Welcome to the Strange Harbors coverage of the virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Siân Heder’s heartfelt curtain-raiser kicks off this year’s program, a radiantly warm tale of a teenage girl navigating the tension-filled territory between individuality and the bonds of family. An American adaptation of the French dramedy La famille Béllier, Coda wears its coming-of-age tropes on its sleeve, but its confident construction and tender performances strike at the heart of what makes convention so effective. Minor spoilers ahead…

Welcome to my coverage of 2021’s Sundance Film Festival! Far away from the hustle and bustle of its usual Park City home, this year’s festival - like many before it - has been transformed into a virtual experience due to COVID-19, but that doesn’t diminish the caliber of its offerings. This year’s festival sees a variety of special film events, such as a robust short film program, a wide selection of genre showings, and gala presentations. This year marks my first year as accredited press at Sundance, and I’m so excited to be able to review a selection from the festival. You can find my entire coverage here.

2020 was a tough year, but movies are still alive - in some regards, they’re thriving. 2020’s A Year in Film mashup is a celebration of cinema’s resilience, but it also aims to capture the melancholy of our times: Heartbreak, bittersweetness, and horror take a front seat in last year’s edit. Don’t let anyone tell you there weren’t enough releases in 2020; this was a year where movies - whether through VOD or streaming - were a perfect escape from the chaos right outside our windows. So pull up a seat and bust out the popcorn as we take one last look at the films of 2020…

As the first series to usher in a new slate of original content on Disney Plus and the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project to grace our screens in over a year, WandaVision has a lot riding on its shoulders. And it’s largely excellent. Those critical of Marvel’s workmanlike superhero fare will find that WandaVision taps into some of the MCU’s wildest potential with two of its most compelling characters. Three episodes watched for review.

2020 has undoubtedly been the dumpster fire to end all dumpster fires, but its cinema was as strong as ever. With almost everyone stuck inside, we consumed more media, content, and streaming entertainment than ever before. But even with theaters on the brink, it didn’t mean that we suffered from a lack of new movies; in fact, with a dearth big-budget blockbusters, 2020 was the year for arthouse films and indies to shine. This year was also a milestone for Strange Harbors, as I was able to (virtually) attend three film festivals as accredited press - an immense opportunity that allowed me to see a large number of the films listed below. We’re all eager to move on to 2021, but before we do, let’s take one last look at the best movies that shaped the last 365 days. Minor spoilers ahead…

Wonder Woman 1984 is one of the most disappointing films of the year. With its weightless action, incoherent plot, and tenuous grasp of common sense, this follow-up to 2017’s superheroine blockbuster is as choppy as they come. There are glimmers of promise with the film’s scenery-chewing villains, but almost everything is undercooked, making its interminable 151-minute runtime even more egregious. Minor spoilers ahead…

Writer and filmmaker Lee Isaac-Chung’s semi-autobiographical drama Minari, which follows a Korean American family adjusting to rural life in Arkansas, is the best film of the year. With equal parts melancholy, optimism, and tenderness. the film finds poetic balm within the chase for the American dream. Minor spoilers ahead…

Having been rescued from its SyFy cancellation in 2018, The Expanse returns for its penultimate season on Amazon Prime Video. Based on the novels by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck (under the pen name James S.A. Corey), the series is quickly solidifying its legacy as one of the best genre shows out there with its meticulous world-building, gripping political intrigue, and hard science fiction. The Expanse’s fifth season finds its winning streak unbroken, with its tight pacing and deep character work on full display as it careens towards its endgame. Nine episodes watched for review, not including the season finale. Minor spoilers ahead…

Playing a thrash drummer grappling with rapid onset hearing loss, Riz Ahmed gives the performance of his career in Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal. With its thoughtful examination of the deaf community and its gripping soundscapes, the film breathes new life into a conventional narrative, delivering a remarkably sensitive cinematic experience. There’s surprising tenderness afoot within Sound of Metal’s emotional tempest, and it makes for one of the best films of the year. Minor spoilers…

