Review by Camden Ferrell

The summer of 1969 has become something of legend. Most associate it with the iconic festival that was Woodstock. However, fewer know of another festival that happened about 100 miles away in that same summer. The directorial debut of famous musician Questlove, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) explores the event that was known to some as Black Woodstock. It premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize.  This is a documentary that features some really interesting archival footage even if it isn’t fully comprehensive.
 
The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of concerts that celebrated African American culture while also serving as a platform for their politics. This documentary unearths previously unseen footage and intercuts it with retrospective interviews about the festival and its influence on the community. It’s an interesting event that hasn’t been explored nearly enough, and it’s an engaging and enjoyable basis for this film.
 
It is clear that Questlove has a lot of personal investment in the film, and it feels like a labor of love. However, there are some pacing inconsistencies throughout that aren’t distracting but are somewhat noticeable. Certain sections have great energy and momentum, and then there are other moments that don’t flow nearly as well for the film’s sake. Despite its flaws, it shows that he has a lot of talent as a director and his experienced musical perspective is evident in the way he presents the events in the film.

The best part of this film is easily the archival footage which is quite ethereal and captivating. It features some truly amazing performances from legends like B.B. King, Nina Simone, and Sly and the Family Stone. It’s no surprise that these performances are great, but it to see them in that setting surrounded by their people and their culture makes for an unforgettable performance from them.
 
For the most part, the interviews are entertaining and add some insight and perspective into the event. There are some interviewees that aren’t the most ideal for this documentary, but the movie does a great job of really examining the implications of this event. It highlights the significance of this event in the context of late 1960’s U.S. and the turmoil of the time. While it doesn’t dive too deep into the politics, it does give the viewer a working understanding of the political climate for Black Americans and how this festival played a part in history.
 
It has its flaws, and it’s not as polished as it could have been, but Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) features some phenomenal footage and pairs it with a history lesson that is entertaining more than anything. It’s a fun musical documentary that will be of interest to those invested in history and the lesser-known events of Black Woodstock.
 
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is in theaters June 25 and on Hulu July 2.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Dan Skip Allen

​The Fast and the Furious franchise is known for two things: cars and family. They have stretched the term family to its limits. Some of the villains they have faced are actual family members. Deckard and Owen Shaw have caused quite the problem for Dom and his "family" in previous installments in the franchise. Family is there throughout these films, but not once has there ever been a mention of Dom having a brother despite the family being a mainstay in the series of films.

Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are living an idyllic life on a secluded farm in an undisclosed location until they are visited by friends — or "family", if you will — of theirs who have information about Mr. Nobody's (Kurt Russell) plane crashed in a nondescript foreign country with not so friendly members of an army. This leads to a sinister plot involving Cypher (Charlize Theron) and Dom's estranged brother, Jacob (John Cena). Revenge is in their hearts. Dom and his family must save the world once again.

Along the way, the family runs into a few familiar faces that play a role in this ridiculous revenge plot by Cena, Theron, and their benefactor. The money man if you will. The Shaws' mother (Helen Mirren) gets involved with Diesel when they go to the UK. Her thieving ways are still on her mind. The duo from Tokyo Drift is back as well. Lucas Black and Bow Wow help in getting the crew some cars while in Europe. A suped-up Fiero plays a major part in the film as well. The biggest return in the film, in a head-scratching move, is Han (Sung Kang), who died at the end of Furious 7...

This franchise has been known for some amazing set pieces in its history and this film doesn't let viewers down on that account. The first action scene in that nondescript foreign country was quite breathtaking, to say the least. It involved racing through a minefield and ended with Cena's character racing off the side of a cliff only to be magnetized to the bottom of an oncoming stealthy plain and Diesel's car hooking itself to a wire, similar to a scene in Hobbs and Shaw, and pulling his car across a ravine with a bridge that was destroyed. This is the tip of the iceberg on action scenes in this film.

