As a writer, my comfort zone is putting my thoughts on paper and hitting publish, but there’s truly nothing like having a conversation with a fellow film nerd. In this case, joining fellow NCFCA member Cameron Allison on his The… Read More ›
Netflix
Documentarian Matt Finlin’s music/medical doc “Matter of Time” utilizes a three-prong narrative approach to craft of tale of shared hope.
“This too shall pass.” – Persian phrase of complex origin Though it’s hard to say exactly when epidermolysis bullosa (EB) first appeared, the genetic disease was first noted by Austrian dermatologist Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra in 1870 and it would… Read More ›
Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man” continues the filmmaker’s fascinating exploration of intentional kindness and cruelty.
Photosensitivity Warning: There is a brief sequence of strobing that may trigger migraine or other neuro reactions from sensitive viewers. Be advised that it’s well into the film and occurs only once in the back half of the adventure. Less… Read More ›
Meet Me at the Movies – Reflections, Regrets & Redemption: “Jay Kelly” Review.
There are few greater joys than having the chance to chat with friends about a movie. To roll it around, turn it over, and discuss it – to see what the other sees, even if they disagree. It’s been a… Read More ›
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” hosts another stellar cast with a less luminous mystery. [TIFF]
Rian Johnson is back with Benoit Blanc for a new mystery that is coming for a short theatrical window before hitting Netflix. His third entry in his murder mystery franchise is arguably the worst one unfortunately. This is not to… Read More ›
Noah Baumbach’s dramedy “Jay Kelly” utilizes the language of cinema to interrogate the regrets of a life lived.
How does one define success? Not only is this a deeply personal question, it shifts and changes based on age and experience (to name a few factors). My children would define success as unlimited game time and Halloween candy with… Read More ›
Heart, humor, and baloney flow throughout the poignantly funny and earnestly heartfelt family adventure “In Your Dreams.”
Dreams are incredibly powerful. Whether we experience them awake or asleep, our dreams shape our reality by imagining what could be. It may manifest in our minds as talking stuffies, personified num-nums, or twisted versions of those closest to us,… Read More ›
Guillermo del Toro’s gothic drama “Frankenstein” is stronger in its pieces than as a singular patchwork.
A repeated fascination of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s is “of monsters and men,” more specifically, the ways in which monsters and humanity dovetail into and deviate from each other until audiences can’t tell which is the true monster and which… Read More ›
Julien Colonna’s crime thriller “The Kingdom” grapples with the complexity of choice and consequence. [ATLFF]
Choices and consequences. Most of the time, when we think of choices and consequences, it’s within the framework of ourselves. We view it from the perspective of the decisions we make and the repercussions that follow. In reality, our choices… Read More ›
Gareth Evans returns with a film that embodies the notion of “Havoc.”
“Cry ‘Havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.” – Mark Antony in William Shakespeare’s Julius Cesar. Though his debut short released in 2003, filmmaker Gareth Evans wouldn’t make his international mark until 2011’s The Raid, also known as The… Read More ›
“Back in Action” is a comfortingly dependable family action comedy that will warm your January doldrums.
January is often viewed by those who track film releases as a doldrums period. Either theaters are filled with awards-hopefuls or the titles that studios/distributors dump in hopes of recouping some of their investment. Yes, this even applies to digital… Read More ›
Aardman’s signature duo Wallace and Gromit return in family comedy “Vengeance Most Fowl.”
In the world of animation, most know names like Walt Disney, DreamWorks, Illumination, and Studio Ghibli. Either in hand-drawn or CG animation, they have created stories that move audiences by stirring their emotion. But there’re also studios like LAIKA and… Read More ›
Adapted for the silver screen, “The Piano Lesson” is a haunt of a good time.
As fireworks turn the ground red, white, and blue during the Fourth of July, 1911, it becomes immediately obvious that Malcolm Washington (Benny Got Shot; The Dispute), the younger son of Denzel Washington (Malcolm X; Training Day), was the right… Read More ›
“Emilia Pérez” dazzles with its operatic style and frustrates with its masked hollowness.
Redemption stories come in a great many forms. Time loops stories utilize the constriction created by a repeated day(s) to force introspection and change, the loop broken in comedies (Groundhog Day), dramas (The Map of Tiny Perfect Things), and horror… Read More ›
“The Shadow Strays” delivers on all aspects anticipated in filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto’s latest bloody crime action thriller. [TIFF]
If you’ve never heard of the name Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us; The Big 4) then there is something you need to fix, immediately. One of the most exciting directors to exist today, he never misses and continues… Read More ›
HERE WE GO! Detroit’s favorite detective returns to Beverly Hills in “Axel F.”
Actor Eddie Murphy’s been experiencing a wonderful resurgence lately between exploring new stories (Dolemite Is My Name (2019)) and revisiting old ones (Coming 2 America (2021)), each time reminding audiences why we’ve loved being entertained by him for ages. Now,… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “Scoop” actors Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper.
Gillian Anderson and Billie Piper join Noel T. Manning II today on Open Dialogue to chat about their roles in the Netflix film Scoop. Scoop follows the true story of BBC producer Samantha McAlister’s journey into landing the legendary 2019… Read More ›
Doc “The Antisocial Network” demonstrates the devastating repercussions of focusing on the lulz and forgetting to touch grass. [SXSW]
“I reject your reality and I substitute my own!” – From the film The Dungeonmaster (1984) and *not* Adam Savage There’s a fairly popular video and text meme which starts with a reminder that it costs nothing to be kind… Read More ›
Action thriller “Damsel” eschews fantasy tradition in favor of kicking ass.
Period/fantasy films offer opportunities to view the current world through a different lens. If you lived in a world of orcs, goblins, and magic, what role would you play in the greater hierarchy? If you existed at a time of… Read More ›
Be not afraid and journey out into the shadows with fantasy adventure “Orion and the Dark.”
“Being brave doesn’t mean not being afraid. It’s being afraid and doing it anyway.” In our house, we don’t tell people not to be afraid of things. We talk about how it’s natural and that humanity has survived for generations… Read More ›