(***) “Fate will do what it wills,” says The Elder. But what happens when fate turns out to be a series of unpredictable and ultra-violent events aboard the world’s fastest train? The basis for this cutthroat railroad trip is a book by the very popular Japanese novelist Kôtarô Isaka. Hence the setting and situation. Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is an operative who’ll steal […]
(***1/2) Somebody really put their paw in this. Humans are credited for writing and directing this fun-filled ani//act/adv, but don’t be surprised if a four-legged friend ghostwrote and directed the whole thing. The dialogue, jokes and storyline are so pet friendly and perceptive it seems that way. Krypto the Super-dog (voice of Dwayne “The Rock” […]
(**1/2) It came from outer space. Or somewhere. Something’s hovering over Otis Haywood’s (Keith David, Barbershop) ranch in SoCal’s parched Santa Clarita Valley. Otis comes from a long line of horsemen and is a noted animal wrangler for TV and film. His son OJ (David Kaluuya, Get Out) works beside him and his stallions. That thing in […]
“You’re a dreamer.” That’s what her friends say. That’s her essence. Middle-aged Ada Harris (Lesley Manville, The Crown) works tirelessly as a housekeeper for rich folks in 1950s London. She scrubs, sews and keeps things tidy for wealthy, impervious snots. Her husband Eddie, a solider, went missing and never returned from WWII. She’s alone and grieves […]
The 2022 American Black Film Festival featured in-theater screenings and a virtual component too. Issa Rae (Insecure) reigned as the festival ambassador and introduced her new HBO Max series “Rap Sh!t.” Crowds watched feature films, docs and shorts and participated in talk events, networking and of course partied hard. To stay tuned to Black film 24/7/365 go […]
This year at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, audiences listened to filmmakers as they told their vibrant stories in their own words. Allswell (**1/2) Three Brooklyn Latinx bond in this very charming family comedy drama. Screenwriters Elizabeth Rodriguez and Bob Snyder set the stage, and Snyder as the director pushes and pulls the characters around NYC’s biggest borough. The hub is […]
(**1/2) Baz Luhrmann photobombs this Elvis portrait with over-extravagant filmmaking that dwarfs the iconic rock and roller. And that ain’t easy. The script, cowritten by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell and Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet), puts it all out there. Ambitious singer borrows heavily from R&B music, fuses it with up-tempo rock and twangy country […]
The Tribeca Film Festival is back on track. In 2022 it offered both theater screenings (June 8th – 19th) and at-home TFF App-viewings too (up to June 26th). Festival premieres and parties were back in full swing, and images of Black life were everywhere. Feature films, documentaries, shorts, series… Aisha (***) For Aisha Osagie (Letitia Wright, Black Panther), a Nigerian […]