Though at times perhaps a bit too muted to make its ideal impact with all audiences, the introspective elegance of Kogonada's ideas in After Yang are too enthralling to deny entirely, powering the picture to a stirring - if subtle - resolution, enhanced by Colin Farrell’s poignant lead performance.
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Lucy and Desi may not break any new ground for documentaries, but it fantastically fills in the blanks left behind by Aaron Sorkin’s recent biopic, Being the Ricardos, and offers a more comprehensive dissection of this dynamic duo and the ups and downs in their relationship over the years.
Read my full review on Next Best Picture!
Palm Trees and Power Lines is like watching a car crash in slow motion. We’ve seen stories like this before - a charming yet manipulative older man slyly seducing a younger woman - but rarely with such stark and unsparing direction. Lily McInerny is a revelation. Jonathan Tucker, terrifying.
Alice’s scrambled screenplay results in scattered storytelling that rushes its lead character’s progression, but Keke Palmer’s persistently persuasive performance (somewhat) steadies the ship.
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Dual presents us with a compelling sci-fi concept and has a solid start, but it sadly stumbles in the home stretch, despite the best efforts of star Karen Gillan.
Read my full review on Loud and Clear Reviews!
You Won’t Be Alone is what you get if you crossed an A24 horror title with a Terrence Malick movie. At times it can seem a little too slow - and the plot is pretty repetitive - but there’s still something mightily mesmerizing about its meditation on the meaning of life.
Nanny is a dark deconstruction of the “American Dream,” with Anna Diop giving a gripping performance that’s one of the best of the fest. The integration of the horror elements is iffy at times, and the end feels fast, but Diop anchors the entire affair in authenticity.
Babysitter was a major misfire for me. It raises a lot of questions about misogyny, male privilege, and the media, but it has little significant to say about any of these issues, and its commentary is clouded by obnoxious overdirection, overly absurdist acting, and erratic editing.
Am I Ok? is a little too low-stakes - and feels longer than it actually is - but despite the familiar formula, it works quite well as a love letter to those who come of age later in life, benefiting from the brilliant chemistry between Sonoya Mizuno and Dakota Johnson (who is quickly becoming the queen of Sundance 2022).
Lucy and Desi is a sensationally sweet - if slightly surface-level - look at the rise of this iconic comedy couple and all the ups and downs in their relationship over the years. It doesn’t break new ground for documentaries, but it does right by their legacy and reminds you of their incredible impact. A perfect companion piece to Being the Ricardos.
Watcher doesn’t add anything new to the “stalker” subgenre, but it’s still a terrifically taut thriller in its own right with a sustained sense of suspense throughout. Burn Gorman is great as the terrifying titular “watcher,” and PLEASE PUT MAIKA MONROE IN MORE MOVIES.