𝔽𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔽𝕚𝕝𝕞𝕤

2017 Directed By: David Berry Starring: Grant Davis, Davi Santos, and Ben Baur Young love is powerful. It leaves scars and helps to shape the people we eventually become. It can be empowering, crippling, and inspirational. Most people who fall in love in high school aren't able to make it a lasting love. We use those first feelings as guideposts of what we do and do not want.  We discover who we are in those emotionally turbulent years and see hints of what we might become. For Ben (Grant Davis) and Tim (Davi Santos) exploring their feelings is made all the more difficult by geography. They live in a conservative Texas community where being gay is still seen as something to mock and be ashamed of. SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER depicts Ben and Tim's relationship over the course of 12 years. It has ups and downs, like any relationship but only grows more complicated with time. At the start of the film, Ben is the only kid in his high school out of the closet. He has supportive

2017 Directed By: Isaac Rentz Starring: Topher Grace, Anne Heche, Alona Tal, JC Chasez, Lauren Lapkus, Taye Diggs, Paul Scheer, and Rob Riggle A Stage Manager has one of the most difficult and underappreciated jobs in a theatrical production. Its a nebulous position where an individual acts as assistant to the director and production staff during the rehearsal period and then runs the production during the actual performance. Nick (Grace) is a former Broadway Actor turned Stage Manager who is running the opening night performance of "ONE HIT WONDERLAND." A musical that's something like A CHRISTMAS CAROL filtered through the artistic integrity of a THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC vol. 16 CD. Nick best sums up this play when he says "who wrote this shit." Nick's inability to admit he is still in love with Chloe (Tal), a year after he broke up with her, and paralyzing stage fright have left him cynical and broken. He masks his fear with contempt

Directed by: Jamie Kastner Starring: Ishmael Muslim Ali (formerly LaBeet), Margaret Ratner Kunstler, Michael Ratner  Art imitates life and life imitates art. These are the sayings that are hideously overused in our world but often earn their place in our vernacular. This justification is certainly evidenced in Jamie Kastner’s latest project, The Skyjacker's Tale . The Skyjacker's Tale tells the story of Ishmael Muslim Ali (formerly known as Ishmael LaBeet), a convicted mass murderer from the Virgin Islands who has been living in exile in Cuba since forcing his way to “freedom” through the hijacking of a commercial airliner. Yes, that sentence is a mouthful, as is this complex story. One would think that to tell this story properly, the filmmaker would have to create an 8-hour opus similar to 2016’s O.J.: Made in America but Kastner is judicious and concise while illuminating the numerous twists, turns, and gray areas that are littered throughout Ishmael Muslim Ali’s st

2017 Directed By: Daniel Peddle Starring: Mitchell Slaggert, Christene Marzano, Billy Ray Suggs Jr. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is an awkward time. While the physical transformation has occurred the emotional side of things tends to lag behind. We often wear the suit of a man before becoming one. Maturity is a non-linear path with many detours and regressions. Or as Mary (Marzano) would say "once a child, always a child." On his 18th birthday, Moss (Slaggert) is ready to leave home and start a new life. He hopes to escape from what he sees as the oppressive watch of his father(Suggs). He lives in an isolated southern community where there are more Alligators than Starbucks. While life in no way appears to be easy for Moss, there is an inherent beauty and simplicity to his existence. Moss and his friends don't have much in the way of worldly possessions but they do have a generosity and sense of calm that's lacking in suburban America. In

2107 Directed By: Trevor White Starring: Rich Sommer, Clifton Collins Jr., Joanne Froggatt, Amanda Crew, Ed Harris Producers: Jason Potash, Paul Finkel, Tim White, Wayne L. Rogers Sales: CAA Ambition is a powerful drug that can inspire positive change. It can force you outside of the comfortable boxes you place yourself in. It asks you to stretch and reimagine not only the person you are but the person you could be. Most great men and women have a deep relationship with what they see as their purpose. This is a personality trait never driven by or limited to the pragmatic and there in lies the problem. Logic be damned, when a sense of determination is your north star.  Michael Vaughn (Sommer) is an ambitious psychic on the road promoting a book that no one is buying. Using parlor tricks and audience plants Vaughn helps people "connect" with loved ones who have passed on. Somewhere in between a traveling preacher and a low-rent John Edwards he sees himself as a

