Robin C. Farrell | Film Festival Today

Film Review: The Young Cast of “Skater Girl” Shines Despite a Disjointed Script

June 10, 2021

Film Review: “Grace and Grit” Aims for Transcendence but Critically Misfires

June 3, 2021

Film Review: “Chasing Wonders” Is an Understated Meditation on Forgiveness

June 2, 2021

Film Review: “P!nk: All I Know So Far” Delivers Fun, Candor and Some Great Music

May 20, 2021

Film Review: “Los Hermanos/The Brothers” Is Beautiful, Sad and Joyous All at Once

May 13, 2021

Film Review: “The Water Man” Deftly Blends Realism and Fantasy

May 7, 2021

Series Review: Disappointment Abounds in “Jupiter’s Legacy”

May 7, 2021

Film Review: “The Outside Story” Is Charming, but Muddled

April 29, 2021

OUTshine LGBTQ Film Festival Review: “My Fiona” Delivers an Earnest and Mindful Depiction of Grief and Loss

April 27, 2021

Series Review: “Shadow and Bone” Is a Paradoxical Mix of Opportunities Won and Lost

April 22, 2021

Film Review: “Arlo the Alligator Boy” Is Beautiful and Heartfelt but Doesn’t Reach Its Full Potential

April 15, 2021

Tribeca Review: We Needed “Stockholm Syndrome,” for the Information, If Not the Art
By Adam Vaughn
June 16, 2021
Stockholm Syndrome (The Architects, 2021) 2½ out of 4 stars. Stockholm Syndrome unpacks the story of rapper A$AP Rocky’s journey through the highly controversial events that took place in Sweden in 2019. While I enjoyed the film, I also thought its overall story structure jumped around in ideas and structure, making the documentary, itself, a little too “rocky.” It starts with its subject’s upbringing as a child in Harlem, with interviews from ... >>
Film Review: “Souad” Showcases the Complex Lives of Young Egyptian Women
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 15, 2021
Souad (Ayten Amin, 2021) 3½ out of 4 stars. Egyptian college student Souad, when first we meet her, rides a city bus in in the city of Zagazig, cell phone in hand, chatting with an older woman about both her medical studies and fiancé serving in the army in Sinai. She paints a charming picture of a young woman in the prime of young adulthood, excited about the future. A quick cut, though, places Souad next to a new stranger, and this time she ... >>
Tribeca Review: “a-ha: the Movie” Is a Delight for Casual and Diehard Fans Alike
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 15, 2021
a-ha: the Movie (Thomas Robsahm, 2021) 3 out of 4 stars. Norwegian musicians Morten Harket, Pål Waaktaar (now Waaktaar-Savoy) and Magne Furuholmen – born in 1959, 1961 and 1962, respectively – joined forces in 1982 as the pop band a-ha, and after three years of struggle released the chart-topping global hit “Take on Me,” the video for which proved as popular as the song. Though their fame and fortune have waxed and waned since then, they have, ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Mark, Mary & Some Other People” Get It On, Get Off and Get Lost
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 10, 2021
Mark, Mary & Some Other People (Hannah Marks, 2021) 3 out of 4 stars. Twentysomething sexual freedom sounds like a great idea. On some level, most people probably think a little bit about what it would be like to experiment, while those who are older and never did wish they had. But what if you wed early on? Ethical non-monogamy offers married couples the chance to fool around with partners outside their primary relationship without ... >>
Film Review: The Young Cast of “Skater Girl” Shines Despite a Disjointed Script
By Robin C. Farrell
June 10, 2021
Skater Girl (Manjari Makijany, 2021) 2½ out of 4 stars. Skater Girl treats both the titular character and her sport with a lot of heart. Beautiful intentions are on display here, between some gorgeous, energetic cinematography and a few stellar performances by young and relatively unknown actors. The downsides are an inconsistent tone and a plot that builds to an abrupt and limited ending, dulling the many other elements of this story ... >>

Film Review: “In the Heights”
June 10, 2021
Broadway behemoth Hamilton must have been a fluke. This is a musical without songs. And the ...>>
Film Review: “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
May 22, 2021
It’s best seen at a movie theater. It’s Angelina Jolie’s return to films, though she has not been ...>>
Film Review: “Spiral, from the Book of Saw”
May 18, 2021
Chris Rock has reached the apex of Hollywood stardom. He has a sure hit franchise. In a wacky Good ...>>
Film Review: “The Odds”
March 8, 2021
Bravo! A Herculean effort to deliver a highly original two-character horror movie. You want to ...>>