Reviews

Good acting saves A Good Person from itself

A Good Person, the newest movie from Zach Braff: director and writer, is melodrama through and through, for better or worse. It’s often manipulative, cloying, overly sentimental, and it leans heavily on cliche. It’s also saved by excellent performances by two leads. 

Festivals Reviews

SXSW 2023: Shorts installment two

While I didn’t get to dig into as many as I wanted, there were still a few that caught my attention. Funny enough, they were mostly in the horror genre… not exactly my cup of tea most of the time, but they were quirky and fun and I happily hopped out of my comfort zone. Check out my reviews below!

Reviews

Return to Seoul is a window into the messy, complicated world of cross-national adoption

Native born South Korean, Freddie (Ji-Min Park) was adopted by a French family when she was only months old. As she attempts adulthood, Freddie is unexpectedly pulled toward her birthplace and without a ounce of Korean fluency she flies there on a whim. Despite saying otherwise to her new Korean friends, she desperately wants to connect with her birth parents.

Festivals Reviews

SXSW 2023: Shorts installment one

Despite not making out to the physical festival, I have access to a scrumptiously large number of short films this year from every genre. I’m excited to get back to my niche in The Sunbreak universe and share with you some of the best from this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival. So lets get on with it!

Festivals Previews

SXSW Film & TV Festival 2023 sets aside hybrid and goes fully in person

After two years of the pandemic creating a more accessible festival, in-person SXSWFilm is back with a tantalizingly long list of films that I am eager to devour. While I won’t be in Austin this year to experience the crazed ups, downs and sideways of traversing the crowds, freebies and long lines I will get to chow down on the smorgasbord of offerings that SXSW Film has to offer.

Reviews

Palm Trees and Power Lines attempts a cautionary tale, but becomes a twisted how-to

First and foremost there should be a trauma warning on this film. Young Lea is lost and floating in a vast sea of loneliness. She tries to find solace in her best friend and by attempting a shallow physical relationship with a boy, but nothing really brings her happiness. With an absent single mom who only shows adoration when there’s no boyfriend to distract her, Lea has no one to show her what a strong, positive relationship looks like. Then enters Tom.