Sometimes the plot and stories in these films can leave a little bit to be desired. A lot of the time, they are revenge plots involved with saving the world. This film is no different than the others. It's a paint-by-numbers version of many of the previous plots of films in this franchise and action films in general. These films have gotten away from racing cars and turned into saving the world from men and women who are bent on world domination. When did this franchise become a superhero franchise? Needless to say, the story in this film is ridiculous and goes way beyond anything that is in an intelligent thought process. It's incomprehensible!
​
Justin Lin is no stranger to the Fast and the Furious franchise. He directed four other installments in this series, including some of the most successful films in the franchise. That being said, this film is a step backward from Fast & Furious 6, but it's not as bad as Tokyo Drift. It's somewhere in the middle of the rankings of this series of films. It has some action scenes that are comparable with the other films in the franchise, but it lacks the originality of other action films. Lin goes to the well too many times on this so-called family angle. I'm just fed up with these story beats. 

The Fast Saga has worn itself thin. It has used so many tropes over and over again to the point of being ridiculously overused. The action scenes are good, but except for the opening scene, are nothing special. The dialogue in the film is so dull and infantile that a child could do better with it than Diesel, Cena, and other returning characters. This film contradicted itself from previous films in the franchise and that, to me, is the ultimate sin for Lin and company. Universal has been going to the well one too many times and it shows by how old and stale this film is. It's one of the worst in the franchise!

F9 hits theaters on June 25.

Rating: 2/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Comedian Iliza Shlesinger gets her first big screen starring role in the unorthodox romantic comedy Good on Paper, which she also wrote herself. Darkly funny and not entirely predictable, Shlesinger offers a refreshingly unique spin on a genre that benefits greatly from her comedic voice.

The film follows a stand-up comedian who begins to suspect that the seemingly perfect guy she met may actually be too good to be true. Ironically, the premise doesn’t sound very good on paper but is much better in execution, as it sets up the tropes in the first act only to demolish them in the remainder of the movie.

For much of the first half of the film, it’s a slightly cutesy romantic comedy, although it clearly feels as if there is something awry. Although the movie never goes as far off the rails as one would hope, it’s also a lot more ambitious and daring than a majority of films in the genre, and it will catch viewers off guard more than once.

The framing device of the movie, a comedian telling this story as a part of a stand-up routine, is effective but underutilized. The film easily could have thrown in an unreliable narrator element, which would have allowed the movie to stand out even more within the genre. But thankfully the film still has plenty of laughs to offer.

Shelsinger finds a good balance between embracing and subverting archetypes in her script. Although the supporting characters do seem a bit conventional at times, there are plenty of moments in which she plays with the audience’s expectations to create an emotional beat that is unexpectedly very genuine.

The acting in the movie is also very strong. Shlesinger is a charming leading lady, and obviously she connects with the material well because she wrote it herself (and it was partially inspired by some of her own experiences). Ryan Hansen is great in his role as the love interest, absolutely nailing the different sides of the character.

From a technical standpoint, the film is about as one would expect of a mid-budget romantic comedy. It’s generally oversaturated and artificial, but not in a way that is exaggerated enough to be tongue-in-cheek. But there’s no surprise that the movie’s style is attractive people doing attractive things attractively.

Good on Paper is a genuinely good romantic comedy, keeping viewers on their toes even when it does play it a bit on the safe side. For her first real step up to the plate, Iliza Shlesinger was able to go to bat pretty well.

Good on Paper streams on Netflix beginning June 23.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

It’s always interesting to see when filmmakers take two genres that are seemingly at odds with each other and attempt to combine them, as it can either result in something intriguingly creative or a colossal misfire. Wyatt Rockefeller’s sci-fi Western Settlers may not be the pinnacle of originality, but it’s an entertaining and ambitious flick nonetheless.

The film follows a family of refugees living on Earth whose attempts at a peaceful life are disturbed when a stranger threatens to invade their lives. It’s a story we’ve seen in plenty of times in the Western genre before — the mysterious outlaw getting involved in the lives of the innocent townsfolk with unknown intentions — and it translates well into a sci-fi setting.  

