Zoe Chao | Film Festival Today

Film Review: “Downhill” Aims High and Soars

February 13, 2020

Film Review: “The Walrus and the Whistleblower” Sheds Light on the Deadly and Tragic Animal Abuse at Marineland
By Adam Vaughn
November 24, 2020
The Walrus and the Whistleblower (Nathalie Bibeau, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. A major topic of our time is that of animal abuse and neglect that various marine-life-based attractions engage in. Major attractions such as SeaWorld have been under scrutiny for their treatment of animals in captivity, and regardless of the stance people take on the matter, the events and accusations brought to light spark specific, emotional responses, particularly ... >>
Film Review: In “The Test and the Art of Thinking,” We Get What We Designed
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 19, 2020
The Test and the Art of Thinking (Michael Arlen Davis, 2018) 3 out of 4 stars. First given to aspiring college students in 1926, the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), adapted from an army IQ test, was adopted by Harvard University president James Bryant Conant in 1933 as a way to even the playing field for applicants, given that it ostensibly assessed intelligence, rather than education. From Harvard, the use of the SAT spread ... >>
Film Review: In “Crazy Not Insane,” Knowledge Is Power
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 18, 2020
Crazy Not Insane (Alex Gibney, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. What causes homicidal tendencies? Are those who commit murder crazy or sane? These are just some of the questions that have obsessed clinical psychologist Dorothy Otnow Lewis throughout her life and career, studying what makes the fragile human psyche tick and what makes it break. In his latest documentary, Crazy Not Insane, hard-working director Alex Gibney (Citizen K) strays from his ... >>
Film Review: In Inspiring “I Am Greta,” the Child Shall Lead
By Christopher Llewellyn Reed
November 13, 2020
I Am Greta (Nathan Grossman, 2020) 4 out of 4 stars. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, born in Stockholm in 2003 and standing all of 4’11”, does not, at first glance, resemble the force of nature she has become in this world. With her round cheeks still encased in vestiges of baby fat and her hair in pigtails, she appears very much the teenage girl she is, if even that, though the steely glint in her eye somewhat gives the game away. “I ... >>
DOC NYC Film Review: Delving into the World of Artificial Intelligence, “Origin of the Species” Is Both Insightful and Artistically Poignant
By Adam Vaughn
November 10, 2020
Origin of the Species (Abigail Child, 2020) 3 out of 4 stars. As we progress further and further into a technological age, films such as Origin of the Species become an excellent source for the viewer to keep up with exactly how groundbreaking and phenomenal our new inventions and discoveries are, and the direction that they continue to move towards. As an avid science-fiction viewer, I am amazed to see the full reality of what science has ... >>

Film Review: In “Hillbilly Elegy,” Everyone Suffers
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: Coming in Hot for the Holidays, “Fatman” is a Film That’s All Naughty but Not Much Nice
In >> Adam Vaughn, Breaking, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: “Belushi” Offers Comprehensive Portrait of a Complicated Comic Titan
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight
Film Review: Fine Brushwork Can’t Hide the Forgery in “The Last Vermeer”
In >> Breaking, Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Film Reviews, Spotlight

Film Review: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”
October 24, 2020
It’s Baron Cohen’s commitment to the character and no wink to the audience that still captivates. ...>>
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. ...>>