Flee follows an Afghan refugee's journey with his family to find safety in Europe. Years later he recounts the story to a friend who documents the story through animation. Flee is a great argument for animation's place in documentary filmmaking. Though we've seen refugee stories before, this one is specific and intimate. Filled with nuances…
West Side Story gets an update from Steven Spielberg with Rachel Ziegler and Ariana DeBose taking over the iconic roles of Anita and Maria in this classic musical Steven Spielberg remakes the 1961 film West Side Story with (mostly) new stars, new screenplay, and a fresh take on the classic. Featuring star is born performances…
Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, a coming-of-age comedy starring Alana Haim, follows two young people in the 70s trying to find their key to success Licorice Pizza is an irresistably charming comedy romp through the 70s through the eyes of two charismatic young people looking for an outlet for their energy. Without fail the second…
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival’s When I Consume You follows a brother and sister living in Brooklyn who must face down an insidious evil stalking them Continue reading ‘When I Consume You’ review | Brooklyn Horror Film Fest
The Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing. Here is a round up of quick reviews for thrillers playing the fest. Read all of my reviews, including full-length reviews, from the fest here! Hany Abu-Assad's Huda's Salon. Courtesy of TIFF. Huda's Salon As someone who both writes and consumes film criticism, there is nothing…
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival went from the mountains of Park City, Utah to my living room. Here's what the experience was like. This post about the 2021 Sundance Film Festival first appeared in my newsletter! Sign up here. I was fortunate enough to be invited back to cover the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, the…
Dear Evan Hansen follows a high school senior with a social anxiety disorder who suddenly finds himself as the hero of his town after a student commits suicide Undoubtedly one of the worst movie-musicals ever made. Overwrought and emotionless at the same time, insensitive towards trauma and mental illness, and out of touch with reality.…
Director and writer Martin Edralin talks about his new film Islands, which is premiering in the narrative feature competition at the 2021 Online SXSW Film Festival As I was perusing the lineup for the 2021 Online SXSW Film Festival one film, in particular, caught my eye. Martin Edralin’s Islands had a logline that immediately captured…
Filipino film Whether the Weather is Fine takes a quirky approach to its story of the aftermath of a Typhoon Carlos Francisco Manatad's Whether the Weather is Fine will surprise you with its melancholic surrealist drama and absurdist comedy approach to a real-life disaster and capture you with its heart. Whether the Weather is Fine,…
The Humans takes place over a single night as a family gathers in a lower Manhattan apartment for Thanksgiving — and that's a horror. The Humans is a terrifically acted New York City-set family drama that plays like a horror movie about existential dread and the figurative, and literal, claustrophobia of life… so the most East…
