Lisa Trifone
Review: A Convoluted Plot and Stale Acting Leave Demonic with Nothing But Lame Scares
At one point in the last decade or so, attaching Neill Blomkamp to a sci-fi horror film indicated a certain level of potential for the final product. The filmmaker hit […]
Review: In the Same Breath Is Perhaps the Most Harrowing, Essential COVID Documentary Yet
This film was original reviewed as part of Third Coast’s Sundance 2021 coverage and is being reprinted now for its streaming release. On the heels of powerful COVID-centric documentaries like […]
Review: A Sensitive, Contemplative Narrative, Nine Days Heralds a Promising New Filmmaking Talent
The feature directorial debut from Edson Oda, Nine Days is a powerfully contemplative narrative about all the contradictions that come with being born into this unpredictable, often unfair thing called life. […]
Review: A Wholly Original Movie Musical, Annette is Sometimes Messy, Always Enthralling
Ah, the movie musical. That universally beloved genre with its big dance numbers, show-stopping staging and legendary movie stars. The charm. The romance. The wholesome happy endings. And then, there’s […]
Review: The Green Knight Is a Visually Arresting, Haunting Adaptation of the Medieval Morality Tale
Scholars of the Middle English tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will have a lot to appreciate in David Lowery’s lush, visually arresting adaptation of the story, The […]
Review: A Vulnerable, Insightful Nicolas Cage Elevates Pig Into a Meditation on Life, Work and Companionship
The last Nicolas Cage movie I reviewed, the early 2020 release Color Out of Space, was a treat if only because the uneven sci-fi horror film lets Cage go literally […]
Review: Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation Parallels the Lives and Work of Two American Literary Icons
Though 13 years apart in age, mid-century American writers Truman Capote and (the elder) Tennessee Williams were longtime contemporaries, often friends and sometimes rivals. Both gay men in the midst […]
Review: I Carry You With Me Charts a Decades-Long Love Story in Dreamy Jewel Tones
Filmmaker Heidi Ewing is best known as one half of Loki Films; with her co-director Rachel Grady, the two have helmed some of the most interesting and human-centered documentaries of […]
Review: Good on Paper Might’ve Been Good Enough on Paper, but it’s Very Bad on Screen
The biggest problem with Good on Paper, a film based on a true story that’s based on a lie (stay with me here) that is rife with problematic moments, is that […]
Review: All Light, Everywhere Explores Bias, Perspective and Vision Throughout History and in Today’s Communities
If it’s possible for a film to be both deeply meditative and startlingly evocative at the same time, All Light, Everywhere may just be that film. A documentary by Theo Anthony […]
Review: Imperfections Aside, In the Heights Is a Big, Bold Studio Musical Stacked with On-Screen Talent
It’s well established that translating a stage musical to the screen is not easy (remember Cats?!). If it’s not a filmed concert version of the stage show (see: Hamilton streaming on […]
Review: With a Vague and Messy Narrative, Super Frenchie Plays Like an Extended Home Movie
If you’ve heard of Super Frenchie, an oddly titled, forgettable documentary about a man who makes a living jumping off of cliffs, you are either already a fan of that man […]