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It's a buddy movie. It's a love story. It's about family. It's about trust. And it literally starts with a bang. With Twinless, James Sweeney has written, Directed and co-stars in the film that has one of the best set-ups of the year. Though its premise is definitely tragic, the death of a twin and the resulting trauma of the survivors, Sweeney infuses an abundance of warmth and humor in all his characters, even the ones who are slighly askew.

Sweeney plays Dennis, a friendly yet introverted gay man who works in some sort of 'design firm'. He meets Roman (Dylan O'Brien) at a group session for people who have recently lost their identical twin. Roman lost his own brother, Rocky, in a motor vehicle crash, and is devastated by the loss. Though they had been living separate lives, Rocky was his best friend in the world. In their first conversation at group, Dennis tells Roman that, yes, he is gay. Roman makes it clear to Dennis that, though his late brother was gay, and he had no issue with it, he is straight. The two, though a bit awkward, still hit it off, finding companionship in doing the things they used to do with their twin. Food shopping seems to be top of list, in addition to late night phonecalls; eventually the two become inseparable, but not insufferable.

Roman, a bit of a lunkhead, is king of the malapropisms. For example, he admits to Dennis that he's "not the brightest bulb in the toolshed". Dennis looks at him quizzically. Rocky asks Dennis for help in correcting his verbal mistakes so he doesn't sound like an idiot, but to always do it kindly, and Dennis agrees, further cementing the friendship.

The film is stuffed with this type of amusing banter, but not to the point of groaning. Sweeney suffuses the script with just the right amount of pixie dust. It's soon obvious that Dennis has fallen hard and fast for Roman. Roman, for his part, keeps trying to fix up Dennis with other gay men. Roman becomes involved in a new relationship, much to the chagrin of Dennis. Sweeny's character development here is reminiscent of Shakespearean comedies, such as Twelfth Night and As You Like It. Not in the verbage, but definitely in the intent. So who is hiding what.... and why? And how will it all play out?

There's a wonderful scene where Roman tells Dennis how Rocky came out to him. Initially Roman was angry and felt lost. Who was he, if not the same as his twin? However, Roman tearfully tells Dennis that he realized that they could still talk about their relationships to each other, and who each had sex with didn't matter; it didn't make them less of a twin to the other. They still liked the same things in life, just had different dating interests. Rocky was still Roman's best friend, no matter who he dated.

Twinless is stuffed with so much charm. Lauren Graham puts in a guest appearance as Lisa, Rocky/Roman's distraught mom. There are many takeaways here, especially that one, poignant scene. It would be wonderful if people are able to use Twinless to heal some familial fractures. At the film's core, it's a clear message about forgiveness and family.

In just five short years, Donald Trump has gone from "I'm going to free Venezuela" to "I must end legal protections for the 600,000 Venezuelans we allowed into the country".

The film details the Trump 2020 administration's fallback position - outright denial of participating in a planned coup of Venezuela - and provides the drama of Men of War. At center stage of the documentary is Jordan Goudreau. An ex-Green Beret who trained in Special Forces, he fought for American interests in Afghanistan and other high-conflict zones.

After he was released from the service, Goudreau became a man without a mission. He tells us this is deadly for soldiers who thrive in battle, who live for the action and adrenaline rush. In May 2020, Goudreau was contacted by retired General Cliver Cordones of Venezuela. Above all else, General Cordones wanted to free Venezuela from under President Nicholas Maduro's boot. Goudreau and Cordones began to "catalyze" a regime change.

Based on conversations and meetings he attended, the Green Beret believed the plan was also fully blessed by the 2020 Trump administration. Goudreau has copies of a multi-million-dollar contract signed by various parties who held a vested interest in the success of the coup. The film remains neutral, taking no sides in the unspooling and political disavowals that follow the failed invasion attempt by Goudreau. We watch multiple, highly detailed plans unravel in real time on many fronts.

For months, Goudreau remains excited about the mission. He's contacted by multiple high-ranking Trump administration officials including VP Pence and Keith Schiller, one of Trump's closest advisors and his former bodyguard. Travis Lucas, Schiller's attorney, was also involved. We're shown text messages proving Goudreau's version of the events. Additionally, Trump and his administration publicly supported Juan Guaido to become the new President. Guaido was the self-declared opposition leader to Maduro. In rallies, multiple recordings reveal Trump verbally vowing to help Venezuelans relieve themselves of Maduro. Thirty-eight other nations supported Guaido taking the reins of power away from Maduro. "Operation Gideon" was put into play.

