Cooper Raiff follows up his SXSW award-winning Shithouse with Cha Cha Real Smooth, a film set on the Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit. (If you are searching on Google to see if either Cooper Raiff or Dakota Johnson are Jewish, the answer is no. That’s just another frustration with the film). My worst fear going into this film was that Dakota Johnson would be the latest non-Jewish actress starring as a Jewish woman. This turns…
"Cha Cha Real Smooth – Sundance 2022"
Alice is inspired by true accounts and has Quentin Tarantino-esque vibes once it gets into the Blaxploitation part of the film. I needed to sleep on this one. It’s been over twelve hours since pressing play and I’m still not sure what to think. When it comes to Sundance premieres that touch on slavery, Descendant is the better of the two offerings. The gist of the film is that Alice (Keke Palmer) is an enslaved…
"Alice – Sundance 2022"
To learn about U.S. history means to learn about the history behind The Clotilda, the last known and illegal slave ship, in Descendant. I’m going to be 100% honest here. I’m a student of U.S. history but I had never learned about The Clotilda when I was growing up. If a number of Republican politicians get their way, nobody will. There’s this segment of the American population that doesn’t want people to learn about America’s…
"Descendant – Sundance 2022"
Amy Poehler explores Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s legacy in the new documentary, Lucy and Desi, premiering at Sundance. Sundance audiences will get to watch the film before Amazon Studios releases on Prime Video in March. This film was one of my high priority films going into the festival simply because it’s about sitcom pioneers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Well, this and the fact that Amy Poehler directs it. I’ve seen her narrative features…
"Lucy and Desi – Sundance 2022"
Framing Agnes is a unique introduction to transgender history as the film brings Harold Garfinkel’s gender health research to the screen. The feature film expands on the short by bringing on additional cast members. To say that the film is unique would not be an understatement. They utilize Garfinkel’s UCLA transcripts by presenting it in a form of a talk show. Meanwhile, the documentary takes us behind the scenes by talking with the cast members…
"Framing Agnes – Sundance 2022"
Fire of Love celebrates the love story between volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft through the archival footage they left behind. I’ve been on a natural disaster thriller kick of late so it’s only natural that I end my first day of Sundance with this unique love story. What a beauty it is! I mean, sure, it’s a sad ending with their deaths coming at the hands of a volcanic explosion at Japan’s Mount Unzen in…
"Fire of Love – Sundance 2022"
Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg makes his directorial debut at Sundance with the A24 film, When You Finish Saving the World. Evelyn Katz (Julianne Moore) runs a shelter for domestic abuse survivors. But when it comes to her home life, she struggles when it comes to finding a connection with her son, Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard). She only realizes this when a new family comes to her shelter: Angie (Eleonore Hendricks) and son, Kyle (Billy Bryk). Evelyn…
"When You Finish Saving the World – Sundance 2022"
Culture Beat is a doc-style prank show that marks Andre Hyland’s fourth time appearing as a filmmaker at the Sundance Film Festival. Cory Palmer (Andre Hyland) is our guide through everything pop culture. In this first episode, he seeks to find out the answer to the question, “What is art?” Hyland also portrays cyclist Phil Gower in the second bit before we get back to the main Culture Beat on art. Following this, Palmer returns with…
"Culture Beat – Sundance 2022"
Nearly a month after taking home a Solzy Award for The Other Morgan, filmmaker Alison Rich premieres Training Wheels at Sundance. Her sophomore short is a 15-minute comedy about a socially inept woman, Enid Yarmis (Alison Rich), renting a man, Ricky Mountain (George Basil), in order to prepare for another man, John. Hence, the film’s title! But anyway, that’s the gist of the film in a nutshell. Even though the website allows for discreet dating, Enid…
"Training Wheels – Sundance 2022"
HBO Max announced the list of films, series, and specials that are coming and leaving the streaming service during February 2022. February brings a diverse array of storytelling for all fans including new original content, as well as a spectacular line-up of highly anticipated unscripted series, international sci-fi thrillers, animation cult classics and more. Ready to take date night to the next level? “About Last Night” (2/10), a new game show series produced and hosted by Ayesha and…
"HBO Max: Coming and Leaving in February 2022"