Tag: movies
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The Ministry of Ungetlemanly Warfare: Black Ops with a Dash of Bond, but Not as Fun
MOVIE INFO: Based upon recently declassified files of the British War Department and inspired by true events, THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE is an action-comedy that tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming.…
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Drive-Away Dolls: Drive Far Away From this One Coen Mess.
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, this comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee,…
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Hundreds of Beavers: A Funny Homage to Classic Shorts
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: A slapstick epic about a frostbitten battle between JEAN KAYAK and DIABOLICAL BEAVERS–hundreds of them–who stand between him and survival. REVIEW: Hundreds of Beavers is a low budget comic delight that mixes silent-era splastick, animation, mascot worthy furry costumes, with the absurdity and chaos of a Loony Tunes short. Think…
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The Greatest Hits: If She Could Only Just Begun to Turn, Turn, Turn Back Time
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Harriet (Lucy Boynton) finds art imitating life when she discovers certain songs can transport her back in time — literally. While she relives the past through romantic memories of her former boyfriend (David Corenswet), her time traveling collides with a burgeoning new love interest in the present (Justin H. Min).…
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Argylle: Not Quite Bad as That Tacky Sweater
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books–which center on secret agent Argylle and his…
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Civil War: Getting Through the Fog of the American Split
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. REVIEW: Civil War is a war movie where the political divisions are never defined. We never…
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Bob Marley : One Love- Rasta’s Jah
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. REVIEW: I tend to make a…
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Scoop: Catching Prince Andrew with his Pants Down
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Inspired by real events, SCOOP is the inside account of the tenacious journalism that landed an earthshattering interview — Prince Andrew’s infamous BBC Newsnight appearance. From the tension of producer Sam McAlister’s high stakes negotiations with Buckingham Palace, all the way to Emily Maitlis’ jaw-dropping, forensic showdown with the Prince,…
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How to Have Sex: Trouble in Girl’s Paradise
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday — drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives. REVIEW: How to Have Sex is more about how not to than how to. It takes the usual girls on school holiday cliches and gives…
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Yannick: Holding the Viewer Hostage
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: In the middle of a performance of the play “Le Cocu,” Yannick interrupts the show to take the evening back in hand. He demands to be entertained but is rejected and ridiculed.Content collapsed. REVIEW: The French filmmaker, Quentin Dupieux has his own officially recognized film genre in his native country. …
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Musica: His Brain Is the Sound of Music
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TMATOES: Based on writer, director and star Rudy Mancuso, Música is a coming-of-age love story that follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia, who must come to terms with an uncertain future, while navigating the pressures of love, family and his Brazilian culture in Newark, New Jersey. REVIEW: Rudy Mancuso has had…
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Monkey Man: John Wick With an Indian Twist
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Dev Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters…
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Wish: Don’t Wish Upon this Star
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Wish” is an all-new musical-comedy welcoming audiences to the magical kingdom of Rosas, where Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force–a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable…
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The Settlers: The Terror of Tierra del Fuego…
MOVIE INFO VIS ROTTEN TOMATOES: Chile, 1901. Three horsemen embark on an expedition, tasked with securing a wealthy landowner’s vast property. Accompanying a reckless British lieutenant and an American mercenary is mestizo marksman Segundo, who comes to realize their true mission is to violently “remove” the indigenous population. REVIEW: The Settlers is a grim violent…
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The Boys in the Boat: Manning the Oars
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: The Boys in the Boat is a sports drama based on the #1 New York Times bestselling non-fiction novel written by Daniel James Brown. The film, directed by George Clooney, is about the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. This…
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She Came to Me: In the Throws of that Silly Love Addiction
MOVE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: SHE CAME TO ME is a truly modern romantic comedy, a multi-generational love story set against the iconic backdrop of New York: A composer suffering from creative block finds inspiration after a chance encounter with an unusual woman, a couple of bright teenagers fight to prove to their parents that…
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The Beautiful Game: A Different Kind of World Cup Goal
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England’s homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny…
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Talk to Me: Don’t Talk to that Hand.
