Francis Donnelly Hark; the epitome of light and what is missing from films is at a new high. Not so much the cinematography, but the essence of filmography is normal. What separates this film from others in its' category is the bond. A mother, a daughter, and a first daughter. The despondent father is cruical to the first daughter (Ms. Slate). Mother is down-trodden so she turns to both. Being alive and the exact opposite of the willing suspension of disbelief carried this film; ever-expansive unto a world of "non-Westside New Yorkers". In the view of how transgression erects itself; not one person but Ms. Quinn. In her role; the passion for the "live" life excels her aura. First daughter is the care-giver in this whopping tale of family, feuds, and freshness. It is in the opinion of the author of this Review that Ms. Slate wins. Costuming was accurate and the sexual scenes were bountiful and hilarious. Real People Doing Real Things. Real People doing real things.

Hellmant 'LANDLINE': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)The new comedy-drama that reteams filmmaker Gillian Robespierre with actress Jenny Slate; they last teamed together in 2014's 'OBVIOUS CHILD'. The film tells the story of two sisters, in 1995 Manhattan, that suspect their dad is cheating on their mom. Robespierre directed and co-wrote the movie, with Elisabeth Holm and Tom Bean, and Slate plays the elder sister Dana. It also costars Abby Quinn (as the younger sister Ali), Edie Falco (as their mom), John Turturro (as their dad) and Jay Duplass (as Dana's fiancé). The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics (although not as good as 'OBVIOUS CHILD'), and it's now playing in indie theaters. The film is hard to watch at times, but it's very well made and moving.The story takes place in Manhattan (in 1995), where teenager Ali (Quinn) lives with her parents, Alan (Turturro) and Pat (Falco). Her older sister, Dana (Slate), is (seemingly) happily engaged to Ben (Duplass). Then Dana runs into an old lover (Finn Wittrock), and her loyalty to Ben is tested. Ali also learns that her father has probably been cheating on her mother. The two sisters try to deal with these problems together. The film is definitely not as upbeat and sweet as 'OBVIOUS CHILD' (which was one of my favorite movies of 2014), but it is just as emotional, in a somewhat darker way though. It's hard to watch at times, but it seems very true to life. The performances are all good in it, and Robespierre is definitely turning into a very impressive filmmaker to watch for. I highly recommend it.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/PdeLWCp_JrI

Paul Allaer "Landline" (2017 release; 93 min.) brings the story of the Jacobs family. As the movie opens, we are reminded that it is "Labor Day, 1995". The family (husband Alan, wife Pat, grown-up daughter Dana and her fiancé Ben, and HS senior Ali) are driving back to New York City from their country estate. Everyone settles back in: Dana works are an indie newspaper, and Ali is supposed to start her last year of high school but has drugs on her mind more than books. It's not long that Ali finds out that dad (Alan) may be having an affair, much to the horror of Ali and Dana. Meanwhile, Dana bumps into an ex-boyfriend at a party she is attending with Ben. At this point we're not even 15 min. into the movie. What will become of all these characters? To tell you more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie marks the reunion of writer-director Gillian Robespierre and producer-actress Jenny Slate, who previously collaborated on "Obvious Child" (Slate's break-out role). Here they bring another movie that is billed as a comedy, but in reality is just as much a relationships drama. And there is plenty of drama (biting my lip--mustn't spoil!). Of course there are plenty of lighter moments too. One can't help but smile when we see Dana check her voice mail by calling from a public phone, and many other such 90s-specific things. Jenny Slater once again shines in this movie, and it is her character that seems most authentic--in contrast to her sister Ali, who is supposed to be a HS senior, but comes across much older. John Turturro (as Alan) and Jay DuPlass (as Ben) are in fine form as well. Bottom line, this movie kept my attention from start to finish, and I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to these characters when the end titles started rolling, the surest sign that I enjoyed this movie quite a bit."Landline" premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival to positive buzz. The movie finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and I couldn't wait to see it. The Saturday matinée screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great (about 10 people). Hopefully this movie will benefit from positive word-of-mouth as well as wider exposure on VOD, and eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "Landline" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

subxerogravity The story felt a little generic but the film's makers put their stank into it and made it fresh. Felt almost felt like a Woody Allen movie he did not make because of all the cheating going on in it. The typical story of a family going through hard times. This particular tale revolves around two sisters who discover dad's stepping out on mom, but one of the sister should not throw bricks at glass houses. Did a good job of putting us in the 90s. It seems like there was no real need for the movie to have taken place in the 90s unless the filmmakers were really sold on the name of the film. You see the landlines in the film but they don't really do anything for the story, but there were a few funny moments (really just two) about being a teen in the 90s and the technology available to us.   The characters are really good and the actors give great performances as them, which is what really makes the movie over anything else.   Liked it.http://cinemagardens.com