Ron Livingston – Spinning Platters

Film Review: “Sitting in Bars with Cake”

Sitting in Bars with Cake is a delectable slice of laughs and cries

There’s a seemingly endless amount of movies based on books, and a shorter but not insignificant number of movies based on real life cooks. What I can’t recall ever seeing is a movie that was based on a cookbook. Better late than never! Sitting in Bars with Cake, the new dramedy based on Audrey Shulman’s autobiographical book, is a well-produced tearjerker with standout performances, a film perfectly fitting of its streaming platform release.

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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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Mill Valley Film Festival Spotlights

Film fans can relish eclectic offerings at 36th MVFF

There’s something for everyone at the MVFF, which opens on Thursday.

The 36^th Mill Valley Film Festival opens this Thursday, October 3, and runs until Sunday, October 13. The Festival is featuring early views of some hotly anticipated fall films, including August: Osage County, Nebraska (opening night film), Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, among others. Here at Spinning Platters, though, we thought we’d spotlight some of the lower profile films that may not be getting as much attention. Full schedule, tickets, and more information available at: http://mvff.com

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Film Review: Drinking Buddies

When Luke met Kate: Can drunk men and women ever be just friends?

Olivia Wilde’s Kate and Jake Johnson’s Luke are drinking buddies… and maybe more.

Watching Joe Swanberg’s new film Drinking Buddies is a bit like spending a summer evening out having beers with friends. The beers are cool and tasty, the company is good, the conversation can run the gamut from light, playful, and flirty to serious and intense, and the whole experience is decidedly pleasant. Of course, when you awake the next morning, you may only have a hazy recollection of having had a nice time, and by day’s end, you probably will have forgotten much of what transpired. But that’s not to say the diversion wasn’t worth it. Continue reading “Film Review: Drinking Buddies”