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

Tribeca Review: The Price Of Freedom (2021)

A look into the inner workings of the NRA and its influence, featuring interviews with government leaders, NRA representatives and people whose lives have been personally touched by gun violence.

If your going into The Price Of Freedom expecting new information about gun violence or the NRA then you are going to be very disappointed. Because a lot of this information is either very well known or can be looked up easily with a quick google search. What makes The Price Of Freedom interesting is it has a ton of interviews from all sides you have politicians, parents of school shooting victims and even NRA officials or people who use to be part of it but are no longer. They talk about their values and just hearing one of them brag about how they influenced the 2016 election with fear it makes you incredibly angry. That I believe is where the true power of the film comes in and it definitely works. It’s definitely an interesting look on this topic the documentary also goes over the NRA’s history which I thought was well detailed and would give anyone who’s unfamiliar with their history a pretty good rundown of what they are. The Price Of Freedom is a very good starting point for people who want to learn about gun violence and the reactions to it, people who know a lot about the subject will probably still find this one interesting. Just don’t go in expecting anything brand new!

The Price Of Freedom releases July 7th in theaters!

7/10 B

Tribeca Review: We Need To Do Something (2021)

Seeking shelter from a storm, a family find themselves trapped for days with no sign of rescue and untold evils lurking just beyond the walls in this wildly fun house-of-horrors thrill ride.

We Need To Do Something starts out simple enough, it’s one of those horror movies that take place in one area (which are some of the best). Just when you think you know what’s going on in the movie it completely goes bonkers and throws so much at you…and it does it in a good way. We Need To Do Something is pretty much the “what the hell did I just watch?” movie of a film festival (in this case Tribeca) the acting and writing are both quite solid and the last act as I said is bonkers but the type of craziness that you actually really appreciate. The movie does have a rough start with a slow start but as it goes on it gets more and more interesting, We Need To Do Something also has some really great atmosphere that blends into the movie very well which creates some creepy moments! It also helps that the movie is very entertaining, with a few twists and surprising change in tone the movie does a pretty solid job of bringing the audience into the movie. I highly recommend going into We Need To Do Something knowing as little as possible!

We Need To Do Something releases September 3rd on VOD Platforms!

7/10 B

Tribeca Review: All My Friends Hate Me (2021)

Pete is cautiously excited about reuniting with his college crew for a birthday weekend. But, one by one, his friends slowly turn against him. Is he being punished, is he paranoid, or is he part of some sick joke?

All My Friends Hate Me is another very interesting one and one that relies on getting to the audience. It’s a movie that tackles paranoia the type where you start think your friends don’t like you maybe you thought this when you weren’t invited to some parties or an event. It’s also very anxiety driven during some scenes of the film especially towards the end, which they are quite effective the film also has this discussion about friendship it’s positives but also the negatives that do happen occur. The acting and writing are both solid with great performances and some very smart well written dialogue that gives each of the characters their own identity and makes them as raw as possible, making the movie feel more relatable for audiences rather than just being another unrealistic take on friendships. Overall All My Friends Hate Me is fantastic, this is a movie I’m definitely excited to watch again once it releases, I recommend putting this one on your radar.

7/10 B

Tribeca Review: The Justice Of Bunny King (2021)

A triumph over adversity tale about women fighting their way back from the bottom of society.

Not a whole lot to say here, The Justice Of Bunny King starts out as a family drama movie but then quickly progresses into a soft thriller. Which to the movie’s credit actually did a pretty solid job, the build up is quite good and invests the audience into the story. The performances are all pretty decent and there’s some really great writing moments such as a lot character moments especially with Essie Davis who is easily the standout. The movie does feel overstuffed at times wanting to do way too much, which does make some scenes very crowded. However that isn’t enough to stop this movie from being very decent and worth a recommendation, this is probably something I’m in no rush to watch again but for what it is it’s very decent!

6/10 C+

Tribeca Review: Ultrasound (2021)

After his car breaks down, Glen spends one hell of an odd night with a married couple, setting into motion a chain of events that alter their lives plus those of several random strangers.

If you aren’t a patient person you are not going to have a fun time with Ultrasound, however if you are you definitely might. Ultrasound takes a bit to get going but once it does the movie ends up being a very solid Sci-Fi thriller, it’s a fun little puzzle that the movie makes the viewer try and figure out for themselves. The movie takes time to build up to the mystery and what it exactly is, so as far as build up Ultrasound does a fantastic job, with that said I do wish the acting was a bit better and some of the writing did feel very basic at times. Which does lead to some problems early on in the movie, however by the end the movie (for the most part) manages to make it up with a very interesting story. Overall not too bad, it’s definitely not going to be for everyone but if it sounds interesting to you check it out when it releases.

6/10 C+

Tribeca Review: Venus As A Boy (2021)

A struggling artist, living a life in limbo between who he is and who he wants to be, is interrupted by a beautiful woman who forces him to choose.

Venus As A Boy is one of those movies where at the time you watched it you thought “hey that was pretty solid” but then think “actually that was just okay” Ty Hodges and Olivia Culpo give decent performances, the chemistry between the two is quite great and there’s a few meaningful moments in there that are effective. However the writing isn’t exactly great and does ruin a few moments that could have been something interesting, the directing is very okay and doesn’t really bring an interesting choice of style to it. Which is a huge shame because this is definitely the type of movie that would benefit from that, Venus As A Boy is a very okay movie that does have some pretty strong parts about it that make it worth watching, but the lows stick out like a sore thumb unfortunately.

6/10 C+