Brief thoughts on Dear Lara (2026) Santa Barbara 2026

DEAR LARA is the story of classical musician Lara St. John who in 2019 revealed that she was sexually abused by some people in the classical music community. This opened the floodgates and she began to get letters from people who also suffered abuse during their journey through the classical world.

This is a really good film. Its a film that will open your eyes about the darker side od something that has always been viewed as being above board. Its a film that reveals the damage done by some evil people to people who trusted them,

At the same time the film  is portrait of St. John who survived and managed to overcome her demons.

Recommended.

Magnificent Puppets: The films of De Swaef and James Roels at Animation First

Animation First is going to be screening two of the films of Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels in connection with their appearance at the festival.  

THIS MAGNIFICENT CAKE

Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels have made a film that is going to delight and confound you (that last one in both positive and negative ways). If you are like me and want a film that does more than wash over you then you must make an effort to see this film when it plays at Animation First.

Set in Belgium and Africa in 1885 when the Belgian king was doing horrible things to the African populations he had enslaved, the film tells a number of stories that are all connected and all of which do not do anything remotely expected.

The film begins with the Belgian king, shifts to the story of a young African boy who must stand in the hall way with an ashtray on his head, to the story of the son of a pastry maker who took the family fortune and went to Africa, and it keeps going as characters from earlier appear in un expected places. I was flabbergasted at the audacity of it all.

The visuals of the film are stunning. The film looks only like the work of De Swaef and Roels. You will wonder how they animated it all.

The story is a mix of wonderful, WTF and head scratching. There is a very sardonic tone to it all. There is a bleak black nature to some of the turns. There are also some incredible belly laughs that come from turns that are out of left field. The issue with the story is that the central narrative thread is very obtuse. While the film is told in parts that connect, some of the connections are a bit too loose and seem to be there only to drive what is ultimately a shaggy dog story forward.  I was amused about much of it, but some it landed like a sack of cement.

That said there is no film out there that even approaches this level of creative vision. It may not always work but what does shines.  Definitely worth a look.

OH WILLY....
As with many of DeSwaef and Roels reality is bent and things are not as we expect. The film has a man named Willie return home to his parents after a medical incident. It should be noted that the parents live in a nudist colony. This is another weird headscratcher film that like their other films forces you to do more than just take everything at face value. Something is going on- though to be honest I have no idea what that is. If you want a film unlike anything else out there give this film a shot.

The Songbird's Secret (2025) Animation First 2026

This is a sweet little film, perfect for families and non-families about Lucie a young girl who goes on vacation to spend time with her mom who is leading an archeological dig where her family once lived. Having dreams of various events, Lucie begins to investigate her family’s past, as well as making friends with the people working with her mom and the various animals living in the area.

This is the right sort of family film. Not as saccharine or preprocessed as most Hollywood film, this tells us a tactile story about a young girl and her life.

Told with cloth cut out puppets the film looks unlike most films that play here in America, this film instantly creates its own world and own vibe from the first frame. Even if we’ve seen similar films we lean into the story because the world is so unlike anything we are used to seeing. I love the look which is so warm and inviting.

THE SONGBIRD'S SECRET is an absolute delight and highly recommended for anyone wanting to see a good film

Brief thoughts on Strawberries, Snails and Slugs: the Films of Sylwia Szkiłądź Saturday at Animation First

Just a few quick words on the films of Sylwia Szkiłądź.

Szkiłądź’s work is lovely.  The films are delights for the eye and often full of whimsy that delights the adults as well. When you see a film like STRAWBERRY SOUP you instantly think of the child like images and notions. However, there is a much heavier undercurrent as to what is going on.  This isn’t just a film about enjoying soup but about memory and how we view the past. These are notions that the kids who see the film won’t get but that the parents will.

But I’m over selling the films, all of the films are delights and will make you smile.

Go see them.

The Magician of Ostend: The films of Raoul Servais at Animation First on Saturday

 

Watching all of the films in the tribute collection to Raoul Servais one becomes overwhelmed. It’s not just the quality of his work but also by the realization that his work and style were lifted by non-Disney filmmakers across the globe. Granted some of the image’s echo what was done by the Disney artists in Fantasia 2000, but the truth is that filmmakers like the Hubley’s, Ralph Bakshi, ----, and others. You also have to realize that his work was influenced by and an influenced on other European animators who all operated in a society where animation was not just for kids.

Servais’ work is not really for kids. There is more serious edge to it. Yes there are cute characters and plots, say in CHromaphobia which is about people who hate color, but there is a more serious edge about control and division of humanity which comes as a warning some 20 years after the Axis Powers tried to refashion the world in their image. These films hit harder for thinking adults.

Watching the films in the collection I felt like I was dropped into another time and place. While Servais had a great influence on cinema as we know it (both live action and animation) his filkms are also of the time they were made and seeing them in succession you can feel that time leaking in to the theater from the edges of the frame.

This collection is glorious. Its one that must be seen by those who love art and animation and cinema because it will force you to make connections and readjust your notions about the visual arts.

Buy a ticket and go.

Tales From The Magic Garden (2025) Animation First 2026

After their grandmother dies, three kids spend some time with their grandfather. The pass the time as their grandmother did by "pulling" things out of her hat and making up stories. 

This film may look like a family film, but there is a reason this film is running in the evening at Animation First and that is this is an often dark film that isn't for young kids. I mention this up front since after a wonderfully joyous opening the film turns dark as grandma dies, and the stories the kids tell have parents getting run over by a truck, dead loved one and melancholy over tones. It's not bad, but if you want light children's fare this film isn't for you.

Darkish subject matter aside this is a lovely movie. Containing a series of atypical stories TALES is not your typical animated film. We have not been here before even if the film has magical cats, monsters and a loving family. I enjoyed that I didn't know how the tales were going to play out a great deal.

Beautifully animated there are several shots I would love to have hanging on my walls.

