Tribeca Review: The Novice (2021)

An obsessive novice rower climbs the ranks of her college’s rowing team.

Finally at number one we have The Novice, which those who participated in the festival could easily see why. Everything in The Novice just blends so well together that leads to some incredible results. First off Isabelle Fuhrman gives her best performance to date, as well as giving one of the best performances of the year. She truly delivers in her role it’s raw, impactful and really shows how talented she really is. The atmosphere is thrilling to the point where it can almost be considered a horror film, the style of the film is up close and really beings you into what’s going on in certain scenes. The music also turns this film into a horror film by having a beautifully haunting feel to it, the film heavily reminded me of Whiplash which makes sense Lauren Hadaway who directs the film did the sound for Whipslash and you can easily tell. There’s so much level of care and attention to detail as well, it’s extraordinary and leads into disturbing territory. It’s a very interesting film about self destruction and how quickly it can happen. Hands down one of the best films of the year, I really hope this releases soon!

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: No Man Of God (2021)

The complicated relationship that formed between the FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier and serial killer Bundy during Bundy’s final years on death row.

I really wouldn’t blame someone if their first reaction hearing about another Ted Bundy movie being released was “another one?!?” Because quite frankly there has been a lot of them at this point, however Amber Sealey’s No Man Of God manages to be far different from the other films. For one thing the film isn’t only about Ted Bundy it’s also about FBI analyst Bill Hagmaier which is story I feel like completely goes unnoticed at times. The performances here are quite fantastic Luke Kirby does a fantastic job as Ted Bundy, he’s intimidating, acts like him and so on this is definitely one of the best if not the best portrayal of Ted Bundy in recent memory. Elijah Wood plays Hagmaier and he does an incredible job as well, the chemistry between Wood and Kirby is fantastic and feels very real. It’s disturbing but at the same time very fascinating as to what was going on between their discussions, which is where the writing comes in. Which I truly feel is the best part about this film, the writing really shares the thoughts and discussions they shared with one another. It’s a dark film that truly delivers in every single way possible, if your a fan of true crime you are going to love No Man Of God!

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: Catch The Fair One (2021)

A former champion boxer embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.

Catch The Fair One is one of the most intense and disturbing films so far this year, Kali Reis gives such a fantastic performance and definitely one of the best of the year. She really dives deep into her role and shows an incredible amount of talent that is showed throughout the film, the thrilling atmosphere that makes the film very uncomfortable adds so much to it as well, it brings a sense of realness to it that hits hard whenever it can. Director Josef Kubota also does a fantastic job of building an atmosphere that grabs your attention, there’s a lot of brutal moments that truly leave an impact on the viewer as well. Combine all of this with Darren Aronofsky who is one of the producers and you really have yourself a disturbing ride, this is one of those films where although a certain director is producing the film you can still feel their energy or their marks in this case Darren Aronofsky. Catch The Fair One is a revenge story that truly is one of the stronger ones, it’s an incredibly raw film that keeps things as grounded as possible. From the writing to the acting there’s so much to absolutely love about this one, if your a fan of the revenge genre be sure to watch this one once it releases!

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: The Kids (2021)

In the early 1990s, before New York City’s mass gentrification, a group of disparate youth venture outside their broken homes into the city’s brutal streets. United by skateboarding, they cultivate a family and build a unique lifestyle that inspires Larry Clark’s 1995 groundbreaking film, “Kids.” The crew become overnight commodities, thrust into the spotlight. Left adrift under the bright lights, some discover transcendent lives and careers, while others suffer fatal consequences.

The Kids is a documentary that’s not going to be easy to talk about and it’s definitely going to be hard to review as the documentary is very self explanatory, but I feel like this discussion needs to be talked about. Almost immediately when I saw this being confirmed for the Tribeca Film Festival I knew this was going to be one of the ones I’m going to watch. The documentary is about the actors and actresses who were in the controversial film and disturbing film that released in 1995 and how they were treated terribly, felt used and taken advantage of by Larry Clark. Before I say anything about the documentary…Kids will always be one of my favorite films of all time, it was one of my major influences of getting into photography and I really appreciate what it did for indie films back in the 90s. HOWEVER I am willing to call out disgusting behavior from directors who take advantage of people and treat them horribly like what Larry Clark did in this case (Harmony Korine isn’t much better either he never stood up for the cast and pretty much abandoned them as well) the documentary itself has Hamilton Harris and a lot of other cast members talking about what happened behind the scenes and so much more. It’s a very disturbing documentary that I almost guarantee will make you very angry and question why people were actively ignoring this. The documentary goes over the deaths of Justin Pierce (who won Best Debut Performance at the Spirit Awards in 1996) and Harold Hunter the lack of never reaching out to these kids to make sure they are okay or anyway trying to help is truly gross. The kids struggled to find work and Larry Clark did nothing to help them at all, Harris ultimately does find peace with Korine and Clark’s decision not to be interviewed in the documentary. A lot of the cast members now have families of their own (Harris included) but that doesn’t erase how disturbing this whole situation was. As far as filmmaking goes the documentary is nicely crafted with tons of information that you definitely need to know about the topic, it’s truly one of the best films so far this year. I truly hope this releases soon.

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: See For Me (2021)

When blind former skier Sophie cat-sits in a secluded mansion, three thieves invade for the hidden safe. Sophie’s only defense is army veteran Kelly. Kelly helps Sophie defend herself against the invaders and survive.

