Happy last day of April, everyone! It’s an exciting day for me as tomorrow I’ll be taking a long-awaited trip to Croatia! May is our anniversary month + my hubby and I will be celebrating 21 years of marriage 💕
That means FlixChatter will be on holiday for about a week or so. I definitely need a break after a hectic April covering MSPIFF. Thanks to all of you who’ve been reading and commenting on the reviews from the film festival! I appreciate all your support!
Anyway, here’s what I watched last month:
NEW MOVIES
(films indicated with * are directed by women)
Cautionary Tale
I have an affinity for music-themed films, and that’s what drew me to this indie film directed by Christopher Zawadzki. The film focuses on a children’s TV host Neil (Ted Limpert) who’s sent to Bangkok to market his show as part of an overseas expansion. The timing couldn’t be worse as Neil just lost his daughter and ex-wife in an accident. He reluctantly agrees, hoping the trip will alleviate his grief. There he meets a singer of an all-girl Thai rock band named Cherry (Napak Boonruang) at a local club.
I think the story is promising and there are elements I enjoy, such as the musical segments and the tentative friendship that forms between Neil and Cherry. This is a small-budget indie and it shows–the visuals are good but the feeble sound design can be a bit distracting. The biggest issue I have is that I find Neil quite unsympathetic for the most part, which makes it hard to be invested in his journey. The supporting cast such as Cherry and club owner Bryce (Steve Calalang) whom Neil met in Bangkok are more interesting to me. I do enjoy the music written by Limpert and Boonruang, so overall this is a worthwhile watch and a compelling debut from Zawardzki.
Música
Another music-themed movie I saw back-to-back after Cautionary Tale. I had never heard of Rudy Mancuso before seeing this, who’s apparently a popular YouTuber. In a way that’s a good thing as it makes Música so fresh and new to me. Mancuso essentially plays himself in this semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age love story that follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon causing sensory crossovers as everyday noises sound like musical rhythms to his ears. The way the movie visualizes synesthesia is dynamic and snappy, though I’d imagine it can be overwhelming to those who suffer from this condition.
The movie is quite hilarious as Rudy juggles navigating the pressure of career choices, breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, pleasing his pushy mom Maria (played by the actor’s actual mom, Maria Mancuso), and falling in love with Isabella (Camila Mendes) who works at his regular fish shop. Rudy’s passion is puppetry (his puppet Diego is a riot!) but he just can’t focus long enough to get his subway gig to the next level, As with any artist, the struggle to make it is real and Mancuso captures that with his directorial debut. Música is a fun celebration of music, arts, and Brazilian culture in Newark, New Jersey.
Nowhere Special
review upcoming
Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Scoop
review upcoming
It’s another strong year at the MSP International Film Festival this year! I was able to watch 14 movies at MSPIFF. If I had lived closer to the Main Cinema in Minneapolis I’d likely be able to watch more, but hey, I’m glad I got to watch so many great international films. Thanks to all of you who’ve been reading and commenting on my MSPIFF reviews… there are still quite a few I haven’t reviewed yet, so I’ll do that after I get back!
MSPIFF Films
Unbroken*
Ama Gloria*
The Movie Teller*
Call Me Dancer*
Broken Eyes*
Thelma
Banel & Adama*
review upcoming
Bonjour Switzerland (Bon Schuur Ticino)
Merchant Ivory (doc)
review upcoming
The Beast
Sweet Dreams*
review upcoming
Art for Everybody*
review upcoming
Sira*
review upcoming
Ghostlight*
review upcoming
TV SERIES
Shōgun is truly one of the best shows of not just this year, but likely this generation. I’ve reviewed the first few episodes and the rest are as lavish and epic, with a fantastic finale that leaves me breathless. I’m a bit sad the series has wrapped and there’s no plan for Season 2, though who knows, given how popular and critically acclaimed the show is, maybe the showrunner might consider continuing the story (here’s hoping!)
While juggling work and covering MSPIFF, somehow my hubby and I managed to complete season 1 of the mystery drama Sugar (thanks to AppleTV+’s screeners) Colin Farrell plays an enigmatic private detective who struggles with his own personal demons as he investigates the disappearance of a Hollywood producer’s beloved granddaughter. I love the noir visuals and vibe as Farrell’s character loves Golden Era classics, he even dressed like one. There’s more than meets the eye to this series, so I’ll wait until ALL of the episodes are released before I review this.
Thanks to MSPIFF, this is a very productive month as I got to see 10 movies #directedbywomen, woot!! It’s wonderful to see world cinema films by female filmmakers from all over the world–USA, France, Denmark, India, Netherlands, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.
Per the Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules of 52 Films By Women are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within one year and share what you watched on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word, and get more people talking about the women filmmakers that don’t always get attention.
April 2024 MOVIE OF THE MONTH
Bonjour Switzerland is hands down my favorite movie of the month! I loved it so much I saw it twice on the big screen. Unsurprisingly, the Swiss movie made #MSPIFF2024’s Best of Fest so it got an additional screening last Saturday. Not only is the topic surprisingly timely, it’s absolutely hilarious and showcases Switzerland’s stunning landscape. I can’t wait to visit this beautiful country one day!
