The Hater (2020)
Original Title: Sala samobójców. Hejter (Poland)
Synopsis: A duplicitous young man finds success in the dark world of social media smear tactics — but his virtual vitriol soon has violent real-life consequences.
Director: Jan Komasa
Writer: Mateusz Pacewicz
Stars: Maciej Musialowski, Vanessa Aleksander, Danuta Stenka, Jacek Koman, Agata Kulesza and Maciej Stuhr
Catch more of our thoughts on THE HATER on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
The Occupant
Original Title: Hogar (Spain)
Synopsis: An unemployed executive is forced to sell his apartment. When he discovers that he still has the keys, he becomes obsessed with the family that now lives there and decides to recover the life he has lost, at any price.
Directors: David Pastor, Àlex Pastor
Writers: Àlex Pastor, David Pastor
Stars: Javier Gutiérrez, Mario Casas, Bruna Cusí and Ruth Díaz
Catch more of our thoughts on THE OCCUPANT on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
The Old Guard
Synopsis: Four undying warriors who've secretly protected humanity for centuries become targeted for their mysterious powers just as they discover a new immortal.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Writers: Greg Rucka (screenplay by), Greg Rucka (based on the graphic novel series by), Leandro Fernandez (illustrated by)
Stars: Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Harry Melling, Veronica Ngo and Natacha Karam
Listen to our thoughts about THE OLD GUARD in this video!
OUR RATINGS
The Outpost
Synopsis: A small unit of U.S. soldiers battle against hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.
Director: Rod Lurie
Writers: Paul Tamasy (screenplay), Eric Johnson (screenplay) and Jake Tapper (based on the book 'The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor')
Stars: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Jack Kesy, Cory Hardrict, Milo Gibson, Jacob Scipio, Taylor John Smith, Jonathan Yunger, Alexander Arnold, George Arvidson and Will Attenborough
Check out Let Me Explain for more movies like THE OUTPOST!
OUR RATINGS
The Forty-Year-Old Version
Synopsis: Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.
Director: Radha Blank
Writer: Radha Blank
Stars: Radha Blank, Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Imani Lewis, Haskiri Velazquez, Antonio Ortiz, T.J Atoms, Reed Birney and Jacob Ming-Trent
Catch our thoughts on THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION on LME Streams and the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Gentefied
(TV Series)
Synopsis: Gentefied centers on three cousins who band together to keep their Grandfather's popular Boyle Heights taco shop in business as the neighborhood becomes more gentrified.
Creators: Linda Yvette Chávez, Marvin Lemus
Stars: Joaquín Cosio, Joseph Julian Soria, Karrie Martin, Carlos Santos, Annie Gonzalez, Julissa Calderon, Bianca Melgar and Alejandro Patiño
Catch our thoughts about GENTEFIED on the Intercut Podcast!
The Half of It
Synopsis: Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help wooing the most popular girl in school. But their new and unlikely friendship gets tricky when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl.
Director: Alice Wu
Writer: Alice Wu
Stars: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz, Collin Chou, Becky Ann Baker, Enrique Murciano, MacIntyre Dixon and Catherine Curtin
Check out our thoughts on THE HALF OF IT on Let Me Explain and Intercut Podcast.
OUR RATINGS
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Synopsis: What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Shenkman, J.C MacKenzie, Frank Langella, and Danny Flaherty
Watch our discussion about THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Vampires vs. the Bronx
Synopsis: Three gutsy kids from a rapidly gentrifying Bronx neighborhood stumble upon a sinister plot to suck all the life from their beloved community.
Director: Osmany Rodriguez
Writer: Osmany Rodriguez (story by), Osmany Rodriguez (screenplay by), Blaise Hemingway (screenplay by)
Stars: Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Coco Jones, The Kid Mero, Chris Redd. Vladimir Caamano, Jeremie Harris, Adam David Thompson, Judy Marte, Richard Bekins and Zoe Saldana
Check out more movies like VAMPIRES VS. THE BRONX on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Yes, God, Yes
Synopsis: After an innocent AOL chat turns racy, a Catholic teenager in the early 00s discovers masturbating and struggles to suppress her new urges in the face of eternal damnation.
Director: Karen Maine
Writer: Karen Maine
Stars: Natalia Dyer, Timothy Simons, Wolfgang Novogratz, Francesca Reale, Susan Blackwell, Alisha Boe, Donna Lynne Champlin, Parker Wierling, Allison Shrum, Matt Lewis and Carey Van Driest
Check out our thoughts on YES, GOD, YES on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
A Secret Love
Synopsis: Falling in love in 1947, two women -- Pat Henschel and pro baseball player Terry Donahue -- begin a 65-year journey of love and overcoming prejudice.