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTEN TOMATOES: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. REVIEW: I usually like horror films that get their scares from deep wells of grief. That’s why…
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Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire— 1/3 To(h)ony, 1/3 Koko, 1/3 Planet of the Hollow Earth Apes
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: This latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence — and our own. The epic new film…
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Fitting In: All the Missing Female Pieces
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: A coming-of-age “traumedy” that follows 16-year-old Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) who is unexpectedly diagnosed with a reproductive condition, MRKH syndrome. The diagnosis upends her plans to have sex, her presumptions about womanhood and sexuality, her relationship with her mother (Emily Hampshire), and most importantly, herself. REVIEW: Fitting In is a coming…
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Shirley: Not Quite Capturing Her Multitudes
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: The story of the first Black congresswoman, Shirley Chisholm, and her trailblazing run for president of the United States. REVIEW: Shirley Chisholm was a mold breaking politician who challenged the standard narrative of her time and blazed a trail for every women after her. Shirley on Netflix, gives short shift…
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The Persian Version: The Road that Goes To and Away From Iran
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Leila is an Iranian American woman who strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures. When her large family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, she keeps everyone at arm’s length — until a secret is revealed. REVIEW: “I dreamed of being the Iranian Martin…
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Road House: Not So Swayze
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: In this adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton (Jake Gyllenhaal) takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems. REVIEW; The new Road House only outdoes the Patrick Swayze original in violence. The…
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: Ghosting Its Way Out
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: In Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the Spengler family returns to where it all started — the iconic New York City firehouse — to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. But when the discovery of an ancient artifact…
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Little Wing: Floating By on Wings and Prayers
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: LITTLE WING follows Kaitlyn, a teen who is reeling from her parents’ divorce and the pending loss of her home. She and her best friend hope to solve her mother’s financial woes by stealing a valuable bird, but Kaitlyn, instead, forms a bond with the owner, that leads her to…
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Dream Scenario: Getting Fully Inside Every One’s Head
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate his newfound stardom, in this wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli…
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The Marsh King’s Daughter: Caught in the Boggy Mess
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: In the tense thriller The Marsh King’s Daughter, a woman with a secret past will venture into the wilderness she left behind to confront the most dangerous man she’s ever met: her father. In the film, Helena’s (Daisy Ridley) seemingly ordinary life hides a dark and dangerous truth: her estranged…
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Damsel: A Game of Thrones Style Princess Story
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: A dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive. REVIEW: In Damsel, staring Millie Bobby…
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Kung Fu Panda 4: He Kicks His Butt Good
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Golden Globe nominee Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to… give it a rest already. More specifically, he’s tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.…
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Ricky Stanicky; BFF With that Nonexistent Bud of Childhood
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: When three childhood best friends pull a prank gone wrong, they invent the imaginary Ricky Stanicky to get them out of trouble! Twenty years after creating this ‘friend,’ Dean, JT, and Wes (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, and Jermaine Fowler) still use the nonexistent Ricky as a handy alibi for their…
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Raging Grace: Horror with a Socio-Political Soul
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Joy (Max Eigenmann) is an undocumented Filipino immigrant struggling to do the best she can to support her daughter, Grace (Jaeden Boadilla). Soon she secures the perfect job: taking care of an extremely wealthy but terminal old man. The new position pays well and guarantees a roof over their heads,…
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Perfect Days: Hanging On to the Best of Him
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his…
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The Teacher’s Lounge: A Microcosm of Cultural Fear in the Classroom.
