Majid Al Ansari’s THE VILE, a rare Muslim feminist horror film, has echoes of early Polanski
Majid Al Ansari ’s The Vile blends feminist themes and psychological terror, offering a rare
Andrew Abrahams ‘ documentary DOG WAR takes a blinders off look at two veterans on a crusade against the Dog Meat trade in South Korea
Andrew Abrahams ‘ documentary DOG WAR looks at two veterans on a crusade against the
Valentina El Harizi talks about her personal crusade against screen addiction in BEHIND THE SCENES
Seventeen-year-old Valentina El Harizi displays a remarkable sense of image and message in her short
Jon Nix and Justin Pearson talk about DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF, a documentary on Pearson’s life and the San Diego Punk scene
When he’s asked what kind of music he makes, Justin Pearson usually responds with one
Vincent Liota talks about his documentary on the things in our life, OBJECTS
Vincent Liota documentary OBJECTS, where he talks about the things in our life. If you
Jeff Lipsky talks about GOLDILOCKS AND THE TWO BEARS
But getting back to my film(s), little of the male and/or female nudity is sexually motivated, rather it is naturalistic, organic to their characters, and essential to the story. A homeless couple gain access to an empty condo, find a washer and a dryer, and shed their clothes with wild abandon. Then they shower…in separate bathrooms. I strive for a sense of naturalism, not eroticism, in all of my films. In each case the sensitive material is spelled out vividly and in detail in my scripts from the get-go. No surprises
Ted Geoghegan’s BROOKLYN 45 pairs horror vets Larry Fessenden and Ezra Buzzington in a parlor filled with ghosts
While the transition from character drama to gorefest may feel jarring to casual viewers, or possibly too-little-too-late for more bloodthirsty horrorhounds, Brooklyn 45 is never less than entertaining. Fessenden/Buzzington sounds like a fun-to-say political ticket, but it’s also the ticket to letting these crazy bastards cut loose in a more structured way than usual.
Cine Las Americas Review: Clara Cullen’s MANUELA captures Sean Baker-style indie magic
The movie opens with a shot of Manuela and Alma crossing the border into Mexico, which seems like a drastic step that must be justified by an equally drastic plot turn. So even as we observe the otherwise pleasant bonding, that’s always in the back of the mind. What’s going to happen that sends her fleeing? And will Alma be a willing participant, or a kidnapped victim?
SLAMDANCE 2023 Reviews: Remy van Heugten’s MASCOT confronts us with an extreme world without a simple way out of the violence
Dutch director van Heugten demonstrates here that you can understand a protagonist without necessarily liking them. Both Abbey and Jeremy are fundamentally broken people, still in their own way trying to protect Emine from being hurt in the same way by keeping her away from the bad dad she can’t remember.
SLAMDANCE 2023 Reviews: Emily Kaye Allen’s CISCO KID looks at a queer woman creating an unexpectedly American paradise
The movie’s more concerned with her making the place reasonably functional first, without as much emphasis on the artistic nature of it. But as the kind of fly-on-the-wall doc that doesn’t offer additional context nor narration, it shifts that burden to the viewer. It matters less what the artist thinks than whether you see the art there, even if the hands that form it appear more practicality minded.