Author: Cortland Jacoby
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Review: ‘Upgraded’
Camila Mendes And Marisa Tomei Star In Amazon’s Economical Romantic Comedy
Part Cinderella story and all romcom, Upgraded is the newest selection from Amazon Prime Video. Starring Riverdale alum Camila Mendes and Shadow and Bone star Archie Renaux, this modern-day fairytale doesn’t do any dazzling except for a few standout character actors. Mendez plays Ana, an art-obsessed intern with a Master’s degree, no formal living situation,…
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Review: ‘Scrambled’
Leah McKendrick Harvests Her Eggs In This Moving And Hilarious Pro-Choice Comedy
In a post-Roe world, the concept of pro-choice might seem a bit crass to joke about. Films like Juno or Obvious Child make jokes but ultimately center on choices made during pregnancy. Writer, director, and star of Scambled, Leah McKendrick, takes a comedic look at an often ignored side of a pro-choice issue, egg freezing. …
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Sundance Review: ‘Daughters’
Award-Winning Doc Explores The Impact Of Incarceration As Girls Reunite With Their Imprisoned Fathers
It’s well-known that when someone goes to prison, it impacts their entire family. This universal truth is exemplified in the Sundance breakout documentary Daughters. Heartbreaking, joyous, and eye-opening, this first-time effort from documentarian Natalie Rae and community activist Angela Patton looks at how restrictions made inside American prisons ultimately hurt the children of inmates and…
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Sundance Review: ‘Stress Positions’
John Early Hilariously Tries To Hold It Together During The Pandemic In Theda Hammel’s Experimental Farce
Stress Positions captures a very specific moment in time. Mid-pandemic, New York City, everyone doesn’t know what’s happening, misinformation is flying, and every millennial is trying their best. At the heart of Theda Hammel’s first feature is a dilapidated brownstone where the wifi doesn’t work and where a Moroccan model recuperates from a broken leg…
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Sundance Review: ‘Between The Temples’
Jason Schwartzman And Carol Kane Have Blazing Chemistry In Nathan Silver’s Surreal Jewish Comedy
Jason Schwartzman is known for playing awkward sad sack characters trying to get their shit together. His breakout role in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore is a great example of this. He’s now starring in indie filmmaker Nathan Silver’s latest called Between the Temples which premiered at Sundance earlier this month. Schwartzman plays Ben, a cantor at…
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Sundance Review: ‘Suncoast’
Nico Parker, Laura Linney, And Woody Harrelson Explore Grief And Adolescence In Laura Chinn’s Debut Feature
In January of 2023, Nico Parker stole the first episode of The Last of Us, playing the doomed daughter of Pedro Pascal in the HBO existential zombie series. The follow-up to her breakout role is playing an average teenager in just as a devastating situation: dealing with her brother going through hospice. Written by first-time…
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Sundance Review: ‘Ibelin’
Online Community And Disability Meet In Benjamin Ree’s Heartbreaking And Heartfelt Documentary
If you are part of any online community, you know about the power of the internet. Whether your platform is Tumblr, Discord, Xbox, or some other online game, these platforms have the singular power of connecting people of similar interests together quickly. This idea is explored in Benjamin Ree’s latest documentary Ibelin. The breakout director…
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Sundance Review: ‘A Real Pain’
Kieran Culkin Is A Tour De Force While Touring Poland In Jesse Eisenberg’s Second Feature
If you go back and read the Punch Drunk Critics review for Jesse Eisenberg’s first feature When You Finish Saving The World, there was room for him to improve. Well, he found it in A Real Pain, his second directing effort and the first one he is starring in. While Eisenberg’s script stands out as…