Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Looper), Knives Out follows the clues behind the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a wealthy author who is murdered after his birthday party. Called in by a mysterious benefactor, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is called in to help unravel the mystery amongst Harlan?s quirky relatives, including Harlan?s daughter,…
Written and directed by Trey Edward Stutts, Waves is a stunning journey into the heart of a family in crisis. Following the journey of a suburban African-American family, the film focuses its lens through the eyes of young wrestling star, Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and his sister, Emily (Taylor Russell). Raised in a family led by their well-meaning…
As AFI Fest 2019 Presented by Audi draws to a close, it is time to thank the festival and it?s press office for allowing me to attend and report on the festival. I also want to thank the countless volunteers who helped to make the festival run smoothly and make sure I got in the…
Last week, I had the honor and privilege of attending the red carpet premiere of The Mandalorian. It was a fan event that had a Q&A in the beginning, and then a screening of the first three episodes. First, a little backstory as to how this came about. I love Star Wars, and I also…
There has been a major change at AFI Fest 2019 Presented by Audi. For the last few years, tickets for most screenings and events at the festival were free. This year, the public needs to buy tickets, although there are some films that had free screenings. While the attendance is still good, most screenings are…
?There are 21 bridges in and out of Manhattan. Shut?em down. Three rivers. Close them. Four tunnels. Block them. Stop every train line that leaves the island ? Amtrak, PATH, New Jersey Transit, LIRR?and loop the subways. Then we flood the island with blue.? That is certainly a dramatic undertaking! Just think of closing down…
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood introduces the iconic figure through the eyes of Lloyd Vogel, an investigative journalist with Esquire magazine with a history of exposing the darkness of our world. Tasked with writing a mere 400 words for an issue about our ?heroes?, Vogel begrudgingly accepts his assignment and begins to meet regularly with…
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 your schedule. I opened the…
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 director?s chair makes a difference, and celebrating that more…
?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 wants to be a writer,…
