Review by Camden Ferrell

Ever since his first feature, The Witch, came out in 2015, writer and director Robert Eggers has carved himself a definitive place in contemporary cinema. His fourth feature, Nosferatu, is his attempt to adapt and reimagine a cinematic classic. Even if it isn’t as strong as his previous works, this movie boasts performances and impressive craft that confirm that Eggers is a modern auteur through and through.
 
Thomas is a man working in real estate when he finds himself tasked with working for enigmatic Count Orlok. Little does he know that his new client is a vampire obsessed with Ellen, Thomas’s wife who is suffering intense and concerning episodes of horror. This is a story that many are familiar with, but Eggers adds more narrative and character depth that makes this quite engaging.
 
In my opinion, Eggers excels more as a director than a writer, and this is no exception. His script is well-written as always, but I find that there are moments where his style usually compensates for a script that might not be the most well-paced. His dialogue is strong as usual, but he continues to suffer from an extremely subtle and forgivable tendency to bloat his script.

It’s no surprise that he continues to get good performances from his actors, but the acting exceeded expectations. Hoult plays Thomas very well, serving as a frightened yet relatable audience surrogate. Bill Skarsgård delivers a transformative performance as Count Orlok that is extremely compelling without being too campy. However, the real star of the show is Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen. She surpassed all expectations with a haunted and extremely physically demanding performance that steals almost every scene she is in. It’s one of the best performances you’ll see this year, and it is a showcase for the potential she has as an actress.
 
It wouldn’t be a Robert Eggers movie without gorgeous visuals, and this movie delivers. He collaborates with cinematographer Jarin Blaschke yet again to capture this Gothic world with stunning brilliance. Grim but never dull, the visuals elevate the movie to overcome its few shortcomings.
 
Fans of horror and vampires will absolutely love Nosferatu. General audiences might also find much to love about this movie as well. It’s creepy, well-acted, beautiful shot, and incredibly eerie. While it’s my least favorite of Eggers’ movies, it’s hard to deny it’s extremely well-made even if slightly bloated.
 
Nosferatu is in theaters December 25.
 
Rating: 4/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

​Pedro Almodóvar has cemented himself in film history with his illustrious catalogue of movies over the last few decades. However, this year marks his first foyer into English-language cinema. The Room Next Door, based on What Are You Going Through by Sigird Nunez, marks his first film in English and had its premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival. While it doesn’t hold a candle to his better works, this movie still benefits from his dreamlike dialogue and great leading performances.
 
Once close colleagues, Ingrid and Martha’s lives went in different directions. Many years later, they meet again as one of them deals with a unique end-of-life situation. From a plot standpoint, this is relatively simple for Almodóvar, which gives the dialogue and performances a chance to take center stage and truly flourish.
 
The biggest variable with this movie is how Almodóvar’s writing would translate into English, and the results are more positive than not. While some moments feel disjointed and unnatural, it largely works. The dialogue is sharp and has a subtly ethereal and poetic quality that is evocative of his previous films. The only weakness is that there are moments throughout where the script feels like its stretched particularly thin which can often make the movie drag more than I’d like.

The clear standout of this film is its leading performances. Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton lead the film as Ingrid and Martha, respectively. They have solid chemistry throughout and handle the complex subject matter with ease like the seasoned actors we’ve known them to be. Even when the script has its shortcomings, they make up for it more times than not.
 
It wouldn’t be an Almodóvar movie without some unique visual flair, and this movie is no exception, even if it’s less accomplished than most of his movies on a visual level, there is still some great production design and cinematography to give it his signature feel. Pair this with a great score and some truly emotional and poignant moments, and you get enjoyable, albeit minor work from the auteur.
 
At the end of Almodóvar’s career, this movie will be noted for being his first English movie and not much else. While it has a lot of great qualities, it fails to live up to his best works. It’s good supplementary material to his career despite it being not particularly memorable or brilliant. It’ll satisfy his fans even if it’s a minor work by his standards.
 
