Is social media a waste of time, as David Remnick said? Maybe so. But Twitter, Instagram and the rest make keeping up with other people's lives easy and free. Where the Cannes festivalgoer is concerned, a spur-of-the-moment video on Instagram by a filmmaker can potentially add insight into what they're experiencing. At the same time, it's important not to lose touch of the fact that social media is often as vapid as it is useless

In "Joy joy nails" unusual close-ups and adept cinematography combine the claustrophobic feelings of a confined workplace with the eerie lighting from the city's streets, its buses and subways. “Joy Joy Nails,” directed by New Yorker Joey Ally, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at a Queens nail salon from the viewpoint of its employees, most of whom are Korean. Subtitles (in the foreign film tradition) help convey what they’re

One of the best things about Tribeca (this film premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Festival recently) are the more character-driven independent films that get screened there. One example of this is “My Art,” written, directed and starring Laurie Simmons. Simmons of course falls into that underrated category of “Female Director” that thankfully Tribeca recognizes more and more each year. The story of the film revolves around “Ellie"

"Based on a true story" ("D'après une histoire vraie" in the French original) is the latest film by Roman Polanski, and a late addition to this year's Cannes program. The film was adapted from the namesake novel by author Delphine de Vigan. In it, a writer (played by French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, Polanski's real-life wife) living in Paris publishes an autobiographical novel, and it does not go over well with her relatives who now

The Tribeca Film Festival ended on Sunday and, once again, proves what a great outlet for women-made films it is. “The Boy Downstairs,” by newcomer Sophie Brooks, was one of those entertaining and smart films. I had the pleasure of speaking with Brooks about her Tribeca, and feature film debut, as both writer and director.

Brooks is a graduate of the NYU Tisch