by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Writer-director Mike Mills’ black-and-white film C’MON C’MON is a gorgeous essay on parenting starring Joaquin Phoenix in a role as Johnny, uncle to Jesse (Woody Norman) whose mother Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) is facing down a mental health challenge with the boy’s father, her ex-husband Paul (Scoot McNairy). This is one of the most poetic releases of the year, a showcase for all involved, as complex layers build throughout the...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Boys, Texas, a mock election, what could go wrong? Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner for 2020, BOYS STATE, chronicles 1100 eager teenage mini-men as they vie for a week-long bid to make their own state government, in this Apple Original to hit theaters on July 31. Directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, this all-male shindig down in the Lone Star State may come off as tone-deaf in a ‘woke,’ hashtag MeToo environment, but boys wi...

As a Chinese-American filmmaker myself, there is a special place in my heart for Chinese-American film. The consistently negative depictions of Asians in American film-culture instilled a sense of shame in me that translated to hiding the fact that I was Asian from many people up until early adulthood. Being mixed, that was generally not too difficult and it was an easier way to navigate life. The only way to truly fix this problem is by people like Lulu Wang succeeding. She absolutely does so...

Not many movies can move at a sedated pace without putting the majority of the audience to sleep. Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man on Earth is the rare exception. The film flows like the still waters of the San Francisco Bay, by telling a melancholic story of gentrification and the pain that losing a childhood home brings. It is a beautiful depiction of poverty and class struggle that teaches those who have not personally experienced gentrification, what it feels like to be backed into a ...

As a Chinese-American filmmaker myself, there is a special place in my heart for Chinese-American film. The consistently negative depictions of Asians in American film-culture instilled a sense of shame in me that translated to hiding the fact that I was Asian from many people up until early adulthood. Being mixed, that was generally not too difficult and it was an easier way to navigate life. The only way to truly fix this problem is by people like Lulu Wang succeeding. She absolutely does so...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Raise your hand if you think Soairse Ronan should have won Best Actress for BROOKLYN. Anyone?  Yes, it’s an exercise in futility since Ronan was only a nominee in 2016. Lucky for her, Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut LADY BIRD, from A24 films and just shown at the Telluride Film Festival, is where Soairse gets redeemed. Or, you could say given a second chance to make a first impression as an emerging woman trapped ins...

A24 has acquired the worldwide rights to brothers Benny and Josh Safdie's next film Uncut Gems. The screenplay is written by the brothers and Ronald Bronstein and is set in New York's diamond district. The film will star Jonah Hill as Howard Ratner. The film is currently in pre-production.  - Manette Asta ...