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Film Reviews

Film Reviews: Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 21, 2009

Sundance Review: “Filipiñana”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
February 1, 2026
Filipiñana (Rafael Manuel, 2026) 4½ out of 5 stars Between the exquisite cinematography and beautifully restrained performances, it’s hard to choose exactly what makes Filipiñana so special. A deceptively gentle examination of social-class hierarchies and wealth disparities, the film turns into a sharp-edged critique of both by the end, without ever losing its outward calm. If this is how revolution starts, we’ll never see it coming. And that’s ... >>
“Grizzly Night” Entertains and Informs
By Matt Patti
January 30, 2026
Grizzly Night (Burke Doeren, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars Back in the 1960s, grizzly bears, and bears of any kind in fact, were not thought of as they are today. There were many notions about bears that turned out to be false that many hikers, campers, and even wildlife experts held to be true. Of course, back then, bear attacks were very rare. ... >>
Sundance Review: “Seized”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 28, 2026
Seized (Sharon Liese, 2026) 3½ out of 5 stars On August 11, 2023, police in Marion, Kansas, raided not only the office of the local newspaper The Marion Record, but the home of its editor, Eric Meyer, which he shared with his 98-year mother, Joan. Together they both owned the publication, though sadly Joan (pronounced “Jo-ann”) died the next day, leaving Eric as sole majority owner. In Seized, the jaunty new documentary from director Sharon ... >>
Sundance Review: “Cookie Queens”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 27, 2026
Cookie Queens (Alysa Nahmias, 2026) 4 out of 5 stars According to the title cards in Cookie Queens, the new documentary from director Alysa Nahmias (Art & Krimes by Krimes), the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) sell about 250 million boxes of Girl Scout Cookies annually over the course of six weeks. That’s roughly $800 million in revenue, of which the sellers (i.e., the young troop members) receive $1 (out of $6) per box. As someone who ... >>
“Been Here Stay Here” Portrays Vanishing Island
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 7, 2026
Been Here Stay Here (David Usui, 2024) 3½ out of 5 stars Director David Usui makes his solo-feature debut with Been Here Stay Here, a documentary portrait of Tangier Island, located in Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Since the mid-1800s, the island has lost two-thirds of its land mass and is projected to essentially vanish in the relatively near future (as in, it won’t last till the end of this century). That’s rough news for the 400 ... >>

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