California | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “Mija” Offers a Charming Melody of Endurance
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
August 5, 2022
Mija (Isabel Castro, 2022) 3 out of 4 stars. Just at the midpoint of her twenties, Doris Muñoz is living the dream, managing the career of a high-school classmate, now a rising superstar, named Cuco (aka Omar Banos). They came up together and now travel the world, bringing solid incomes to both. Unfortunately, nothing good ever lasts forever. Such is the setup of Mija, Isabel Castro’s debut feature documentary, which tracks Muñoz to the ... >>
Film Review: “A Love Song” Delivers a Beautifully Sung Romance
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
July 27, 2022
A Love Song (Max Walker-Silverman, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Actress Dale Dickey (Bloodline) has spent her career playing tough women who channel the bitterness of hard lives into aggressive anger, alarming strength, and no small amount of enduring resilience. By now, her heavily lined face has become not only a cinematic icon but also a fascinating landscape as beautiful to behold as the rugged Colorado mountains that dot the background of A ... >>
Film Review: Horror-Thriller “Infrared” Is Not Your Typical Found-Footage Film
By Matt Patti
July 21, 2022
Infrared (Robert Livings/Randy Nundlall Jr., 2022) 2½ out of 4 stars. The found-footage horror fad popularized in the 2000s seems to still have some steam left in it, especially in the indie space. These films are still amongst the most popular and most prevalent small-budget horror releases, and that’s likely due to the fact that they cost so little. Many of said productions are forgettable, and some are downright awful attempts at filmmaking. ... >>
Film Review: “My Donkey, My Lover & I” Places Vexing Characters in a Delightful Landscape
By Hannah Tran
July 21, 2022
My Donkey, My Lover & I (Caroline Vignal, 2022) 2½ out of 4 stars. Caroline Vignal’s My Donkey, My Lover & I feels as if French characters stepped into an American rom-com. There is an odd clash between comedy and misery within the story about Antoinette, a schoolteacher who decides to follow her married lover on his family vacation, which turns out to be a trek across the countryside à la Robert Louis Stevenson’s travel journals. Like ... >>
Film Review: “The Deer King” Is Ethereal, Intricate, and Sometimes Brutal
By Robin C. Farrell
July 14, 2022
The Deer King (Masashi Ando/Masayuki Miyaji) 3 out of 4 stars. The Deer King is the feature-film directorial debut of Masashi Ando and sophomore outing for co-director Masayuki Miyaji (Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress), both former Studio Ghibli animators. Needless to say, the film hits the ground running with stunning visuals, despite a bleak premise. Ten years after the end of a brutal war between the kingdoms of Vol and Aquafa, former soldier and ... >>

Film Review: “Day Shift” Is All Jokes and Blood but Very Little Content
In >> Adam Vaughn, Breaking, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: “Summering” Hovers in the Middle of It All
In >> Breaking, Film Reviews, Hannah Tran, Spotlight
Film Review: Overstuffed “Emergency Declaration” Still Offers Thrills
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: “Prey” Revitalizes the Predator Franchise with Fresh Content and Fun Thrills
In >> Adam Vaughn, Breaking, Film Reviews, Spotlight

Victoria Reviews “Thor: Love And Thunder”
July 11, 2022
Thor has been emasculated and is a co-star in his movie. It’s rote work for Hewsworth. Thor has ...>>
Victoria Reviews “Elvis”
July 11, 2022
Austin Butler is Baz Luhrmann’s Tulpa. Luhrmann conceived him and drapes him in a halo of ...>>
Victoria Reviews “Morbius”
May 3, 2022
With THE LITTLE THINGS and his sensational, transformation in HOUSE OF GUCCI, Leto is totally ...>>
Victoria Reviews “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”
May 3, 2022
Nic Cage serves up a terrific movie. Cage sets the career procedural for pariahs Mel and Armie: ...>>

Film Review: In “Bring Your Own Brigade,” the Inferno Is Upon Us

SXSW Review: “Sasquatch” Is a Monster-Hunt Docuseries That Showcases the Intriguing, but Sometimes Frustrating, Aspects of Investigative Journalism

Film Review: “Ham on Rye” Offers a Visually Full Meal