Feelin' Film

Familiar stories can still be emotionally effective and entertaining, as we see in new work from both Alexander Payne and Hayao Miyazaki. THE HOLDOVERS feels like a simple dramedy that we don't often see, but is charming and touching in equal measure. In Miyazaki's latest fantastical adventure, a boy travels to a magical world and copes with the loss of his mother, and the director infuses...

Dever excels in this mostly solo acted and dialogueless film about a loner in a small town who fights against her own anxiety while trying to fend off an alien invasion and protect her home. Strong creepy effects and superb sound design make for taut experience. Follow & Subscribe Aaron Twitter Facebook Letterboxd Patrick Twitter An Original Series Podcast Twitter Feelin' Film Facebook Twi...

This episode's theme is films about women written and directed by women. HOW TO HAVE SEX follows a trio of teenage girls on a vacation partying in Greece, and one of their goals is to get laid. It's a high energy coming-of-age story that oozes authenticity and ends up being powerfully challenging. DADDIO is a two-hander about the conversations a woman and her New York cab driver have on he...

The Netflix episode! These weren't the only films at TIFF that will be released on the streaming giant's platform, but they are two of the highest profile ones. WOMAN OF THE HOUR is beloved actress Anna Kendrick's directorial debut and she shows incredible command behind the camera in adapting this true crime serial killer story. PAIN HUSTLERS is David Yates (of Wizarding World fame) t...

Two surefire contenders for the 2024 Best International Feature Film Oscar, ANATOMY OF A FALL is a high-quality courtroom drama featuring an emotionally complex leading performance and some impressive shifting perspective camerawork during its trial scenes, while THE ZONE OF INTEREST provides a glimpse into the Holocaust from the viewpoint of a German military family living an idyllic lifestyle ne...

COPA 71 is a documentary that covers the rocky origin of women's soccer and history of an incredible international tournament buried by those who discriminated against women in the sport, as told by players who participated in the event themselves. And DUMB MONEY dramatizes the internet-driven GameStop short squeeze event of 2021 where a YouTuber called Roaring Kitty and Reddit investment grou...

Celine Song's directorial debut is a beautiful story of friendship and contemplation about the choices we make in life. It is powerfully relatable, thoughtful, and mature in handling a unique relationship dynamic, and the film shows us that it's okay to be sad about the road not taken without having regrets. * Note - full spoilers in effect for entire episode * Follow & Subscribe Aaron...

A journalist mother still grieving over the loss of her husband endures the death of a drug-addicted son and embarks on an investigation alongside his pregnant girlfriend to find the truth behind his murder. Stuck somewhere in-between its taut, dark and gritty thriller framework and its more compelling but infrequent character-driven moments, the parts of this predictable murder mystery are greate...

This adaptation of Paolo Cognetti's novel about a lifetime-spanning friendship set in the northwest Italian alps is even better than its excellent source material. Spending time with Pietro and Bruno is as poignant as it is resonant, their lives and the metaphors of this beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking story often inspirational. With a backdrop of spectacular mountains and perfectly matc...

In the leadup to Hayao Miyazaki's new final film, THE BOY AND THE HERON, making its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, I've decided to re-watch all of the director's filmography (directed and written by only, excluding short films and producer credits). In addition to just enjoying the delightful journey through 14 incredible films, I'm going t...

Two sisters go diving at a remote location. An unexpected landslide sends rocks into the water and pins one of them deep in an underwater cave. Will one sister be able to save the other? It's a solid single location survival thriller premise, but one that is unfortunately handled in a disappointingly bland way. Follow & Subscribe Aaron Twitter Facebook Letterboxd Patrick Twitter An Origina...

Bruce Lee's martial arts spy adventure film turns 50 this year so we're celebrating it with a conversation about what makes it so enjoyable and rewatchable, but also why it might be slightly overrated. * Note - full spoilers in effect for entire episode * Follow & Subscribe Aaron Twitter Facebook Letterboxd Patrick Twitter An Original Series Podcast Twitter Feelin' Film Facebook Tw...