Definitely one to bring the older kids to TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN is a delight.

Girl Who Cried Pearls (2025) plays Animation First 2026 on Sunday as part of Animating the Surreal

 

The Girl Who Cried Pearls is a lovely but incredibly bittersweet film. It’s another winner from the National Film Board of Canada that has been Oscar shortlisted.

The film is a memory tale of a grandfather telling the story to his granddaughter of the young girl who lived next door to him. She was abused by her evil stepmother and cry herself to sleep. When she cried, she cried pears which she put into a hole in the wall.

This is a beautifully animated film that is full of melancholy. The lives portrayed are not happy ones. While we know that some of the characters will be okay, there is no guarantee for others. It’s a film that is very much like life or the original dark versions of Grimm’s fairy tales.

That this gem of a film is coming from Canada isn’t surprising. The film board is responsible for some of the best animated shorts of the past five or six decades. They don’t aim for happy, but films that are good and enlightening. Unlike Hollywood, bittersweet doesn’t bother them.

While I don’t think the film will win the Oscar, I’m guessing Snow Bear will probably do so because it looks like Disney, I adore the fact that Oscar got it right and has this marvel in the mix.

Recommended.

The film will also be playing at the New York International Children's Film Festival in March in Shorts Collection 3

President's Cake (2025) opens tomorrow

Set during the reign of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, this is the story of Lamia, a young girl from a poor family, who is told by her teacher that she must make a cake for the President's birthday or there will be dire consequences. She then is forced to go out to get the ingredients she needs.

This film is on the Oscar Short List this year for Best International Feature. It is a film that has been recommended to me by several friends... and now having seen it it is a film I will need to see again away from the Oscars and the word of mouth. I want to revisit because I need to get the distance from the hype and discussion that made me jump into the film too quickly.

I should say straight up that this is a very good film. I like it, hence the desire to revisit, but I didn't find the greatness that some did, and as a result I am dealing with the collision between the words of people I respect and the the film I saw on the screen.

My issues with the film come from two places:

The first is that while the film is very much about the trials of the young girl at the center, the film isn't about Lamia, the girl at the at the center. What I mean by this is that the quest to get the things to make the cake is simply the reason for writer director Hasan Hadi to explore society, particularly the one that existed under Saddam. The trip is designed to bring the girl into places where things can happen that will be reflected in the story. Why do the things happen? Because the director is trying to tell a larger tale.

While this is an issue it could have been solved had there not been a second problem. The second problem is that the Lamia, played by Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, is little more than just a place holder for the audience.  Yes, Nayyef is good, but the script doesn't give her enough to work with to stand out. Yes she is often the focus of events and is at the center of the screen, but there isn't enough to the character for her to be a fully formed person. I apologize for making this point but right around the time I was making my best of 2025 lists I had a couple of conversations about the difficulty of having a central character who is the "main" one but who isn't. What I mean by that is the central character who exists just to move the story or audience to a place where the events can transpire that the director wants to highlight. You have to create a character that stands out from the rest or alternately have an actor who can hold the center.  I don't think there is enough of a character here for that to happen.

While I don't hate THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE I definitely will need to revist.

Heart of Darkness (2025) plays Saturday Night at Animation First 2026

In a Brazil of the near future, where everyone is corrupt and drug gangs battle the police and military for control,  a “boy scout” of a lieutenant is set upriver to find a rogue officer named Kurtz who seems to have set up a cult of personality that is causing everyone problems.

This version of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is one of the best films I’ve seen over the last few years. A staggering piece of filmmaking it is possibly as good a telling of the tale as we have gotten so far (and yes that means this may be better than Apocalypse Now). Neat and compact, it is direct and to the point. The images perfectly set the mood and express all the emotion the that we don’t get from the minimal dialog.  We are in this other place and other time. We are traveling with these characters upriver.

Those who only know Conrad’s story from Coppola’s film and are looking for something similar are going to be disappointed. They will see a few echoes, but most of the cinematic set pieces we think of with that film are inventions for that film.  While it has been years since I read the original novella, this is the first time that I felt I was seeing something close to what Conrad had imagined, with the result that the film better echoes the world be life in.  In setting the film in a city not far from today director Rogerio Nunes has made a film that brings the actual heart of darkness closer to us and not in a jungle far away or in a country at war.

I was staggered by this film from the first few moments. Rarely has any film grabbed me by throat and forced me to go along.  This is particularly true of a film based on a classic novella and which has inspired various retellings. Rogerio Nunes‘s Heart of Darkness is such that made me reconsider every version of the tale all over again.

And this is not just for fans of animation. This is an adult tale that isn’t for kids. The use of animation is simply because this film could not have been made live action and had this effect. I say that because the manipulation of image and sound create a real world that fully connects to out psyches and make the tale something greater

One of the best films I’ve seen in 2026- this is a must see.

Scarlet (2025) opens Friday

SCARLET is Mamoru Hosoda’s riff on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While it is a starting point with echoes, it takes it into its own universe.

The film is the story of princess Scarlet (Hamlet) whose father is killed by her uncle.  Before she can kill him she is poisoned and sent to a kind of purgatory world that she has to cross to get to the infinite land. However, her uncle has also died, and he is entrenched in a castle guarding the path to the infinite land.

Visually arresting, SCARLET is a film you will want to see on a big screen. Images, such as the giant godlike dragon who floats over the world will blow your mind. This film as some of the most incredible images you will see all year.

Narratively the film is all over the place. Some sections work to the point that you will be reduced to tears, and others are simply intellectually interesting. Characters are unevenly drawn, with some of the uncle’s henchmen seemingly to be little more than a sketch despite having important roles. The rules of the after life also seem thrown together (the timeless nature for example)  for no really good reason except it allows certain things to happen. While never fatal, the film simply isn’t as narratively strong as any of Hosoda’s other films, despite having moments that are among the best things he’s ever done, which means they are high points in cinema history.

