★★★ 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
Tribeca 2021: The Novice
★★★★ Writer/director Lauren Hadaway’s dour, waterlogged thriller The Novice is driven by Isabelle Fuhrman’s explosive performance as obsessive rower Alex. It is a tense and enthralling debut feature, brimming with harsh imagery and fully-forming Alex’s troubled character. While I expected a bigger crescendo of dramatic release at the end, this is an impeccably directed and … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: The Novice
Tribeca 2021: No Man of God
★★★ Serial killers are all the rage these days. Similar to Netflix’s dark drama series Mindhunter, director Amber Sealy and writer Kit Lesser (Sinister) present No Man of God, which examines charismatic murderer Ted Bundy (Luke Kirby in an uncanny portrayal) through interviews and analysis amongst the creation of FBI profiling. The true crime film … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: No Man of God
Tribeca 2021: No Future
★★★ No Future is one of the more interesting dramas on the 2021 Tribeca Film slate. Led by a trio of great performances from Charlie Heaton, Catherine Keener, and Rosa Salazar, writer/director duo Andrew Irvine and Mark Smoot craft a film that tackles addiction, grief, and relapse. While the simplistic script takes few chances on … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: No Future
Tribeca 2021: Catch the Fair One
★★★★ (Written by Allison Brown) Catch the Fair One caught me off guard as one of the stronger Tribeca contenders I’ve seen yet! With its dark, gritty and gloomy turns, it is impossible to not be engaged in Kaylee’s struggle to find her missing sister, Weeta (Mainaku Borrero). The film invokes notes of Taken, with a female edge; … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Catch the Fair One
Tribeca 2021: Love Spreads
★★ If a band struggling to work through writer’s block sounds like your idea of a good time, Tribeca’s Love Spreads might scratch your musically-inclined itch. The quirky dramedy charts successful band Glass Heart as they go on a 5 week retreat at Rockfield Studios to record their all-important sophomore album. Arguing over song compositions, … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Love Spreads