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Carla Nowak, a dedicated sports and math teacher, starts her first job at a high school. She stands out among the new staff because of her idealism. When a series of thefts occur at the school and one of her students is suspected, she decides to get to the bottom…
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Return to Seoul: Lost and Found in Mistranslation
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life…
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Spaceman: Adam Sandler Does Major Tom
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped…
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Dune Part 2: A Brilliant Conclusion to the Sand War
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors…
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Abandonment Issues of the Warner Brothers Kind
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: After failing to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and malevolent force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman forges an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences,…
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Ordinary Angels: Creating Extraordinary Acts of Kindness and Tenacity
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Based on a remarkable true story, ORDINARY ANGELS centers on Sharon Steves (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in small-town Kentucky who discovers a renewed sense of purpose when she meets Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson), a widower working hard to make ends meet for his two daughters. With his…
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Freedom’s Path: The Defiant Ones of the Civil War
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: After a Union soldier flees from battle, rescue comes unexpectedly from a free black man operating a section of the Underground Railroad. But when a ruthless and desperate slave catcher discovers the secret network, he conspires to bring it burning to the ground. REVIEW: Sometimes, a movie will get shelved…
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Mea Culpa: Tyler Perry Does Housewives Stupid
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: When criminal defense attorney Mea Harper (Kelly Rowland) takes on the murder case of artist Zyair Malloy (Trevante Rhodes), the truth isn’t as obvious as it seems. While she tries to determine the innocence or guilt of her cagy-yet-seductive client, it is uncovered that everyone is guilty of something. Tyler…
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All of Us Strangers: Souls Longing for the Impossible
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life. As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn…
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The Zone of Interest: The Holocaust as Hidden Camera and Background Soundtrack
MOVIE INFO The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp. REVIEW: The Zone of Interest a Holocaust film about Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel), the commandant of Auschwitz, opens in idyllic blackness— to the sounds of…
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Rotting in the Sun: Instagram Real like NC-17 Real and Just as Vapid
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Writer-director Sebastián Silva’s Sundance hit ROTTING IN THE SUN is a darkly funny and refreshingly audacious meta-comedy that skewers the business of filmmaking and our self-obsessed culture. While unwinding at a Mexican gay beach town, depressed director Sebastián Silva meets gregarious Instagram influencer Jordan Firstman (both playing versions of themselves),…
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Thanksgiving: Eli Roth Dishes Up a Turkey Day Anti-Consumerist Satire With All the Best Horror Trimmings
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts — the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan. Will the town uncover the…
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Other People’s Children: Feeling the True Romance
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Rachel is 40 years old, with no children. She loves her life: her high school students, her friends, her ex, her guitar lessons. When she falls in love with Ali, she becomes attached to Leila, his 4-year-old daughter. She tucks her into bed, cares for her, loves her like her…
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Next Goal Wins: A Winning Strategy
MOVIE INFO VIA ROTTEN TOMATOES: Directed by Academy Award Winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok), NEXT GOAL WINS follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the…
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Lisa Frankenstein: Putting the Pieces Together in the Wrong Places
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: A coming of RAGE love story from acclaimed writer Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find…
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The Last Voyage of the Demeter; Making Way for the Nosferatu
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Based on a single chilling chapter from Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter tells the terrifying story of the merchant ship Demeter, which was chartered to carry private cargo–fifty unmarked wooden crates–from Carpathia to London. Strange events befall the doomed crew as they attempt to…
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And Then Comes the Nightjars: An Elegy to Hoof and Mouth and Mouth in Foot
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes : Adapted for the screen from Bea Roberts’ multi-award-winning stage play, And Then Come the Nightjars tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a Devon farmer and the vet who is assigned to cull his precious herd. Review: And Then Comes the Nightjars is a poignant film about male…
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Upgraded: A Slightly Better Seat of a Rom Com
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Ana (Camila Mendes) is an ambitious intern dreaming of a career in the art world while trying to impress her demanding boss Claire (Marisa Tomei). When she’s upgraded to first class on a work trip, she meets handsome Will (Archie Renaux), who mistakes Ana for her boss–a white lie that…
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Journey to Bethlehem: Mary the Disney Princess With a “Gleeful” Spirit
