Alphabetical Menu
Chronological Menu
Food, Inc. 2 is a provocative and vital wake-up call about the systemic issues of our food system. Co-directors Melissa Robledo and Robert Kenner interview a wide range of subjects ranging from farmers to politicians to scientists and farm workers. Authors Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan return to provide more insights. Food, Inc. 2 raises the issues of monopolies, the unhealthy excess calories in processed food and beverages, the dangers of ultra-processed food, corporate greed, unfairly paid workers, corporate lobbying, the mistreatment of farm animals, the destruction of topsoil and more. To be fair, this documentary covers too much ground, so it's overstuffed, undercooked and overwhelming as though the filmmakers were trying to cram everything essential from the last 15 years into one documentary. Other documentaries like Common Ground have already tackled the importance of healthy soil with much more depth and detail. Food, Inc. 2 makes valid points while preaching to the choir. It's slickly edited, not quite as powerful, focused or enraging as the previous film. At a running time of 94 minutes, it opens at Regal Union Square and on VOD via Magnolia Pictures. 
Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All is a heartfelt and illuminating, but overlong and just mildly engaging documentary biopic about Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, a.k.a. The Indigo Girls. Director Alexandria Bombach combines archival interviews, concert footage and contemporary interviews with the iconic Indigo Girls. In terms of its structure, the film is conventional as it charts the band's rise to fame, their experiences dealing with homophobia and misogyny, and their socio-political activism. Bombach successfully captures Ray and Saliers' personality, warmth, charisma and candidness through the interviews. However, Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All doesn't delve deeply enough into their lives; it barely scratches the surface. So, it's pretty much a reader's digest glimpse of the work and life of The Indigo Girls instead of a warts-and-all documentary biopic that'll make you forget that you're watching a documentary. Moreover, the editing could've been tighter because the film does overstay its welcome. At a lengthy running time of 2 hours and 3 minutes, Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All opens on April 10th, 2024 at IFC Center via Oscilloscope Laboratories.
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill is an insightful, captivating and well-edited documentary biopic on a lesser known American singer-songwriter, Judee Sill. Co-directors
Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom combine archival footage of Judee Sill performing, animated sequences, and interviews with her family as well as other musicians like David Crosby and Linda Ronstadt to shed light on her work and life. This is far from a hagiographic documentary because it presents its subject to the audience warts-and-all while delving into her traumatic childhood and her drug addiction. They also gain access to her personal diary which tremendously helps the audience to get inside Sill's heart and mind to understand what she was going through emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Kudos to the filmmakers for displaying empathy toward their subject. You'll learn a lot about Sill as a talented folk-rock singer/songer-writer as well as a vulnerable, flawed human being who was going through a lot of emotional pain. You don't have to be into folk-rock music to be engaged and enlightened by this thorough documentary about a musician who deserves to be better known to the world. At a running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes, Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill opens at IFC Center via Greenwich Entertainment.
One With the Whale is a provocative, timely and illuminating documentary about a Yupik family's struggle to survive in Gambell, Alaska, a village located on St. Lawrence Island. Global warming has caused icebergs to melt and to change the Yupik tribe's way of life because they can no longer live off their land. Instead, they have to hunt for animals like walruses and whales, the latter of which can feed their entire village. Co-directors Jim Wickens and Peter Chelkowski focus on Chris Appasingok and his sister, Nalu. Chris gained fame for hunting and killing a whale, but the cost of his fame comes with backlash, not surprisingly, from animal rights activists. He received death threats which affected him emotionally because he's vulnerable and sensitive like every teenager. One With the Whale doesn't judge him nor his actions; it merely humanizes him while giving the audience a chance to hear his side of the story and to empathize with him. Nalu also goes through her own emotional journey when she moves to Anchorage, but misses her village back on the island. You'll get to see her cooking walrus meat and eating it. The filmmakers also include some footage of whale hunting with stunning bird-eye view shots and shots of the killed whale that make the documentary both cinematic and unflinching. At a running time of 1 hour and 23 minutes, One With the Whale opens at Cinema Village via PBS's Independent Lens before debuting on PBS on April 23rd, 2024. 
