Review by Camden Ferrell

​After their acclaimed and fantastic documentary, On the Record, directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering return with Allen v. Farrow, a miniseries that details the sexual abuse allegations against Woody Allen in the 90’s. While the documentary doesn’t have as comprehensive a scope as the story warrants, it’s an effective look into the private life of its titular couple as well as the effect it has on the family unit.
 
Woody Allen was an Oscar winning writer and director who was much admired in the world for his contributions to the film world. His partner of 12 years and frequent co-star, Mia Farrow, was also a famous actress with a successful film career. However, their lives became the subject of public scrutiny after allegations were made that Allen had sexually abused his 7-year-old daughter, Dylan. This is an infamous story that is being brought back into the spotlight due to the current social climate, and it’s a surprising story that bears a lot of relevance on modern issues.
 
Stories like this are often hard to approach. It’s a case that has been the source of lots of controversy and continued dispute, and the film had the task of trying to honestly tell its story without subjecting it to a lot of the sensationalism that has surrounded these events. For the most part, the series is thoroughly researched and presents the evidence and testimonies in a straightforward manner. It doesn’t use superficial techniques to try and add flair to the story, but it mostly focuses on the informed testimony and opinions of professionals in several different medical and legal fields.
 
The series consists of home video footage, news reels, recorded phone calls, and an abundance of present-day testimony from its subjects. It can sometimes feel like there is an over reliance on this testimony, and it uses it as a crutch to supplement its narrative. While this provides more retrospective insight into events, it suffers from a lack of multiple perspectives. The Farrow family and their close friends make up most of the testimony, and it can make the whole series feel a bit one-sided at time. 

One of the film’s biggest flaws comes from the aforementioned lack of perspective. The series justifies this by declaring that Allen, his wife, and one of his children refused to be interviewed for the series. However, for a series titled Allen v. Farrow, a lot of it centers around the Farrows. The series juggles the retelling of the allegations against Allen with the story and journey of Dylan Farrow. While these are both very important elements of the series, it never finds a good balance of those two dynamics.
 
The unevenness of its presentation is disappointing considering its ample runtime. At around four hours, it definitely feels like the series could have explored the actual case a little bit more as well as its aftermath. Of the four episodes, episode three is the most accomplished due to its brisk pace and compelling recounting of events. The other episodes can drag in comparison and not feel as entertainingly informative as the others.
 
Despite its flaws, this is a thematically significant series especially in today’s social landscape. Regardless of your views on Allen and Farrow, it’s important to give consideration to the perspective of survivors now more than ever. This series heavily focuses on the enduring trauma left by abuse, and it’s an aspect that the directors really excel in, and it is the heart of the miniseries.
 
Allen v. Farrow may provide new information even to those who are familiar with the case. It sometimes drags in certain episodes, but it’s an interesting exploration into the events surrounding this controversy.
 
Allen v. Farrow, a 4-part mini-series, premieres on HBO and HBO Max February 21 at 9:00 P.M. EST.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart, Days of the Bagnold Summer is a coming-of-age dramedy set in a world that so many of us know all too well. Mildly funny and extremely heartwarming, this may not reinvent the wheel in a familiar genre, but its feeling of sincerity goes a long way in making it enjoyable nevertheless.

The film follows a teenage boy who is forced to spend his summer living with his single mother and listening to heavy metal music. The story hits all the regular beats of the formula without much deviation, but since adolescence is such a universal experience, these emotions will never cease to ring true.

One of the interesting things about the movie, though, is that writer Lisa Owens seems just as invested (if not more so) in the story of the mother than her son. The result is a single mother character that is refreshingly well-rounded and does not feel in any way like the caricatures that parental figures typically are in films such as this.

Admittedly, the movie doesn’t do quite enough with the specifics of the situation. It would have been nice to see a bit more time put into developing the mother’s dating life or the son’s passion for music, but it’s still admirable to see a film try to do something somewhat different in its portrayal of growing up.

At under ninety minutes in length, there was definitely plenty of room for them to expand on some of these ideas a little more heftily. The first act exploring the mother-son relationship is pretty effective, but the final act which tries to go into more of the subplots feels entirely rushed. The result is immensely watchable but also a tad forgettable.

Earl Cave makes for a very charming lead. His comedic delivery is very strong, but he also pulls it off in a way that doesn’t feel exaggerated. Monica Dolan struggles with some of the more emotionally weighty scenes, but her performance is mostly effective. And comedian Rob Brydon has a funny (as always) bit part.

It does feel like a bit more could have been done on a technical level. Most comedy movies adapted from graphic novels have a visual quirkiness to them borrowed from their original medium, but this feels mostly plain. In his feature directorial debut, Simon Bird could have spared to do something a bit more distinctive.

Days of the Bagnold Summer is a charming little film. Even though it is unlikely to make a very big splash in the sea of coming-of-age comedies that come out every year, it’s cute in a way that gets it an earnest recommendation.

Days of the Bagnold Summer hits theaters and VOD on February 19.

​Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short ushered in a new era of true crime films with a comedic sense of self-awareness, but so many of these subsequent attempts have felt like imitations. John Swab’s Body Brokers certainly falls into that category, a passable but mostly mediocre movie that clearly wants to be more than it is.

The film follows a recovering junkie who gets wrapped up in a lucrative scheme in which companies profit off of fraud in the rehab industry. It’s an interesting stranger-than-fiction set-up, but in trying to make the story friendly for the Hollywood formula, Swab isn’t able to do anything particularly thought-provoking with the concept.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie is that the pacing is extremely uneven. The first forty-five minutes are presented as an earnest drug recovery drama, only for it to turn into a sleek thriller for the remaining hour. It’s a significant case of tonal whiplash that would have been settled had the film settled into its schlockiness earlier.