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: A young woman carrying an unimaginable responsibility. A young man torn between love and honor. A jealous king who will stop at nothing to keep his crown. This live-action Christmas musical adventure for the entire family weaves classic Christmas melodies with humor, faith and new pop songs in a retelling…
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The Marvels: Not So Much Modern Marvels
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled…
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Deliver Us: From All The Shining Riffs
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: When a nun in a remote convent claims immaculate conception, the Vatican sends a team of priests to investigate, concerned about an ancient prophecy that a woman will give birth to twin boys: one the Messiah, the other the Anti-Christ. Review: I hate it when a halfway decent religious horror…
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Dicks: The Musical: Love Is Love, Even When It’s Gross
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Two self-obsessed businessmen discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents. Review: Dicks: The Musical features lots of talk about dicks, most of it of the sixth grade boy kind, and for the adults (the director is Larry Charles of Borat…
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American Fiction: Getting to the Inauthentic-Authentic Black Story
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: AMERICAN FICTION is Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses…
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Orion and the Dark: Confronting the Eternal Darkness of the Child’s Mind
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: The thing Orion fears the most is the dark. When the embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, Dark whisks Orion away on a roller-coaster ride around the world to prove there is nothing to be afraid of at night. Review: Charlie Kaufman’s name on a screenplay guarantees a…
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The Other Zoey: A Romcom Where You Wish for an Avalanche Before the First Kiss
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Zoey Miller (Josephine Langford), a smart computer major who thinks she has love all figured out, has her life turned upside down when Zach (Drew Starkey), a popular college soccer player, gets amnesia and mistakes Zoey as his girlfriend. Before she can reveal the truth, she meets Zach’s cousin, Miles…
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You Hurt My Feeling: How She Deals With It
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: From acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener comes a sharply observed comedy about a novelist whose long standing marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book. A film about trust, lies, and the things we say to the people we love most.Content collapsed.…
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Poor Things: Welcome to the Monster Mish-Mash
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she…
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Sundance Review: In the Summers: Estrangement and Maturity in the Reeling of the Years
Movie info via Sundance: On a journey that spans the formative years of their lives, two sisters navigate their loving but volatile father during their yearly summer visits to his home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. With grounded thoughtfulness, debut feature director Alessandra Lacorazza weaves a rich tapestry of memories in New Mexico as childhood…
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Sundance Review: Ponyboi: An Intersex Neon Noir
Movie info via Sundance: Unfolding over the course of Valentine’s Day in New Jersey, a young intersex sex worker must run from the mob after a drug deal goes sideways, forcing him to confront his past. Ponyboi bursts off the screen in this bombastic, edgy, and campy roller-coaster ride of a film. Flipping the script…
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Sundance Review: Exhibiting Forgiveness: All the Suns of Fathers and Sons Absolved in Heaven
Movie info via Sundance: Utilizing his paintings to find freedom from his past, a Black artist on the path to success is derailed by an unexpected visit from his estranged father, a recovering addict desperate to reconcile. Together, they learn that forgetting might be a greater challenge than forgiving. This soulful, sophisticated, and beautifully crafted…
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Sundance: Good One: Hiking with All the Flawed Dads
Movie info via Sundance: On a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam contends with the competing egos of her father and his oldest friend. India Donaldson’s intimate feature debut deploys a deceptively simple narrative imbued with poetry and humor to wrestle with weighty truths about teenage girlhood. Capturing the pristine serenity of the…
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Sundance Review: Stress Positions: A Virus Comedy that Manages to Infect Itself
Movie info via Sundance: Terry Goon is keeping strict quarantine in his ex-husband’s Brooklyn brownstone while caring for his nephew — a 19-year-old model from Morocco named Bahlul — bedridden in a full leg cast after an electric scooter accident. Unfortunately for Terry, everyone in his life wants to meet the model. Stress Positions is…
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Sundance Review: Love Me: Human Constructs Falling in Love, Hurtling to Their Doom
Movie info via Sundance: Long after humanity’s extinction, a buoy and a satellite meet online and fall in love. As filmmakers Sam & Andy demonstrate in their wildly imaginative debut feature, telling the love story of a smart buoy and an orbiting satellite that spans a billion years and probes the mysteries of being and…
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Sundance Review: Didi: The Asian Invention to Being an American Teen
Movie info via Sundance: In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom. In his striking directorial debut, Sean Wang takes us on a kinetic ride through…
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Sundance Review: Between the Temples: The Nice Jewish Girl Version of Harold and Maude
Movie info via Sundance: A cantor in a crisis of faith finds his world turned upside down when his grade school music teacher reenters his life as his new adult bat mitzvah student. Between the Temples is a rare, offbeat comedy buoyed by its cast’s lively yet heartfelt performances. Indie stalwart Nathan Silver reteams with…
