Children of the Sea refuses to play by the narrative rules of what audiences have come to expect from this sort of animated film. From the rough lines of the hand drawn animation that contrasts with the smooth digital effects…
Summerland Movie Review: An Offering of Hope and Beauty
In times when there’s no knowing if that van over there is civilian owned or federally rented and demonic “relations” is how one contracts COVID-19, whoever chooses to totally disconnect from society might just be a genius. Alice Lamb (Gemma…
We Are Little Zombies: An emotional film about emotionless children
Makoto Nagahisa’s We Are Little Zombies is an emotionally invigorating film about four profoundly emotionless children. Hikari, Takemura, Ishi, and Ikuko meet at a crematorium during their parents’ funeral. They find solace because neither of them can cry despite becoming orphans. Their…
The King of Staten Island Review: Judd Apatow drags out Pete Davidson’s leading man debut
The opening scene of The King of Staten Island is not only the highlight of Judd Apatow’s latest act of indulgence, but also hints at something that the rest of the film never lives up to. It tracks Pete Davidson’s…
Herself Review: Clare Dunne unlocks the power of the human spirit in Phyllida Lloyd’s remarkable return to the big screen | Sundance 2020
Sometimes, you can just tell that the leading actor of a film was deeply involved in the creative process, and that is certainly the case for Clare Dunne, who co-wrote and stars in Herself, a new British-Irish hope drama from director…
Sylvie’s Love Review: Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha lay on the charm in this extraordinary classical romance | Sundance 2020
The most obvious takeaway from the first beat of Sylvie’s Love—a lavishly directed new period romance from Eugene Ashe, who also wrote the screenplay—is that for his second feature, Ashe clearly has a profound passion for Douglas Sirk’s melodramas of the…
Minari Review: Steven Yeun balances family and the American Dream in A24’s latest, warmest drama | Sundance 2020
In the 1980s, my father put all his hopes and dreams into the American Dream. He convinced my mother and two older siblings (I wasn’t born yet) to come with him to Massachusetts, despite not knowing more than a few…