Review by Camden Ferrell

Hong Sangsoo is an acclaimed Korean director who is known for his minimalistic style and commitment to cinematic realism. His newest movie, The Novelist’s Film, had its premiere at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and has played in festivals worldwide since. A simplistic black and white feature, this is a movie that finds some authenticity and beauty in its numerous human interactions.
 
Junhee is a novelist who takes a trip to a bookstore among other locations where she interacts with people from her life. She also meets Kilsoo, an actress that Jun-hee tries to recruit to make a movie with. Its premise is as simple as it can be, and it allows the film to freely explore human interaction and chance encounter through an intimate lens.
 
Written by Hong Sangsoo, this film has an incredible natural feel. The story is told almost entirely through dialogue, and it does a great job of being authentic without feeling boring. He has an interesting way of framing mundanity in a way that is captivating to watch. While he is credited as the writer, it’s hard to imagine that there’s no spontaneity and true realism from the actors, but I guess the fact that it’s hard to tell makes this all the more interesting.

The movie is full of subdued and natural performances that match the overall feel of the movie. Lee Hye-yeong leads the movie as Junhee, and Kim Min-hee co-stars as Kilsoo. They both are great at feeling fully natural, blending into the domestic settings throughout the movie. They are never flashy or dramatic in their performances, and this contributes to the realism the movie is going for.
 
The simple cinematography, consisting mostly of static long takes, works incredibly well within the film. It’s as minimal as it is captivating. Something about the way he frames his subjects is inherently interesting, and it helps us see the beauty of the interactions these people are having. The movie also tackles some interesting themes of artistic authenticity and integrity that are interesting even if they aren’t always focused on as often as I’d like.
 
The Novelist’s Film will please fans of Hong Sangsoo and his sensibilities. General audiences might find its pace too slow, but there might still be something for everyone to enjoy in its simple premise and execution. A slow but realistic examination of chance encounters and timely artistic themes, this movie will captivate you in unexpected ways.
 
The Novelist’s Film is in theaters October 28.
 
Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Taking its title from a revolutionary cry echoed throughout the 1970 film Cotton Comes to Harlem, Is That Black Enough For You?!? is the definitive documentary about African-American cinema. A must-watch for any cinephile, it may feel a bit like a lecture — but it is the most engrossing lecture you will ever watch.

In the documentary, film critic and scholar Elvis Mitchell examines the history of Black cinema with a particular focus of its “golden era” in the 1970s, when movies featuring Black protagonists broke into the mainstream. Any cinephile worth their weight is familiar with the Black cinema of this era, but Mitchell’s film is so exhaustive that you are sure to learn something nonetheless.

The movie certainly has a wealth of interviews to pull from, likely thanks to Mitchell’s pull as one of the foremost film critics and scholars in the country. Although many of the filmmakers who were most active during the era are sadly no longer with us, Mitchell interviews many of their children, as well as people who worked with them or were influenced by them.

Any great cinematic essay features extensive use of clips from the films being discussed, and that is a highlight of this movie. From the mainstream to the more obscure, Mitchell has managed to pull clips together from several notable pieces of Black cinema history, making a portrait that feels comprehensive even if it couldn’t possibly mention every single important film.

One of the things about Mitchell’s approach to Is That Black Enough For You?!? is that it dives much deeper than usual into the world of cinema. Of course, Mitchell does talk about the seminal classics like Shaft, Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song, and They Call Me Mister Tibbs!, but he spends more time discussing the less-recognized but still important movies that have largely been lost to the annals of history.
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While the documentary is, first and foremost, an exploration of cinematic history, Mitchell clearly understands and is fascinated with the social aspect of cinema. Many scholars look at art — particularly cinema — as a reflection of the time in which it is made, and Mitchell uses these quintessential Black films to paint a picture of American society in the 1970s as it pertained to the African-American community.

However, Mitchell treads the line nicely, not taking himself too seriously. Even though these movies are important artifacts that represent the time in which they were made, they are also a wonderful form of entertainment. Mitchell’s connection to the films he mentions is obvious, as he discusses the impact they had on him as an African-American teenage cinephile, growing up and watching them.

Is That Black Enough For You?!? absolutely knocks it out of the park as a cinematic essay, exploring film history in a way that is both meaningful and entertaining. It should come as no surprise given how talented of a critic Elvis Mitchell is, but this is maybe one of the best films about film ever made.

