Another powerful creator from Hawke’s generation is Patricia Arquette, who segues from a phenomenal on-camera career to her first turn behind the camera with “Gonzo Girl,” based on the book by Cheryl Della Pietra. It’s curious to me that Arquette has chosen a project about a young woman who gets caught up in the egocentric … Read more
Set in the summer of 1990, writer/director Billy Luther’s warm, tender, and funny debut “Frybread Face and Me,” which was executive produced by Taika Waititi, explores the humor and joy in finding your footing with family and the strength that comes from embracing your heritage. The only plan 11-year-old Benny (Keir Tallman) has for his … Read more
The word that best described the “Stop Making Sense” event came from the Talking Heads themselves in a live Q&A: “Love.” There’s the love between the musicians on stage in the best concert film ever made. There’s the love between the filmmaker Jonathan Demme and the brilliant way he captured lightning in a bottle. There’s … Read more
Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk’s Hell of a Summer is an affectionate spoof of eighties slasher flicks, but it’s ultimately pretty mild. PLOT: A group of summer camp counsellors are picked off one by one during an orientation weekend. REVIEW: Hell of a Summer marks the directorial debut of actors Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. … Read more
“American Fiction” is about the bias and prejudices in the media and how such an imbalanced relationship with Black creatives places an undue burden on Black artists. A confrontation between Wright and Issa Rae’s character—who has published a book similar to Monk’s fake one—exemplifies how such philosophical battles play out between Black folks. But it’s also … Read more
Leonie Benesch is stunning as Carla, a new junior high teacher who has just arrived at a German school out of college when she’s stuck in a growing controversy. It starts when things go missing from the teachers’ lounge, leading the faculty to suspect a student. From the beginning, determining the identity of the thief … Read more
It feels like “Flipside” started as a documentary on jazz photographer Herman Leonard, but Wilcha, who helped produce the influential “This American Life” with Ira Glass, realized there wasn’t enough there when Leonard passed to form a full feature. The film reveals that it was actually the legendary David Milch who asked Wilcha to make … Read more
Although the film is very much rooted in Lindy’s experience dealing with this medical issue, McGlynn’s script is never too bogged down with science talk. Instead, she finds humorous ways to educate Lindy—and, therefore, the audience—about the syndrome while also cleverly destigmatizing gynecological health and critiquing the coldness with which many (often male) doctors interact … Read more
The following table of contents includes our complete coverage of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, as written by Brian Tallerico, Nick Allen, Robert Daniels, Marya E. Gates and Chaz Ebert. Oscar-winner Spike Lee to Receive the 2023 TIFF Ebert Director Award on Sunday, September 10th by The Editors Ten Must-See Films at the 2023 Toronto … Read more
Jacobs, who also wrote the film, starts by very clearly defining his three leads. Katie (Carrie Coon) is a very Brooklyn mother and the eldest sibling who feels the need to take control as her father is entering the end stage of life. She’s constantly discussing plans, including ensuring a DNR gets signed soon. Conversely, Rachel … Read more