HUNT CLUB

Hunt Club is an action thriller starring Mena Suvari, Casper Van Dien, and Academy Award nominee Mickey Rourke. It is directed by Elizabeth Blake-Thomas (Just Swipe), based on a screenplay by David Lipper (The Unwilling) and John Saunders (Beach Massacre at Kill Devil Hills). I read the title and the synopsis, and it sounded very… Continue reading HUNT CLUB

SXSW – Hypnotic and Air Special Screenings and Affleck Shines

It’s always a treat when SXSW announces its secret or surprise screenings. This year both included Ben Affleck. The first, Hypnotic, is an edge-of-your-seat thriller from director Robert Rodriquez and the other, Air, is a fact-based drama about Nike and the Michael Jordan line of “Air Jordan” sneakers. While Affleck wasn’t in attendance for Hypnotic,… Continue reading SXSW – Hypnotic and Air Special Screenings and Affleck Shines

PAINT

From 1983 through 1994, painter Bob Ross hosted the PBS show, The Joy of Painting, on PBS. This movie is probably different from his story. Writer/director Brit McAdams has conceived of a comedy film based very loosely on the impact of Bob Ross and his program. The movie is intended as a parody of Ross… Continue reading PAINT

RETURN TO SEOUL

Writer and director Davy Chou’s film, Return to Seoul, is about Freddie (Park Ji-min), a Korean adoptee raised in France who takes an unannounced trip to Seoul. When the protagonist gets introduced, she is dining (and drinking) with some new friends, Tena (Guka Han) and Dongwon (Son Seung-Beom). She shrugs off the idea they mention… Continue reading RETURN TO SEOUL

COUNTRY GOLD

An official selection of Austin’s celebrated Fantastic Fest, the Fantasia International Film Festival, and the Glasgow Film Festival, Country Gold, Director Mickey Reece’s country music comedy, co-written with John Selvidge, is exclusively on Cinedigm’s indie discovery platform Fandor to stream for U.S. audiences. A theatrical roadshow was held recently with Fantastic Fest Presents screenings at… Continue reading COUNTRY GOLD

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

(from left) Mario (Chris Pratt), Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.

Anyone who has followed the progress of this movie may already have some preconceived notions of its quality. I went into this screening with some trepidations; however, after enjoying all that it has to offer, I sincerely feel that the filmmakers behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie have much love for the abundance of the… Continue reading THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE

A THOUSAND AND ONE

Teyana Taylor and Aaron Kingsley appear in a still from A Thousand and One by A.V. Rockwell, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Focus Features

Black Americans are no strangers when it comes to systemic problems. Whether it is the racial bias within our public educational institutions, the divide within the criminal justice system, or troubles that plague the foster care of children, racial equality still has a long way to go. Writer/director A.V. Rockwell tells a fictional but all-too-real… Continue reading A THOUSAND AND ONE

SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING

Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux is undoubtedly a unique voice in French cinema. The wild mind behind Rubber, Wrong, and Wrong Cops is known and admired for his surreal and absurd comedy. His sense of humor and filmmaking style is not for everyone, but for those who love Dupieux’s twisted and subversive sensibilities, he has a brand… Continue reading SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING

SXSW 2023: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES

Adventure, excitement, a Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast craves precisely these things! However, D&D fans would have to wait a very long time before they would see their beloved game well represented on the big screen Well, that time has finally come. I was able to behold the magic, action, and beautiful worlds revealed during this… Continue reading SXSW 2023: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES

Lo-tech Sci-Fi Rules at SXSW 2023 – If You Were the Last

Space-themed love stories aren’t unique. Like most rom-coms (sci-fi or otherwise), regardless of the setting, most play out like every other. Director Kristian Mercado delivers one of the best films of SXSW 2023. Like another SXSW offering, Molli and Max in the Future, If You Were the Last, starring Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao, proves… Continue reading Lo-tech Sci-Fi Rules at SXSW 2023 – If You Were the Last