Patrick Howard | Film Festival Today

“Stockade” Offers Taut Thrills

February 21, 2025

“Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse” Goes by the Numbers

February 20, 2025

“One Night in Tokyo” Delivers Romance

February 11, 2025

“Autumn and the Black Jaguar” Lacks Adventure

January 16, 2025

Mental Horror Shines in “The Damned”

January 8, 2025

Patrick Howard’s Top 10 Films of 2024

December 28, 2024

Familiar Scares Frighten in “Chateau”

December 5, 2024

Grief Leads to Art in “Adrianne & the Castle”

October 23, 2024

“Azrael” Uses Gore As Crutch

September 26, 2024

McKellen and Arterton Save “The Critic”

September 12, 2024

“Beetlejuice 2” Is a Funny Mess

September 5, 2024

DC/DOX Review: “School for Defectors”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 22, 2026
School for Defectors (Jeremy Workman, 2026) 5 out of 5 stars After its occupation by Japan from 1910 to 1945, the Korean peninsula was divided between its northern and southern halves, the former under Soviet rule and the latter under the United States. Over the ensuing 5 years, each half pursued different forms of government, until in 1950, Kim Il Sung—leader of North Korea—decided to invade South Korea, beginning a war that would last 3 years ... >>
Tribeca Interview: “Funk” Director Aly Muritiba
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 12, 2026
With Funk, Brazilian director Aly Muritiba (Private Desert) crafts a love letter to “putaria,” the kinky funk music of the favelas surrounding Rio de Janeiro. That genre is unabashedly sexual in its lyrics and themes, often in very explicit fashion. With gleeful abandon, its practitioners—at least as we see them here—rap and sing about all kinds of pleasurable acts, moving their bodies to the rhythm in ways that leave no doubt as to what they’re ... >>
Community Is Important in “Flag Day”
By Patrick Howard
June 12, 2026
Flag Day (Andrew Shea/Melissa Shea, 2026) 4½ out of 5 stars In today’s climate of division and corrupt politicians pitting Americans against Americans, Flag Day, a new documentary directed by Andrew and Melissa Shea (I’ll Be There), reminds us of the pricelessness of being part of a community where people truly care for one another. Set in the small farming town of Three Oaks, Michigan, the movie introduces a wide array of the town’s citizens ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Funk”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 11, 2026
Funk (Aly Muritiba, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars Brazilian funk music—or, more specifically, “kinky funk”—is filled with bumping, heavy-on-the-bass beats and other electronic sounds, coupled with explicitly sexual lyrics and accompanying salacious gyrations. Called “putaria” in the favelas (the dense, lower-income settlements outside major urban centers such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), this musical genre features both singing and rap, and is ... >>
“Kraken” Delivers Slimy and Sloppy Fun
By Adam Vaughn
June 11, 2026
Kraken (Pål Øie, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars Norwegian director Pål Øie (The Tunnel) delivers a film that dives deep into the mythological lore of one of the most treacherous sea creatures known. Kraken is about a fish-farming company that has overstepped its scientific research in herding salmon, unleashing a monster from the depths of Sognefjord, the deepest body of water in Norway. The team recruits the expertise of marine biologist, Johanne (Sara ... >>