Chum

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to movies about going back into the water, Australia unleashes Chum upon the world. It’s a low-budget, schlocky attempt at a shark horror movie, notably being released by IFC without the cooperation of Shudder, the branch of the company that specifically handles this sort of thing. They didn’t even want it. Shudder probably heard this thing was coming down the pipeline and dodged it, which says a lot considering some of the highly questionable content they’ve already released. Even then, most of their catalog is better than this. Reasonably, most … Continue reading Chum

No Other Choice

Some films arrive at exactly the right moment, and No Other Choice benefits enormously from the period in which it was released. People are struggling to find meaningful employment. They’re struggling to keep up with rising costs. They’re struggling to maintain the basic financial stability that previous generations often took for granted. I recently read a BuzzFeed article collecting comments from shoppers, and one person joked that they knew someone was rich if they could afford to buy cherries at the grocery store. It’s a small observation, but it captures something real about the current moment. Everywhere you look, people … Continue reading No Other Choice

Jigsaw

Jigsaw marks a welcome change of pace for the Saw franchise. More importantly, thank God the tales of Hoffman are finally behind us. I know plenty of critics would argue there was never much value in any of the first seven Saw films, but it’s hard to deny the impact the original movie had when it arrived in 2004. If nothing else, it shocked audiences with one of the most memorable twist endings of its era. It also became the poster child for the crudely named “torture porn” subgenre, paving the way for films like Hostel and The Collector, movies … Continue reading Jigsaw

Movies With Pride: Something You Should Know About Me

Something You Should Know About Me is notable for a reason that extends beyond the film itself. I’m genuinely excited that in 2026 I can say this is not the first film I’ve reviewed this year featuring transgender leads. Following She’s the He, it’s actually the second such film I’ve had the opportunity to watch and review in less than a month. Considering how infrequently marginalized voices have historically been given space on screen, that’s pretty freaking cool. The film follows Al, an aspiring artist who is thrilled to attend a creative camp where he can further develop his writing … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Something You Should Know About Me

Goat

We deserve better. Kids deserve better. Animation has evolved to the point where audiences can reasonably expect more than films like Goat. This is essentially Zootopia by way of basketball, another entry in the ever-growing pile of animated movies built around anthropomorphic animals doing familiar things. It’s not an inherently bad concept, but it’s also not a particularly original one. And while Goat boasts a talented voice cast, that’s hardly a selling point these days. Most animated features have talented voice casts. What separates memorable animated films from disposable ones is what they leave behind once the credits roll. Goat … Continue reading Goat

Movies With Pride: Boy Erased

Watching Boy Erased during Pride Month feels a little ironic. This isn’t a film about celebrating LGBTQ identity so much as it is a film about the expectations society places upon people and the damage that can be done when someone is told they are not allowed to be who they are. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton, who also appears in a supporting role, Boy Erased focuses on the controversial practice of conversion therapy. What is most alarming about revisiting the film today is realizing how relevant it remains. When it was released in 2018, it felt like the … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Boy Erased

Movies With Pride: Pillion

I first watched this back in December as part of A24’s awards consideration package. While I did get a few screeners from A24 last year, Pillion sadly wasn’t one of them,and there was clearly a lot happening. I really wanted to wait to review it until I got the audio description, and now in time for Pride month, Pillion: Unrated is on HBO MAX with audio description! If any of this made it into the R rated cut, we’ve come a long way from This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Kirby Dick’s exploration of the MPAA and its bizarre ratings … Continue reading Movies With Pride: Pillion

Miss You, Love You

Jim Rash, best known for playing the Dean on Community,along with his years spent at the Groundlings, and that time he won an Oscar with Nat Faxon for writing the screenplay to The Descendants, is making his solo feature directorial debut. He and Faxon broke out and made the excellent The Way Way Back, and followed that up with the not so excellent Downhill.But, Rash proves he still has a lot to give in this film he wrote and directed, which is not adapted from anything. It does feel so much like a play, like Rash was trying tow rite … Continue reading Miss You, Love You

