Posts by Neely Swanson

That classic British comedy of so many layers, “The Ladykillers,” has just been given a 4K restoration and it’s a beauty. The anticipation that comes with seeing an old favorite again is always whether it still holds up. Rest assured, “The Ladykillers” not only holds up but brings with it nuance that was probably missed…

“God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya” is a cosmic joke being played by masterful writer/director Teona Strugar Mitevska. Macedonia, a country still mired in a Medieval male hierarchy with a wretchedly poor economy, relies on the Eastern Orthodox church for guidance in all things. When Church traditions collide with the legal system, it is usually…

“Who Will Start Another Fire” is an ambitious project to highlight short films from emerging and diverse talents across the globe. Although all the films have something to offer from the perspective of personal point of view, not all show the mastery necessary to jump immediately to the next level. But for some of them,…

“The Birthday Cake,” an ambitious attempt at a gangster film by director Jimmy Giannopoulos from a script co-written by Giannopoulos, Diomedes Raul Bermudez, and Shiloh Fernandez, falls just short of the mark. Reverential to genre tropes that have worked in the past and almost work here, Giannopoulos begins in the past, allowing us to see…

“Sweet Thing,” written and directed by Alexandre Rockwell, is a throwback to an earlier era. Rockwell begins his story during the Christmas season. Teenage Billie and her younger brother Nico live a shabby life with their father Adam, employed temporarily as a sidewalk Santa in front of the bus station. Separated from his wife Eve…

“Rita Moreno: Just a girl who decided to go for it” is a lovely valedictory to the amazing actress and role model directed by fellow Puerto Rican Mariem Pérez Riera. Interspersing her narrative about Rita, Riera inserts the comments of many Latina and Latino actors who comment how important it was to see Rita, a…

“Akilla’s Escape” is a bolt out of the blue. This is not to say that the Charles Officer directed film is uniformly good, just that there are so many unexpected pleasures associated with an under-the-radar indie. And most of these pleasures are a direct result of the star, Saul Williams, primarily known in slam poetry…

“In the Crosswind,” the remarkable film conceived by writer/director Martti Helde, will sweep you into the eye of a storm where the stillness is haunting. Based on the diary of a young Estonian woman trapped in Siberia, Helde has reimagined her observations into letters sent to her husband, also in captivity. In 1940, the Soviets…

“City of Ali” directed by Graham Shelby takes us on an exploration of Muhammad Ali’s home town of Louisville and its significance in his vast history. Recognizing that so much of Ali’s life has been already told, the director and his team have attempted to carve out new territory in a field that has already…

“Undine,” the lyrically melancholic new film by writer/director Christian Petzold further solidifies his position as one of the great directors pursuing his craft in the twenty-first century. Lest you believe this is hyperbole, consider his previous three films, “Barbara,” “Phoenix”, and “Transit”. “Undine” is a worthy addition. Ancient mythology tells the tale of the Undine,…

“Dead Pigs” is a head-scratcher of a movie. Cathy Yan, the writer/director, considers this film to be a social satire and in its best moments, it is. But sometimes those moments are few and far between. Opening on Old Wang (Haoyu Yang) in a Virtual Reality Gallery, he is unpleasant, selfish, and rude—a real pig.…

A surprising new talent has suddenly appeared. Like Venus emerging from the sea, Suzanne Lindon, age 20, has jumped to the front of the line with her first film, “Spring Blossom” which she wrote, directed, and starred in. It’s not that the film is flawless or will enter the canon of storytelling but this very…

“La Piscine” (“The Swimming Pool”), a compelling French thriller from 1969, directed by Jacques Deray and adapted by Jean-Claude Carrière from a script by Jean-Emmanuel Contil, is being rereleased in a new 4K restoration. Jean-Paul gazes around him, quietly adjusting his bathing suit, his hair, and his demeanor, all sexy bravado slightly overwhelmed by the…