Film Review: “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”

A spiraling mental journey into motherly affliction

Linda (Rose Byrne) can’t sleep in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.’

Can a film be simultaneously very good and also excruciatingly stressful to watch? Yes, I think so! Unpleasant viewing experiences can either be earned or unearned (read: purposeful or not on purpose). Mary Bronstein’s new film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, falls into the former category. A fraught tale delivered with sensory bombast and utilizing a powerhouse performance by Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a siren song to motherhood. Continue reading “Film Review: “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You””

Film Review: Patti Cake$

Straight outta Jersey: Portrait of an unlikely rap star makes for one of the summer’s best films    

Aspiring rapper Patti, AKA Patti Cake$, AKA Killa P (Danielle Macdonald), makes a grand entrance at the pharmacy where her friend Jheri works. 

New Jersey filmmaker Geremy Jasper got his start making music videos, so it makes sense that his first foray into feature films is a picture about an aspiring musician. With Patti Cake$, Jasper draws on both his New Jersey upbringing and his music video experience to bring us the thoroughly entertaining story of one Patricia Dombrowski. She’s Patti to her friends and family and Patti Cake$ or Killa P in her brilliantly constructed rap songs, but, either way, Patti is one of the most unique and unforgettable characters to grace the silver screen this year, and her story makes for a great way to close out the summer film season.
Continue reading “Film Review: Patti Cake$