Another week, another documentary biopic. 1-800-On-Her-Own is a mildly engaging, incomplete and underwhelming documentary biopic on singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco. Audiences looking for a warts-and-all, unflinching look at DiFranco's life will be disappointed because the film barely scratches its subject's surface. That's especially unfortunate given the fact that director Dana Flor has access to Ani DiFranco and follows her recording of her album "Revolutionary Love" back in 2021. There are more illuminating documentaries about musicians without contemporary interviews with them. Perhaps Flor doesn't ask DiFranco enough profound questions or DiFranco isn't introspective enough or Flor doesn't do an effective job of bringing it out of her. Either way, if you're unfamiliar with her music, you'll at least get to hear some of her music during the concert footage, but that's essentially all that 1-800-On-Her-Own has to offer. DiFranco starts as a stranger to the audience and remains one by the time the end credits roll with only a few ephemeral glimpses at the darker aspects of her life and her emotional pain. At 1 hour and 17 minutes, 1-800-On-Her-Own opens at Film Forum via 8 Above.

 

      At an overlong and exhausting 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Death of Snow White, written and directed by Jason Brooks and co-written by Naomi Mechem-Miller, opens in select theaters via Atlas Distribution.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      After her father dies, Carrie (Callie Hernandez) inherits the patent mysterious healing device that he invented, and she sets out to learn more about him and the device from those who knew him better than she did in Invention. The screenplay by writer/director Courtney Stephens and co-writer Callie Hernandez combines a documentary and fiction while blurring the line between both. Documentary/fiction hybrids rarely work and, even when they do, they're still at least somewhat frustrating, like This Woman from earlier this year. Invention isn't any exception. Although the premise sounds intriguing and unconventional, in execution it's lethargic, unimaginative and underwhelming while ultimately less than the sum of its parts. The filmmakers don't take their ideas to anywhere that's interesting, unfortunately, and the third act feels anticlimactic. Perhaps Invention would've worked better as a short. At 1 hour and 12 minutes, which feels more like 2 hours, Invention is just as imaginative as its title. It opens at The Metrograph.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      Yuri (Helena Zengel), a teenage girl, finds and befriends a baby Ochi and sets out on a journey to return it to its family while leaving her father, Maxim (Willem Dafoe) and brother, Petro (Finn Wolfhard), behind in The Legend of Ochi. The screenplay by writer/director Isaiah Saxon has the opposite problem that A24's recent Death of a Unicorn has: not enough exposition and world-building. Yuri lives on a farm in a village located on the island of Carpathia and has been told to stay away from mysterious creatures known as Ochi. What are Ochi exactly? Ochis don't look nearly as cute as Paddington; they look more like Gremlins, but aren't as dangerous as Yuri's father claims they are. What ensues is a clunky, unimaginative and dull adventure with choppy editing and very little thrills and suspense. It almost has as many cringe-inducing scenes as Mac and Me, although no bad laughs. The plot to return the Ochi to its family is similar to the plot of a much more heartwarming and delightful family film, Paddington in Peru, which embraces its silliness and has a screenplay with more wit. The performances in The Legend of Ochi range from mediocre to awkward to just plain hammy. Willem Dafoe overacts as though he were doing Shakespeare.