Resistance: They Fought Back is a vital, eye-opening and engrossing documentary about Jews who bravely fought back against the Nazis during the Holocaust. Co-directors Paula Apsell and Kirk Wolfinger present the audience with evidence that disproves the notion that Jews were sent to the concentration camps like "sheep to the slaughter." They interview Holocaust survivors who provide first-hand accounts of the resistance, or, as it can also be referred to in Hebrew, "Amidah". The survivors' stories are captivating and thrilling with vivid details. The filmmakers don't just bombard the audience with talking heads, though. They also travel to the sites referred to and film the locations as they exist now. There's some archival footage and photos that are unflinchingly harrowing. Images often speak louder than words, but the words in this documentary are actually just as powerful. Beyond its many insights and revelations, Resistance: They Fought Back is well-edited and feels cinematic from start to finish. The filmmakers find just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them emotionally as well as intellectually. It would be an interesting double feature with Four Winters: A Story of Jewish Partisan Resistance and Bravery in WWII. At a running time of 1 hour and 37 minutes, it opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema via Abramorama.
In the dumb, lazy and painfully unfunny experimental comedy Sasquatch Sunset, a family of Sasquatches struggle to survive in an American forest. The mother (Riley Keough) and father (Jesse Eisenberg) walk with their son (Christophe Zajac-Denek) and another family member (Nathan Zellner). Writer/co-director David Zellner's screenplay has no dialogue except for plenty of grunts. Anyone looking for a plot or anything conventional in Sasquatch Sunset will be disappointed. The film earns some points for its bold and unconventional concept, breathtaking scenery and impressive costume designs, but not much beyond that. The humor, most of which is low brow toilet humor and slapstick, isn't funny, clever or witty. There are a few gross-out scenes which will disgust the audience while other moments are merely cringe-inducing. The film's major flaw, though, is that it runs out of ideas and quickly becomes a repetitive slog with some picturesque scenes of nature. Perhaps Sasquatch Sunset would've worked better as a short because even at 1 hour and 29 minutes, it overstays its welcome and feels more like 3 hours. It's ultimately a waste of the actors' talents. They're beneath these silly roles. Sasquatch Sunset opens in select theaters before expanding on April 19th, 2024. For a much more funny, witty and entertaining film that's also experimental, see Hundreds of Beavers. Everything that Sasquatch Sunset gets wrong, Hundreds of Beavers gets right. The Absence of Eden  Esmee (Zoe Saldaña), an exotic dancer at a club in Mexico, kills a member of a cartel. She goes on the run and hires a coyote to smuggle her across the US-Mexico border. Meanwhile, Shipp (Garrett Hedlund), an ICE agent with a more aggressive partner, Dobbins (Chris Coy), begins a romance with Yadira (Adria Arjona).
The screenplay by writer/director Marco Perego and co-writer Rick Rapoza is by-the-numbers and heavy-handed as it tells the parallel narratives of Esmee and Shipp before they converge at the tail end. Until then, The Absence of Eden just goes through the motions without stopping to get to know any of the characters enough. Esmee puts her life at risk when she hires a coyote to help her cross the border. She protects a young girl who's been separated from her mother, but she soon encounters even more dangerous situations that she has a tough time getting out of. Shipp goes through his own battles as an ICE agent, but they're more emotional than physical because he's in the process of dealing with his moral conscience while on the job. There's clearly a lot going on with both him and Esmee innately, but the film neglects to delve into their inner lives. The plot also has too much going on and not enough focus. Does it really need the romance between Shipp and Yadira? That's yet another underdeveloped and distracting subplot. Moreover, the dialogue is dull with not nearly enough comic relief or any other form of levity. There are a few sporadic scenes that provide thrills and suspense, but they're far and few between. The Absence of Eden does have physical grit; if only it were to have much-needed emotional grit and depth rather than keeping Esmee and Shipp at such a cold distance from the audience.
Zoe Saldaña gives a fine performance, but she occasionally hams it up without much subtlety or nuance. It's too bad that the screenplay doesn't provide her with enough of a window into Esmee's heart, mind and soul with the exception of one scene where she screams in anger and frustration silently. That scene lasts too long, though, because it makes its point early on and then keeps going, so it's like when a pianist hits the same note over and over. It's also too bad that Saldaña and Hedlund only have a few scenes together. Their narratives converge too late in the film. At a running time of 1 hour and 37 minutes, The Absence of Eden is gritty and well-acted, but heavy-handed, unfocused and shallow.