Is That Black Enough For You?!? streams on Netflix beginning November 11.

​Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Cole Groth

Initially scheduled for a theatrical release by Warner Bros., Enola Holmes was purchased by Netflix in 2020 and became a massive success for the streamer, receiving rave reviews from critics and an astonishing 76 million views in the first month of release. In the sink-or-swim theatrical market and the disastrous management of Warner Bros., it’s safe to say that Netflix’s purchase of the film was a brilliant decision because now they’ve got a lucrative franchise for rising star Millie Bobby Brown. The sequel, Enola Holmes 2, continues the story of Sherlock Holmes’s sister in an epic fashion. It’s fun, epic, hilarious, and an all-around fantastic adventure worthy of the Holmes title.

Without skipping a beat, we’re presented with Enola in medias res running from the police. She’s gotten herself into trouble again, and we, indeed, won’t be seeing this for the last time. This time around, Enola has been recruited to help a group of orphaned girls with finding one of their sisters, who has gone missing under nefarious circumstances. While investigating the mystery, she must go undercover in a match-making factory run by a few rather generic rich male villains. Over the next 129 minutes, Enola takes us on a twisty adventure full of wild chases, well-choreographed fight sequences, and love. It’s a journey that’s as much fun to follow along with as it is easily accessible. It’s hard not to fall in love with this film.

The excitement of the first few minutes sets the tone for a refreshingly fast-paced yet grand mystery. Reprising her role as the titular character is a never-better Millie Bobby Brown. She maintains all the confidence of her character from the last film with a more emotional side than before. She’s funnier, smarter, and more exciting than before, just like the rest of the movie. Instead of simply playing Enola, she effortlessly becomes her. Little moments of concentration, short glances, or other mannerisms make Enola feel like a real-life person, making her more fun to follow than previously. Henry Cavill is back as Sherlock Holmes, and his much-expanded role gives him a much stronger sense of agency this time. Since the last film established Enola as the lead, he’s now more critical, and his relationship with Enola is brilliant. Brown and Cavill have great chemistry, and seeing the two banter back and forth is hilariously realistic.

While not quite as prominent as before, Louis Partridge’s Viscount Tewkesbury plays a significant role in this film. Like before, he’s an excellent romantic partner for Enola. Instead of being the driving factor in her escapades, they work together to solve the mystery, although it takes some time for them to restart their relationship (which had fallen off between the two films). David Thewlis is introduced as a delightfully twisted police chief, supported by a hilarious Lestrade (Adeel Akhtar). Helena Bonham Carter’s Eudoria Holmes is reduced to only a few short scenes, which makes her one of the only disappointing characters in the film.

The excellent blend of mystery, action, and comedy makes this film so much fun. At its core, this is a Holmes film, meaning every plot twist must be carefully crafted. Jack Thorne’s script ensures this. It’s exciting to follow along and try to guess what’s going to happen next; while I wasn’t blown away by most plot twists, they’re still very clever, and a few are incredibly surprising. The action is very well-choreographed, too. Each chase sequence is carefully planned out and fun to watch, although a few stray shots of bad green screen prove somewhat distracting.

Additionally, this is a hilarious film. Enola is the primary driver of the humor and almost all of her jokes land. Her and Tewkesbury’s relationship stands out as one of the funnier relationships, although Sherlock’s interactions with her are just as amusing. The character development is one of the most vital elements throughout. Since we’re given over two hours to explore every character, it’s essential that they all feel genuine. Most people are given moments to shine on their own, and they have plenty of charisma and enthusiasm to maintain the light and humorous tone of the film.

While on her journey, Sherlock finds himself trailing her as he pieces together a larger mystery. It’s fun to see what his findings set up for the franchise’s future, and it’s nice to see him given more prominent standing in this film. Although Enola proves to be an excellent detective, it’s nice to see that director Henry Bradbeer respects Sherlock’s legacy. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a modern take on a franchise that respects the qualities that made it so beloved by past generations. With some care, the Enola Holmes franchise could be a serious hit.

By all accounts, Enola Holmes 2 is a success. It’s a brilliantly exciting film that improves on the few weak points of the first film. There’s not too much reason for this to push over two hours, but there’s at least enough breadth in the story to feel continually satisfying. It has all the makings of a modern classic. Families will love this for the humor, film fans will love it for the adventure, and Sherlock Holmes fans will love it for the mystery. This is a film for everybody, and Netflix would be wise to greenlight a sequel as soon as they can.

