Movie Reviews
Seen a lot of movies, got a lot of opinions.
Let’s get Lily Gladstone her Oscar.

TIFF23: “Homecoming” - Documentary Film Review
Máhccan is an ode to a place and a people made by someone who intimately feels their pain. Not just the ones living today, but those who lived long ago. Those whose hands beat these drums, sewed these clothes, and built the legacy Máhccan continues to grow upon.

TIFF23: “Perfect Days” - Film Review
You may find things you agree with, things that are at odds with your way of life, or inspiration in Perfect Days. It’s a reminder of the too-easy-to-forget, age-old adage: stop and smell the roses every once and a while.

TIFF23: “The Zone of Interest” - Film Review
The Zone of Interest begs for attention, no matter how difficult it is to watch.

TIFF23: “Orlando, My Political Biography” - Film Review
Above any critique of Orlando, My Political Biography is a sense of awe for its existence—for the joy, anger, love, and pain it stands for.

TIFF23: “Summer Qamp” - Documentary Review
Summer Qamp ends with a chant. One that seems to happen organically. Over and over, the campers and the counselors are shouting “queer joy.”

TIFF23: “Lost Ladies” - Film Review
Lost Ladies is a delightful romp through a comedy of errors that, of course, ends with a happily ever after.

TIFF23: “The Boy and the Heron” - Film Review
The Boy and the Heron is a goodbye. A preemptive farewell from a man who gave so much of himself to a medium he adored.

TIFF23: “Gonzo Girl” - Film Review
Gonzo Girl marks a strong debut from Arquette, and watching her grow as a director will be a thrill. This film is a showcase of its talented leads, but a little light on substance.

TIFF23: “Queen of My Dreams” - Film Review
The Queen of My Dreams is a look at a familial relationship that’s honest, even when it’s ugly.

TIFF23: “Backspot” - Film Review
Backspot is the sort of movie that makes you wish you could’ve experienced it as a teenager, when you needed it most.

TIFF23: “The Contestant” - Film Review
It’s inevitable that the story of The Contestant will be milked for further content and hopefully, now that Nasubi has had the space to reclaim his narrative, we can dig into the why and how of it all.

TIFF23: “Wildcat” - Film Review
It’s so very obvious that the works of Flannery are important to both Hawkes, but Wildcat feels like an example of being too close to the subject to see the larger picture.

TIFF23: “Wicked Little Letters” - Film Review
Wicked Little Letters is wicked, weird, and wild. The mystery at its core will keep you guessing until the very end, and the increasingly raunchy letters will have you howling with laughter.

TIFF23: “The Beast” - Film Review
The Beast is a centuries-jumping, Lynchian affair led by two incredible young actors. They are the baseline, the emotional soul of the film.

TIFF23: “Fingernails” - Film Review
In the end, the only answer Fingernails has to offer is that it doesn’t know much more about love than you or I do. Just find someone good to figure it out with.

TIFF23: “Widow Clicquot” - Film Review
Widow Clicquot is a hidden secret of TIFF 2023, a well-done take on a biopic, and proof, yet again, that Bennett is an utter powerhouse.

TIFF23: “Daddio” - Film Review
The film has moments that glimmer like gold, but Daddio needed some more polishing before it could truly glow.

TIFF23: “Poolman” - Film Review
Poolman, above all else, is weird. It’s the eccentric adaptation of Joan Didion’s Holy Water in the form of a stoner noir oddball comedy.

TIFF23: “National Anthem” - Film Review
The film is a blueprint for a new way of life. One that’s kinder, more community-focused, and that embraces differences. National Anthem is patriotic, and hopeful for what America can become.

TIFF23: “American Fiction” - Film Review
American Fiction cuts to the core of the state of society and directs a much-needed microscope on the way we tell stories and whose voices get to be heard.