It?s nice to be able to compare notes with others at AFI Fest 2019 Presented by Audi. You get to hear what other people have seen and were impressed by, or just compare notes and confirm that what you saw was pretty bad. Sometimes such discussions can make you rethink...
Fifty-one percent of the films at AFI Fest 2019 Presented by Audi are directed by women. In the lobby of the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres where most of the screenings take place stands a large installation entitled ?Changing the Chairs?, noting that who sits in the...
?Mister, I ain?t a boy, no I?m a man, and I believe in the promised land? (Bruce Springsteen, ?The Promised Land?) In Blinded by the Light, Javed (Viveik Kaira), a Pakistani young man growing up in a town outside of London, struggles to find his place in the world. He...
Sunday is the day I?ve most been looking forward to at AFI Fest 2019 Presented by Audi, because I know that Terrance Malick is capable of creating amazingly spiritual films. Would he justify my anticipation? But first I saw Ivana the Terrible, an autobiographical film...
The second day of AFI Fest Presented by Audi, was another day filled with interesting and powerful films. The odd thing about being at Hollywood and Highland this year is that since the Egyptian Theater down the street isn?t being used this year, I have no reason (or...
Welcome to Hollywood and AFI Fest Presented by Audi. I love coming to this festival and discovering some of the best films in the world, some of the great history of the industry, and the work of filmmakers who are just now making a name for themselves. Part of the...
In Waves, from director Trey Edward Shults, a suburban African-American family faces struggle, then tragedy. Healing is surely needed, but in what power will they find it? Ronald (Sterling K. Brown) is a demanding and domineering father. He describes himself as ?the...
It is time again for AFIFest Presented by Audi. While there is almost always some sort of film festival taking place in Los Angeles, AFIFest is the time that American and world cinema are center stage here. The 2019 event will feature 142 titles (80 features, 1...
One of the basic frameworks for a plot is The Hero Takes a Journey. It is seen in The Odyssey, any number of road movies, as well as the Gospel According to Luke. The Peanut Butter Falcon (winner of an audience award at SXSW) is the latest iteration of that plotline....