Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – female buddy comedy – video on demand – review embargoed
ake a trip and break out of your shell with Barb and Star. From the gals who brought you Bridesmaids (co-stars and co-writers Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo) comes BARB & STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR. Lifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time… ever. Read More
Director: Josh Greenbaum
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things – ‘Groundhog Day’ teen romance – Prime Video – 3 stars
The film tells the story of quick-witted teen Mark, contentedly living the same day in an endless loop whose world is turned upside-down when he meets mysterious Margaret also stuck in the time loop. Mark and Margaret form a magnetic partnership, setting out to find all the tiny things that make that one day perfect. What follows is a love story with a fantastical twist, as the two struggle to figure out how — and whether — to escape their never-ending day. Read More
Director: Ian Samuels
Starring: Kathryn Newton, Kyle Allen, Jermaine Harris
Land – Robin Wright wilderness drama – theaters – 3 1/2 stars
From acclaimed actress Robin Wright comes her directorial debut LAND, the poignant story of one woman’s search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter (Demián Bichir) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again. Read More
Director: Robin Wright
Starring: Robin Wright, Demián Bichir, Sarah Dawn Pledge
The Mauritanian – Guantanamo legal drama – theaters – 3 1/2 stars
Directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir “Guantánamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, this is the inspiring true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Alone and afraid, Slahi (Tahar Rahim) finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) who battle the U.S. government in a fight for justice that tests their commitment to the law and their client at every turn. Read More
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch
Minari – Korean-American immigrant drama – theaters, virtual theaters – 3 1/2 stars
A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. The family home changes completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, Minari shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home. Read More
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim
The World to Come – frontier farm drama – theaters – 3 1/2 stars
In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a farmer’s wife, and her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find themselves irrevocably drawn to each other. A grieving Abigail tends to her withdrawn husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) as free-spirit Tallie bristles at the jealous control of her husband Finney (Christopher Abbott), when together their intimacy begins to fill a void in each other’s lives they never knew existed. Read More
Director: Mona Fastvold
Starring: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbott
Judas and the Black Messiah – Black Panthers drama – theaters, HBO Max – 4 stars
FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton. A career thief, O’Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell. Hampton’s political prowess grows just as he’s falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson. Meanwhile, a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands? Read More
Director: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
