There’s Somehow Even More Family And Furious Stupidity in Ridiculous ‘F9’
Justin Lin returns to the Fast & Furious franchise to re-test the barriers of what cars and Torettos are capable of in the most bonkers entry to the car-action series…
REVIEW
FESTIVAL
Tribeca 2021: Adrien Brody’s ‘CLEAN’ an Ugly, On the Nose Neo-Noir With Intense Dumb Guy Energy
In Clean, Adrien Brody is a garbage man named Clean. After a tragedy in his past that haunts him to this day, Clean has gone clean. He’s trying to redeem his past mistakes by cleaning up the streets of Utica. Taking out the trash, literally and metaphorically. Dirty cops and rancid garbage, all must go....
FESTIVAL
Tribeca 2021: Endearing Werewolf Whodunnit ‘WEREWOLVES WITHIN’ Channels Edgar Wright
Like Clue with lycanthropy, Josh Ruben’s Werewolves Within is an ensemble-driven horror-comedy with lots of earnest charm and plenty of satisfying laughs. A hairy whodunnit about a small Vermont community terrorized by what they assume to be a werewolf, Werewolves Within is that rare effective video game adaptation, reworking Ubisoft’s multiplayer Mafia-like VR game of...
FESTIVAL
Tribeca 2021: ‘ULTRASOUND’ a Hypnotic Layer Cake of Mindf#ckery
From the very first moments of Ultrasound, something is off. In fact, a lot of things are off. There’s the obvious fact that the movie starts with a brilliantly uncomfortably ‘car breaks down in the rain’ moment where a soaked man seeks shelter in the only house nearby, the kind of scene audiences are instinctually...
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Tribeca 2021: Cloaked in Disillusion and Furs, ‘WILD MEN’ Battle Existential Crises
In Thomas Daneskov’s Wild Men (original title Vildmænd), Martin (Rasmus Bjerg) has lost his way. A family man with a wife and two daughters at home, Martin’s absconded to the craggy mountains of Norway, clan in Viking attire and armed with a makeshift bow and arrow. He plans to get back to his roots and...
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Tribeca 2021: Darren Aronofsky-Produced Revenge Thriller ‘CATCH THE FAIR ONE’ A Grim Swing and a Miss
Native American women go missing, are sexually assaulted, or are murdered at an average of ten times that of the non-native population. These crimes are predominantly carried out by non-native criminals. Reasons for these staggeringly high rates range from a lack of institutional concern, indifferent law enforcement policies regarding missing young women, and the multitude...
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Tribeca 2021: Collegiate Athlete Possessed by Competitive Spirit in ‘THE NOVICE’
Ernest Hemingway famously opined, “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” I’ve taken this sentiment to heart in my own life, allowing a competitive spirit with myself to drive my ambitions, both professionally and athletically, rather than trying to compare my skill...
FESTIVAL
Tribeca 2021: India’s Illuminating ‘The LAST FILM SHOW’ a Deeply Personal Love Letter to Film
In Pan Nalin’s The Last Film Show, the death of film has never hit harder. The Samsara director and Indian auteur has established himself over the years as a filmmaker with a distinct flair for visual storytelling, his films a kaleidoscopic whirl of images that speak to the simple power of colors and lights to...
FESTIVAL
Tribeca 2021: A ‘POSER’ Plagiarizes Her Way to Popularity in Devious Stalker-Thriller
Art is similar to pornography in the sense that I know it when I see it. There is a very fine line dividing art – whether that be performance art, music, poetry, or visual arts – from empty vacancy or ugly vandalism. Sometimes those lines can be blurred, much like a nipple on Instagram or...
REVIEW
Lively, Diverse ‘IN THE HEIGHTS’ The Best Broadway Musical Adaptation In Years
Jon M. Chu’s tantalizing and splashy adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s seminal smash ‘In The Heights’ is a disruptive and colorful explosion of heart and lyricism. It may not win over…