So what did you see in April and which one(s) are your favorites?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
The best film I saw this past month is The Turin Horse by Bela Tarr as that is truly unexpected and I think this is his last film as it is rumored that he retired.
Very cool. Sounds like our faves this month are starkly different in many ways. I read that The Turin Horse was shot in only 30 long takes? That’s amazing!
It’s unusual that a film would consist of 30 cuts as the average film has 600-900 depending on the length while a typical action film would have 3000. I’d like the idea of a less is more mentality.
The way Rufus Sewell oozes Prince Andrew’s narcissism in Scoop is just delicious! Give that man an Emmy.
P.S. I know you posted your review of Perfect Days nearly 2 months ago but I’ve only just caught up and left a comment.
Yeah, Rufus Sewell is a remarkable but underrated actor. He totally disappeared into the role of Prince Andrew, definitely Emmy-worthy!
Sorry I missed your comment, I’ve replied to it and I love your review of it too!
Happy anniversary and have fun in Croatia. I know that country is fast becoming one of the more popular places to visit in Europe.
I only saw one new movie in theater, Civil War, which I really liked. Recently, I watched a new movie on Netflix called The Bricklayer. Aaron Eckhart’s new action thriller and it was terrible. Eckhart’s career never took off after The Dark Knight and he’s been doing these cheap action thrillers on and off.
I know there are six books in the Shōgun series. If they’re doing season 2, I wonder which book they’ll adapt next. I think season 1 ended perfectly, not sure how they can top it. I started watching The Sympathizer, so far so good.
Hey Ted! Just got back from Croatia, what a stunning country. Dubrovnik is a must for Game of Thrones fans.
I hope to see Civil War once it arrives on VOD. As for Eckhart, I actually rewatched TDK on the plane which still holds up after 12 years. Eckhart’s Harvey Dent is sooo good, too bad his career never took off after that amazing role.
The Sympathizer is on my watch list as well. I listened to the interview with the main Vietnamese actor and he sounds really smart and charismatic.
The TCFF line up sounds so amazing. I want to see all of these lol.
Pretty much all of the ones I saw were very good to excellent, so yeah you should come down to MSP next year for the film festival 😉
Haha, believe it or not the most memorable movie I watched this month was Jurassic Park (1993). Yes, I’m probably the only person on earth who hasn’t seen it but now I finally have. Very clever plot and some quirky characters (Jeff Goldblum, love him!) I can see what a blockbuster it must have been back then, the CGI with dinosaurs was really good for that time. Enjoy your anniversary vacation, Flixy!
Hello Becky!! Glad you finally watched Jurassic Park! The 1993 original is still the best out of the whole JP franchise. The CGI is still amazing even by today’s standards, overall it’s just an amazing dino action movie. Yes Goldblum is a lot of fun as Dr Malcolm but I also love Sam Neill and Laura Dern + those two kids!
Croatia is truly amazing! It’s been on our bucket list for some time, so it’s awesome that it lives up to the hype!
Holy moly!
You should get paid! Do critics watch this many movies?
Anyway, I’m watching lots of new TV shows… well new last year.
Shōgun was fab.
Sugar sounds cool.
Regime is awful.
Elsbeth is fun, quirky.
Most comedies aren’t making me laugh.
Have fun!
Oh,I love noir movies! Every Sunday morning I watch an old noir on Noir Alley. The photography is amazing good in most.
I’m also catching 1 silent movie a month.
Mwahahaha! I don’t get paid monetarily but I do get paid in free movies 😀 I think most critics watch MORE than me but I have a full time job 9-5 so I can’t watch as many in a given month.
SHOGUN is fantastic isn’t it? As someone of SE Asian descent, I so appreciate when Hollywood shows take the time/money/resources to make Asian stories authentic. Glad that Hiroyuki Sanada is one of the producers, though I have mixed feelings about the reboot as I’m afraid future seasons won’t be as good.
I’ll avoid Regime then but if you like noir movies, you gotta check out SUGAR. I might do a write up for that at some point.
Will checkout Sugar!!!
Shogun production is superb.
I’m with your feeling that future seasons will not be as good.
I read the book many years ago. It is a fabulous write.
Have you checked out Tokyo Vice yet?
Oh I have seen S1 of TOKYO VICE but I have yet to check out S2 as I’m in the middle of bingeing on Welcome to Wrexham. I promise I will get to it eventually! 🙂
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Excellent reviews. Wow, that’s a long list of movies that all look interesting. I think the movie that stands out for me is “Musica”. I’ve always had a lifelong love for music. I inherited lifelong love for music from my dad that sought to become a musical maestro years ago. So, I’ve always been drawn towards movies capturing the power of music. The premise for the film “Musica” reminds me a lot of “Sound of Metal”, another great film about the power of music. That film also told the story of an artist whose hearing is impacted by music that he plays. I absolutely loved that movie, so I will keep “Musica” on my watchlist of movies to see. Here’s why I adored “Sound of Metal”: