Cherry (2021) - Movie Review

The Movie: Cherry

The Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

The Cast: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo, Jack Reynor, Michael Rispoli, Jeff Wahlberg, Forrest Goodluck, 

Michael Gandolfini

The Story: An Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder becomes a serial bank robber after an addiction to drugs puts him in debt.

Anatomy of Wings - 2021 Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: Anatomy of Wings

The Directors: Kirsten D'Andrea Hollander and Nikiea Redmond

The Story: What is only supposed to last 10-weeks turns into a 10+ year journey for 10 Baltimore City Girls who frame how their cinematic story is shared with the world.

18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story - 2021 Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story

The Director: Stephen DeBro

The Story: Home of 18th & Grand: The Olympic Auditorium Story, a documentary film telling the story of a city through a historic fight palace. Boxing, wrestling, roller derby, music, L.A. history and culture.

Changing Directions Podcast Series: Sujata Day - Director of Definition Please

Director, actor, and 4th grade spelling bee champion Sujata Day joins the Changing Directions podcast series to talk about her new film, Definition Please. Definition Please spells out the ups and downs of a dysfunctional American Indian family in a very lighthearted yet meaningful way.

Bleeding Audio - Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: Bleeding Audio

The Director: Chelsea Christer

The Story: Bleeding Audio is an intimate portrait detailing The Matches' promising career, defeating break up, and inspiring reunion as they reflect on what success truly means for musicians in today's digital industry.

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock - Slamdance Documentary Review

The Documentary: End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

The Director: Shannon Kring

The Story: Indigenous women unite to stop the oil pipeline that threatens their land, water, and very existence.

True Mothers / 朝が来る - Reel Love Film Fest Movie Review

The Movie: True Mothers / 朝が来る

The Director: Naomi Kawase

The Cast: Hiromi Nagasaku, Arata Iura, Aju Makita, Miyoko Asada

The Story: A woman with an adopted child is contacted unexpectedly by the child's birth mother.

A Writer's Odyssey / 刺杀小说家 - Movie Review

The Movie: A Writer's Odyssey / 刺杀小说家

The Director: Lu Yang

The Cast: Yang Mi, Tong Liya, Dong Zijian, Jiayin Lei, Hewei Yu

The Story: Six years after the abduction of his daughter, a man is hired to kill the author of a fantasy novel, but the world of the novel seems to intersect with reality.

Lorelei - Reel Love Film Fest Movie Review

The Movie: Lorelei

The Director: Sabrina Doyle

The Cast: Pablo Schreiber, Jena Malone, Gretchen Corbett 

The Story: A working-class fable about a biker, a mermaid and three shades of blue.

Judas and the Black Messiah - Movie Review

The Movie: Judas and the Black Messiah

The Director: Shaka King

The Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Martin Sheen

The Story: The story of Fred Hampton, Chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party, and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O'Neal.

Wrong Turn (2021) - Movie Review

The Movie: Wrong Turn

The Director: Mike P. Nelson

The Cast: Matthew Modine, Emma Dumont, Charlotte Vega, Daisy Head, Bill Sage, Valerie Jane Parker, Tim Dezarn, Adain Bradley

The Story: Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by 'The Foundation', a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years.

Land - Movie Review

The Movie: Land

The Director: Robin Wright

The Cast: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Sarah Dawn Pledge

The Story: A bereaved woman seeks out a new life, off the grid in Wyoming.

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things - Movie Review

The Movie: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

The Director: Ian Samuels

The Cast: Kathryn Newton, Kyle Allen, Jermaine Harris, Anna Mikami, Josh Hamilton, Cleo Fraser 

The Story: The film tells the story of quick-witted teen Mark, contentedly living the same day in an endless loop whose world is turned upside-down when he meets mysterious Margaret, also stuck in the time loop.

The Mauritanian - Movie Review

The Movie: The Mauritanian

The Director: Kevin Macdonald

The Cast: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zachary Levi

The Story: A detainee at the U.S military's Guantanamo Bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2021 Reel Love Film Festival

The 2021 Reel Love Film Festival (Feb 10-14) is a brand new online festival experience featuring feature films, short film programs, and virtual experiences and I'm super happy to be checking it out. As always, I have selected my TwoOhSix Picks for the upcoming festival including four feature films and a virtual event. I have already watched one of the films and it just might end up being one of my favorites of the whole year.

Minari - Movie Review

The Movie: Minari

The Director: Lee Isaac Chung

The Cast: Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Scott Haze, Youn Yuh-jung, Will Patton

The Story: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.

TwoOhSix Picks - 2021 Slamdance Film Festival

The Slamdance Film Festival always features a fresh and original slate of programming making it the perfect way to kick off the new year. After digging into the roster of available films, I was very excited to once again see a true independent spirit embedded throughout making it no easy task to compile my list of the six films that stood out from the pack as this year's "TwoOhSix Picks."

Malcolm and Marie - Movie Review

The Movie: Malcolm and Marie

The Director: Sam Levinson

The Cast: Zendaya and John David Washington

The Story: A director and his girlfriend's relationship is tested after they return home from his movie premiere and await critics' responses.

Son of the South - Movie Review

The Movie: Son of the South

The Director: Barry Alexander Brown

The Cast: Lucas Till, Lex Scott Davis, Lucy Hale, Cedric the Entertainer, Julia Ormond, Brian Dennehy

The Story: A grandson of a Klansman comes of age in the deep south and eventually joins the Civil Rights Movement. Based on Bob Zellner's autobiography "The Wrong Side of Murder Creek."