Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Bay Area movie fans who enjoy seeing their hometown on screen will get a kick out of the new Jessica Chastain movie Dreams, but everyone else may want to skip it. A soapy psychosexual thriller with more soap than thrills, the picture misses the mark on a promising idea that ultimately goes nowhere.
If the opposite of spring break, with its sun-soaked, carefree, good time connotation, is a dark, chilly, and serious midwinter break, then British director Polly Findlay’s new film more than lives up to its title. Midwinter Break is about as far removed from a happy-go-lucky youthful romp as you can get, and your enjoyment of it may depend on whether you’re in the mood for a weighty but well acted relationship drama.
If you loved Mark Ruffalo in HBO’s terrific miniseries Task, you need to go see Crime 101 immediately. I’m not sure when Crime 101 was made, but if Brett Layton, its writer/director, didn’t watch Task first, I’d be surprised. Ruffalo’s engrossing turn here as another rumpled but wise detective with a sad personal life is just one reason to see Crime 101, a highly entertaining and utterly absorbing heist thriller.
Before seeing Send Help, I had read some early buzz calling the film a cross between Castaway and Misery. After seeing it, however, I would posit that it’s actually more like Triangle of Sadness meets Office Space. Regardless of any cinematic comparisons, one thing is for certain: despite its inevitable descent into campy ridiculousness, Send Help provides some decent January escapism.
Six years after his much acclaimed sardonic zombie film The Dead Don’t Die, writer/director Jim Jarmusch is back with a low-key follow up that may only appeal to his faithful fans. Father Mother Sister Brother isn’t an extended narrative, but actually three short films in one. The triptych shares thematic and odd, amusing plot elements, but no characters. Taken as a whole, the film is an entertaining but somewhat forgettable look at the often strained relationship between family members.
Continue reading “Film Review: “Father Mother Sister Brother””
With Oscar nominations announced in just a few short weeks on January 22nd, Spinning Platters closes out the year by weighing in with our own Best Films of 2025! Check out fellow critic Chad Liffmann’s Top 20 here, and read on below for my Top 10:
Way back in March, I boldly predicted that this understated but powerful film would secure a spot on my Top 10 list. Despite the many outstanding movies that followed since then, I always remembered this well-told, empathetic story about loneliness, unexpected connections, and found family. Released early in the year, the picture seems to have been forgotten at awards time, which is unfortunate. It deserves a wide audience.
Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie’s Top 10 Films of 2025”
If you’re feeling a little sleepy this afternoon after too much Christmas cheer and need a jolt of energy, put the coffee down and instead head out to see Marty Supreme. Writer/director Josh Safdie’s newest is the cinematic equivalent of ten espresso shots and ten Red Bulls. Anchored by a tour de force performance from Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme is a whirlwind of a good time that makes its two-and-a-half hour running time seem like five minutes.
Maestro and A Star Is Born, both directed and co-written by actor Bradley Cooper, garnered multiple award nominations and wins. Cooper’s third writing/directing project, however, may not be so lucky. Is This Thing On? isn’t nearly as watchable as Cooper’s previous pictures, and proves itself the least interesting of his current filmmaking trio.
James L. Brooks, the writer and director best known for his multiple-Oscar winning and nominated pictures Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good as it Gets, returns to cinemas with his first film since 2010’s poorly reviewed How Do You Know? Unfortunately for Brooks, Ella McCay is bound to share the same fate as that forgettable flop rather than achieve the accolades of Brooks’s earlier titles.
Rental Family is the second new film in a week with an actor as its protagonist. But Phillip, a struggling, unknown American actor in Japan, couldn’t be more different than the uber-successful, movie star Jay of Jay Kelly. Despite the differences in their lead characters, however, both films deftly touch on universal themes of loneliness, connection, and empathy.