While Scarlet is imperfect, it is still a deeply moving film. While a doubt it might get an Oscar I do think it is a must see. This is a film that is going to influence a generation of filmmakers and story tellers.

Luc Besson's Dracula(2025) (aka Dracula A Love Tale) open's Friday

I do not believe in god - Jonathan Harker
Then pray god believes in you -Coachman

Man lives and breathes in his name - why would he want us to kill his creation? Man kills in his own name. Christoph Waltz's unnamed priest

When you see Luc Besson’s retelling of Dracula know a couple of things going in. First it isn’t a horror film. Besson is on record as saying he hates horror films and he turned it into a love story (with blood).  There are no scares in the film, through there are some really cool moments that will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Secondly know that the film, while very serious, is often very funny Christoph Waltz as a priest who acts as a kind of Van Helsing stand in, is often funny. His humor is a way of dealing with the darkness. We learn this because when things turn dark, he turns deeply philosophical in a way that lets us know that he knows there is a cost to everything. Lastly know that in one of the rare times on a decades long career Besson borrows some riffs. Yes, he riffs on Coppola’s version and there are references to a few other films, and it’s okay because he does something unique with each thing he borrows.

If you can take the film on it’s own terms, I think that you will ultimately find it to be a masterpiece. Granted it is flawed in a couple of ways, but it is also a masterpiece in the truest sense. That really is a hill I will die on. I honestly think that down the road, once people can see it or resee it for what it is, that the film will find its audience and its place in the cinema canon of vampire films.

The film is the story of Dracula from his perspective. It is the story of his romance with his wife and her death in the aftermath of war.  He renounces god and is cursed with the inability to die. He then travels the world looking for the reincarnation of his love. It all spirals down to a version of the story we know. Not all the characters we know are there and somethings are changed. This doesn’t flow as we expect because Besson has altered the POV and as such changed the ground rules. Yes, he is a vampire, and yes there are other vampire agents- but they are working for him to find his love across the globe.

I was absolutely floored. Pretty much until the final third of the film this film is near perfect. I didn’t mind the riffs (in addition to Coppola’s films there are references to THE DEVILS, PERFUME, among others) , the oddly shifting tone or even the odd special effects (the gargoyles are Full Moonish). I was more intrigued by what Besson was doing with the story, me managed to blend a new take with nostalgia.  I loved how he was creating this grand love story and reconfiguring the Dracula legend in a way that we really hadn’t seen before. I also loved that we had a parallel thread about god, belief and forgiveness. I don’t think we have ever had this deep a dive into that realm in Dracula tale. It’s a thread that gives deep resonance to Waltz’s priest who clearly has seen horrible things in the world and knows that it shouldn’t be like this and wants to fix it. His final confrontation with Dracula is not what you expect, it is two world weary men who have seen too much talking on a common ground.  It’s note perfect for what this film is but not if you are expecting a huge Hollywood blow up.

I am not going to lie and say the film is perfect, it is not. Waltz’s character can occasionally seem like he is coming from another movie. Some of the effects are uneven. Additionally, the film’s final third is a bit too quick and there isn’t enough development of Mina. The film could have used another 10 or 15 minutes to make her stand out a bit on her own. None of it is fatal, but some of it feels like a momentary speed bump.

Ultimately, I love this film. I think it’s a brilliant rethink of the tale. More so when you realize that the film is digging deeply into the various thematic elements...and that the film should have retained the subtitle A LOVE TALE.

If you can take it on its own terms and go with the reinvention, I think you will love this. Recommended.

The Hole 309 Days To the Bloodiest Tragedy (2026) Rotterdam 2026

In the 1960's a cop and his new bride return home to investigate a series of murders of people every 30th of the month. Victimes are left with a large whole in their back and crime scralled across their forheads. The federal authorities aren't certain what is behind and partly fear there maybe a coup in the works. They want a solution and they want their officer to get his father, an important figure out out of the village.

This is an uneasy mix of supernatural horror and a thriller like SEVEN. It's a film full of jump scares and practical effects. It's a film of great moments a bit of confusion in the plotting.

I think the confusion for me is that the plot is tied into events that happened in Indonesia in the 60's. While I have a vague idea of the history of the country, I was not fully aware of the levels of authority, the police, the military and their battles, nor was I aware of the political situation  and fears of coups and rebellion. I think not fulling understanding took some of the edge off.

At the same time this film has some truly kick ass moments. The demon in the mirrorr is freaky and some of the jump scares got me. The truth of the matter is that while I may not love it, because I didn't fully connect, I trully think this is one of the better horror films I've seen in the last few years because it has a series of great set pieces, any one of which would make this work seeing, but there are several which makes this even more a must see for the horror fan.

You'll forgive for leaving my discussion there, but I don't want to spoil the good stuff here. I do have more to say, but it would reveal somethings, such as scares, that would diminish the fun.

If you like horror films- see this film.

Ariela Rubin on ANTIHEROINE (2026) Sundance 2026

 

I’ve been a Hole fan since junior high, so I was very excited to find out there was a documentary that was made about lead singer of Hole, Courtney Love. I actually bought a ticket to the premiere so I wouldn’t miss out on seeing it. (Premieres are very hard, if not impossible, to get into at Sundance)

Antiheroine was made by James Hall and Edward Lovelace. Courtney Love allowed them into her home in London, where she spoke candidly, shared old journal entries, and invited them into the recording studio. (Yes! She is working on new music!)

The documentary chronicles Courtney’s life. From her childhood (her father gave her LSD when she was just 4), to the making of Hole, to her life with Kurt Cobain, to becoming a movie star, and finally to the present day. 

This film made me laugh, sing along, and cry. I hope this film helps reshape many people’s opinions of her.

The only bummer was that I was really hoping Courtney would be at the premiere, and sadly she wasn’t. 