 Arcadian  In a post-apocalyptic world, Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his teenage sons, Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins), struggle to survive while battling mysterious creatures that come out at night to attack them. They desperately try to save their father when he gets seriously injured, so they hope that Charlotte (Sadie Soverall) and her parents, who live on a nearby farm, could give them medicine.
Part post-apocalyptic action thriller, part sci-fi horror, part drama, Arcadian is a wild ride with a beating heart beneath its surface. How did the world end up destroyed? What are the deadly creatures that lurk in the night? How did they end up on Earth? What do they want? Screenwriter Mike Nilon doesn't waste any time with a lengthy first act or with lots of exposition, so don't expect any answers to those questions. He keeps the plot lean and wisely doesn't show the creatures entirely right away which means that he relies on the audience's imagination as well as their patience. If he were to show the creatures all at once at the beginning, it would've been too soon. Besides those creatures, the only other villain is Charlotte's controlling and domineering father (Joe Dixon) who selfishly refuses to give medicine to Paul. Charlotte and Thomas flirt with each other in scenes that are sweet without being cloying. Fortunately, that romantic subplot isn't distracting from the main narrative. Joseph turns out to be very clever in the way that he deals with the creatures in ways that won't be spoiled here. It's refreshing to see a character who's smart and cunning; too often, there are characters in horror films who are so dumb that the audience is tempted to yell, "No, don't do that!" or "Don't go there!" So, kudos to the filmmakers for avoiding those lazy clichés and for taking the time to explore the relationship between the two brothers. There's a surprisingly moving and well-written scene where Joseph lashes out at Thomas about how he refuses to take responsibility. Arcadian delivers the goods for audiences looking for a creepy horror thriller with some intense and terrifying action sequences. They'll just have to wait until later in the second act for the suspense, horror and thriller elements to intensify, but it's worth the wait. Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins and Sadie Soverall are all well-cast and bring authenticity to their roles while adding emotional depth during key moments. Nicolas Cage plays a supporting role here and, when he's on screen, his performance is more subdued than usual---this isn't a "Cage Rage" movie. For a low budget horror film, the visual effects are impressive and make the creatures look very creepy through their design. There's one particular scene with Joseph sleeping in a chair while one of the creatures extends its arm toward him. The scene lasts for a while, but the image effectively leads to palpable terror. Expect a few very icky scenes that will make you squirm in your seat. Occasionally, though, the editing feels choppy, i.e. when a scene awkwardly cuts to Paul for a few seconds before abruptly cutting to Thomas. Moreover, director Benjamin Brewer relies too heavily on the use of shaky cam which feels nauseating. The pace moves slow at times before it picks up in the third act, but it never feels like it's moving too slow or too fast. At a running time of 1 hour and 32 minutes, Arcadian is gripping, terrifying and heartfelt.
 Civil War  In a dystopian future, America has entered a second Civil War. Four journalists, Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) embark on a road trip from New York City to Washington, DC. They hope to get there before rebel forces descend on The White House and kill the President of the United States (Nick Offerman).
Writer/director Alex Garland has woven a gritty and intense war film from the point of view of journalists who are just trying to do their job and to stay alive. He introduces the audience Lee, Samy and Jessie when the war starts to break out in NYC and they seek refuge at a hotel where Lee first meets Jessie. Lee comes across as angry, bitter and sad. She's clearly been through a lot and her work as a war photographer has taken an emotional toll on her. Jessie is new to photojournalism and so eager to join Lee's team that she convinces Joel and Sammy to let her tag along with them for their road trip. Garland eschews an explanation for how the U.S. ended up in a Civil War or what the rebel forces' motives are beyond overtaking The White House. So, Civil War plays it safe and doesn't take any risks as a political thriller---the President only shows up twice, briefly, during the film. The exposition is kept at a bare minimum with no flashbacks, but the little background info that's there is handled organically, i.e. when Lee and Jessie sit down somewhere while Jessie asks her why she wanted to become a war photographer. Fortunately, the screenplay is far from shallow because it doesn't bombard the audience with non-stop action scenes; it shows Lee, Joel, Sammy and Jessie interacting with each other and having conversations while you get to know them a little better. Jessie, for instance, shows that she's emotionally mature in the way that she confronts Lee about why she's so angry and hostile toward her. There are even a few moments of comic relief, although they're ephemeral. For the most part, Civil War maintains its suspense and thrills without becoming lethargic, preachy, convoluted or clunky.