See For Me was the first film I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival and it was definitely a very strong start to it, the film uses a very interesting premise that only makes it better and authentic by having disability representation (Skylar Davenport who is actually blind) it’s truly an incredible thing to see, on top of that it’s one of the best home invasion movies in quite sometime. A lot of problems I have with the home invasion genre is a lot of it is more less the same thing, See For Me changes things up quite a bit, it gives development to Sophie (the main character) and keeps things as grounded as possible. Davenport is what truly makes this film shine, they give such a fantastic performance that really sticks with you. The atmosphere is thrilling it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. The cinematography combined with the setting and filming is another huge highlight of the film, the absolute best parts are when the house is dark with very few lights it creates something beautiful and feels like a painting almost! See For Me is a film I can definitely see a lot of people absolutely loving and rightfully so, it’s a blast of fun and at the same time a fantastic film!

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: Poser (2021)

As Lennon fuels her desire for entree into a podcast featuring live music and conversations with the artists she so fervently admires, Lennon finds inspiration for her own musical ambitions…and a growing sense of misdirected identity.

I had a very hard time deciding where to put Poser because it’s one of those films where I know I absolutely loved it but I definitely feel like I need rewatch it again so I’m placing as the sixth best of the festival with that said let’s talk about the film. Poser is a dark satire of the art music industry it’s a very anxiety driven film especially with the main leads Bobbi Kitten who plays herself in the film (which I thought was a nice touch) and Sylvie Mix both give fantastic performances and quite honestly some of the best so far this year. The cinematography is beautifully done with a ton of scenes that have powerful writing it as well, the movie itself also has actual indie bands in it who are played by the actual people or people who are in indie bands. Which is a very smart move because it keeps things authentic especially with the story that’s being told. There’s a lot Incredible character moments that develop throughout the film and turn into something really incredible, it’s these types of moments that make the film all the more real and actually relatable in someways. Overall Poser is an incredible film that isn’t going to be for everyone but I strongly recommend seeing it when it comes out!

10/10 A+

Tribeca Review: Mark, Mary + Some Other People (2021)

Newlyweds, reluctantly decide to give ethical non-monogamy a try as their lives get increasingly complicated.

Mark, Mary + Some Other People is hands down one of the best romantic comedies I’ve seen in a very long time, the premise of a couple exploring an open relationship is the type of premise that can definitely lead to some fantastic results and here it did! First off the chemistry between Ben Rosenfield and Hayley Law is incredible as the viewer you care about their relationship and they feel like real people, the problem I have with a lot of romantic comedies is a lot of them feel like they tend to have their characters not act like real people especially with how bad the writing can be. With this film you get something completely different quite refreshing in fact, that’s mainly due the performances that i mentioned before the very raw writing that leads to a ton of beautifully written scenes and the direction from Hannah Marks she really hit it out of the park when it comes to telling a beautifully raw story. The ending of this movie was a very nice touch as well and felt a lot more realistic than the traditional romantic comedy film, overall Mark, Mary + Some Other People is a fantastic film that I strongly recommend checking out when it releases!

9/10 A

Tribeca Review: Werewolves Within (2021)

A snowstorm traps town residents together inside the local inn, where newly arrived forest ranger Finn and postal worker Cecily must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

So I had no idea that Werewolves Within was based off of a video game, heck I hadn’t even heard of the game until I did some googling. The film itself is quite great, Josh Ruben who directed “Scare Me” does a far better job directing this time than he did with “Scare Me” the movie is genuinely funny with a lot of very fun characters! You have a fun little mystery thrown into the mix which does change up a few things from the traditional werewolf movie, the acting is quite solid especially from Sam Richardson who gives quite a hilarious performance. The writing is filled with some really solid humor that actually moves the film along which is interesting, the atmosphere is friendly but at the same time it has a mystery feel to it. Combining both together gives some strong results that make this a modern horror comedy that stands out, if you are a huge werewolf movie fan you are going to absolutely love Werewolves Within it’s a very nice balance between being a lot of fun and being a genuinely great film that I am most definitely excited to see again!

Werewolves Within releases in theaters June 25th and on VOD Platforms July 2nd

Tribeca Review: Dating and New York (2021)

After meeting on the dating app Meet Cute and having a one-night stand, two New York millennials draw up a “Best Friends With Benefits” contract to avoid the pitfalls of a relationship.

While Dating and New York does borrow elements from other films similar to it (When Harry Met Sally) the film still manages to be quite entertaining and at the same time interesting! It’s a millennial love story that’s very self aware which is what makes the film work mostly, the main strength of the movie is the cast Taylor Hill, Francesca Reale and Jaboukie Young-White are all fantastic in their roles each giving a raw performance that helps the movie feel more relatable! The film itself is beautifully shot taking advantage of New York and making it into something magical, speaking of which the film has a huge fairytale type atmosphere which the film does quite a good job with. Seeing a fairytale type movie take on modern romance (especially between millennials) is very interesting, it has a lot of beautiful moments that absolutely shine through! I highly recommend giving this one a look when it releases which I’m hoping is soon!!

8/10 B+

Tribeca Review: Kubrick by Kubrick (2021)

A rare and transcendent journey into the life and films of the legendary Stanley Kubrick like we’ve never seen before, featuring a treasure trove of unearthed interview recordings from the master himself.

Kubrick By Kubrick is pretty much a tribute to Stanley Kubrick, it’s a very straightforward documentary that doesn’t linger long on a certain topic. It’s about his legacy as a filmmaker and the films he directed, there’s fun little facts about some of the movies, some interviews that are quite neat to listen to and it all comes together in this pretty well crafted documentary. The major flaw this documentary does have is it’s 72 minute running time, I said before how it doesn’t linger on things for too long which is a very good thing but that comes with a negative as it does speed through some topics very quickly. It really doesn’t matter too much anyway since a lot of what is talked about in Kubrick By Kubrick is very common knowledge especially to people who are a huge fan of Kubrick, there really isn’t much else to be said here! It’s a really solid documentary that Kubrick fans will definitely like as well as movie fans in general!

7/10 B