Movie ReviewsSeen a lot of movies, got a lot of opinions.
Let’s get Lily Gladstone her Oscar.
SXSW ’26: “Cornbread Mafia” Sets the Law Ablaze
Cornbread Mafia is a story about a community. The mantra that The Godfather of Grass lives by is “mind your own business, treat people good, and don’t tell nobody.”
SXSW '26: Amazing Live Sea Monkeys Opens the Packet on the Toy's Legacy
Amazing Live Sea Monkeys does a fantastic job of chronicling Yolanda’s fight to reclaim this company and its legacy, but shies away from the larger conversation of what it means to remember someone for everything that they are.
SXSW '26: Adam's Apple Beautifully Captures a Life in Transition
Adam’s Apple is an attempt to capture life’s beautiful fleeting nature and the changes we all go through to find ourselves.
SXSW ’26: “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story” is an Ode to the Weirdo Girlies
Summer 2000: The X-Cetra manages to capture both the strangeness of virality online and how much it means for a pre-teen girl to be taken seriously. Long live X-Cetra.
SXSW '26: Your Attention Please is a Mighty Call to Action
Your Attention Please isn’t hiding the fact that it wants your focus, but in doing so, it wants to give you back your life.
Werner Herzog Chases His White Whale in “Ghost Elephants”
Ghost Elephants is guided by a gentle, determined voiceover by Herzog. A beautiful reminder that life can still have moments of discovery, both within ourselves and out in the sprawling expanse of nature.
Slamdance ’26: “Kings of Venice” Reigns Supreme
Kings of Venice is a snapshot of this quest for paddle tennis preservation. The nobility of that is up for debate, but the passion is not.
Slamdance ’26: “Brailled It” Rewrites Filmmaking Perspectives
Brailled It is many things, but above all, it’s a testament to the ability of film to be adapted and changed to allow more perspectives to be shared.
Slamdance ’26: “The Bulldogs” Paints a Haunting Picture of a Town in Environmental Crisis
In The Bulldogs, Dixon and Segev constructed an engrossingly intimate introduction to a town, its people, and the terrible event that looms over them all.
“Night in West Texas” is Long-Fought Justice
Night in West Texas is a condemning piece of filmmaking, but one whose central voice should have been shifted.
“El Canto de las Manos” Recontextualizes Beethoven for a New Audience
Passionate, emotional, and transformative, El Canto de las Manos redefines art’s ability to communicate.
“The Big Scoot! Will Ride Right into Your Heart
The Big Scoot! manages to create the sensation that the viewer is a pillion rider on a slow-moving but emotionally grand journey of a lifetime.
“Counted Out” Crunches the Numbers on Math Education
Counted Out unlocks the door to the larger issues that arise at the elementary education level and lays out a path on which we can move forward.
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk” is Necessary, Powerful Documentary Journalism
While Fatima Hassouna is no longer alive to see it, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk is a powerful continuation of her desire for people to see the truth.
“River of Grass” Paints a Haunting Portrait of Floridian Nature
Rivers of Grass is beguiling in its natural beauty and heavy on the soul when it addresses what humans have done to our planet. It’s a plea for conservation, one that existed long before Worztel’s camera started filming.
Diane Keaton’s “Heaven” is an Odd Rumination on What Comes Next
Heaven might be a place on earth according to Belinda Carlisle, but Keaton’s Heaven argues that it’s our own creation, both attainable and just beyond our reach.
DOC NYC: “The Big Cheese” is the Wheel Deal
The Big Cheese is bright, tangy, and bold, and with a description like that, I’m sure a cheesemonger could pair the documentary with a delectable wedge of something cheesy.
“Bite to Bite” Looks at the Interconnection of Humans by Way of Tuna
What Bite to Bite exemplifies is the respect these fishermen, sellers, and buyers have for this majestic creature. After all, these fish are an essential part of the interconnected flow of life.
Austin Film Festival: “VOICES: The Danny Gans Story” Introduces the Man of Many Voices
VOICES: The Danny Gans Story is Andrew’s way of telling his father that, despite what his demons told him, Danny was more than enough and lived a life to be proud of.
NYFF 2025: “Hair, Paper, Water…” is a Gentle Masterpiece
Hair, Paper, Water… is remarkable in a simple way. In the way that we all find purpose and pain throughout life, but discover something to believe in every morning.