2017 Directed By: Savannah Bloch Starring: Tania Nolan, Rachel Crowl, Mary Holland, Karan Soni, John Kassir, and Anne Gee Byrd Alyssa (Nolan) wakes up to find her home pillaged and her husband missing. The burglars have taken everything, down to the photos of her husband. The police offer little help so she turns to a friend of the family Eve (Crowl) for assistance. The film is less of a "who done it" and more of a "what happened." The prolonged second act of the film focuses on the relationship between Eve and Alyssa. The suspense of the film lingers in the background while their relationship grows. In fact, clues of what is to come are clearly laid out in a way that allows the viewer to see where the film is headed before it gets there. I'm not sure if this is by design but the effect of having the stories trajectory clearly laid out gives the audience permission to accept this blossoming relationship. Nolan and Crowl both give stunning performa

2017 Directed By: Brandon Buczek Starring: Ashton Moio, Amir Malaklou, and Cortney Palm Post-college graduation wanderlust has been the subject of more films than I can name. It's a strange time when everyone around you is starting to get jobs, make plans, and look ahead. This is the time of settling. A time when young men and women are told to grow up and relinquish their dreams in the hope that they too may one day be just like mom and dad. Filled with the vigor of youth and facing the looming prospect of joining his dad's company, Brian (Ashton Moio) is determined to carve out his own path and follow his dreams. He recently graduated film school and can't seem to find work in his hometown. He's bombed several interviews and is continually put on the pile of "if something opens up" candidates. Most of us have been put on that pile at some point or another and I don't think I know a single person has received a callback six months down the roa

Initial Release - 1970 Blu-Ray Release - 2017 Distributor - Arrow Directed By - Dario Argento Starring - Tony Mustane, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno, Eva Renzi Unable to write Sam Dalmas is considering returning home to the U.S. after living in Rome with his girlfriend Julia for several years. While visiting an art gallery Sam sees a young woman get attacked by a strange man wearing black gloves and a rain coat. Sam attempts to thwart the attack but he gets trapped in an electric door and watches the strange man make his escape. Sam is haunted by what he saw that night, feeling sure that some vital clue is evading him, he decides to help Inspector Morosini (Enrico Maria Salerno) in his investigation. He interviews the pimp of a murdered prostitute and visits a shop where another of the murdered women worked. There, he finds that the last thing she sold on the day she was murdered was a painting of a stark landscape featuring a man in a raincoat murdering a young woman.

2017 Directed By: Dominique Able, Fiona Gordon Starring: Dominique Able, Fiona Gordon Written By: Dominique Able To say LOST IN PARIS is a throwback is an understatement. To say that LOST IN PARIS is a throw WAY back is probably a more accurate assessment. This is a film that shares more DNA with the silent comedies of the 1920's than modern films like ROUGH NIGHT, OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY, or FIST FIGHT. Fiona (Gordon) lives a simple Canadian life that is disrupted by a letter of distress from her 88-year-old Aunt Martha (Emmanuelle Riva) who is living in Paris. Fiona hops on the first plane she can and arrives only to discover that Martha has disappeared. In a cavalcade of slapstick errors, she encounters Dom (Abel), the affable, but annoying tramp who just will not leave her alone. Gordon gives a brilliant performance as Fiona. She has a Carol Burnet like quality unlike any other actor working today. Part Pepe Le Pew part Tramp Abel plays Dom with an alluring char

1981 Directed By: Ovidio Assontis Starring: Trish Everly, Michael MacRae, Allison Biggers, and Dennis Robertson Written By: Ovidio Assontis and Stephen Blakely MANY PEOPLE VISIT... NO ONE EVER LEAVES MADHOUSE Blu-ray review Julia (Trish Everly) has spent the better part of her life living in denial. Trying to forget about the cruel and inhumane treatment she received as a child at the hands of her twin sister Mary (Allison Biggers). Time has not softened Mary, before escaping a hospital where she has been treated for a disease that has left her disfigured, she vows to get revenge on her sister. MADHOUSE is setup as a ticking time clock where we count down the days until Julia's birthday, the day Mary has promised to exact revenge. Assontis is best known for his work on THE CURSE and PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING but I've always felt his operatic sensibilities were best suited to films like MADHOUSE. A production shot entirely on location in Savannah Georgia, his fil

