Movie Review Between the Temples

Between the Temples 

Directed by Nathan Silver 

Written by Nathan Silver 

Starring Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane 

Release Date August 22nd, 2024 

Published January 9th, 2025 

Between the Temples stars Jason Schwartzman as Ben Gottlieb, a Jewish Cantor struggling in the wake of the death of his famous author wife. Following her death, Ben has been unable to sing, a pretty big problem for a Cantor at a Synagogue whose job is to sing in Hebrew on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, his friends and family have been carrying him along for a while now on their goodwill. For now, Ben lives with his two moms, Judith and Meira Gottlieb (Dolly DeLeon and Caroline Aaron) who go out of their way to introduce Ben to single Jewish women to try and get him out of his funk. 

With this established, enter the plot, pressed forward by Carla Kessler (Carol Kane). Carla meets Ben immediately after he’s been punched unconscious in a bar fight. She takes pity on him, buying him a drink and driving him home. The following day, Ben realizes that Carla is his former grade school music teacher. The following day, Carla shows up at the Synagogue to see how Ben is doing and talk to him about her Jewish heritage. Ben had no idea that Carla was Jewish and she admits that she hasn’t practiced in years and she’d like the chance to have a Bat Mitzvah.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review The Room Next Door

The Room Next Door 

Directed by Pedro Almodovar 

Written by Pedro Almodovar

Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton

Release Date October 2024 

Published January 12th, 2024 

The Room Next Door stars Julianne Moore as Ingrid, an author who specializes in writing creative non-fiction, real people and settings with fictional elements to fill in the gaps in the stories. This was not her first profession however, she was once a journalist, trotting around the globe alongside her colleague and friend, Martha (Tilda Swinton). Changes in professions and priorities led their lives down such different paths that they now go years without seeing or speaking to each other. 

Thus it is something of a surprise when Martha reaches out to Ingrid to reconnect. It’s especially surprising when Ingrid learns why her friend is so eager to reconnect. Martha is dying. She doesn’t have much time left. Rather than wait to become dependent on doctors, nurses, or machines, to keep her alive, Martha has obtained the means to end her life on her own terms. All that she wants is someone nearby who cares about her. Having approached other friends who rebuffed the idea, Ingrid was not her first choice but became her best choice.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review Ghostlight

Ghostlight 

Directed by Kelly O’Sullivan

Written by Kelly O’Sullivan 

Starring Keith Kupferer, Dolly De Leon, Katherine Kupferer, Tara Mallen 

Release Date June 14th, 2024 

Published January 13th, 2025

Ghostlight stars Keith Kupferer as Dan Mueller, a construction worker and family man recovering from a terrible family tragedy. Dan’s son has taken his own life and now, Dan and his wife, Sharon (Tara Mallen), and their daughter, Daisy (Katherine Kupferer), are involved in a lawsuit with a family related to the son’s death. The stress of the lawsuit is evident in Daisy acting out at school and at home and how Dan’s closed off emotions are affecting his marriage. 

The plot of Ghostlight begins to unfold after Dan has a blow up on a construction site. The outburst was witnessed by Rita (Dolly De Leon), an actress at a community theater across the street from the construction site. Rita approaches Dan and draws him into the theater. Rita thinks Dan could use an outlet for his anger and that this would make him a terrific actor. Dan, of course, is skeptical but he’s also intrigued. He takes part in a table read for the production of Romeo and Juliet and then comes back for another run through, and another, eventually joining the play in secret.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review Tales from the Crypt Demon Knight

Tales from the Crypt Demon Knight 

Directed by Ernest Dickerson 

Written by Mark Bishop, Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris 

Starring William Sadler, Billy Zane, Jada Pinkett 

Release Date January 13th, 1995 

Published January 14th, 2025 

It’s rare when we at the I Hate Critics Podcast 1995 are genuinely surprised by a movie. It’s especially shocking when a 90s horror movie is that surprise. Generally speaking, the horror genre was not in a great place in the early to mid 1990s. Thus, our expectations for the Tales from the Cryptspin-off flick, Tales from the Crypt Demon Knight were exceedingly low. Sure, the cast is chock full of some of the great that-guy/that-girl actors of the 1990s, but that’s no guarantee of quality when you’re dealing with horror in the 90s. 

