Category: Films

Film Review: “Talk to Me”

Old school filmmaking leads Talk to Me to chilling results

When it comes to the horror genre, A24 has excelled in its decade long output. The studio has championed unknown filmmakers and launched mind-bending, risk-taking titles into the pantheon of the genre’s greatest entries, like Ari Aster’s Hereditary and Midsommar, Ti West’s X and Pearl. Once again, A24 has backed a feature film debut with Talk to Me, an old school horror film directed by Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. Filled with practical effects and a quietly pervading sense of dread, Talk to Me is a chilling throwback horror flick that also serves as a calling card for a handful of fresh talent.

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Film Review: “Oppenheimer”

Physics, war, and the father of the atomic bomb: Nolan’s biopic captivates

General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon, l.) confers with Manhattan Project scientific director J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy).

Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man, Greek mythology tells us, and for that he was punished for all eternity. While physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s fate wasn’t quite as brutal, it proves nearly as tragic, as we see in Oppenheimer, writer/director Christopher Nolan’s epic new film about the father of the atomic bomb. 

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Film Review: “Barbie”

Gerwig delivers with a playful and clever Barbie movie

Margot Robbie is Barbie.

First, here’s a bit of context and factoids for your next trivia night: Barbie (the doll) was created by Ruth Handler and manufactured by the toy company Mattel, Inc. in 1959. A live-action Barbie movie had been rumored and tossed around in studio purgatory for many years before landing in the hands of Warner Bros. and director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird; Little Women). There are over forty previously released Barbie movies, most if not all straight-to-video and all animated, but Gerwig’s vision was bound to be different. With each new set photograph, marketing ad, and interview released, anticipation grew to a fever pitch. Now it’s finally arrived: Barbie the live action blockbuster summer movie! And it’s as playful as a child could want and as incisive as everyone older yearned for. 

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Film Feature: Preview of the 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival

The 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (the world’s longest running Jewish film festival) will take place July 20 – Aug 6, 2023, with screenings at theaters in San Francisco and Oakland. The festival will showcase 67 films from 18 countries, all touching upon the complexities of Jewish life, history, and culture. 

For a full view of special awards and opening and closing night events, check out the complete festival film guide. Tickets can be purchased  here. 

Below is a preview of the festival, featuring brief looks at six films: Continue reading “Film Feature: Preview of the 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival”

Film Review: “Joy Ride”

Joy Ride is the funniest summer movie in years

Stephanie Hsu as Kat, Sabrina Wu as Deadeye, Ashley Park as Audrey, and Sherry Cola as Lolo in Joy Ride. Photo Credit: Ed Araquel

Sex comedies are officially back! Maybe they never completely left, but the sub-genre felt as if it were suffering, scarce, or diverted to streamers as limited series. Over the last decade, only a few exceptions like Girls Trip (2017) and Blockers (2018) broke through and made a splash. Now, hot on the heels of the R-rated sex comedy No Hard Feelings doing impressive business at the box office, Joy Ride hits theaters. Joy Ride is the feature directorial debut from Adele Lim (co-screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians) and comedy producing super duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End; Neighbors). It’s a raunchy road trip movie that doesn’t shy away from explicit content – so let’s be perfectly clear: it’s super dirty, and f*cking hilarious!

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Film Review: “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

Dead Reckoning keeps the franchise flying high!

Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Although repetitive, this formula has been successfully carrying the Mission: Impossible franchise forward. It’s now on its seventh film, Dead Reckoning – Part One. The newest film showcases, once again, the finest action stunt work choreography in the film industry. Although the franchise continues to steer away from the intricate spy work that the original television series and first few films featured, there’s no denying that with Tom Cruise on screen and Christopher McQuarrie in the director’s chair, a thrilling cinematic experience is guaranteed.

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Film Review: “No Hard Feelings”

Limp sex comedy offers few laughs

Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) share a moment together.

Actress and producer Jennifer Lawrence’s new film No Hard Feelings is being promoted as a sex comedy. The big problem, though, is that the picture features almost no sex and even less comedy. The film was directed by Gene Stupnitsky (Dirty Grandpa; Good Boys), who co-wrote the screenplay with fellow comedy writer John Phillips. They both were nominated for a Worst Screenplay Razzie in 2017 for their Dirty Grandpa script, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they receive similar honors for this lackluster comedic attempt.

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Film Review: “Asteroid City”

Wes Anderson’s latest is a multi-layered delight

I’d like to kick off this review with a question: what makes a Wes Anderson film the “most” Wes Anderson? Perhaps, objectively speaking, any Wes Anderson film, upon its release, is the “most” Wes Anderson, since that’s the project he’s put his latest ideas, artistry, and effort into. The unfairly subjective angle of this ranking, however, would require prioritizing Wes Anderson’s trademarks: the color palette, the quirkiness, the unique characters, and the cast size. Asteroid City, Anderson’s eleventh feature film as director, is, without a doubt, the “most”…. nah, I’m just kidding. Asteroid City represents a maturation in many respects, utilizing a multi-layered framing device to tell an oddball story about artistry, but with an emotional underbelly.

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Film Review: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”

A bounding thrill ride caps off the iconic hero’s adventures in pure escapist fashion

Let’s first recall that Indiana Jones films were inspired by campy serials and pulp novels of the 1930s and 1940s, thus an unperturbed sense of adventure and eagerness for escapism has always been key to enjoying each film. Regarding suspension of belief, every viewer’s tolerance may vary, perhaps hitting a ceiling somewhere between powerful holy relics and extraterrestrials. That being said, the enjoyment of any given Indy film is not all on the viewer’s shoulders. An Indiana Jones film needs to be filled with adventure, introduce us to exotic locales and archeological lore, and look good while doing so. Of course, it also needs the willing participation of Harrison Ford. The first three films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade have all these ingredients and are universally considered iconic examples of the action-adventure genre (even if Doom remains polarizing). The fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, featured a sixty-five-year old Ford, underdeveloped side characters, and a plot that aggressively pushed the boundary between escapism and ridiculousness, with mostly cringeworthy results. But even Crystal Skull has its defenders. Not here. Not today. With a great sigh of relief, then, I’m happy to report that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth and final Indiana Jones film, manages to deliver a thrilling adventure and an emotional send off, even as it doubles down on its own outlandishness. 

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Film Review: “The Flash”

The Flash crumbles under the weight of its own tonal multiverse

Disclaimer: The arrests, allegations, and controversies surrounding Ezra Miller can’t be ignored. Many other actors, especially women and POC, have been punished for much less, their completed and upcoming work stripped away. My one sentence regarding Miller in The Flash is this: Their shtick is irritating in large quantities, having previously served in the DC Universe (DCU) as a quippy supporting character, and the film would be more successful (for many reasons) with a better leading actor. The rest of my review will ignore Miller, focusing instead on the merits and demerits of the film as a whole.

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