Maggie Kang | Film Festival Today

Patrick Howard’s Top 10 Films of 2025

December 24, 2025

“Happy and You Know It” Offers Good Cheer
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
December 24, 2025
Happy and You Know It (Penny Lane, 2025) 4 out of 5 stars Writing meaningful music for children is not easy. Just ask the composers/performers featured in Happy and You Know It, the latest documentary from Penny Lane (Listening to Kenny G), which come out Christmas Day on HBO. It’s a worthy profession, however, no matter the challenges, for there’s nothing better than inspiring children to sing, dance, and be merry. ... >>
“American Sasquatch” Engrosses
By Matt Patti
November 25, 2025
American Sasquatch: Man, Myth, or Monster (Gabe Torres, 2025) 3 out of 5 stars Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Skunk Ape. There are many names throughout America that describe this mythical creature: a tall, hairy being that walks on two legs and is found throughout dense forests in the U.S. Whatever your local area calls it, this urban legend has been heavily featured in narrative films, documentaries, and folklore alike. ... >>
Interview with “Rebuilding” Director Max Walker-Silverman
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 19, 2025
Max Walker-Silverman’s debut feature, A Love Song, impressed with its combination of gorgeous cinematography and heartfelt performances. His follow-up, Rebuilding (which I reviewed out of the 2025 Middleburg Film Festival), showcases identical strengths in a brand-new story, set as before in the director’s native Colorado. Starring Josh O’Connor (La Chimera) as Dusty, a divorced dad whose family ranch is destroyed in a wildfire, the movie also ... >>
In “The Carpenter’s Son,” Jesus Wrestles with Divinity
By Patrick Howard
November 14, 2025
The Carpenter’s Son (Lotfy Nathan, 2025) 3½ out of 5 stars After a hundred years’ worth of depictions of Jesus Christ in film, the ones that highlight a young man contending with his human and divine selves stand out among the rest. It’s a type of story that is not without its controversy. As you can imagine, a Jesus who was more conflicted and defiant in his youth may be a hard pill to swallow for a lot of devout believers. This is a ... >>
The Unserious Genius of “Serious People”
By Hannah Tran
November 14, 2025
Serious People (Pasqual Gutierrez/Ben Mullinkosson, 2025) 4 out of 5 stars Would you rather have to set healthy work-life boundaries or create a casting call, hire a lookalike, and coach them to impersonate you at work so you don’t have a conflict with your personal life? When music video director Pasqual’s opportunity to direct the next Drake video coincides with his wife Christine’s due date, the choice is clear: he hires a security ... >>

Patrick Howard’s Top 10 Films of 2025
December 24, 2025
Where I have previously reviewed the film (in this ...>>
Adam Vaughn’s Top 10 Films of 2025
December 22, 2025
2025 was a year that continued to solidify the reign ...>>
2025 WAFCA Award Winners
December 8, 2025
The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association ...>>
5 Films to See at the 2025 Maryland Film Festival
November 4, 2025
Though traditionally held in the spring, the 2025 ...>>
5 Films to See at Middleburg 2025
October 15, 2025
The 13th iteration of the annual Middleburg Film ...>>