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

Interview with “Prime Minister” Directors Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 12, 2025
In Prime Minister (which I reviewed at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival), directors Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe craft an engaging portrait of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Using a wealth of archival material—much of it captured by Utz (and her husband) and Ardern’s partner (now husband), Clark Gayford, over the years—Utz and Walshe humanize their subject while exploring her politics and governance record. In a world of ... >>
“House of Abraham” Intrigues and Disturbs
By Matt Patti
June 11, 2025
House of Abraham (Lisa Belcher, 2025) 3½ out of 5 stars I’d like to start off this review by giving a trigger warning, as the film mentioned here involves one of the most difficult and touchy subjects out there in the world today: suicide.* It’s something we hear about in the news but hope doesn’t happen to those closest to us. For some, unfortunately, it’s the most heartbreaking experience in their lives. In Lisa Belcher’s new film, House of ... >>
Tribeca Review: “Boy George & Culture Club”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
June 11, 2025
Boy George & Culture Club (Alison Ellwood, 2025) 3½ out of 5 stars In Boy George & Culture Club, director Alison Ellwood (The Go-Go’s) brings us back in time to the 1980s, when George O’Dowd (aka, “Boy George”) and his Culture Club bandmates Mikey Craig (bass), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Jon Moss (drums and percussion) ruled the airwaves in the first half of the decade. Courtesy of enjoyable interviews with the four men, plus a ... >>
“Bleeding” Attempts a New Vampire Story
By Adam Vaughn
June 10, 2025
Bleeding (Andrew Bell, 2024) 3 out of 5 stars Director Andrew Bell’s Bleeding launches us into a world where blood creates vampires as synthetic drug beings, not too differently from how smoking marijuana or snorting cocaine makes you high. The story follows Eric and Sean, one who is addicted, the other who watched his older brother become addicted and overdose and then become a mindless vampire. Both cousins endure the struggles that come with ... >>
“Free for All: The Public Library” Is Worth Checking Out
By Hannah Tran
April 24, 2025
Free for All: The Public Library (Lucie Faulknor/Dawn Logsdon, 2025) 3 out of 5 stars You may not realize how revolutionary the American public-library system was, or you may not realize how the American public library generated revolution, but go to any public library, and you can find out for free, no special status or subscription needed. That, or you can watch PBS’s Free for All: The Public Library, part of their Independent Lens documentary ... >>

“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” Interview with Director and Star
June 12, 2025
Director Shoshannah Stern makes her feature debut with ...>>
Five Films to See at Tribeca 2025
June 4, 2025
This year, as always at the Tribeca Festival (formerly ...>>
Our Coverage of 2025 Oscar Nominees
January 25, 2025
Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and ...>>
10 Films to Watch at Sundance 2025
January 21, 2025
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival runs in-person January ...>>
Chris Reed’s Top 10 Films of 2024
December 31, 2024
This was another good year for movies, though perhaps ...>>