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 […]
Lemonade Blessing – Tribeca 2025
Chris Merola’s bawdy coming-of-age comedy LEMONADE BLESSING is awkward and uncomfortable to watch in the best possible way. It is also a hoot. Catholic high schooler John (Jake Ryan) is crazy about his classmate Lilith (Skye Alyssa Friedman), who challenges him to commit acts he would consider sacrilege in the name of love. Conflicts arise […]
So Far All Good – Tribeca 2025
Not everything is going that well for Ace, the protagonist of $ECK’s NYC film SO FAR ALL GOOD. We follow the hustler, who just got out of jail, as he tries to contact his MIA girlfriend Maya and make some much needed money, and confronts many characters along the way. It is shot using a […]
She Dances – Tribeca 2025
Rick Gomez’s feature directorial debut SHE DANCES, which he co-write with Steve Zahn, just had its World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival. It stars Steve and Audrey Zahn, Mackenzie Ziegler, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Ethan Hawke. The father-daughter road movie about family, loss, and friendship is truly hilarious and equally tear inducing. The film belongs to […]
2025 Tribeca Festival
2025 Tribeca Festival is kicking off and I will be posting thoughts on the films I see throughout the festival. Here are some of the films in their big lineup: Twinless – James Sweeney, Dylan O’Brien Oh, Hi! – Sophie Brooks, Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman In Cold Light – Maxime Groux, Maika Monroe, Troy Kotsur […]
Outerlands
After a one night stand with a co-worker, Cass agrees to babysit her daughter Ari while she is out of town in Elena Oxman’s quietly moving drama OUTERLANDS screening at NewFest Pride 2025. Asia Kate Dillon and the wonderfully expressive young actress Ridley Asha Bateman bring the often funny script to life through their realistic […]
Drive Back Home
Writer-director Michael Clowalter strikes a fine balance between comedy and drama in his road movie DRIVE BACK HOME that deals with somber subject matter. Set in 1970 Canada, estranged brothers Perley and Weldon, played by Alan Cumming and Charlie Creed-Miles, drive from Toronto to New Brunswick while trying to overcome their past grievances. We intermittently […]
Sorry, Baby
It’s not often that a new writer-director-actor comes along and blows you away. Eva Victor does that with SORRY, BABY, the Closing Night film of both Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and Seattle International Film Festival. It is a sorrowful, humorous, and ultimately comforting look at trauma and its aftermath. The character of Agnes might at times […]