Chef Flynn Review: A Teen Chef Serves Up Delicious Dishes
Cameron Yates’ foodie doc about a budding teen chef is a riveting look at how ambition knows no age, but its smaller scope stretches a bit to get to feature length. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood If you were to ask the average ten-year-old about the presentation of their food, they’d probably respond ... Chef Flynn Review: A Teen Chef Serves Up Delicious Dishes
Asher Review: A Creaky Pre-90s Hitman Thriller
Try as they might, even genre giants like Ron Perlman and Famke Jannsen can’t elevate this dull, by-the-numbers hitman thriller. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The ‘90s were peak years for the hitman genre. Between Tarantino, Rodriguez, and Jarmusch, the way we think about and view these agents of quiet doom has informed ... Asher Review: A Creaky Pre-90s Hitman Thriller
CAM Review: Netflix’s Peep Show Into the Terror of Stolen Identity
Director Daniel Goldhaber and screenwriter Isa Mazzei explore the complexities of online sex work with a fascinating thriller about a camgirl facing an identity crisis. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood On the Internet, you can be anyone you want. CAM, the debut film from director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei, asks, “What ... CAM Review: Netflix’s Peep Show Into the Terror of Stolen Identity
The Favourite Review: Yorgos Lanthimos Holds Uproarious Royal Court
Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest is a droll, hilarious dramedy about the challenges of female power and competition, with three amazing performances from Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood When it comes to acid-tongued, deadpan humor, few do it better than Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. While works like the ... The Favourite Review: Yorgos Lanthimos Holds Uproarious Royal Court
Twisted Pair Review: Neil Breen’s Latest Exercise in Baffling Anti-Cinema
The deeply strange Neil Breen returns with an even more deeply strange entry in his filmography of homespun, barely-coherent ‘psychological thrillers.’ This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood One doesn’t review a Neil Breen movie so much as ponder its existence. It’s not even a question of how it got made—we know it was financed ... Twisted Pair Review: Neil Breen’s Latest Exercise in Baffling Anti-Cinema
Prospect Review: A Thrilling, Micro-budget Sci-Fi Western
Writer/director team Zeek Earl and Chris Caldwell craft a grimy, visceral space Western about a family of prospectors risking their lives on an alien moon. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Space-based science fiction is usually a big-budget affair – hundred-million-dollar space battles, exotic alien creatures and slick, futuristic spaceships. However, every so often ... Prospect Review: A Thrilling, Micro-budget Sci-Fi Western
Olympia’s Cast and Crew on Capturing Millennial Malaise in Chicago (Interview)
We talk to star/writer McKenzie Chinn, director Gregory Dixon, and actor Charles Andrew Gardner about their vibrant, Chicago-set indie about a young woman navigating her thirties. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood As we continue to wrap up our coverage of the Chicago International Film Festival, it’s important to take a look at some ... Olympia’s Cast and Crew on Capturing Millennial Malaise in Chicago (Interview)
What They Had: Elizabeth Chomko and Robert Forster on Crafting Sensitive Family Drama (Interview)
The first-time filmmaker and the veteran actor sit down to talk about Chomko’s experiences with Alzheimer’s in her own family, the switch from studio to auteur filmmaking, and more. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood While dysfunctional family dramas are arguably a dime a dozen, Elizabeth Chomko’s Chicago-centric debut What They Had stands out substantially ... What They Had: Elizabeth Chomko and Robert Forster on Crafting Sensitive Family Drama (Interview)
CIFF Dispatch, Part 2: What They Had, Retablo, Maria By Callas, and More
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The Chicago International Film Festival keeps chugging along this week, and so does our coverage. From upcoming big indie films to smaller local works, to foreign films that may never see mainstream distribution here, CIFF is a great time to stock up on works you may not get ... CIFF Dispatch, Part 2: What They Had, Retablo, Maria By Callas, and More
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood As horror continues its gradual moving away from traditional monsters and slashers to rawer, more unsettling scares that are COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE, we can look forward to more internet discourse about whether a movie qualifies as “horror.” This requires the sort of pedantry that is the ... Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Dispatch, Part 1: Tower. A Bright Day, Empathy, Inc., Antrum
CIFF 2018 Dispatch, Part 1 (Feat. Interview w/Felix van Groeningen)
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood The 54th Chicago International Film Festival is more than just an amped-up pledge drive for Cinema/Chicago – it’s a huge showcase for some of the biggest, most interesting films of the year, foreign or domestic. It’s always a treat to cover – I spent two years as a ... CIFF 2018 Dispatch, Part 1 (Feat. Interview w/Felix van Groeningen)
Trouble Review: A Modest Small-Town Dramedy With an Overqualified Cast
While Theresa Rebeck’s low-budgeted rural hangout comedy sports a fine cast, they can’t quite elevate the proceedings beyond the occasional modest laugh. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Movies that are remembered are generally on a spectrum of cinematic triumph to shoddy exercise for an inexperienced rube’s hubris. Then there are the films that ... Trouble Review: A Modest Small-Town Dramedy With an Overqualified Cast
Trouble: Writer/Director Theresa Rebeck on Wrangling Low Budgets and Big Stars (Interview)
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Novelist, screenwriter and Pulitzer-nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck is a woman of many hats – the latest of which is the director of the independent ensemble comedy Trouble. A film with modest ambitions but no small amount of charm, its tale of a small-town sibling rivalry is bolstered by tremendous ... Trouble: Writer/Director Theresa Rebeck on Wrangling Low Budgets and Big Stars (Interview)
Five Movies We’re Dying to See at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood Now in its third year, the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, taking place October 11th through the 18th, has become one of the fastest rising venues to catch the next best thing in scary movies months before everyone else gets a chance. This year’s line-up showcases both new faces ... Five Movies We’re Dying to See at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival
All About Nina Review: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Struggles to Succeed in the Standup Boys’ Club
Mary Elizabeth Winstead lashes back at the stiflingly male-dominated world of standup comedy in Eva Vives’ acerbic, stunning debut. This piece was originally posted on Alcohollywood “Isn’t it great how all of the sudden they know that we’re funny?” comedy club owner and former stand-up Pam (Pam Murphy) tells her younger counterpart, Nina Geld (Mary ... All About Nina Review: Mary Elizabeth Winstead Struggles to Succeed in the Standup Boys’ Club