Tag Archives: Film reviews

Crumb Catcher Review


John Speredakos in Crumb Catcher (Obscured Pictures)

There is meaning to the film’s title. There are moving parts with precise contrast. Crumb Catcher is a unique gem. Crumb Catcher is a thriller of angles with wrong choices and consequences. Written and directed by Chris Skotchdopole, Crumb Catcher is his debut project. From the mind of his direction, I felt that personality and clashing bring in a natural gift for suspenseful turmoil. A couple just married with a whirlwind of mental challenges. The “mental challenges” only become more exasperating.

Ella Rae Peck and Rigo Gary in Crumb Catcher (Obscured Pictures)

The film gears on a couple, Shane (played by Rigo Garay) and Leah (played by Ella Rae Peck). They are just married. The tensions boil at the starting point of the film. Shane is a writer facing delays in finishing a book. Leah tries to encourage Shane to finish what he has been working on. For their honeymoon, they stay in a home that is the Executive Editor of Shane’s upcoming publication. It is not the honeymoon that Shane and Leah were hoping for. With oddball characters questioning (at their wedding venue), the anxiety of frustration grows fearlessly in Crumb Catcher.

The time of life-threatening moments begins to shatter truthfully. Once Shane and Leah make it to the home for their honeymoon, the writing keeps its flow of anger floating. Shane and Leah continue to not be on the same page as they embark on their journey together. Shane receives a text saying, “We need to talk about last night.” That message should not go unanswered. That is because the message contains evidence that can threaten Shane’s life. Shane assumes that the message can blow over. It is not as easy as Shane expects.

The film gradually keeps getting stressful and invigorating. The honeymoon house is the house of unexpected dangers for Shane and Leah. The tables turn rapidly in Crumb Catcher. An odd one named John (played by John Speredakos) shows up at the house. He shows up trying to promote his product. He is persistent. Shane and Leah are aggravated and tormented. They do what they can to get John to leave. John keeps insisting he shows them what he is marketing. Then Rose (played by Lorraine Farris) shows up with John. Rose has a dark secret that can ruin Shane’s life. Shane and Leah find themselves forced to try to play along with the odd couple’s cat-and-mouse game of a blackmail scheme. It is all centered around an item…” crumb catcher.” It is a handheld broom for cleaning crumbs off surfaces.

With two couples in an aggravating situation, it is like a narcissistic couple vs. an evolving couple in Crumb Catcher. John and Rose are in the first category, and Shane and Leah are in the second category. John and Rose are the ones who are just trying to be demeaning to make a profit. Shane and Leah are newly married and working out delayed conflicts. With this, both groups have something to lose. The question is, which couple knows moving parts for survival better? Which couple will make it out for success? Will it be John and Rose with their silly cleaning product? Will it be Shane and Leah with Shane’s new book to be published? The brilliance of Crumb Catcher is its focus on success (trying to be achieved) with pressure among clashing couples.

The innovative order of extortion is what fascinated my perception of Crumb Catcher. It is a bold project that explores the genres of comedy, drama, and thriller with mind-boggling misdirections of cleverness. The joy of the bizarre characters with unsettling circumstances is enthralling to new adventures. Quirky continuously, but with class for genius in writing and unexpected shock value. The mind of Skotchdopole is a revelation with Crumb Catcher. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Twisters Review


I find movies that focus on weather and peril fascinating. I went into Twisters with great expectations. Given the tornado-related events requiring taking shelter just days before the movie’s opening, I felt pumped. With tornadoes forming around the U.S. and weather watchers on high alert, I thought a rollercoaster of amusement was in store. Unfortunately, Twisters was an adventure that consistently loses its focus. The selling part of the film is that it stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Powell is rising with blockbuster projects, and Edgar-Jones is tackling more roles. Their characters are involved in a “twister” of madness.

The setting of Twisters is Oklahoma. This location is a tornado alley and provides the landscape for the film’s tension of treacherous territory. Powell plays Tyler Owens, a man with a following for broadcasting his journeys with storms and tornadoes. Edgar Jones plays Kate Carter, a former tornado-chaser and meteorologist. Kate’s colleague is Javi, played by Anthony Ramos, who develops a safety network. The season of tornadoes is immersive and evolving rapidly. The group comes together to figure out how to pan out the storm correctly. With differing opinions on the storms’ danger levels, the thrills lack the fulfillment that the audience anticipates.

