Self-Exploration and Modern Jewish Culture Take Center Stage in “Cha Cha Real Smooth” (Review)

I’ve attended many a school dance. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve heard the “Cupid Shuffle” played over the speakers, which is almost always followed by nearly everybody being dragged out onto the dance floor. The words “Cha cha real smooth” became synonymous with rolling your fists around each other and turning in a perfect circle. Now, Cha Cha Real Smooth is synonymous with a film that I sorely hope gets the attention it deserves.

Image courtesy of Apple TV+

A standout from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Cha Cha Real Smooth comes at us courtesy of writer/director Cooper Raiff, who also stars as Andrew, a twenty-something young man who is noticeably unsure about his own future. Raiff is previously best known for his directorial debut Shithouse, in which he also played an awkward college student without the big hopes and dreams that many young people have.

“Jurassic World: Dominion” Could Kill the Franchise for Good (Review)

The Jurassic Park series has been more of a rollercoaster than most franchises. From one of the greatest films of all time came two lackluster follow-ups, a soft reboot with a critically-panned but financially successful sequel, and finally, Jurassic World: Dominion, which intends to wrap up the second trilogy while providing closure to arcs dating all the way back to the 1993 original.

It’s an admirable goal. Dominion attempts to provide a satisfying answer to the question posed by its predecessor, Fallen Kingdom, about what would happen if dinosaurs were living among us on planet Earth. That could have been a fascinating premise, but frustratingly, Dominion chooses to go in a completely different direction, spitting in the face of what the first two Jurassic World films set up.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

Nearly every lead actor from previous Jurassic films makes a reappearance, including Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong and Isabella Sermon from Jurassic World, and the original three: Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum are back as Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and Ian Malcolm respectively. Their return is inarguably the sequel’s biggest draw (the trailers confirmed as such), so why is the reunion the opposite of spectacular when it actually happens?

“Downton Abbey” Ushers in a New Era in an Emotionally Effective Sequel (Review)

In the first Downton Abbey film, the Crawleys’ former butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) says that “a hundred years from now, Downton will still be standing, and the Crawleys will still be here.” That promise all but ensures a limitless future for Downton itself, and the possibilities of new stories for years to come. Even after its natural ending on television, its characters and storylines have found new lives on the big screen, which is no easy feat to accomplish.

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

After a pandemic-related delay, a sequel to the 2019 film (itself a follow-up to the successful ITV series) is finally here. Downton Abbey: A New Era picks up one year after the royal visit from the previous film, and not much has changed. True to Carson’s dogma, Downton is still standing and the Crawleys are still there — but that doesn’t stop a variety of factors from threatening to tear the family apart.

“The Boys” is a Bloody Good Time (Seasons 1 & 2 Review)

Note: This review was originally published in The Cape Cod Chronicle in November 2020.

For those suffering from superhero fatigue, I get it. There are at least five a year, and not all of them can be winners. Sometimes, you might want to step away from the big screen, and get comfortable on your own couch for some exciting, binge-able television. One thing that the pandemic has brought us is more time to invest searching our streaming queues for new shows to devote ourselves to, and The Boys is one such series that brought me happiness in the last few months.

Dinosaurs Truly Come to Life in New Docuseries “Prehistoric Planet” (Review)

There is something enticing about being given a window into a world we will never experience. Sometimes it can feel private, even perverse…but not when it comes to the dinosaurs.

Image courtesy of Apple TV+

Over fifty million years ago, these prehistoric creatures, both large and small, roamed the earth alongside the animals we coexist with today. Our knowledge of the dinosaurs has only continued to increase over the last centuries, and with technology advancing right alongside it, we’re now able to digitally render the gorgeous environments that dinosaurs resided in for an even better understanding of how they lived.

“The Valet” Proves the Traditional Rom-Com Still Lives (Review)

If you are a regular watcher of movies, you’ve undoubtedly seen your fair share of romantic comedies. After a while, you will start to pick up the tropes and typical story structure, and it becomes easier and easier to predict what will happen in any given movie. Sometimes, that can make rom-coms a chore, but in the case of The Valet, a remake of a French film of the same name, it actually makes the experience better.

