Brendan Devane | Film Festival Today

Film Review: The Intriguing Third Act of “The Canyonlands” Can’t Save the Otherwise Bland and Hackneyed Plot

March 4, 2021

Sundance Review: Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” Is a Charmer
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 27, 2022
Cha Cha Real Smooth (Cooper Raiff, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Cooper Raiff, the writer/director (and star) of the 2020 S#!%house, his debut film, appears a likable sort, at least on screen, which makes him the perfect actor for the lead of his sophomore effort, Cha Cha Real Smooth. In this latest, he plays Andrew, a recent college grad living at home as he figures out life’s next steps. Much like S#!%house, it’s a coming-of-age tale (it will be ... >>
Sundance Review: In “Watcher,” Maika Monroe Returns as Indie Scream Queen
By Hannah Tran
January 26, 2022
Watcher (Chloe Okuno, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Watcher is the rare thriller that never attempts to push its genre’s boundaries but constantly manages to surprise you. With strong and steady direction by Chloe Okuno (marking her feature debut), this film expertly peers into the mind of its lead character, Julia, as she grows increasingly certain that she’s being watched by someone after moving with her husband, Francis, to Romania. Alone in ... >>
Sundance Review: In “Mars One,” Big Dreams Ground Us Here on Earth
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 25, 2022
Mars One (Gabriel Martins, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Nighttime fireworks announce a new leader, distant cries of “Bolsonaro” placing the opening scene squarely in 2018, as Brazil’s right-wing would-be dictator wins election to the presidency. And though the family at the center of Mars One, the directorial debut of Gabriel Martins, may never discuss politics, that beginning contextualizes their personal struggles. Beyond the working-class ... >>
Sundance Review: “FRESH” Has a Stellar Cast, but its Social Commentary Only Cuts Skin-Deep
By Hannah Tran
January 24, 2022
FRESH (Mimi Cave, 2022) 2 out of 4 stars. FRESH may not be the first movie to delve into the aptly named horrors of modern dating, but the particular horrors at hand here certainly set it apart. Written by Lauryn Kahn (Ibiza) and directed by Mimi Cave (making her feature debut), FRESH is a stylish and gory spectacle about a woman named Noa who decides to go on a weekend getaway with a new lover and, unsurprisingly, discovers he has a terrifying ... >>
Sundance Review: In “Emily the Criminal,” Aubrey Plaza Rocks the System
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 24, 2022
Emily the Criminal (John Patton Ford, 2022) 3 out of 4 stars. Another in a series of patented misfit roles from Aubrey Plaza (Black Bear), Emily may look familiar but is sui generis, steel born of hardship just below the seemingly placid exterior. We see flashes of it right away, in an opening job interview where the camera stays on her, in close-up, as a prospective employer queries her about the police record from the background check he ... >>

Victoria Reviews “Dune”
November 3, 2021
Dune’s messiah is a 14 year old scrawny boy. He’s the prettiest and his best friend picks him up ...>>
Victoria Reviews “The Last Duel”
October 18, 2021
Ridley Scott’s THE LAST DUEL is rightfully an epic given the stars and the vast production. And ...>>
Victoria Reviews “Titane”
October 13, 2021
Provocative, daring and fearlessly original. The director, Julia Ducournau, has inherited Lars Von ...>>
Victoria Reviews “No Time To Die”
October 4, 2021
You’ll be thrilled to know that the Woke Army has won. The masculine icon of a 60 year reign is ...>>