1994 low budget comedy Clerks is writer/director Kevin Smith’s first film and the foundation for a 25-year strong series of films, comics, a cartoon, and a cartoon television show that have entertained literal generations of audiences. Dubbed the “View Askewniverse”… Read More ›
In Theaters
While lacking the depth and emotional nuance of previous Holocaust films, “Quezon’s Game” honors the past by bringing a nearly forgotten story to light.
As early as 1945, two years before the liberation of Auschwitz, filmmakers began to grapple with the challenge of preserving Holocaust memory on screen. Directors like Mark Donskoy and Wanda Jakubowska took great risks with their films, The Unvanquished (1945)… Read More ›
An unexpected rambunctious adrenaline ride, “Bad Boys for Life” is the just break you need from the winter doldrums.
When a film releases a new addition to a franchise a decade or more after the last entry, there’s good reason to be skeptical about the quality. Often, what worked before doesn’t connect due to changes in the cultural landscape,… Read More ›
Unconventional and super trippy, “The Wave” is an unexpected time travel comedy.
Time travel movies are, honestly, very hit and miss. Granted, there are exceptions (i.e., Terminator or Back to the Future), but time travel seems to get a bad rap, and for good reasons, because it could be considered Hollywood’s way… Read More ›
“Like A Boss” is a celebration of the bonds we share with the family we choose.
Originating from the mind of Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (My Name Is Earl, Whitney) and featuring the direction of Miquel Arteta (Beatriz at Dinner, Duck Butter) comes Like A Boss, a love story about friendship, loyalty, and faith centered around two lifelong… Read More ›
Though often uncomfortable, “Three Christs” is a moving, thought-provoking film exploring the detriments of mental illness and the positive power of humanity.
Director Jon Avnet and co-writer Eric Nazarian helm the new IFC Films production, Three Christs, showcasing a star-studded cast including Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins, Bradley Whitford, Charlotte Hope, and Julliana Margulies. Adapted from Dr. Milton Rokeach’s published psychiatric… Read More ›
The echoes of the past in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will have you laugh, cry, gasp, and cheer like you’re a kid again.
As written two years ago, Star Wars fans are notoriously hard to please. It seems as though, with every new release, the Fandom finds some aspect to develop disdain for as though these films are serious dramas and not space… Read More ›
Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Broadway hit “Cats” is more the cat’s meow than the dog’s bullocks.
The play Cats is a strange and mysterious thing. Lacking a typical narrative, the story unfolds as each cat introduces itself in song and details of a larger undertaking are revealed upon each new tune. By and large, though, Andrew… Read More ›
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women” masterfully captures the timelessness of the novel with a top-level ensemble cast.
Published in 1868, Louisa May Alcott’s novel Little Women continues to be read, studied, and poured over by readers of all ages and stripes. Alcott’s story of the four March sisters is timeless in nature, despite being anchored in the… Read More ›
When it comes to “Spies in Disguise,” Team Weird FTW.
What if James Bond, but he’s a pigeon? This crazy premise doesn’t sound all that enticing, but what if I told you that’s just the lede for 20th Century Fox’s animated spy action-adventure family film Spies in Disguise. First time… Read More ›
“Jumanji: The Next Level” remains solid holiday fun, even if it never advances past its premise.
In recent memory, there’s only one film franchise that seems to have unlocked the key to longevity after an extended break and that’s the Fast & Furious series. They found a way to revitalize the car drama by bringing back… Read More ›
Just keep telling yourself “Daniel Isn’t Real.”
For as big as the waves that SpectreVision is making in the indie horror scene with cult hits like The Greasy Strangler and Mandy, it’s a real wonder why a major distributor hasn’t taken a bigger chance putting their films… Read More ›
Despite a subversion of genre tropes and bevy of homages, Jennifer Reeder’s “Knives and Skin” isn’t as sharp as it aims to be.
The textbook definition of “teen movie” has taken a sharp left turn in the past decade. Gone are the days of lighthearted slapstick comedies à la American Pie and Superbad, or the mushy romance films like She’s All That and… Read More ›
“The Curse of the Monkey Bird” pairs the familiar with the modern for an undeniable fun Looney Tunes adventure.
A pig and a duck ride an elephant into the jungle. No, this isn’t the set-up for a joke, it’s the basis for The Curse of the Monkey Bird, the latest in a series of Looney Tunes cartoons set for… Read More ›
Technical mastery and a poetic approach to direction make director Sam Mendes’s “1917” an unforgettable experience.
Dunkirk. Hacksaw Ridge. Saving Private Ryan. The Thin Red Line. All Quiet on the Western Front. Each of these films found a provocative way to tell a war story. Whether it’s the tickticktick of Hans Zimmer’s Dunkirk score accompanying overlapping… Read More ›
Director Melina Matsoukas’s directorial feature debut “Queen & Slim” is a time bomb disguised as a powerhouse drama.
Director Melina Matouskas’s directorial debut, Queen & Slim, is a devastating drama about a couple thrust into the spotlight after a traffic stop gone wrong. At least, that’s one way to read it. Another way is that the screenplay from… Read More ›
Crime thriller “The Irishman” is Martin Scorsese at his most self-assured.
In his recent years, and more specifically in recent months, Martin Scorsese has really stepped away from the spotlight…oh my god, could you imagine if I was serious with that? The argument has been made that Scorsese made the controversial… Read More ›
“Knives Out” is more than a whodunit. It’s the most fun you’ll have at the cinema.
There’s been a lot of trash tossed around on writer/director Rian Johnson since his Star Wars film hit theaters in 2017. It’s wonderful that audiences feel such ownership for a film series, but there comes a point where the community… Read More ›
Peter Strickland’s Giallo-inspired “In Fabric” crafts an inspired modern tale out of vintage filmmaking. [Film Fest 919]
It’s no secret that Suspiria is one of my favorite films of all time, with the 2018 remake just ever so slightly edging out the 1977 original thanks to its expansion on the film’s themes and plot to make something… Read More ›
“The Aeronauts” doesn’t seek to exist as a quiet, introspective costume drama, but as an adventure of the grandest scale imaginable. [Film Fest 919]
Whatever happened to wonder in films? Whatever happened to the sweeping scores layered over long, grand shots of adventure and peril? Why does everything feel so commercialized and insincere nowadays? I feel like whenever big blockbusters make you feel something,… Read More ›