FOLLOWING FILMS

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT – RUBEN ÖSTLUND FORCE MAJEURE has its origins in a question I have long been fascinated by: How do human beings react in sudden and unexpected situations, such as a catastrophe? The story concerns a family on holiday that witnesses an avalanche and the father runs away, terrified. When it is over, he is ashamed because he has succumbed to his primal fear. This particular story came about from an anecdote that I found impossible to forget. Some years ago, a Swedish couple—friends of mine—were on holiday in Latin America when suddenly, out of nowhere, gunmen appeared and opened fire; the husband instinctively ran for cover, leaving his wife unprotected. Back in Sweden, she could not stop, after a glass of wine or two, telling the story over and over again... My imagination fired, and I began to research other true stories like this one - stories of distress and emergency, of passengers during the sinking of ships, of tourists stricken by tsu...

2014 Directed by Erik Skojolbjaerg Starring Wes Bentley Stephen Lang and Aksel Hennie Set in the early 1980's Pioneer tells the story of a deep sea diver. In looking over a list of films that focus on deep sea diving one thing became almost instantly clear, there have not been a great number of quality films made about deep sea divers. I found this surprising considering the claustrophobic nature of diving and inherent beauty of the ocean lends itself wonderfully to film. To make a thriller in this setting would be a challenge but after seeing this film I can say that it was a challenge worth taking.  Its clear that Skojolbjaerg has been influenced by the better films of the 70's. With his first film Insomnia you could see that he loved character driven thrillers and Pioneer is no different. Not that this is a rehashing of his break out film but a return to the genre work that made him a director to watch. With films like Headhunters, Kon Tiki and Olso August 31s...

2014 Producer - Ross Marcel Joseph Director - Tom Long The truly inspiring story of Talan Skeels Piggins. A testament to the inner courage and strength of the human soul. The Little Person Inside - Documentary from Speechless Films on Vimeo .

It can't be over stated how great the films were in the 90's. I started high school in 1990 so I was at the perfect age to start exploring films beyond the multiplex. Netflix hadn't killed Blockbuster and Blockbuster hadn't killed the mom & pop video stores. It was a great time to be a young cinefile in the making. The indie boom was in full swing and every major studio had divisions maker smaller films specifically designed to be different and original. I know everybody looks back at their youth and thinks "they just don't make 'em like that anymore." Its cliche but dear god its true. When I was a kid we had better movies. Exhibit A: Out of Sight Sure this is a film about cops and robbers but its not terribly concerned with the minutia of criminal life or procedural existence. When you watch this film turn off that part of your brain that looks for realism. The dialogue is very stylized and the visuals are straight out of 60's cool....

1999 Directed By: Brad Bird Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Eli Marienthal , Harry Connick Jr., Vin Diesel, Christopher McDonald John Mahoney The Iron Giant is the story of a boy and his giant robot. Sure we've seen variations of the boy and his _____ since the beginning of film but this one truly stands out. The film also has more on its mind than the boy hiding his giant friend from his mother. The story is set in 1957 at the height of the cold war. When the robot crashes into the ocean Americans are staring at the night sky fearfully anticipating an attack from Sputnik. The opening scenes perfectly set up the overall theme of the film. We always have a choice on who we are and what we fear. Even a weapon can choose to be a friend. As heavy handed as this might sound I assure you its not. The story strikes a perfect balance between humor and heart. The film is always interesting and insanely re-watchable. I've seen the films at least five time...

2014 Directed By: Peter Rajesh Joachim Written By: Stevie Jay and Peter Rajesh Joachim Staring: Kassandra Santos, Stevie Jay, Amanda Barker | Blood Empires is an independently produced crime drama focused on street level gangsters, cops and the middle class families that are affected by having loved ones on both sides of the law. At its heart the film is about individuals grasping to hang on to there humanity while their professions strip it away. The film seems to ask if people who are involved in such brutal lives can find and maintain love.  Less can be more. If there is one thing I can say about the visual style of the film.... its in no way restrained. The film opens with a 3 or 4 minute slow motion sequence that leads to an execution in front of a church. The droning organ music and slow motion let us know where the scene is heading as soon as it starts but it takes a while to get there. We the audience are one step ahead of the film and when...