      The ending feels rushed, contrived and cheesy with one of the characters undergoing a major change of heart that doesn't come across as organic, so the emotional beats don't land. It's never a good sign when you can sense the wheels of a screenplay turning from start to finish. The film's only strengths are its terrific visual effects which seamlessly combine CGI and animatronics, so at least it provides some eye candy. If only it were to nourish the heart, mind and soul as well. At 1 hour and 35 minutes, The Legend of Ochi opens in select theaters before expanding nationwide on April 25th, 2025 via A24.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      The Light of the Setting Sun is an intimate and engrossing documentary about multigenerational trauma within a Chinese family. Director Vicky Du focuses on her own family as she interviews her family members to get a sense of their history and how its shaped them today. She uncovers some harsh truths along the way which aren't easy to hear, but at least it helps her to understand and humanize her parents and grandparents better. Like with many documentaries about family secrets, there's initially a voyeuristic aspect to watching the film as though you were eavesdropping on some strangers' private moments. That sense of voyeurism wanes, though, as the Du learns more and more about her family's history and the effects of the Chinese Communist Revolution on them. To be fair, The Light of the Setting Sun covers a lot of ground and ultimately bites off more than it could chew, but it's full of insight, introspection and candidness that makes for an emotionally cathartic and rewarding experience. It might even help others to heal if they're willing to look at the past head-on and to learn from it. At 1 hour and 14 minutes, The Light of the Setting Sun opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Xiao (Lay Zhang)a, a deaf mute, raises his 7-year-old daughter, Mumu (Li Luoan), in a deaf community, but her estranged mother (Vivienne Tien) returns, he fights for MuMu's custody in MuMu. Director Sha Mo and screenwriter Dandi Fu have made a heartfelt and sweet, but often heavy-handed, cheesy and unfocused drama that tries too hard to tug at the audience's heartstrings. Zhang Ruonan plays the older version of MuMu who looks back on her childhood as she's about to help a deaf factory worker get justice for her sleazy boss not paying her salary for the last few months. He claims he paid her fairly and she walked off the job. The flashbacks explain how MuMu learned sign language, how she briefly stopped speaking, and how her father, Xiao, ended up deaf and mute. MuMu would've been just as engaging if it were to only focus on MuMu's childhood instead of including the wrap-around story set in the present day which feels undercooked and adds extra padding. The film gets too maudlin with on-the-nose dialogue and schmaltz in the third act, so a little bit more nuance and understatement would've made it a more powerful emotional journey. At 1 hour and 51 minutes, Mumu opens in select theaters via Well Go USA.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      Nora (Anna Campbell) considers pursuing her dreams of becoming a musician when her husband goes away for a six-week music tour in Nora. She struggles to balance the pursuit of her dreams with the responsibilities of raising her 6-year-old daughter, Sadie (Sophie Mara Baaden). Writer/director Anna Campbell has made a mildly engrossing and well-acted, but tonally uneven and undercooked character study. In a way, it's a coming-of-age story except the protagonist is middle aged. She has some regret from her younger years when she gave up her career as a musician, so she hopes she can get a second chance to make her dream come true. Nora covers a lot of ground and crams a lot of themes together, but without enough emotional depth or insight. The dialogue occasionally sounds witty which helps to enliven the film. However, there are some clunky dream sequences with music videos that are more distracting and awkward rather than amusing. Then there's yet even more awkwardness when Sadie's teacher, Adam (Nick Fink), hits on her---although, no he doesn't call her "babygirl" nor does he make her drink a glass of milk, but he's obviously flirtatious.