Image courtesy of Hulu

Eugenio Derbez, best known to me as the music teacher from this year’s best picture winner, CODA, plays Antonio, a valet who gets roped into a Hollywood scandal by unfortunate circumstance: he crashes his bike into the car of movie star Olivia Allan (Ready or Not’s Samara Weaving), just as the paparazzi photograph her with the married man that she is having an affair with. Played by New Girl's Max Greenfield, the married man is a senator, or a councilman, or a realtor — I honestly couldn’t tell you which one — but to cover up the affair, he pays Antonio to step into the public eye and pretend to be Olivia’s boyfriend.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 26: Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

It’s Marvel week here on the podcast, as Alice returns for back-to-back reviews of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight. Plus, previews of upcoming releases and more of what we’ve been watching lately.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

The Doctor Strange spoiler episode is coming next week!

“Senior Year” Brings Back the 90s Teen Movie, with a Twist (Review)

Getting older can be scary. I’m 19, so I don’t feel qualified to speak accurately on the fears of rapidly getting older without meaningful accomplishment, but it’s a subject that Senior Year, a new comedy straight from Netflix, takes in stride.

Image courtesy of Netflix

We’re first introduced to Stephanie Conway, an Australian immigrant who just wants to be one of the popular girls. It’s the late 90s, prime time of the Mean Girls-esque cliques, harmful stereotypes and popular teen movies that gave every impressionable schoolchild unrealistic expectations about high school. However, Senior Year is itself one of those high school movies, and Stephanie succeeds in her quest: she becomes the most popular girl in school, and by default becomes insufferable and rude to her supposed best friends.

At first, Stephanie is played by Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys, Spider-Man), finally getting the chance to use her native Aussie accent in a quasi-mainstream film! After a cheerleading accident, shortly before the completion of her final year of high school, Stephanie gets thrown into a coma that she only emerges from two decades later, now played by Rebel Wilson.

The Lenient Critic Podcast: Happy Friday the 13th!

Heath is back to discuss one of the most iconic film franchises of all time, and this time he’s brought Jonathan Watkins of CinemaSins with him! Heath, Jonathan and Rowan break down the first six films in the franchise, discuss what works and what doesn’t, and the humor that comes to define Friday the 13th by movie four.

“Operation Mincemeat” Tells an Unbelievable True Story (Review)

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. Every instance of a bizarre, real-life occurrence not widely known or discussed is fascinating to me, which is why I’m grateful for the film medium: it gives a chance for these stories to be told in an accessible way, no matter what time period the stories are from. Films are something that most everyone can get behind.

Image courtesy of Netflix

This time, director John Madden (Oscar-nominated for Shakespeare in Love) is proving he has the chops to make a bona fide war movie — if you don’t count Captain Corelli’s Mandolin — with Operation Mincemeat, one of those fantastically weird war maneuvers that, despite all odds, was successfully pulled off. The curtain rises in 1943, as the Allies are attempting to disguise their upcoming invasion of Sicily. A deception effort, involving the deceased tramp Glyndwr Michael, was devised, in which Michael would be outfitted as the fictitious Major William Martin (later known as “the man who never was”) of the Royal Marines. Michael’s body was furnished with false documents purporting that Greece and Sardinia were the Allies’ true invasion targets in an effort to lure German forces away from Sicily.

Random Musings: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

The increasingly complicated Marvel Cinematic Universe ushered in an important new entry this week with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and I didn’t have a chance to cover everything I wanted to in my review. Here are some other thoughts I had about the film that didn’t quite fit into the review — and keep in mind, there are major spoilers ahead.

Things Get Out of Hand in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Spoiler-Free Review)

No Marvel film, aside from perhaps Avengers: Endgame, has ever had as much pressure as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has on its shoulders. It must follow up the satisfying multiversal madness from last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, in addition to living up to fan expectations and delivering the mass amounts of cameos that enthusiasts are demanding.

