It’s a major showcase. Viewers can watch the brilliant musical talent Andra Day take center stage as she crosses over into the world of film acting. With the bright lights on her, she summons up an astonishing, all-in, Oscar-caliber portrayal of Billie Holiday. A feat achieved by Diana Ross five decades ago. Same role, similar […]
Sundance 2021 attracted films from all over the world. Many telling stories we could relate to. Many telling stories that astonished us. From thrillers to feminist homages, dramas to car trip movies they came from all corners of the globe. All had something important to say. Some won awards. These films will find their way […]
As the Sundance Film Festival 2021 came to a close, the first order of business was handing out awards and saluting films and talent. American made docs and features were in the mix. Check out these reviews of some of the lauded films and other movies that are noteworthy too. Many will be in theaters […]
In the year of virtual/hybrid film festivals, the annual Sundance Film Festival adapted its programming to reach viewers around the world in the safety of their homes or at socially-distanced indoor or outdoor venues. Docs, dramatic films, shorts, series and other variations of video programming screened under the tutelage of new festival director Tabitha Jackson. […]
A young blonde woman drives down a deserted California highway at night, alone. A mysterious car drives alongside her, passing, then stopping in the middle of the road. She freaks. She’s scared. The big car and her sedan play cat and mouse. Terrified, she drives to a closed motel looking for help. No one is there. […]
Is this just another passive servant movie, like Gone With the Wind, The Help or Roma? Or does it have a new kick? In 2008, Indian/Australian author Aravind Adiga wrote his debut novel The White Tiger, and its thoughtful examination of India’s caste system was rewarded with a prestigious Man Booker Prize. The book’s protagonist is a scrappy lower-class man […]
It may be 2021’s first viable COVID-themed movie. Hopefully it’s not the best audiences can expect. Anyone who has been locked down, pent up, frustrated and emotionally frayed will relate. Life with the virus has been hard and the light at the end of the tunnel is tiny. And so, British screenwriter Steven Knight (Oscar […]
She’s building from the ground up. Her self-esteem, confidence and a home. Physical, emotional and psychological abuse wrecks its victims and can produce pervasive trauma. That’s what’s on view in this well-crafted story about a survivor. A mom trying desperately to regroup with her two young daughters and escape an evil husband’s savagery. It’s a […]