Kirsten Dunst gives one of the best performances of her career. She finds the emotional truth of her role and opens the window into Lee's heart, mind and soul. Small moments speak volumes like when Lee smiles for the first time when she tries on clothes at a store. Cailee Spaeny is also superb, yet again, after her breakthrough performance in Priscilla. Jesse Plemons has a brief cameo as a nameless soldier with pink eyeglasses who's funny one minute and sadistic the next as he goes around asking everyone where they're from. It's among the most harrowing scenes in the film. Alex Garland doesn't shy away from showing the bloody and gory scenes of war, so some of the images are quite disturbing. The musical score is well-chosen, and the cinematography is exquisite, although Alex Garland resorts to lazy slow-motion every now and then. There are some hauntingly beautiful shots like when Lee's car drives along a road near a forest fire with fire sparks flying all around them. That's an example of a powerful and lyrical scene that would lose its impact if seen on the small screen. At a running time of 1 hour and 49 minutes, Civil War is an exhilarating, intense and unflinching war film.
 Damaged  Dan (Samuel L. Jackson) arrives in Scotland to investigate a serial killing with similarities to an unsolved murder case that he investigated five years earlier in Chicago. Detective Boyd (Gianni Capaldi) partners up with him and, soon, Dan's former partner, Bravo (Vincent Cassel), joins the investigation, too. The screenplay has three writers, namely, Gianni Capaldi, Paul Aniello and Koj Steven Sakai, yet Damaged still squanders its many opportunities to be a taut, bold and intelligent crime thriller. It doesn't earn any points for originality because the plot seems heavily borrowed from many better crime thrillers like Seven, Insomnia and Twilight (the Hungarian film from 1990). The little the audience learns about Dan is that he's grieving the death of his girlfriend and often gets drunk to drown his sorrows. Detective Boyd also happens to be grieving someone close to him: his son. The film fails to explore their bond nor their own individual emotional battles. The screenwriters aren't concerned about letting any of the scenes breathe or bringing the characters to life. The dialogue is bland at best while the plot has very little momentum until Dan and Detective Boyd find their prime suspect, McGregor (John Hannah). Is he the serial killer or are the clues that point to him merely red herrings? Is there more than one killer, perhaps? Either way, whoever is committing the crimes arranges the body parts of his (or her) female victims in the shape of a cross. Not surprisingly, Damaged opens with a scene where the serial killer chases and kills one of his victims. Could it be the same killer that Dan failed to catch in Chicago? What's his or her motive? Unfortunately, the film has a major twist in the third act that's lazy, silly and doesn't seem very plausible. It also spells everything out with over-explaining to the audience as though they weren't smart enough to figure things out and connect the dots on their own. Why baby the audiences? A brief car chase and an action sequence in a forest sorely lack palpable thrills despite the potential. There's nothing wrong with a derivative plot as long as the ideas are borrowed well and the filmmakers know where to take those ideas to, so that's yet another one of Damaged's systemic failures. The occasionally gritty cinematography adds some visual style and atmosphere, but not enough to invigorate or elevate the film. The same can be said about the performances which are mediocre without anyone rising above the shallow screenplay---not even Samuel L. Jackson who's had better roles with better-written lines. There's some blood and guts, so at least the film is unflinching in its depiction of violence. If only it were unflinching in other ways like emotionally, for instance or it could've escalated the suspense and thrills to make it a more visceral entertaining experience. At brief a running time of 1 hour and 32 minutes, Damaged is a dull, monotonous and underwhelming crime thriller.
 Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead  17-year-old Tanya (Simone Joy Jones) must stay home with her three siblings while her mom (Ms. Pat) goes to a retreat in Thailand for two months. When their babysitter, Mrs. Sturak (June Squibb), suddenly dies, they try to make it look like she drove drunk and crashed her car into a lake. Meanwhile, Tanya fakes a résumé to get a job at a fashion design company headed by Rose (Nicole Richie).
