Kristen “KD” Dávila (“Motherland: Fort Salem” TV Series) wrote the short film Emergency and Carey Williams (R#J) directed, going on to win the Best Narrative Short at SXSW 2018. The feature-length adaptation by Williams and Dávila premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The Texas premiere of the film was held at the SXSW 2022… Continue reading SXSW 2022: EMERGENCY
Category: Reviews
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Thirty-six years after Tony Scott’s Top Gun opened in theaters, and further launched the stardom of actor Tom Cruise, a sequel is finally playing in theaters. Over thirty years is a very long time between movie installments, but director Joseph Kosinsky, the film’s writers and producer/star Tom Cruise have made damn sure the movie has… Continue reading TOP GUN: MAVERICK
THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE
Though I have never watched the Bob’s Burgers animated series religiously, I have enjoyed the funny and goofy antics of the Belcher family from time to time. It is definitely one of those comfortable, mostly inoffensive animated shows with humor and themes geared mostly toward adults. To be honest, it has been a long time… Continue reading THE BOB’S BURGERS MOVIE
Echoes of the Empire: Beyond Genghis Khan (1:13)
Where our education leaves us flat, this inspired documentary film, Echoes of the Empire: Beyond Genghis Khan, brings the past and present of the Mongolian people to life. Written by award-winning novelist and filmmaker Robert Lieberman and produced by Deborah C. Hoard of Photosynthesis Productions, with its focus on social justice issues, we see the… Continue reading Echoes of the Empire: Beyond Genghis Khan (1:13)
THE VALET
The Valet, a HULU Original premieres today Friday, May 20th, and it is a remake of a 2006 French film “La Doublure” that starred Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas. The new film is directed by Richard Wong (Come As You Are) and written by Rob Greenberg (Meet Dave) and Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers). In… Continue reading THE VALET
DOWNTON ABBEY: THE NEW ERA
Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and Downton staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain (IMDB). Just about every character is back in this latest version of Downton Abbey. I have seen every episode of the television series as well as the first film.… Continue reading DOWNTON ABBEY: THE NEW ERA
TORN HEARTS
From Blumhouse Television, comes a tense horror-thriller that reflects the dark, corruptive nature of ambition. Based in the Country music world, Torn Hearts tells the tale of two hungry musical artists who are desperate to be discovered on a larger level, and are so determined to get there. Director Brea Grant, with writer Rachel Koller… Continue reading TORN HEARTS
WHEN IT’S GOOD, IT’S GOOD (Documentary Short)
Mexican-American filmmaker Alejandra Vasquez returns to her hometown of Denver City, Texas, to document the effects of the boom-and-bust economic cycles of the oil industry on the single-source economy of that town. Denver City is in West Texas, just Southwest Lubbock, near the New Mexico border. It is in the middle of nowhere if you… Continue reading WHEN IT’S GOOD, IT’S GOOD (Documentary Short)
SLIM PICKINS
Watch the unlikely story of a man (Jahmicah Dawes) who knows little about the outdoors but decides to open up an outdoor outfitter store. Also, he happens to be a black man in the small Texas town of Stephenville, where they had a Klan rally as recently as 2007. This charming video documents the warm-hearted… Continue reading SLIM PICKINS
FIRESTARTER
Since Stephen King’s novel, Firestarter, was first published in 1980, the acclaimed and popular story inspired one cinematic adaptation in 1984, and a straight-to-television sequel in 2002. Though I have never watched the sequel, I do recall getting frightened and disturbed by the first movie version which stars E.T.’s Drew Barrymore. Of course, at the… Continue reading FIRESTARTER