A Chance Encounter: Movie Review

Stay and soak in the beauty of love in Sicily.

A Chance Encounter is an unexpected gem of a romantic dramedy. A film that shines because of its earnestness. And yes, I did have to use that word; Hal likes making references to Oscar Wilde, and the film knows its writers. A sweet story of a musician and a poet that so easily balances the romance and the humour with the reality of grief and fear because it doesn’t need to spell everything out to the audience		2022 Directed by: Alexander Jeffery Screenplay by: Alexander Jeffery Starring: Paul Petersen, Andrea von Kampen

The Falling World: Movie Review

Empty characters in a beautiful country estate.

The Falling World is a very deliberately-paced drama where almost nothing happens. Nothing happens for the first hour, and then for the final 10 minutes, past secrets are finally revealed and characters make off like a bandit. It’s a world that is filled with insane and boring characters (two descriptions that rarely go together, but here they do) and there is just zero empathy for any of them.		2022 Directed by: Jaclyn Bethany Screenplay by: Jaclyn Bethany Starring: Ayumi Patterson, Isabelle Chester

Someone Borrowed: Movie Review

A rom-com that mostly dabbles in nonsense.

Luiz (Caio Castro) is happily single. Going from girl to girl before any of them get too clingy. And then his mother falls ill and has one dying wish for Luiz: he gets married, or else she’ll cut him out of her will. Someone Borrowed is a Brazilian rom-com with a plot similar to the American Holidate, but even less grounded. Luiz quickly abandons the idea of actually falling in love, and decides to hire an actress to play his fiancée.		2022 Directed by: Cris D'Amato Screenplay by: Luanna Guimaraes Starring: Caio Castro, Thati Lopes

Who Killed Cooper Dunn?: Movie Review

A boys will be boys weekend camping trip where one of them winds up dead before the first dawn. Who Killed Cooper Dunn? is an indie drama/mystery/thriller, forcing the boys to question each other but things tend to go off the rails before we get any answers. It’s an interesting premise and a setting which suits the budget and genre, making it an interesting watch if not a fully satisfying one.		2022 Directed by: Nino Aldi Screenplay by: Joseph Rein, Nino Aldi Starring: Tyler Ritter, Paul Elia, Nino Aldi, Travis Quentin Young, and Eric Michael Roy

The Visitor: Movie Review

A compelling premise and a creepy atmosphere and a really stupid ending.

The Visitor is Robert (Finn Jones) new to his wife, Maia’s (Jessica McNamee), hometown. After her father dies, Maia and Robert move from London to her childhood home in Briar Glen, a creepy small town in New England. The Visitor is also the name given to a series of portraits of a man who looks exactly like Robert.		2022 Directed by: Justin P. Lange Screenplay by: Simon Boyes, Adam Mason Starring: Finn Jones, Jessica McNamee

Jumping from High Places: Movie Review

Charming and relatable but also bland and minimal.

The Italian title Per Lanciarsi Dalle Stelle translates roughly as To Launch from the Stars. The English title Jumping from High Places is a bit more descriptive, but neither titles are to be taken literally. They’re just about getting the idea across of getting over fear and anxiety to be able to live up to one’s true potential. It’s an Italian romantic drama with very little happening.		2022 Directed by: Andrea Jublin Screenplay by: Alice Urciuolo Starring: Federica Torchetti