What Rockefeller struggles to do in his script is find the balance between concise and fully-developed storytelling. It’s clear that his priority here was to write a movie that was entertaining from start-to-finish, but the final product has very little room to breathe. Lots of time jumps with little explanation will leave viewers a tad confused.

Rockefeller’s script also lacks a clear deeper meaning. Some of the ideas that he is playing around with in the script are obvious, but are presented in a way that is too subtle to be insightful. Ultimately, the action and family drama ends up taking center stage, relegating any commentary that Rockefeller had to the background.

The film also could have done more in terms of character development. The final act hits that sweet spot that the movie was trying to find of ambiguity in terms of the characters, but the first two-thirds feel a bit disconnected. The mother-daughter relationship that should have served as the emotional connection isn’t fully explored.

That said, the cast does an absolutely exceptional job of making the most out of their characters. Young actress Brooklynn Prince has finally gotten another opportunity to showcase her range after her breakout in The Florida Project. Ismael Cruz Cordova is sinisterly alluring in his role. And Sofia Boutella and Jonny Lee Miller round out the supporting cast quite well. 

It is on a visual level that Rockefeller is perhaps most successful. This is an independent production, but Rockefeller makes the most of what he had at his disposal to make a film that is immersively claustrophobic. The audience will feel this future and otherworldly setting come to life, but feel like they are absolutely trapped in it at the same time.

Many of the imperfections of Settlers are in its script, but there are enough great elements in Wyatt Rockefeller’s debut to make it worthy of recommendation. It’s an enjoyable movie that elevates itself beyond its constraints quite well.

Settlers hits theaters and VOD on July 23.

​Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Lots of films try to tackle issues that are timely and relevant, but few manage to pull it off in a way that doesn’t feel disconnected to some extent. Magnus von Horn’s confident character study Sweat is a mostly captivating film, exploring its themes in a way that both creates a compelling atmosphere and poses some interesting questions.

The film follows a fitness influencer with a massive social media following who, despite the adoration of her fans and employees, struggles to find true intimacy in her life. It’s a rather one-note character study, but the thing that allows it to stand out is how it feels like it is fundamentally a film made for the moment we are going through now.

There’s a lot to be said about the way in which interaction has changed since social media has become dominant, but the thing that holds most satires back is that they tend to be overly paranoid cautionary tales. Magnus von Horn’s script explores both the good and the bad of the social media generation in a way that makes it feel much more representative of reality.

The protagonist of the film has a satisfying amount of nuance. When it comes to a character that is on such a completely different wavelength, it would be very easy for them to come across as annoying. Yet von Horn presents the character in a way that is empathetic and peels back the curtain early enough on her showy personality for the audience to connect with the story.

Magdalena Kolesnik gives an absolutely breathtaking performance in her leading role. Her ability to switch from a bright and cheery online persona to a more muted and down-to-earth one is thoroughly impressive. She absolutely sells every moment she is in, no matter how exaggerated it might be.

In the director’s chair, von Horn brings a very accomplished style to the film. Starting with the very kinetic opening scene, it’s clear that what van Horn is doing here will be something interesting. And as layer upon layer is peeled back and darker things are revealed, the style of the film goes along with itto great effect.

The film’s substantial flaw is that it ends up being somewhat one-note. The first thirty minutes or so are intriguing as we are drawn into the protagonist’s spiraling world, and it definitely sticks the landing, but there is a middle section that drags quite a bit. While this portion is adequately distressing, it doesn’t hold the viewer’s attention as much as the rest of the film.

Sweat succeeds where a lot of other social media satires have failed, and while there are some moments that lose their momentum, it’s still a very impressive film. It’s a fascinating European art film that cinephiles will eat up.

Sweat is now in theaters and hits Mubi on July 23.

​Rating: 4/5