky.social

Shalini Kantayya’s new documentary LOVE APPUTALLY swipes left on the notion of capitalism and true love however Chris Reed swipes right in his review of the doc... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/love... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Director Josh Greenbaum takes a deep dive into the healthy and longstanding tradition of political comedy in his doc PLAYING POTUS. The film features a who's who of SNL alums and more! Chris Reed has this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/play... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Famed photographer Pete Muller makes the jump to the moving image with @dcdoxfest.bsky.social DC/DOX film BUCKS HARBOR which examines masculinity via a small, Maine town, Chris Reed has this review.... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/buck... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Filmmaker Mark Jenkin has a bigger boat, err, budget and canvas for his newest film, the twisty ROSE OF NEVADA. Jack Schenker spoke with him ahead of the films release this weekend... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/m...

After its debut at Tribeca Fest, Gar O'Rourke's THE SIEGE OF PARADISE, which looks at the pluses and minuses of tourism on a small, Italian village, continues to plays film fests. Chris Reed spoke with him at DC/DOX... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/g... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

"BY HOOK OR BY CROOK arrived in 2001 as the kind of film queer and trans cinema needed before the culture knew how to ask for it" says Bears Rebecca Fonté. She spoke with filmmakers, Harry Dodge & Silas Howard upon the film's rerelease www.hammertonail.com/interviews/d... @bearsrebecca.bsky.social

Elliot Tuttle's microbudget, near chamber piece BLUE FILM is in select theaters now. Jack Schenker spoke with Tuttle and stars Reed Birney and Kieron Moore about the making of... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/b...

Tourism can bring financial success to a small town but that can also come at a cost. These ideas and more are examined in Gar O’Rourke's #Tribeca doc THE SIEGE OF PARADISE. Chris Reed journeys in with this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/sieg... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

The #Tribeca Festival enters its final weekend and HtN is still rolling out reviews, many of which aren't getting any love by other sites! M.J. O'Toole is a fan of filmmaker Hannah Peterson and takes the journey with her latest, VIA NEGATIVA www.hammertonail.com/reviews/via-...

What do murderous dictators like to dine on when it's not the souls and lifeblood of their citizens? Director Andrew Neel gets some answers in his #Tribeca doc HOW TO FEED A DICTATOR. Chris Reed digs in with his review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/how-... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Documentarian and master movie-trailer editor Jeremy Workman is back with another lighter, slice-of-life doc, SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS which films the lives of students in a tiny Korean boarding school striving for a better future. M.J. O'Toole has this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/scho...

Rock Springs, WY, is not the friendliest to anyone outside the straight mainstream so Allison Berg's doc, TIME WARP, about a group putting on a ROCKY HORROR performance has extra resonance. Chris Reed taks a step to the left in this review out of #Tribeca| www.hammertonail.com/reviews/time...

Who doesn't love a great haunted house, especially one housed inside a former real-life "insane asylum?" Chris Reed get spooky in his review of Mike Attie, Katarina Poljak & Nathan R. Stenberg's #Tribeca documentary THE HAUNTING OF PENNHURST www.hammertonail.com/reviews/the-...

Zach Woods built his career in comedy but Matt Delman says in his feature directing debut THE ACCOMPANIST, he shows a deeply sensitive side. The film stars Aubrey Plaza and Susan Sarandon and just had it's premiere at #Tribeca, check out Matt's review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/the-...

The #Tribeca Festival has officially kicked off and now, so has our coverage which will be in-depth! Today, Chris Reed rolls film on the poignant and inspiring doc KIDS LIKE ME which details a young filmmaker pursuing his dreams.... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/kids...

LIFE OF BRIAN, Monty Python's send up of the Catholic religion has a gorgeous new #Criterion 4k release. Brad Cook makes no mistake about it as he reviews the release... www.hammertonail.com/blu-ray/curb...

Director Sébastien Laudenbach continues to create indelible animated films for children and adults that don't shy away from big themes. Jack Schenker spoke with him at #Cannes about his latest film, VIVA CARMEN... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/l...

The 2026 #Tribeca Film Festival kicks off TOMORROW and HtN will be knocking out reviews, interviews and ore throughout. Check out our 10 "best picks" for the fest, we'll see you there! www.hammertonail.com/film-festiva...

Palestinian filmmaker Kamal Aljafari is back with the haunting "found footage" documentary WITH HASAN IN GAZA. Anders Ljung says the film "arrives not as an excavation of the past, but as a confrontation with the present." It's in theaters now via Cinema Guild www.hammertonail.com/reviews/with...

The iconic Karen Allen has never stopped making movies or supporting the arts from her home in the Berkshires which is why she is the honoree at this year's Berkshires International Film Festival. M.J. O'Toole had the honor of speaking to Allen before the fest www.hammertonail.com/interviews/k...

The brilliant Boots Riley needs YOU to keep getting out to see I LOVE BOOSTERS in theaters, it's not too late to join the revolution! He talks more about it in his onstage chat at #SIFF where Jessica Baxter joined the fight... www.hammertonail.com/film-festiva... @thebaxter.bsky.social

Savina Petkova truly nails the films of Ira Sachs saying he, "doesn’t make films for the audience, he gifts them" in her review of his #Cannes premiering THE MAN I LOVE which stars Rami Malek & Tom Sturridge www.hammertonail.com/reviews/the-...

The first-ever Nepali feature film to premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at #Cannes, Abinash Bikram Shah’s ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG "sustains then subverts tired tropes readily attached to the trans experience" says Lé Baltar in her review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/elep...