Twisters tends to keep the focus on the performances of Powell and Edgar-Jones. Powell’s performance is street-smart while Edgar-Jones’s is book-smart. She plays her part with more seriousness than Powell does. With Powell driving a truck with fireworks, he is sort of like the Tom Cruise of storm chasing in Twisters. This leads to pure mediocrity in what could have been a more interesting portrayal. The pro side is that Edgar-Jones’s role serves a more rewarding purpose. The intelligence of her performance sparks some much-needed enthusiasm.

While reflecting upon the differences between the characters, my mind frequently drifted. What is the intent of the overused cool vibes in Powell’s performance? How is it beneficial to focus on tornado perils? Why does the film keep trying to tackle a bizarre dynamic as Oklahoma faces more severe consequences as the setting of the film? Twisters appears to care a lot more about its blockbuster characterizations than the plot itself.

The blurred continuity comes from a storyline with a mission that lacks structure. There is an inconsistent dynamic mixed with a bipolar weather rendezvous. What helps make up for some of the catastrophe is the background fundamentals regarding resources. Twisters does highlight the importance of safety and shelter. It is just not particularly vibrant in its presentation. Twisters is a rushed thriller with disconnected components. The meaning is somewhat lost amid various tactics involving weather, storms, and science which are ultimately inadequate.

The storms heighten the disasters in Twisters. Frustratingly, they are disappointing, even when they cause significant turmoil. Once that happens, the focus seems to shift to storm party mode for Powell. Edgar-Jones deserved a lot better for her key role in Twisters. The continuity just kept running into ineffective barriers. I rate Twisters just two out of four stars.

Sorry/Not Sorry Review


A documentary that sheds a dangerously truthful light on a comedic icon, Sorry/Not Sorry follows a trail of fame, patterns, and defamation. The #Metoo movement goes to the depths of honesty in a haunting matter in this film. Its focus is comedian Louis C.K. and the allegations against him regarding sexual misconduct. The title speaks for itself. I have seen Louis perform live three times in 2015, 2016, and 2021 (after his allegations and post-covid). Each of those times always left me with a different feeling of laughter. Sorry/Not Sorry linked me back to many of the times where I had once adored the works of C.K. and brought on some reflection.

Sorry/Not Sorry is a detailed documentary including many interviews with comedians and critics on the allegations against Louis C.K. The trend of what is hard to accept with Sorry/Not Sorry is that the weird events of Louis did in fact happen. The film jumps back to his comedy moments of him telling many of his jokes. The depiction captures him being very open and detailed about contentious stuff in his material. It then dives into events and scenarios leading up to the controversy around Louis.

It is all hard to watch. Normally with Louis, I would be used to laughing until my lungs hurt, yet Sorry/Not Sorry is not in that zone. These are true events not jokes.  The interview with Jen Kirkman is what haunted me the most, as she explains her early days as a comic and how she worked with Louis. The documentary presents a challenge in its storyline of the events of Louis C.K.  Its presentation seems to be one of disgust at how quickly tings can be forgotten when fame and money are involved.

The aspect of his material is a two-way street in Sorry/Not Sorry. Why would Louis go into detail about sexual topics within his acts after everything he went through? How does the funny feel good with the presence of the shocking realism of the surrounding topics? All are too graphic to go into detail, but the world knows his actions. The hatred vibes swirl here. Sorry/Not Sorry is a heartless documentary that throws buckets of despise to the max. 

The interviews though, do shine a light on the talent Louis had. That is his observations of messed up moments and life scenarios. The truth of which guts the audience. It is the fact that he admitted to the allegations against him. The film does dive into fame and brilliance, and then dives into questions. How did Louis get away with his actions? How was he able to rise backto fame? Sorry/Not Sorry is a dark documentary of admittance, failure and a questionable comeback.

This is not a film that is easy to take in. It is difficult to absorbas its delivery is filled with a lot of heavy material from victims and those who basically dismiss the accusations. I found the documentary to have patterns of anger and frustration going in a spiral. Sorry/Not Sorry is a title of admittance, but there is context that dives deeper than audiences realize. It keeps its calm approach to feel light-hearted. The film itself still aches from the harsh reality of truth with too much binding of emotions in a form that continues to be unnerving. Two out of four stars for Sorry/Not Sorry.