“Stick to what you know” is something we’re told as kids to keep us stuck to the ways we’re used to and to not question authority, keeping us confined. It’s an adage that unfortunately sticks in many of our minds… Read More ›
In Theaters
Director Mike Flanagan makes “Doctor Sleep” his own while keeping pace with Kubrick and King.
Doctor Sleep marks the fifth major adaption of a Stephen King work in 2019 alone, joining the theatrically released Pet Sematary and It: Chapter Two, Netflix’s In the Tall Grass, and Hulu’s original series Castle Rock. Adapting King novels and… Read More ›
William Fichtner’s directorial debut “Cold Brook” plays like cinematic comfort food.
William Fichtner’s been working in television and film since 1989. He’s played a variety of characters in myriad of genres, but rarely does he get the kind of recognition that other actors working as hard as he and as talented… Read More ›
Craig Brewer’s “Dolemite is My Name” is an absolute joy from beginning to end. [Film Fest 919]
Everyone loves a good comeback story. Everyone cheered when Rudy made that touchdown at the end of Rudy, everyone loves Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and today, we get to celebrate not only one, but two,… Read More ›
Pedro Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory (Dolor y gloria)” is a quiet, intimate, and retrospective piece. [Film Fest 919]
There are certain filmmakers who simply embody the essence of what their country, culture, and style are at their core; that the sheer mention of their name conjures a body of work worthy of showing off as the crème de… Read More ›
Taika Waititi’s period comedy “Jojo Rabbit” lacks the bite satire requires. [Film Fest 919]
It used to be that everyone agreed that the Nazis were bad. It was one of the world’s universal truths, but unfortunately, because everything today has to be terrible and awful at all times, we’ve re-entered the age of neo-Nazism… Read More ›
Despite the trappings of a thoughtful noir, Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn” adaptation doesn’t seem to coalesce.
The cinematic adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s book Motherless Brooklyn by Edward Norton (Keeping the Faith) possesses all the hallmarks of a great noir: mystery, a dame in trouble, and a gumshoe in over his head. When you add in a… Read More ›
Fernando Meirelles’s “The Two Popes” explores the push-pull involved in church reformation via the conversation of two old men. [Film Fest 919]
In another life, I swear I’d be Catholic. Of course, I’m too much of a dirty sodomite to get away with it in this life, but something about the sheer pageantry of it all feels more like drag than RuPaul’s… Read More ›
James Mangold’s “Ford v Ferrari” exudes cool, placing his undeniable stamp on the car film genre. [Film Fest 919]
Despite my aversion to the complexity of the vroom-vroom-crashy-crashy machines called “cars” today, there was once a time I was obsessed with automobiles. I had every Matchbox car under the sun and, as a three-year-old, I could talk a car… Read More ›
“Motherless Brooklyn” possesses a strong statement on gentrification, which is mired by cliché noir tropes and bland filmmaking. [Film Fest 919]
Being from Durham, North Carolina, I have seen a lot of changes happen in my city over the last few years. Durham kept a large, mostly black, working-class population due to the employment of so many citizens at the tobacco… Read More ›
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)” is unlike anything else released in 2019. [Film Fest 919]
I love lesbian romance movies. Please, hear me out before you think I’m a total sleaze. As a gay man, there’s no “entry point” for me in queer love stories involving two women. I am taken out of contention to… Read More ›
“Bacurau” is a unique experience hurt by total tonal inconsistency. [Film Fest 919]
Let’s spare the fluff. Out of the gate, it’s hard to describe Bacurau in a concise manner. It’s many things working in tandem to create something of a hybrid that the world has never seen before. A ton of filmmaking… Read More ›
Quinn Else’s short film “Fort Irwin” does more to convey social responsibility and personal health than most features.
There’s an unflinching aspect of writer/director Quinn Else’s short film, Fort Irwin, which makes it a film audience may be unprepared for. Working across multiple levels, Fort Irwin is first a story about a veteran still dealing with his trauma… Read More ›
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency” forges a trail through the pale abyss of state-sponsored executions from the damning and the damned. [Film Fest 919]
The death penalty is currently one of the most densely nuanced topics in American society, an issue that presents both moral, economical and judicial stakes that present a bevy of arguments from a range of viewpoints across a vast spectrum…. Read More ›
Explore the significance of theatrical audio in documentary “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound”.
The vast majority of filmgoers and movie fans around the world associate the term “motion picture” with just that, the picture. We tend to first and foremost focus on the visuals, the aesthetics, and the things that can be seen… Read More ›
Alice Waddington’s “Paradise Hills” uses a fairytale motif to demolish the chains of the patriarchy.
Throughout the centuries there’s been one constant: women get the short-end of everything. They’re expected to be virginal, yet sexual; wise, yet naïve; knowledgeable, yet silent. They are instructed through social norms on how to comport themselves publicly and privately…. Read More ›
“Parasite” exists to torture your brain and you’ll love every painful second of it. [Film Fest 919]
South Korea is a country technically younger than Helen Mirren, smaller than the state of Kentucky, with a population slightly higher than the state of California. Yet, when it comes to countries leading the way in the realm of technology,… Read More ›
Through nuance, “Marriage Story” blooms into full emotional devastation. [Film Fest 919]
Soulmates are bullshit and you know it. The idea that there is a single person for you in the entire world only for you is laughable at the very least. There are dozens of people in your town who you… Read More ›
Documentary “The Elephant Queen” is an incredible tale of coexistence, love, and loss.
Recommended for ages 8 and up. As this is a nature documentary, be advised that aspects of the life cycle are prominently featured. Across four years of filming, directors Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone tracked the activities of a herd… Read More ›
Presenting people instead of caricatures elevates “Miss Virginia” to a film with a high emotional payoff.
No matter the time, no matter the place, the defining trait in every civilization is its educated populace. The choices each individual member makes are based upon the information they have or the information they lack. In modern politics, education… Read More ›