      Perhaps if Nora weren't afraid to be darker and more unflinching, it would've been a more emotionally resonating character study long the lines of Shirley Valentine and the recent I'll Be Right There. What's Nora's marriage with her husband like?  What was her relationship like with her mother and father during her childhood? How introspective is she, truly? The audience rarely gets a chance to see those introspective moments, so it's hard to get inside of her head. Anna Campbell, who's reminiscent of  Lesley Manville, gives a warm and heartfelt performance that helps to ground it in authenticity.  At 1 hour and 38 minutes, Nora opens at Village East by Angelika via Blonde Dog Productions.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      France's First Lady Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve) tries to improve her public image and gain popularity when her husband, President Jacques Chirac(Michel Vuillermoz), ignores her in The President's Wife. Very loosely based on true events, the screenplay by writer/director Léa Domenach and co-writer Clémence Dargent is a witty, whimsical and delightful political satire. If you're looking for a profound and unflinching examination of a toxic marriage, you'll be disappointed. Those looking for a breezy, empowering and even somewhat gripping satire will be quite pleased. This is the kind of movie that Francis Veber would've made if he were still making movies today, although he probably would've made it much funnier. Catherine Deneuve has a lot of fun in her role and elevates the film with her charisma.  She makes it easy to root for Bernadette no matter what she does to outwit and overpower her husband. This is her strongest role since The Truth and, a film that would pair well with The President's Wife, Potiche.  At 1 hour and 35 minutes, The President's Wife opens at Quad Cinema via Cohen Media Group.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       Mimi (Louiza Aura) and Billie (Gio Ventura) meet singing competition and gradually fall in love through the years as Billie becomes a punk rocker and Mimi becomes a judge on the singing competition where they first met in Queens of Drama. Writer/director Alexis Langlois and co-writers Carlotta Coco and Thomas Colineau have made a campy and exuberant musical romcom, but it's also tedious, emotionally hollow and exhausting. Despite three screenwriters, it doesn't have a lot going on plot wise and it skips through Mimi and Billie's lives without designing enough of a window into either of their heart, mind or soul. It has little to say about love, relationships or the struggles of musicians. While the editing, fast pace and cinematography help to invigorate the film, they don't compensate for the lack of substance. They're also excessive without allowing the scenes to breathe enough. More imagination, emotional depth, wit and a bonkers narrative could've turned this film into a cult classic along the lines of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Beyond that, Queens of Drama overstays its welcome as it clocks near the 2 hour mark. At 1 hour and 55 minutes, Queens of Drama opens at Quad Cinema via Altered Innocence.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3

      In Sinners, Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and his identical twin brother, Stack (Michael B. Jordan), return to their hometown in Mississippi to open a juke joint called Club Juke. They recruit Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) and their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton), to be the musicians, and Cornbread (Omar Miller) to be the security guard. Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), Stack's ex-lover, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke's ex-lover, but little do they know that vampires led by Remmick (Jack O’Connell) have arrived to terrorize them at Club Juke. Writer/director Ryan Coogler has made an audacious, exhilarating and heartfelt spectacle. Part drama, part musical, part thriller and part horror, Sinners deftly very different genres together in a way that feels organic. The characters are well-written, the story remains engaging and the film never runs out of ideas. Maintaining narrative momentum is no easy task, but Coogler accomplishes it because he sees and treats Smoke, Stack, Sammie, Cornbread, Mary and Annie as human beings worth caring about. There are even some surprisingly poignant scenes. Coogler gradually builds up the tension until all hell breaks loose when the vampires attack.

      Comparisons to From Dusk Till Dawn would be inevitable and fair, but not entirely because Sinners has a much more serious tone. The ensemble cast are well-chosen and help to ground the film in humanity with their charisma and convincingly moving performances. Everything from the cinematography to the lighting, sound design, music, production design, costume design and editing are top-notch. Don't be surprised if Sinners gets nominated for awards. There's visual poetry in some scenes that enrich the film with both style and substance while leaving room for interpretation. Please be sure to stay through the end credits for a stinger. It's the rare Hollywood blockbuster that speaks to the heart, mind and soul which makes it transcendent, rewatchable and ultimately more than just the sum of its parts. At 2 hours and 17 minutes, Sinners opens nationwide via Warner Bros. Pictures. It deserves to become a new American classic.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      Ty (Anthony Mackie), a sneaker, gets lost in New York City and separated from his sister, Maxine (Chloe Bailey), when a sneaker thief, The Collector (Laurence Fishburne), steals the sneakers from their owner, Edson (Swae Lee), who won then in a contest in  Sneaks. Writer/director Rob Edwards and co-director Chris Jenkins have made a mildly amusing, but often dull, witless, lazy and unfunny animated adventure. The screenplay stretches its premise too thinly and offers very little to entertain adults. The jokes rarely land and the characters are forgettable. It's too bad that the filmmakers don't fully embrace the outrageousness of anthropomorphizing shoes by going even more bonkers with the concept. They don't take the concept anywhere interesting, surprising or fun. So, what's left is a mediocre, bland animated film that doesn't even remotely hold a candle to the classic Pixar movies. At 1 hour and 32 minutes, Sneaks opens nationwide via Briarcliff Entertainment.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

