Video Letter (2017)

'Midnight at the Paradise' premieres tomorrow at Toronto's Paradise Theatre! I had the pleasure to sit down with Vanessa Matsui to discuss the making of this film.

'The Mad Woman and the Feminist': This Spanish entry for the MiamisFF directed by Sandra Gallego handles a difficult conversation in a smart, memorable way.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence is not merely the fourth sequel in a cult classic film about a delicious vegetable apocalypse: it’s a love letter to slapstick, sight gags, and the original 1978 film. It’s also a meta-comedy, spy-thriller parody taking place in a world where the original film series was a documentary about the horrors of the Tomato War that the government covered up by convincing everyone it was a comedy. Taking place in 2026, Organic Intelligence sees genetically modified tomatoes grown out of control and rising up to attack humanity again - luckily, Agent Maria Sifuentes (Myrna Velasco) of the Federal Vegetable Investigation Bureau is there to uncover the corporate conspiracy behind it, and she won’t take no for an answer.

Shadow & Bone excels in natural story representation with powerful centering of culture. Jessie Mei Li stars as Alina Starkov, the feisty cartographer with kindness, innocence, and integrity, who comes to be revealed as the legendary summoner of light.

I was able to watch the gleefully mesmerizing Disney remake that was Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio. I was enthralled by Zemeckis’ iteration. 

Given Hollywood's history of racism and financial motivations, how much progress can we expect? Plus: a list of excellent films by Black directors.