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+

Tribeca Review: False Positive (2021)

As if getting pregnant weren’t complicated enough, Lucy sets out to uncover the unsettling truth about her fertility doctor.

False Positive was one of my most anticipated films from the Tribeca Film Festival, while it does succeed in some areas it’s incredibly lacking in others. IIan Glazer, Pierce Brosnan and Justin Theroux all give really strong performances combine that with some genuine creepy moments that are effective which leads to some pretty solid results. However the humor is a complete misfire I’m still not even 100% sure what they were attempting with the humor but whatever it was it didn’t work and completely takes you out of the movie. It doesn’t help that the movie feels like any other pregnancy horror movie, which while it does the pregnancy horror genre just fine it doesn’t do anything to standout. False Positive is not a bad movie it’s a ton of fun with a lot of great moments and as I said before the acting is really solid, it’s just incredibly lacking when it comes to being any different from similar movies.

False Positive releases June 25th on Hulu!

6/10 C+

Tribeca Film Festival Reviews: Shapeless and God’s Waiting Room!

Ivy, a struggling singer in New Orleans trapped in the hidden underworld of her eating disorder, must face her addiction – or risk becoming a monster.

Given the subject matter in Shapeless I really wanted to like this, what does work are the cinematography, some of the acting and the a few moments that truly do shine and show how hard eating disorders are. The problem comes in with the directing that just doesn’t have anything going for it the same can be said for the editing it’s very empty and you ultimately don’t feel anything. The writing is very very simple which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in some cases but when you are making a movie about a topic such as eating disorders it should definitely be more than surface level. The pacing is what seals this movie’s fate it’s way too slow and feels like it drags on for far too long which is unfortunate. I’m sure there are definitely going to be fans of this movie once it releases unfortunately I’m not one of them.

5/10 C

As the summer drags on in central Florida, a young musician, a charismatic hustler, and a man adjusting to life after prison intersect on a dangerous path.

I really do not have a whole lot to comment on about God’s Waiting Room heck I had a tough time figuring out what rating to give this movie. It does do a bunch of things right such as the cinematography, acting and the music which all blend really well together. There’s definitely a meaningful story being told in this movie however the pacing really ruins this movie by being way too slow to the point where it doesn’t draw you in or have you connect in anyway. In fact it’s not just the pacing that does that, it’s mostly the second act that really fails to draw you in. It definitely gets a better towards the end of the movie with some strong writing moments, however that isn’t enough to save the movie. I’m sure there’s going to be people who connect with this movie however so if it sounds interesting to you check it out whenever it releases.

5/10 C

Tribeca Review: Settlers (2021)

Mankind’s earliest settlers on the Martian frontier do what they must to survive the cosmic elements and one another.

Settlers was the last movie I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival and unfortunately it wasn’t a strong way to end it. There was definitely a lot of care and effort put into the movie but a lot of it just does not come together at all, it starts out strong with some very intense scenes as well as some great acting from Ismael Cruz Córdova and Brooklyn Prince who throughout the movie give fantastic performances. Plus the visuals combined with the cinematography were absolutely beautiful, the main problem is the rest of the movie. While it’s definitely not bad it’s nowhere near as interesting or investing as the premise makes it out to be, it’s sadly one of those sci-fi movies that have a ton of ideas but never executes them very well. The story doesn’t go anywhere, the movie itself feels like it starts to drag on for far too long and the last act falls into cliche territory. It’s a very frustrating movie because this could have been something great it has everything it needs but fails to uses it. The writing while not bad could have been better, it feels surface level at some parts. Overall Settlers is not a bad movie but it’s a very frustrating one, one that could have been really great had this been worked on better.

Settlers is available July 23rd on VOD!

5/10 C

Tribeca Review: As Of Yet (2021)

Told entirely through video calls and digital diaries, Naomi navigates a problematic roommate and a burgeoning romance all while locked down during the Coronavirus pandemic.

As Of Yet is yet another movie that has a very interesting premise but is a misfire, Taylor Garron I thought did a pretty good job in her role as well as everyone else and I do like how they touched upon the BLM protests, it gives the movie a sense of rawness to it since the protests did happen during the pandemic. However as the movie goes on it loses that rawness due to a lot of choices and very below average writing, it’s worth pointing out this was produced by The Duplass Brothers which also produced Language Lessons which was at SXSW. Language Lessons is the far superior film as it uses the COVID-19 premise in a much better way plus the writing is far far better. As Of Yet just sort of goes on until it ultimately ends, what kills this movie for me however is how unlikable each of the characters are. Each one of them either does something really crappy or says something crappy to the point where it completely takes you out of the movie. The only characters I found likable were Naomi’s parents part of me wishes the movie was about them and their experience from the pandemic. As Of Yet definitely has the ideas and there was clearly effort put into it but sadly it doesn’t all come together.

4/10 D+