Brief thoughts on Home (2026) Rotterdam 2026

Director Marijana Janković tells the story, only slighty altered of her family's move from Yugoslavia to Denmark in an effort to find a better life.

This is a solid little film that feels lived in. Even before reading that this was based on the director's own story, I could sense that there was a connection to life that you don't normally get. The clues are in the fact that the film doesn't gloss over all the little things that almost every movie about migration does, things like language, the culture class  and the isolation. Every other film, regardless of the origin breezes over the small details. Here that isn't the case. You can see small details as well as big ones that draw us in and make us know this is real.

I was moved.

This is a wonderful film about the real cost of migrating

Recommended

Teacher's Pet (2025) opens Friday

 

A brilliant student who is heading to Yale must survive the advances of a new teacher.

I am not going to lie; we have been here any number of times previously. However, the film, which is includes Michelle Torian, Luke Barnett as well as the great Barbara Crampton sells this film to the hilt and then some. Seriously this film has one of the best casts of any film (no qualifier) this year.  The cast is so good that I could argue for year end awards, with Crampton shining in a role that in a bigger film might have gotten her an Oscar nom. (She really is that good).

This is a great little film. It’s a perfect thriller for a night at the movies or on the couch.

Recommended.

With SIRAT opening Friday, here is Peter Gutierrez's review from the New York Film Festival

“Is this what the end of the world feels like?”

*  *  *

It’s become something of a cliché to recommend a film by saying, “You’ve got to see this one on the big screen.” Well, maybe not a cliché, but a phrase so common that after you’ve seen SIRĀT and subsequently recommend it—and you’ll want to do both—you’ll probably wish that you could take back a few instances: “No, this time I really mean it. SIRĀT is what cinemas are made for...”

And the funny thing is, in this case the recommendation is not for the sake of visuals, which are consistently stunning, but for the sound.  In fact, at the risk of being cutesy, I’d like to offer that SIRĀT is the most soul-stirring, transporting “musical” I’ve seen in quite long time. Of course, what writer-director Oliver Laxe has created is not a musical, and it’s not a horror movie either—although there are scenes of horror that I guarantee you will never forget. One could term SIRĀT a thriller without too much objection, but more accurately it’s a member of a genre we don’t hear much from—it’s an adventure movie. Once upon a time that meant John Huston-like sagas, but nowadays I’m straining to recall more than a handful of accomplished recent releases whose narratives aren’t significantly encroached upon by other genres (e.g., action, romcom, fantasy & sci-fi). Perhaps Laxe is reinvigorating, if not redeeming, a genre that seems to have been domesticated and rarely offers the truly unpredictable or tragic. 

This is not to say that SIRĀT is wholly original—arguably most great works of popular cinema aren’t. In fact, you’ll see shades of many other filmmakers here, from John Ford to George Miller and Henri-Georges Clouzot. However, this does not detract one ounce from the freshness and grim vitality on display; it just shows that Laxe has good taste.

The only letdown occurs, unfortunately, right around the dramatic climax. The script, which has been careful to keep its allegorical messaging in the background—present for those who care to notice but not directly taking the spotlight from the characters and the immediacy of their situation—removes the matter of survival from of our own dirty human hands and places it in something like fate, or faith. In these moments, SIRĀT ceases to be a harrowing experiential dream from which we can’t escape and instead becomes what’s clearly a mere text, an arena for the play of themes; that is, we’re now watching the screenwriter’s “ideas” come alive rather than an organic and fluid unfolding of action... which has been a key strength of this remarkable film all along. 

New Francophone Shorts 2: Dark after Dark at Animation First 2026

 

This collection oif films offers a wide range of visual styles and subjects, all on the darkside and all with a slightly more adult turn of things

THE MAGICIAN
The longest film in this collection has a painted style. It concerns a magician seemingly on his last legs as he wanders around a seaport town. I really can't say too much about the film's plot because what happens is a long journey and I don't want to clue you in. Odds are you will not know where this goes. The film uses a beautiful painted style that looks at times like some of my more favorite art.

QUAI SISOWATH
This Cambodian horror film is a mix of live action and animation that tells the story of a young woman who goes on a date...and well something happens. This film is a mix of horror and bittersweet drama involving a creature that people who love Thai and some South Asian horror films from the 80's and 90's might recognize. I won't spoil it. I will say that what sets this film apart from many other films with supernatural overtones is that it leaves you feeling not scared but kind of sad.

LIFE WITH AN IDIOT
For not working hard enough a man is sentenced to live with an idiot. Pen and ink rendered animation is a deleriously bizarre tale that traps us in a man who quite possibly be the craziest person in the film. Its a wild ride where the odd tale is given added kick by the frantic sound and images

THE EXPLODING GIRL
A girl  named Candice talks about how she has been exploding several times every day over th last few months. Bizarre computer rendered images (see above) make a weird story somehow believeable. operating in a seemingly different reality (or is it all allegory?) THE EXPLODING GIRL is a mind bending trip into another person's head

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2025) arrives on Tubi February 5

 

The latest film from Kenneth Frank is a home run. It's a heartfelt and very human story of a 12 year old girl trying to navigate her summer vacation and her family. 

I'be been following the work of Ken and his cohorts at In The Garage Productions for several years now. Over that time I've been enjoying their films and watching them grow as filmmakers.

The last two films from Ken were comedies and I had mentioned in reviews that he should step away from the comedy and just focus on the drama, which has always been his strength.. In December Ken emailed me to say he made a drama and asked me if I wanted to see it.

Yes, yes I did. And yes yes you do.

The film is a beautifully acted, wonderfully told tale that gives us some very real moments in the life of a family that are going to echo moments in your life. Nothing feels false. Everything is dead on target. And while the time frame  feels slightly wonky, nothing that happens in the film feels wrong or off. Nothing feels added for dramatic effect. Events play out as they do in real life. There are no big screaming adult moments, only what Grace would see. There is no effort to wedge in false emotional moments.

