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
Year:2023 Runtime: 110 minutes Written and directed by: Monia Chokri Actors: Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Francis-William Rhéaume, Monia Chokri, Guillaume Laurin By Sarah Manvel The French title’s sense of the word ‘simple’ is that of uncomplicated, not stupid. However there’s plenty of stupidity on display in this film, though little from the part of Sylvain (Pierre-Yves Cardinal, having a wonderful time) himself. He is a … Continue reading Simple Comme Sylvain / The Nature of Love: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 113 minutes Director: Maïwenn Writers: Maïwenn, Teddy Lussi-Lodeste, Nicolas Livecchi Actors: Maïwenn, Johnny Depp, Melvil Poupaud, Benjamin Lavernhe, Suzanne De Baecque, Capuine Valmary, Laura Le Velly, India Hair, Ibrahim Yaffa, Djibril Djimo, Pauline Pollmann, Thibault Bonenfant, Diego Le Fur By Sarah Manvel It is an undeniable fact that casting Johnny Depp as the King of France in “Jeanne du Barry” is a … Continue reading Jeanne du Barry: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 141 minutes Director: Louis Leterrier Writers: Dan Mazeau, Justin Lin, Gary Scott Thompson Actors: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Rita Moreno, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Sung Han, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Scott Eastwood, Jason Momoa, Alan Ritchson By Rosa Parra “Fast X” (2023) is the tenth installment of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, directed by … Continue reading Review: Fast X
Year: 2022 Runtime: 93 minutes Director: Francisca Alegria Writers: Francisca Alegria, Manuela Infante, Fernanda Urrejola Actors: Mia Maestro, Enzo Ferrada Rosati, Leonor Varela, Alfredo Castro, Marcial Tagle By Joan Amenn Just to answer the most burning question readers of this review will have, no cows sing in this film. The title, like the film, is a gloriously surreal plunge into magical realism. Be prepared to … Continue reading Review: The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future
Year: 2023 Running Time: 88 minutes Written and Directed by Jessica Kozak Actors: Kayla Foster, Sunita Mani, Kate Easton, Becca Q. Co, Danny Deferrari, Alyssa Abiera By Brian Skutle I don’t know if it’s just the films I’ve decided to focus on in my watching at the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival, but I don’t remember, in my now-five years of covering the festival, quite as … Continue reading Wilder Than Her: ATLFF 2023 Review
Year: 2023 Runtime: 106 Minutes Director/Writer: Kelly Fremon Craig Stars: Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie, Kathy Bates, Elle Graham, Echo Kellum, Isol Young, Amari Alexis Price, Katherine Kupferer By Morgan Roberts Despite many attempts to remove the Judy Blume classic, “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret.” from bookshelves, the preteen novel has survived since the early 1970s. It has been a book … Continue reading “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Review
In Their Own League 