★★★★ Smartly scripted and puzzle-box intricate, Ultrasound is one of the most complex and mind-boggling movies to play at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. After he runs over a set of carefully-laid nails in the road, Glen (Angel, Mad Men’s Vincent Kartheiser) takes refuge at the home of a strange married couple. With his tires … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Ultrasound
Provincetown 2021: Beans
★★★ Beans is a coming-of-age dramedy set during the summer of 1990, against a climate of Indigenous uprisings that lasted for 78 days and became known as the Oka Crisis. While I had not heard about this particular event beforehand, racial tensions and prejudice against a whole group of people is always upsetting to see … Continue reading Provincetown 2021: Beans
Tribeca 2021: Peace by Chocolate
★★★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Peace by Chocolate, directed by Jonathan Keijser, is a charming immigration story told through a lens unlike its predecessors. Instead of a film set in the United States, where Middle Eastern immigrants are looked at with disgust and many times, automatically assumed to be terrorists, this tale takes place in … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Peace by Chocolate
Tribeca 2021: False Positive
★★★★ Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, one thing we can all agree on is that the chilling premise of Hulu’s False Positive is enough to make you second guess your fertility doctor. Lucy (Ilana Glazer) and Adrian (Justin Theroux) have tried just about everything to get pregnant for the last two years, and nothing will … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: False Positive
Tribeca 2021: Werewolves Within
★★★★ Horror comedy, when done right, is splendid and harmonious. Werewolves Within (from Scare Me actor/director Josh Ruben) feels like someone put Cursed and Knives Out into a blender—the black humor is well-structured, and the ensemble a fulfilling collection of character actors. It is a clever whodunnit with a wolfy, razor-sharp twist. The film starts … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Werewolves Within
Tribeca 2021: Pray Away
★★★★ For those unfamiliar with conversion therapy, Netflix documentary Pray Away, executive produced by Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum, wastes no time filling you in. The opening text describes it as “the attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity” via religious leader, licensed counselor, or peer support group. It is a practice … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Pray Away
Film Review: Siberia
★ Willem Dafoe has a storied history of making what you would classify as ‘unconventional’ movies. His filmography, which includes mainstream selections like Spider-Man, is also host to the stunning-but-strange The Lighthouse (a personal favorite) and the violent, brazenly bizarre Antichrist. Siberia, the new highly symbolic dream-exploration drama, is—bar none—the most frustrating and baffling film … Continue reading Film Review: Siberia
Film Review: The Birthday Cake
★★ A simple glimpse at the cast list for The Birthday Cake was enough to get me on board, featuring a wide array of actors from shows I love. Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl, You), Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars, Spring Breakers), Jeremy Allen White (Shameless), David Mazouz (Gotham)… the list goes on and on. Throw … Continue reading Film Review: The Birthday Cake
Film Review: An Unquiet Grave
★★ The disturbing setup for indie Shudder entry, An Unquiet Grave, is almost too good to be true. A grieving husband, Jamie (Jacob A. Ware), and his wife’s twin sister, Ava (Christine Nyland, who also wrote and produced), get together with a strange promise: Jamie has discovered a way to bring back his deceased wife. … Continue reading Film Review: An Unquiet Grave
Film Review: The Superdeep
★★★★ Every horror movie with a wintery setting and a large cast of characters seems to be some riff on The Thing in one way or another. Welcome to The Superdeep, a goopy and nasty body horror flick with impressive creature design and horrifying imagery. And yes, this too owes quite a big deal to … Continue reading Film Review: The Superdeep