The cast is first rate. The reason that the film works is because of them. Raquel Sciacca as Grace gives a starmaking performance and Dawson her real life brother turns in a magnificent physival performance that makes you want to go up and give him a hug.

After the screening Hubert Vigilla and I were discussing he film and comparing it to Annie Baker's JANET PLANET. Everything that Baker's film does wrong, this film does right. Here we have a lead character who is a real person and not a cliche or just an audience surrogate. She exits because she it genuinely the focus of the film.

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION is a genuine coming of age film about real people dealing with real issues. We are getting a real story and not a lecture by a filmmaker to their younger self.

This film is a genuine gem. Its filled with life and love and the confusion that life causes. It is a film full of genuine wisdom including a show stopping moment when Grace's Mom reveals the secret of of life. It's a moment so on target in it's perfection it hits like a bolt of lightning.

This film is glorious. 

I am in love with this film.

Search out this film.

Francophone Shorts One- Animation First 2026

These are  most of the films playing in the FRANCOPHONE SHORTS ONE collection at Animation First.  The collection also include BREAD WILL WALK and HYPERSENSITIVE. I had originally reviewed those films when the premiered last year. I reposted those reviews earlier.

SIGNAL
A musical tale of a scientist looking for life in the universe and finding she isn't connected to the world. An odd mix of reality and musical numbers that  works best in pieces rather than as a whole.

Balconada
On a hot day we watch life in and a round the terraces of several buildings. 
This is a sweet little distraction about people being people.

La mort du poisson (Death of a Fish) (see picture above)
Music and dance combine in the story of a young girl and her mother who has become sad at the death of a fish.
 This is a visually impressive film that contains some glorious moments. I'm not sure it all hangs together but I plan on revisiting this again to see some of the images.

Pantagruel
Wild and crazy film inspired by the first page of a French classic.
Honestly I had to look up what this was all about because I have no idea about Pantagruel. That said this two minute film is a visual trip.

TO THE WOODS
A boy and a girl go into the woods at night.
A lovely film about a sister and her brother

Allah Is Not Obliged (2025)plays Animation First 2026 Saturday night

This is the story of Birahima a child soldier in Africa who gets caught up in the various armed conflicts in Liberia. Told from his point of view, it follows him from just before the death of his mother, to his being sent to live with his aunt, a trip that goes sideways and his induction into the ranks of the factions at war with each other and the government.

ALLAH IS NOT OBLIGATED is the reason that animation exists. I mean this not for the bright colors and the hints of the fantastic but because the use of the medium forces us to rethink what we are seeing. Seeing the very serious, very adult tale looking like what many people would consider a kid’s film requires that we really look at what we are seeing. The juxtaposition of adult themes with friendly images hit us harder because these images are not supposed to have frank dialog and violent bloodshed.

I can’t stress how good this film is.  Not only is this one of the best depictions of a child soldier I’ve seen over the last few years, but the film also manages to get all the small moments dead on perfect. The sequences of  Birahima with his mother moved me. The sequences between a son and his sick mother rocked me. Additionally, the sequence where his mother dies crushed me so badly that I had to stop the film and walk away.  The emotion of the sequence took me back to the death of my mother almost twenty years ago and put me back into that moment.  Repeatedly director Zavan Najjar pulled me into the film via the moments that I a human being living an ocean away could connect to.

This is brilliant filmmaking and glorious story telling.

Why this film has not gotten more notice is surprising since it is a film is so full of emotion and passion on a level that few films (of any sort not just animation) manage to convey.

This is an absolute must see at Animation First.  I seriously think that if you go see it you may come out saying it is one of the first great films you see in 2026.

Kokuho (2025) opens Friday

 

Kukho is one of the best films of 2025. It is an overpowering work of cinematic story telling the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. I mean that very seriously since the film echoes back to the grand cinematic epics that that Hollywood turned out in the 50’s 60’s and 70’s.

Based on a novel the film is about a young man who is the son of a yakuza boss. The young man has a love for Kabuki theater. When his father is killed, in one of the greatest sequences you will see all year, he decides to pursue his passion and become a kabuki actor.

I honestly have no notes; this is as perfect a film as I have seen all year. A technically perfect film it uses every trick to move us emotionally and we never see it coming. I have not seen a film do this as grandly in years.

I don’t know what to say

I will say that you shouldn’t worry about if you don’t know Kabuki because the film makes every effort to clue us into what the plays are about.

This is stunning film making and an absolute must see

A brief reminder that The Santa Barbara Film Festival Starts this week

Santa Barbara Film Festival starts this week and if you are near by, go.

The festival is full of a lot of great films - Among them:

ABRIL
CUBA AND ALASKA
AT ETERNITY'S GATE
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
GAS STATION ATTENDENT
IF THESE WALLS COULD ROCK
SAVING ETTING STREET
STEAL THIS STORY PLEASE
THERE ARE NO WORDS
TOW
THE BADDEST SPEECHWRITER OF ALL (this is my early vote for best film of 2026)

And many more.

There will be lots of reviews coming so keep an eye on Unseen and our Twitter and Blue Sky feeds.

Tickets and more information can be had here.

Hypersensitive (2025) plays Animation First 2026 in Francophone Shorts 1 on Wednesday

This is a stunningly beautiful journey inside the mind of a person on a road trip who is hypersensitive. It’s all visuals and sounds and absolutely hypnotic. You so need to see this on a big screen where the images can cover whelm you.

I watched this  a couple of times in a row just so I could get lost in the experience.

Highly recommended

BREAD WILL WALK (2025) plays Animation First 2026 in Francophone Shorts 1 On Wednesay

One of a kind and deeply disturbing in the the best possible way, this film is a zombie film send up about people who eat a synthetic bread turning into nonviolent shambling loafs of bread.

Looking like a the work of someone like Ralph Steadman on acid (on more acid)  this film nails every zombie cliché perfectly it’s a wicked little film that almost every horror movie lover is going to go crazy for.

