With a little-known director and second-string cast, the two-reel Moonlight Nights is typical of these low-budget independent productions. The comedy’s plot is not much: Told by his exasperated father to find a job, a klutzy rich kid named Art (Joe Moore) follows a bevy of dancers to their nightclub, where he tricks the maître d' into hiring him as a waiter. No guest proves safe from Art’s clumsy antics, but the shapely cabaret performers, led by Mademoiselle Fifi (Gloria Joy), dance on in the ensuing chaos.
At least we got the original cast back, right? Not even that saves it. None of them could bring a sliver of hope to this special. Rather, they bring dread as we witness the light leaving from their eyes.
A K-9 police dog goes undercover to stop an illegal animal smuggling ring and learns a valuable lesson along the way.
With The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller- who wrote and developed the play upon which the film is based- pulls no punches as he confidently makes every effort to put the audience in the mind of someone whose grip on reality has all but vanished. It’s a dazzling testament to Zeller’s abilities as a director as he makes his first transition from stage to film appear as if he’s been working behind a camera his entire career. The dialogue he fashions with co-writer Christopher Hampton, along with the work of production designers Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone, collectively makes the downward spiral of dementia startlingly tangible, doing so in a way that can be comprehended by everyone except the person it directly affects.
GOAT (2026) opens to the chanting of a crowd: "Roots run deep!" The rest of the film goes on to echo that sentiment, offering gorgeous animation and a heartfelt story along the way.
With raw and unapologetic performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, stories about the hardships of Black musicians are weaved in with The Blues.
An incredible documentary showcasing the difficulties of living in a crumbling Rust Belt city.
