(**1/2) It’s a story that needs to be told. But maybe not quite like this. Not in a grandiose flurry of images that overshadow a narrative that is as touching as it is important. Dozier School, a reform school in Marianna, Florida, on the Panhandle was real. It was founded January 1st, 1900, and closed […]
The Wild Robot
(***1/2) All hail single moms raising kids they didn’t birth. Dedicated parents who shepherd children into adulthood. They’re saints. It’s almost as if this family film’s theme was ripped from the headlines in this twisted era of demeaning mothers who raise youngsters that didn’t come from their bodies. Or people who pour their love and […]
Unstoppable – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(***) What others do with two legs, he does with one. That’s what a champion would do. Even as a kid, nothing ever stopped him. Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), an Arizona State University wrestler, grew up tough. He lives with his mom Judy (Jennifer Lopez), his siblings and her abusive boyfriend Ricky (Bobby Cannavale, The Watcher). Robles […]
Hard Truths – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(***) She speaks her mind. Unfortunately for family, friends and strangers, most of her rants are aggressive, accusatory, abusive and petty. Hard to believe anyone could be so irascible. Hard to believe she can change. Can she? Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) has a bug her up her crawl. She belittles her twentysomething-year-old, overweight and aimless son […]
Bird – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(**1/2) She’s got a thing for birds. They’re like the guardian angels she needs to watch over her. Bailey (Nykiya Adams) has it rough. As the 12-year-old daughter of a wacky rocked out dad named Bug (Barry Keogan, The Banashees of Inisherin) and sister to a teen half-brother named Hunter (Jason Buda) who’s an amateur vigilante, […]
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(***) So many artists struggle. Often never recognized for their contributions until after their death. Ernest Cole is one. An archetype. In one way, this humble, enlightening documentary is an ode to a brave South African photojournalist. In another, it’s a salute to those who create works of art and never get the flowers they […]
The Fire Inside – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(***) “What do you think about girls boxing,” says coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry). His wife Mickey (De’Adre Aziza) calmly replies, “Don’t see no reason why she can’t. She got hands.” As a young girl in Flint, Michigan, Claressa Shields keeps stopping by Crutchfield’s boxing gym. Since female pugilists are frowned upon, she can […]
Anywhere Anytime – 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Review
(**1/2) It’s an immigrant’s story. Specific to Italy, but universal in scope. Iranian-born director/screenwriter Milad Tangshir and co-writers Giaime Alonge and Daniele Gaglianone, tell a simple tale about the immigrant experience. They’re better at building the foundation than completing the project in a way that would make it memorable. Issa (Ibrahima Sambou), a twentysomething Senegalese immigrant, was lucky […]
The Piano Lesson wows crowds at 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
(***1/2) The legacy of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson is being kept alive by Denzel Washington and his family. Their archives of his genius and plays are movie adaptations, e.g. Fences (2016) and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020). The latest, The Piano Lesson, directed by Washington’s son Malcolm, was showcased at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. In […]
Blink Twice
(**1/2) She sold her soul to the devil. Now she wants it back. It was too good to be true. Frida (Naomi Ackie), a clumsy cocktail waitress at a classy fundraiser for rich folks, eyes the main attraction. It’s tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). Think Elon Musk, but handsome. They flirt. He seems attentive in a […]
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