Carrie Kahn – Spinning Platters

Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #3

It’s finally here! The 69th SFFILM Festival starts TOMORROW, Friday, April 24th! Running through Monday, May 4th, this year’s Fest features over 100 films from more than 40 countries. The SFFILM Festival FAQ website will quickly answer all your questions about programs, tickets, and venues. And be sure to review our two previous preview posts (#2 and #1) for more Spinning Platters-approved Festival highlights!

Below we highlight an additional two documentaries and two features that are worth a look. See you at the Fest!

1.) WHO MOVES AMERICA
(USA, 2026. 87 min.)

A real-life drama about the power of unions in the vein of Norma Rae and Pride, this inspiring documentary will leave you cheering. Focusing on the 340,000 UPS Teamster members and their 2023 contract negotiations and potential strike, documentarian Yael Bridges crafts a portrait of union struggle and solidarity that is as thoughtful as it is rousing. Bridges turns her camera on local chapters in New York, southern California, Kentucky, and New Jersey, and the stories of the workers profiled are insightful and engrossing. UPS doesn’t come off well, and its executives can’t be happy about this film. But that just makes this truth-to-power story all the more affecting. Union yes! .

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Mon., Apr 27th, 6:15 pm PT @ Marina Theatre
– Mon., Apr 27th, 8:45 pm PT @ Marina Theatre
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Film Review: “The Drama”

Zendaya and Pattinson create worthy Drama

Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) have an eye-opening conversation with friends.

This review will be shorter than usual, because writing about The Drama without giving any spoilers is nearly impossible. There is so much to say about this provocative and highly original film, but the less you know going into it, the more you’ll be able to enjoy its surprises. Suffice to say that I’ve already short-listed the movie for my 2026 Top 10. If you love unexpected, immensely creative, and thought-provoking films, you owe it to yourself to see The Drama.

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Film Review: “Tow”

Byrne shines in maddening story of bureaucracy gone wrong

Tow company employee Cliff (Simon Rex) speaks with the stubborn Amanda (Rose Byrne).

Rose Byrne may have lost the Best Actress Oscar race last Sunday, but I’m guessing she’ll have another chance a year from now. She delivers a similarly fierce and exceptional performance in Tow, and the movie itself is already shortlisted for my 2026 Top Ten.

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Film Feature: Carrie and Chad Pick the 2026 Oscars

Film critics Carrie and Chad on who will – and who should – win the 98th Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards air tomorrow, Sunday, March 15th, live on ABC and Hulu at 4:00 pm PST, with comedian Conan O’Brien returning to host for the second year in a row. As always, our Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chad Liffmann make their major category predictions in the hopes of Oscar pool glory. Try your own luck here, and may the best film fan win!

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Film Review: “Undertone”

Clever premise can’t save underwhelming Undertone

Evy (Nina Kiri) hears strange sounds as she records her podcast.

Undertone, the first feature film from Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason, first made a splash after it won the top prize in the the Best Canadian Feature competition at the Fantasia International Film Festival last year. The indie film’s success at the horror/fantasy showcase earned it a spot in the always intriguing Midnight section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A24, the studio responsible for such acclaimed horror fare as Hereditary, Midsommar, and The Witch snapped up the picture, and it’s now in wide release. Unfortunately, A24 may have made a bad bet, as a few festival accolades do not always bestow instant prestige horror film status. While Undertone delivers a few legit creepy thrills, they’re not enough to make up for the picture’s overall inert tone.

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Film Review: “The Bride!”

This monster mash is no cinematic smash

Frank (Christian Bale) and his bride Ida (Jessie Buckley) consider their next move.

The fact that Oscar voting closed on March 5th should work out well for actress Jessie Buckley, who is considered a Best Actress lock for her stellar turn in Hamnet. Her newest film, The Bride!, opened the next day. Had voters watched it before casting their ballots her way, they may have thought twice. Buckley is a terrific actress, but watching The Bride! you get the sense she needed to decompress from Hamnet’s emotionally taxing, heavy material. The Buckley we see in The Bride! is looser, ferocious, and over the top in a style more annoying than fun.

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Film Review: “Dreams”

SF-set melodrama is more snooze than sizzle

Fernando (Isaac Hernández) and Jennifer (Jessica Chastain) share an erotic bond.

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.

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Film Review: “Midwinter Break”

A holiday break, or a marriage break? Manville, Hinds, reason to see heavy marriage drama

Irish couple Gerry (Ciarán Hinds) and Stella (Lesley Manville) are on holiday in Amsterdam.

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.

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Film Review: “Crime 101”

Terrific cast anchors engaging contemporary LA noir

Detective Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo) ponders a case.

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.

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Film Review: “Send Help”

Outwit, outplay, outlast: McAdams finds the fun in ultimate work revenge picture

Arrogant boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) and his employee Linda (Rachel McAdams) are the only survivors of a plane crash.

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.

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