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Sundance Review: Suncoast: Finding Grief, Friends and Freedom in a Coming of Age Story
Movie info via Sundance: A teenager who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time. Inspired by a semi-autobiographical story. Writer-director Laura Chinn makes an unforgettable debut with a script inspired…
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Sundance Review: A Real Pain: Reconciling the Eternal Pain of Jewish Existence
Movie info via Sundance Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg (When You Finish Saving the World, 2022 Sundance Film Festival) returns to the Festival…
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Slamdance Review: Brando With a Glass Eye: The Madness That Lies Behind “The Method”
Movie info via Slamdance: Athens, Greece. Luca resorts to armed robbery to fund his dream of studying Method Acting in New York. In a heist gone wrong, he accidentally critically injures Ilias, an innocent bystander. While visiting Ilias in the hospital trauma ward, Luca forms an unlikely friendship, but he keeps his crime a secret.…
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Slamdance Review: The Complex Forms: All the Illusions of the Mind and Soul
Movie info via Slamdance: There is an ancient villa where desperate people have the opportunity to revive their fortunes by selling their bodies to mysterious entities in exchange of money. When huge and age-old creatures emerge from the deep woods surrounding the villa, a series of strange and sinister events prompt three unlikely guests to…
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Slamdance Review: African Giants: Reconnecting, Reconciling, the African, African American Experience and Their Brotherhood
Movie info via Slamdance: Alhaji (28), an aspiring actor living in Los Angeles, is visited for a weekend by his younger brother, Sheku (25), a law student. Unknown to Alhaji, Sheku has come with a specific intention: to reveal the secret that he will be dropping out of law school and moving to LA to…
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Slamdance Review: All I’ve Got & Then Some: A Comic Refines His Shtick and Finds His Voice
Movie info via Slamdance Based on a true story, All I’ve Got & Then Some follows a day in the life of Rasheed, a homeless stand-up comedian living out of his car in Los Angeles, giving everything he’s got to make his dreams come true. Having booked his first paid stand-up gig, this day is…
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Slamdance Review: The Bitcoin Car: The Hills Are Alive With the Glow of Crypto
Movie info via Slamdance: THE BITCOIN CAR is a musical adventure in which a young goat farmer on a small coastal village finds herself on collision course with the megalomaniac death wish of a young crypto investor. After her brother comes home for the summer, she has to explain that she’s partially responsible for the…
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Slamdance Review: The Accident: Trying to Tow the Line in an Italian Way
Movie info via Slamdance After being fired, Marcella, a gentle hearted mother going through separation, buys a tow truck; she gets trapped deeper and deeper in a cynical and aggressive world until a terrible opportunity shines in front of her. Review: Giuseppe Garau’s The Accident is shot strictly from the passenger side of the leading…
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Slamdance Review: Sam’s World: Non Binary Drama With Too Much Talk and Little Real Insight.
Movie info via Slamdance: Sam’s World follows the immersive subjectivity of its main character, Sam, as they grapple with a decision about their secret pregnancy, fantasize about a more supportive partner, and feel dissociated from their friend group. The film centers around a hyper-niche milieu but manages to evoke the universal themes of identity, jealousy…
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Slamdance Review: Darla in Space: Scoby Dooby Doo
Movie info via Slamdance: Darla runs a business called Kitty Kasket, LLC which makes custom burial receptacles for recently deceased loved ones (of the pet variety). It is an up-and-coming business, so Darla is stunned to learn that she owes $349,00.22 in taxes, due in one month! While filling in for her mom Leona cleaning…
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The Kitchen: Resisting the Gentrification of Hell’s Kitchen
MOVIE INFO- ROTTEN TOMATOES: London, 2040 — rising house prices, computerized labor and eradication of the Welfare State has turned the city into a billionaire’s playground, pushing the lower classes to provincial empty slum-like high rises like The Kitchen. Ex-Smash-and-Grabber Izi is desperate to go straight but when his young son contracts a devastating illness,…
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Fallen Leaves: Reviving Dead Souls
MOVIE INFO- ROTTEN TOMATOES In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a local karaoke bar. However, the pair’s path to happiness is beset by numerous obstacles — from lost numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog. Reviews : Aki Kaurismaki has a visual style all…
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Revoir Paris: Salvaging the Gaps of a Shattered Memory
MOVIE INFO- ROTTEN TOMATOES: After an idyllic date night full of red wine and a late-night motorcycle ride home, Mia (Virginie Efira) stops at a Parisian bistro to take shelter from a downpour. Her reprieve is shattered when a gunman opens fire. Three months later, with a frustratingly hazy memory of the attack, Mia finds…
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Fremont: An Afghan Immigrant Looks for Her Right Place
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Donya works for a Chinese fortune cookie factory in San Francisco. Formerly a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, she struggles to put her life back in order. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message in a cookie. Review: Fremont is a…
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Mean Girls: Doesn’t Mess With What Made Them Mean in the First Place
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: From the comedic mind of Tina Fey comes a new twist on the modern classic, MEAN GIRLS. New student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called “The Plastics,” ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina…
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The Retirement Plan: Nic Cage Gives Us His Less Comic Side
