United States

WITNESS INFECTION: A Gorey Lack Of Investment
WITNESS INFECTION: A Gorey Lack Of Investment

Even the successes can not push the film beyond one of its biggest flaws – it seems to be in a constant battle with itself on what it wants to be.

WATCHMEN, The Movie: Why, God, Why?
WATCHMEN, The Movie: Why, God, Why?

Whether you’re looking for ethical complexity or fascinating character studies, you won’t find it in Watchmen.

ALLEN V. FARROW Episode Four: The Art & The Artist
ALLEN V. FARROW Episode Four: The Art & The Artist

Allen v. Farrow – from the first episode to the last – has been an exercise in biased reporting, never representing both sides of the argument.

SXSW 2021 Review: R#J: A Horribly Misguided Experiment
SXSW 2021 Review: R#J: A Horribly Misguided Experiment

Even though I can feel everything is well-intentioned, little to none of it resonated. Thy movie is amiss.

NOBODY: Maybe It's Time To Let The Old Ways Die
NOBODY: Maybe It’s Time To Let The Old Ways Die

A sturdy but familiar entry, Nobody hews so close to standards that it brings the whole genre into question.

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER A Flawed Reimagining of a Feminist Classic
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER: A Flawed Reimagining of a Feminist Classic

Based on the 1892 Charlotte Perkins Gilman short story by the same name, The Yellow Wallpaper is a thriller that stumbles with uneven performances.

The film has a vibrant authenticity to it, and not just in the casting and locations — cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi gives Baltimore’s streets an oceanic sway and the conversations a realistic rhythm. And when we follow the Clique, engines rev, the riders lean back and lift, and we see them silhouetted against the sun, arms extended toward us, totally in the moment. Both Pug and Mouse talk about “going 12” like it’s the greatest sense of freedom you could achieve. It’s just you, the bike, and the road, and the only thing keeping you airborne is your innate talent and will to stay upright. The more expressionistic elements of Charm City Kings recall Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, a film that similarly blends realistic characters and dialogue with neon lighting, Nicholas Britell’s otherworldly music, and emotionally motivated camera movements and editing. That’s not accidental — Jenkins, alongside Kirk Sullivan and Chris Boyd, developed the story for Charm City Kings, while Sherman Payne, a TV writer known for his work on Shameless and Scream, wrote the script. The result is a story soaked with realism and augmented by stylistic flourishes and a poignant, subversive orchestral score from Alex Somers.
CHARM CITY KINGS: A Powerful Black Coming-of-Age Story

Charm City Kings is an expressionistic, powerful look at a neglected community that gets little attention on-screen.

ALLEN V. FARROW, Episode Two The Soon-Yi Affair
ALLEN V. FARROW, Episode Two: The Soon-Yi Affair

Episode two of Allen v. Farrow looks into Woody Allen’s affair and eventual marriage of his former partner Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter.

Horrific Inquiry: LEPRECHAUN (1993)
Horrific Inquiry: LEPRECHAUN (1993)

Gold at the end of the rainbow, ancient magics, and leprechauns all to delight and even terrify. This was the goal of Mark Jones’ Leprechaun.

CHERRY: Excess Is Just Its Character
CHERRY: Excess Is Just Its Character

Cherry wants to be a movie about tragedy and weighty thematic issues but is too concerned with showing off for points on a scoreboard.

ALLEN V. FARROW, Episode One: The Idyllic Family, Shattered
ALLEN V. FARROW, Episode One: The Idyllic Family, Shattered

As it stands, episode one of Allen v. Farrow does not provide us with anything new or substantial that may change the outcome of the case.

HAPPILY: Unique Take on a Familiar Story
HAPPILY: Unique Take on a Familiar Story

Happily breathes new life into a story we have seen too many times through its unique twists to the classic structure and charming performances.

BLAST OF SILENCE: Born to Die
BLAST OF SILENCE: Born to Die

For the 60-year anniversary, Film Inquiry muses on Allen Baron’s noir film Blast of Silence and its existential prison of shadow and sound.

ABSENT NOW THE DEAD: Touring Greece With Trojan War Ghosts
ABSENT NOW THE DEAD: Touring Greece With Trojan War Ghosts

Hamilton Sterling’s Absent Now The Dead gives an avant-garde look into the world of the ancient Greeks and the Trojan War.

MONKEY BARS: A Sidling, Unsettling Step Away From Girlhood
MONKEY BARS: A Sidling, Unsettling Step Away From Girlhood

Monkey Bars is a must see short film with with its atmospheric, evocative score that adds to the anxiety of its scenes.