Author: Laurie Coker

Don’t Say Good Luck:  Finds Something Real Beneath the Coming-of-Age Formula

Don’t Say Good Luck, directed by Julia Hart and now streaming on Netflix, could have been another familiar coming-of-age story, but it is far more thoughtful. The film tackles real pain, complicated relationships, grief, family dynamics, and the uncomfortable process of growing up while someone you love is dying. Sophie attempts to navigate adolescence while… Continue reading Don’t Say Good Luck:  Finds Something Real Beneath the Coming-of-Age Formula

SXSW 2025 Movie Review: THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING

At SXSW, The Rivals of Amziah King proved to be a delightful surprise—a film that blends the quirky charm of rural Oklahoma with an unexpectedly involved and poignant narrative. In this narrative feature, director Andrew Patterson delivers a well-crafted exploration of ambition, family, and rivalry, all set against the backdrop of an unconventional honey-making enterprise.… Continue reading SXSW 2025 Movie Review: THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING

Night After Night –

Writer-director Josh Lobo makes an ambitious return with Night After Night, his first feature since 2019’s I Trapped the Devil. The film is unsettling, visually inventive, and unapologetically strange. It is also intentionally difficult to untangle, demanding that viewers surrender to its nightmarish experience rather than expect a neatly explained narrative. Scott Poythress and Johnny… Continue reading Night After Night –

The Invite Review: A Dinner Party Worth Attending

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Olivia Wilde’s The Invite proves that a strong script and an outstanding cast can be far more entertaining than elaborate sets or nonstop action. Intimate, sharp, and very funny, it often feels less like watching a movie and more like sitting in the front row of an excellent stage play. Seth Rogen and Wilde play… Continue reading The Invite Review: A Dinner Party Worth Attending

Supergirl Review: Entertaining but Frustratingly Incomplete

Director Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl is entertaining, energetic, and supported by a solid cast, but it is also strangely unsatisfying. I enjoyed much of it while watching, yet I left feeling as though important pieces of the story were missing. Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El, a harder, angrier, and more emotionally damaged heroine than the… Continue reading Supergirl Review: Entertaining but Frustratingly Incomplete

Tuner: a story that feels both intimate and dangerous

Leo Woodall & Dustin Hoffman.(Black Bear)

Tuner surprised me in the best possible way. What begins as a stylish crime thriller gradually reveals itself to be something far more human and emotionally resonant. The film balances tension and tenderness with remarkable confidence, creating a story that feels both intimate and dangerous. Leo Woodall is excellent as Niki, a gifted piano tuner… Continue reading Tuner: a story that feels both intimate and dangerous

Odyssey- a tense London crime thriller

Cineverse

Odyssey is the kind of gritty, tense London crime thriller that slowly pulls you under its skin. I honestly wish I had caught it during its SXSW run because it feels exactly like the sort of late-night festival discovery that sparks conversation afterward. Directed by Gerard Johnson, the film drops viewers into a pressure-cooker world of debt, desperation,… Continue reading Odyssey- a tense London crime thriller

Remarkably Bright Creatures: a gentle, character-driven story that finds its strength in connection and quiet observation

©2026 Netflix

Remarkably Bright Creatures, directed by Olivia Newman and adapted from Shelby Van Pelt’s novel, unfolded for me as a gentle, character-driven story that finds its strength in connection and quiet observation. I could feel the screenplay’s affection for the source material, and I appreciated how the narrative moved at an unhurried pace while still holding… Continue reading Remarkably Bright Creatures: a gentle, character-driven story that finds its strength in connection and quiet observation