Reviews
Red Rocket
By: Jolie Featherstone By beautifully capturing the stories of American communities that are rarely seen on screen, Sean Baker has the makings of a modern auteur.
Benedetta
Set in 17th century Italy, and based on real people and events, writer/director Paul Verhoeven’s latest feature, Benedetta, is the story of a nun from a wealthy family (Virginie Efira) who experiences vivid, and highly erotic, religious visions. After a pretty young novice named Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) arrives at the convent, Benedetta’s visions become more intense and attract the attention of local religious leaders – threatening the sexual and romantic relationship that is beginning to…
Titane
With all the commitment the production can offer, Titane tells a tall tale of an adult entertainer who uses her sexuality and a violent temper to hide her flaws. Still carrying the near-death trauma she experienced as a kid, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) projects her heated emotions on to new relationships (which sometimes includes her bizarre fetish for metal).
Letters to Satan Claus
By: Trevor Chartrand Goofy and upbeat, Letters to Satan Claus is a comical send-up of Hallmark holiday movies…with a slasher twist. While it’s never laugh-out-loud funny, this film has a satirical edge that makes for an effective parody of holiday movies.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (a title that sounds like misheard lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”) is specific enough to be a filmmaker’s vision. The problem is writer/director Radu Jude hasn’t found a cohesive or accessible way to deliver that vision to audiences.
House of Gucci
By: Jolie Featherstone Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci brings glitz, glam, star power, and seduction to the big screen. Decadent and grandiose, House of Gucci is chock-full of big hair, big glasses, and even bigger scandals set in the high fashion world of excess in the 1980s and 1990s.
Gaza Mon Amour
Written and directed by Dégradé filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser, Gaza Mon Amour is a sweet, subdued love story set in present-day Gaza.