SWEET PARENTS review 2017 Directed By: David Bly Starring: David Bly and Leah Rudick Written By: David Bly and Leah Rudick Moving to New York City with ambitions of making it as an artist is an uphill battle. Hell, moving to New York with ambitions of breaking into fast food is an uphill battle. Exorbitant rent makes it difficult if not impossible to get a temp job while you audition, paint, write, or sculpt. And paying $28 for an artisan PB&J not only has a heavy tax on your pocketbook, over time it can carry a greater burden on your soul. Spending tons of money to only feel like you are barely keeping your head above water is a crushing way to exist. SWEET PARENTS is the story of a young couple who have been living the artists struggle in NYC for close to 8 years. Will has dreams of making it as a Chef and Gabby wants to become a professional sculptor. Both start side relationships, as last ditch efforts to support their careers, in what becomes a choice between ambi

2017 Directed By: Michael Clayton Stars: James Carpinello, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, and Nicoye Banks Out of a job and newly single Connor Ryan heads home to Atlantic City with the hopes of rebuilding his life. The foundation for this change is the only source of income that he has – a couple (less than luxury) apartments located in the shadow of the Atlantic City Boardwalk. The only problem with this plan, Connor’s tenants do not want to pay their rent. Whether it's a famous rapper who likes to... well... shall we say "have fun" at a volume so loud the neighbors can't sleep, Eastern European animal trainers with interesting bedroom activities, or a tenant who needs the AC fixed, none of his occupants want to hand over the money. Clayton based his screenplay for THE DUNNING MAN on a critically acclaimed short story by Kevin Fortuna. The dialogue in the film is peppered with enough f-bombs to make THE WOLF OF WALL STREET blush. But the humanity of the performances

The animated prequel to the surprise hit TRAIN TO BUSAN and the latest from director Yeon Sang-ho, SEOUL STATION establishes a franchise of films that continually turns the modern zombie movie on its head. While the tradition of social commentary in Zombie films has been around since their inception the sheer volume of undead films/shows/books/comics... has lead to fatigue and its hard to care about the message any of these properties might be exploring. I heard great things about TTB right from the get go but I had no interest. I was done with the genre and needed a break. Kind of like SKA in the mid 90's. I loved it in small doses because it felt special, but once it was everywhere, I needed to pump the breaks. Eventually, I gave into everyone's recommendations and watched TTB. I was floored. I'm fairly certain it was the first time a zombie film made me cry. Continuing in a visual style director Yeon Sang-ho established in THE FAKE and THE KING OF PIGS, SEOUL STATI

2017 Directed by: Stanley Jacobs Starring: Grinnell Morris, Sid Veda and Paul Statman Dr. Jack Sutree (Grinnell Morris) is a biochemistry professor whose life is turned upside down when a lab accident gives him the ability to visualize his olfactory. If he looks at a flower, its fragrance is represented by a colorful cloud. Oddly though, when he looks at a person he is able to see their true motivations. He can see their innermost thoughts and secrets. It's a powerful and frustrating gift. With the assistance of a homeless musician named Bazemint, Jack hopes to unlock the mystery behind his powers and stop big pharma from using Jack's discovery for nefarious purposes. 96 SOULS fits in nicely with science fiction exploitation from the 50's and 60's. The science isn't very sciency and the fiction is super fictitious. The saving grace of most exploitation films is in the themes they explore. The reason a film like INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS transcends a sil

2017 Directed By: Robert H Liberman ANGKOR AWAKENS: A PORTRAIT OF CAMBODIA offers an intimate look at a country who has reached a political and cultural tipping point. We are shown the current state of Cambodia through the veil of the country’s brutal history. Living in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1979) we see a nation, whose people are fighting to reconcile their past while demanding change for their future.  The present-day repression in Cambodia lives on as a reminder of the country's not too distant past, but a new generation of  Cambodians are demanding change for their country and its people. The film is comprised of deeply personal interviews, including one with Prime Minister Hun Sen.  Operation Menu, the codename for a secret bombing campaign conducted by the US in Cambodia between 1969 and 1970 set the stage for the rise of the Khmer Rouge. An organization who is best remembered for orchestrating the Cambodian genocide. Combing elements

