New Release Review - "A Different Man"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-10-09
The initial conversation around Tom McCarthy's 2003 directorial debut The Station Agent was centred on why the filmmaker opted to cast a little person in the lead role when the part wasn't specifically tailored for such an actor. But in Peter Dinklage, McCarthy discovered a star, and Dinklage's performance was so striking that other filmmakers began writing little people into their scripts just to work with him. It wasn't long before Dinklage was being cast in roles that made no reference to his stature. Today, nobody bats an eyelid when Dinklage is cast in the sort of roles a little person would never have been considered for a couple of decades ago.

Tickets on sale for Teaneck International Film Festival 2024 films

(TEANECK, NJ) -- The 19th annual Teaneck International Film Festival is just a month away, and tickets are on sale now at www.teaneckfilmfestival.org, with a link to Eventbrite. The price is $10 in advance and $15 at the door, except for the Centerpiece, for which a $40 ticket must be purchased in advance.

New Release Review - "Joker: Folie á Deux"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-10-08
Some sequels are content to simply redo the same movie. Others expand the narrative and introduce new characters. A few decide they want to destroy their own creation and purposely antagonise fans with a movie that bears little resemblance to its predecessor. Joker: Folie á Deux, Todd Phillips' sequel to his smash hit 2019 Joker origin story, does all three. It replays the events of the first film via a court trial. It progresses the story and introduces a love interest for its deranged protagonist. But aside from its sickly colour palette and a setting inspired by the grime of '70s New York, it bears little resemblance to 2019's Joker, chiefly because it's a musical.

New Release Review - "My Old Ass"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-10-07
It's not so long ago that children were expected to be seen and not heard. Grownups knew best, and youngsters better listen to what they have to say. Things have flipped so much now that the idea of an older person imparting life advice to someone younger has become something of a taboo, along the lines of "mansplaining." Young people should indeed listen to their elders, because the latter have been around a longer and have experienced more of life. But older people have also made more mistakes than youngsters, and they're often set in their ways. It's important for the young to listen to the old, but they should never blindly follow their advice. Ignoring the previous generation is how society evolves. If we never questioned our elders women wouldn't be allowed to vote, black people would still be in chains and gay people wouldn't be allowed to exist.

From Egypt to Teaneck – Filmmaker Omar Hilal is making the trip for the Screening of "Voy! Voy! Voy!"

(TEANECK, NJ) -- Renowned filmmaker Michael Moore, who believes in combining activism with wit, would no doubt give a five-star review to the feature Voy! Voy! Voy!, the Teaneck International Film Festival's Centerpiece selection which will be shown following the TIFF gala, Saturday evening, November 9, 2024 at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Rd., Teaneck. The screening is set for 7:00pm.

New Release Review - "Apartment 7A"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-10-03
Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby is the latest beloved horror movie to get the uncalled-for prequel treatment. The motivation for such ventures is generally down to simple brand recognition, yet the almost non-existent marketing for Apartment 7A makes no mention of its connection to the 1968 film, either because the suits at Paramount want to distance themselves from persona non grata Polanski or they have such a low opinion of director Natalie Erika James's film that they want to avoid damaging their acclaimed IP (the latter would be a first for a Hollywood studio).

Best of the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival + Free Screening

by Al Nigrin - published 2024-10-02
This Friday, October 4 the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival will screen the Best of the 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival. Some of the prize-winning films from this past June’s 2024 New Jersey International Film Festival will be shown online only on this date for 24 hours. Films include: Tennis, Oranges – Sean Pecknold (Winner Best Animation); INFINITY! – Benjamin To (Winner Best Short) and FILM IS DEAD. LONG LIVE FILM!  – Peter Flynn (Winner Best Documentary). Here is more info on these below. 

2024 Montclair Film Festival Preview

(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- The 2024 Montclair Film Festival takes place October 18-27. The festival's Opening Night film is Conclave (directed by Edward Berger). Some films of note include Unstoppable (directed by William Goldenberg) which is the festival's Fiction Centerpiece; 2073 (directed by Asif Kapadia) which is the festival's Document Centerpiece; and Flow (directed by Gints Zilbalodis) which is the Family Centerpiece. The festival's Closing Night film is The Piano Lesson (directed by Malcolm Washington).

New Release Review - "His Three Daughters"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com - published 2024-09-29
When people say there are no good roles for women in the movies what they're essentially saying is that they don't watch movies outside of the American mainstream. World cinema and American indies are filled with great female-fronted movies, but a movie like writer/director Azazel Jacobs' His Three Daughters, which stars three established American actresses and doesn't ask them to wear a spandex suit or punch a villain through a wall, doesn't come along too often in today's American mainstream filmmaking, which seems overwhelmingly focussed on sating an audience of teenage boys.