Category: Films

Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #1

The 69th SFFILM Festival is days away, April 24 – May 4, featuring over one hundred films from more than forty countries. Please visit the SFFILM Festival website for more information about the exciting program, how to purchase tickets, and a calendar of special events and presentations.

In the meantime, here’s a preview of the festival, highlighting four films: Rose of Nevada, The Fall of Sir Douglas Weatherford, The Queen and the Smokehouse, and Cookie Queens.

1.) ROSE OF NEVADA
(UK, 2025. 114 min.)

Rose of Nevada’s writer/director/cinematographer/editor/composer Mark Jenkin (Bait) has delivered a visceral cinematic allegory. George MacKay (1917) and Callum Turner (Eternity) star as young men in the British seaside village of Cornwall who agree to serve as fishermen on an empty vessel that has reappeared after being lost at sea for thirty years. After hauling in a successful catch, they return to a Cornwall that has changed in very strange ways. Utilizing 16 mm film for a vivid, old photographic feel, and with a focus on textural detail, from peeling paint on a door to slimy barnacles on a boat’s hull, Rose of Nevada evokes a unique sensory experience that takes the audience deep into the narrative’s mysteries.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sun., May 3rd, 8:30 pm PT @ Marina Theatre

Continue reading “Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #1”

Film Review: “Exit 8”

Exit 8 is equally mind-bending and frustrating

A anomalous (?) man smiles in the infinite passageway in ‘Exit 8.’

Based on an indie Japanese video game, Exit 8 finds its protagonist, a young man (Kazunari Ninomiya), on his way to a temporary job, only to get caught in a neverending loop of subway station hallways. The only clue the entrapped man (and the audience) has to what’s going on is through an information sign that warns to look for anomalies, and if one is spotted, to turn back immediately. Successfully spotting the anomalies, which can vary from a small change in a poster design to a horrific creature popping through ceiling vents, enables the protagonist to get to the “next level” (i.e., the next exit), which are numbered from 0 to 8. As a concept, this psychological setup is a great opportunity for sight gags, mind-bending conundrums, and visceral thrills. Unfortunately, Exit 8 tries too hard to be super serious and sincere amid its repetitiveness, to the extent that audiences will be begging for a tonal or structural shift (but maybe that’s the point?). Continue reading “Film Review: “Exit 8””

Film Review: “Hamlet”

Hamlet showcases Ahmed’s way with ‘Words, words, words’

Hamlet (Riz Ahmed) broods in the nighttime glow in ‘Hamlet.’

Set in modern day London amid a wealthy South Asian family, Hamlet is the latest cinematic adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. Clearly filmed on a modest budget, yet using dialogue directly pulled from Shakespeare’s text, Hamlet will be embraced by thespians and fans of the Bard, but generally dismissed by casual moviegoers looking for something more grandiose.  Continue reading “Film Review: “Hamlet””

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. 

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Drama””

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.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Tow””

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!

Continue reading “Film Feature: Carrie and Chad Pick the 2026 Oscars”

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.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Undertone””

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. 

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Bride!””

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.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Dreams””

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. 

Continue reading “Film Review: “Midwinter Break””