The things that the movie has to say about the opioid epidemic are pretty eye-opening. However, it often feels as if these messages are at the service of entertainment and not the other way around. Although there are a lot of harrowing facts and figures thrown out, they are almost always overshadowed by the film’s performative tendencies.

Another one of the movie’s shortcomings is in its character development. Although we are clearly rooting for the protagonist to get better, all of the supporting players that he encounters along the way are abhorrent. And perhaps most frustratingly, there is a narrator character whose role in the story isn’t introduced until the midway point.

Jack Kilmer is definitely the standout as the lead of the film. His performance offers the only thing resembling nuance in the entire thing. Michael Kenneth Green is probably the best supporting player, giving a performance that is enjoyably sly. Others, including Jessica Rothe, Frank Grillo, and Melissa Leo are underused.

There are also some really strong scenes in the movie from a technical standpoint. Admittedly, the film can’t really decide whether it wants to be gritty or stylish, but there are a couple good examples of each to be found. The energetic montages in the second half are especially effective and fun to watch.

Body Brokers may pale in comparison to the much better movies that obviously influenced it, but there are enough good moments to make it worth the rental fee. With a few more rounds of revisions, this had the potential to be something better.

Body Brokers hits VOD on February 19.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Noël Coward is considered by many to be one of the greatest playwrights ever, and as such, adapting his work is no easy task. The star-studded new version of Blithe Spirit may not be entirely necessary, but fun performances keep this comedy mostly entertaining even if it struggles when it tries to be something more.

The film tells the story of a writer suffering from writer’s block who finds himself in a jam when a medium accidentally summons the spirit of his dead wife and she ends up at odds with his current wife. Coward’s play was first performed in 1941, and it’s an interesting choice to keep this as a period piece rather than modernizing it.

Although the focus here seems to be on the central love triangle, the more interesting aspect of the story is its exploration of the idea of plagiarism. Granted, it’s a much more niche and less widely relatable idea, but it’s also a much more original conflict, making the movie more compelling overall as a result.

Coward does have a very specific sense of dry humor, and director Edward Hall wasn’t quite able to translate that to the screen. Instead, the film turns into a more straightforward slapstick comedy. There are still funny moments, but watching the ghost ex-wife and live wife trying to outwit each other gets old rather quickly.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this movie, though, is the character development. Coward’s plays are set in high society, but manage to humanize the characters. In this version, all of the characters feel like jerks, leaving us no character for which we are rooting. And cheering for all of their demise does not seem to be the purpose.

That said, the actors do a great job nevertheless, giving performances that are genuinely fun to watch. It’s great to see Dan Stevens getting more comedic work, because he has the chops to pull it off. Isla Fisher and Leslie Mann have a great dynamic as the protagonist’s two wives. And Judi Dench is great but underused in her role as the medium.

On a technical level, the film looks pretty strong. The production design does an adequate job of setting the time period of the movie, even though it doesn’t fully dial up the quirkiness factor that could have made this even more enjoyable. Hall’s direction of the comedic beats is also competent, if straightforward. 

Blithe Spirit isn’t a great adaptation of Noël Coward’s work, but it’s a passable film by all means. It’s worth watching if only for the opportunity to get to watch the four leads chew the scenery at every possible chance.

Blithe Spirit hits theaters and VOD on February 19.  

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Dan Skip Allen

Documentaries can range from inside looks at the wild creatures who live in the world to never before told stories of people nobody ever heard of. A good documentary gets inside its subject matter. 17 Blocks is an up-close-and-personal look at a family in the inner city of Northeast Washington, D.C., only a short distance away from the Capital, but in actuality a million miles away.

The subject of 17 Blocks is the Sanford family from Northeast Washington, D.C. They struggle with inner-city violence, financial strife, gang banging, and drug addiction. Like any family of any walk of life, the Sanford family strives for a better life for themselves. Drama always creeps in and tears families apart. This family is no different than any other.

Emanuel Durant is one of the sons and he gets himself into trouble and his life ends tragically. The family has to deal with his loss and how to move forward after a difficult time in their lives. The grieving will never end. It's just a matter of taking things day by day and week by week. Life still goes on for the rest of the family members. He had so much to look forward to in his young life, but he got involved with the wrong crowd and lost his life.

20 years of documenting this family had led to a lot of footage from when the children were young up until they were adults. They have experienced quite a lot of different scenarios regarding their lives. The death of Emmanuel hurt them all tremendously. He was only 25 years old. Finding a silver lining in the story is the key. The Sanfords gravitate toward religion and the Lord.

In a city like Washington, D.C., the crime rate is high. The police deal with quite a few homicides every day. The death of Emmanuel is just one of many. The police don't have time to spend on one unsolved murder when they have so many more to deal with. The family has to accept this sad fact of life. They move on but never forget his life. 

The family moves around and lives in different places and that's a fact of having many children and not having enough money to take care of them. Having loved this sort of life, I can say it's not easy. It's hard on the kids growing up and makes the kids the sole responsibility of the parents. The parents have no life except to take care of their kids and try to provide for them. It's not a fun life for anybody involved.

The documentary bounces back and forth, so the story can get a little confusing at times. It goes from the grandmother to her kids to the grandkids. Twenty years can be a lot of time to document. The filmmakers have a lot of footage to work with. In the end, this documentary is a deep dive inside this family. It gives a serious look at the lives of people in the inner city and how things can go wrong very quickly.

17 Blocks streams in virtual cinemas beginning February 19. A list of participating locations can be found here.

Rating: 4/5