After Yang - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

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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.

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

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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.

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FRESH - SPOILER-FREE Review | Sundance 2022

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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.

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Scream (2022) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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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.

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

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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.

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The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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The Matrix Resurrections (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Lana Wachowski

Written by: Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksandar Hemon

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith

Runtime: 148 min

Synopsis: To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, Mr. Anderson (Keanu Reeves), aka Neo, will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. If he's learned anything, it's that choice, while an illusion, still the only way out of - or into - the Matrix. Neo already knows what he has to do, but what he doesn't yet know is that the Matrix is stronger, more secure and far more dangerous than ever before.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Jon Watts

Written by: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei

Runtime: 148 min

Synopsis: For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his superhero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk. When he enlists Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who've ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter (Tom Holland) will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.

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Don't Look Up (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Don't Look Up (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Adam McKay

Written by: Adam McKay

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep

Runtime: 138 min

Synopsis: Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.

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Encounter (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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Encounter (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Michael Pearce

Written by: Michael Pearce, Joe Barton

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, Rory Cochrane, Lucian-River Chauhan, Aditya Geddada

Runtime: 108 min

Synopsis: A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.

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The Power of the Dog (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

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The Power of the Dog (2021) - SPOILER-FREE Review

Directed by: Jane Campion

Written by: Jane Campion

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee

Runtime: 127 min

Synopsis: Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

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