The Room Next Door is in theaters December 20.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

​Despite being in his late 70’s, legendary writer and director Paul Schrader is still pumping out movies on a consistent basis. Oh, Canada is his most recent effort based on the novel Forgone by Russell Banks. It had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. While it touches on poignant and fascinating themes, the movie’s undercooked narrative prevents this from making the most of its thought-provoking premise.
 
Leo Fife is a legendary documentary filmmaker at the end of his life. As he grapples with his imminent demise, he agrees to have his final testament filmed by other documentary filmmakers. We see Leo’s life as a young adult as he recounts his story of draft-dodging during the Vietnam War and the life he previously had. Leo, despite being an unreliable narrator, attempts to break down his mythological life. I think this premise tackles legacy in a fascinating way, and it’s a lens that feels almost meta due to the unintentional role Schrader has carved for himself in American culture.
 
Schrader clearly knows what he’s trying to say with this movie, but the script has a hard time translating this into a tight and cohesive story. The themes linger throughout every scene, but the narrative fails to enhance it. Beats feel out of place and disjointed, and this ultimately undermines the beautiful and enigmatic ideas that are present. Despite this, there are still a handful of brilliant narrative moments that show promise if only it was a characteristic that was present throughout the movie.

This movie is led by Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi who play Fife at different points in his life. Both men are subdued but occasionally captivating in their portrayal of such a complex character. They certainly don’t blow you away, but they do have some tender moments that are hard to deny. The ensemble is rounded out with actors like Uma Thurman and Michael Imperioli who are both serviceable if not memorable.
 
This movie ultimately tackles the line that blurs myth and truth and the ways in which idols are flawed. It tackles how a deeply complicated man can almost by accident become an artistic legend despite his numerous flaws. It explores the legacy of such an artist, especially in the face of a terminal illness. It houses tender truths that could have been explored in a movie twice as long, and while it gets points for its profound themes, its narrative shortcomings prevent this from becoming great.
 
Oh, Canada is a promising entry in Schrader’s 21st century repertoire. It suffers from a messy narrative but excels thanks to its fantastic ideas and profound beliefs about art, legacy, and the inherent flaws of being human. It may not go down as his most memorable late period film, but it’s one that will be remembered for its undeniable potential.
 
Oh, Canada is in theaters December 6.
 
Rating: 3.5/5 

Review by Camden Ferrell

Regardless of one’s opinion of the movie, nobody can deny that Adrien Beau’s debut feature, The Vourdalak, is anything less than an ambitious swing. Adapting a 19th century Aleksei Tolstoy novella, this is a vampire story that even predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This visually intriguing tale had its premiere last year at the Venice Film Festival. While the movie’s boasts gorgeous visuals, costumes, and production design, it isn’t always enough to compensate for the meandering pace and less than cohesive vision.
 
Marquis Jacques Antoine is an emissary of the King of France, and he finds himself stranded in the countryside after a robbery. He searches for refuge with a peculiar family who behave oddly as they await the return of the patriarch, Gorcha. What starts out as a simple tale of a man seeking shelter quickly devolves into a tense and puzzling vampire story. This is a rather interesting and culturally rich story that has the promise of exploring multiple genres while also getting a chance to adapt a seminal vampire story.
 
Written by Beau and Hadrien Bouvier, the movie’s writing is more or less passable. Expositional dialogue feels engaging enough, but the lore can sometimes be so intensive that it can stall the momentum of the movie. Even though it follows narrative beats closely, it sometimes feels like a story that might not be the best fit for a feature length film. As a result, scenes feel drawn out and overly long, and this can undermine the eeriness and tension the movie builds throughout.

The performances are decent but nothing remarkable. The movie is led by Kacey Mottet Klein as Jacques Antoine. Despite the meandering pace of the movie, he does a decent job of trying to infuse the movie with energy with his performance. It’s an interesting outsider role, and he’s able to play into this dynamic well. The rest of the ensemble plays well enough into the absurdity and creepiness of the premise. Ariane Labed, Yorgos Lanthimos’ strange actress of choice, has the most interesting role in the film as Sdenka. It’s an enigmatic role, but she also contributes heavily to the overall vibe of the movie. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it is paramount to the movie’s success.
 
