★★★★ 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
Tribeca 2021: Dating & New York
★★★★ Once Upon a Time in New York City… thus begins the creative and quirky romantic comedy, Dating & New York. Narrated by doorman Cole, (Jerry Ferrara, who I knew as Entourage’s Turtle), we are plunged into the waters of the modern dating world via the latest app, MeetCute. Curly-haired cutie Milo (Jaboukie Young-White), who … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Dating & New York
Interview: Poser Directors & Actress Bobbi Kitten
This week, we got together with some of the creatives behind the excellent new Tribeca music thriller, Poser. It is a searing character study about timid Lennon (newcomer Sylvie Mix), as she starts up a podcast to “investigate and research” underground musicians. Lennon’s journey and exploration for her recordings transforms into an obsession. Lennon begins … Continue reading Interview: Poser Directors & Actress Bobbi Kitten
Tribeca 2021: Agnes
★★★ Agnes, the new horror drama from director Mickey Reece, debuted at 2021’s Tribeca Film Festival. It’s a confounding movie, and one that’s even more difficult to review. This is mainly due to a weird mish-mash of tones and a gear-shift to the narrative that left me baffled. From the opening, I found myself engaged … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Agnes
Tribeca 2021: Roaring 20s
★★ (Written by Allison Brown) It has always been a dream of mine to go to Paris. Roaring 20s portrays a summer day in 2020, set in real time during the pandemic, in the life of a superfluous cast in this hot spot. The film is shot as one continuous piece, choreographed by Elisabeth Vogler, … Continue reading Tribeca 2021: Roaring 20s