★★★★ Fueled with a decidedly British flavor of true-story based dramedy, The Duke gave me exactly what I needed. Starring Oscar winners Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren as an aging couple whose marriage is rekindled after a shockingly easy turn of events, a tale this wildly unbelievable could only be true. In 1961, Goya’s portrait … Continue reading SIFF 2022: The Duke
SIFF 2022: The Ghastly Brothers
★★★★ A creepy comedy in the vein of classics such as Beetlejuice and Casper, The Ghastly Brothers is a collaboration between two real-life brothers: director, writer, and star Michael Van Ostade, with co-writer and costar, Andrew James Van Ostade. This dark Belgian comedy reminds us that the scariest thing of all are the inner demons … Continue reading SIFF 2022: The Ghastly Brothers
SIFF 2022: Cop Secret
★★★★ Try to imagine the cheesiest imitation of a Bruce Willis 80s film like Die Hard, but injected with a magnum-sized dose of gay, and one will come close to picturing the delightful vibes of Cop Secret. This surprisingly great Icelandic action spoof plays up the inherent cliches of the genre to an exaggerated, preposterous … Continue reading SIFF 2022: Cop Secret
Film Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
★★★★★ Nicolas Cage is very much a love or hate kind of actor—his fanbase is loud and supportive, while his haters are equally so. I would say I find myself somewhere in the middle, admiring his off-the-wall performances in films like Face/Off and Gone in Sixty Seconds. He has an equal amount of missteps as … Continue reading Film Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
CIFF 2022 Wrap-Up
2022's Cleveland International Film Festival hosted a variety of excellent screenings, both in person and online. Being unavailable to go in person, we covered this one virtually. Check out our full roundup of films that screened this year, including links to those we have previously covered. 1991 Depicting a specific time period (expressly, 1991 Guatemala), … Continue reading CIFF 2022 Wrap-Up
Film Review: Metal Lords
★★★★ Netflix’s new music dramedy, Metal Lords, feels like a modern answer to Jack Black’s School of Rock. Centering around a Battle of the Bands, the film from director Peter Sollett is a wondrous coming-of-age delight that revels in the bold excess of the heavy metal genre. With young and extremely talented Jaeden Martell (Stephen … Continue reading Film Review: Metal Lords
Film Review: As They Made Us
★★★★ Stories about loss and preparing for one’s death are often bleak, somber affairs that do little for the viewer beyond making them run for the Kleenex. I love a good tearjerker as much as the next person; however, an undeniable amount of skill is required to seamlessly blend the genres of drama and comedy. … Continue reading Film Review: As They Made Us
Film Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
★★★★ Despite not being the biggest fan of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, I was optimistic for this second journey thanks to the end-credits stinger it left us with—Tails, Sonic’s two-tailed fox bestie, must deliver a crucial message! Emerging from a rotating ring vortex, Tails flew down, ready to embark on a brand-new journey. Now, Sonic … Continue reading Film Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Film Review: The Bubble
★★★★ Ever wonder how movies are filmed now in our post-pandemic times? Judd Apatow’s new scatter-brained The Bubble has got one covered, filtering its comedy through a lens of energetic meta insanity. A film unlike anything Apatow has done before, the frustrations of churning out a project as a pandemic rages in the background are … Continue reading Film Review: The Bubble
Film Review: Run Woman Run
★★★ Run Woman Run is charming and inspirational in a way few films are able to pull off. The simple story is a meaningful meditation on living one’s life to the fullest. Playing the lead role of Beck, Dakota Ray Hebert plays a relatable, somewhat lazy single mother. After the death of her own mom, … Continue reading Film Review: Run Woman Run