Image courtesy of Disney

With all that weight, it would be a very difficult task to completely satisfy everybody — and I genuinely believe there’s an incredible movie buried in what we eventually got. What we did get, though, is far from terrible. In fact, I’m close to loving it, and a bit more careful consideration might get me there.

“Barry” Soars Even Higher in Season 3 (Spoiler-Free Review)

It's been three years since Barry was last on the air. Back then, the world was pandemic-free, HBO Max didn’t exist, and Bill Hader was only a two-time Emmy winner. Obviously, there’s been quite a shift in circumstances since 2019, but at least one thing remains the same: Barry is still one of the best shows on television, and the third season is a perfect reminder of that.

Image courtesy of HBO

Set in a shorter span than real-time, Season Three deals directly with the consequences and fallout of its predecessor, just as any good serialized show should. All of our favorite (and least favorite) characters are taking big steps in their lives, and I was absolutely thrilled to return to this entertaining world of hilariously heightened reality.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 24: The Northman, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Chris Bakker is Chris back-er (I’m sorry) on the podcast to discuss The Northman and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, two massively bombastic films that definitely aren’t getting enough box office attention. He and Rowan also preview some upcoming blockbusters and talk about what they’ve been watching lately. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

And, if you’ve seen The Northman, here’s a bonus episode where we discuss it in detail!

An Interview with “Operation Mincemeat” Director John Madden

I had the opportunity to speak with director Oscar-nominated director John Madden about his new film Operation Mincemeat, which depicts a deception effort to keep the plans for the Allied invasion of Sicily secret during the Second World War.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Madden is an English director best known for directing the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love, as well as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel. He was a fascinating interview, and I loved hearing his insight about the film’s historical subjects and the streamlined, dynamic nature of the dramatization.

An Interview with “Crush” Director Sammi Cohen

I had the opportunity to speak with director Sammi Cohen about her new film Crush, which features an aspiring young artist (played by Rowan Blanchard), who is forced to join her high school track team, later discovering what real love feels like when she finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate.

Image courtesy of Hulu

Cohen is an American director best known for directing thirty-four episodes of CollegeHumor originals and multiple Dropout original series. She was an excellent interview, and her personal connection to the film’s themes and messages, including the politics of coming out and the importance of art and free speech, make for a wonderful discussion.

Awe-Inspiring “The Northman” is a Viking Epic for the Ages (Review)

I’ve found that films tend to be a better experience when the director actually gets to make the movie they want to make, as opposed to a mess of a feature hastily glued together with reshoots and studio interference. Hollywood politics are tricky, but I think it’s safe to say we would be getting a lot more originality if every director’s innovation was maintained to their preference.

Image courtesy of Focus Features

One director who’s had more success than not with preserving his artistic vision — with the three features he’s produced thus far — is Robert Eggers, writer/director of 2015’s The Witch, 2019’s The Lighthouse, and now The Northman, a Viking-centric story emblematic of Hamlet which allows Eggers to dive into the endlessly deep well of Norse mythology. Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth (the name being one of the more obvious parallels with its Shakespearean influence), a Viking prince whose young life is uprooted when his uncle Fjölnir (Dracula’s Claes Bang) kills his father Aurvandill War-Raven (Dead Poets Society’s Ethan Hawke) and takes the throne, kidnapping Amleth’s mother (Being the Ricardos' Nicole Kidman) in the process. Amleth manages to escape, armed only with a mantra anyone who saw a trailer for this movie in theaters can likely quote verbatim: “I will avenge you, father! I will save you, mother! I will kill you, Fjölnir!”

Two decades later, as Amleth has grown into the much beefier Skarsgård, he finally begins to make progress on his promise. The traditional hero’s journey is punctuated with vivid Green Knight-esque side quests and increasingly violent distractions. Woe befalls anyone who crosses his path, whether they be undead warriors or egotistic cousins, and the adventure only gets better as it nears its end.