Before any coup was ever in existence, Goudreau and some ex-military buddies established a company called Silvercorp USA. Silvercorp had been contracted by various entities around the globe whenever there were political situations which called for their specific 'expertise'. Silvercorp was set to receive funding from the US to finance the Venezuelan coup. We're talking millions of dollars. It's a little fuzzy at which point Directors Billy Corben and Jen Gatien became embedded with Goudreau. The pair accompany him to a location outside Venezuela, where disaffected Venezuelan ex-pats train for the overthrow. They listen-in while Goudreau makes and receives messages from the White House. Everything feels like it's ready to go. Venezuelans will be free.

And then, Goudreau's team suffers the very public, politically disastrous failed coup. Men of War exposes the viper's nest of backstabbing and double dealing that typified the 2020 administration. Weeks stretch into months, and Goudreau arrives at the realization that Washington has turned away from him. Funding has disappeared. His team, and General Cordones, are now criminalized and on the run. American soldiers are imprisoned, their plight ignored by the Administration. Venezuelan journalist Sebastiana Barraez is forced to flee for her life just for writing about the events. Maduro convinced the public that she had a hand in the failed coup.

The fallout of the failure is immense. As is always the case, truth is hijacked by those who wield the most power. Opposition parties remain exiled or imprisoned. Today, Maduro threatens US forces with military hostilities. And Goudreau, well, he is somehow convinced that Trump will grant him a pardon. Though Men Of War gives us some possible explanations, I leave viewers to draw their own conclusions as to why, in 2020, Trump and his cohorts involved the US in a foreign coup and why they then flipped the switch, completely shutting down the possibility of providing a desperate nation with a better, democratic future.

Checkpoint Zoo is a documentary from Joshua Zeman that plays out like a thriller. Almost all the action, and it's fully action-packed, occurs at the Feldman Ecopark on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Home to more than 5,000 species, the park was one of the most popular destinations for Ukrainians. Founded by Oleksander Feldman, Ecopark was a labor of love, containing rehab zones, programs for kids, an alpaca farm, monkeys, predators and more.

Until February 24, 2022, the day that Russia attacked Ukraine and began bombing Kharkiv. That was the day Feldman's new mission began: find a way to transport his 5000 animals out of the war zone to safety.

Approximately 30 km from Russia's border, Ecopark was located in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Following the initial attack, the Ukrainian Army pushed back Putin's invading forces, but the military action left the park trapped between the two front lines.

At peak season, Ecopark was staffed by 100 dedicated workers. When the film begins, we learn that a staff of 10 have remained behind to care for all 5,000 residents. This was their mission. It also became the mission for volunteers who arrived at the park's entrance, answering an emergency plea to help save these innocent animals.

To even reach the park was perilous. Military checkpoints were set up along the road, while bombs and missiles flew constantly overhead. Whenever someone arrived at the park, the missiles started flying shortly after. The park had no heat, no electricity and no running water. The assault was in the dead of winter; temperatures dropped to -18 degrees.

These volunteers hand-fed grapes to petrified, hungry lemurs, while the shells continued to fall. They tossed in whatever meat they could buy or scrounge to feed the starving big cats. Carried buckets of water to thirsty camels at the far end of the park. The small rodent exhibit, once populated by guinea pigs, was decimated. Invading Russian soldiers had used their little bodies for target practice. You can see the holes in the glass and walls. Volunteers had to enter the exhibit and retrieve the tiny, mutilated carcasses.

Checkpoint Zoo follows heroes like Tymofii Kharchenko, a veterinarian, who just showed up to help. He drafted several of his friends and relatives including Oleksii Husak and Andrii Tyvaniuk. This band of brothers became known as "the Boys". The Boys, assisted by Ukrainian families whose homes were in the area, are pushed to the brink, finding themselves in perilous situations from both bombs and animals. Many animals have been starved for weeks and are down to skin and bone.

Let's not forget that the filmmakers are not recreating these events. They are there when the camels and ostriches are herded into buses and vans. When the wild cats are darted to sedate them, then transported into whatever vehicles were mobile. You can feel their sadness after a missile hits the roof of the monkey house, and one of the animals succumbs to a heart attack. The Monkey House, a centerpiece of the Park, was destroyed and many, many monkeys perished.

All these heroic volunteers dig deep to help the animals survive, while desperately searching for a way to avoid further tragedy. Somehow, amid everything, these humans remain positive. We're given moments of sheer amazement - imagine glancing behind you and seeing a sedated lion in the back of your van! Reluctant kangaroos are dragged to safety by their tails, when they refuse to leave their enclosure. Goats draped over their rescuer's shoulders when they are too scared to move.

But how, and where can 5000 animals go, while a war is raging just miles from their home?

Time is running out and food, medicine and shelter are quickly becoming scarcer. Though the Ukrainians had hoped for a fast end to the war, that did not happen. The Russian attacks continue to this day.

If you're lucky enough to have Checkpoint Zoo come to your neck of the woods during a local film festival, grab a ticket. It's been a smash hit wherever it plays. You will be spellbound by this moving, magical tale of tragedy and triumph.