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FlixChatter Review: THE BRUTALIST (2024) – Adrien Brody is intense and heartbreaking in Brady Corbet’s sobering cautionary tale of the elusive American Dream – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
2024 has been a terrific year for films in that it’s introduced me to quite a few new filmmakers whose work I’ve seen for the first time, but certainly wouldn’t be the last. Brady Corbet is one of them, who got his start as an actor in the early 2000s. The title refers to Brutalist…
FlixChatter Review: NICKEL BOYS (2024) – A unique approach to evocative storytelling that packs an emotional wallop – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
A beautiful orange tree… a boy lying in the grass, we’re treated to extreme close-ups and upside-down views in the opening of Nickel Boys. While unconventional camera work can be gimmicky, writer/director RaMell Ross shot the film in a first-person POV to get viewers to see the world through the characters’ eyes. Set in the…
James Gunn’s SUPERMAN teaser trailer – a battered superhero, dapper Lex Luthor, Krypto the superdog + more – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
It's been nearly half a year since I posted a trailer on this site, but as a longtime fan of Superman, I knew I had to do a post about James Gunn's SUPERMAN (retitled from Superman Legacy). Plus this drops as I'm feeling under the weather as I've had a cold for over a week…
Documentary Review: Music By John Williams (2024) – a heartfelt and delightful tribute to the maestro who has composed the soundtrack of our lives – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
John Williams was trending yesterday on Twitter and I immediately feared the worst. Thankfully the maestro was trending because James Gunn posted a motion poster of his upcoming Superman Legacy movie using a slowed-down version of Williams’ iconic score. Williams’ Superman score is one of my favorite scores of all time, certainly at the top…
FlixChatter Review: A Complete Unknown (2024) – Timothée Chalamet captures Bob Dylan’s freewheelin’ vibe in James Mangold’s engrossing musical biopic – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
I’m going to preface this review by saying I have a huge blindspot about Bob Dylan. I probably shouldn’t feel too bad as Timothée Chalamet himself didn’t know much about the world-famous singer/songwriter when he got offered the part. The fact that I live in Minnesota, it’s hard to escape the Dylan effect. Just like…
Double Reviews: Based-on-real-events thrillers THE ORDER + SEPTEMBER 5 – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Welcome to another FlixChatter double review edition! I thought I’d combine these two films as both are based on real events dealing with threats of terrorism, albeit from two different groups. Both are excellent, gripping thrillers I highly recommend. THE ORDER The Order refers to a Neo-Nazi terrorist group that was active in the U.S.…
Musings on Golden Globes 2025 Nominations – 5 Glaring Snubs + Great Surprises – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
The award season is in full swing! Days after the Independent Spirit Awards were announced, now we've got the Golden Globes nominations! It's been a year and a half since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which managed the Golden Globe Awards from 1943 to 2023, was disbanded due to diversity issues. If you're curious…
Special Q&A with Resa McConaghy, costume designer extraordinaire, on my short film HEARTS WANT – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
https://graffitiluxandmurals.com/2024/12/07/hearts-want/?page_id=38277 Happy Saturday, friends!! I'm sharing this fantabulous post that my dear friend Resa McConaghy, whose fabulous costume design career + thoughts on Emmy awards (as she is an Emmy voter) I featured on this post last September. THANK YOU, Resa, for featuring me, I'm ever so grateful for your kind support. If you're curious to…
FlixChatter Review: MARIA (2024) – Angelina Jolie is sublime in this stylish but cryptic reimagining of Maria Callas’ last days – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Maria, based on the life of opera legend Maria Callas, completes the ‘trilogy’ of iconic women by Chilean director Pablo Larraín. It’s unclear if Larraín intended for them to form a trilogy, but they definitely share some connections. Jackie (as in Jackie Kennedy Onassis), Spencer (about Princess Diana), and now Maria all center on women…
FlixChatter Review: NIGHTBITCH (2024) – Amy Adams is at her most fearless though the film is more on the tame side – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
I saw this as part of the Twin Cities Film Fest last October, but I decided to wait until the week of its release to post my review. It’s based on a novel by literary & screenwriting professor Rachel Yoder, released in 2021. I read in this article that after becoming a mom and spending…
