KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “Master Gardener” and “Passages”

by Kyle Sanders

Master Gardener

From acclaimed filmmaker Paul Schrader (First Reformed, The Card Counter), comes this story about a fastidious horticulturist named Narvel Roth (Joel Edgerton) who is tasked by his wealthy and eccentric employer (Sigourney Weaver) to take on her grand-niece as a new apprentice.

Just like the anti-hero from his Taxi Driver screenplay, Schraeder presents us with another "Travis Bickle-esque" character (only this time with a green thumb!) inspired to rescue a young damsel-in-distress while combating his own dark secrets that refuse to stay buried. Master Gardener continues the trend of Schrader's recent films about tortured men reckoning with the past, present, and future.

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KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “The Unknown Country” and “A Disturbance In the Force”

by Kyle Sanders

The Unknown Country

Is there an unspoken rule about "road trip" movies that requires a character to learn something? To have an "ah-ha" moment of some sort? Perhaps it's the many hours spent behind the wheel, passing the flickering buzz of neon signs belonging to motels and gas stations, or the neverending route to anywhere as you find yourself feeling insignificant surrounded by an ever-expansive landscape. You can do some serious thinking on these journeys--especially when you're out on your own.

This is Tana's situation in The Unknown Country. Still grieving the death of her grandmother, Tana (Lily Gladstone) reunites with her estranged Lakota family in the Badlands area of South Dakota. The visit takes her on an unexpected road trip toward the Texas-Mexico border, as she learns more about the wild and precious life of her grandmother's past and how she will carry forth her own generation in time.

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KSanders writesDispatches from the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival: “BlackBerry”

by Kyle Sanders

Hello fellow moviegoers, I have some exciting news! The 10th Annual Chicago Critics Film Festival is taking place this week and yours truly will be reviewing it!

While this isn't my first time attending, this IS my first time covering, and what an exciting time to start as this festival celebrates TEN YEARS of local film critics actively working to "unite filmmakers, art, and an audience willing to embrace both!"

This year, Chicago critics have selected thirteen features, five documentaries, one animated feature, and fourteen shorts for you to choose from--some of which I'll be reviewing here!

To open this year's festival, CCFF chose the upcoming release BlackBerry, Matt Johnson's "fictionalization" recounting the origins of the world's first smartphone. Beginning in 1996, this comedy-drama traces the early roots of Mike Lazaridis' (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin's (Johnson) mobile game changer and their fateful partnership with business shark Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton). Jim has the brawn, Mike and Doug have the brains...so why not make lots of money?

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