What would you call it if someone made money off your hard work? I’m not talking about a manager at your local Mom & Pop Shop running their business with a few hired hands, I’m talking about someone making millions… Read More ›
In Theaters
Just because you “Don’t Look Up,” doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Don’t Look Up is, by far, the strongest, most searing piece of cinema writer/director Adam McKay (The Big Short; Vice) has put before us. Unlike his last two films which presented real-world events through a comedic lens, Don’t Look Up… Read More ›
Philip Barantini’s “Boiling Point” mixes technical prowess with dramatic tension for an all-too realistic look at the service industry.
There is nothing worse than dealing with hungry people. Except, maybe, perhaps, dealing with hungry people during a major holiday. I’m not talking about family gatherings around the home and hearth, I’m talking about going out to eat. You want… Read More ›
Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta” weaves luridity in with heavy, impenetrable narratives to create something with a surprising amount of emotional heft.
This is absolutely a safe space to admit that Paul Verhoeven is one of the most well-rounded, self-aware filmmakers to ever live. We’re all thinking it, so someone might as well say it. His filmography can sometimes read like a… Read More ›
Writer/director Camille Griffin’s directorial debut “Silent Night” is a hilariously dark and downright torturous microcosmic exploration of living on Earth.
The holidays are always rife with possibilities. They are an opportunity to gather together, to rekindle connections or foster already burgeoning affections. They are also an opportunity to air grievances, the energy of renewal spurning some to unleash that which’s… Read More ›
Enjoy all the horror and humor of “Black Friday” without setting your alarm for 3am.
The moment the clock hit 12:01am, most of my social media had flipped from Halloween content to Christmas. Out with the spooky and in with the jolly! Skipping over the fact that Hanukkah starts sundown November 28th this year (slow… Read More ›
Writer/director Abel Ferrara’s “Zeros and Ones” is not just a drama, but a full-circle experience.
Written and directed by Abel Ferrara, Zeros and Ones opens with a video message directly from lead actor Ethan Hawke, even before the actual narrative of the film gets going. This video from Hawke looks to have been shot on… Read More ›
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “tick, tick…BOOM!” adaptation is a love-letter to both a lost artist and the medium he so loved.
Your musical theater tastes are all but defined by when you were first introduced. It doesn’t mean that you can’t shift or grow in tastes, but there certainly comes a heavy influence or leaning based upon your start. While I,… Read More ›
Halle Berry’s directorial debut is “Bruised” but not broken.
It’s perfectly natural to want to find ways to grow in your craft. Someone who starts as an intern likely has their eyes on a manager’s seat, wanting to absorb as much as possible in order to get there faster…. Read More ›
Don’t blink. Don’t move. Writer/director Jane Campion’s western thriller “The Power of the Dog” compels you to heel.
Director Jane Campion’s (The Piano) latest project is an adaptation of author Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel The Power of the Dog. Her film, a taunt western-drama, chronicles the intersecting lives of two families across several months in Montana 1925. Each… Read More ›
Come for Italian drama, stay for Swamy Rotolo’s scene-stealing performance in “A Chiara.” [Film Fest 919]
Quickly think of a gangster movie…what’s the first thing that comes to your head? The Godfather? Goodfellas? Scarface? Maybe even Boyz n the Hood? It’s a widely diverse genre, but the missions are generally all pretty similar, focusing on the… Read More ›
Action thrill-ride “One Shot” goes far beyond intense stunt sequences and camera trickery.
Pain is a fantastic motivator and a terrible teacher. It moves us to make decisions that feel right, justified even, in the moment, but, with a bit of time, reveal themselves to have been the poorer of the options. By… Read More ›
Using the natural world as a fantasy playground, “Petite Maman” is able to explore loss and grief with tenderness. [Film Fest 919]
Two years ago, even during the height of Parasite-mania, there was one film that stole the entirety of Film Fest 919 for me: that being Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire by a country mile. Presenting truly one… Read More ›
“Hell Hath No Fury” but it has a long memory and a demand for justice.
The reason why such great offense is taken when the Holocaust is invoked regarding any potential inconvenience (re: not injustice) is multi-layered and complex. The folks trying to make the connection are trying to attribute, for example, the wearing of… Read More ›
Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” is not without his signature style or flourish, but it’s missing that emotional connection found in past works. [Film Fest 919]
Sean Baker does good white trash. I really don’t know how to put it in any less crude terms than that. Even when his films don’t necessarily focus on low-income white people, the air of that world lingers in the… Read More ›
Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World (Verdens verste menneske)” is a beautifully nuanced love letter to those who have yet to get their shit together. [Film Fest 919]
My name is Hunter, I am 25 years old, and I don’t need a governess…I also am having a severe quarter life crisis right now and am struggling. I’ve been having trouble as of late deciding what I want my… Read More ›
In a sea of manufactured biopics, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” takes the crown with its pure sincerity. [Film Fest 919]
To be completely honest with you, I thought Will Smith was doing a period piece where he would play King Richard I in what I thought was one of the more daring pieces of casting I had heard about in… Read More ›
Mike Mills’s “C’mon C’mon” meticulously delves into the subtleties and complications of human life. [Film Fest 919]
I’m not really sure at what point Joaquin Phoenix became a “weird” actor. My best guess lies in his strange publicity stunt of retiring from acting and becoming a rapper for the Casey Affleck “documentary” I’m Still Here, or maybe… Read More ›
The biopic to end all biopics, Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer” offers an understanding of its subject rather than a recreation. [Film Fest 919]
My mother is absolutely obsessed with the Royal Family. The intrigue, mystery, extravagance, drama, strange practices, rules, traditions, quirks, and even the general consensus that it’s an entirely obsolete and unnecessary thing to have in the 21st century are all… Read More ›
“The French Dispatch” is Wes Anderson undiluted and bound to delight fans of the acclaimed creative. [Film Fest 919]
There’s been a whole hullabaloo on social media regarding The French Dispatch, with disgruntled Twitter account owners accusing Wes Anderson of relying on the laurels of being Wes Anderson, and like…yeah dude…what do you expect? There’s this expectation in the… Read More ›