Director: Chris Bolan
Writers: Chris Bolan, Alexa L. Fogel, Brendan Mason
Stars: Terry Donahue, Pat Henschel
Check out Let Me Explain for more recommendations like A SECRET LOVE!
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
(Docuseries - Crime)
Synopsis: Via interviews with friends, players and insiders, this docuseries examines how Aaron Hernandez went from an NFL star to a convicted killer.
Director: Geno McDermott
Stars: Kevin Armstrong, Dan Wetzel, Patrick Haggan
Check out more documentaries like KILLER INSIDE: THE MIND OF AARON HERNANDEZ on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Cheer
(Docuseries - Reality)
Synopsis: In the small town of Corsicana, Texas, hard-driving head cheer coach Monica Aldama demands perfection from her team of competitive college athletes.
Directors: Greg Whiteley (6 Episodes), Arielle Kilker (1 Episode), Chelsea Yarnell (1 Episode)
Stars: Monica Aldama, Lexi Brumback, Gabi Butler, Jerry Harris, La’Darius Marshall, Morgan Simianer and Shannon Woolsey
Check out our discussions of CHEER on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Dick Johnson is Dead
(Docuseries - Drama)
Synopsis: With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.
Director: Kirsten Johnson
Writer: Nels Bangerter, Kirsten Johnson
Stars: Michael Hilow, Ana Hoffman, Dick Johnson, Kirsten Johnson, Kevin Loreque, Vasthy Mompoint and Mary Page Nance
Check out our thoughts on DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Human Nature
(Documentary Film)
Synopsis: A breakthrough called CRISPR opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. A provocative exploration of its far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it.
Director: Adam Bolt
Writer: Adam Bolt
Stars: Jennifer Doudna, George Church and Alta Charo
Check out Let Me Explain for more documentaries like HUMAN NATURE!
OUR RATINGS
LA Originals
(Documentary Film)
Synopsis: Photographer Estevan Oriol and artist Mister Cartoon turned their Chicano roots into gritty art, impacting street culture, hip hop and beyond.
Director: Estevan Oriol
Writer: Brian Maya, Omar Quiroga
Stars: Estevan Oriol, Mister Cartoon, Snoop Dogg, Clifton Collins Jr., Theo Rossi, Eric Haze, Revok, Wilmer Valderrama, George Lopez, Travis Barker and Michelle Rodriguez
Check out more documentaries like LA ORIGINALS on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo
(Documentary Film - Crime)
Original Title: Las Tres Muertes De Marisela Escobedo
Synopsis: Follows a mother's tireless crusade to jail her daughter's murderer after Mexico's justice system failed to do so.
Director: Carlos Pérez Osorio
Check out Let Me Explain for more documentaries like THE THREE DEATHS OF MARISELA ESCOBEDO!
OUR RATINGS
The Last Dance
(Mini-Series - History)
Synopsis: A 10-part documentary chronicling the untold story of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty with rare, never-before-seen footage and sound from the 1997-98 championship season.
Director: Jason Hehir
Stars: Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr and Deloris Jordan
Check out our discussion on THE LAST DANCE on Intercut Top #3 and our discussion with Director Cory Finley!
OUR RATINGS
Mucho Mucho Amor
(Documentary Film)
Synopsis: Once the world's most famous astrologer, Walter Mercado seeks to resurrect a forgotten legacy. Raised in the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico, Walter grew up to become a gender non-conforming, cape-wearing psychic whose televised horoscopes reached 120 million viewers a day for decades before he mysteriously disappeared.
Director: Cristina Costantini, Kareem Tabsch
Stars: Walter Mercado, Willy Acosta, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Raul de Molina and Eugenio Derbez
Check out our discussion on MUCHO MUCHO AMOR on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
The Social Dilemma
Synopsis: This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.
Director: Jeff Orlowski
Writer: Davis Coombe, Vickie Curtis and Jeff Orlowski
Stars: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson, Joe Toscano, Sandy Parakilas, Guillaume Chaslot, Lynn Fox, Aza Raskin, Alex Roetter, Tim Kendall, Justin Rosenstein, Randy Fernando, Jaron Lanier, Roger McNamee and Anna Lembke
Check out more documentaries like THE SOCIAL DILEMMA on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
A Sun
Original Title: Yangguang puzhao
Synopsis: A family of four fractures under the weight of unmet expectations, unexpected tragedy, and uncompromising pride.
