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: Italian Studies (2021)

A writer loses her memory. Adrift in NYC, she connects with a group of teenagers – in conversations both real and imagined – and searches for a way home.

Italian Studies is perhaps the film that’s going to be the most divisive that I saw at Tribeca, I can perfectly understand why someone would say they weren’t a fan of it or just didn’t like it at all. However I really loved it, it takes a simple premise and really goes in a lot of directions that you wouldn’t think the film would go. Vanessa Kirby gives one of the best performances so far this year, she truly shines and continues to show why she’s one of the best actresses currently working today. The cinematography combined with the style of the film is absolutely beautiful, the shots of Manhattan are flawless and the style of the film as well as the camera shots gives Italian Studies a 90s aesthetic that really works well. The music is beautiful and haunting which adds to the overall experience of the film, the film itself reminds of a dream you had and you keep thinking about it. The story is told in a beautiful way that moves the film along greatly! As I said before Italian Studies is definitely going to divide audiences however if it sounds interesting to you definitely keep it on your radar!

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

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+