Artistically I’ve never quite seen an animated film like this. Yes the art looks similar to other films but at the same time I’ve never seen them move like this.

This film is a blast. Its funny and yet nightmarish at the same time.

A must see.

Highly recommended

Dandelion's Odyessy (aka Planetes) (2025) Opens Animation First 2026 Tuesday

When the world is destroyed in an atomic war some of the fuzzy danelion seeds are blown into space, through a black hole and to a new planet where the fuzzies try to find a place to grow.

Wordless animated science fiction tale looks spectacular. There are some really wonderful images in this film. Its a film I would love to see on a truly huge screen so I can really look at the things hidden in the images.

As great as the film looks, and as good as the animators are at giving the fuzzies life, this film kind of runs out of steam  about 20 minutes in. Yes, we are curious about where this is going, and yes the images impress, but at a certain point there isn't enough going on to keep us fully engaged. Yes I stayed to the end, but at the same time some of it seemed like some of the sequences were there to just show off what the animators can do.

And I know that makes it sound like I don't like the film, but I do. I like so much of the film that I wish it was a little tighter so that we had a perfect viewing experience.

Worth a look for the curious- especially on the big screen.

Conrad & Crab - Idiotic Gems (2026) Rotterdam 2026

Are you a police officer or a tourist? A shopkeeper to one of the cops-a statement that explains the whole vibe of the film

Two detectives, Conrad and Crab, are transfered to a small town called Saint-Marie-aux-Mines. When a  ring is stolen, the pair investigate.

I am going to tell you right at the start you have to go with this film for a while before it clicks. While nominally a mystery, the film is less interested in the mystery then the interactions of everyone the cops meet. In some ways they missing ring is not what the filmmakers were interested in. I was about halfway into the film before it clicked. That was when I finally stopped caring about anything other than the people on the screen.

This film cares so litle about about the mystery, that it gets lost as another mystery and a romance are picked up and the film digresses into the lives of the various characters. This is a film about the people. It's also a film with an absolutely absurd sense of reality as you will see in a late in the game chase. 

Is this high art? No. Is it entertaining? Ultimately yes. Assuming you can go with the fact that the film is going to wander all over the place, you'll have a good time.

Recommended.

Ariela Rubin on I Want Your Sex (2026) Sundance 2026

 

Young twenty something dorky Elliot gets a job working for artist Erika. She very quickly talks Elliot into having sex with her, and the two begin a sub/dom sexual relationship. Unsurprisingly, considering this is a boss/employee dynamic, and one in which Elliot is completely infatuated with Erika (I can’t blame him, Olivia Wilde is hypnotizing in the role), things spiral quickly.

This film is completely absurd, ridiculous and chaotic, but it’s also so much fun. I laughed a lot, and it’s also very colorful/vibrant which I enjoyed. I loved Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Daveed Diggs, Chase Sui Wonders, and Mason Gooding. All their characters were so much fun to watch. 

Everyone at Sundance seemed obsessed with director, Gregg Araki. I’ll admit, I wasn’t familiar with him, but am now curious to check out his other films.

While, I wouldn’t say I loved this movie, I definitely had a lot of fun watching it. 

Ariel Rubin on Nuisance Bear (2026) Sundance 2026

 

Nuisance Bear is a documentary set in Churchill, Manitoba—known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World.

The film explores the destruction of the natural environment, how polar bears impact the town, as well as the ways Indigenous lives are forced to change as the town becomes gentrified. 

As climate change delays the freezing of the ice, polar bears are left without access to food, and so they venture into town in search of food, which brings them into constant conflict with humans.

The documentary is narrated by Mike, an Inuit, who speaks about how the presence of polar bears has disrupted daily life. He also expresses frustration over hunting restrictions, explaining that polar bears can now only be hunted a limited number of times per year. (I was surprised and upset to learn that polar bear hunting is still legal.)

The film follows the polar bear patrol, showing the measures they take to keep bears out of town: setting off fireworks, using traps, and, in one case, tranquilizing a bear, putting a tracker in him, putting dye on his fur, and relocating him via helicopter farther away. These scenes show how tense the coexistence between humans and bears has become.

What I found interesting was the audience reaction. At my screening, people seemed to be rooting for the polar bears. (People cheered at one point when a polar bear outsmarted humans) Yet the film itself felt more focused on the Inuit perspective, and how the bears are “nuisances”. In fact while the world says the polar bear population is decreasing, Mike says that isn’t the case. I’m not sure which direction the director was hoping people to go in, or if they were simply showing both sides without judgement.(Although the movie is called “Nuisance Bear” after all)

Visually, the documentary is stunning. The close up shots of the polar bears, as well as the videos taken from above (perhaps via drone) are beautiful. They really showed the beauty of the animals. However, it was hard for me to really love a documentary that seemed to showcase the burden polar bears are causing.

Animation First starts Tuesday at The L'Alliance New York

Animation First at L'Alliance New York is awesome

I have been enraptured with the festival since the first year back in 2018. The festival brings some of the best animated films in the world to New York and opens our eyes to the wonders that are being created outside of Hollywood. More importantly it always gives me at least one film that ends up on my best of the year list. This year there are two - HEART OF DARKNESS and ALLAH IS NO OBLIGED and they are amazing.

The festival not only screens features and shorts but has a lot of in person events. There are jams with filmmakers, Q&As appreciations and parties. (Details here). There is something for everyone.

As this posts, I've seen all of the features and most of the shorts (I've not seen the Annecy collection of the films about snow). I've written up everything I've seen. Based on what I've seen you should pick some programs and buy some tickets...AND IF YOU ARE SHORT OF CASH there are several events which are FREE!  (Details here)

If you love great films or great animation you need to go.

