Is the fact that its subtitles are too small a legitimate reason for downvoting a film? If I had seen this film at a festival or in a test screening,… Continue reading "The Night is Dark and Colder than the Day (Friedrich, 2025)"
One belief that I have developed over twenty-some years as a film critic is that there are more talented people in the industry than there are projects able to showcase… Continue reading "Cash for Gold (Enriquez and Puette, 2024)"
Celebration (Proslava) is one of those films that one wants to grade on a curve. It has a serious topic — the rise of fascism in Croatia. It is competently… Continue reading "Celebration (Anković, 2024)"
The Waiting Game is a feel-goodish documentary about a charitable organization, the Dropping Dimes Foundation, trying to get the NBA to fund pensions for former American Basketball Association (ABA) players.… Continue reading "The Waiting Game (Husain, 2024)"
My favorite scene in Bonhoeffer (I will forgo the cumbersome subtitle for the body of this review) comes early on when Dietrich’s brother has gone to war and their mother… Continue reading "Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. (Komarnicki, 2024)"
I was moved by Fighting Spirit, a documentary about military chaplains that is conventional in its filmcraft but mostly lets its powerful content speak for itself. While the film is… Continue reading "Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey (Hull & Roberts, 2024)"
Do a word cloud of early reviews of Last Party, and the most frequently used adjective would most likely be “confusing.” There are, of course, films that are confusing by… Continue reading "Last Party (Dozol, 2024)"
Earlier this year, I wrote on social media about a documentary chronicling the life of a gay subject, and my review almost immediately received a comment (since deleted) expressing surprise… Continue reading "Chasing Chasing Amy (Rodgers, 2024)"
“Victory lies at the intersection of vulnerability and acceptance,” opines writer/director Rocky Walls. That sentiment so earnestly captures Dirty Laundry‘s themes and tone that it is tempting to accept it… Continue reading "Dirty Laundry (Walls, 2024)"
And Mrs flirts with being a great melodrama, and it flirts with being a mediocre comedy. I was rooting for it right up to the end, but when I thought… Continue reading "And Mrs (Reisinger, 2024)"