What a delight then to find that Tales from the Crypt Demon Knightembraces a silliness and break neck pace that cover for the low budget and ambitions at play. Demon Knight centers on Frank Brayker (William Sadler), a so-called Demon Knight. Frank has been tasked with protecting a key that can keep demons at bay. The key carries the blood of previous Demon Knight’s all the way back to the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Frank is being pursued by The Collector (Billy Zane) , a powerful demon who needs the key to rain darkness down upon the world.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review I'm Not There

I’m Not There 

Directed by Todd Haynes

Written by Todd Haynes, Oren Moverman 

Starring Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger Christian Bale, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Ben Whishaw, David Cross, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood

Release Date November 21st, 2007

Published January 15th, 2025 

With the release and popularity of the new Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, now is the right time to look back at the last time a filmmaker attempted to bring the life of Bob Dylan to the big screen. In 2007, the remarkably gifted director Todd Haynes made the film I’m Not There and to set it apart from the spate of rock n’roll biopics like Walk the Line, Ray, and so on, Haynes decided to approach the life of Bob Dylan from a few different and quite odd angles. Employing a half a dozen actors to embody aspects of Dylan’s career, I’m Not There flies in the face of the traditional biopic and creates something wholly unique that somehow feels more authentic to the life of Bob Dylan than even A Complete Unknown which is a strictly conventional biopic. 

I’m Not There approaches the life of Bob Dylan the same way Dylan himself does, in eras and personas. The first such persona is a young black boy, calling himself Woody Guthrie (Marcus Carl Franklin), in honor of the musician that inspired Dylan to pick up a guitar. The verbose young Woody is hopping trains, playing his guitar, and sharing his wise-beyond-his-years philosophy as he makes his way to New Jersey where the real life Woody Guthrie is laying in a hospital bed breathing his final breaths. In a parallel with A Complete Unknown, we see our Dylan stand-in arrive at Woody Guthrie’s bedside and play a song for his hero.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review Sing Sing

Sing Sing 

Directed by Greg Kwedar

Written by Craig Bentley, Greg Kwedar

Starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin 

Release Date July 12th, 2024

Published January 16th, 2025 

Sing Sing follows the story of a group of men incarcerated at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility who have found a unique way to rehabilitate and find new purpose and meaning. The inmates are part of a theater troupe that uses the art of theater and acting to give these men the space to explore their emotions, their frustrations, and the aspirations for when they may no longer be behind bars. The spiritual leader of the troupe is Divine G (Colman Domingo), a man who fully believes that he was wrongly incarcerated but has nevertheless dedicated himself to healing through art. 

Divine G has written plays for the group and has been the lead actor in a number of productions. He’s also the lead recruiter for the group, always with an eye on the yard looking for a lost soul who might benefit from this unique art therapy. The most recent inmate to catch G’s attention is known as Divine Eye, aka, Clarence Maclin (played by real life former inmate Clarence Maclin). It’s unclear exactly what G sees in Divine Eye but he nevertheless pursues the young man and slowly draws him into their circle.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review The Wolfman

Wolf Man 

Directed by Leigh Whannell

Written by Leigh Whannell, Corbett Tuck

Starring Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner

Release Date January 17th, 2025

Published January 17th, 2025 

Wolf Man stars Christopher Abbott as Blake Lovell, a loving father in a struggling marriage to Charlotte (Julia Garner). Out of work, Blake spends all of his time with their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), which has caused Charlotte to become resentful of their bond. In an effort to repair their marriage and family, Blake asks Charlotte to come with him to Oregon where his late father lived in a remote cabin. Blake’s eccentric father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), disappeared a while ago and has recently been declared dead. Blake is set to travel to Oregon to clean out the cabin and sees an opportunity for a family vacation. 

Arriving in Oregon in a massive moving van, Blake, Charlotte and Ginger get lost and encounter a man named Derek Kiel (Benedict Hardie), a creepy, haunted man whose own late father was a close friend of Grady. Derek agrees to lead them to Grady’s cabin but on the drive, a man in the center of the road causes Blake to swerve into nearby trees where the truck rolls over. Derek is thrown from the truck and in quick succession, he’s attacked and dragged away by some kind of monster on two legs. The monster also attacks Blake, scratching his arm, just as he’s able to escape with Charlotte and Ginger. The three find Grady’s cabin with the monster fast on their tail.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise 

Directed by Richard Linklater 

Written by Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan

Starring Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Released January 19th 1995 at the Sundance Film Festival 

Published January 18th, 1995

On a train traveling through Europe, two twenty-somethings meet by chance and spend one romantic night in Vienna together. Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is an American who came to Europe to see his girlfriend and ends up heartbroken and wandering. Celine (Julie Delpy) is a French college student headed home from Budapest after visiting relatives.

