
Misfits Make Music in ‘Happy FKN Sunshine’
Set in a provincial Canadian town where life has long revolved around the local now struggling mill, this low budget indie takes the...

Modern noir ‘Toxic Impulses’: To live and die in LA
One of the classic tropes of film noir is the seemingly decent but hapless guy who allows himself to be done in by the femme fatale. In...

‘The Divine Protector’ is a Super Hero with Righteous Anger
This action/empowerment/spiritual film’s title, “Divine Protector-Master Salt Begins,” might conjure up a chiseled super hero. Instead,...

Trauma Explored, Humanity Reclaimed in Gripping Drama ‘You Resemble Me’
Dina Amer’s unforgettable “You Resemble Me” opens with the spirted young Hasan (Lorenza Grimaudo, terrific and natural) giving her...

'The Valet' is Likable Culture Clash Comedy
A charming culture clash comedy set in Los Angeles, “The Valet” is worthy of its predecessor, French director Francis Veber’s 2007 farce...

Fathers Loom Large in Crime Thriller
Writer/director Seth McTigue has expanded his short film into a suspenseful debut feature about sibling rivalry, a botched kidnapping and...

In Sleepy Kilnerry, It’s All In the Water
Small town foibles, misunderstandings and mayhem have long been a screen comedy staple. “Love in Kilnerry” follows that tradition as the...

‘Belle Vie’ is a Moving Look at One Restaurant’s Pandemic Journey
Director Marcus Mizelle had the sharp instinct to know what a good story and charismatic subject he had in Los Angeles restaurant owner...

Teen Angst Set to a Rock Beat in “Coast”
The agricultural community of Santa Maria, California plays a meaningful role in “Coast,” a drama that puts a unique and personal stamp...

With a Little Bit of Magic, An Odd Couple Connects
Take the premises of “Knocked Up,” “Freaky Friday,” and “All of Me,” lather on the broad comedy thickly and add a dose of magic...

Powerful Mother/Daughter Story at Heart of 'Gabriela'
The performances by writer/director/star Evelyn Lorena and Maria Telon in Lorena’s delicately powerful short film “Gabriela” transcend...

‘Moon Garden’ Creates Visually Stunning Fantastical Netherworld
Trauma though a child’s vivid imagination, where memories, joy and fear meld into fantastical, often terrifying, imagery, is the heart of...

Superb Cast Wrestles with Moral Questions in ‘What We Do Next’
Writer/director Stephen Belber’s finely crafted “What We Do Next” explores thorny moral questions about what it means to “do good” by...

Action, Adventure, Anime Mix in ‘The Laws of the Universe - The Age of Elohim’
An anime science fiction/fantasy film that blends action, music and a religious/philosophical storyline, director Isamu Imakake’s “The...

‘Facing Nolan’ Captures the Game’s Glory Days
Just in time for the start of a new baseball season comes "Facing Nolan,” Bradley Jackson’s entertaining documentary that captures not...

‘Beneath the Banyan Tree’ a Universal Story of Home and Family
A film about culture clash and a family’s generational divide, "Beneath the Banyan Tree” gives equal time to several members of an...

‘This Good Earth’ is Informative Call for Change
Robert Golden’s documentary “This Good Earth” presents a complex subject — sustainable farming to create a more balanced ecosystem — in a...

'Elvis' is a Fresh Father/Son Story
Writer/director Charlotte Wincott took a chance by casting her husband and her son in her debut feature “The Issue with Elvis.” But her...

Clueless optimist seeks enlightenment in ‘Clairvoyant’
Micaela Wittman and Arthur De Larroche team to create ‘Clairvoyant’ which spoofs self-indulgent documentaries and new age spiritual...
Loren King
Journalist and Film Critic
