SXSW Review: “Bottoms”

We love a good double-entendre, and clearly, so does director Emma Seligman. Seligman’s sophomore feature following her fantastic 2020 film Shiva Baby reunites her with star and co-writer Rachel Sennott. Whereas Shiva Baby was simultaneously funny and anxiety-inducing, Bottoms—which centers around two lesbian high-schoolers who start a fight club as a means to get close […]

SXSW Review: “Flamin’ Hot”

Even the most mundane projects can have interesting stories behind them. And even the most interesting stories can make for the blandest movies. Eva Longoria’s directorial debut Flamin’ Hot draws from the memoirs of Richard Montañez, the uneducated Mexican American janitor who worked his way through the ranks of Frito Lay to become an executive, […]

SXSW Review: “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”

I’ve never played the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons once in my life. And yet when Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves—the feature film from directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley that’s inspired by the game—opened with Chris Pine laconically knitting behind bars, I knew I would enjoy it to some extent. The […]

SXSW 2023 Dispatch: “This World is Not My Own,” “Black Barbie: A Documentary”

I’m so thrilled to be covering the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas for the first time this weekend. I recently got to watch great two documentaries that had their world premiere at the festival, both centering around Black women and how they uplifted Black people, while examining the roles race and […]

SXSW Review: “My Drywall Cocoon”

Ritzy condominiums dot the majority of Brazil’s urban landscapes. They have everything their typically upper class residents could ever want or need, their safety ensured by the security cameras scattered around the complex. Writer/director Caroline Fioratti draws on her experience growing up in one such condominium, but watching them become more and more elite and […]

True/False 2023 Dispatch: “Tavuri,” “Three Women,” “The Stroll”

For my sixth and final dispatch from this year’s True/False Film Festival, I’m reviewing the final three documentaries I saw: Tavuri, the wild story of a con artist; the tender slice of life Three Women; and the powerful story of NYC’s trans sex workers, The Stroll, which is coming to HBO later this year. Read […]

True False 2023 Dispatch: “Art Talent Show,” “Time Bomb Y2K,” “How to Have an American Baby”

For my fifth dispatch from the 2023 True/False Film Festival, I’m spotlighting three documentaries that are all preoccupied with capturing a moment in time: the hilarious Art Talent Show and Time Bomb Y2K, and the gut-wrenching How to Have an American Baby. Read my capsule reviews of those films below. ART TALENT SHOW dirs. Adéla […]

True/False 2023 Dispatch: “Going Varsity in Mariachi,” “Bad Press”

For my next dispatch from the 2023 True/False Film Festival, I’m spotlighting two underdog stories that recently premiered at Sundance: Going Varsity in Mariachi, the festival’s 2023 Show Me True/False selection, and Bad Press, the recipient of this year’s True Life Fund. Read my reviews below. GOING VARSITY IN MARIACHI dirs. Sam Osborn and Alejandra […]

True/False 2023 Dispatch: “Milisuthando,” “Ramona,” “Anhell69”

One of the most interesting and fun things about watching so many movies in quick succession is spotting some of their similarities and shared themes. Both Milisuthando, which recently premiered at Sundance, and Anhell69, which also screens at SXSW this weekend, are powerful personal essays, and Anhell69 and Ramona (my favorite film from the fest) […]

True/False 2023 Dispatch: “R 21,” “Feet in Water, Head on Fire,” “Paradise”

As this nourishing few days of documentary cinema at the 2023 True/False Film Festival approaches its conclusion, I’ve got mini reviews of 3 more films I’ve watched this weekend. R 21 AKA Restoring Solidarity presents rare and recently restored films created in solidarity with the Palestinian fight for freedom, while Feet in Water, Head on […]