Category: Reviews
Beyond the Dream | Film Threat
Beyond the Dream | Film Threat

“There are two important days in your life. The day you are born and the day you find out why.” This quote is referenced by Luis Martinez, one of the subjects of Chris Hanna’s documentary, Beyond the Dream. Martinez and Daniel…

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Steven Yeun and Ali Wong Are a Cut Above in Netflix Revenge Tale
Steven Yeun and Ali Wong Are a Cut Above in Netflix Revenge Tale

In BEEF, two strangers cross paths during a road rage incident, becoming enemies for life. Lee Sung Jin’s (Dave, Undone) new series is about an escalating conflict where two people refuse to back down, leading to acts of revenge that…

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As Excessive and Confusing as Versailles Itself
As Excessive and Confusing as Versailles Itself

When it comes to a historical figure as well-known — or notorious, perhaps, depending on your point of view — as Marie Antoinette, the pressure is on for any new adaptations of her story to put a new spin on…

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Imran J. Khan’s Coming Of Age Comedy Comes Up Short With Its Supporting Cast [SXSW]
Imran J. Khan’s Coming Of Age Comedy Comes Up Short With Its Supporting Cast [SXSW]

Every instance of abject grief, embarrassment, disappointment, and failure known only by teenage boys can be sourced to cosmological forces beyond their control or to a bummer ticket in the biological lottery. Imran J. Khan’s first feature, “Mustache,” opts to…

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The Cowboy & The Samurai
The Cowboy & The Samurai

Sometimes a Hollywood rumor is so good that it should be put on film. Yes, Hollywood often exaggerates stories based on actual events, but when it comes to indie films, well, they sometimes don’t have the budget to exaggerate. Well,…

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‘Last Stop Larrimah’ Review: A Captivating Small-Town Mystery
‘Last Stop Larrimah’ Review: A Captivating Small-Town Mystery

Larrimah is about as small of a town as you can get. With only 11 people, the small community in Australia’s Northern Territory has seen better days. The one road is scattered with the remnants of businesses from the past…

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Animation Has A Big Heart Despite Flimsy Script
Animation Has A Big Heart Despite Flimsy Script

Based on the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, The Magician’s Elephant is an endearing, whimsical tale about one boy's quest to find his lost sister and the town he inspires to believe in magic again. In Netflix’s…

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A Shaggy and Compelling Murder Mystery About a Small Australian Town [SXSW]
A Shaggy and Compelling Murder Mystery About a Small Australian Town [SXSW]

Larrimah, the small Australian town that gives Thomas Tancred’s documentary its title, has a population of 11. Or, at least, it had 11 people until one, Paddy Moriarty, went missing along with his dog in 2017. A portrait of an…

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Coming-of-Age Comedy Paints a Picture of Being a ’90s Kid
Coming-of-Age Comedy Paints a Picture of Being a ’90s Kid

One of the best things about indie films is that we often get to see stories from real people who live in completely different realities and learn details from their routines. In that context, even the most ordinary and cliché…

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Kiernan Shipka Shines in Coming-of-Age Tale
Kiernan Shipka Shines in Coming-of-Age Tale

Family is there for you—and not there for you—whether you want them to be or not. The clashing personalities, opinions, mindsets, ages, and approaches to the most benign things can make it extremely difficult to live harmoniously with and appreciate…

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Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Film Threat
Are You Lonesome Tonight? | Film Threat

Are You Lonesome Tonight? is so precisely wound and elegantly constructed that it shows a master helmsman at the top of his craft. Wait, scratch that. This handsome, dramatic mystery is Shipei Wen’s feature-length directorial debut. He also co-wrote the…

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The Magic Fizzles As Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice On This DC Franchise
The Magic Fizzles As Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice On This DC Franchise

One of the things that made “Shazam!” so engaging, entertaining, and different was that it brought humor, an endearing irreverence, and an exploration and development of character that satisfied the initiated but also drew in the unfamiliar. It felt natural,…

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