In the revisionist Western “The Settlers”, director Felipe Gálvez sits us down in 1901 Tierra del Fuego, Chile during the Selk’nam genocide. That’s when land-hungry sheep ranchers backed by large livestock companies and protected by the Chilean and Argentine governments carried out the systematic extermination of native tribes that populated the area. It was yet … Continue reading
From the earliest moments of “Brief History of a Family” first-time feature filmmaker Jianjie Lin has his audience in the palm of his hand. And he keeps us in his hand, along with our instincts and expectations, until late into the film where he loosens his grip and suddenly has us second guessing nearly everything … Continue reading
In the mood for some goofy and altogether mindless fun? Let me tell you about “Argylle”, the new action spy comedy from director Matthew Vaughn. Full disclosure: I’ve been pretty lukewarm when it comes to Vaughn’s past work. That said, there has always been a certain flair to his filmmaking that I appreciate (he was … Continue reading
Hot off of winning the Sundance Film Festival’s top prize in the U.S. dramatic competition, the slice-of-life family drama “In the Summers” marks the filmmaking debut for director and screenwriter Alessandra Lacorazza. The story is loosely based on Lacorazza’s own childhood summer visits to her father in Columbia. That’s an admirable basis for a movie, … Continue reading
Chiwetel Ejiofor impressed with his terrific yet underseen 2019 directorial debut “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”. He hits his mark again with his sophomore effort “Rob Peace”, a biographical drama in the same vein of his first film. This time he tells an empathetic and earnest true story of an inner-city kid with big … Continue reading
Guy Ritchie had a good 2023 and deserved more attention for his silly yet fun “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” and his brilliant “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant”. He’s shown no signs of stopping in 2024 as evident by the fun and spirited new trailer for his upcoming film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”. This wild … Continue reading