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: In The Retirement Plan, when Ashley (Ashley Greene) and her young daughter Sarah (Thalia Campbell) get caught up in a criminal enterprise that puts their lives at risk, she turns to the only person who can help — her estranged father Matt (Nicolas Cage), currently living the life of a…
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Self Reliance: Creating the Great Slacker Average Comedy-Thriller
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: When a middle-aged man (Jake Johnson) is invited into a limo by famous actor Andy Samberg, his dull life takes a thrilling turn. Johnson is offered a chance to win a million dollars in a dark web reality TV show, where assassins from all over the world attempt to kill…
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Passages: A F-upped Menage a Trois
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Celebrated filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love is Strange) makes a breathtaking return with PASSAGES, a fresh, honest and brutally funny take on messy, modern relationships, starring Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom), Ben Whishaw (Women Talking) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Colour). Set in Paris, this seductive drama tells the story…
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The Passenger: The Psycho Thriller as Therapy
Movie info (Rotten Tomatoes): Randy (Johnny Berchtold) is perfectly content fading into the background. But when his coworker Benson (Kyle Gallner) goes on a sudden and violent rampage leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Randy is forced to face his fears and confront his troubled past to survive. Review: The Passenger, the new…
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Bank of Dave: The Small Fry Shakes Up the Big Banks
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Based on the true-life experiences of Dave Fishwick; ‘Bank of Dave’ tells the story of how a working class Burnley man and self-made millionaire fought to set up a community bank. Dave Fishwick (Rory Kinnear) sells vans in Burnley, Lancashire. Once the world’s most productive and profitable mill town, Burnley…
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Good Grief: Getting to the Point that “Somehow Life Goes On”
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Marc (Daniel Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly dies, Marc’s world shatters, sending him and his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), on a soul-searching trip to Paris that reveals some hard truths they…
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Society of the Snow: Getting Past Survival and Hunger to Know Life
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which had been chartered to fly a rugby team to Chile, crashed in the heart of the Andes. Only 29 of its 45 passengers survived the accident. Trapped in one of the most hostile and inaccessible environments on the planet, they have to…
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One Fine Morning: Living in the Joie De Vivre
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Sandra, a young mother who raises her daughter alone, pays regular visits to her sick father. While she and her family fight tooth and nail to get him the care he requires, Sandra reconnects with Clément, a friend she hasn’t seen in a while. Although he is in a relationship,…
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The Iron Claw: Triumph and Defeats of a WWE HOF Family
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothershttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_Erich_family, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. Review: In…
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Best and Worst Ranked Movies of 2023
I don’t do top ten best or worst list. However, I will give you an unranked list of my best and worst culled from my excel data sheet I keep. These movies were rated 4.0 and above. They’re in alphabetical order. Fancy Dance La Pecera Aftersun All Quiet on the Western Front Women Talking John…
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Ferrari: Racing to Reclaim a Dead Soul
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Ferrari is set during the summer of 1957. Behind the spectacle and danger of 1950’s Formula 1, ex-racer, Enzo Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for their one son. Ferrari…
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The Color Purple: Getting to an Awkwardly Joyous Being
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: A story of love and resilience based on the novel and the Broadway musical, THE COLOR PURPLE is a decades-spanning tale of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. Review: It’s hard…
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Sound of Freedom: Not exactly a QANON Clapback
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Sound of Freedom, based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time…
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The Three Musketeers Part 1 D’Artagnan: Dumas Would Approve
Info via Rotten Tomatoes: In Part I of the two-part epic adaptation of the beloved classic by Alexandre Dumas, D’Artagnan arrives in Paris trying to find his attackers after being left for dead, which leads him to a real war where the future of France is at stake. He aligns himself with Athos, Porthos and…
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Saltburn: Doing the Dirty Work a Fine Young Man Needs to Do
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him…
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Wonka: Lots of Chocolate and a Little Paddington Confection
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we…
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Maestro: Requiem for the Agony and Ectasy of an American Master Maestro
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes: Maestro is a towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love. Review: Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s emotional biography of Leonard Bernstein’s (Cooper)…
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Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget- Don’t Believe that Heaven Is Finger Licking Good
Movie info via Rotten Tomatoes : Having escaped from the farm, Ginger and Rocky welcome a new little adventurer into their lives. Back on the mainland, the whole of chicken-kind faces a terrible new threat. Review: Chickens are naturally funny, almost cartoonish in the way they cluck, attempt to fly and ambulate. So Chicken Run:…