Drama – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: ‘I Want Your Sex’ is a stellar erotic dramedy

Talk about an attention-grabbing title. Good news, though, director Gregg Araki’s new film has more intrigue than just a notable name.

The film stars Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a recent college graduate who’s landed himself a job working for a successful, provocative artist. That artist is Erika (Olivia Wilde), a confident, forward and blunt woman who’s demanding of her staff. That especially becomes true when she enlists Elliot as her submissive sexual partner.

The two begin a relationship with a clear power dynamic at play. However, while Erika sees it as a loose relationship serving a purpose, Elliot, who’s more naïve, wants to believe something more exists. As they continue their relationship, Elliot’s life begins unraveling until the entire situation becomes chaotic.

REVIEW: To its detriment ‘A Private Life’ is largely scattered

If I had a nickel for every indie film I watched via streaming set in France and starring an Academy Award winning American actress this summer, I’d have two nickels. Which, isn’t a lot but still strange it happened twice.

After reviewing “Couture” with Angelina Jolie a couple weeks ago, another movie with a limited theatrical release turned up on the radar. “A Private Life,” directed and co-written by Rebecca Zlotowski, stars Jodie Foster as therapist Lilian Steiner. The movie opens with Lilian learning one of her patients has taken her own life and it sets her off on a revealing journey.

While it first appears to be an open and shut case of suicide, Lilian notices things that lead her to believe there may have been something nefarious at play. Driven to learn more, she looks for clues while also connecting with people from her past, in doing so learning more about her patients and herself.

REVIEW: Nolan’s ‘Odyssey’ is an extraordinary cinematic experience

The word epic is sometimes thrown around loosely, but Christopher Nolan’s films usually earn the title. His latest flick once again qualifies.

“The Odyssey” is the latest from the Academy Award winning filmmaker. Based on Homer’s ancient text, the film stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, the Greek king of the city state Ithaca. Following the victory by Greece at Troy, Odysseus and his army are now trying to sail back to their home, but as legend tells, their journey is a perilous one.

Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Odysseus’ son Telemachus (Tom Holland) is anxiously waiting for his father to return and deal with an escalating situation. The issue in question is the group of suitors wanting to marry Ithaca’s queen, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), as most believe Odysseus is dead leaving the throne vacant.

REVIEW: Modern crime drama ‘Carolina Caroline’ has classic vibes

The intersection of crime and romance can create some great cinematic drama, and it’s a well still worth going back to, as this film shows.

“Carolina Caroline” is a road trip flick centering on the titular character played by Samara Weaving. Caroline is a young woman from a small Texas town where she lives with her dad and works at a service station. Someday, she’d like to leave home and visit South Carolina to finally meet her estranged mom, but hasn’t taken steps to do so.

That changes when she meets Oliver (Kyle Gallner), a traveling hustler who runs small money scams to keep moving on the road. The two hit it off after meeting and decide to travel together, with Caroline learning the scams on the way to Carolina. As they travel, their outlaw activities get more daring.

REVIEW: Find an excuse to skip this ‘Invite’

Four characters, two couples, one apartment, and a whole lot of nothing else to really write home about.

However, I’m a film critic, so I have to write about this anyways. “The invite” is the latest film from director Olivia Wilde, who previously helmed 2022’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” Wilde also stars in the film as Angela, the wife of Joe (Seth Rogan), a man who doesn’t feel entirely fulfilled in his life where he works a job as a music teacher at a less than reputable school.

That unhappiness comes out in the marriage, as Joe and Angela are regularly bickering, and that only picks up at the movie’s onset, as the matriarch informs her husband she’s hosting a dinner party. She’s invited her neighbors Piña (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), a more free spirited couple. As the small gathering begins, things quickly unravel.

REVIEW: ‘Couture’ contains moving, but disjointed character arcs

Following up her fantastic period piece work in 2024’s “Maria,” Angelina Jolie does more dramatic acting in this film set in modern times.

In “Couture,” Jolie stars as Maxine, an American indie film director who’s been hired by a French fashion company to helm the intro video for their latest show. It’s a great gig, but while her professional career is taking off, her personal life is facing difficulties. That’s only compounded when she receives a cancer diagnosis from her doctor.

Meanwhile, the audience is also introduced to other women associated with the show. One is Ada (Anyier Anei), a woman from Kenya who was recruited to model for the show and has to adjust to her new life. Another, Angele (Ella Rumpf), is a makeup artist working with the fashion company who’s also writing on her first novel.

REVIEW: ‘Leviticus’ is an intriguing, compelling horror entry

“Leviticus,” AKA that part of the bible referenced by President Jed Bartlet when verbally taking down a homophobic radio host in “The West Wing.”

It’s also a 2026 horror flick written and directed by Adrian Chiarella. Set in rural Australia, the movie centers on Naim (Joe Bird), who relocates to a small factory town with his mother (Mia Wasikowska) after the death of the family patriarch. There he meets and starts a relationship with another boy in town, Ryan (Stacy Clausen).

However, when their relationship is uncovered by the rather religious community, both are sent to meet with a priest known for conducting rituals as a sort of conversion therapy. The results are frightening, as both begin encountering a dangerous entity hell bent on destroying each of them.

REVIEW: There’s plenty to like about ‘Girls Like Girls’

I can’t say the song-to-book-to-movie pipeline is a robust one, but that’s the type of production we have in this coming-of-age feature.

Hayley Kiyoko first made the song “Girls Like Girls” in 2015, before writing a novel inspired by the tune in 2023. The next step on her path was filmmaking, as she directed this adaptation of her book. The film centers on the character Coley (Maya da Costa), a teenager who’s moved from San Diego to rural Oregon just before her senior year.

She doesn’t view the move as a good one, though, as she’s now having to live with her estranged dad (Zach Braff) after her mother’s passing. Things start to brighten, though, when she develops a connection with another girl, Sonya (Myra Molloy), and their bond brings them closer. However, difficulties emerge as they navigate their feelings.

REVIEW: Aside from Jackman, final tale of ‘Robin Hood’ is mostly mixed

This is far from the first big screen showing of Robin Hood, and it certainly won’t be the last. However, there’s no doubt this one stands apart in its subject matter.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski, Hugh Jackman stars in this film as the legendary outlaw, now in his later years. The film picks up with him living a directionless life, no longer interested in prior adventures, and under threat from old enemies. However, he takes up a new task to help protect the family of Little John (Bill Skarsgard), but is gravely injured in the process.

Badly hurt, Robin Hood finds himself waking up in a monastery where he’s nursed back to health by a nun, Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer). He begins to recover and even finds some peace, but the past still rears its head often.

REVIEW: ‘Tuner’ is a total bore

For a film about instruments being fine-tuned, it’s a shame this doesn’t manage to strike a chord. Sorry if that’s not the cleverest lede for this type of film. Alas, I played brass in high school.

Anyway, “Tuner” is a film that, unsurprisingly, centers on a piano tuner. More specifically, a tuner’s apprentice named Niki (Leo Woodall), who works for his boss Harry (Dustin Hoffman). Niki was once a promising pianist himself, but had to shift to being a tuner when he began to suffer from hyperacusis, an increased sensitivity to sound.

That sensitivity also means he can pick up subtle noises, such as the gears in a safe mechanism. Once he demonstrates that he can crack a safe thanks to this, he’s recruited by a trio of thieves. At first, his life starts to turn positive with the new gig, as he’s able to support his sick mentor and he gains more confidence to start a relationship. However, things later take a turn for the worse.