Given the opportunity to work with strangers or friends, chances are “friends” is going to win out every time. Doing so provides a comfortability to do things one might not ordinarily do, or, at the very least, allow one to… Read More ›
In Theaters
RZA’s satirical crime thriller “One Spoon of Chocolate” straddles the line between grindhouse hyperreality and horrifying realism. [Tribeca]
Content Warning: One Spoon of Chocolate features several instances of violence against Black bodies that may prove triggering for sensitive viewers. Musician RZA made his full feature directorial debut with 2012’s The Man with the Iron Fists, a Shaw Brothers-style… Read More ›
“Re-Creation” poses a judicial what-if of a well-known cold case. [Tribeca]
I am not going to pretend that the name Sophie Toscan du Plantier means anything to me outside of the context of the film as I do not follow famous deaths or cold cases. However, maybe if I was older… Read More ›
Charles Williams’s “Inside” examines a messy family-like dynamic within a high security prison. [Tribeca]
There is something inherently interesting and thought-provoking from Charles Williams’s first time feature, Inside (not to be confused with the Willem Dafoe movie from a few years back), but the longform execution of this seems to be where it slightly… Read More ›
Uttera Singh’s feature directorial debut dramedy “Pinch” views universal issues through a specific cultural lens. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual abuse in the following review. Regardless of time and place, some people will only seek to take advantage. All they need is an opportunity and the belief that no one will turn them in and… Read More ›
“The Life of Chuck” pulls the curtain on life.
You’ll believe that a white boy can do the moonwalk — or at least that Jacob Tremblay (Luca; The Room) can do the moonwalk better than anyone else in the room at a winking Back to The Future (1985)-themed school… Read More ›
Propulsive and raw music doc “Metallica Saved My Life” requires no prior exposure or knowledge of the band, the only entry fee being empathy. [Tribeca]
Trigger Warning: Metallica Saved My Life features a variety of flourishes in the editing that include light bursts that may prove impactful for photosensitive viewers. Concert footage does also include expected flashing lights, but nothing out of the ordinary. Some… Read More ›
Universal Pictures releases “How to Train Your Dragon” fan-film in theaters.
When I discovered cinema, my first dreams were of making my mark on franchises I loved. Then, I grew and learned how to harness my creativity to dream my own dreams. This is the key difference between the passive imaginer,… Read More ›
“Horsegirls” prances into your heart and lands each aspect of its mashed genres of comedy and drama. [Tribeca]
Writer and director Lauren Meyering swings for the fences with a difficult yet captivating story that is surely going to resonate with certain viewers, certain parents, and make for a compelling career moving forward in the feature industry with her… Read More ›
“A Tree Fell in the Woods” blends realism with surrealism in an examination of perception. [Tribeca]
When writing a comedy about couples where everything and anything can go wrong, there is a lot of territory that has already been covered. Entries into the genre consistently feel like they’re beating a dead horse. Trying to find something… Read More ›
When “Man Finds Tape,” seeing is disbelieving. [Tribeca]
Under the oral traditions of yesteryear, the things humans couldn’t explain or understand, the things for which there was little proof beyond anecdote, fell under myths and legends. Now, however, in the digital age, when it’s so easy for anyone… Read More ›
Rowan Haber’s comedic exploration into the character proudly proclaims “We Are Pat.” [Tribeca]
A lot of people say, “What’s that?” It’s Pat! A lot of people ask, “Who’s he? Or she?” A ma’am or a sir, accept him or her or whatever it might be. It’s time for androgyny. Here comes Pat! –… Read More ›
The intent of “To Live and Die and Live” gets lost amid a seemingly unfocused and underdeveloped execution.
If there are any good things to say about To Live and Die and Live (2025), they are that Amin Joseph (One of Them Days; Snowfall) is a very good actor; Skye P. Marshall (Let’s Be Cops; Coup!) can sell… Read More ›
Documentary “The End of Quiet” uses a microcosm to ask big questions about the cost of modernity. [Tribeca]
In the modern era, noise is constant and everywhere. Doesn’t matter if you live in urban, suburban, or rural areas, if you’ve got some kind of signal transmission, it produces sound, whether you can hear it or not. Recognizing the… Read More ›
Audiences find the groove emanating within Logic’s feature film directorial debut, workplace comedy “Paradise Records.” [Tribeca]
A little word of advice, my friend. Sometimes you gotta let those hard-to-reach chips go. – Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) in Clerks. One night, while attending a youth group function, someone decided, for reasons lost to the annals of time,… Read More ›
Comedy thriller “Birthright” leaves you laughing hysterically in the darkest of corners. [Tribeca]
If you’re a fan of the most insane over-the-top, completely plausible, uncomfortable comedies of all time, then Zoe Pepper is a name to look out for and her newest feature, Birthright, is an absolute must-see. While the film is not… Read More ›
“Lemonade Blessing” will have you doing spit takes both cringe and comical. [Tribeca]
Without having ever met or talked to writer/director Chris Merola (The Stall), I think it’s fair to say and even assume that the inspiration behind Lemonade Blessing may have come from an episode of The Simpsons. This isn’t a dig… Read More ›
Like a good trap, Predator animated anthology “Killer of Killers” proves to be an extraordinary mix of gorgeous violence and narrative propulsion. [Tribeca]
Since 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg released his addition to the Predator franchise, Prey, in 2022 on Hulu, audiences have grown ever more hungry for new Predator stories. Sure, audiences have four other films to explore, plus two Alien… Read More ›
“Bring Her Back” is horror that lingers in the only way good horror can.
Content Warning: The following spoiler-free review will include descriptions of death, which may be difficult for sensitive individuals. There is going to be an ungodly amount of discourse so I want to preface this review with a few things. If… Read More ›
Ana de Armas will be of service in “John Wick” franchise expanding actioner “Ballerina.”
How many successful action franchises do we have now? That’s a more complicated question to answer than one may think. That is, especially after the surprise 2014 revelation of a film that was John Wick. Besides revitalizing Keanu Reeves’s career,… Read More ›