Documentary Review Lady Like

Lady Like 

Directed by Luke Willis 

Written by Luke Willis 

Starring Lady Camden 

Release Date January 3rd, 2025 

Published January 6th, 2025 

What is it that drives people to want to take joy away from others? Is this some kind of caveman instinct? Is our too slowly evolving intellect still recalling a time when being loud and happy might attract predators and thus we must crush those aspects of humanity for the protection of the tribe? I don’t understand why anyone would look at a child who loves to dance or play dress up or emulate a lifestyle that they weren’t born into and decide that this expression of self, this joy and comfort in what they enjoy, needs to be taken away from them. 

This is literally what so many parents and members of general society attempt to do to a group of people who simply wish to follow their muse and live a life that brings them joy. The boy who grew up to be Lady Camden, runner up on Season 14 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, knows this feeling all too well. She grew up wanting to dance and play with Barbies and many people stepped in to try and take that away from her. Whether it was angry bullying or ugly shaming, somehow people looked at this vulnerable child and thought that what was best for them was to take away what made them happy.

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

Classic Movie Review Houseguest

Houseguest 

Directed by Randall Miller 

Written by Michael G. Di Gaetano, Roger Birnbaum 

Starring Sinbad, Phil Hartman 

Released January 6th, 1995 

Published January 7th, 2025 

Houseguest stars comedian Sinbad as a fast talking con-artist named Kevin Franklin. Kevin owes the mob $50,000 dollars via a failed business loan. With a pair of dopey mobsters, Pauly and Joey Gasparini (Paul Ben Victor and Tony Longo), on his tail, Kevin tries to flee the country but gets caught at the airport. After throwing a few curveballs to escape his would-be captors, Kevin stumbles upon the Young family, headed up by milquetoast lawyer Gary Young (Phil Hartman). 

Gary and his kids are at the airport to meet Gary’s oldest friend, one he’s not seen in person in more than 25 years. All that Gary knows about his buddy, Derek, is that he’s black and has agreed to show off his knowledge at a presentation at Gary’s kids' school. This is all the information that Kevin needs to pretend that he’s Derek and use the Youngs as a way to escape from the mob. But first, he has to get rid of the real Derek, played by Ron Glass, by crafting an off the cuff lie so stupid that you can’t help but feel dumber listening to it while feeling a sense of sympathy for actor Ron Glass as he feigns buying into this nonsense.

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

Movie Review Blitz

Blitz 

Directed by Steve McQueen 

Written by Steve McQueen

Starring Saorise Ronan, Elliot Heffernan

Released November 1st, 2024 

Published January 8th, 2025 

Blitz stars Saorise Ronan as Rita, a devoted mother desperately trying to hold her tiny family together amid the chaos of the German bombing campaign against England, historically remembered as The Blitz. With German planes bombarding England by night and few places to find safety and shelter from the explosions, hard choices and sacrifices are asked of all Britons. One sacrifice in particular strikes Rita as her father and friends convince her that the only way to keep her young son George (Elliott Heffernan) safe, is to send him away. 

Amid the blitz, parents were giving their children to volunteers to take care of them by taking them to the English countryside, an area less likely to be harmed by German bombing raids. Thousands of English children were separated from their parents with only a little paperwork and the word of aid workers promising that they would ever see their children again. For Rita, the pain is doubled by the fact that she’s already lost her husband to the war and now, her only connection to him could be lost forever as well.

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

Movie Review Flow

Flow 

Directed by Gints Zilbalodis 

Written by Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza 

Starring Animated Animals 

Release Date January 10th, 2025 

Published January 10th, 2025 

Flow is one of the most engrossing and lovely experiences I’ve ever had at a movie theater. This wordless animated feature from Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis and co-writer Matiss Kaza follows the story of a cat lost in the maelstrom of a flood. There are no human beings to be found, just vast amounts of water, boats, rushing waves, and various other animals who become a loose collection of fellow survivors. 

Photorealistic backgrounds provide a dreamlike space where these stylized animal characters exist. The world around the main character, a nameless black cat, is realistic in style while we are secretly comforted by the notional magic of animation that none of these furry creatures are being harmed or are capable of harming one another. As we settle into the world we slowly grow comfortable with the lack of words and only the magic of visual storytelling to give us a sense of where we are and what’s happening.

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

Movie Review Disfluency

Disfluency 

Directed by Anna Baumgarten

Written by Anna Baumgarten 

Starring Libe Barer, Ariela Barer, Chelsea Alden 

Released January 10th, 2025

Published January 9th, 2025 

Disfluency stars Libe Barer as Jane, or Jane the Brain, or Blue Jay, depending on which family member or friend who is speaking to her. Jane has a loving and supportive group of friends and family, all of whom are worried about her. After having spent her life as an overachiever with well built goals and accomplishments, Jane failed her final university exam, causing her to wash out. Returning home for the summer, she’s here to lick her wounds and dodge the questions of her parents as to how it happened that she bombed in the one class that she needed to graduate. 

You may already be guessing what might have caused a bright young woman to suddenly lose everything, tripping over the final hurdle. It’s probably exactly what you think and yet, Disfluency comes at this revelation from a unique perspective. Jane is fighting to keep her secret while giving off every indication of her growing depression stemming from the traumatic incident that sent her spiraling toward that class failure. The film captures the complicated, roiling, and chaotic emotional conflicts that come with such trauma.

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

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.