2023
About My Father
By: Danyal Somani In the semi-autobiographical comedy About My Father, co-writer/actor Sebastian Maniscalco portrays a fictionalized version of himself trying to win over his girlfriend’s family in hopes of proposing to her during a Fourth Of July trip. However, when his traditional father Salvo (Robert De Niro) tags along, challenges arise (including class clashes, more eccentric family members, and some interesting pets) making Sebastian’s mission more difficult.
Insanity
I was having trouble figuring out how to review Insanity because it’s such a personal project. It’s less of a conventional documentary and more of an outlet for filmmaker Wendy Hill-Tout (Marlene) and her family to decompress and reflect on James Bruce Hill-Tout, Wendy’s missing and homeless Schizophrenic brother.
The Mother
As I reflect on Netflix’s mediocre actioner The Mother, Jennifer Lopez’s career keeps clouding my thoughts.
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
By: Danyal Somani For her latest assignment, documentary filmmaker Zoe (Lily James) wants to chronicle her childhood friend Kazim (Shazad Latif) and the journey towards his arranged marriage, having Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do with It? explore whether one can actually fall in love through this type of matchmaking rather than a traditional Western “love-marriage”.
BlackBerry
Using his previous film, the embellished period thriller Operation Avalanche, as a stepping stone towards his latest feature, Canadian renegade Matt Johnson takes another crack at the biopic genre with BlackBerry. Director Johnson (co-writing with frequent collaborator/producer Matthew Miller) chronicles the rise and fall of the titular game-changing portable device that allowed users online access and exclusive text-based communication.
Book Club: The Next Chapter
By: Danyal Somani Book Club: The Next Chapter follows the friends from its predecessor: Vivian (Jane Fonda), Carol (Mary Steenburgen), Diane (Diane Keaton), and Sharon (Candice Bergen). In this next instalment, they travel to Italy for Vivian’s bachelorette party. However, with the sudden inclusion of an old flame (Vincent Ricotta) and a persistent police chief (Giancarlo Giannini), the trip doesn’t go according to plan.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Lisa Cortés’ Little Richard: I Am Everything is a perfect documentary for people with an interest in the legendary musician. It’s a thorough breakdown that guides unfamiliar movie goers (like myself) through Little Richard’s life and career, and it sports plenty of exciting concert footage and entertaining interviews that would make any loyal fan giddy.
