One of the best films of the year, unquestionably, is the new thought-provoking star-studded drama, Nine Days. Will (Winston Duke) is a recruiter for the special gift of life, and now he must find a soul (Bill Skarsgard, Tony Hale, Zazie Beetz, and more) to fill the newest vacant slot. He tests the candidates in … Continue reading Interview: Nine Days Screenwriter/Director Edson Oda
Cannes 2021: Bloody Oranges
Bloody Oranges is a strange and convoluted disaster that haphazardly sketches out multiple threads without tying them together. The French film from director Jean-Christophe Meurisse is fast-moving and dialogue-heavy. The tone, more confused than assured, is too chaotic and nonsensical to work. I think people will be surprised at not only the blatant disregard to … Continue reading Cannes 2021: Bloody Oranges
Cannes 2021: Bergman Island
★★★ Bergman Island features a movie-within-a-movie and makes a fatal error: the fake film is way more interesting than Bergman Island itself. This makes the whole affair feel incredibly uneven. It had me wishing that either the real life and script worlds were reversed, or that it was simply a straightforward portrayal of one or … Continue reading Cannes 2021: Bergman Island
Cannes 2021: Annette
★★★ The award for weirdest musical of the year goes to… Annette! Opening with a message imploring the audience to “keep silent and hold your breath till the end of the show”, Annette then busts out into a full-on throwback musical number entitled “May We Start.” That this sequence is the high point of the … Continue reading Cannes 2021: Annette
Film Review: Alice
★★★ A selection from the 2019 SXSW Film Festival, Alice is supercharged by a great turn from Emilie Piponnier as the title character. However, it is very lacking in a dramatic and narrative sense. It is about Alice (Piponnier), who finds out the hard way that she is broke and on the verge of homelessness. … Continue reading Film Review: Alice
Cannes 2021: Zero Fucks Given
★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Zero Fucks Given (Rien à foutre), the debut feature of directing duo Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre, truly gives zero fucks about offering up a compelling story. Although there is some interesting commentary, it is depicted without flair or flourish. The French drama meanders slowly through a narrative chronicling the … Continue reading Cannes 2021: Zero Fucks Given
Cannes 2021: Medusa
★★ Medusa is quite possibly one of the strangest horror films I have ever watched, and I have seen a hell of a lot of them. It tries to follow in the footsteps of Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria, the nearest movie tonally, but it does not come close to nailing the right level of both drama … Continue reading Cannes 2021: Medusa
Chattanooga Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
The 2021 iteration of the Chattanooga Film Festival provided a variety of various films, some of which I had actually already seen before (and loved!) What follows is my full list of coverage for the festival, as well as full review links when applicable. Films BLOOD CONSCIOUS Full review at the link. BROADCAST SIGNAL INTRUSION … Continue reading Chattanooga Film Festival 2021 Wrap-Up
Chattanooga 2021: Kandisha
★★★★ I kept waiting for one of the movies at the Chattanooga Film Festival to wow me, and finally there was Kandisha! The horror movie from directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury (the masterful gory home invasion masterpiece, Inside; Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel film Leatherface) is not just gorgeously filmed and visually complex—it has an … Continue reading Chattanooga 2021: Kandisha
Frameline 2021: Firebird
★★★★ Imagine, if you will, a tense time where if the Air Force discovered one was in a same sex relationship, it was grounds to be locked away in prison for five years. Set under the domineering Soviet regime at the height of the Cold War, Firebird is a beautifully made love story that tugs at … Continue reading Frameline 2021: Firebird