“The Baby” Presents a Twisted View of Motherhood (Review)

Image courtesy of HBO

When someone refers to an infant as a “little monster,” they never mean it literally. The Baby, a limited series co-produced by HBO and Sky Atlantic, takes a concept so innocent and corrupts it into a violent, disturbing and oddly hilarious fantasy about motherhood.

Buckle Up for “The Flight Attendant” Season Two (Review)

Back in 2020, HBO Max still had a long way to go in proving themselves to be a worthwhile streamer. On top of all their shared content with HBO and Warner Bros, they introduced numerous original series and films, beginning the journey in becoming the best streaming service out there.

Image courtesy of HBO Max

One of its premier series was The Flight Attendant, a comedy/thriller starring Kaley Cuoco as Cassie Bowden, the titular flight attendant who finds herself involved in an international conspiracy scandal. Just in case it didn’t get picked up for a second season, the first tied a neat bow on the story and our main characters, ensuring that it could work well as a limited series. It also happened to be one of the most engaging series I’d ever seen, proving that — once again — HBO (Max) doesn’t miss, and has always been reliably consistent in producing excellent content.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 22: Ambulance, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

 

Alice is back for some very important discussions on AmbuLAnce, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Guess which won Alice loved! Plus, previews of upcoming releases and what they’ve been watching lately.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is the Ultimate Nicolas Cage Flick (Review)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent kicks off with a couple watching a Nic Cage movie in a posh, decked-out bedroom. This isn’t out of the ordinary in any particular way — Nicolas Cage is a beloved actor, if a confounding one — but when it’s the beginning of a film hinged on the audience’s love of that very same actor, it also serves as the introduction of a meta element that will never stop telling you exactly what kind of movie you’re watching.

Image courtesy of Lionsgate

A Cage-tastic opening can only be followed by…you guessed it…more Nicolas Cage! Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself in Massive Talent, fighting for relevance and ready to quit acting. While I highly doubt that would ever be an option in real life, Massive Talent’s Nic Cage is preparing to take that step when he begrudgingly accepts an offer to attend the birthday part of Javi Gutierrez (The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal). As you might expect — especially if you’re seen the trailer — things very quickly get out of hand, and soon Nic finds himself fighting both for his family and himself.

Random Musings: “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”

The not-so-fantastic Harry Potter spinoff series welcomed a new entry this week with The Secrets of Dumbledore, and I didn’t have a chance to cover everything I wanted to in my review. Here are some other thoughts I had about the film that didn’t quite fit into the review — and keep in mind, there are major spoilers ahead.

“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” is a Step in the Right Direction (Review)

After the disappointment of 2018’s Crimes of Grindelwald, the Wizarding World has returned with a new Fantastic Beasts sequel that has the potential to either save or destroy the franchise. With some cast changes (and some bizarre mainstays), The Secrets of Dumbledore could be a glimmer of hope for fans of the series…or it could be the final nail in the coffin.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros

Despite being confused about its own timeline — a character claims that the first film took place a year before, when that’s almost certainly not the case — we apparently pick up with our favorite characters in 1932, as the followers of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (played here by Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen, replacing Johnny Depp) are growing in number, and a war in both the magical and non-magical worlds becomes more an eventuality than a possibility. Just as with its predecessor, there are far too many characters to follow, but at least The Secrets of Dumbledore has a concrete idea of how to use each one and make their parts important in the grand scheme of its story.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 21: The Harry Potter Series

In preparation for The Secrets of Dumbledore, Foster returns to the podcast to properly discuss the entire Harry Potter franchise, from 2001 to 2018, and imagine (somewhat nihilistically) what might come in the future.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

“Sonic the Hedgehog” Returns in a Pleasant but Familiar Sequel (Review)

A sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog was inevitable. Because of pandemic shutdowns, it finished third in the domestic box office at the year’s end, placing sixth worldwide. My special connection comes in the fact that it was the last film I saw theatrically until May 2021, and for that reason Sonic the Hedgehog will always hold a special place in my heart.