While the writing and overall execution leaves something to be desired, this movie excels in all of its technical departments. Shot on Super 16mm film, this movie feels like an homage to older horror movies from a purely visual standpoint. In addition to this, the costumes and sets are all superb and there’s some puppet work in this movie that is this film’s highlight.
 
The Vourdalak has some impressive craft on display, but it doesn’t always work from a narrative standpoint. It’s an ambitious story to adapt for one’s feature debut, but it felt a little directionless at times. Fans of horror and especially fans of vampires should definitely give this a shot since this seems like a movie where mileage will vary greatly from person to person.
 
The Vourdalak is in theaters June 28.
 
Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

For years, Annie Baker has been a name associated with her acclaimed work as a playwright, even winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for The Flick. Her debut feature film as a writer and director had its premiere at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. Janet Planet is a grounded yet often profound coming-of-age story that translates her sensibilities to screen well while serving as a showcase for her talented cast.
 
In the early 90’s, Janet is an acupuncturist who is spending the summer in rural Massachusetts alongside her daughter Lacy. Throughout the summer, Janet brings three different people into their lives: her boyfriend, a friend, and the leader of a local theater group. Lacy spends the summer interacting with these individuals as she vies for her mother’s attention and as she explores childhood and her own imagination. This is a story that is right up Baker’s wheelhouse as a writer, and it’s the perfect backdrop for the kind of everyday stories she became successful telling.
 
Baker’s script is superb and the best part of the movie. Her style of dialogue translates very well as a feature film, and it’s toeing a subtle line from start to finish. It is grounded enough to remain realistic and immersive, but it’s meticulously crafted enough to engage audiences and encourage thought and reflection. The movie never feels like it’s filler, and it never feels overwritten. It’s a delicate balance that Baker perfectly demonstrates in her film debut, and it’s hard to leave this movie not being utterly impressed with the themes and ideas she explores so naturally.

In addition to the writing, the movie boasts two stellar performances from Julianne Nicholson and Zoe Ziegler as Janet and Lacy, respectively. Their chemistry is stellar from the start. Nicholson captures an alluring and earthly aura that is imperative in defining her character and the relationships with the people in her life. Ziegler plays off of Nicholson in such an impressive manner for a young actress. She handles the material well and understands Baker’s sense of pacing that helps capture the process of growing up in such a unique way.
 
I think it’s disingenuous to call this a coming-of-age movie despite that being what it is. However, I don’t want to group it with other movies in that genre because this one doesn’t feel like it belongs with them. It’s an extremely subtle look at childhood, the borderline codependent attachments we form with our parents, and the slow and stumbly disillusionment with them. One of the only critiques I can make of the movie is that Baker’s use of her signature pregnant pauses can sometimes be too gratuitous for its own good, but those pauses are otherwise imperative to how this movie operates that you forgive the times it overstays its welcome.
 
Janet Planet is a quiet and tender movie about a mother and daughter, their bond, and the forces and people at work in their lives one summer. Baker has showed that the medium of film is one that she can also conquer, and I sincerely hope we see a lot more from her going forward. Smartly written and wonderfully acted, this is a movie worth checking out.
 
Janet Planet is in theaters June 21.
 
Rating: 4/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Ally Pankiw is no stranger to the director’s chair, previously working on Black Mirror and The Great. Her debut feature, I Used to Be Funny, had its premiere at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival and is set for theatrical release this week. This is a dark dramedy that can sometimes have trouble juggling its tones and themes but is heavily redeemed by a standout lead performance and strong emotional maturity.
 
Sam is an aspiring stand-up comic who battles with her daily struggles with PTSD. Emotions and memories come to the surface as she debates whether or not to join in the search for a missing girl, a teenager who she used to nanny. Pankiw bounces between past and present in this emotional journey that is equal parts unique and heartbreakingly universal.
 