The screenplay by Chuck Howard starts on high note with some dark comedy as soon as the babysitter arrives and lashes out at the children with her crude, lewd and rude remarks. She has no shame in displaying her racism either. When Tanya discovers her dead the next morning, that's when the fun begins. Nearly everything that happens, though, is contrived and can be easily predicted from a mile away while the tension remains very low. In a cheesy subplot, Tanya has a romance with a guy who turns out to be related to one of her coworkers. When they go out and he asks her a fair question about her occupation, she refuses to answer him. Like the original cult classic from 1991, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to fully enjoy it. It's a remake that doesn't make any major changes to the original's plot, so that's a plus, and it also has very witty, tongue-in-cheek lines along with a cameo that won't be spoiled here. Fans of the original will be delighted by most of the "Easter eggs", although there's one easter egg that's very obvious when the kids are watching the 1991 version of the film on TV. So, this 2024 remake is far from subtle. However, there's rarely a dull moment and it's ultimately a pleasant diversion that doesn't take itself too seriously. Simone Joy Jones gives a decent performance and exudes charisma while displaying her comedic chops. June Squibb, in a supporting role, goes over-the-top with her performance in a way that's wickedly funny. Director Wade Allain-Marcus doesn't take the film's R-rating too far, though. There's some profanity, but nothing else that's shocking or disturbing, so it's more of a soft R. The pace moves brisky enough and the film doesn't overstay its welcome. At 1 hour and 39 minutes, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead bites off more than it could chew, but it's nonetheless amusing and occasionally funny. Fans of the beloved original will be pleased.
 ---> In Flames 
Mariam (Ramesha Nawal) lives in Pakistan with her younger brother, Bilal (Jibran Khan), and mother, Fariha (Bakhtawar Mazhar). Mariam must deal with greedy relatives like her uncle, Nasir (Adnan Shah), who wants to inherit the money and property of her recently deceased grandfather. She encounters violence and other forms of abuse from men who harass her. Meanwhile, strange apparitions appear both in her dreams and in reality. Writer/director Zarrar Kahn does a fine job of blending drama, psychological thriller and character study. Mariam has a lot going on in her life. She's still grieving from the death of her grandfather and clashes with her mother who's too trusting of others including Nasir. The only person who she can feel comfortable confiding in as a friend is Asad (Omar Javaid). Kahn isn't afraid to take the audience into dark territory that veers into horror to get inside Mariam's head and allow them to grasp her emotional pain and suffering. She yearns to be free, but remains stuck in a society that suffocates her and where most of the men oppress and harass her. Although In Flames does have suspense, it's more of the understated kind that gradually builds before an intense third act that won't be spoiled here. Kahn provides the audience with some food for thought without sugar-coating anything. At the same time, he doesn't lean too far into horror, but there are more than a few creepy scenes that will send shivers up your spine. Genre bending doesn't always work, so it's a testament to the skills of Kahn as a writer and director that it works without being tonally uneven, clunky, disjointed or over-the-top. Ramesha Nawal gives a convincingly moving, natural and nuanced performance as Mariam. She handles the emotional complexities of her role very effectively while concurrently finding the emotional truth. The film's poignancy comes more from her performance than from the screenplay. The cinematography is terrific without resorting to shaky cam to generate tension. There's even some poetic imagery. Writer/director Zarrar Kahn also doesn't rely on blood and guts to entertain the audience which means that the film is more emotionally gritty than physically gritty--despite a few scary scenes. The pace moves very slowly, too slow at times, so it takes a while to get used to it and some scenes drag a little. Those are minor and forgivable flaws, though. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, In Flames is an engrossing, poetic and unnerving psychological thriller. It would pair well with Inshallah a Boy.
 The Long Game  JB Peña (Jay Hernandez) moves with his wife Lucy (Jaina Lee Ortiz) to Del Rio, Texas, where he accepts a job at high school as a superintendent. After applying for membership at the all-white Del Rio Country Club and getting rejected, he creates a golf team, the Del Rio Mustangs at the high school and coaches the players, namely, Guadalupe (Jose Julian), Felipe (Miguel Angel Garcia), Joe (Julian Works), Mario (Christian Gallegos), and Gene (Gregory Diaz IV).
