8
VIFF 2019: MURMUR Review
Heather Young's MURMUR is a compassionate portrait, full of warmth, of a woman struggling with addiction with the help of an elderly dog.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
8
8
CHAINED FOR LIFE Review
Chained For Life encompasses a number of big ideas into a relatively small film production.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
7.5
UNSUNG INDIES: Terry Chiu’s MANGOSHAKE
With the overabundant DIY nature of the project, Chiu and friends have illustrated the power of art as community.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
6
LONG LOST Review
The main point of interest in Long Lost cannot be talked about, but the meandering journey to the film's destination makes it well worth it.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
7
Sarasota 2019: ONE MAN DIES A MILLION TIMES Review
Jessica Oreck constructs an aggregation of time in which she positions the sufferers of the Siege of Leningrad as people instead of statistics.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
6
MEME Review
A fairly routine relationship drama adorned with existential ponderings that has plenty of creativity but runs a little low on emotion.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
5.5
THE CANNIBAL CLUB Review
Nothing is expounded upon, just introduced (sometimes in a shocking manner) and resigned to a sedentary existence amongst other ideas launched and ignored.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
8
UNSUNG INDIES: Caleb Johnson’s JOY KEVIN
In Caleb Johnson's JOY KEVIN, Tallie Medel maximizes the film's scant runtime to deliver a powerhouse performance.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
7
PITY Review
Babis Makridis & Efthymis Filippou’s latest black comedy is a shocking critique of the wealthy’s unending appetite for all things, even the unappealing.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
TOP 50 of 2018 (#25 – #1): KEVIN RAKESTRAW
Time for the second half of my Top 50 of 2018. Time to put an end to the longest year on record. If you missed the first half of this list (#50 – #26), it can be found here:
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
TOP 50 of 2018 (#50 – #26): KEVIN RAKESTRAW
Before I dive into my yearly list of the top 50 films that I recommend I would like to list some of the films that I was unable to watch, for one reason or another. Either they never came my way or
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
2018 Performance Overview – Female (Lead/Supporting)
Just yesterday, I posted my favorite male performances from the past year and now it is time for my favorite female performances from 2018. And just like with the list yesterday there are listed in no particular order. If anyone is
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
2018 Performance Overview – Male (Lead/Supporting)
It’s that time of year again. Where I compile all of my favorite performances from the past year and, here, I am going to start with the male performances that affected me most. These range from dramatic turns to the comedic to
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
6.5
SHADOW OF A GUN Review
Shadow of a Gun seems to have taken the concept of ‘Chekhov’s Gun’ to a new level by employing it long before any acts have transpired.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
8
CHARM CITY Review
Soon after the death of Freddie Gray, at the hands of the Baltimore Police Department, is where documentary filmmaker Marilyn Ness places herself for her latest film, Charm City.
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
KICKSTART SUNDAY: A Dim Valley
Writer/director Brandon Colvin is currently crowdfunding his third feature titled A Dim Valley, which will be his follow-up to Sabbatical, a film that landed on my Year-End Best Of list at No. 4 back in 2015. It is also
Posted by: Kevin Rakestraw