Director: Mong-Hong Chung
Writer: Yaosheng Chang (screenplay), Mong-Hong Chung (screenplay)
Stars: Chien-Ho Wu, Yi-wen Chen, Samantha Shu-Chin Ko
Check out more movies like A SON at Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
All Day and a Night
Synopsis: While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime
Director: Joe Robert Cole
Writer: Joe Robert Cole
Stars: Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Isaiah John, Kelly Jenrette, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, Regina Taylor, Jalyn Hall, Kaleb Alexander Roberts, Ramone Hamilton, Christopher Meyer, Andrea Ellsworth, James Earl, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Rolanda D. Bell and Stephen Barrington
Check out more like ALL DAY AND A NIGHT on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Da 5 Bloods
Synopsis: Four African-American vets battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
Director: Spike Lee
Writer: Danny Bilson (written by), Paul De Meo (written by), Kevin Willmott (written by), Spike Lee
Stars: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Johnny Nguyen, Y. Lan, Lam Nguyen, Sandy Huong Pham, Jean Reno, Chadwick Boseman and Veronica Ngo
Listen to our discussion of DA 5 BLOODS on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
The Devil All the Time
Synopsis: In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.
Director: Antonio Campos
Writer: Antonio Campos (screenplay by), Paulo Campos (screenplay by), Donald Ray Pollock (based on the novel by)
Stars: Bill Skarsgård, Tom Holland, Haley Bennett, Kristin Griffith, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Harry Melling, Pokey LaFarge, Eliza Scanlen, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and Donald Ray Pollock
Check out more movies like THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
DNA
Original Title: ADN
Synopsis: DNA revolves around a woman with close ties to a beloved Algerian grandfather who protected her from a toxic home life as a child. When he dies, it triggers a deep identity crisis as tensions between her extended family members escalate revealing new depths of resentment and bitterness.
Director: Maïwenn
Writers: Mathieu Demy, Maïwenn
Stars: Fanny Ardant, Louis Garrel, Dylan Robert
Check out more video like DNA on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Grand Army
(TV Series)
Synopsis: Five students at the largest public high school in Brooklyn take on a chaotic world as they fight to succeed, survive, break free and seize the future.
Creator: Katie Cappiello
Stars: Odessa A’zion, Odley Jean, Amir Bageria, Maliq Johnson, Amalia Yoo, Alphonso Romero Jones II, Brittany Adebumola, Crystal Sha’re Nelson, Thelonius Serrell-Freed and Anthony Ippolito
Check out our Intercut Podcast where we discuss GRAND ARMY!
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Synopsis: Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Writer: Charlie Kaufman (written for the screen by), Iain Reid (based on the book by)
Stars: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, David Thewlis and Guy Boyd
We talk about I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS on The Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Jezebel
Synopsis: In the last days of her mother's life, 19 year old Tiffany crashes with five family members in a Las Vegas studio apartment. In order to make ends meet, her older sister, a phone sex operator, introduces her to the world of internet fetish cam girls.
Director: Numa Perrier
Writer: Numa Perrier
Stars: Tiffany Tenille, Numa Perrier, Brett Gelman
Wanna see more SXSW picks? Check out Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Kalel, 15
Synopsis: The film addresses several issues at the same time: the stigma surrounding HIV, the carelessness of the youth in the Philippines when it comes to sex, the heavy-weight consequences of growing up with a troubled parent and the Christian double moral.
Director: Jun Lana
Writer: Jun Lana
Stars: Elijah Canlas, Elora Españo, Eddie Garcia
Wanna see more movies like KALEL, 15 Check out Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
The Life Ahead
Synopsis: In seaside Italy, a Holocaust survivor with a daycare business takes in a 12-year-old street kid who recently robbed her.
Director: Edoardo Ponti
Writer: Ugo Chiti, Romain Gary
Stars: Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri
Check out our discussion of THE LIFE AHEAD on The Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Synopsis: Chicago, 1927. A recording session. Tensions rise between Ma Rainey, her ambitious horn player and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable "Mother of the Blues". Based on Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson's play.
Director: George C. Wolfe
Writer: Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson
Stars: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo
Check out more movies like MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM at Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Mank
Synopsis: 1930's Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane (1941).
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Jack Fincher
Stars: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins
Check out our discussion on MANK on our Intercut Podcast and LME Streams!
OUR RATINGS
Mother
Synopsis: Akiko is a single mother and her son is Shuhei. Akiko casually has sex with other men, including Ryo. Akiko is the only person whom Shuhei can rely on. One day, Shuhei makes a shocking decision.
Director: Tatsushi Ohmori
Writer: Takehiko Minato, Tatsushi Ohmori
Stars: Masami Nagasawa, Sadao Abe, Halo Asada
Check out more movies like MOTHER on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Nobody Know I’m Here
Synopsis: Memo lives on a remote Chilean sheep farm, hiding a beautiful singing voice from the outside world. A recluse with a glittery flair, he can't stop dwelling on the past, but what will happen once someone finally listens?
