Sundance 2019: Fighting with My Family

Telling the story of WWE Superstar Paige, Fighting with My Family is a comedy that manages to delight viewers regardless of whether they like wrestling. Born Saraya-Jade Bevis (Florence Pugh), she would eventually adopt the professional name of Paige.  Our story starts long before she joined the WWE.  Paige was born into a wrestling family, including both her father, Ricky (Nick Frost), and mother, Julia (Lena Heady).  Following a brief prologue, we see how she…

"Sundance 2019: Fighting with My Family"

Sundance 2019: Light from Light

The important thing to know going into Light From Light is that it is not a horror movie despite the fact that a character is a paranormal investigator. Sheila (Marin Ireland) has been having dreams since she was a child.  These dreams aren’t just any ordinary dreams as she is sometimes able to see the future.  Sheila works behind the counter at a car rental service by day while also working as a paranormal investigator. …

"Sundance 2019: Light from Light"

Sundance 2019: The Sunlit Night

The Sunlit Night frustratingly blends together two very different stories that don’t quite work together for taking place in a single feature film. Frances (Jenny Slate) could have had an excellent painter’s residency.  Unfortunately for her, she passes up the opportunity in order to travel with her boyfriend, Robert, to Japan.  Her plans soon become moot when Robert breaks up with her on vacation.  Forced back home without a choice, it becomes a comedy of…

"Sundance 2019: The Sunlit Night"

Sundance 2019: Paradise Hills

There’s no doubt that Paradise Hills has a lot of ambition with a strong feminist story it wishes to tell but manages to miss the mark somewhere along the way. The film starts with Uma (Emma Roberts) getting married to a mysterious man that we hardly know anything about.  Almost immediately as any action takes place, the film jumps straight to two months earlier.  This allows us to dive into the backstory of how we…

"Sundance 2019: Paradise Hills"

Sundance 2019: Before You Know It

Before You Know It manages to successfully blend the dysfunctional family comedy and soap opera genres together with a Jewish sensibility. Imagine living in your childhood apartment with your father, sister, and niece.  This is the situation that Rachel Gurner (Rachel Gurner)–stage manager at her family’s downstairs theatre–finds herself in.  The situation is one that isn’t so great for dating as Rachel learns rather quickly.  Together with sister Jackie (Jen Tullock) and father (Mandy Patinkin),…

"Sundance 2019: Before You Know It"

Sundance 2019: Mike Wallace Is Here

Mike Wallace Is Here profiles late CBS broadcaster Mike Wallace through archival footage while also displaying the importance of investigative journalism. “A nation’s press is a good yardstick of a nation’s health,” Mike Wallace once recited. Before the days of a gazillion cable news networks with niche programming, Wallace was the newsman who asked the hard-hitting questions.  The sad reality is that this is seemingly a bygone era.  Yet this film’s premiere at Sundance comes…

"Sundance 2019: Mike Wallace Is Here"

Sundance 2019: Brittany Runs A Marathon

Jillian Bell’s performance in the inspirational Brittany Runs A Marathon shows that the improv comedian is ready to take on the role of being a leading actress. A native of Pennsylvania, Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell) relocated to New Year but life had something else in mind for her.  When we first meet her, she’s working at a theater where she tries to liven up the joint through her sense of humor.  The only problem with this…

"Sundance 2019: Brittany Runs A Marathon"

Sundance 2019: Little Monsters

Blending comedy with zombies down under, Little Monsters offers so much fun in viewing that it is sure to become a cult classic on the midnight circuit. Following a fight with girlfriend Sara (Nadia Townsend), Dave Anderson (Alexander England) decides to move in with his sister, Tess (Kat Stewart), and her son, Felix (Diesel La Torraca).  His band hasn’t been together in some six years so all he does is just play music outside in…

"Sundance 2019: Little Monsters"

Sundance 2019: Greener Grass

Greener Grass takes us to a type of suburbs that we’ve never really seen presented on screen before but the laughs keep coming non-stop. To the outside word, this particular Midwest-inspired suburb is a strikingly weird one.  It’s almost as if everybody lives a suburb that’s not known to the outside world.  Chances are, you’ve never seen a neighborhood that behaves in this manner.  Instead of driving cars, everybody drives golf carts instead.  Every single…

"Sundance 2019: Greener Grass"

Sundance 2019: Top End Wedding

Top End Wedding is a fun and entertaining romantic comedy that takes advantage of the sights that Northern Australia has to offer. Imagine you’re engaged to get married but soon learn that your mother left your dad.  This is what happens to Lauren Ford (Miranda Tapsell).  Newly engaged to Ned Pelton (Gwilym Lee), the two of them fly to Northern Australia in order to start the process of wedding planning.  Well, the Top End of…

"Sundance 2019: Top End Wedding"