Tangles — Review
This has been an incredible year for animated films, from Andrew Stanton’s Toy Story 5 to Travis Knight’s Wildwood and everything in between. It would take a truly special film to stand out from such an impressive crowd. Fortunately, Leah Nelson's directorial debut, Tangles, is more than up to the task. Based on Sarah Leavitt's graphic memoir Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother and Me, the screenplay was written by Leavitt, Nelson, and Trev Renney. The book is a deeply moving account of Leavitt’s experiences as her mother, Midge, battles Alzheimer’s. Although Nelson takes a slightly different visual approach from the source material, she brings Leavitt’s story to life with remarkable sensitivity. The result is an extraordinary film that feels immensely personal, one that’s as beautiful as it is heart-shattering.
Breeder — Video Review
Spoiler-free review of Alex Goyette’s movie Breeder, starring Daniel Doheny, Dot-Marie Jones, Maddie Phillips, and Tanaya Beatty. In theaters on October 28th.
Mouse — NewFest Review
Grief has become a common theme in contemporary cinema. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson approached the topic with tremendous tenderness in their 2024 film Ghostlight, and their latest collaboration, Mouse, returns to it from a different perspective. While Ghostlight explored how artistic expression can provide an outlet for those navigating loss, Mouse examines the many ways grief shapes our lives and relationships. Although Ghostlight affected me more deeply, Mouse offers what might be one of the most honest and authentic portrayals of grief I’ve ever seen. O’Sullivan and Thompson refuse to shy away from the messiness, awkwardness, and uglier aspects of the grieving process.
Idiots — Video Review
Spoiler-free review of Macon Blair’s Idiots, starring Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Peter Dinklage, and Nicholas Braun. In theaters on August 28th.
Over Your Dead Body — Video Review
Spoiler-free video review of Jorma Taccone’s Over Your Dead Body starring Samara Weaving, Jason Segel, Paul Guilfoyle, Keith Jardine, Timothy Olyphant, and Juliette Lewis.
Faces of Death — Review
With his feature directorial debut, Cam (2018), director Daniel Goldhaber, along with screenwriter Isa Mazzei, incisively interrogated our relationship to technology and violence. With his sophomore feature, How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022), Goldhaber demonstrated his ability to craft a suspenseful and stress-inducing thriller that relentlessly ramps up the tension. Now, with Faces of Death, Goldhaber has reunited with Mazzei and combined the greatest strengths of his previous films into a chilling, confrontational work about digital-age anxieties.
Forbidden Fruits — Video Review
Spoiler-free video review of Meredith Alloway’s film Forbidden Fruits, starring Lili Reinhart, Lola Tung, Victoria Pedretti, Alexandra Shipp, and Emma Chamberlain.
The Plague — Review
As anyone who’s ever been the victim of adolescent bullying will tell you, kids can be ruthless and relentless. For decades, the male “bully” in film and television was a stereotype: the burly jock who’d toss the scrawny nerd into a locker, give them a wedgie, or inflict some other form of physical abuse. But as most of us who’ve been bullied know, real bullies often wield a different kind of power. They don’t need to harm you physically when they can turn everyone against you, destroying you mentally and emotionally instead. Their cruelty knows no bounds. And if your friends are bullying someone, it feels as though you have to join in. Otherwise, they’ll kick you out of the group and target you as well. It’s malicious, sickening, and Charlie Polinger’s film The Plague captures it all too well.