Based on the novel by Humberto G. Garcia and on a true story, the screenplay by writer/director Julia Quintana and his co-writers, Jennifer C. Stetson and Paco Farias, set in 1956, just goes through the motions as JB moves to TX, encounters racism when he tries to join a local country club, and assembles a golf team with high school students who happen to also be caddies at the country club. Even if you're unfamiliar with the true story, you'll be able to figure out exactly what happens and predict it accurately once JB starts coaching. The film's systemic problem is that it fails to allow the audience to get to know and to humanize JB or any of the golf players for that matter. It's too concerned with sticking to its formula without taking risks or adding emotional depth. The relationship between JB and his players remains underexplored as well as him and his wife and him and his friend, Frank (Dennis Quaid). What's his marriage like? What's going on inside JB's heart, mind and soul? None of those questions are explored enough. Worst of all, The Long Game squanders its opportunity to generate suspense and excitement as the Mustangs compete in the Texas State High School Golf Championship. The emotional beats barely land, and the film doesn't ultimately earn its uplift. Jay Hernandez does his best to rise above the bland screenplay, but he doesn't succeed at breathing life into his role. No one gets the chance to shine among the ensemble cast, although Cheech Marin has an amusing scene with Hernandez toward the end. The cinematography, editing and production design are decent with nothing exceptional that stands out. There are pacing issues, though, with some parts, like the beginning, moving too fast while the middle drags and the third act picks up the pace. At a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, The Long Game is harmless and mildly heartwarming, but often dull and shallow.
 Omen  Koffi (Mac Zinga) has been living for the past 2 years in Belgium with his fiancée, Alice (Lucie Debay), who's pregnant. He returns with her to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to visit his estranged family. When blood from a nosebleed drips on someone's baby that he holds, he's accused of performing witchcraft and causes a chaos. Mujila (Yves-Marina Gnahoua), Koffi's mother, believes that he's demon. Tshala (Eliane Umuhire) learns that she got an STD from her boyfriend. Paco (Marcel Otete Kabeya), a local gang member who embraces sorcery and deals with Simba (Mordecai Kamangu), the leader of a rival gang.
Writer/director Baloji and his co-writer, Thomas van Zuylen, intertwine the stories of 4 characters, namely, Koffi, Paco, Tshala and Mujila. Exposition is kept to a bare minimum which be confusing at times, but, to be fair, what's wrong with being confused? The answers to most of the questions, like, "What incident(s) led to Koffi's estrangement from his family?" will be answered later on in the film, so the filmmakers trust the audience's patience. Although Omen does veer into thriller and psychological horror, it's often understated and not very palpable. The same can be said for the suspense which is there, but this isn't the kind of suspense that puts the audience at the edge of their seat. Omen basically transcends genre. To describe its plot wouldn't do it justice because it's more than just the sum of its parts. The tension derives from the sense that something bad might happen at any moment and from the anticipation that the stories might lead somewhere very terrifying. Baloji and Thomas van Zuylen rely on the audience's imagination which is more horrifying than what's on screen. Beneath its dark and foreboding narrative, Omen is actually quite poignant, especially during the final story involing Koffi's mother. There's not much levity nor do the filmmakers hold the audience's hand to explain everything and tie it all in a neat bow, so they leave plenty of room for interpretation. That's a rare quality to find in a filmmakers these days when most films suffer from on-the-nose dialogue and resort to spoon-feeding or babying the audience. On a purely aesthetic level, Omen is visually stunning and exquisitely shot. Its style becomes part of its substance because it's filled with visual poetry. Even when the story meanders, the visuals alone manage to be engaging. Poetry is often a form of protest for or against something. So, what is Omen a protest for or against? With no voice-over narration, that's also left to the audience's interpretation. The last few minutes are quite powerful and haunting. Patient audience members will be rewarded the most because the film does move at a slow-burning pace. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, is a mesmerizing, elliptical and poignant slice of psychological horror and surrealism.