It may be a very adult and vulgar journey as three strays adopt Reggie and help him find his way home to seek revenge on his abusive owner, but it's a non-stop hilarious one that dog lovers will have a great time taking. For me, it's also peak Boston Terrier cinema, which cements it as one of my favorite films of the year. Follow & Subscribe Aaron Twitter Facebook Letterboxd Patrick Tw...

The Blue Beetle is likely an unfamiliar comic book character to many, so it's a shame that Jaime Reyes' origin story didn't dive more into the decades of mythology that exist. The film's biggest strength lies in its depiction of Latino culture and its family dynamics, but it suffers from horribly uninteresting antagonists and a lack of creativity. It's entertaining enough to gi...

Sailing for weeks on a ship with a hungry vampire sounds like a bad idea and turns out exactly how you'd expect it to in this lean telling of "The Captain's Log" chapter of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula . The constant atmosphere of dread and exquisite depiction of a late 1800s ship at sea are highlights in a very strong story about trying to survive in a confined space while bein...

Almost every competitive gamer has at one point in their lives wondered what it would be like to do the sport or activity they dominate digitally in real life. For Jann Mardenborough that became a reality when the GT Academy and Nissan provided him an opportunity to go from sim racer to behind the wheel of an actual car. This incredible real life story is the backbone for PlayStation Studios'...

It's new turtles for a new generation, with some twists on origin stories as well for both friends and foe. These teenagers act, talk, and look their age more than they ever have before and a dynamic but raw sketch-like art style makes for a visually interesting cinematic experience. There's plenty of action and jokes to go around and we're glad to report that this is one reboot we&#39...

We've got turtle madness so before enjoying the newest animated adventure of the four ninja brothers next week, we decided to take a look back at a film we absolutely loved when we were both 11 years old. With its practical effects, puppets, and costumes, there's some incredibly charming (and silly) about this version of the property, and we still find plenty worth praising that has held u...

The skateboarding, pizza-eating teenage mutant ninja turtles are back for a new generation in new animated film. Kicking off what is likely to be a multi-film and TV series franchise, this reboot quickly goes over the origin story and gets right into the dynamic action with the four brothers facing off against mutants that want to rule the world. It's got modern jokes aplenty and a gorgeous st...

Disney has resurrected its ghosts once again for a new live-action cinematic story based on their famous attraction. This time around an unexpected group is locked inside the titular mansion together and must find a way past its creepy spectral inhabitants to get out, but there's an undercurrent of dealing with personal grief, as well. Then we also have the anime adaptation of a sports drama m...

The movie event of the summer is here and we couldn't just choose one of these great films to discuss, so we're talking about both! Patrick is out on vacation this weekend but Meredith Loftus is filling on to discuss what made Barbenheimer such a phenomenon, what makes Greta Gerwig's colorful satirical comedy so meaningful, and how unique and powerful of a biopic Christopher Nolan has...

The cinematic event of the summer is upon us with new films from beloved directors Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan. These two couldn't be more different, but both have much to offer. While one is bright, colorful, hilarious, and heavy-handed but entertaining in its satire, the other is a challenging, long, and dense operatic biopic. Both are highly recommended for their strengths, but I do...

Rounding out three weeks in a row of mission madness, we dig into the newest entry in Tom Cruise's blockbuster action spy series. Narratively, this time around we've got some notes, and feel it overall missed the depth that some of franchise's most chilling human villains provided. But even with some issues, the spectacle in incredibly entertaining and the pacing absolutely perfect, re...

Continuing our immersion in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise over a few weeks, we have a conversation about the franchise's sixth entry, one that shines for its overall balance of high quality elements. We talk about the addition of Ilsa Faust as a mysterious friend/foe and subtle love interest, how great of an antagonist Solomon Lane and The Syndicate are, and why Ethan's relationship wi...

In this episode - the history of the Negro baseball leagues goes far beyond the stories of Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige. Fellow Seattle film critic Tim Hall ( The People's Critic ) joins the show for a conversation about what we learned in this documentary full of wonderful on and off the field archival footage, numerous interviews, and history of the Negro Leagues that goes deeper than j...