Fall in Love at First Kiss (Yi Wen Ding Qing in Mandarin), directed by Yu Shan Chen, is a charming romantic comedy about a ditzy and dedicated high school student named Yuan Xiang-Qin who sets her sights on Jiang Zhi-Shu (the most intelligent and popular boy in her school). (DLH: 3.5/5) Review by FF2 Intern…
Category: Bechdel-Wallace List
'The Unicorn' brings courage and hope through the sound of music
Isabelle Dupuis and Tim Geraghty co-direct The Unicorn, a documentary about Peter Grudzien—the creator of the first openly gay country album. Dupuis and Geraghty’s film is not for the faint-hearted; it digs deep into a family wrought with mental disturbances where the musician finds his sole escape in the world of his music. (KIZJ: 3.5/5)
'Berlin, I Love You' paints spectacularly horrid picture of Germany's capital
Berlin, I Love You is a messy portrait of the capital of Germany that knits together ten short stories told from the perspective of ten different directors. (AG: 1/5 stars) Review by FF2 Intern Anika Guttormson Berlin, I Love You undertakes a difficult challenge in its compilation of ten different short stories but ultimately fails…
UNTOGETHER (2018): Review by FF2 Media
Created by first-time writer and director Emma Forrest, ‘Untogether’ is about two sisters navigating their uncertain identities, troubled pasts, and imperfect relationships with men who are grappling with the same things. Though it lacks substance and cohesion at points, ‘Untogether’ is certainly a fresh take on romance. (JRL: 3/5) ‘Untogether’ opens with a one-night stand…
WHAT MEN WANT (2019): Review by FF2 Media
What Men Want is a refreshing and hilarious comedy that celebrates women and people of color. While it follows the formula of Hollywood blockbusters, it will make you laugh and warm your heart. (HRM: 3/5) Review by FF2 Intern Hannah Mayo Career driven sports agent “Ali Davis” (Taraji P. Henson) is constantly struggling to…
'Braid' is a Daring and Disorienting Directorial Debut
Mitzi Pierone’s directorial debut Braid is a daringly original thriller that blurs the lines between make believe and reality. Fascinatingly beautiful and suspenseful, it disorients the viewer in the most pleasurable way possible. (HRM: 4/5) Review by FF2 Intern Hannah Mayo “Petula” (Imogen Waterhouse) and “Tilda” (Sarah Hay), two young fugitives on the run, decide…
‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa’ turns the boy-meets-girl trope on its head
Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa’ is a groundbreaking Bollywood film about a failing writer who meets a beautiful girl with a big secret. ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa’ is colorful and entertaining, while at the same time never forgetting the seriousness of the issues it deals with. (JRL:…
Rodriguez stands out in messy ‘Miss Bala’
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Twilight, Miss You Already) and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, Miss Bala is an ambitious action drama set in Tijuana. Gina Rodriguez is a deserving lead despite the complicated, questionable plot following a California makeup artist who gets caught up in tense drug cartel drama near the Mexico border. (BKP: 3.5/5)…
Nuanced dramedy 'Egg' examines motherhood, female friendship
From director Marianna Palka and screenwriter Risa Mickenberg, Egg is a sharply-written feature about the diverging paths of college friends and their seemingly different approaches to adult life. (BKP: 4/5) Art school friends Tina (Alysia Reiner) and Karen (Christina Hendricks) lead entirely opposite lives – Tina lives in an artsy loft with her free-spirited husband;…
Astra Taylor documentary gives picture of what democracy could be
Filmmaker Astra Taylor reacts to the 2016 election and the debt crisis in Europe by taking us on a cross-continental and 3000-year journey investigating her titular question: What Is Democracy? This film brings in academics as well as ordinary citizens who are at the forefront of activism and social unrest, all weighing in to give…