Main Page
Film Festivals
 In Club Kid, Peter (Jordan Firstman) works as a gay party promoter in NYC. One day, his 10-year-old son, Arlo (Reggie Absolom), whom he didn't know that he had, arrives on his doorstep, and decides to take care of him. Cara Delevingne plays Sophie, Peter's former business partner who's also a party animal. Colleen Camp plays Evelyn, his neighbor who agrees to let his deadbeat friend, Nicky (Eldar Isgandarov), stay at her apartment. Diego Calva plays Oscar, Arlo's social worker who's also Peter's love interest. Writer/director Jordan Firstman has made a captivating, funny and genuinely heartfelt father-son story. Peter comes across as a hot mess who's trying his best to be a good father and to quit his partying lifestyle, a task that's easier said than done while living in the fast lane and even going to the extent of selling drugs. He's likable, though, despite his flaws. The scenes with him and Arlo bonding together are often sweet and tender without being cloying, and also quite hilarious, e.g. when Peter tries to find a shirt for Arlo to wear that doesn't have dirty humor on it. To be fair, his romance with Arlo's social worker, Oscar, feels somewhat contrived and makes the plot feel somewhat overstuffed, but that's a minor issue in an otherwise heartwarming, honest and engaging dramedy that sees and treats its characters as human beings, warts-and-all, without asking the audience to judge them.
Jordan Firstman gives a natural and moving performance while handling the complexity of his role effectively. The stand-out, though, is the child actor Reggie Absolom who gives a breakthrough performance as Arlo. He's a very talented young actor, so hopefully Club Kid will put him on the map like About a Boy did for Nicholas Hoult. The cinematography, editing and use of music are all solid without becoming distracting or excessive. Please keep in mind that there's a lengthy club scene with stroboscopic lights that might make some audience members feel nauseous. At a running time of 2 hours and 2 minutes, Club Kid opens November 6th, 2026 in select theaters via A24. It's one of the best directorial debuts of the year.   In La Bola Negra, Carlos (Milo Quifes), a young man, waits for result that will determine if he'll be accepted in social club, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), a soldier, falls in love with a prisoner, Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau), during the Spanish Civil War, and Alberto (Carlos González) inherits a manuscript from his grandfather whom he was told by his mother, Teresa (Lola Dueñas), was dead. Each story takes place in different time periods: 1932, 1937, and 2017, respectively. Co-writers/directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi have made a spellbinding, sweeping and poetic saga with interconnected narratives. The less you know about the plot beforehand, the better because the connections aren't obvious right away. Fortunately, the screenplay handles exposition very effectively while cutting back and forth between each of the three narrative threads. Each of those threads could have easily been turned into separate films, but together they form a whole that's even more richer, intricate, suspenseful, profound and complex than the individual stories. With a less sensitive screenplay, La Bola Negra could've become a convoluted, overstuffed, clunky and tonally uneven mess, but it avoids those pitfalls..
The entire ensemble cast gives terrific performances without a single one that's weak or even mediocre. The film's emotional depth comes mostly from the performances rather than the screenplay. Penelope Cruz and Glenn Close briefly show up later on in the film in scenes that won't be spoiled here, but they make the most out of their little time on-screen. The exquisite cinematography is also worth mentioning because it contributes both visual style and substance to the film. There's one particularly haunting scene that's brimming with visual poetry and surrealism. Although the running time clocks well past the 2 hour mark, La Bola Negra feels so captivating and engrossing that you won't feel its weight. This is the kind of sophisticated foreign film that Miramax used to release back in the 1980s and 90s. Yes, it's somewhat Oscar-baity, but it's an Oscar-bait that's well-worth taking. Just bring some tissues and be prepared to shed some tears, especially during the powerful third act where everything comes together. At 2 hours and 39 minutes, La Bola Negra opens October 16th, 2026 at Angelika Film Center and The Paris Theater via Netflix.  
Mrs. Mercier (Antonia Buresi), a Latin teacher, guides her French high school students during a trip to Naples and Pompeii in La Gradiva. The students include Toni (Colas Quignard), James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), and Amaury (Rouge Isaac), among others. Writer/director Marine Atlan and co-writer Anne Brouillet have made a well-shot, but sluggishly-paced, meandering slice-of-life and coming-of-age movie that also serves as a travelogue. Unfortunately, Atlan and Brouillet don't quite manage to find the Spectacle within the film's many Truths. La Gradiva does feel true-to-life, but also tedious with very little narrative momentum. It's cerebral like an Eric Rohmer film, but not nearly as emotionally resonating while taking too long to become compelling and darker. Does the audience really need a long scene where Mr. Mercier asks her students questions about a volcano like what object the billowing smoke of the volcano resembles? Then there' a brief cringe-inducing scene that, yet again, goes nowhere interesting, when Mrs. Mercier almost caves into a male student hitting on her at a museum of all places.
The screenplay's systemic issue is that it doesn't design enough of a window into the heart, mind and soul of the teacher nor any of her students. It has a few moments of comic relief involving dry humor, but they're far and few between. The performances are fine, but not exceptional, and the film overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes. At a running time of 2 hours and 25 minutes, La Gradiva opens December 18th, 2026 in select theaters via 1-2 Special.  
Minnie (Katherine Mallen Kupferer), a high school student living with her single mother, Barbara (Tara Mallen), struggles to cope with the death of her best friend, Callie (Chloe Coleman), and forms an unlikely bond with Callie's grieving mother, Helen (Sophie Okonedo), in Mouse. She also develops a romance with Kat (Iman Vellani), a girl who works at a video store. Writer/director Kelly O'Sullivan and co-director Alex Thompson have made a warm, tender, bittersweet, honest and funny coming-of-age movie. It doesn't break new ground or have any big surprises, but it feels engrossing and true-to-life without being cloying, clunky or contrived. Barbara isn't an awful mother though because she's trying her best, but she's emotionally neglectful. When she overhears Minnie's phone conversation with Kat and learns that they're planning to become romantically involved with each other, it leads to a scene that's funny when Minnie confronts her about whether or not she was eavesdropping. Kudos to the filmmakers for seeing and treating every character as a complex and flawed human being which makes them more relatable. Minnie isn't completely likable because she misbehaves, but she's just emotionally immature and not mean-spirited. The true heart and soul of the film, though, can be found in the friendship between Minnie and Helen who becomes like a surrogate mother at times. The way she treats Minnie respectfully while setting boundaries with her shows her compassion and empathy---interestingly Helen is the much more emotionally mature and sane version of the villain in Wildwood who's also grieving her child.
Katherine Mallen Kupferer gives a convincingly moving performance as does Sophie Okonedo and Tara Mallen in their supporting roles. Kupferer has a particularly powerful scene where Minnie confronts her mother in her car about how she truly feels about her parenting. To be fair, the film does drag a little toward the end of the second act, but the natural performance helps to keep it from becoming lethargic. It's also worth mentioning that the third act earns its uplift and emotional catharsis. At a running time of 2 hours, Mouse---not to be confused with the psychological crime thriller of the same title from two months ago---opens November 6th, 2026 in select theaters before expanding nationwide on November 13th, 2026 via Independent Film Company.  
Veneno (Victor Prieto), a young gay hustler, falls in love with an older married truck driver, Muñeco (Osvaldo Sanchez), while putting their lives on the line for drug dealing in On the Road. Writer/director David Pablos has made a mildly engaging, dark and gritty, but shallow, forgettable and contrived romantic thriller. The film's systemic issues are that Veneno and Muñeco have very little chemistry beyond having sex with each other, and it's clear from the get-go that their relationship is doomed to fail because Muñeco has a wife and kids. That's on top of the fact that Veneno gets into trouble with drug dealers without considering the consequences. Pablos keeps exposition to a bare minimum and avoid flashbacks. However, that's a double-edged sword because it means that Veneno and Muñeco remain underdeveloped characters.
It takes a while for On the Road's thrills and suspense feel palpable, and when they do, those moments are ephemeral. Is it also too much to ask for some comic relief? With a more sensitive screenplay, On the Road could've been an engrossing romance, a gripping thriller, and/or a profound character study. Instead, it fails to achieve either of those feats. At a running time of 1 hour and 33 minutes, On the Road opens October 28th, 2026 at IFC Center via Strand Releasing. The performances are mediocre with no one getting the chance to truly shine or to rise above the vapid screenplay. |
The NYC Movie Guru
themovieguru101@yahoo.com
Privacy Policy