Cassandro
In this biopic, Gael Garcia Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También, The Motorcycle Diaries) portrays Saúl Armendáriz, an American-born Mexican luchador. Born in 1970 in El Paso, Texas, Saúl began his career in the flamboyant sport of professional wrestling known as lucha libre. Just across the border in Juárez, he performs as a character named El […]
A Million Miles Away
Flamin’ Hot recounts the tale of American businessman Richard Montañez. Cassandro concerns a flamboyant professional wrestler. The soon-to-be-released Radical is about schoolteacher Sergio Juárez Correa. We’ve seen a plethora of true stories lately about Latino men—specifically, of Mexican descent—a perfect introduction to the latest release on Amazon Prime. A Million Miles Away is the inspiring […]
It Lives Inside
Horror movies have long inserted religious themes. The theology usually involves Christianity, and the faithful are rarely presented in a favorable light. Piper Laurie’s character in Carrie or the Puritan family in The Witch immediately come to mind. It Lives Inside weaves Hinduism into its narrative but from a decidedly positive perspective. Our tale concerns […]
The Creator
The obsession with artificial intelligence has entered the current zeitgeist. The Creator explores the well-worn cliche of whether AI is a menace to humanity. The threat of cognitive machines and software has been getting a lot of press in the news lately. However, the concept is far from some recent phenomenon. Fritz Lang’s silent landmark […]
Dumb Money
Dumb Money is a ripped-from-the-headlines docudrama about the GameStop short squeeze saga. A Massachusetts financial analyst named Keith Gill (Paul Dano) inspired a ragtag group of novice traders (America Ferrera, Anthony Ramos, Myha’la Herrold,Talia Ryder) on Reddit to invest in the public stock GameStop. The retailer sold video games in brick-and-mortar locations in strip malls […]
A Haunting in Venice
Third time’s the charm. Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in yet another Agatha Christie novel adapted by writer Michael Green. The story is based on Hallowe’en Party, first published in 1969. This is the filmmaker’s finest of the current trilogy. Murder on the Orient Express (2017) was dull. Death on the Nile (2022) relied too […]
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
Fatherhood has gradually had a positive effect on Adam Sandler. It’s hard to believe this was the same guy who made Jack and Jill and That’s My Boy. This family saga has a surprising amount of poignancy. Sandler produces and also appears as the father. His wife Jackie Sandler and daughters Sadie and Sunny are […]
Bottoms
Bottoms is a teen comedy with a twist. PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) are best friends in their senior year of high school. As social outcasts, they’re self-described “ugly, untalented gays.” They long to date the school’s hottest cheerleaders, Brittany (Kaia Gerber) and Isabel (Havana Rose Liu). To seduce their crushes, they start […]
Strays
In this live-action “tail”, talking dog Reggie (Will Ferrell) is abandoned by his owner, Doug (Will Forte), far from home. Thinking his master is playing a game, the Border Terrier attempts to find his way back. In doing so, he meets up with four other dogs: a Boston Terrier (Jamie Foxx), an Australian Shepherd (Isla […]
Theater Camp
When they ask at the end of the year what films deserved a wider audience in 2023, my go-to answer will be Theater Camp. This little indie is a hilarious gem of a comedy. Yet it tragically played in less than 600 U.S. theatres. Hopefully, it will find the reception it deserves when it debuts […]