★★★★ Serving as an acting showcase for both Golden Globe nominee Mila Kunis and Oscar-Winner Glenn Close, Four Good Days is a harrowing addiction drama following in the footsteps of Beautiful Boy and Ben is Back. Director Rodrigo Garcia, who previously worked with Close on Albert Nobbs, clearly knows how to wring a masterful performance … Continue reading Film Review: Four Good Days
Film Review: Tyger Tyger
★★ Produced pre-pandemic, Tyger Tyger is a new drama film that is constantly juggling shifts in tone and an often languid pace. A quiet movie with very little action, this instead relies on a vibe more than anything. It explores only the surface of our characters yet fully-forms this strange world. The lack of narrative … Continue reading Film Review: Tyger Tyger
Film Review: I Care A Lot
★★★★★ If you thought Rosamund Pike couldn’t get any crazier after her completely unhinged performance in 2014’s Gone Girl, think again. I Care a Lot is my favorite film I’ve seen from Pike’s filmography, a dark and gutsy cat-and-mouse thriller where the leverage is our healthcare system itself. The commentary never feels heavy-handed or exploitative, … Continue reading Film Review: I Care A Lot
Film Review: French Exit
★★★★ Going into French Exit, the newest film from director Azazel Jacobs, I expected more of a straight drama with very little comedy. To my surprise, the film quickly pulled me in with its quirky dark humor, excellent and fully-formed characters, and masterful acting from both Michelle Pfeiffer and Lucas Hedges. The supporting characters peppered … Continue reading Film Review: French Exit
Film Review: Take Me To Tarzana
★★★ The feature film debut of director Maceo Greenberg, Take Me To Tarzana is wildly uneven and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious. A dead guy’s dildo, a dancing stoned monkey, a Tarzan-obsessed baddie, and a logistically impossible sex scene are clear highlights. The core trio of whistleblowers - played by Andrew Creer, Samantha Robinson, and Jonathan … Continue reading Film Review: Take Me To Tarzana
Film Review: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
★★★★ Looking for something to brighten your day and leave you with a huge smile when it ends? Are you a fan of Jamie Dornan, Kristen Wiig, outrageous musical sequences, and cartoonish Austin Powers humor? If you check off any of these boxes, there’s a big bundle of fun known as Barb and Star Go … Continue reading Film Review: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Film Review: Wrong Turn
★★ The seventh (!) installment in the Wrong Turn series serves as a complete reboot of the concept itself and has virtually nothing to do with the rest of the franchise. I noticed a similar-looking waterfall in one scene that brought to mind a part from that original film, but otherwise I didn’t notice a … Continue reading Film Review: Wrong Turn
Film Review: To All The Boys: Always and Forever
★★★ As the third film in an admittedly pretty great Netflix romantic comedy trilogy, To All The Boys: Always and Forever does a good job of bringing things full circle and providing an ending for our characters while still leaving the door slightly ajar in case they want to continue this series in the future. … Continue reading Film Review: To All The Boys: Always and Forever
Film Review: Minari
★★★★★ Minari is a moving and meaningful movie that perfectly encapsulates the ultimate struggle that is the American dream. We follow this family through highs and lows, but it always feels real. The dynamics between each of the characters are very well-established, though if I had one pet peeve it would probably be that the … Continue reading Film Review: Minari
Early Screening: Judas and The Black Messiah
★★★★ I see another Oscar nomination in Daniel Kaluuya's future. Fred Hampton is just the right meaty role for the budding actor to bite his teeth into, full of passion and vitality. This film, though, gives us not one but two fantastic central performances because LaKeith Stanfield is nearly just as good. His character being … Continue reading Early Screening: Judas and The Black Messiah