Janina Gavankar | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “The Way Back” Rushes to the End of Court but Only by the Strengths of Ben Affleck

March 5, 2020

Film Review: “The Mothman Legacy” Documentary Explores Its Titular Creature in Unique New Ways
By Matt Patti
October 19, 2020
The Mothman Legacy (Seth Breedlove, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. The Mothman Legacy is a documentary by writer/director Seth Breedlove that is centered around the infamous Mothman, a legendary creature with a human-like figure, red eyes, wings and the ability to fly, resembling a human-sized moth. Reported sightings of the entity have occurred in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in the late 1960s. The Mothman Legacy is a follow-up sequel to ... >>
Film Review: “Time” May Feel Brief, but Its Message Is Infinite
By Hannah Tran
October 16, 2020
Time (Garrett Bradley, 2020) 2½ out of 4 stars. Fox Rich is a woman who understands time like no other. Spending the last two decades raising her six sons on her own after her husband was sentenced to 60 years in prison for a botched bank robbery, every single minute to Rich feels like a lifetime. In Garrett Bradley’s documentary, aptly titled Time, we are able to gaze into some of the most heartbreaking and inspiring moments of that time as she ... >>
Film Review: “S#!%house” Offers Sweet College Dramedy
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
October 15, 2020
S#!%house (Cooper Raiff, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. In Cooper Raiff’s debut feature, S#!%house, the writer/director/star plays Alex, a college freshman whose first year away from home is not going as he had hoped. Originally from Texas, he now finds himself in Los Angeles, at Occidental College, where his social awkwardness does not help him make friends. Fortunately, he has his mom and younger sister to rely on for moral support, though ... >>
Interview with “The Wall of Mexico” Stars Carmela Zumbado and Marisol Sacramento
By Matt Patti
October 13, 2020
I recently had the opportunity to speak with actresses Carmela Zumbado and Marisol Sacramento about The Wall of Mexico, a film in which they both star. In the movie, a wealthy Mexican-American family builds a wall to stop the impoverished townspeople from stealing their well water, which supposedly has special properties. The film is an inverted look at the American-Mexican relations that exist today and functions as a subtle but effective ... >>
Newport Beach Film Festival Review: “Where Is Nancy?” Explores the Personal Life and Tragic Outcome of Nancy Paulikas
By Adam Vaughn
October 13, 2020
Where Is Nancy? (Thiago Dadalt, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. A film about the tragedy of Alzheimer’s disease, Where is Nancy? strikes a cord with viewers who have personal ties or know people who suffer from the condition. Audiences who have seen loved ones struggle with Alzheimer’s, or any disease that warps the minds of older individuals, cannot watch without feeling the impact and appreciating the information depicted here. In the case of ... >>

Film Review: CUTIES
September 13, 2020
In defense of Cuties, it is a cultural eye-opener. Stop trying to bully Netflix. No one is forcing >>
Film Review: AVA
August 31, 2020
Don’t miss these three great fight scenes: Colin Farrell and John Malkovich, Jessica Chastain and >>
Film Review: UNHINGED
August 29, 2020
Crowe embodies the left behind, discarded American male who spends one day free of laws and rules. >>
Book Review: Apropos Of Nothing
August 29, 2020
Woody Allen’s Apropos Of Nothing is very skillful and purposeful. Disarmingly forthright, >>