Patrick Howard | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “Malcolm & Marie” Lives and Breathes Through Its Dynamic Stars

February 4, 2021

Film Review: “The Dig” Only Uncovers the Surface of a Truly Fascinating Story

January 27, 2021

Patrick Howard’s Top 10 Films of 2020

December 29, 2020

Film Review: “News of the World” Spins a Boring Yarn Despite Reliable Charm of Tom Hanks

December 13, 2020

Film Review: “The Croods: A New Age” Evolves Its Jokes Before Its Story

November 24, 2020

Film Review: “Truth Is the Only Client” Fights Conspiracy with Unwavering Evidence

November 18, 2020

Film Review: Walton Goggins Channels Absolute Mysticism and Buffoonery in “John Bronco”

October 16, 2020

Film Review: Amateur Filmmaking Drowns Redeeming Qualities of “Tar”

October 1, 2020

Series Review: Sarah Paulson Carries a Lukewarm Season 1 of “Ratched”

September 17, 2020

Film Review: “House of Cardin” Displays the Limitless Creativity of a Fashion Icon

August 27, 2020

Sundance Review: “In My Mother’s Skin” Is Bloody Real
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 26, 2023
In My Mother’s Skin (Kenneth Dagatan, 2023) 3 out of 4 stars. The year is 1945, and the Japanese still occupy the Philippines. As two children, a sister and brother, watch a soldier and Filipino collaborator enter their sumptuous home accompanied by their father, the girl tells a tale she heard of how a Japanese man speared a baby with his bayonet. There are atrocities all around, in other words, and no such thing as innocence anymore. Prepare ... >>
Sundance Review: “Little Richard: I Am Everything” Showcases the True Architect of Rock & Roll
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 25, 2023
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Lisa Cortés, 2023) 4 out of 4 stars.* Richard Wayne Penniman (1932-2020), otherwise known as Little Richard, is one of the 20th-century’s greatest musicians, yet has never yet received a documentary treatment. Thanks to director Lisa Cortés (All In: The Fight for Democracy), that error is now rectified. Her profile of the star undertakes not only to highlight his artistic achievements, but to remind us of his ... >>
Sundance Review: In “Kim’s Video,” Art and Life Are One and the Same
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
January 23, 2023
Kim’s Video (David Redmon/Ashley Sabin, 2023) 3½ out of 4 stars.* Any cinephile who lived in New York City in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s (the latter two were my era) remembers well the wonderful video-rental chain Kim’s Video. Stocked with a wide variety of options—initially on VHS, then also on DVD—Kim’s was a popular destination for those looking for what they might not find at a place like Blockbuster’s. The rise of Netflix spelled the ... >>
Series Review: “The Silence” Is a Grim but Defiant Portrait of Human Trafficking
By Heidi Shepler
January 18, 2023
The Silence (Dalibor Matanic, 2021) 3½ out of 4 stars. [Content warning: while not gratuitous, The Silence contains graphic depictions of sexual assault against teenage girls.] The Silence opens in Osijek, Croatia, where a veteran with acute PTSD rides a bicycle along a peaceful river. He’s horrified to see that the river is full of dead bodies, but then stops short and reminds himself to take a picture. He often sees horrors that aren’t there, ... >>
Film Review: “On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier” Explores Bigfoot and Beyond
By Matt Patti
January 16, 2023
On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier (Seth Breedlove, 2022) 2½ out of 4 stars. Seth Breedlove is a writer, director, and producer of several documentaries involving urban legends. He has covered subjects ranging from the Mothman to skinwalkers to the Bell Witch. Breedlove has produced and directed several films involving Bigfoot, as well, all donning the title On the Trail of Bigfoot. With On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier, Breedlove is ... >>