      In Sod & Stubble, Henry Ise (Bailey Chase) and his wife, Rosa (Dodie Brown), move to a homestead in Osborne County, Kansas, where they face different adversities together. The screenplay by writer/director Ken Spurgeon, based on the biography by John Ise, is set during the late 19th Century. It begins during Rosa's elderly years as she looks back on her life with Henry. Sod & Stubble feels tender and engrossing, but it's somewhat clunky, sugar-coated and undercooked. A lot happens throughout the course of the film as Henry and Rosa endured many hardships, tragedies and setbacks while living on the prairie. Writer/director Ken Spurgeon doesn't delve deeply or unflinchingly enough into the emotional struggles of Henry and Rosa. The plot just seems to be going through the motions while relying too heavily on the performances to carry the emotional weight of the film. Although the emotional beats do land, they don't land as strongly as they could have with much more depth. Sod & Stubble would be an interesting double feature with the powerful classic directed by John Ford, The Grapes of Wrath. At 1 hour and 42 minutes, it opens in select theaters via Purdie Distribution.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2


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      After her stepfather dies, Elvira (Lea Myren) feels pressured by her mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), to do everything she can to become beautiful like her stepsister, Agnes (Thea-Sofie Loch Næss), so that she can win over Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth) in The Ugly Stepsister. Writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt has made a grotesque, bold and visually stunning spin on the Cinderella story. The lengths that Elvira will go to surgically change her body to attain beauty are horrifying and disturbing, but that's the point, much like in The Substance. Some of the images in The Ugly Stepsister you'll have to see to believe. Keep in mind, though, that Blichfeldt pushes the envelope quite often, especially in two scenes that will make audiences squirm in their seats. There's some moments of dark comedy that provide levity, but, for the most part, the tone is grim and foreboding. Some scenes look dreamlike because of the very stylish lighting and cinematography, so the visual style often becomes part of the film's substance. Lea Myren gives a breakthrough performance in the title role while Thea-Sofie Loch Næss also gets the chance to shine.  At 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Ugly Stepsister opens in select theaters nationwide via IFC and Shudder.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

      In The Wedding Banquet,  Min (Han Gi-Chan) is gay and lives with his boyfriend, Chris (Bowen Yang), in a garage inside the home of a lesbian couple, Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone). He faces deportation back to Korea because his U.S. visa will be expiring soon. However, Chris isn't ready to marry him, so he plans to marry Angela for a green cardin exchange for financially supporting her IVF treatment. Complicating matters, Min's grandma, Ja-Young (Youn Yuh-jung), arrives from Korea to visit, and Chris accidentally sleeps with Angela after getting drunk with her. Now Min and Angela have to pretend to be a couple who are about to get married while hiding the truth from Ja-Young. The screenplay by writer/director Andrew Ahn and co-writer James Schamus, loosely based on Ang Lee's 1993 film also written by Shamus, is sweet, tender and amusing, but somewhat contrived, cheesy and like a long sitcom. The premise sounds like it could become a screwball comedy along the lines of The Birdcage, but it doesn't quite stick the landing as any kind of comedy, even a comedy of errors. There are a few laughs, but nothing laugh-out loud funny or exceptionally witty per se. A scene where Angela vomits is more disgusting and sad than funny. The plot gets a bit convoluted as it progresses, especially when Chris wakes up in the same bed as Angela after getting drunk with her and sleeping with her. Of course, they have to hide that accident from Lee. Of course, Lee will find out the truth at some point. Of course, Chris may or may not have gotten Angela pregnant.

      There are very few surprises in The Wedding Banquet which plays everything too safely and fails to delve deeper into its themes and relationships. The third act feels rushed and doesn't quite earn its uplift. However, the talented ensemble cast deliver strong and lively performances that elevate the film and breathe life into their roles despite the shallow screenplay. Youn Yuh-jung, whom you might remember from Minari, shines in a radiant and heartfelt performance.  At 1 hour and 43 minutes, The Wedding Banquet opens nationwide via Bleecker Street.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2