Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary about Fred Rogers and viewers should be expected to be wildly emotional by the time the film ends. In 1967, Fred Rogers was quoted on camera as saying one of his jobs was “to help children through the difficult modulations in life.” Oh, did he ever. It’s from here that Morgan Neville’s brilliant documentary goes straight into the theme song of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This is where…
"Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – A Look at Fred Rogers"Tag: Sundance Film Festival
American Animals uses a narrative/documentary hybrid approach in telling the absurd but true story of the Transylvania University library heist. Flashback to the fall of 2003 if you will. Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) is touring the Special Collections archive at the Transylvania University library. The freshman finds himself intrigued and fascinated by the artwork of John James Audubon. Admiring the artwork, Spencer starts to get these absurd idea to steal the rare collection. He manages to…
"American Animals: A Crazy True-Crime Story"
In Hearts Beat Loud, director Brett Haley has managed to do it again. This time, Haley, who pens the script with Marc Basch, goes musical and offers up a touching story about a father and daughter starring Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons. Hearts Beat Loud may just be Haley’s best film ever–a musical masterpiece. There’s something about a Haley film that takes a side player from a previous film and they end up delivering one of their…
"Hearts Beat Loud: A Musical Masterpiece"
A Kid Like Jake is a film that ought to add to the conversation about gender identity among young children. The roots of A Kid Like Jake in the theater become very clear in the final act through the performances of Claire Danes and Jim Parsons. Through Silas Howard’s direction and the camera framing of cinematographer Steven Capitano Calitri, the performances come off as theatrical rather than cinematic. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. While…
"A Kid Like Jake explores Gender Identity"
While The Tale is a film that certainly would benefit from a theatrical release, it’s best viewed at home because of all the screaming at the screen. This is, in part, due to the events that transpire on screen during the 1970s. The question at hand while viewing the film, which runs shy of two hours, is whether or not it qualifies as a Me, Too film. Writer/director Jennifer Fox, a documentary filmmaker, uses a…
"The Tale: Laura Dern Deserves All The Awards"
PBS Distribution has released the first trailer for Dark Money. The film, directed by transgender director Kimberly Reed, first premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. During the 2018 Montclair Film Festival, the thrilling political documentary took home the David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking. Synopsis: DARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. The film…
"Trailer: Dark Money"
Starring Kelly Macdonald, Marc Turtletaub’s Puzzle is a character study that plays like a period drama. This would especially be the case if it were not for the use of smartphones. Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) is in her early 40s. She’s not a woman who tends to leave her community. Once Agnes gets a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift, it’s as if her entire world has changed. She’s not just good at it but she soon…
"CCFF 2018: Puzzle"
Eighth Grade, the closing night selection of the 2018 Chicago Critics Film Festival, is a film that perfectly captures the spirit and awkwardness of being a student in the final year of middle school. Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) may be close to starting high school but before doing so, she must survive the end of eighth grade. It’s not easy for the smartphone-obsessed teenager. Even though she has a YouTube channel where she offers advice…
"CCFF 2018: Eighth Grade" American Animals takes an interesting approach to storytelling with a narrative/documentary hybrid in telling the absurd but true story of the Transylvania University library heist. Flashback to the fall of 2003 when Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) is touring the Special Collections archive at the Transylvania University library. Fascinated by the artwork of John James Audubon, Spencer starts to get these absurd idea to steal the rare collection. He does so with the help of his…
"CCFF 2018: American Animals" A Kid Like Jake is a film that ought to add to the conversation about gender identity among young children. The roots of A Kid Like Jake as a play becomes clear in the final act of the film through the performances of Claire Danes and Jim Parsons in particular. Through Silas Howard’s direction and the camera framing of cinematographer Steven Capitano Calitri, the performances come off as theatrical rather than cinematic. Danes and Parsons…
"CCFF 2018: A Kid Like Jake"