Matt Ruskin | Film Festival Today

Film Review: Solid “Crown Heights” Chronicles an Unjust Prison Ordeal

September 8, 2017

DOC NYC Review: “Fragments of Paradise” Comes Close to Cinematic Heaven
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 24, 2022
Fragments of Paradise (KD Davison, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Lithuanian-born Jonas Mekas (1922-2019) came to the United States in 1949. By the mid-1950s, he and his brother Adolfas had firmly established themselves in the American avant-garde film movement, starting Film Culture magazine in 1954. Mekas would go on to develop a well-earned reputation as the “godfather of underground cinema,” influencing the likes of Andy Warhol, John Waters, and ... >>
Interview with “Good Night Oppy” Director Ryan White
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 23, 2022
I reviewed director Ryan White’s newest documentary, Good Night Oppy, out of the 2022 Middleburg Film Festival. It came out in theaters on November 4 and now, today, is available through Amazon Prime. The film tells the tale of the twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity (or “Oppy”), which were meant to last 90 days upon landing on the red planet in 2004, yet made it to 2011 and 2018, respectively. White (Ask Dr. Ruth) chronicles the incredible ... >>
DOC NYC Review: Jerry Brown Disrupts in Lively “Jerry Brown: The Disrupter”
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 21, 2022
Jerry Brown: The Disrupter (Marina Zenovich, 2022) 3½ out of 4 stars. Born in 1938, Edmund G. Brown Jr. (aka “Jerry” Brown) would go on to serve as Democratic governor of California in two very different eras, the first time from 1975 to 1983 and the second from 2011 to 2019. Given the sobriquet “Governor Moonbeam” by Chicago columnist Mike Royko, Brown was a leading liberal voice at a time when America was about to move more to the right, ... >>
Series Review: “Rivals: Ohio State vs. Michigan” Breaks Down a Classic Rivalry
By Matt Patti
November 20, 2022
Rivals: Ohio State vs Michigan (Peter Karl, 2022) 3 out of 4 stars. Rivalries are commonplace in almost every aspect of life: Republicans vs. Democrats; Apple vs. Microsoft; McDonald’s vs. Burger King. These bitter rivals work hard to one-up each other and are in constant battle. Perhaps the greatest rivalries in the world, though, are sports rivalries: Yankees vs. Red Sox; Steelers vs. Ravens; Celtics vs. Lakers; Mexican Men’s Soccer vs. U.S. ... >>
Film Review: In “Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour Documentary,” Art Is Timeless
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 18, 2022
Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour Documentary (Matt Hargraves, 2022) 3 out of 4 stars. In 1973, at the age of 19, British musician Mike Oldfield released what would become a seminal progressive-rock album of that decade, entitled Tubular Bells. With his use of the opening section in his horror film The Exorcist, director William Friedkin ensured that legions of moviegoers would continue to know the music even as music fans aged and tastes ... >>

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: ...>>