FlixChatter’s NOVEMBER viewing recap + Mini Reviews + Movie of the Month – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Welcome to the last month of the year!! This year has gone by so fast, I still can't believe we're just weeks away from Christmas! This is a busy season for film critics as I have a slew of screeners sent my way that I'm playing catch-up with watching and reviewing. I'm hoping to watch…
FlixChatter Review: MOANA 2 (2024) – this frenetically paced sequel is a rehash of the original with less catchy songs – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
I saw the first Moana movie pretty late, six years after its 2016 release, and I had a great time with it. The visuals are gorgeous and the songs are pretty memorable, so that’s the reason I was curious to check this out on the big screen. Well, like the original, this movie is a…
Thanksgiving Special: Musings on the dysfunctional family dramedy HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1995) – directed by Jodie Foster – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
A couple of weeks ago I hosted a movie night with one of my Indonesian friends who suggested that we watch Home for the Holidays, which happens to be one of her favorite holiday movies. As I was watching it, I realized I was stepping into a cultural space that felt pretty different from my…
FlixChatter Review: JUROR #2 (2024) – Clint Eastwood’s engrossing courtroom drama has me feeling torn in all the best ways. – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
I actually heard about this film from reports that Warner Bros had somehow ‘buried’ the film as it was released with minimal fanfare in limited theaters with no plan for expansion. It’s really a bummer not only because it could be 94-year-old Clint Eastwood’s last film, but because it deserves to be seen by more…
FlixChatter Review: The Piano Lesson (2024) – Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s play is intense and spine-chilling, with a scene-stealing performance by Danielle Deadwyler – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
This has been quite a year for the Washington family. Its patriarch Denzel Washington is currently chewing the scenery starring in Gladiator II. Meanwhile, a Netflix film he co-produced with his daughter Katia Washington, The Piano Lesson is released on the same weekend. Based on August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, it’s definitely a family project…
FlixChatter Review: WICKED Part I (2024) – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande are wicked good in Jon M. Chu’s vivid, dazzling, and surprisingly heartfelt movie musical – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
As you’ve likely seen on social media, it’s that time again in Hollywood where two blockbuster juggernauts are competing at the box office. Forget Barbenheimer, it’s the year of GLICKED (Gladiator II and Wicked). I have to preface my review by saying that I haven’t seen the Broadway version and I’ve just recently seen The…
FlixChatter Review: Small Things Like These (2024) – Cillian Murphy brings a subtle intensity to this slow yet absorbing historical drama – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
As the holidays are approaching, there are a bunch of new movies coming that are set at Christmas time. Well, Small Things Like These takes place over Christmas in 1985, but this is NOT a warm and fuzzy holiday movie. Adapted from the Booker Prize-nominated novel by Claire Keegan, it’s a sobering film dealing with…
FlixChatter Review: GLADIATOR II (2024) – The cast bring their A-game but this sequel is heavy on CGI spectacle, light on logic + emotional resonance – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
It’s been 24 years since Gladiator was released and it remains one of my favorite movies of all time. I rewatched it recently and it still holds up exceptionally well. It starts strong and ends with equal fortitude. The hero’s journey is complete with Maximus’ death, as he sacrificially saves Lucilla, her son Lucius, as…
TV Review: AppleTV+’s SLOW HORSES (S4) – the best yet underrated spy series that just keeps getting better every season – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
My pal and FC loyal contributor Ted S. and I are huge fans of the Slow Horses, the acclaimed dark comedy spy series on Apple TV+. I'm thrilled that in addition to the upcoming 5th season, we'll be getting a new 6-episode sixth season as well, expected to air in 2026. This is one of…
FlixChatter Review: A REAL PAIN (2024) – Jesse Eisenberg + Kieran Culkin’s bittersweet buddy dramedy is a real delight – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Making a film that deals with the holocaust as a buddy comedy seems like an audacious choice. Yet that is what actor/writer/director Jesse Eisenberg managed to do with A Real Pain and managed to create a heartwarming and funny film that is not at all painful to watch. I have to admit I’m not all…
