THE WORLD TO COME (Bleecker Street – March 2): Although the story is set in 1856, this is 2021, so it’s not hard to see where Mona Fastvold’s The World To Come is heading. Ron Hansen and Jim Shepard’s script begins in the dead of winter, in the wilderness that was upstate New York […]
Zach Braff’s WISH I WAS HERE, his first film as a writer-director since Garden State 10 years ago, mixes genuine, deeply-felt emotion with the kind of contrivances that would grate even on a second-rate sitcom. (This week’s episode: Dad tries to homeschool the kids! And Uncle Jonah wears a costume to Comic-Con just to […]
If you go to too many Sundances, or see too many indie films, there are certain templates you come to recognize all too quickly. THE LIFEGUARD, written and directed by Liz W. Garcia, a TV writer (Memphis Beat, Cold Case) making her directing debut, follows so many of these conventions that it could have […]
HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL (no distrib): Scandal-ridden mega-churches aren’t exactly fresh territory for screens big (The Tears of Tammy Faye) or small (The Righteous Gemstones), with tones that range from wildly comic to solemn. Adamma Edo’s feature debut doesn’t have much to add to the subject, but it does have Sterling K. […]
EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS (no distrib): The noted painter Titus Kaphar has made an impressive shift into scripted feature films. Although Exhibiting Forgiveness isn’t strictly speaking autobiographical, Kaphar’s protagonist Tarrell (Andre Holland) is a successful painter whose canvases resemble the filmmaker’s. Tarrell travels with his wife (Andra Day, playing a recording star) and young son to […]
IN THE SUMMERS (no distrib): The winner of the Jury Prize in the US Dramatic Competition is a somewhat prototypical Sundance drama. Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s semi-autobiographical story depicts four summers over about a decade spent by Eve and Violeta, children of divorce (played by various actors, culminating with Sasha Calle and Lio Mehiel) with […]
For SHOWBUZZDAILY’s full set of Sundance capsule reviews, click here. What kind of filmmaker does Mona Fastvold want to be? It’s an existential question that comes up often at Sundance, where artistic and industry cred are often judged at the same time. THE SLEEPWALKER, Fastvold’s first film as director and (with Brady Corbet, […]
THEATER CAMP (Searchlight/Disney): The odds are that a lot of people who’ll want to see a movie called Theater Camp are comfortable with the kind of ramshackle, hit-or-miss qualities associated with actual summer camp productions, and will likewise find plenty to enjoy in a movie that’s been made with more love and energy than […]