 Sting  12-year-old Charlotte (Alyla Browne) lives with her mother, Heather (Penelope Mitchell), stepfather, Ethan (Ryan Corr), in an NYC apartment. One night, she finds a small spider, names it Sting, and keeps it as her pet. Little does she know that the more she feeds it, the more it'll grow into a giant deadly spider that terrorizes the residents of the apartment building. Writer/director Kiah Roache-Turner has made an enormously entertaining crowd-pleaser with a perfect blend of horror, comedy and thrills. In the prologue, an exterminator, Frank (Jermaine Fowler), arrives to investigate the source of loud noises in the walls of the apartment building. A mysterious creature soon drags him before the film flashes back to the moment when a spider egg falls from outer space and crashes through a window in Charlotte's apartment building. The hatches, Charlotte finds it and keeps it in her room while feeding it cockroaches. Where did the spider egg come from? How is it able to make sounds that mimic Charlotte like a parrot? Why does Charlotte choose "Sting" out of all other possible names for the spider? Those questions aren't answered, but that's fine. The screenplay remains lean and light on exposition which is beneficial because it allows the plot to remain tight, focused and uncomplicated. Kiah Roache-Turner does an effective job of establishing the bond between Charlotte and Sting as well as her rocky relationship with her stepfather. Those scenes are surprisingly moving without being cloying or clunky. As Hitchcock once wisely observed, logic is dull; imagination is more important than logic. Fortunately, Sting doesn't run out of neither imagination nor ideas as it presents different ways for the spider to scare and excite the audience including it crawling on the ceiling like in the film's theatrical poster. Arachnophobic audience members need not worry, though, because the spider isn't so scary that they'll be shielding their eyes. There are some very intense scenes, though, especially one that will be talked about and referenced because of how it pushes the envelope while tipping its hat to Alien. Erik (Danny Kim), a scientist who lives in the building, and the exterminator, Frank, provide some much-needed comic relief. Some jump scares are used in amusing ways. One of Frank's zingers, which involves the mention of sex with a blender to describe what he's seeing, is laugh-out-loud funny. The third act escalates the action and thrills without becoming exhausting or tedious. Sting has pretty solid performances, especially from Alyla Browne who gives a breakthrough performance. Everyone from the major roles to the supporting roles, like Helga (Noni Hazlehurst), Heather's mother, is well-cast. The film also boasts a very clever and creative opening credits sequence with a well-chosen song that sets the tone. A song with very appropriate lyrics that plays over the end credits is unexpected which makes it all the more refreshing. Hint: it's the same song that plays over the opening credits of the underrated 90's cult classic Blast From the Past. The production design makes the most out of the low budget without looking cheap. There are actually some very well-shot sequences with practical effects and not too much CGI. The spider's design looks much less scary than Hanus, the giant spider from Spaceman. Sting doesn't rely heavily on blood and gore, but when those moments do arrive, they're quite shocking, so audiences looking for some cool kills will be pleased and might even exclaim, "Holy shit!" during one particular kill. The pace moves briskly enough, and the film doesn't overstay its welcome at a running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes. Ultimately, Sting is scary, funny and suspenseful. It’s one of the best horror comedies films in years, and it's destined to become a cult classic.
 Sweet Dreams  After the sudden death of Jan (Hans Dagelet), a sugar plantation owner, Agathe (Renée Soutendijk), his wife, Cornelis (Florian Myjer)estranged son and Josefien (Lisa Zweerman), Cornelis's wife, hope to inherit the estate. They're unhappy with Jan's decision to leave the estate to Karel (Hans Dagelet), his illegitimate son whose mother is the live-in housemaid, Siti (Hayati Azis).
The screenplay by writer/director Ena Sendijarević, set in the Dutch East Indies circa 1900, blends drama, psychological thriller with surrealism and satire. It's a period piece that's hard to describe because it's more than some of its parts. On the surface, the plot centers on the chaotic aftermath of Jan's death when his family discovers that he didn't leave his estate to them like they expected him to. Sweet Dreams doesn't waste any time by beginning with Jan's death, the catalyst for the tensions that ensue. Works at the sugar factory go on strike and there's a sense of unrest that's beyond the control of Agatha and Cornelius. Not surprisingly, Jan's family turns out to be very dysfunctional and condescending toward the workers. There's a lot going on in the film, so kudos to writer/director Ena Sendijarević for not turning into a convoluted, exhausting and disjointed mess. She also has a great command of mixing tones together and isn't afraid to take the plot into dark territory without going too far. Sweet Dreams could've easily been more bonkers and more unflinching, but manages to find a middle ground with some nuance and understatement. The dialogue avoids spoon-feeding the audience with excessive exposition or being too "on-the-nose." It also benefits greatly from its unpredictability and the suspense that builds gradually without waning. The camera work, lighting, set design and costume design are among Sweet Dreams major strengths. Writer/director Ena Sendijarević uses the cinematography to create visual poetry and plenty of atmosphere, so the film's style becomes part of its substance quite often. The performances are pretty good without anyone giving a hammy performance. Moreover, the pace moves at just the right speed---not too fast nor too slow. At 1 hour and 42 minutes, Sweet Dreams is bold, mesmerizing and gripping.