Pankiw immediately demonstrates a natural ability to write realistic dialogue. She writes conversations that gently toe the line between realism and cinematic. It doesn’t feel improvised but still also doesn’t feel heavily scripted and monitored. It’s a simple yet effective way for her to establish her characters and their personalities and sorrows. However, one of the flaws is that amidst her great dialogue, there seems to be the occasional scene that just doesn’t flow as well as other scenes and ruins the mojo she had been building up.

The most remarkable aspect of this movie is its lead performance. This movie almost lives and dies by its lead. Rachel Sennott has been one of the biggest up and coming actresses in recent years, and this is another great film under her belt. Despite the heavy thematic material and intense scenes, she still manages to have an undeniably lively energy throughout the movie. She is able to jump between painful drama and natural comedy in a way that I think few actresses could pull off as well as her. If you needed anymore reason to see how Sennott is something special, this is it.
 
One thing about this movie that I truly admire is its maturity. Pankiw takes themes of trauma and recovery and truly makes it her own. She has a firm grasp on the realities of these difficult issues, and she shapes it in a way that is expressive yet not exploitative in the slightest. This isn’t a tale of revenge or screeching catharsis; it’s a mature story about healing and the recovery of what one loses in the wake of trauma. Even when the movie has a hard time juggling its comedy and drama due to the stark contrast in scenes, Pankiw’s vision makes up for it more times than not.
 
I Used to Be Funny is yet another showcase for the extremely talented Rachel Sennott, but it’s also an emotional feature debut for Ally Pankiw. Despite the flaws it has, this movie has made me incredibly excited to see what Pankiw does next, and it does establish her as a unique and strong voice in the indie movie scene.
 
I Used to Be Funny is in theaters June 7.
 
Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

​Tony Goldwyn may be a guy whose face is more known than his name, lending his acting talents in supporting roles in many movies like Oppenheimer and King Richard. However, he is also an accomplished director of film and TV, and his fifth feature film, Ezra, hits theaters soon. His most recent movie had its premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. While there’s nothing glaringly wrong with this family drama, it finds itself treading familiar waters to mixed effect.
 
Max is a stand-up comedian who is trying to raise his autistic son Ezra alongside his ex-wife. As Ezra’s behavior incites discussion about his future, Max and Ezra go on a road-trip together. All this happens as Max deals with his own personal demons and family history. It’s an earnest story about love and family that had potential for profound thematic exploration despite its familiar narrative.
 
Written by Tony Spiridakis, this movie hits all the beats you’d expect it to. It has the typical family drama elements you’d expect from this type of movie, and it plays out almost exactly as you’d expect. It has all of the character archetypes that have been done countless times in the past. This familiarity isn’t inherently wrong, but the movie fails to make the most of these familiar parts, and it leaves the movie feeling like a lesser version of something you’ve seen before. 

The acting is one of the stronger parts of this movie. Bobby Cannavale is a naturally charismatic actor, and this movie is no different. He plays the hot-headed Max probably better than anyone could. He has a natural charm and energy that keep the movie chugging along when everything else is lacking. This movie also introduces William A. Fitzgerald as Ezra. He plays the character with agency and doesn’t feel like he’s playing second fiddle to his more experienced costars. While he’s not a scene-stealer, he definitely has a notable and independent presence in the movie. The rest of the cast is full of plenty of familiar names like Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, and Whoopi Goldberg to name a few, and they all exist anywhere on the spectrum of passable to “just doing this for the paycheck”.
 
This movie deals with the realities of being a parent to a child with autism. When it comes to discussing how realistic and sensitive the movie approaches this topic, I may not be the best person to assess that. However, it’s hard to deny that its heart is in the right place most of the time. It has some good moments of drama and is far less exploitative than other movies about autism, but at the same time, the mileage for this might vary by viewer.
 
Ezra is a predictable yet earnest family drama that some audiences might truly resonate with. What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in good intentions. Cannavale is a great lead, and the movie doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’ll likely be forgotten about in due time, but it doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching at least once.
 
Ezra is in theaters May 31.
 
Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

​Marin Alsop is an icon in the world of conducting, becoming the first woman to be appointed to lead a major American orchestra when she earned the music director job with the Baltimore Symphony in 2005. When Todd Field’s 2022 film Tár was released, it provided representation and attention for women conductors everywhere. However, Alsop (who was name-dropped in the film) found this rare spotlight on women conductors was not conducive to positively promoting women in that position. Maggie Contreras’ debut documentary, Maestra, finally gives Alsop and several other subjects the chance to shine a positive light on woman conductors and the passion they collectively share for their craft.
 
In this documentary, we see the personal and professional journeys of five women as they participate in “La Maestra" the only competition for female orchestra conductors. Through this process, we get a deep dive into the subjects’ home life and professional life, erasing the barrier that would otherwise exist between spectator and artist. There’s little to fault in the structure of the movie as it allows the audience to connect and grow attached to the film’s subjects while also highlighting a contest that should be more well known than it currently is.
 
While the premise provides a strong foundation for the movie, the execution is extremely conventional. The mileage of this execution will vary by viewer. Some people might enjoy the familiar pacing and beats that many similar documentaries have while others might wish such overachieving women get a film treatment that matches their ambition. Regardless, it’s hard to deny that this documentary plays it as safely as possible in the structure of its narrative. This allows things to be cohesive but at the expense of its ingenuity and artistry.

The movie does succeed in finding subjects who are equally interesting and distinct in their own rights. It’s great to avoid showing women conductors as a monolith of personalities, and Contreras’ really selected a variety of women to ensure the movie celebrates people from all walks of life. It never feels like moments are repetitive, and this is due to the charisma and unique characteristics of the film’s subjects.
 
When it comes to the actual coemption aspect of the documentary, this movie does a good job at showing what’s necessary for its story, but it is one of the aspects that feels like it could have been fleshed out more. I think a more thorough glimpse into the technical aspects of conducting would have tied the film together in a more rewarding and satisfying manner. Regardless, the bits of the competition that are shown are riveting and truly highlight the passion that exudes with every wave of their baton.
 
Maestra is too conventional for its own good at times but does a great job at being a piece of media to positively showcase women conductors and hopefully inspire future generations to follow their dreams. It works more on an informational level than it does artistically. It might feel too safe and familiar to keep audiences thoroughly engaged, but it also is a competently crafted story that will give viewers a much-needed insight into this profession and its subjects.
 
Maestra is in theaters May 24.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Coming hot off of an Oscar nomination for his short film, Ninety-Five Senses, Jared Hess has teamed up with co-director Lynn Wang on his first ever animated feature, Thelma the Unicorn. This is Hess’ first narrative feature since 2016’s Masterminds. Unfortunately, this film fails on almost every possible level, delivering a predictable and cheaply made story that squanders the talents and idiosyncrasies of its writer/director and well-known cast.
 
Thelma is a pony with big aspirations to become a musical sensation with her friends. Despite their best efforts, they can’t seem to catch a break with people constantly dismissing them and never giving them a shot. After a fateful encounter with some paint and sparkles, Thelma finds herself looking exactly like a unicorn. This sparks a chain of events that pushes Thelma into the global spotlight and finding the fame she so desperately craved. However, she soon learns this is more than she bargained for. It’s a very basic story of pitfalls of fame that you’ve likely seen a million times before, and this movie doesn’t tread any new ground in that regard.
 
This movie was written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, but one would have a difficult time deducing that based on the final product. For better or worse, they’re a very idiosyncratic and quirky duo, but their signature style and charm are entirely absent from their most recent effort. It feels like another lazy children’s movie that could have been AI generated as opposed to an eccentric yet original script that they’re known for. This is the same duo that made one of the most iconically original movies of the early 2000’s, and it’s a shame that this is the quality of output they’re putting out now. This is even more disappointing considering they both wrote and directed such a brilliant short film just last year. 

