The dedication writer/director Aki Kaurismäki has for the art of deadpan is nothing short of impressive, and he successfully conveys just how well he understands the form of communication with Fallen Leaves. The issue is Kaurismäki’s movie peaks too early, staying loyal to its consistency but also refusing to evolve from its core strength.
She Came to Me has the feel of a 2000s-era quirky indie without feeling like a pandering throwback. The characters are eccentric weirdos, the filmmaking is aware of its cleverness, the situational comedy is purposely absurd but meaningful, and it’s all in the name of romance.
What’s Love Got to Do with It? is one half My Big Fat Greek Wedding and one half…any other romantic comedy you can think of. This tame rom-com is as conventional as they come, which can sometimes be forgiven if the formula is executed with wit. Unfortunately, not only is the filmmaking watered-down but it smothers its own potential.
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”.
Showing little regard for the intelligence of its audience, One True Loves stretches the suspension of disbelief until its final fray.
In Stars Fell Again, the extra-cheesy follow-up to 2021’s decidedly unfunny Stars Fell on Alabama from returning director V.W. Scheich, suffers from many of the same flaws as its predecessor — weak characterization, poor pacing, and a lead couple that’s about as interesting as a stack of wet cardboard.
I wish I had a movie like Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls as a kid in elementary school. Aside from its terrific LGBTQ-friendly presence, it sports such self-confidence and reassurance in its characters; all wholesomely written and directed by Julianna Notten making her feature-length debut as a filmmaker. Making as big of a splash is Elliot Stocking, who plays the titular Erin. Stocking, in a breakout acting debut, hits a sweet spot with their co-stars…
The marketing campaign for Bros was based around its groundbreaking elements, reminding viewers that the LGBTQ+ cast on screen were out and proud and that everyone involved was working on telling an honest romance from the queer perspective. It’s also, reportedly, the first widely released rom-com of its ilk. That’s great and I’m elated for the production but, at the end of the day, what’s the word on the movie itself?
By: Jeff Ching When I first saw the trailer for Ticket to Paradise, opening with that scene of George Clooney and Julia Roberts as two divorcees who don’t want to sit beside each other on the plane, I wondered whether this was some kind of spin-off of Oceans 11. How interesting of an idea for these characters to get their own movie; an aftermath of what happened to their relationship after that big heist…or multiple heists….
Despite The Nudels of Nudeland being one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen, it did expose me (pun intended) to naturist filmmaking. That’s right, naturist filmmaking. That translates to a movie performed by actors who are entirely in the buff, embracing nudism and using it to tell a story as well as to enlighten viewers on this chosen lifestyle. Distracting? Sure. A bit awkward? You betcha. Heavy-handed in its persuasion that it teeters on…