Photo Galleries

Sri Charan’s HALF & HALF: Local Dallas production has sneak preview screening

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Sri Charan’s HALF & HALF, a dialogue-free comedy shot and produced in Dallas, Texas, had a sneak preview screening for cast and crew members on Saturday, April 10 at the Angelika Theater in Plano. The independent film shot during the pandemic will hit the regional film festival circuit starting this summer as it looks to take its inventive comic story of a homeless man who makes a connection with an abused wife thanks to a supermarket sweepstakes contest to family audiences across the country.

Dawn Porter’s JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE among top honors at Arkansas film festivals Top Ten Films of 2020

By John Wildman 5 years ago

To highlight the great work of filmmakers during a challenging year for the film industry, film fans, and everyone else, the Artistic Directors and programmers from the Bentonville Film Festival and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival have joined forces to announce their combined choices for the Top Ten Films of 2020 to call attention to some of their favorite films released in theaters, drive-ins, and online this year.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IDEAS FOR MOVIE FANS WHO HAVE SEEN IT ALL: Todd Alcott’s iconic music-themed art demands to go up on your wall and into your head

By John Wildman 5 years ago

And the twist here is that not all of his art is film related. In fact, it is music themed, as he takes a musician or band and combines a notable song of theirs with a familiar image (book cover style, consumer product ad or packaging, etc.) that dovetails so nicely with the song itself that (as they say) it…makes you think..

TomsTrendyTees movie shirts: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IDEAS FOR MOVIE FANS WHO HAVE SEEN IT ALL:

By John Wildman 5 years ago

Well, I am a HUGE fan of these shirts from TomsTrendyTees. Tom also has a lot of Broadway show-inspired t-shirts, so maybe that will be awesome for you to. But I am ALL about his movie t-shirt collection. He’s got great taste (as far as I am concerned) with the films he chooses, and you’ll find a fun sense of humor inherent there too. A perfect example of what sets his stuff apart are the “Directed By” shirts. First, Tom will strike an homage to how the “directed by” credit appeared in a particular film, AND he even has a few that show some love for DPs, composers, and costume designers. You’ll see what I mean in the gallery that follows.

Chris Butler Movie Posters: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IDEAS FOR MOVIE FANS WHO HAVE SEEN IT ALL

By John Wildman 5 years ago

It’s my “fault” for the most part since I must have A LOT of visual stimulus all of the time. Oftentimes, our guests ask me where I got one poster or image versus another, and since I’m all Golden Rule about this shit, I thought it would be great to promote some artists that I truly think are the best – so much so that Idle Wild Manor (which is what we call our home) serves as an art gallery for their work.

2020 Louisiana Film Prize finalists’ posters preview the competition that starts tomorrow for $25,000

By John Wildman 5 years ago

After all of that, one of the coolest things is getting a poster for that same film. It’s a reaffirmation that the film actually exists and it’s a quick hint at what the film is about, what the filmmaker’s style is about, an opportunity to lure someone into the theater to see the film or click on it to watch it online, because it gives them a clue as to what they can expect when they see the film.

Louis Schwartzberg’s FANTASTIC FUNGI among Dallas’ 2nd Best of Fests film festival brings filmmakers and fest toppers together for a big weekend

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The 2020 edition of Dallas’ Best of Fests doubled down on the remarkable fact that the film festival, which incorporated more than two dozen of Dallas, Fort Worth, and North Texas’ film festivals was accomplished last year, by managing to produce a robust sequel this year. There is a rare collegial relationship between the vast majority of the film festival heads in the area and many of them share several seasonal staffers, volunteers, and, of course, audience members.

Jim Brunzell and Rich Gill lead 2019 Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival adds a Filmmaker Photo Call for the first time in the fest’s 20 years

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival is a rarity in that its scope should far exceed the reach of its quartet of volunteer staff that manages to produce the film festival year-after-year. Of course, every single film festival self romanticizes the idea that they are a band of misfits and scrappy champions of film that are battling against all of the odds and the big boys each year to somehow manage to put on their event that is unlike any other around. I always love it when a film festival head earnestly tells me that they are unique in the film festival world because they “care about the filmmakers.” I mean, thank goodness there is that one film festival that does, right?!