In Rich Peppiatt’s absolute blast of a film KNEECAP, members of the Irish rap group are playing themselves with help from Michael Fassbender and a stellar Irish cast. Aside from 8 Mile, the most obvious influence is Trainspotting, which you get reminded of every time the electronic music kicks in. Sony Pictures Classics will release […]
Eternal Playground – Tribeca 2024
It’s not the first time a character behaving erratically ruined an otherwise interesting film. That’s the case with Eternal Playground from directors Joseph Roze and Pablo Cotten as well. As far as films about grief go, the concept seemed like an original one. After the passing of his twin sister, Gaspard brings together a group […]
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple – Tribeca 2024
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple is a fascinating and comprehensive documentary on the legendary Little Steven. It starts with his early life in New Jersey and takes an in-depth look at his entire career. His time with the E-Street Band, his own band The Disciples of Soul, his acting roles in The Sopranos and Lilyhammer, and […]
Come Closer – Tribeca 2024
The winner of the Viewpoints section of Tribeca Festival, Tom Nesher’s COME CLOSER deals with the grief resulting from a sudden loss and the transformative power of love between people sharing that grief. Nesher lost her brother in 2018 and the film is partially based on her own experiences. Newcomer Lia Elalouf is absolutely magnetic […]
The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer – Tribeca 2024
Tolga Karaçelik’s The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer starring Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Britt Lower is an entertaining NYC-set black comedy that requires suspension of disbelief. All three leads put their comedy chops to excellent use. Lower’s character is so different than the librarian in her […]
Color Book – Tribeca 2024
In David Fortune’s debut feature COLOR BOOK, which was the winner of AT&T Presents: Untold Stories program in 2023 at Tribeca, Lucky is trying to raise Mason, his son with Down Syndrome, on his own after the passing of his wife.The crisp black and white photography with the Atlanta backdrop, lovely orchestral score by Dabney […]
A Family Guide To Hunting / Favourites – Tribeca 2024
Of the short films I have seen at this year’s Tribeca Festival, two dark comedies about families in the wild stood out. Zao Wang’s A FAMILY GUIDE TO HUNTING with Margaret Cho & Kahyun Kim is a fun, gory trip in the woods. In Nick Russell’s hilarious FAVOURITES Australian comedian Stephen Curry needs to make […]
In The Summers – Tribeca 2024
Alessandra Lacorazza’s Sundance winner IN THE SUMMERS, is a quiet, splendid looking film about a broken family. It has an all around incredible cast including Sasha Calle and Lio Mehiel, but singer Residente is a revelation in the role of the unstable father. Music Box Films will release it later this summer.
Luther: Never Too Much – Tribeca 2024
Dawn Porter’s LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH is beautiful and sad. It has a treasure trove of great looking (and sounding) archival material. It starts with Vandross’ upbringing in NYC and covers his time as a backup singer and producer for the likes of David Bowie, Dionne Warwick, and Aretha Franklin and his tremendous solo career. […]
Arzé – Tribeca 2024
Mira Shaib’s ARZÉ is a contemporary Lebanese riff on Bicycle Thieves. It takes a poor mother and son’s stolen scooter as a starting point to comment on the prejudices and animosities of people from different religions, sects, and nationalities towards one another. The struggles of the disadvantaged are always stressful to watch, especially if they […]