That said, I’ve never been one for video games, and so there was a limit to my anticipation for the sequel. It came more from a place of traditional expectations — I enjoyed the first film (perhaps more than it deserved), and its follow-up looked like a lot of fun. Nothing more, nothing less.

Happily, Sonic 2 measured up almost exactly to those expectations. Nearly every named character returns from the first film, and in that way Sonic 2 is perhaps one of the best direct continuations when it comes to children’s films. There’s a surprising amount of carryover from its predecessor, especially when it comes to character dynamics, leading to some genuinely hilarious moments.

“Starstruck” Continues its Streak in Season Two (Review)

Starstruck is an interesting beast. With each season running just six short episodes in length, a lot of ground and character work needs to be covered in an impossibly short time. The debut season, released on HBO Max last summer, essentially did it perfectly, and so Season Two has a lot to live up to.

Creator and writer Rose Matafeo once again stars as Jessie, a New Zealander who, in the first season, had a one-night stand with a man who turned out to be movie star Tom Kapoor (Nikesh Patel). After subsequent fits of passion and subsequent break-ups, Jessie and Tom are back together, with her completely abandoning her plans to permanently relocate home to New Zealand in order to be with him. In a Graduate-style sequence, the two sit together at the back of a bus without a care in the world about what their lives will be like in the days, weeks and months afterward.

Season Two covers those days, weeks and months. After an idealized and romantic ending, the real world rears its ugly head, and Jessie and Tom have to deal with the fallout of her impulsive decision, the return of her ex-boyfriend and the realities of living together. Their worlds once again clash, and they (along with the audience) begin to once again ask the question of “why are these people together?”

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 20: Morbius, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Apollo 10½, The Bubble

This is a week of shit, but also a week of excellence! Shane Conto returns to the podcast to discuss the morbid Morbius, the dashing Lost City, the spectacular Everything Everywhere All At Once, the charming Apollo 10½, and the beautiful failure The Bubble. Plus, their top five standalone sequels or spin-offs, and what they’ve been watching lately. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

Even a Taste of “Morbius” is Bitter (Review)

Morbius is the most expensive April Fool’s joke of all time.

Set in one of the now-infinite Marvel film universes, Morbius is an ill-fated venture of a film that gives Jared Leto a chance to redeem himself and his Oscar-winning acting abilities. It’s not even able to accomplish that, though, and somehow becomes one of the worst superhero movies I’ve ever seen — in a world where Thor: The Dark World and Dark Phoenix exist!

Leto plays the titular Dr. Michael Morbius, a man who’s suffered from a rare blood disease his entire life. His experiments, in hopes of finding a cure, leave him mutated and with an unquenchable thirst for human blood, with the FBI on his tail and his surrogate brother (Doctor Who’s Matt Smith) idolizing what Morbius has become.

Travel Back to the ’60s in Linklater’s Magical “Apollo 10½” (Review)

I wasn’t alive during the moon landing, but sometimes I wish I had been. To be a part of history, even in an observatory fashion, must have been remarkable — but let’s be honest: what kid wouldn’t have wanted to do even more?

Enter Stanley, played by Milo Coy, the protagonist of Richard Linklater’s new film Apollo 10½. At the very start, Stanley is lifted from the playground and recruited directly by the United States government for a top-secret mission. They’ve accidentally built the initial lunar module too small, and they need someone to take it to the moon as a test run for the upcoming Apollo 11 launch.

“Everyone was doing something for NASA, one way or another.”

Image courtesy of Netflix

But that’s not what Apollo 10½ is really about. Through Stanley and his family, we get a powerful sense of the culture in the late 1960s. The Space Race was going strong, hatred and fear were high for the Soviet Union, and there was a hopeful change in the social consciousness brewing that indicated everything would be shifting sooner rather than later. This is how my father grew up, and based on what I know, I believe this is the best representation of the time period that’s ever been put to screen. It makes perfect sense that it’s partially based on Linklater’s own upbringing, seeing as he would have been eight years old at the time of the moon landing.

Marvel’s “Moon Knight” Doesn’t Pull Punches, and is Better for It (Review)

This review does not contain spoilers for Moon Knight. However, if you wish to go in completely blind, it’s probably best to come back to this page tomorrow.

