Joshua Polanski
Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:
Joshua Polanski is a film and culture writer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His interests include the technical elements of filmmaking & exhibition, slow & digital cinemas, cinematic sexuality, as well as Baltic, East Asian, & Middle Eastern film.
Brother (1991)
“A travel film with a defying political undercurrent.” –
D Movies
Apr 23, 2025
Full Review
Madame Butterfly (1919)
“Harakiri argues for a thematic interrogation of [Fritz Lang's] films in isolation from the naughty side of his biography.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Apr 6, 2025
Full Review
Leila and the Wolves (1984)
“Leila and the Wolves... holds a special place within that tradition of boundary-pushing Leftist filmmaking from the Arab Levant.” –
In Review Online
Apr 3, 2025
Full Review
The Three Musketeers (2011)
27%
“As caffeinated as 21st-century filmmaking gets.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Apr 2, 2025
Full Review
Maria's Silence (2024)
“How much more powerful would the imagery have been had it been used to funnel the film to the present rather than to avoid it intentionally? ” –
Boston Hassle
Mar 10, 2025
Full Review
While the City Sleeps (1956)
91%
“The newsroom and the relationships between the newspaper men and women are the beating heart of While the City Sleeps.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Mar 10, 2025
Full Review
In the Lost Lands (2025)
24%
“The sort of world one wishes they could give Ted Cruz a one-way ticket to.” –
There Were No Gods Left
Mar 10, 2025
Full Review
Flow (2024)
97%
“The success of Flow would be impossible without its stunning and unique animation style.” –
Boston Hassle
Mar 3, 2025
Full Review
Pompeii (2014)
27%
“One of the greatest cinematic achievements of the 21st century.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Mar 3, 2025
Full Review
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
70%
“Only Lang could do Lang. And sometimes he did it better than others.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Feb 28, 2025
Full Review
Drowning Dry (2024)
94%
“The structure will jar with many viewers. And that’s probably for the better, since tragedy too jars those who it pesters.” –
Boston Hassle
Feb 28, 2025
Full Review
Is It Easy to Be Young? (1986)
“A staple in Baltic cinema.” –
Boston Hassle
Feb 28, 2025
Full Review
Orenda (2025)
“The irony, then, is that though Orenda is by no means a bad film and in fact mightily impresses in moments, its inconsistency undermines testimony of any genuine orenda.” –
In Review Online
Feb 7, 2025
Full Review
Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
20%
“Those who come to Star Trek: Section 31 with nothing but fond memories and fuzzy feel-goodery in their hearts for Star Trek: Discovery will find little to redeem this Michelle Yeoh as Philippa Georgiou spin-off.” –
In Review Online
Feb 4, 2025
Full Review
Lovable (2022)
“The highlight of Lovable is undoubtedly [Kārlis Arnolds] Avots’ lead performance.” –
Boston Hassle
Jan 19, 2025
Full Review
Man Hunt (1941)
87%
“Impossibly beautiful image[s] wasted on such an insignificant romance.” –
Midwest Film Journal
Jan 5, 2025
Full Review
The People's Joker (2022)
96%
“"The People's Joker" is well on its way to being a nail in the superhero coffin the same way "Blazing Saddles" was for Westerns or "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" for musician biopics.” –
Bay Area Reporter
Dec 24, 2024
Full Review
Nickel Boys (2024)
91%
“Nickel Boys is simultaneously a machine for empathy — driven by the film’s use of first person POV and tight aspect ratio — and distanced with experimental and stylized pillow shots of the engine of history revving up in the background.” –
There Were No Gods Left
Dec 11, 2024
Full Review
A Complete Unknown (2024)
82%
“Popifies the only songwriter to ever win the Nobel Prize in Literature. ” –
There Were No Gods Left
Dec 11, 2024
Full Review
Fez Summer '55 (2023)
“There is no ideological backing or agitprop motivating Fez Summer ‘55. It’s a story of simple good guys and bad guys. Of course, in military occupations there are good guys and bad guys and it is that simple. ” –
Boston Hassle
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
Yohanna (2024)
4/5
“Demands the viewer leans closer to the screen in a shared pain for the forsaken nun.” –
D Movies
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
Doombung: The Puddle (2024)
“Lee Dong-ju’s film doesn’t always work and that’s okay because even when it doesn’t work, Doombung still shows originality.” –
Offscreen
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
Base Station (2024)
“They tromp around a restricted forest like fairy tale characters. There is no magic in Base Station though.” –
Offscreen
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
Quy Cau (2023)
“I’d be surprised if any audience finds Crimson Snout seriously scary.” –
Boston Hassle
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
The Unrighteous (2024)
“The Unrighteous is ... most intelligent.” –
Offscreen
Dec 4, 2024
Full Review
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