What should you see? Let me recommend a few things:

HEART OF DARKNESS is a retelling of the Conrad novella in  future Brazil. It will make you think of a lot of things and remeber it was something before Coppola sent it to Vietnam

ALLAH IS NOT OBLIGED is a look at a boy soldier in Africa and it will make you see the genre in a new way as it kicks you in the chest.

The Magician of Ostend: The films of Raoul Servais is glorious. A deep collection of the work of an animator who changed cinema (people have been borrowing from him for decades). The chance to see all of these films on a big screen is something every animation fan should make an effort to attend.

Animating the Surreal: A Conversation with Lavis and Szczerbowski is another once in a lifetime event with the chance to see their films (including current Oscar Nominee THE GIRL WHO CRIED PEARLS) and to talk with them during a Q&A

Of course there are more, but these four should get you started.

I can't say enough good about the festival and suggest you buy some tickets now.

For tickets and more information go here.

ADDENDUM: They have just added a French Language screening of ARCO with the Director in attendance. If you can go do so since the French version is supposed to be light years better than the English one (Details here)

Back To The Past (2026)

Based on the 2001 television series, A Step into the Past, which was based on Wong Yee's novel, The Chronicles of Searching Qin BACK TO THE PAST is a continuation of the story that has Ken getting out of prison and traveling back in time with a squad of armed men in order to become the Qin Emperor. However there are complications including Louis Koo.

I never saw the original series, not have I read the source novel and I know it worked against my fully enjoying the film. I say this because so much of the film references earlier events and complications...for example Koo and the rightful Emperor have a very complex relationship that made me wonder why they put up with each other. I know this would have made more sense if I had seen what went before.

At the same time the film kind of suffers from a slight dumbing down of events. What was once a complex soap opera has been simplified to action fodder minimalism. Characters a sketched. Everything is aimed toward moving us into a series of action set pieces.  This would be fine if the action was top of the line, but the truth is it all seems like it's a half step too slow and sublimented by just okay CGI.

Don't get me wrong it's entertaining in a popcorn on a Sunday afternoon sort of way, but it doesn't find a place deep in our hearts.

I should mention  that while the film runs 107 minutes, the film ends 90 minutes and then gives us an alternate time line ending. I found it amusing, but I like the original better.

If you are a fan of the original series or want a good, but mindless action film give BACK TO THE PAST a look.

Special Unit The First Murder (2025) Rotterdam

I know he's an idiot but maybe he's right

This is based on the story of the founding of what would be the Danish version of the FBI.  A special unit was set up to deal with arson, and it was to be funded by the insurance companies. The unit is sent to a seaside to help with a fire in the mayor's lodge in the woods. However, what should have been a simple arson investigation, the locals have caught the man they feel is responsible, suddenly becomes complicated when a body is discovered in the wreckage of the house. Called home because murder is not technically under their jurisdiction, they talk their way into continuing so they can show that they are really like the FBI

While the film has some pacing problems in the middle, this is a solid little thriller that hopefully is going to spawn a series. 

That the film works so well is due to the cast, who sell the story, and the twisty nature of things. I did not expect the full denouncement of what was going on, even if I was aware of at least one person who was involved. It's a film that held my attention for its entire running time, which is saying a great deal since a great many recent films made me want to wander off and grab a nosh just because I was tired of waiting for something to happen. While the film's pacing wobbles about a third of the way in (blame the filling in of the detective's back story), the film quickly pulls things tight and it's an exciting ride to the end.

Honestly, I truly loved this film a great deal, and when it ended, I wanted to see it again just so I could spend more time with the characters. I liked them enough that I want to see a sequel. Frankly I can honestly say that this was the first great film I saw in 2026 because I saw it on New Year's Day.

Highly recommended

Ariela Rubin on THE WEIGHT(2026) at Sundance 2026

The Weight is a new movie starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe that takes place in Oregon in 1933. Samuel (Hawke) is trying to make ends meet, taking odd jobs here and there, but comes home one day to find an eviction notice and all his things in the hallway. While searching for a new place to live, he gets into a fight with some guys who turn out to be cops, and is arrested. He's taken away from his daughter (the cutest girl!), but not before promising her that he will come back for her. He is then sent to work in a work camp in the middle of nowhere.  Clancy (Crowe) is the boss at the work camp, and he notices that Samuel is smart and hardworking. He offers him a deal- help smuggle gold out of a mine before the government gets to it, and in return, Clancy will write him a letter for early release, giving Samuel the chance to reunite with his daughter before she's up for adoption. Easy peasy, right?

Samuel has to choose three fellow prisoners to go with him, and they are escorted by two men with guns to make sure they stay on track, and with orders to kill them if any gold goes missing. Off they set out through the unknown wilderness. What could go wrong?

There was never a dull moment, especially during the intense scene of them throwing gold across and crossing a rickety bridge, or when two of the characters get trapped in the water. I was expecting a bit more suspense and tension, but I still found the film engaging and very enjoyable. While it isn’t my usual type of movie, I was glued to the screen throughout. I thought Ethan Hawke did an amazing job in this one.

I also really liked the soundtrack!

Ariela Rubin on HOLD ON TO ME (2026) Sundance 2026

Hold Onto Me is the first movie I’ve seen that was filmed in Cyprus. The film is spoken in Greek, and tells the story of an 11 year old named Iris, who sees her father for the first time in 7 years. He’s back for his own father’s funeral. 

She is instantly curious and drawn to him. Wanting to get to know him, she keeps popping up wherever he is. At first, he is annoyed, but slowly he allows her to join him on his adventures.

The father spends time selling his own father’s belongings, and uses Iris to help him. There are also men he appears to owe money to, suggesting he is either in trouble or involved in something illegal, though this subplot is never fully clarified.

Iris is mesmerized by her father. You can see the way she looks at him. She completely adores him, even though he hasn’t been in the picture for 7 years. This absence is never addressed in conversation, she never asks about it, and it is unfortunately never explained. 

