Gary Kramer's Best and Worst of 2021
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Looking back at the films I covered for the sie, here are some of my favorites—and some things I hope to never see again.
NEW YEAR is a lacking chamber drama
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Although there is some fluid camerawork, a jazzy score, and a game cast, this stagy film never quite sparks to life.
WOLF is an acting exercise in search of a story
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Wolf makes its points about shock therapy as a cure for bad behavior with no subtlety.
DOC NYC 2021: OBJECTS is a story about the things we carry
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Is it something or nothing? Do things matter? This is the question at the heart of Objects, Vincent Liota’s not uninteresting documentary, screening at DOC NYC.
DOC NYC 2021: HOCKEYLAND provides a keen window into the life of teen athletes
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Hockeyland shows how a handful of players grapple with their lives on and off the ice.
NIGHT RAIDERS admirably tackles tough issues, but is a lackluster story
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The dystopian Canadian sci-fi drama Night Raiders is distinguished by featuring a largely indigenous cast. Unfortunately, the film itself is very unexceptional.
PFF 2021: THE ABSENT DIRECTOR, THE BRAVES, THE WORLD AFTER US and BROTHER’S KEEPER
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Film Festival offers several intriguing international films among the hundreds of shorts, features, and documentaries that screened as part of this year’s program. Here is a recap of four worthwhile films, three of which were feature debuts.
Interview: David Cade from HEART OF CHAMPIONS
by Gary Kramer, Staff Writer
David Cade has appeared in various shorts, TV series and films, is slowly gaining some traction in Hollywood.
PFF 2021: LUZZU is an immersive character study
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Luzzu may not traverse new territory but the film immerses viewers in this world and this poignant, slice-of-life story.
PFF 2021: AMIRA gets intimate in a claustrophobic situation
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The intimate, affecting Amira may sound like a mawkish paternity melodrama, but writer/director Mohamed Diab (Cairo 678, Clash) takes a sensitive approach to a subject that, is, in fact, quite political in the Middle East.
PFF 2021: LA TRAVIATA, MY BROTHERS, AND I brings charm in finding its own voice
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Director/cowriter Yohan Manca’s affable feature debut shows how opera music provides an outlet for its young protagonist.
Gary Kramer’s 2021 Philadelphia Film Festival Preview
by Gary Kramer, Staff Writer
This year’s fest, like last year’s, includes an online component, which is where I will screen most of the films I’ll see.
HARD LUCK LOVE SONG captures that "just like old times" feeling
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The film, like the song, is all about despair and dumb luck.
Interview: Dan Gildark, director of queer horror film CTHULHU
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The strength of the director’s work is that while his dramas pull at viewers’ heartstrings, the tone is more forceful and stimulating than sentimental or mawkish.
NYFF 2021: A CHIARA stimulates via naturalism and a forcefulness
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
The strength of the director’s work is that while his dramas pull at viewers’ heartstrings, the tone is more forceful and stimulating than sentimental or mawkish.
THE AWAKENING trades mystery for over-explanation
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
This film probes these wounds in a slow-burn manner that provides a mostly satisfying mix of character study and jump scares.
TIFF 2021: MEDUSA is stylish but shallow
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Medusa is certainly stylish, and the young performers sink into the film’s cool, modulated rhythms, but overall of the film lacks sufficient energy and emotion to make it worthwhile.
COLLECTION sets a melodrama in the seedy world of debt buying
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Collection features some interesting characters, but it spreads itself too thin telling all the different stories.
TIFF 2021: DRUNKEN BIRDS creates impactful drama
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Drunken Birds, which just had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, lures viewers in with its hypnotic imagery, then it pulls them along with its absorbing story.
TIFF 2021: COMALA takes an intimate approach to a Mexican border story
by Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer
Gian Cassini’s captivating debut feature documentary, Comala, tells a micro story about his family to reveal a macro story on the Mexican drug wars.