 Sweet Dreams  Morris (Johnny Knoxville), an alcoholic, enters a rehab center. He agrees to coach softball team called Sweet Creams with some of the patients, namely, Jake (rapper/actor Gata), Cruise (Bobby Lee), Dip (Jonnie Park), Mike D (Brian Van Holt), Cedric (Shakewell), Diego (Erik Anthony Gonzalez) and Stew (Adam Faison), in hope of winning money in a tournament that would save the center from being sold at an auction.
Writer/director Lije Sarki has made an underdog sports dramedy that's genuinely heartfelt even though it doesn't deliver much in terms of laughs. When you first meet Morris, he has hit rock bottom while sleeping on a bench after a night of drinking. His mother (Beth Grant) rightfully feels concerned about him. He wants to get better, so he joins a rehab facility. Sarki grasps the concept that comedies are often rooted in tragedy. Although Sweet Dreams doesn't go very deep, unflinching or dark, it has a warm, beating heart beneath its surface. The attempts at humor fall flat, but at least the film doesn't rely on lowbrow, gross-out-humor. This isn't Jackass, after all. The screenplay is dull with on-the-nose dialogue without much wit or any surprises in its plot for that matter. However, it's refreshing to see Johnny Knoxville play a character who's more grounded and much less obnoxious than the characters he usually plays. Morris actually has a character arc that feels organic as he tries to conquer his adversities and lead a happier, healthier life. He understands and embraces Pablo Neruda's wise poem, "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." Softball, friendship, teamwork, hope and perseverance help Morris's garden to flourish, so-to-speak, so the film's ending earns its uplift.
Johnny Knoxville gives a moving performance in an interesting, meatier-than-usual role. It's great to see him playing against type. More comedic actors should do that. He's the heart and soul of the film and rises slightly above the mediocre, shallow screenplay. Beyond that, there's nothing exceptional that stands out. The production values are decent, and the pace moves at just the right speed. The film also avoids becoming schmaltzy, meandering, unfocused or overstuffed, so that's very fortunate. At 1 hour and 39 minutes, Sweet Dreams is a refreshingly tender and heartwarming sports dramedy.
 Unsinkable: Titanic Untold  Senator William Alden Smith (Cotter Smith) heads a U.S. government inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and to determine who should be held accountable for the tragedy. Meanwhile, Alaine Ricard (Fiona Dourif), a journalist, also investigates.
Based on the stage play by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts, the screenplay by writer/director Cody Hartman and co-writer Brian Hartman jumps back and forth between the government inquiry and the events during the Titanic sinking. The former is more engaging than the latter, though, because the flashbacks are redundant. They unnecessarily add more tension when there's already enough dramatic tension within the U.S. Senator's inquiry. Unsinkable should be commended for showing a lesser-known perspective on the sinking of the RMS Titanic, though. It focuses more on the aftermath of the sinking when the survivors reached land safely. Some of the surviving passengers and crew members testify about what they experienced and witnessed. Why did the ship only have 20 lifeboats, not nearly enough to save everyone on board. The simple answer, according to one of the crew, is that the ship itself was considered to be a lifeboat because it was thought to be unsinkable. Could the tragedy have been prevented? Could it have been handled differently? What led to the decision to save women and children first? Unsinkable remains most engaging and provocative when the crew members are interrogated and there's some moral ambiguity. Who or whom should be blamed? What's the truth? Without truth, there's no justice and, without justice, there's no democracy. So, in a way, this film is fundamentally about the search for democracy. If only it were to flesh out its characters more because all of them, including the Senator and the journalist, are underwritten with very little room to breathe life into them. The Senator occasionally interacts with his wife, Nancy (Karen Allen), but it's not quite clear what their marriage is like other than the fact that she supports him emotionally. Nancy has a wonderful line, though, at the end that's simple, yet somewhat revealing about her values when she encourages someone to tell the truth. If only there were more revealing scenes like that one because, more often than not, Unsinkable just seems to be going through the motions. The performances by the ensemble cast are decent, but they're undermined by the on-the-nose, often heavy-handed screenplay. These actors deserve a much more emotionally engrossing screenplay---fortunately, Karen Allen can be found in a poignant, profound and well-written new film called A Stage of Twilight. The production design makes the most out of the costume design, lighting and set design which adds to the film's authenticity. The editing feels awkward at times, especially when cutting to the flashbacks which distract from the narrative momentum. At a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes, Unsinkable: Titanic Untold is mildly engaging and occasionally provocative, but somewhat clunky, shallow and undercooked.
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