While I really enjoyed the film, I wish we had learned more about what was going on in the father’s mind. I would have liked that to be explored further. I was also surprised when the movie ended. It felt abrupt. I wanted more.

Unfortunately, I had to run to another movie right after, or I would have loved to have been able to stay for the Q&A to learn more about this film. 

2DIE4(2025)

2DIE4 is the story of what happened when racing legend Felipe Nasr took a car to the 24 Hours of LeMans. Shot by the Abdalah Brothers the film is being released into IMAX theaters because of the truly stunning images, particularly the ones of the race.

If you are going to see 2DIE4 see it on a big screen. The images are spectacular. The shots of the cars racing are spectacular. In the huge screen format this is probably as close to most people will ever get to being on the track, in the cars or in the pit. I absolutely loved the images in this film.

The problem is that outside of the images the film does have much going on. Yes it’s Nasr at the race but there isn’t enough information given to us that we feel any real excitement. Worse the pacing is off, and this one hour film is a long haul. Then again the film isn’t really a true hour. The film ends and then we get some images of the race in Daytona during the credits….and then the credits end and we get several minutes of images of how the film was shot. The film feels like this should have either been re-edited to include Daytona or have just lost 20 minutes and been a long short.

It’s not bad, but it you aren’t seeing this with a big picture and big sound and it’s a chore to get through.

In Brief: Atom Age Vampire (1960)

Perpetual drive-in/grind house film has a mad doctor trying to help a disfigured stripper by using the glands of a women murdered when he is in monstrous form.

Its a wild and crazy tale that isn't bad on its own terms but which makes you wonder what drugs audiences were on since they kept this playing off and on double and triple bills into the late 1970s.

While the uncut version is slightly better , there is a  longer and tad more risque verssion out there, the film is enjoyable in either version.

Ariela Rubin on Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026) Sundance 2026

If there’s a movie with Zoey Deutch, you know I’m going to see it(love her!!), so I was excited to find out she was in a new one premiering at Sundance.

What is a “celebrity sex pass” one might ask? It’s when you’re in a relationship, but get to pick one celebrity you’d want to sleep with if you ever had the chance. In this movie, Gail’s fiancé takes this literally and actually uses his “celebrity pass.” Gail then sets off to LA with her friend to get revenge and use her own sex pass.

This movie was just so much fun!! I loved all the different friends Gail makes along the way. While some parts were a little too ridiculous, I laughed a lot and think I was smiling the whole time.

Don’t look up the cast beforehand! There are so many unexpected cameos.

With so many heavy movies and heavy things going on in the world, this movie was needed. 

Ariela Rubin on UNION COUNTY (2026) Sundance 2026

Union County is a slow, quiet movie about Cody, played by William Coulter, and his brother Jack, who are in a drug recovery program mandated by the courts in Ohio.

The film follows Cody’s daily life, the ups and downs, and the battle of staying sober.

While the movie was slow paced, I never felt bored. It also has a runtime of 97 minutes, which is perfect.

The story might not be that unique, but what sets the film apart is that they used the real people from the drug recovery program, and their lines were unscripted. They also used the real counselor, Annette, who was amazing! and the real judge. That made the film feel more authentic. 

Overall, it was a moving movie and definitely worth a watch. 

The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026)

Michael Apted's portrait of former Soviet underground rock star Boris Grebenshchikov. The film follows Grebenshchikov as he comes west in 1988 in order to record his music and try to make a connection with Western audiences.

Unavailable for decades except via VHS video tapes, THE LONG WAY HOME was restored from the only known surviving 16mm print, and it has a 20-minute epilogue that brings the story up to date.

My feelings for the film are mixed, with my feelings split between the original film and the epilogue. For me the original Apted film is okay. Yes, the subject is good, and yes, it's a blast to see the who's who of musicians' march through the film in order to meet Grebenshchikov. The music is also quite good. However, the presentation isn't anything that makes it stand out from other films of the 1980's. This film looks and feels like a 1980's music doc. That's not a knock, just a realization that almost four decades have passed since the film originally came out.

My feelings for the film changed with the epilogue. Thirty-five plus years on the look back re-configures what we had just seen. There was no big American career for Grebenshchikov and the whys and what's that we see puts the story in a whole new light. There is a bittersweet quality to it all.  For me the epilogue makes the movie because it gives a glaring context to it all.

If you want to see THE LONG WAY HOME do so in this restored version because makes an old film into something special.

Evil Influencer : The Jodi Hildebrandt Story (2025)

Netflix doc on Jodi Hildebrandt, a therapist in the Church of Later Day Saints, who was arrested for child abuse when it was discovered how she was treating the children of one of her patients /business partner.

This is a good, if a bit over long look at who one woman wrecked the lives of multiple families. Hildebrandt was a very devout member of the church and her approach to therapy appealed to a number of people in the church looking for help with their lives. The trouble was that Hildebrandt had issues of her own and a controlling personality that ended up destroying marriages.

I liked this film a great deal, however running at over 100 minutes it a bit long.  Its not that there is anything bad here, more that the stories of wrecked marriages get reputative.

Worth a look.

Ariela Rubin on Carousel (2026) Sundance 2026

Carousel was the first movie I saw at the Sundance Film Festival, and I was looking forward to it. I like the cast: Jenny Slate, Chris Pine, Katey Sagal, Sam Waterston, so I was drawn to the story: a divorced dad rekindles a relationship with his ex-sweetheart, while caring for his anxious daughter. However, the film ended up being disappointing.

At only 103 minutes, it felt long. The daughter’s mental health issues were shown briefly, but never fully explored, which was probably the most frustrating part. Pine’s character is overprotective, panicking if his daughter gets a cut (he’s a doctor), but then is oddly passive when it comes to addressing her outbursts(or getting her any sort of help).

I did feel chemistry between Pine and Slate, but it never felt like we truly got to know them. Overall, this was a slow paced, dull movie.