Tribeca 2018: Egg

Marianna Palka’s newest feature, Egg, offers up satirical view on parenting and some great performances to go along with it. Risa Mickenberg’s screenplay has of commentary to offer when it comes to parenting and the decisions that come with it.  Mickenberg hit a home run on her first produced screenplay.  The fact that it says so much about the subject with so few cast members is impressive.  On the one hand, there is Tina (Alysia…

"Tribeca 2018: Egg"

Tribeca 2018: All About Nina

All About Nina is a highly personal film grounded in the world of stand-up comedy that delves into Me, Too territory. Nina Geld (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a rising comedian in New York City and she’s crassier than Sarah Silverman.  Listen, stand-up comedy is no doubt dominated by men and Nina has worked her butt off to get to where she is today.  Her sets come through with raw talent and emotion.  On the other…

"Tribeca 2018: All About Nina"

Tribeca 2018: Song of Back and Neck

Song of Back and Neck, the feature debut for Paul Lieberstein, tackles both romance and pain. Fred Trolleycar (Paul Lieberstein) has somehow managed to be cursed with the worst combination of back and neck pain of all time.  It’s what Dr. Street (Paul Feig) describes as “the trifecta of back and neck pain.”  It’s so bad that the paralegal is able to get ready for work by crawling on the floor.  Fred is a 25-year…

"Tribeca 2018: Song of Back and Neck"

Tribeca 2018: Howard – A Nostalgic Documentary

Howard is a long-overdue documentary that tells the story of the late songwriter/composer Howard Ashman, who passed away as a result of AIDS in March 1991. To those who grew up in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ashman’s music played a large role in our cinematic upbringing.  Ashman and Alan Menken teamed up for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.  Make no mistake about it, these films simply would not be…

"Tribeca 2018: Howard – A Nostalgic Documentary"

Tribeca 2018: Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley doesn’t focus on Frankenstein until the final half hour but the headliner is preceded by a lifeless under-card that’s not even worthy of pay-per-view. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (Elle Fanning) was the woman who would go on to pen the famous Frankenstein novel.  Before getting there, the future author had a relationship with romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Booth).  Their relationship was not one in which their family endorsed, which explains why the…

"Tribeca 2018: Mary Shelley"

Tribeca 2018: The Party’s Just Beginning

Paying tribute to her hometown, The Party’s Just Beginning marks the feature debut for actress Karen Gillan. From her previous works, we already knew that Karen Gillan was a talented actor.  What the The Party’s Just Beginning does is put her on the map as a rising talent to watch as both a director and screenwriter.  Gillan uses the suicide rates in the Highlands of Scotland in which she bases the narrative.  Luisadh (Gillan) is still…

"Tribeca 2018: The Party’s Just Beginning"

Tribeca 2018: State Like Sleep

Led by Katherine Waterston and Michael Shannon’s performances, writer-director Meredith Danluck takes a fascinating approach to grieving by way of State Like Sleep. Katherine Grand (Katherine Waterston) had relocated to the US following the death of her husband, Stefan Delvoe (Michiel Huisman).  One year after the tragedy, Katherine learns that her mother suffered from a stroke.  She flies to Brussels in order to visit her in the hospital.  Because of all that had happened, Katherine…

"Tribeca 2018: State Like Sleep"

Tribeca 2018: Duck Butter

Taking place over the course of 24 hours, the relationship-driven Duck Butter may be a lesbian-themed film but there’s so much more to the film than just that alone. Before the film gets into the thick of the action, it’s learned early on that Naima (Alia Shawkat) is an actress currently working in a Duplass Brothers film with the likes of Jake (Kumail Nanjiani) and Kate (Lindsay Burdge).  Because the film takes place over the…

"Tribeca 2018: Duck Butter"

Tribeca 2018: Bathtubs Over Broadway

Bathtubs Over Broadway offers some fascinating insight into the crazy world that is industrial musicals. Steve Young, not to be confused with the football quarterback, used to work for David Letterman as a comedy writer on Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Show with David Letterman.  As Letterman describes him, Young is “the last vestige of the heyday of the talk show television writers.”  Working on a comedy show means that the comedy…

"Tribeca 2018: Bathtubs Over Broadway"

Tribeca 2018: Little Woods

Tessa Thompson and Lily James go above and beyond as a pair of sisters in Nia DaCosta’s feature debut, Little Woods. We’re introduced to Ollie (Tessa Thompson), a woman struggling in Little Woods, North Dakota.  It’s a small town with so many people suffering due to the economy.  Ollie is looking to escape the city and move where she can make a better life for herself.  Gone are the days where Ollie would take prescription…

"Tribeca 2018: Little Woods"