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A romantic comedy that smartly drops the romance. |
| Good on Paper is very much an Iliza Shlesinger movie. It features her playing a version of herself, some of her stand-up material, and a lot of the themes from her stand-up. Something else to note up front is that this is not a romantic comedy. Comedy yes, but then it spins the romance into something with a bit more bite. | 2021 Directed by: Kimmy Gatewood Screenplay by: Iliza Shlesinger Starring: Iliza Shlesinger, Ryan Hansen | |
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Solid addition to the quarter-life crisis genre. |
| In Back for Good, Max (Molly Donovan) is a 20-something struggling actress in New York City. Her agent committed suicide, she works as a waitress serving assholes, and her roommate just kicked her out. One phone call from an ex-boyfriend and Max decides on the spot to move back home to Pittsburgh. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before, but it is a solid addition to the quarter-life crisis genre. | 2017 (2021 release) Directed by: Bailey Donovan, Molly Donovan Screenplay by: Bailey Donovan, Molly Donovan Starring: Molly Donovan, Ian Cramer | |
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Creative and funny, but weak drama. |
| There’s a strong creative effort put into Welcome Matt, and a sense of community coming together. Made during the pandemic, writer and director Leon Pierce Jr. has made the most of the limitations. It's very indie, and I’m not sure the agoraphobia topic is his forte, but it’s clever and funny, and all the pieces, especially the lead character, fit together really well. | 2021 Directed by: Leon Pierce Jr Screenplay by: Leon Pierce Jr Starring: Tahj Mowry, Adriyan Rae | |
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Unique style, poor story. |
| Potter’s Ground opens on a dry, bare expanse of land. A family, during the Civil War, is burying their dog. The young daughter nonchalantly says the monsters under her bed did it. Parents, as they are prone to do, tried to reassure her that there are no monsters living under her bed. There is no such thing as monsters. However, when children aren’t scared so much as confident in their beliefs, they are usually right about something. | 2021 Directed by: Michael Butts Screenplay by: Scott Crain Starring: Isaiah Stratton, Scott Crain | |
| At first, I Am All Girls is reminiscent of Lost Girls. Another Netflix movie, a thriller-drama based on a true story about trying to find abducted girls. However, after the true story intro, and then the movie begins with the race to find the girls, it becomes clearer that this is more like The Captive – where they tell the audience how it ends at the beginning. It was an interesting but controversial approach with The Captive, but feels like the wrong approach here. | 2021 Directed by: Donovan Marsh Screenplay by: Wayne Fitzjohn, Marcell Greef, and Emile Leuvennink Starring: Erica Wessels, Masasa Mbangeni | |
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Well written indie romance with awful characters. |
| Weekenders is very minimalistic and indie in its approach. Four people in one house where they talk and drink through their feelings. I have issues with the premise and the very frustrating characters, but the execution is good. The film is surprisingly engaging despite how awful the people are. It’s an odd combination, but filmmaker Erik Bloomquist has serious skills as a writer and scene builder; however, I would never be friends with his friends. | 2021 Directed by: Erik Bloomquist Screenplay by: Erik Bloomquist, Carson Bloomquist, and Peyton Michelle Edwards Starring: Erik Bloomquist, Peyton Michelle Edwards, Ehad Berisha and Maggie McMeans | |