By Tom Moore and Valerie Kalfrin The summer movie season is finally here and while there aren’t a lot of big blockbusters on our list, there are plenty of films worth checking out. From some breakout directorial debuts with plenty of awards potential to streaming service films starring some notable talents, there’s plenty of big films worth looking at in June. Not to mention, a … Continue reading The Lineup: The Films We’re Eyeing this June
Year: 2023 Runtime: 89 minutes Director: Laura Terruso Writers: Sebastian Maniscalco, Austen Earl Actors: Robert DeNiro, Sebastian Maniscalco, Leslie Bibb, Kim Cattrall, Anders Holm, Brett Dier By Peggie Marie “About My Father”is a 2023 comedy film directed by Laura Terruso and stars comedian Sebastian Maniscalco as essentially himself. The tagline is it’s a comedy based on his life in Chicago and connection with his father, Salvo Maniscalco (Robert De Niro), an … Continue reading Review: About My Father
Year: 2023 Runtime: 86 minutes Writer/director: Asmae El Moudir By Sarah Manvel In the clips of all the “Un Certain Regard” films that ran in the opening and closing ceremonies at the Cannes Film Festival, the one from “The Mother of All Lies”(2023) was of the director, hiding behind a lace curtain, her makeup smeared, as she argued with her grandmother Zahra as to whether … Continue reading The Mother of All Lies / Kadib Abyad: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 104 minutes Director: Catherine Breillat Writers: Catherine Breillat, Maren Louise Käehne, May el-Toukhy Actors: Léa Drucker, Samuel Kircher, Olivier Rabourdin, Clotilde Courau, Angela Chen, Serena Hu By Sarah Manvel Is it ever a good idea to sleep with your teenage stepson? You would think not but in Catherine Breillat‘s new movie this is a lesson learnt the hard way. The need of that lesson … Continue reading L’été dernier/Last Summer: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 110 minutes Director: Jessica Hausner Writers: Jessica Hausner, Géraldine Bajard Actors: Mia Wasikowska, Ksenia Devriendt, Gwen Currant, Florence Baker, Luke Barker, Samuel D. Anderson, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Amir El Masry By Sarah Manvel Would you like to see a movie in which a teenage girl forces herself to vomit, then eats it back up, as her parents stare in horror? Then you’ll … Continue reading Club Zero: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 123 minutes Directors: João Salaviza, Renée Nader Messora Writers: João Salaviza, Renée Nader Messora, Henrique Ihjãc Krahô Actors: Ilda Patpro Krahô, Henrique Ihjãc Krahô, Luzia Cruwakwyj Krahô, Solane Tehtikwji Krahô, Debora Sodre By Sarah Manvel This is an unusual film, seemingly a hybrid documentary but also clearly acted in parts, about an unusual group of people, the Krahô tribe, a group of about … Continue reading Crowrã/The Buriti Flower: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 85 minutes Director/Writer: Mstyslav Chernov By Joan Amenn Those of a certain age will find this film recalling painful memories of watching footage from the Vietnam War on the nightly news. Raw and powerful, “20 Days in Mariupol” (2023) deserves its nomination as Best Documentary for this year’s SIFF competition. It will leave you with your heart bounding and a sense of … Continue reading 20 Days in Mariupol: SIFF Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 98 minutes Writer/director: Molly Manning Walker Actors: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake, Enva Lewis, Shaun Thomas, Samuel Bottomley, Laura Ambler, Eilidh Loan By Sarah Manvel It’s very normal in the UK for kids to be allowed to travel with their friends to go celebrate the exams taken when they are sixteen. These trips generally involve going someplace cheap and sunny, where there’s plentiful … Continue reading How to Have Sex: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 87 minutes Director/Writer: Sarah Kambe Holland Actors: Sabrina Jieafa, Louis Tomeo, Asahi Hirano, J. Scott Browning, Roger Greco, Kelley Mauro, Ayden Lee By Joan Amenn Kicking off my coverage of the Seattle International Film Festival with this film was honestly one of my best choices of the last week. I initially thought that with a title like “Egghead & Twinkie” I should … Continue reading Egghead & Twinkie: SIFF Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 87 minutes Writer/Director: Ramata-Toulaye Sy Actors: Khady Mane, Mamadou Diallo, Binta Racine Sy, Moussa Sow By Sarah Manvel First-time director Ramata-Toulaye Sy has struck gold with her first feature, “Banel & Adama,” and has also made history as the first French woman (and only the second black woman; she is also Senegalese) to have her debut film be selected for the main … Continue reading Banel & Adama: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
In Their Own League 