Office Romance

Little known fact. Lady Gaga was this close to titling her song Office Romance instead of Bad Romance. Don’t fact check me. But, the fairly generic title found its way into Jennifer Lopez’s pantheon of equally vague titles like The Back Up Plan, Marry Me, and Unstoppable (a title so generic Denzel also has a film called Unstoppable). Regardless of the premise, Jennifer Lopez remains a queen of romantic comedies, and her sex appeal at 56 has allowed her to be able to pull off being desirable enough to carry films like this. Jennifer Lopez is not the problem here. … Continue reading Office Romance

Tribeca Film Festival 2026: AI Probably Nothing To Worry About

My third alarmist AI documentary so far this year. I have yet to find one about Ukraine though. It’s probably just how screeners come my way. I’ll give it time. This is the best of the AI specific docs, and narrowly comparable to Your Attention Please, which is also mostly about how Social Media is wrecking you kids, but also how AI is starting to contribute. This documentary backs off of the overpersonalized approach of Daniel Roher’s AI doc, and instead takes a seemingly neutral approach. Instead of smacking you with the apocalypse, it asks how did we get here, … Continue reading Tribeca Film Festival 2026: AI Probably Nothing To Worry About

Tribeca Film Festival 2026: Stealing Magic

This could have been the plot to the Now You See Me sequel, where the crew has to fight piracy, and the secrets to their tricks being sold online.This doesn’t require an illusionist, just some bored teens in a country where piracy reigns supreme, who see a niche they feel needs to be filled. The unfortunate truth is, you can actually steal magic. And no,not in some Disney way where an evil wizard drops from the sky and drains the home you know of all its magic, but there are actual people who build complex tricks, and sell them to … Continue reading Tribeca Film Festival 2026: Stealing Magic

Tribeca Film Festival 2026: The A Word: The Future Of Aging

Yes, a whole documentary just about The A Word. George Carlin would be so proud. Not that kind of A word? Well, then it must be the other more risqué A word. No? Oh. it’s a documentary about aging. Hold my beer. I feel constantly triggered by media as I never feel, nor has anyone correctly guessed my age (because I dress like a child), and yet I hear my age all the time. I remember rewatching Frasier within the last few years, and in the early seasons, he said his age, and it matched mine. And I felt so … Continue reading Tribeca Film Festival 2026: The A Word: The Future Of Aging

Tribeca Film Festival 2026: American Zoo

Families are complicated, and having to unpack that in a documentary can be tough. In American Zoo, we focus primarily on the Catskill Game Farm, which for decades was a massive zoo that a family got to grow up on and around, because someone had to run it. But just who is that someone? The film uses the present to reflect the past as we learn of Heinz Hezck, a German doctor who was invited in 1959 to come over and run this zoo. And Yes, he’s that kind of German, or at least appeared to be, and that is … Continue reading Tribeca Film Festival 2026: American Zoo

Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Rocket Girl

Sometimes, you forget that when you critique something, there is a potential for the person you are critiquing to actually read the thing you wrote. Earlier, before being a blind film critic, I did get a couple of shoutouts for my reviews, even without the TomatoMeter approval. Probably the coolest one was Gina Prince-Blythwood who loved that I loved Beyond The Lights. Those in the industry seem to be built for criticism, but what about documentaries? I certainly have had filmmakers reach out, most of them about this thing called audio description that didn’t exist, or the fact that audio … Continue reading Brooklyn Film Festival 2026: Rocket Girl

Movies With Pride: She’s The He

Happy Pride! Kicking off my Movies With Pride this year is an Independent Spirit Award Nominee, She’s The He, which bounced around some film festivals before securing a release date right at the beginning of Pride month. This LGBTQ comedy won over audiences with its witty banter, trans positive story, and winning cast. If you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll be surprised. Ethan and Alex are best friends. They are super close, almsot too close. Alex has even developed quite an advanced rapport with Ethan’s mom. But, for some reason, the school has pictured them as a gay couple, … Continue reading Movies With Pride: She’s The He