Alex Castillo | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “Clemency” Falls Short of Absolution

December 27, 2019

Tribeca Review: “No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” Strives to Achieve Uplifting and Personal Representation
By Adam Vaughn
June 17, 2021
No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (Vivian Kleiman, 2021) 3 out of 4 stars. Tribeca 2021 showcases a documentary that brings to light the fascinating, seemingly untold story of the queer community within the comic book world. Introducing the vast achievements, as well as obstacles faced by, the queer comic-book artists featured in Justin Hall’s eponymous anthology – including Alison Bechdel, Jennifer Camper, Howard Cruse, Rupert ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It” Showcases Its Great Star in Great Detail
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 17, 2021
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (Mariem Pérez Riera, 2021) 3 out of 4 stars. Born in Puerto Rico in 1931, actress Rita Moreno has had a long career on stage and screen, as well as in song, and is one of just 16 EGOT winners. Depending on one’s generation, she may be known to you from many different media, including West Side Story (for which she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar), PBS’s The Electric Company (with her ... >>
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, ... >>

Film Review: “Luca” Is Simultaneously Fresh and Stale
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: “Les Nôtres” Is a Harrowing Coming-of-Age Tale For Our Time
In >> Breaking, Film Reviews, Hannah Tran, Specialty Releases, Spotlight
Film Review: “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” Offers an Urgent, Much-Needed History Lesson
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Specialty Releases, Spotlight
Film Review: “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” Is As Messy As Its Title
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight

Victoria Reviews “In the Heights”
June 8, 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 ...>>