Tiny Reviews: "Fancy Dance", "Late Night with the Devil" and "Babes"

FANCY DANCE

Director Erica Tremblay crafts a very sensitive drama about family, sense of community, cultural identity and social through the lens of the individual lives of her two leads. It's an indie drama with heart and soul that achieves greatness thanks to Isabel Deroy-Olson and (specially) Lily Gladstone's performances. Cinematically good considering the character development and the sensibility the director displayed by approaching some very delicate moments and key scenes, which shows an eye for both narrative storytelling and creating empathy with the audience. It's also as socially relevant as it is heartbreaking, which is why Fancy Dance is such a special cinematic little gem.

RATING: 8,5 / 10

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL

It was simply not my cup of tea! David Dastmalchian shines in the title role of a TV host with some dark secrets (which is both fascinating and deserving for him to finally step as a leading man in a major movie) and the movie's concept is intriguing... What's the supernatural dimension? Does it even exist? And what's just a magic trick? And while the movie makes the audiences wonder over this questions it gets lost somewhere in the "style over substance limbo" ending-up offering pointless narrarive dead-ends. It drags in the first two acts and it achieves a rush in an unrealistic 3rd act. I was never engaged in this one. Still, great cinematography work by Matthew Temple.

RATING: 3 / 10

BABES

Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau make for a dynamic duo in this (sometimes too much) raunchy comedy that successfully approaches serious issues with a comedic touch. An unglamourous and kinda raw statement about women and the life-changing maternity experience narratives of two best friends who face the same challenge under very different circumstances, while relying on each other. Ultimately, Babes is a buddy comedy about a very specific time in one's life. In a world that romanticizes motherhood, babies and being pregnant, Babes offers a different, yet very valid, perspective about that view. It makes a statement, it has a heart, it has two very competent comedy leads and it is funny. A very solid satire!

RATING: 7 / 10

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