Director: Gaspar Antillo
Writer: Gaspar Antillo, Josefina Fernández
Stars: Jorge Garcia, Lukas Vergara, Millaray Lobos
Check out more movies like NOBODY KNOWS I’M HERE Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
The Professor and the Madman
Synopsis: Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the mid-19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.
Director: Farhad Safinia
Writer: John Boorman, Todd Komarnicki
Stars: Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Eddie Marsan
Check out more movies like THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Residue
Synopsis: A young filmmaker returns home after many years away, to write a script about his childhood, only to find his neighborhood unrecognizable and his childhood friends scattered to the wind.
Director: Merawi Gerima
Writer: Merawi Gerima
Stars: Obinna Nwachukwu, Dennis Lindsey, Taline Stewart, Derron Scott, Jamal Graham, JaCari Dye, Julian Selman, Melody A. Tally and Ramon Thompson
Check out more films like RESIDUE on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
Your Name Engraved Herein
Synopsis: In 1987, as martial law ends in Taiwan, Jia-han and Birdy fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia and social stigma.
Director: Kuang-Hui Liu
Writer: Yu Ning Chu (screenplay)
Stars: Jean-François Blanchard, Akira Chen, Edward Chen
Check out more like YOUR NAME ENGRAVED HEREIN on Let Me Explain!
Over the Moon
Synopsis: In this animated musical, a girl builds a rocket ship and blasts off, hoping to meet a mythical moon goddess.
Co-Directors: John Kahrs, Glen Keane
Writers: Audrey Wells (written by), Jennifer Yee McDevitt (additional screenplay material by), Alice Wu (additional screenplay material by)
Stars: Cathy Ang, John Cho, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, Robert G. Chu and Glen Keane
Check out Let Me Explain for more family films like OVER THE MOON!
OUR RATINGS
#Alive
Synopsis: As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out.
Director: Il Cho
Writer: Il Cho (screenplay), Matt Naylor
Stars: Yoo Ah-In, Park Shin-Hye and Jeon Bae-soo
Check out more movies like #ALIVE on Let Me Explain!
OUR RATINGS
1BR
Synopsis: When Sarah lucks into a sweet one-bedroom at Asilo Del Mar Apartments in Los Angeles, she think she's hit the jackpot. It's got plenty of space, friendly tenants, group BBQs and even a cute neighbour next door. All is not what it seems: loud noises start keeping her awake at night; her cat is missing; everyone seems to be a little too helpful and friendly, except for the weirdo, Lester. Soon, Sarah learns she didn't choose this apartment — it chose her.
Director: David Marmor
Writer: David Marmor
Stars: Nicole Brydon Bloom, Giles Matthey, Taylor Nichols, Alan Blumenfeld, Celeste Sully, Susan Davis, Clayton Hoff, and Earnestine Phillips
Find out just how creepy Sarah’s 1BR really is in our video!
OUR RATINGS
The Call
Synopsis: Connected by phone in the same home but 20 years apart, a serial killer puts another woman’s past — and life — on the line to change her own fate.
Director: Chung-Hyun Lee
Writer: Sergio Casci (based on an original screenplay by), Chung-Hyun Lee
Stars: Park Shin-Hye, Jong-seo Jun, Sung-ryung Kim, El Lee and Ho-San Park
Check out our thoughts on THE CALL on LME Streams!
OUR RATINGS
His House
Synopsis: After making a harrowing escape from war-torn South Sudan, a young refugee couple struggle to adjust to their new life in a small English town that has an unspeakable evil lurking beneath the surface.
Director: Remi Weekes
Writer: Remi Weekes (screenplay), Felicity Evans (story), Toby Venables (story)
Stars: Sope Dirisu, Wunmi Mosaku, Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba, Matt Smith and Javier Botet
Listen to our discussion of HIS HOUSE on the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
Dark
(TV Series)
Synopsis: A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town, where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.
Creators: Baran bo Odar, Jantje Friese
Stars: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, Stephan Kampwirth, Jördis Triebel, Andreas Pietschmann, Paul Lux, Moritz Jahn, Christian Hutcherson, Oliver Masucci, Peter Benedict, Gina Stiebitz, Deborah Kaufmann, Daan Lennard Liebrenz, Julika Jenkins, Carlotta von Falkenhayn, Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Mark Waschke and Christian Steyer
Check out our video of DARK on Let Me Explain and the Intercut Podcast!
OUR RATINGS
If all you knew about a movie was the person directing it, who would be at the top of your list?