SIFF 2023: 'Egghead & Twinkie' Capsule Review

Well, Egghead & Twinkie is freaking adorable. In Sarah Kambe Holland’s twee, lo-fi indie comedy, when trans-racial adoptee Twinkie comes out to her conservative parents it doesn’t go great. She sets out on a cross-country adventure with her nerdy bff Egghead to meet her online DJ crush.

'Thoroughbreds' (2018) Movie Review

When an actor dies in sudden, tragic fashion, often their death overshadows their final performance. Anton Yelchin passed away in 2016, just 14 days after filming wrapped on Thoroughbreds. A sharp, clever, emotionally affecting thriller, it fits nicely in the niche of off-kilter indie fare he carved out for himself. It watches like a companion piece to Tragedy Girls, a kind of modern riff on Heathers, funny and biting and earnest.

SIFF 2017: 'Infinity Baby' (2017) Movie Review

It’s easy to look at director Bob Byington’s Infinity Baby as a prototypical “film festival” movie. Shot in black and white, featuring a who’s who of indie movie staples, it’s at times unbearably twee, rides a quirky concept to the point of distraction, and is far more in love with its own wit than it should be—Onur Tukel’s script isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is. That’s not to say there aren’t merits, because there are, but much of the first half borders on insufferable.

'Boyhood' Movie Review

It’s impossible to talk about Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” without talking about how the film was made. This isn’t, however, a case of technical innovation or pushing the boundaries of special effects. A passion project of the highest order, Linklater and company filmed “Boyhood” over the course of 12-years, with the cast and crew coming together annually to shoot for a while before moving on to the rest of their lives. This is a technique that has been used often in documentary filmmaking, and while this approach could be a gimmick, the film uses it to great effect, and the result is a beautiful, unique coming of age story recorded and shown like you’ve never seen before.

'I Origins' Movie Review

It’s been a big summer for science fiction movies, both in the sense of the number of options, as well as sheer size and spectacle. We’ve had giant robots (Transformers: Age of Extinction), giant prehistoric monsters (Godzilla), and giant movie stars like Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow). And this isn’t even taking into account a swarm of super smart monkeys (Dawn of the Planet of theApes) that recently arrived, or the gang of adolescent turtles (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and the talking raccoon in deep space (Guardians of the Galaxy) that are yet to arrive.

'Only Lovers Left Alive' Movie Review

Indie auteur Jim Jarmusch is no stranger to existential drama, though his latest, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” marks the first time he’s ventured into supernatural territory, with an in-depth examination of the tormented lives of vampires. In reality, the undead condition of his leads, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton), has very little to do with the surface action of the film. Complications arise on occasion, but more than anything, this is a moody, atmospheric slice of vampire life that plays like a dirge or a funeral song. “Only Lovers” explores their lives, it just so happens that their lives go on for centuries and span multiple eras.

'Martha Marcy May Marlene' Movie Review

The haunting string arrangement over the opening credits of Sean Durkin’s thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene” stirs definite echoes Hitchcock. In this case it makes a certain amount of sense to evoke the master of cinematic tension. The film is a long, slow build, where the pressure and apprehension grows and increases steadily throughout, wrapping you in a tight squeezing grip.