“Universal Language” (“Une langue universelle”) (2024). Cast: Matthew Rankin, Pirouz Namati, Sobhan Javadi, Sahar Mofidi, Rojina Esmaeili, Saba Vahedyousefi, Mani Soleymanlou, Danielle Fichaud, Dara Najmabadi, Ila Firouzabadi, Hemela Pourafzal. Director: Matthew Rankin. Screenplay: Ila Firouzabadi, Pirouz Namati and Matthew Rankin. Web site. Trailer. Philosophers and metaphysicians are generally quick to agree that we’re all fundamentally connected, both to one another and to everything around us, that there’s a certain universality binding all there is in our existence. But how many of us actually take the time to truly recognize, consider and appreciate this or what makes this attainable? Maybe this calls for stepping away from our everyday world and immersing ourselves in some sort of alternate version of it to see the inherent connections from a fresh perspective, along with the nature of these links and the value that lies within them. That might sound like a profoundly daunting undertaking, yet need it be? Perhaps those goals can be accomplished through a simple, more accessible and inherently joyful means, a proposition raised and explored in the thoughtful and delightfully whimsical new gentle comedy, “Universal Language” (“Une langue universelle”). Actor-writer-director Matthew Rankin’s second feature offering is one of those films that ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday April 22, available by clicking here. You can also catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Podchaser, Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Jiosaavn ...

“Mickey 17” (2025). Cast: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Naomi Ackie, Anamaria Vartolomei, Tim Key, Patsy Ferran, Cameron Britton, Ian Hanmore, Lloyd Hutchinson, Ellen Robertson, Edward Davis, Hadyn Gwynne, Stephen Park, Daniel Henshaw. Director: Bong Joon Ho. Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho. Book: Edward Ashton, Mickey 7 (2022). Web site. Trailer. In a throw-away age like the one in which we live, virtually everything is vulnerable. In fact, we can become so accustomed to this way of thinking that it becomes an ingrained mindset, one in which we come to believe that anything perceived as not being expediently useful is potentially disposable. But how far are we willing to go with this? Indeed, aren’t there inherent dangers that we might take this notion a little too far, perhaps even to a point of no return? How comfortable can we truly be with this? Such are the questions raised in the outrageously brilliant new sociopolitical sci-fi satire, “Mickey 17.” In a world of the unspecified but not-too-distant future, Earth is in jeopardy of falling apart due to sustained environmental decline. Hope for tomorrow thus lies in resettling off-world on distant, unexplored, undeveloped planets. But how safe and suitable are ...

The 41st annual edition of the Chicago Latino Film Festival – the longest continuously running event of its kind in the US – is now in the books, having featured an array of narrative, documentary and short films in local theaters and community centers. While I must admit that I initially found the event’s lineup of 2025 offerings somewhat underwhelming (primarily due to a plethora of films that struck me as thematically redundant) and given my disappointing experience with last year’s festival, I must say I had my doubts going into this year’s edition. However, overall, I must have made my viewing choices count, as I was generally pleased with what I screened, somewhat to my surprise. In all, I managed to catch four feature films and three shorts during the festival’s 11-day run. My congratulations to the event’s programmers and organizers. So, with that said, here’s my take on what I watched and what I thought. Enjoy! FEATURE FILMS “Damned Old People” (“Viejos Malditos”) (Ecuador/Argentina) (5/5); Letterboxd (4.5/5), TMDB.com (9/10); Web site, Trailer To most of us, an inconsolable loss is something from which recovery may often be next to impossible. The pain and anguish can be unbearable, especially ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday April 8, available by clicking here. You can also catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Podchaser, Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Jiosaavn ...

“Flow” (“Straume”) (2024). Director: Gints Zilbalodis. Screenplay: Gints Zilbalodis, Matiss Kaza and Ron Dyens. Web site. Trailer. Sometimes the simplest yet most profound messages come to us from the unlikeliest of sources. In many cases, those messengers deliver their insights metaphorically and unwittingly, with an almost “innocent” nature, as if to give license to the notion of “out of the mouths of babes.” So imagine how valuable that information can be when its impact is significant and inspired and comes at a time when the stakes are at their highest. Such is the case in the charming, insightful and enlightening new animated feature from Latvia, “Flow” (“Straume”). This stunningly beautiful, deeply moving second offering from writer-director Gints Zilbalodis tells the tale of a band of animals seeking to find their way and survive in a brave new world. When a great flood essentially destroys the world of man, a wide-eyed black cat must figure out how to get by when this consuming deluge wipes out the existence he has known, armed with only his own wits and the cooperation of fellow animal kindreds. These bold collaborators include an unassuming capybara, an endlessly curious meerkat, a flock of secretary birds (a ...