Prisoners of the Ghostland Review (Sundance Film Festival 2021)

In fair Verona, a war as old as time is brewing between rival houses—but it’s being captured in a new way. Montague and Capulet Gen Zers are using their cell phones to document the eruptions of violence plaguing their communities. In the middle of it all, Romeo discovers Juliet’s artwork at a party, and the two inevitably fall in love. As tensions between their families escalate, the two plead for peace and desperately search for a way to escape their star-crossed destiny. Told entirely through social media and smartphone screens, R#J is a bold adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that reinvents the world’s most enduring love story with style and lyricism, with black and brown youth at the heart of it all. Blending text messages and Shakespearean dialogue, R#J takes us into the subversive love language of the moment, where GIFs, Spotify playlist exchanges, and Instagram profiles kindle romance and unexpected windows of vulnerability.  FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Feb 202112min

Fred Hampton’s cathartic words “I am a revolutionary” became a rallying call in 1969. As chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, Hampton demanded all power to the people and inspired a growing movement of solidarity, prompting the FBI to consider him a threat and to plant informant William O’Neal to infiltrate the party. JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH not only recounts Hampton’s legacy and the FBI’s conspiring but also gives equal footing to the man who became infamous for his betrayal—highlighting the systems of inequality and oppression that fed both of their roles. Director: Shaka King  Producer: Ryan Coogler, Charles D. King, Shaka King  FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Feb 202115min

Sparks is your favorite band’s favorite band, and soon to be yours too. Whether or not you’re aware of it, Sparks likely had a hand in something you’re fond of. This is a band that has been in the background of almost every art form across the last 50 years. Growing up in the ’60s, Los Angeles brothers Ron and Russell got by on a heavy diet of popcorn matinees and pop music until the spotlight of school talent shows illuminated their way on a musical journey that has so far spawned 25 studio albums. Director: Edgar Wright FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Feb 202113min

When Edee’s life is tragically altered, she loses the ability to connect with the world and people she once knew. She retreats to a forest in the Rocky Mountains with a few supplies and leaves her old life behind indefinitely. The beauty of her new surroundings is undeniable yet quickly humbling as she struggles to adjust and prepare for the winter ahead. When Edee is caught on the brink of death, a local hunter and his family miraculously save her, but she alone must find a way to live again. FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Feb 202111min

While exploring the neighboring woods, 13-year-old John (Charlie Shotwell) discovers an unfinished bunker—a deep hole in the ground. Seemingly without provocation, he drugs his affluent parents (Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Ehle) and older sister (Taissa Farmiga) and drags their unconscious bodies into the bunker, where he holds them captive. As they anxiously wait for John to free them from the hole, the boy returns home, where he can finally do what he wants. Director: Pascual Sisto Writer: Nicolás Giacobone Starring: Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Ehle, Taissa Farmiga FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Jan 202112min

Film censor Enid takes pride in her meticulous work, guarding unsuspecting audiences from the deleterious effects of watching the gore-filled decapitations and eye gougings she pores over. Her sense of duty to protect is amplified by guilt over her inability to recall details of the long-ago disappearance of her sister, recently declared dead in absentia. When Enid is assigned to review a disturbing film from the archive that echoes her hazy childhood memories, she begins to unravel how this eerie work might be tied to her past. Director: Prano Bailey-Bond Screenplay: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Jan 202113min

Marvel Studios presents “WandaVision,” a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany)—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems. Directed by Matt Shakman with Jac Schaeffer as head writer. Directed by: Matt Shakman Head Writer: Jac Schaeffer Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Kathryn Hahn, Teyonah Parris, Kat Dennings, Randall Park Marvel Studios FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Jan 202114min

As a CODA – Child of Deaf Adults – Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. Written and Directed by: Siân Heder FOLLOW US Follow Daniel on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Shahbaz on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow Anthony on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd Follow The Movie Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, and YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Jan 202112min