Anybody who has lost a beloved parent is bound to get teary eyed at some point during Robert Schwartzman’s THE GOOD HALF starring Nick Jonas, Elisabeth Shue, Brittany Snow, and Alexandra Shipp. Films about grief are hard to pull off. This one mostly succeeds by balancing emotions and humor and not wearing out its welcome […]
The Listener
Steve Buscemi’s fifth feature as a director, THE LISTENER, consists of Tessa Thompson’s Beth answering help hotline calls from inside of her apartment. While that might not be an appealing premise for everyone, others will find it captivating thanks to her ability to bring out her character’s humanity to the screen. Her conversation with Rebecca […]
Lost Soulz
Following a group of musicians touring Texas, SoundCloud rap drama LOST SOULZ from Tribeca Festival is light on plot and is full of catchy, soulful hip hop songs. The relationships depicted on screen were maybe unrealistically conflict-free, but it is so uplifting for most of its running time, you don’t mind it.
Downtown Owl
Despite some tonal issues, especially towards the end, Lily Rabe & Hamish Linklater’s ‘80s-set comedy DOWNTOWN OWL entertained me. Elvis Costello songs on the soundtrack definitely helped. Rabe’s performance as English teacher Julia was the highlight.
You’ll Never Find Me
Australian horror YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME is one of the best looking films I’ve seen at 2023 Tribeca Festival so far. Despite it being a slow two-character single location film, it was hard to keep your eyes off the screen. Ultimately it relies too much on symbolism for my taste, but it’s an easy one […]
The Seeding
THE SEEDING is another Tribeca Festival film about a man and a woman isolated in the desert. Barnaby Clay’s film is a contemporary remake of Woman In The Dunes and sets itself apart with memorable visuals and atmosphere of dread. Horror fans won’t easily be able to get it out of their heads.
Catching Dust
Erin Moriarty and Jai Courtney are both doing some of their best work as a couple living an isolated life in the desert in CATCHING DUST from Tribeca Festival. The good looking thriller is compelling for most of its running time. The plot gets convoluted later on and the finale left more to be desired.
The Miracle Club
Irish period dramedy THE MIRACLE CLUB with Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, Laura Linney, and Stephen Rea just had its World Premiere at Tribeca Festival and is a perfect fit for Sony Pictures Classics, which will release it in US theaters on July 14th. If the trailer interests you, go see it. It is funny and, […]
The Adults
Dustin Guy Defa’s THE ADULTS about three grown-up siblings, who want to stay kids, is cinema for people who love plays. Michael Cera, Hannah Gross, and Sophia Lillis are all very good. Poker scenes were the highlights and I loved the dance scene set to Men At Work’s Overkill.
Suitable Flesh
Shudder has a winner in its hands with Joe Lynch’s Lovecraft adaptation Suitable Flesh, which just premiered at Tribeca Festival. Heather Graham is fantastic. It is a tribute to Stuart Gordon, but there are also strong Paul Verhoeven vibes. It is my favorite horror movie of 2023 so far, taking over the spot from Talk […]