TCFF 2024 Review: BLITZ – Saoirse Ronan is luminous in Steve McQueen’s impeccably-crafted but emotionally underwhelming WWII drama – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Blitz tells the tale of a group of Londoners navigating life during the bombings of World War II in the 1940s. Written and directed by Steve McQueen, the film opened with a fiery inferno right from its opening scene. Firefighters desperately try to put out the blaze that engulfs a row of houses, one of…
TCFF 2024 Review: La Cocina – a visceral cinematic experience set in a bustling kitchen boldly explores power & class dynamics – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
La Cocina (aka The Kitchen) immerses viewers into the world of a bustling kitchen, The Grill, in NYC’s Times Square. It’s also an American immigrant story as it opens with a young woman Estela (Anna Diaz) on a ferry to Manhattan she sneaks in through the side door and slyly manages to land a job…
FlixChatter Review – VENOM: The Last Dance (2024) – Tom Hardy bids farewell to his chatty, bombastic symbiote in a whirlwind of crazy fun – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
I came into the Venom franchise quite late as I just didn’t care for it initially, despite being a big fan of Tom Hardy. Then I saw the mid-credit scene of Spider-man: No Way Home featuring Hardy’s character Eddie Brock with his alien parasite in a Mexican bar talking to a bartender played by Ted…
FlixChatter’s OCTOBER viewing recap + Mini Reviews + Movie(s) Of the Month – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Happy November! We're down to the last two months of the year already?? Wow, where has the time gone? Well, after an unseasonally warm October, we finally got our first snow on Halloween. Fortunately, the ground was still so warm that it didn't stick, so nothing like the Halloween blizzard of 1991 that dropped a…
Special Guest Post: 10 Great Scary Movies For Children At Halloween – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Guest post by Dan Stephens of Top 10 Films Get ready to grab your blankets, snuggle up, and settle in for a night of delightful frights with these family-friendly scary movies! There's nothing quite like the thrill of a spooky movie night, where the whole family can gather around the screen, popcorn in hand, and…
TCFF 2024 Review: UNSTOPPABLE (2024) – this sports biopic doesn’t break new ground, but Anthony Robles’ incredible story is truly inspiring – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Unstoppable might be an overly generic title for a film, but the story of wrestler Anthony Robles, an American wrestler who was born without a right leg is anything but. The story is lifted straight out of his autobiography, Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated Champion, and this is very much an underdog sports story just…
TCFF 2024 Award Winners + Highlights: Interview with Daisy Ridley + Tom Bateman on their psychological thriller MAGPIE – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
It's been a hectic but gratifying 10 days covering the Twin Cities Film Fest on its 15th anniversary! Monday, October 21 was truly an evening to remember as I got to meet both Daisy Ridley and Tom Bateman who were in attendance to promote their psychological thriller MAGPIE (read my review). Thanks to TCFF executive…
TCFF 2024 Review: MAGPIE – Daisy Ridley continues to show off her range in this enigmatic, slow-burn thriller – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Magpie is a Neo-noir thriller that marks the first feature collaboration between Daisy Ridley and her husband Tom Bateman. I read that the idea came from Ridley herself, which was inspired by her role in The Marsh King's Daughter where she played a mother of a young girl. Written by Bateman and directed by Sam…
TCFF 2024 music-themed documentary reviews – LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH and CAMP RICSTAR – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH Luther Vandross is a singer I don't know much about, and that is the appeal of this documentary for me. Luther: Never Too Much covers the journey of this legendary artist, starting from his childhood talent all the way to his global success. It dives into his collaborations, influences, personality, his…
TCFF 2024 Reviews: dramedy ‘A Little Family Drama’ + horror thriller ‘The Activated Man’ – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
A LITTLE FAMILY DRAMA Movies frequently highlight dysfunctional families to explore the intricacies of human relationships, and the chaos within families can make for some great comedy. That is the premise of A Little Family Drama by writer/director Nadia Zoe, which centers on the multi-generational Mexican American family, the Sepulvedas. The story revolves around a…