It’s a fun exercise in vagueness to review a Marvel series that no one else has seen yet, but I must say that you’re in for a wild ride with Moon Knight.

I’ve heard this said, pre-release, about every Marvel Cinematic Universe film and series, but Moon Knight is unlike anything they’ve ever done before. A six-episode standalone miniseries that vastly limits its connections to the overall MCU is something not often seen, especially with the size of the ever-expanding universe of stories. Its autonomy isn’t the only thing that makes it great, but it’s an excellent start, and eliminates any distracting fan service and lets us focus on the characters we should be familiarizing ourselves with.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 19: The 94th Academy Awards

Heath Lynch rejoins Rowan to discuss one of the more interesting Academy Awards in recent years -- but it’s really all because of one moment. Of course, they’ll also discuss the winners, what should have won, if the hosting strategy was successful, and what’s up next.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

“Human Resources” is a Workplace Comedy with a Big Mouth (Review)

Google has decided that the genre of Netflix’s Human Resources, a spinoff of their hit animated series Big Mouth, is “ribaldry.” They don’t label it as a sitcom (which it absolutely is), and there’s no hint of it being an adult animated series. Their use of “ribaldry” is accurate, though — like its parent series, Human Resources is a foul-mouthed and indelicate series that explores the complexities of human emotions through their physical representations.

Image courtesy of Netflix

A spiritual successor to Big Mouth Season 5’s shattering of the fourth wall, Human Resources brings back many characters from Big Mouth, most of them monsters that influence and symbolize the feelings of the humans they’re assigned to. Human Resources isn’t so much about the humans, as its parent series is, but instead covers the interpersonal lives and relationships between the monsters, structuring itself as a more straightforward sitcom.

The Lenient Critic Podcast Episode 18: Turning Red, The Adam Project, X, Deep Water

The metaphors in Turning Red are not exactly subtle, but does that bring down the film? Rowan discusses this with our new guest Robert Bouffard, co-editor of SiftPop! Together, they discuss Turning Red, Netflix sci-fi action The Adam Project, A24 horror X and Deep Water, a film that has somehow not aged well despite only just now being released. Plus, their top five A24 films, and what they’ve been watching lately.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast and give us a rating on Apple Podcasts!

“The Lost City” is Better Left Buried (Review)

Of the wonderfully ridiculous films to premiere at South by Southwest this year, I had the least hope for The Lost City. A comedy with extreme Romancing the Stone undertones, The Lost City begins as Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock), a romance author who has descended into a spiral of depression ever since the passing of her husband, embarks on a tour for her latest novel — one that she desperately hopes will be the last. Things, of course, don’t go as planned, and Loretta is kidnapped by billionaire Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) who believes that the treasures Loretta writes about are real…and she’s the key to finding them.

Channing Tatum plays Loretta’s cover model Alan Caprison, who goes to rescue our main character after she goes missing. Alan may believe that he is actually Dash, the fictional hero around which Loretta’s book series is based. I think the film may have worked better, beyond its surface level, if it played into that a little bit more and made Tatum more than just a relatively dimwitted romantic lead. We know he has the acting chops, and we’ve seen him utilized well before, so unfortunately I found myself underwhelmed by his presence in The Lost City.

A Selection of South by Southwest Film Festival 2022 Reviews

I was once again given the chance to attend a virtual film festival this past week as South by Southwest (commonly styled as SXSW) held its latest film, music and technology convention in-person in Austin, Texas, with a virtual component so those who were unable to make it were still able to publicize the festival and its films.

I covered the festival for The Invention of Dreams, so I will not be able to print my full reviews here but I will instead redirect you to my reviews on the aforementioned site. Many of the films, including the headliners (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Lost City, X, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and more) were only shown in-person, but those will all be reviewed in some respect on The Lenient Critic in the future. I was able to see five film premieres, with a wide range of subjects, stars and genres. Without further ado, here are a selection of my reviews from the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.