Category: Roundtop Film Festival

Due West doesn’t shock or reinvent anything, but it genuinely captures what it’s like to live somewhere with few options and serious consequences. Watching it at the Round Top Film Festival, surrounded by a community that truly understands rural Texas, gave the film an extra boost. Adrianne Palicki anchors the story as an unnamed woman… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival – Due West: imperfect, yes, but grounded and relevant

I caught Cottonmouth at this year’s Round Top Film Festival, and it left me both unsettled and impressed—a gritty Western thriller that doesn’t pull its punches. Directed by Brock Harris, the film is steeped in dust, betrayal, and retribution, a modern take on the old frontier morality tale. It’s not an easy watch—bleak, violent, and… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Cottonmouth: a gritty Western thriller that doesn’t pull its punches

There’s something both comforting and quietly disarming about a film that tackles the idea of “family” without sentimentality or moral lessons. Adult Children, which opened the Round Top Film Festival 2025, does exactly that. Written by Annika Marks and directed by her husband, Rich Newey, the film finds humor and heartbreak in equal measure as… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Adult Children: set the tone for a weekend that celebrated heartfelt storytelling

A Look at the 8 Dramas I had initially planned to catch all the festival shorts, but due to timing and a last-minute decision, I chose the drama block. Eight films later, I learned something about myself: I can sit more easily through a two-hour feature than through eight short ones in a row —… Continue reading Round Top Film Festival 2025 – Short Drama Showcase

You’re Dating a Narcissist! screened at the 2025 Austin Film Festival, and while it’s not the kind of film that reinvents the romantic comedy, it’s an undeniably fun and lively ride. The setup is straightforward: an outspoken psychologist, played by Marisa Tomei, races to Los Angeles with her best friend (the always energetic Sherry Cola)… Continue reading AFF 2025 – You’re Dating a Narcissist: not groundbreaking, but it’s witty, fun, and relatable

Bob is a washed-up revolutionary living in a haze of stoned paranoia, off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical races against time to find her as both father and daughter face the repercussions of their pasts. One Battle After Another was among… Continue reading FANTASTIC FEST 2025: One Battle After Another- ambitious, bold, and often wildly entertaining

Sam Haye’s directorial debut feature, Pools, is the 2024 SXSW Sydney Audience Award Winner and had the North American Premiere at TIFF Next Wave. Pools had a sold-out screening at the festival that features a breakout performance from Odessa A’zion (Until Dawn, “Ghosts” TV series, Sitting in Bars with Cake, Hellraiser, “Nashville” TV series) as… Continue reading Pools – TIFF Next Wave/ SXSW Sydney Film Now in Theaters