★★★ Bookended by two genuinely excellent performances from Jena Malone and Pablo Schreiber, Lorelei is a simmering drama from writer/director Sabrina Doyle that examines the way love changes between two people over time. Schreiber plays Wayland, a convict fresh off a 15 year prison sentence, who heads for a halfway house where he hopes to … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Lorelei
Film Review: My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
★★★★ I never thought I’d use the phrase “surprisingly tender” when describing a vampire film, but My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To is here to prove me wrong. Jonathan Cuartas writes and directs a passionate and complex horror drama that feels achingly personal. It reassesses vampire lore through the lens of a … Continue reading Film Review: My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
Film Review: The Djinn
★★★★ Written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell, The Djinn is carefully molded minimalist horror. Fans of the most well-known riff on the djinn lore, the Wishmaster series, might think they already know where the story is headed. However, I can guarantee the pared-down intimate terror of The Djinn is far different than … Continue reading Film Review: The Djinn
CIFF 2021 Festival Wrap-Up
I managed to catch a few movies at the virtual 45th Cleveland International Film Festival, and thought it best to do a little roundup of everything I watched. This acts as a sampling of my thoughts, especially on the films I cannot cover yet in full. I have also linked to films I already viewed … Continue reading CIFF 2021 Festival Wrap-Up
CIFF 2021: Spaceboy
★★★★ Set in April of 1986, Spaceboy is a colorful and cutesy French film very much in line with the works of Wes Anderson. Space-obsessed 11 year-old Jim (Basile Grunberger) moves to a new town with his astrophysicist father (Yannick Reiner) and immediately clashes with some of the kids at school. When he is grouped … Continue reading CIFF 2021: Spaceboy