From an acting perspective, there’s not much to talk about. Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes fame) leads the film as Thelma. Her singing is obviously phenomenal, but everything else is so ordinary that it’s hard to say it’s particularly good or bad as a voice performance. The film is supported by names like Will Forte, Jon Heder, and Jemaine Clement, and while they’re all hugely entertaining and talented people in their own rights, I felt nothing hearing their recognizable voices. Not to say that they phoned it in, but the movie lacks the personality you’d expect from the cast it acquired.
 
Even as far as children’s entertainment goes, this movie feels like a nothing burger at best. At worst, it’s another overstimulating, eerily animated, and completely forgettable movie for all ages. Every single scene follows the same beats we’ve been seeing forever, and it doesn’t do anything interesting with its premise, so the entire experience is disappointing and unpleasant. It might be something to mindlessly throw on for the youngest of children if necessary, but it doesn’t have much else to offer.
 
Thelma the Unicorn may have a talented singer in the lead role. It may have a well-known director and writing duo who always put out some original and quirky films regardless of quality. Unfortunately, this is not enough to make this movie sing the way it wants to. It’s a bland and formulaic story that is at times miserable to watch. It has absolutely nothing original to say and even at its most barebones level, it’s not entertaining.
 
Thelma the Unicorn is on Netflix May 17.
 
Rating: 1/5 

Review by Camden Ferrell

What do you get when you cross Before Sunrise with an insomniac and troubled New Yorker lead? You get Pratfall, writer/director Alex Andre’s feature debut that premiered at the 2023 Brooklyn Film Festival. A perfect example of the power of low-budget filmmaking, Andre paints a portrait of New York through the eyes of his lead characters in an engaging and simple manner even if it can sometimes lose its way on its journey.
 
Eli is an unsettled man in New York grappling with his own complicated problems both internal and external. His life has become filled with insomnia, conversations with himself, and interacting with the rest of the city. One day, he crosses paths with Joelle, a French tourist. Together, they go on an odyssey through New York City where Eli paints a picture of the city with his embellished words as Joelle joins along for the ride. This story of two people crossing paths for a memorable night of conversation and exploration has been done before, but it also doesn’t make it any less compelling as a premise.
 
At times, it’s hard to distinguish whether dialogue is scripted or improvised, which is a testament to Andre’s ability to write such naturally flowing dialogue. It never feels forced or unnaturally philosophical, a trait that most movies of this kind are guilty of for better or worse. Sometimes the dialogue meanders more than it should, but this also contributes to the heightened realism of the film, so it’s not necessarily a net negative. There are some narrative beats that definitely feel out of place throughout the movie and take the audience out of the small-scale connection it is so good at achieving from the start.

This movie is led by Joshua Burge and Chloé Groussard as Eli and Joelle. Burge takes on the lion’s share of the dialogue and does well with it, conveying the more subtle troubling aspects of Eli without becoming a caricature. It’s a unique character to play especially as a lead, but Burge is able to handle the character well enough to be distinct without undermining the realistic nature of the film. While Groussard is given less dialogue, she plays perfectly off of Burge. Her naïve optimism of New York’s urban landscape works very well with her character, and she really gives the character more personality and agency than she would have otherwise gotten. It really does feel like Eli is a part of Joelle’s story by the end, not the other way around, and this is mostly due to how Groussard carries herself as a character.
 
One of the aspects I admire most about this film is how it is so effective without breaking the bank. Andre shot this movie himself (on what feels like a low budget camera), and it practically uses handheld, wide-angle shots exclusively, and it’s a perfect fit for the type of story he’s trying to tell. It’s like a combination of Terrence Malick’s signature contemporary look and the more frantic and free-flowing feel of the Dogme 95 and mumblecore movements of filmmaking. Andre’s debut is impressive, and I’ll definitely be citing it as a prime example of how to make a movie regardless of budget or other limitations.
 
Pratfall is a gem of a film. It’s not perfect, and it has some odd moments that detract from its desired effect. However, this film has so much to praise, and it all falls under the umbrella of Andre’s vision on an utterly impressive debut feature. Not without its flaws, this is a sweet and simple story that audiences will connect with in one way or another if they let it.
 
Pratfall is in theaters and on VOD April 26.

Rating: 4/5