James Sweeney’s TWINLESS has the most cleverly constructed script of any film I have seen this year. It starts out as a drama about losing a twin, and takes unexpected turns into a thrilling dark comedy territory. Dylan O’Brien and Sweeney are pitch perfect in their roles, their characters receiving both sympathy and disapproval from […]
Westhampton – Tribeca 2025
Christian Nilsson’s WESTHAMPTON is an understated homecoming drama that distinguishes itself thanks to its strong visuals and Finn Wittrock’s nuanced performance. After causing an accident in high school and moving to LA, filmmaker Tom returns to his hometown where he is not wanted. Nilsson peels the layers of the story slowly switching between the present […]
Re-Creation – Tribeca 2025
Jim Sheridan and David Merriman’s jury deliberation drama RE-CREATION takes its cues from 12 Angry Men. It’s a fictional account since the real murder case never went to trial in Ireland. Sheridan plays the wise head of the jury, Vicky Krieps is the skeptical Juror #8 and John Connors is the annoying, angry Juror #3, […]
Little Trouble Girls – Tribeca 2025
Taking its name from the Sonic Youth song that plays over its end credits, Urška Djukić’s LITTLE TROUBLE GIRLS is a lyrical portrayal of sexual awakening and frustration in Slovenian countryside. Beautifully shot mostly in close-ups of its talented young actresses’ faces, it follows teenager Lucija (Jara Sofija Ostan) as she becomes close friends with […]
Everything’s Going To Be Great – Tribeca 2025
Everything’s Going To Be Great, Jon S. Baird’s follow-up to Tetris, is a funny 80s-set drama about a theater family. It reunites Allison Janney with I, Tonya screenwriter Steven Rogers, who helped her win an Oscar for that film. As expected Bryan Cranston and Janney are great, but young actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth is the […]
Queens of the Dead – Tribeca 2025
Tina Romero picks up the baton from her father and delivers QUEENS OF THE DEAD, a vibrant and campy queer zombie horror set in Brooklyn. She assembles a fantastic ensemble cast led by Katy O’Brian and lets them have some gory fun for an hour and forty minutes. The synth score and house-heavy soundtrack is […]
On A String – Tribeca 2025
Writer/director/actor/violist Isabel Hagen effortlessly comes up with so many awkwardly funny moments in her debut ON A STRING, I started wondering how it is possible I hadn’t heard of her before. Since her character is a violist named Isabel, I assume that the film is based at least partially on her own experiences. Isabel in […]
The Trainer – Tribeca 2025
The Trainer, a collaboration between director Tony Kaye (American History X) and co-writer/lead Vito Schnabel, is a highly stylized collage of comedy and chaos set in Los Angeles. Schnabel and Julia Fox are well-matched and there are memorable turns from Steven Van Zandt, Beverly D’Angelo, Lenny Kravitz, Taylour Paige, John McEnroe, and cameos from a […]
Relay – Tribeca 2025
Three quarters into David Mackenzie’s RELAY with Riz Ahmed and Lily James, it was on its way to becoming one of my favorite thrillers of the year. Then the script stumbled and fell apart. I loved the real NYC locations, the anti-corporate theme, the chemistry between Ahmed and James, and the overall neo-noir feel of […]
Charliebird – Tribeca 2025
Written by its lead Samantha Smart and directed and edited by Libby Ewing, CHARLIEBIRD is a highly affecting indie drama set in Texas depicting the friendship between Al, a music therapist at a children’s hospital, and Charlie (Gabriela Ochoa Perez), a 17-year-old patient. Al tries to deal with past trauma by helping her patients, but […]