Every once in a while I'll find myself in a debate about the auteur theory, while I'm not fully convinced, filmmakers like Ela Thier push my opinion a bit closer to believer side of things. As the writer, director, producer, lead actor, and editor of Tomorrow Ever After if not an example of auteur film making, this is unquestionably one of the most personal and singular films I've seen this year. Her voice is an original and welcome addition to independent American cinema. Thier is comfortable towing the line between comedy and drama while exploring important and often under-discussed truths about what it means to be alive in the 21st century. Her films are deeply rooted in humanity even when they are (seemingly) a throwaway comedy about time travel.  . Shaina (Thier) is from a distant future where humanity has taken action and corrected some of the most looming issues we currently face. In her time we have cleaned up the environment, ended war, eliminated pove

About the films: In 1986 the heyday of the Slasher film was on the decline. Films like HALLOWEEN, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FRIDAY THE 13th, and their countless imitators had grown predictable and somewhat cynical. Studios were embarrassed to make the films but continued to churn them out because the return on investment was undeniable. Producer/Director Sean S. Cunningham (THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, FRIDAY THE 13th) was at the forefront of the Slasher craze and could feel the genre growing stale. This was a time when a new masked killer was terrorizing multiplexes on a weekly basis. Recognizing that fatigue but having faith that there was still something to say within the slasher genre, Cunningham was eager for something new. HOUSE Directed By: Steve Miner Written By: Fred Dekker and Ethan Wiley Starring: William Katt, Kay Lenz, and George Wendt Produced By: Sean S. Cunningham Roger Cobb (William Katt) is a 35-year-old Vietnam Vet whose career as a horror novelist ha

2017 Directed By: Laurence “Baz” Morais and Sebastien Landry Starring: Sam Earle, Victoria Diamond, and Emelia Hellman Originally designed as an episodic web series GAME OF DEATH is a film about a group of millennials playing a board game with fairly straight forward instructions, kill or be killed.  This isn't the first time a series has been re cut to transition from the small screen to the big. AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, THE TRIP, and (most famously) MUHOLLAND DRIVE all were originally shot as television projects. Considering I enjoyed all those films (its strange) for some reason I held GAME OF DEATH's digital roots against it. I'm glad I got over that prejudice and decided to screen the film because its one of the most surprising films of this years SXSW festival. A small group of young adults decide to play the titular GAME OF DEATH and soon find out the stakes are much higher than your average game of Monopoly or Twister. It's like a bo

2017 Director: Tim Brown Starring: Dan Payne and Robin Dunne Written by: Carrey Dickson Adam (Robin Dunne) hasn’t been home for close to 15 years. He returns to see his estranged brother Clint (Dan Payne) and go on a weekend hunting trip. The brothers stand in the shadow of their father who had strikingly different relationships with each of them. Clint emulated his father and saw him as a great man, while Adam didn’t understand his father and saw him as cruel and disconnected. Unaffected performances from Payne and Dunne allow for a natural and authentic relationship. It would have been easy for either of the characters to have been played with vitriol or contempt but both leads chose to play their characters from a place far more emotionally grounded. We see Clint with his family in the same rural house him and his brother grew up in. Adam's form of rebellion involves a sports car and a home in the city. Both men are using their father as a guide on h

2017 Directed by: Ashley Avis Starring: Mischa Barton, Jackson Davis, Winter Ave Zoli, and Trent Ford DESERTED was inspired by photography Avis saw five years ago. She was on set and her DP approached her with photographs he had shot over the weekend. The photos of Death Valley struck a chord with Avis. She described them as "endless stretches of beauty and nothingness." She didn't immediately have the story, but she knew she wanted to tell one there. The film she developed is the story of being hopelessly lost in a place that is equally beautiful and dangerous. When Jae (Mischa Barton) is released from jail she returns to her former small-town home in California. Rural America often trades in gossip and judgement. With both subtle and at times downright obvious prejudice following her everywhere, she is looking for any excuse to get out of town. When she hears her brother Robin (Jackson Davis) and his girlfriend (Winter Ave Zoli) are heading north to attend