Director Aneesh Chaganty’s sophomore feature, Run, is a worthy followup to 2018’s Searching, even if it doesn't match its predecessor’s crafty brilliance. Clocking in at an economical 90 minutes, the film traverses through familiar beats, but its taut pacing and all-in performances elevate it well-above standard thriller fare. A giant step forward for disability representation in cinema, Run finds its white-knuckle suspense through accuracy and care of portrayal: Sarah Paulson gets top billing, but newcomer - and disabled actress - Kiera Allen is the real star. Minor spoilers ahead…

Seemingly out of nowhere, with a trailer released only a month ago, Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit has captured the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere, and for good reason - it’s quite fun. Pure escapism through the lens of high-stakes chess, the limited series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Beth Harmon, a child prodigy that enters the male-dominated realm of one of the world’s oldest strategy games. With a captivating lead performance and a meticulous attention paid to its period details, The Queen’s Gambit looks to dose chess with some cinematic octane, and it largely succeeds despite its hesitation to dig deep. Minor spoilers ahead…

With a lovingly curated grimoire of genre films that range from under-appreciated gems to blockbuster hits, Shudder is quickly becoming my favorite streaming service. Recently reaching a milestone of one million subscribers, the AMC Networks platform has cultivated a deep library of horror and thrillers, doled out by a calendar of fun and clever programming. Its latest slate? The jam-packed 61 Days of Halloween: a two-month long celebration of horror with a stacked roster of new releases. From a new Lovecraftian Nicolas Cage joint to a haunted house mega-hit from Spain, Shudder’s 61 Days of Halloween is a lot of horror to digest, so here’s the Strange Harbors guide to navigating these new releases. Minor spoilers ahead…

Jason Blum’s renowned horror production company branches out with Welcome to the Blumhouse, a series of four films on Amazon Prime that straddle the line between genres. Gathering a diverse smattering of talent and storytelling, the collection runs the gamut of terror with domestic drama, tech parables, and traditional frights, but in the end, Welcome to the Blumhouse - with a single exception - tastes more like stale leftovers than a fresh meal. Minor spoilers ahead…

Because of COVID-19 pandemic this year, it was impossible for me to write full-length reviews for everything I saw at NYFF. So, here’s a special edition of Strange Harbors Capsule Reviews, covering an epic philosophical debate, the premiere of director Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, and new films from Jia Zhangke and Sofia Coppola.

Azazel Jacobs directs a memorably salty Michelle Pfeiffer in his adaptation of Patrick deWitt’s acclaimed novel, French Exit. The story of a wealthy heiress who moves to Paris with her son in the wake of financial insolvency, the film hews closely to its source material, but has difficulty accessing the text’s spirit. Even with Pfeiffer’s wickedly funny performance, an eclectic supporting cast, and deWitt’s own screenplay, French Exit wobbles in a scattered capriciousness that’s difficult to shake.

Acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar makes his English-language debut with The Human Voice. A raw and emotional one-hander starring Tilda Swinton, the short film expertly combines an exquisitely staged production with a fiery element, breathing cinematic life into Jean Cocteau’s stage play. A mesmerizing cross section of Almodóvar’s directorial style, Swinton’s artful performance, and Cocteau’s monodrama, The Human Voice is a tour de force on multiple levels.

Welcome to my coverage of 2020’s New York Film Festival! Very much like TIFF before it, NYFF is a major predictor of Academy Awards success, screening some of the best films the world has to offer. This year’s festival sees a variety of special film events, such as a 4K restoration of Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, the premiere of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology, and Pedro Almodóvar’s English language debut. This year marks my first year as accredited press, and I’m so excited to be able to review a selection of films from the festival. You can find my entire coverage here. All reviews in viewing order…

A psychedelic cocktail of gruesome violence and cerebral sci-fi, Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor pushes the boundaries of the body horror genre pioneered by his father. For his sophomore feature, Cronenberg crafts a tech-fueled nightmare sprung from his perverse vision, utilizing the dueling talents of Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbot to deliver a twisted, body-swapping experience unlike any other. Minor spoilers ahead…