Katie Aselton co-wrote, directs and stars alongside Daveed Diggs in MAGIC HOUR. Chris Reed and students in his class held an intriguing conversation about the film which is on VOD now... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/k... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Boots Riley is back with I LOVE BOOSTERS, it's in theaters now. Jessica Baxter praises it's unique storytelling, characters and visual flair... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/i-lo... @thebaxter.bsky.social

Sebastian Stan madę news out of #Cannes this week where he was starring in Cristian Mungiu's competition film FJORD which also stars Renate Reinsve. Savina Petkova has this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/fjord/

Oscar-winning documentarian Daniel Roher makes the move to narrative features with the Dustin Hoffman starring heist film TUNER. Chris Reed focuses in with this review of the film which is in theaters now... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/tuner/ @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

The Seattle Intl Film Fest wrapped last weekend but we're still crushing reviews! Jay Duplass continues his directorial comeback with SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU starring Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Hope Davis & Kaitlyn Dever. Jessica Baxter has this review www.hammertonail.com/reviews/see-...

Documentarian Yoav Potash spent a decade interviewing the octogenarian residents of a rural Polish town about their experiences before, during & after the holocaust to create AMONG NEIGHBORS which is available on VOD now. Jessica Baxter has this review.... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/amon...

Savina Petkova is rocking reviews out of #Cannes, saying "there are films that make you believe art is worth making and films that convince you life is worth living. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ALL OF A SUDDEN is both." www.hammertonail.com/reviews/all-...

From Cannes: Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda's SHEEP IN THE BOX, his latest since '23 #Cannes bets screenplay winner MONSTER, "aims to get to the heart of a parent-child relationship while appealing to the senses" says Savina Petkova... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/shee...

What started as a series version of DEKALOG for Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has now been retrofitted into #Cannes premiering PARALLEL TALES. Savina Petkova has this review from #Cannes2026... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/para...

MAGIC HOUR is directed by and stars Katie Aselton, Daveed Diggs and Brad Garret. Chris Reed says it's "distinctly cinematic, thanks to its lush compositions and touching performances from the leads." It's in theaters now.... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/magi... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

"In their new film, Jane Schoenbrun proves there is no right or wrong way to have an orgasm" starts off Matt Delman's review of #Cannes breakout TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA which stars Gillian Anderson & Hannah Einbinder www.hammertonail.com/reviews/teen...

Set on Tangier Island which is slowly disappearing beneath rising sea levels, David Usui’s eco-doc BEEN HERE STAY HERE "avoids the urgency and spectacle that often define contemporary climate cinema" says Anders Ljung. The film is in theaters tomorrow... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/been...

Eight years after he was named Best Director at #Cannes for COLD WAR, Pawel Pawlikowski returns with FATHERLAND. Savina Petkova says it's a "stylized, intellectually rigorous engagement with European history in the aftermath of World War II." www.hammertonail.com/reviews/fath...

Ildikó Enyedi’s meditative and engaging ecocinema film SILENT FRIEND is a century-spanning triptych. The film is in theaters now and Frank Yan has this review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/sile...

Jessica Baxter reminds us WHY we love film festivals and TRUE indie film as she happens upon co-directors Heather Ballish & Mia Moore Marchant's directorial debut AGAIN AGAIN at the Seattle Intl Film Fest and falls in love with it... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/agai... @thebaxter.bsky.social

MISPER "may be director Harry Sherriff’s feature debut, but it feels like the work of a very confident filmmaker" says Chris Reed of the comedy-drama peppered with great performances. Review fresh from the Maryland Film Fest... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/misp... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Writer/director Taratoa Stappard didn’t set out to make a horror film, but in researching Māori history, it became clear the atrocities visited upon the Māori people left no choice. Jessica Baxter has this review out of #SIFF26 www.hammertonail.com/reviews/mara... @thebaxter.bsky.social

Lauren Wissot had a great chat with Nicole Bazuin & Andrea Werhun, co-directors of the doc MODERN WHORE which is a campy look at sex work in this modern age. The film is available on VOD via Quiver Distribution.... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/b...

J.J. Gerber’s directorial debut documentary THE LIFE WE LEAVE, examines the new trend of human composting post-death. Jessica Baxter has this review from the Seattle International Film Fest www.hammertonail.com/reviews/the-... @thebaxter.bsky.social

Italian director Francesco Sossai's tipsy road movie THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD is in theaters now. Chris Reed pops the cork in this movie review... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/last... #ItalianCinema, #RoadTripMovie, #CarpeDiem, #FrancescoSossai, #MovieReview, #IndieFilm, #DriftingJoyride

Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at #Sundance for his sci-fi film IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE. Jack Schenker spoke with him and cast and crew members about the film... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/b...

German director Stella Marie Markert's feature film debut THANKS FOR NOTHING had its premiere at #SXSW. Chris Reed says "a vibrant narrative about the pain and joy of growing up, pros and cons alike..." www.hammertonail.com/reviews/than... @chrisreedfilm.bsky.social

Jonathan Marlow says Angelo Madsen's A BODY TO LIVE IN "is an overdue and much-anticipated documentary on the life of performance artist Fakir Musafar." Check it out at #NWFF May 2 or on Blu-ray starting May 26... www.hammertonail.com/reviews/a-bo...

The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival starts TODAY and runs through May 4. As part of the festivities, the great Lynn Sachs will be given the Persistence of Vision (POV) award! Revisit Jonathan Marlow's conversation with her from earlier this year... www.hammertonail.com/interviews/l...