Enola Holmes 2 premieres on Netflix starting November 4th.

Rating: 4.5/5

Review by Tatiana Miranda

Two years ago, Apple TV+ released their acclaimed documentary on the Beastie Boys, and now the streaming service returns with another stellar music documentary, Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues. This documentary by Sacha Jenkins helps contextualize Armstrong's music and fame, which is especially crucial since very few of the documentary's viewers are unlikely to have lived during his prime. From recorded radio and television interviews, newspaper clippings, and Armstrong's own writings, Jenkins manages to paint a detailed picture of Armstrong with only artifacts since he passed over fifty years ago. Due to Jenkins' creativity in the layout and execution of the documentary, Black & Blues is representative of Louis Armstrong's vibrant personality that casual fans or listeners may not be familiar with.

Through his writing, his literal voice from private recordings and interviews, and his music, Louis Armstrong's personal history of growing up in the early 20th century and the overall racial climate of the time is exhibited in Black & Blues. Growing up poor in New Orleans, he recounts the food his mom made out of scraps and his job selling coal in the red-light district. While some of these tidbits might come across as unnecessary "fun facts" about the famous singer and trumpet player, they help contextualize his music and journey as a musician. As he states in one recording, Armstrong was first introduced to the power of jazz by the musicians playing in cabarets and around the red-light district.​

Even as he gained worldwide acclaim, playing sold-out shows and becoming a household name, Armstrong still faced the racial prejudice that was extremely prevalent at the time. One big subject of the documentary is Armstrong's stance on segregation and the civil rights movement. While he might have never outwardly criticized it, his actions, such as requiring usually segregated hotels and other venues to allow him to stay at them if he was to perform, made it known that he did experience prejudice and wasn't going to let it slide. With his fame and influence, he made strides in terms of representation, as he starred in films such as The Glenn Miller Story and Hello, Dolly!

Review by Sean Boelman

Films that sit on the shelf for multiple years after their debut typically aren’t very good, but horror fans were ready to give the benefit of the doubt to Run Sweetheart Run because it seemed like the cause of the delay may have been pandemic-related. Although that is undoubtedly part of the cause, it seems like the bigger issue is that they didn’t know what to do with this insane (and insanely stupid) genre flick.

The movie follows an ambitious young woman whose blind date with a wealthy client of her law firm goes awry, sending her on a brutal quest to survive the night. This could have been a simple survival thriller with a social edge, but there are so many twists — many of which don’t add up to anything logical — that it will leave viewers more confused than entertained.

The pacing of the film is certainly aggressive. After a brief introduction to establish the characters and situation, the movie literally gets running. Once it hits its rhythm around the thirty minute mark, it doesn’t let up. While it should be thoroughly entertaining, the viewer will keep getting distracted by some baffling decisions made by the script and filmmaker.

One of the most irredeemable things about the movie is that it is nonsensical and lacks consistency. As soon as you think you understand what’s going on, the film changes and the story becomes something entirely different. Unfortunately, this seems to be the result of supposedly extensive reshoots that the movie has had since its debut at Sundance in 2020.

However, even if you can get past the fact that nothing makes sense or comes together in a satisfying way, you are sure to be put off by the script’s clunky metaphors. There is a literal plot point about the antagonist being able to smell the protagonist’s menstruation, and while it was intended as something to be feminist, the way it’s executed is embarrassingly clumsy.

It’s a shame, because Ella Balinska and Pilou Asbæk both do a solid job in their roles despite being given horrid dialogue to work with. Asbæk, in particular, overcomes the limitations of the script, giving a performance that is genuinely menacing despite the fact that almost everything he is being asked to do is genuinely goofy.

Director Shana Feste does give the film a solid retro vibe, but a fun score and some cool cinematography are not enough to maintain tension when the script is so frequently tumbling over itself. That said, there are some artistic decisions that simply do not work, like the use of on-screen text in moments of high tension that just says “RUN!” It’s unnecessary, and adds nothing to the atmosphere or story.

The first twenty minutes of Run Sweetheart Run show the potential it has to be an intriguing and important thriller, but it goes off the rails for the remainder of its runtime. It’s unclear whether the reshoots made the movie more or less bizarre, but whatever the case, the result is absolutely bonkers — and not a good way.

Run Sweetheart Run streams on Prime Video beginning October 28.

Rating: 2/5