“Architecton” Is a Morass of Scenes, Sounds
The scene is relentless, moving over a vast area of destroyed buildings, forming a backdrop to the initial film credits. The opening of the 98-minute documentary Architecton by Russian filmmaker…
“Ochi” Is Sweet, Simple, Magical
Set in fantastical mountain settings, screenwriter/director Isaiah Saxon’s The Legend of Ochi begins with a group hunt led by a mountain man, Maxim (a typically wild-eyed, frantic, and grubby Willem Dafoe).…
You’ll Laugh at “I Hate Hamlet”
Photos by Ryan Loyd, RYLO Media Design Can a television actor become a contemporary John Barrymore? That’s the question Paul Rudnick explores in his 1991 stage comedy I Hate…
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” Is Riveting
How do you combine performances of the greatest jazz artists of the 20th century with 1960s geopolitical African history? Belgian director Johan Grimonprez has done exactly that in a riveting…
SLOIFF Review: “Made in Ethiopia”
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival has given SLO Review the opportunity to preview some of the narrative and documentary films on the festival's April 24-29, 2025 program schedule.…
SLOIFF Review: “The Players”
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival has given SLO Review the opportunity to preview some of the narrative and documentary films on the festival's April 24-29, 2025 program schedule.…
“I’m Still Here” Is Both Moving and Informative
From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, Brazil was governed by a far-right military dictatorship. Rulers enforced strict censorship, reduced freedom of speech, and imprisoned, tortured, and killed many…
Brutal Breeds “The Brutalist”
The Brutalist—a three-part, three-and-a-half-hour film depicting the life of a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant architect—covers a lot of ground. It starts with his entry into the United States (fresh from the Holocaust),…
CFF Review: “Reflections in a Room”
The Cambria Film Festival, running February 5-9, has given SLO Review the opportunity to preview many of the more than 80 full-length and short films that make up its 2025…
“Oh, Canada” Gives Us Great Acting
In Oh, Canada, director/screenwriter Paul Schrader has given his actors a stage on which to show their skills. The 95-minute film depicts an aging documentarian, Leo Fife (portrayed by Richard…