Indie Spirit Revue: "The Piano Lesson"

by Nick Taylor

A very good movie, frustratingly close to being a great one if not for one problem at its absolute center. John David Washington drags down this new adaptation of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson to an inordinate degree, baldly imitating his dad's Troy Maxson and leaving Boy Willie out to dry as a result. Unburdened from even a shred of Denzel's charisma, we get a Boy Willie who's unambiguously trying to sell you a used car even when he's supposed to be bonding with his niece or drinking with a friend. His disastrous turn skews the text even more toward Berniece than it already was - imagine what Stephan James could've done with the role instead. Imagine Stephan James being nurtured by Hollywood after his heartbreaking performance in If Beale Street Could Talk…

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Happy New Year from the Team Experience!

by Cláudio Alves

As the year draws to a close, here’s a final thank you for reading The Film Experience and engaging in this cinema-loving community. Have a wonderful time tonight and let’s all hope for a good 2025, even if the odds may feel against us.

Also, remember, you are one. Don’t make the same mistake as Miss Sparkle in The Substance. Then again, we should all enter the New Year with a Monstro Elisasue type of smile – broad, bloody, mad and maddening, bursting in ecstasy beyond reason and full of star power. Cheers!

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Review: "Nosferatu" is the perfect present for the cinephile in your life

by Cláudio Alves

A belated Merry Christmas to you all, and Happy Holidays too. What better way to celebrate than with cinema? After all, the year of 2024 is coming to a close with an array of new releases, as varied as they are curious. For Kidmaniacs, Babygirl is upon us, with the actress's best performance since Birth. The Fire Inside is a crowd-pleasing sports drama of unusual elegance, while A Complete Unknown is essential viewing for those who want to keep up to date with the awards season. Better Man brings some monkey business to the festive box office, while Vermiglio delivers a post-war poem on the changing seasons. 

However, if you're like me, a horror hound at heart, the week's most enticing release must surely be Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, an old-fashioned Gothic romance with a nasty streak a mile wide…

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Franchise fever continues to dominate the Saturn Awards

By Nathaniel R

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE © Warner Bros

The 52nd annual Saturn Awards are taking place this year on February 2nd and voting is happening right now (until the 15th). Dune Part Two (14 nominations) and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (13 noms) are in the lead this time around while Deadpool & Wolverine is lagging a bit behind in third with 10 noms. Those aren't the only franchises in play and we'll discuss how long some of these franchises that are up for prizes have been running (once since the 1950s!)...

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Sleepy Hollow @ 25: Tim Burton's last great movie

by Cláudio Alves

When Beetlejuice Beetlejuice celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, many critics rejoiced, eager to announce Tim Burton's return to form. But were such proclamations accurate? While the ghost story sequel had its merits, besting many of the director's more recent efforts, it still felt lacking compared to his early triumphs, that dream run from the mid-80s to the late-90s. I'd go so far as saying that Burton's last truly great movie arrived at the end of the last millennium, when he re-imagined the Legend of the Headless Horseman and delivered a spooky season classic that feels like Fall vibes distilled into filmic form. That very picture celebrates the quarter-century mark today, so it should be an excellent time to revisit it. Dear reader, pack up your things and join me on a journey to Sleepy Hollow…

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