Griffin Murray-Johnston | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “Penguin Bloom” Breathes Deep Emotion, with Touching Performances Yet Some Imperfections

January 26, 2021

Romance Meets Coming-of-Age in “Young Werther”
By Robin C. Farrell
December 12, 2024
Young Werther (José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço, 2024) 4 out of 5 stars It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve heard of the 1774 novella The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, to get swept up in its lavish modernization, Young Werther. Written and directed by José Lourenço in his feature-film debut, the film introduces Werther (Douglas Booth, Shoshana), a lively socialite as well as an aspiring but insecure writer, as ... >>
“Scrap” Is Beautifully Relatable
By Robin C. Farrell
December 11, 2024
Scrap (Vivian Kerr, 2022) 3½ out of 5 stars In Scrap, homeless and jobless single-mother Beth (Vivian Kerr, Séance) struggles to keep up appearances to her brother, Ben (Anthony Rapp, Paramount’s Star Trek: Discovery series), and his wife, Stacy (Lana Parrilla, Atlas). The couple are in the midst of a third round of IVF treatment while also caring for Beth’s daughter, Birdy (Julianna Layne, Finding Christmas), as Beth frequently shirks her ... >>
Familiar Scares Frighten in “Chateau”
By Patrick Howard
December 5, 2024
Chateau (Luke Genton, 2024) 4 out of 5 stars Chateau initially appears to be yet another entry in the found-footage horror genre. The film centers on James (Cathy Marks, The Bell Keeper), who takes on a job restoring a French chateau. Upon discovering that the location may be a magnet for the supernatural, James secretly documents her experiences for a vlog. Will the risk of coming face-to-face with a specter be worth the potential online game ... >>
“The Taste of Mango” Savors Ambiguity
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
December 3, 2024
The Taste of Mango (Chloe Abrahams, 2023) 3½ out of 5 stars Tammy Wynette’s famous 1968 song “Stand by Your Man” was released in 1968 at a time of growing feminist consciousness and became both immediately popular and mired in some controversy about the significance of its lyrics. In her second verse, Wynette sings, “But if you love him you’ll forgive him/Even though he’s hard to understand/And if you love him, oh be proud of ... >>
Baltimore Mayor Is “The Body Politic”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 25, 2024
The Body Politic (Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough, 2023) 4 out of 5 stars In The Body Politic, director Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough makes his feature debut with a documentary about the early days of Baltimore’s current mayor, Brandon Scott. It’s no easy task running a metropolis that has long struggled with the related issues of poverty and crime. Thanks to David Simon’s five-season HBO series The Wire—now two decades old—Baltimore has become ... >>

5 Films to See at Middleburg 2024
October 16, 2024
This year’s Middleburg Film Festival—held annually in ...>>
10 Films to See at TIFF 2024
September 3, 2024
The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF) ...>>
That’s a Wrap at DC/DOX 2024
June 19, 2024
As advertised in my curtain raiser last week, I ...>>
Five Films to See at DC/DOX 2024
June 12, 2024
DC/DOX returns for Round 2, running June 13-16 in its ...>>
Five Films to See at Tribeca 2024
June 5, 2024
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival will take place from ...>>