What I watched in APRIL + MSPIFF 2024 Recap + Movie Of the Month – beragampengetahuan FILM BLOG – Beragampengetahuan

Happy last day of April, everyone! It’s an exciting day for me as tomorrow I’ll be taking a long-awaited trip to Croatia! May is our anniversary month + my hubby and I will be celebrating 21 years of marriage 💕

That means FlixChatter will be on holiday for about a week or so. I definitely need a break after a hectic April covering MSPIFF. Thanks to all of you who’ve been reading and commenting on the reviews from the film festival! I appreciate all your support!

Anyway, here’s what I watched last month:

NEW MOVIES

(films indicated with * are directed by women)

Cautionary Tale

I have an affinity for music-themed films, and that’s what drew me to this indie film directed by Christopher Zawadzki. The film focuses on a children’s TV host Neil (Ted Limpert) who’s sent to Bangkok to market his show as part of an overseas expansion. The timing couldn’t be worse as Neil just lost his daughter and ex-wife in an accident. He reluctantly agrees, hoping the trip will alleviate his grief. There he meets a singer of an all-girl Thai rock band named Cherry (Napak Boonruang) at a local club.

I think the story is promising and there are elements I enjoy, such as the musical segments and the tentative friendship that forms between Neil and Cherry. This is a small-budget indie and it shows–the visuals are good but the feeble sound design can be a bit distracting. The biggest issue I have is that I find Neil quite unsympathetic for the most part, which makes it hard to be invested in his journey. The supporting cast such as Cherry and club owner Bryce (Steve Calalang) whom Neil met in Bangkok are more interesting to me. I do enjoy the music written by Limpert and Boonruang, so overall this is a worthwhile watch and a compelling debut from Zawardzki.

Música

Another music-themed movie I saw back-to-back after Cautionary Tale. I had never heard of Rudy Mancuso before seeing this, who’s apparently a popular YouTuber. In a way that’s a good thing as it makes Música so fresh and new to me. Mancuso essentially plays himself in this semi-autobiographical, coming-of-age love story that follows an aspiring creator with synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon causing sensory crossovers as everyday noises sound like musical rhythms to his ears. The way the movie visualizes synesthesia is dynamic and snappy, though I’d imagine it can be overwhelming to those who suffer from this condition.

The movie is quite hilarious as Rudy juggles navigating the pressure of career choices, breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, pleasing his pushy mom Maria (played by the actor’s actual mom, Maria Mancuso), and falling in love with Isabella (Camila Mendes) who works at his regular fish shop. Rudy’s passion is puppetry (his puppet Diego is a riot!) but he just can’t focus long enough to get his subway gig to the next level, As with any artist, the struggle to make it is real and Mancuso captures that with his directorial debut. Música is a fun celebration of music, arts, and Brazilian culture in Newark, New Jersey. 

Nowhere Special

review upcoming

Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

full review

Scoop

review upcoming

It’s another strong year at the MSP International Film Festival this year! I was able to watch 14 movies at MSPIFF. If I had lived closer to the Main Cinema in Minneapolis I’d likely be able to watch more, but hey, I’m glad I got to watch so many great international films. Thanks to all of you who’ve been reading and commenting on my MSPIFF reviews… there are still quite a few I haven’t reviewed yet, so I’ll do that after I get back!

MSPIFF Films

Unbroken*

full review

Ama Gloria*

full review

The Movie Teller*

full review

Call Me Dancer*

full review

Broken Eyes*

full review

Thelma

full review

Banel & Adama*

review upcoming

Bonjour Switzerland (Bon Schuur Ticino)

full review

Merchant Ivory (doc)

review upcoming

The Beast

full review

Sweet Dreams*

review upcoming

Art for Everybody*

review upcoming

Sira*

review upcoming

Ghostlight*

review upcoming

TV SERIES

Shōgun is truly one of the best shows of not just this year, but likely this generation. I’ve reviewed the first few episodes and the rest are as lavish and epic, with a fantastic finale that leaves me breathless. I’m a bit sad the series has wrapped and there’s no plan for Season 2, though who knows, given how popular and critically acclaimed the show is, maybe the showrunner might consider continuing the story (here’s hoping!)

While juggling work and covering MSPIFF, somehow my hubby and I managed to complete season 1 of the mystery drama Sugar (thanks to AppleTV+’s screeners) Colin Farrell plays an enigmatic private detective who struggles with his own personal demons as he investigates the disappearance of a Hollywood producer’s beloved granddaughter. I love the noir visuals and vibe as Farrell’s character loves Golden Era classics, he even dressed like one. There’s more than meets the eye to this series, so I’ll wait until ALL of the episodes are released before I review this.

Thanks to MSPIFF, this is a very productive month as I got to see 10 movies #directedbywomen, woot!! It’s wonderful to see world cinema films by female filmmakers from all over the world–USA, France, Denmark, India, Netherlands, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.

Per the Women In Film (WIF) organization, the basic rules of 52 Films By Women are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within one year and share what you watched on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word, and get more people talking about the women filmmakers that don’t always get attention.

April 2024 MOVIE OF THE MONTH

read my full review

Bonjour Switzerland is hands down my favorite movie of the month! I loved it so much I saw it twice on the big screen. Unsurprisingly, the Swiss movie made #MSPIFF2024’s Best of Fest so it got an additional screening last Saturday. Not only is the topic surprisingly timely, it’s absolutely hilarious and showcases Switzerland’s stunning landscape. I can’t wait to visit this beautiful country one day!

So what did you see in April and which one(s) are your favorites?

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