Featured Specialty | Film Festival Today - Part 2

Interview with “Second Chance” Director Ramin Bahrani

December 14, 2022

DOC NYC Review: Redemption Is on Offer in Fascinating “2nd Chance”

November 29, 2022

DOC NYC Review: “Fragments of Paradise” Comes Close to Cinematic Heaven

November 24, 2022

Interview with “Good Night Oppy” Director Ryan White

November 23, 2022

DOC NYC Review: Jerry Brown Disrupts in Lively “Jerry Brown: The Disrupter”

November 21, 2022

Series Review: “Rivals: Ohio State vs. Michigan” Breaks Down a Classic Rivalry

November 20, 2022

Film Review: In “Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour Documentary,” Art Is Timeless

November 18, 2022

Film Review: “Love, Charlie” Savors the Sweet and Bitter Sides of Its Fascinating Subject

November 18, 2022

Film Review: “Aftersun” Glows with Gentle Beauty

November 6, 2022

Film Review: “Meet Me in the Bathroom” Paints a Loving but Incomplete Portrait

November 3, 2022

Film Review: Expect the Unexpected in “All That Breathes”

October 31, 2022

Sundance Review: “Fair Play” Is an Uncomfortable but Gripping Take on Gender and Careerism
By Hannah Tran
January 28, 2023
Fair Play (Chloe Domont, 2023) 3½ out of 4 stars. Luke and Emily are two ambitious young professionals at the same cutthroat hedge fund. They are also in a secret relationship. Following an unexpected promotion, Luke and Emily’s relationship unravels with extreme consequences. This is the story of writer/director Chloe Domont’s Fair Play. Led by two star performances, Fair Play is an uneasy feature directorial debut that demonstrates Domont’s ... >>
Sundance Review: “In My Mother’s Skin” Is Bloody Real
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 26, 2023
In My Mother’s Skin (Kenneth Dagatan, 2023) 3 out of 4 stars. The year is 1945, and the Japanese still occupy the Philippines. As two children, a sister and brother, watch a soldier and Filipino collaborator enter their sumptuous home accompanied by their father, the girl tells a tale she heard of how a Japanese man speared a baby with his bayonet. There are atrocities all around, in other words, and no such thing as innocence anymore. Prepare ... >>
Sundance Review: “Little Richard: I Am Everything” Showcases the True Architect of Rock & Roll
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 25, 2023
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés, 2023) 4 out of 4 stars.* Richard Wayne Penniman (1932-2020), otherwise known as Little Richard, is one of the 20th-century’s greatest musicians, yet has never yet received a documentary treatment. Thanks to director Lisa Cortés (All In: The Fight for Democracy), that error is now rectified. Her profile of the star undertakes not only to highlight his artistic achievements, but to remind us of his ... >>
Sundance Review: In “Kim’s Video,” Art and Life Are One and the Same
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 23, 2023
Kim’s Video (David Redmon/Ashley Sabin, 2023) 3½ out of 4 stars.* Any cinephile who lived in New York City in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s (the latter two were my era) remembers well the wonderful video-rental chain Kim’s Video. Stocked with a wide variety of options—initially on VHS, then also on DVD—Kim’s was a popular destination for those looking for what they might not find at a place like Blockbuster’s. The rise of Netflix spelled the ... >>
Series Review: “The Silence” Is a Grim but Defiant Portrait of Human Trafficking
By Heidi Shepler
January 18, 2023
The Silence (Dalibor Matanic, 2021) 3½ out of 4 stars. [Content warning: while not gratuitous, The Silence contains graphic depictions of sexual assault against teenage girls.] The Silence opens in Osijek, Croatia, where a veteran with acute PTSD rides a bicycle along a peaceful river. He’s horrified to see that the river is full of dead bodies, but then stops short and reminds himself to take a picture. He often sees horrors that aren’t there, ... >>

Film Review: “The Ghosts of Monday” Leaves the Audience with the Monday Blues
In >> Breaking, Film Reviews, Matt Patti, Specialty Releases, Spotlight
Film Review: Friends Come Through in “Alice, Darling”
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Series Review: “The Price of Glee” Is a Thorough but Impartial Dive into the Past
In >> Breaking, Robin C. Farrell, Series, Spotlight
Film Review: Electrifying Mother-Daughter Mystery of “Missing” Lights up the Screen
In >> Breaking, Film Reviews, Hannah Tran, Spotlight

Four Documentaries from Slamdance 2023
January 28, 2023
The 2023 Slamdance Film Festival began on Friday, ...>>
10 Films to Watch at Sundance 2023
January 18, 2023
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival offers over 100 ...>>
Middleburg Film Festival Celebrates Its 10th Year! Here Are Five Films to See
October 12, 2022
The annual Middleburg Film Festival returns for its ...>>
In Memoriam Rob Goald (1948-2022)
September 25, 2022
Film Festival Today’s beloved Senior Editor Rob Goald ...>>
Christopher Llewellyn Reed’s TIFF 2022 Wrap-Up
September 25, 2022
The Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF) ...>>