TCFF 2024 Review: CONCLAVE – Ralph Fiennes delivers his finest performance in this engrossing papal mystery thriller – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Twin Cities Film Fest kicked off its 10-day film festivities yesterday with Focus Features’ papal mystery thriller CONCLAVE. It’s one of my most anticipated Fall films thanks to the all-star cast filled with Oscar nominees, Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow. Directed by Edward Berger, the 2023 Oscar winner for All Quiet on the…
FlixChatter Review: Saturday Night (2024) – Jason Reitman’s retelling of the first SNL episode in real-time is a fun, frenzied ride – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
As Saturday Night Live enters its 50th season, it’s quite fun to revisit the day the first-ever episode went live. As so happens, I saw the film on the big screen exactly 49 years to the day it aired on October 11, 1975. Generally, I’m not a super huge fan of SNL and rarely see…
Twin Cities Film Fest countdown: 10 must-see DOCUMENTARIES to watch at TCFF 2024 – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) arrives in TWO DAYS, that is Thursday, October 17th. Though we got a bit of a frost happening in some parts of the cities, we're getting a bit of Summer-like weather just in time for this fall's film festivities, with temps in the 70s and perhaps even hitting close…
FlixChatter Review: WE LIVE IN TIME (2024) – Florence Pugh & Andrew Garfield create a delectable concoction out of a vanilla romance – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
With Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield as the leads, it’s easy to see why We Live in Time is one of the most anticipated Fall releases. Both actors are at the top of their game and massively popular, and they’re definitely the reason to see this film. Directed by John Crowley from a script by…
Twin Cities Film Fest countdown – 10 must-see narrative INDIE FILMS to watch at TCFF 2024 – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Can't believe that the Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) is less than 10 days away!! The Twin Cities has been blessed with glorious weather, no sign of the white stuff (aka snow, in case you're wondering) as temps are well above normal. A few weeks ago, TCFF unveiled the complete lineup filled with exciting buzz-worthy…
FlixChatter Review: THE OUTRUN (2024) – Saoirse Ronan superbly portrays a woman battling addiction in this year’s hidden gem – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Saoirse Ronan is an actress I’d watch in pretty much anything. That’s the main appeal of The Outrun for me. I don’t usually go for addiction films simply because Hollywood has a history of glamorizing drug and alcohol use as a way to enjoy life, often hiding the harsh truths of addiction. Although some movies…
Documentary Review » Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – a fitting homage to an extraordinary man who redefined what it means to be a real-life hero – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Certain actors hold a special place in my heart and Christopher Reeve is one of those, so I’m grateful that I saw this film on the big screen on his birthday on Sept 25. My first theatrical experience when I was a toddler was Superman: The Movie. My parents got divorced when I was only…
FlixChatter Review: MY OLD ASS (2024) – Maisy Stella + Aubrey Plaza have a nice chemistry in this coming-of-age comedy with a sci-fi twist – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Directed by: Megan Park Starring: Maisy Stella, Percy Hines White, Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks, Aubrey Plaza Fantasy dramedy My Old Ass is actress turned director Megan Park’s second full feature after the critically acclaimed The Fallout (2021). 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella), a spirited young Canadian adult about to enter college and semi-independence, is eager to…
SEPTEMBER viewing recap + Mini Reviews + Movie Of the Month – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
Happy October, everyone! Remember I said 'buh bye Summer' in my last post? Well, as it turns out, September was pretty much a carbon copy of August, temps were so hot up until yesterday (mid-80s Fahrenheit!) that I put off updating my closet to Fall wardrobe, ahah. I am looking forward to Fall movies, so…
RIP Dame Maggie Smith – 10 favorite roles of the venerable Grande Dame of Films + TV – FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG
This weekend started with a somber note with the passing of Dame Maggie Smith last Friday, who died at the age of 89. It's disheartening that I'm doing another tribute post after we lost the great James Earl Jones earlier this month, but I simply had to do a tribute to one of my favorite…