Brian and Charles - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
Brian and Charles - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Jim Archer

Written by: David Earl, Chris Hayward

Starring: David Earl, Chris Hayward, Louise Brealey, Jamie Michie, Lowri Izzard, Mari Izzard

Runtime: 90 min

Synopsis: An endearing outlier, Brian (David Earl) lives alone in a Welsh valley, inventing oddball contraptions that seldom work. After finding a discarded mannequin head, Brian gets an idea. Three days, a washing machine, and sundry spare parts later, he’s invented Charles (Chris Hayward), an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and proves a charming, cheeky companion. Before long, however, Charles also develops autonomy. Intrigued by the wider world - or whatever lies beyond the cottage where Brian has hidden him away - Charles craves adventure.

Read More

Dual - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
Dual - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Riley Stearns

Written by: Riley Stearns

Starring: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Beulah Koale

Runtime: 95 min

Synopsis: Recently diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease, Sarah (Karen Gilian) is unsure how to process the news. To help ease her friends’ and family’s impending loss, she is encouraged to participate in a simple futuristic cloning procedure called “Replacement,” after which Sarah’s last days will be spent teaching the clone how to live on as Sarah once she’s gone. But while it takes only an hour for a clone to be made, things become significantly more challenging when that double is no longer wanted.

Read More

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Sophie Hyde

Written by: Katy Brand

Starring: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack

Runtime: 97 min

Synopsis: Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) doesn’t know good sex. Whatever it may be, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, is pretty sure she has never had it, but she is determined to finally do something about that. She even has a plan: It involves an anonymous hotel room, and a young sex worker who calls himself Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack). Leo is confident, dapper, and takes pride in being good at his job. He also appears to be intrigued by Nancy - one of many things to surprise her during their time together.

Read More

Nanny - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
Nanny - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Nikyatu Jusu

Written by: Nikyatu Jusu

Starring: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams

Runtime: 97 min

Synopsis: Aisha (Anna Diop), an undocumented Senegalese immigrant, lands a job as a nanny of a wealthy Manhattan couple. While she easily wins the affection of their young daughter Rose (Rose Decker), she becomes a pawn in the couple’s facade of a marriage. The mother is as controlling as the dad is disillusioned and woke. Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind in Senegal, Aisha hopes her new job will afford her the chance to bring him to the U.S. and share in the life she is piecing together. But as his arrival approaches, a supernatural presence begins to invade both her dreams and her reality.

Read More

Emergency - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
Emergency - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Carey Williams

Written by: K.D. Dávila

Starring: RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sebastian Chacon, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Sabrina Carpenter

Runtime: 104 min

Synopsis: Straight-A college student Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his laid-back best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are about to have the most epic night of their lives. Determined to be the first Black students to complete their school’s frat party legendary tour, the friends strap in for their ultimate assignment, Solo cups in hand. But a quick pit stop at home alters their plans when they find a white girl passed out on the living room floor. Faced with the risks of calling the police under life-threatening optics, Kunle, Sean, and their Latino roommate, Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), must find a way to de-escalate the situation before it’s too late.

Read More

After Yang - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
After Yang - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Kogonada

Written by: Kogonada

Starring: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Haley Lu Richardson

Runtime: 96 min

Synopsis: When Yang (Justin H. Min) - a lifelike, artificially intelligent android that Jake and Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) buy as a companion for their adopted daughter - abruptly stops functioning, Jake (Colin Farrell) just wants him repaired quickly and cheaply. But having purchased Yang “certified refurbished” from a now-defunct store, he’s led first to a conspiracy theorist technician and then a technology museum curator, who discovers that Yang was actually recording memories. Jake’s quest eventually becomes one of existential introspection and contemplating his own life, as it passes him by.

Read More

When You Finish Saving the World - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
When You Finish Saving the World - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg

Written by: Jesse Eisenberg

Starring: Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, Alisha Boe, Jay O. Sanders, Billy Bryk, Eleonore Hendricks

Runtime: 88 min

Synopsis: From his bedroom home studio, high school student Ziggy (Finn Wolfhard) performs original folk-rock songs for an adoring online fan base. This concept mystifies his formal and uptight mother, Evelyn (Julianne Moore), who runs a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. While Ziggy is busy trying to impress his socially engaged classmate Lila by making his music less bubblegum and more political, Evelyn meets Angie (Eleonore Hendricks) and her teen son, Kyle (Billy Bryk), when they seek refuge at her facility. She observes a bond between the two that she’s missing with her own son, and decides to take Kyle under her wing against her better instincts.

Read More

FRESH - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

/
FRESH - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

Directed by: Mimi Cave

Written by: Mimi Cave

Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jojo T. Gibbs, Charlotte Le Bon, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi

Runtime: 114 min

Synopsis: Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve (Sebastian Stan) after a produce-section meet-cute at the grocery store. During a subsequent date at a local bar, sassy banter gives way to a chemistry-laden hookup, and a smitten Noa dares to hope that she might have actually found a real connection with the dashing cosmetic surgeon. She accepts Steve’s invitation to an impromptu weekend getaway, only to find that her new paramour has been hiding some unusual appetites.

Read More

Scream (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review

/
Scream (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Written by: James Vanderbilt, Guy Busick

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Marley Shelton, Roger L. Jackson

Runtime: 114 min

Synopsis: Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, Calif., a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town's deadly past.

Read More

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

/
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Joel Coen

Written by: Joel Coen

Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Brendan Gleeson

Runtime: 105 min

Synopsis: Power-hungry Macbeth (Denzel Washington) sets his sights on the Scottish throne after receiving a prophecy from three witches.

Read More