Jesse and Celine bond over their mutual distaste with a couple loudly fighting loudly in indecipherable German. They decide to hang out together in the dining car and what begins as a time-killing conversation becomes a series of smart, witty exchanges and real honest romance. Jesse has to get off in Vienna to catch a plane the next morning, she is supposed to just go straight home but Jesse's charm tempts her enough to jump off the train for one romantic night in Vienna.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review Eat the Night

Eat the Night 

Directed by Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel 

Written by Guillaume Breaud, Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

Starring Lila Gueneau, Theo Cholbi, Erwan Kapoa Fale 

Release date January 10th, 2025 

Published January 19th, 2025 

Eat the Night stars Lila Gueneau and Theo Cholbi as siblings, Appoline and Pablo. Having apparently been abandoned by their parents, Pablo supports the two of them by selling drugs while the two share a bond over a video game called Darknoon. The game is pretty much Appoline’s obsession. It became her world when she and her older brother began playing together and it became a source of comfort and continuity amid the chaos of their day to day lives. 

Thus, when the makers of Darknoon announce that the game is coming to an end in just mere months, it sends Appoline and Pablo on separate paths. While Appoline remains obsessed with the gaming world, Pablo looks outward. After being assaulted while selling drugs on gang turf, Pablo is cared for by Night, a kindly hotel employee. Pablo returns to see Night the following day on the pretense of offering him a job producing and selling drugs with him.

Click here for my full length review at Pride.Media, linked here. 

Classic Movie Review Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet 

Directed by David Lynch 

Written by David Lynch

Starring Kyle McLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern

Release Date September 19th, 1986

Published January 20th, 2025 

The passing of legendary director David Lynch caused me to want to look at one of his films that I have always found daunting and unpleasant. Blue Velvet contains a performance by Dennis Hopper that is among the most unsettling, unpredictable, and bizarre that I’ve ever seen on screen. Well, that’s what I felt as a 21 year old film critic learning about movies and arrogantly flying in the face of more conventional opinions. I was a hotheaded contrarian but one who chose his battles. Blue Velvet became a battleground for me because it was beloved by many respected film scholars. But, the reality of Blue Velvet was that it and specifically, Dennis Hopper's abrasive and hard charging performance, had challenged me in a way I wasn't ready for. 

Blue Velvet isn’t exactly entry level film studies. The thick layers of trauma, sentimentality, delusion, and sexual dysfunction that define Blue Velvetrequire a mature perspective. Lynch’s approach often needs a more scholarly eye than what mine was at 21 years old and with no experience in film school. I had also previously seen Eraserhead and found it so off-putting that I could not finish it, which I am certain colored my opinion of Lynch’s work as I approached Wild at Heart and then Blue Velvet, both films I was simply not ready to process.

Click here for my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review Back in Action

Back in Action

Directed by Seth Gordon

Written by Seth Gordon, Brendan O’Brien 

Starring Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Glenn Close 

Release Date January 17th, 2025 

Published January 21st, 2025 

Back in Action stars Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx as Emily and Matt, CIA partners who fall in love while working on an op. Naturally, this op goes sideways and the two end up nearly dying. This puts a scare into them both as Emily is pregnant. With their colleagues and enemies assuming that they are dead, the two use the opportunity to disappear and start a new life in the suburbs, raising kids, getting jobs, and pursuing hobbies like normal, everyday Americans. 

This actually works out for a surprisingly long while, especially in the social media and surveillance era, no one stumbles over them still being alive for more than 15 years. Unfortunately, with their 15 year old daughter, Alice (McKenna Roberts), acting out and finding trouble in a nightclub, mom and dad’s CIA skills come into play and he couple are caught on camera beating up leering creeps in a video that ends up going viral.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here. 

Movie Review Three Birthdays

Three Birthdays 

Directed by Jane Weinstock

Written by Jane Weinstock, Nevin Schreiner 

Starring Josh Radnor, Annie Parisse, Nuala Cleary

Release Date January 24th, 2025 

Published January 22nd, 2025 

Three Birthdays is utterly insufferable. The film is about a group of whiny characters creating their own problems by failing to communicate with each other for their own selfish, manipulative, and moronic reasons. The film is set in Ohio, in 1970, and uses the rise of campus violence and protests against the Vietnam war, as a backdrop for a story about progressive-liberal characters who fail spectacularly in their vain attempts to live up the ideals they claim to believe in. 

The structure of the story takes us through three singular days in the lives of a family that includes daughter Bobbie (Nuala Cleary), dad, Rob (Josh Radnor), and mom, Kate (Annie Parisse). Each day the movie focuses on is a birthday for one of our main characters, beginning with Bobbie. On this day, Bobbie has decided to lose her virginity but not before she writes treacly poetry about it that would make a real 15 year old girl cringe. The movie seems to find her attempt to find a rhyme for virginity quite amusing but it doesn’t translate to being actually amusing.

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here