TheAll-SeeingI Reviews

Coming 2 America (2021)

Expertly Contemporary, Joyously Nostalgic

[9/10 · 5 March 2021]

Thirty-three years after the arrival of its classic progenitor, "Coming 2 America" reintroduces the signature big-heartedness that empowered the first film to capture generational audiences from one to the next. This is a witty, tonally refreshing movie that employs deft humor to deliver uplift and progressively-realized truths in a day and age yearning for both in spades.

"Coming 2 America" lifts the great comedic pairing of Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall into rarefied air, as Murphy's exquisite King Akeem of Zamunda returns to America with straight man sidekick Semi (Hall) in search of Akeem's royal (male) heir: newly-discovered adult son Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler). The setup yields terrifically humorous opportunities to skewer our racial lunacies, and when they journey back to Zamunda -- joined by Lavelle's resplendent mother Mary (a show-stopping Leslie Jones) -- we find women who refuse to suffer prototypical male foolishness while intellectually operating a step above it all.

Helmed by Craig Brewer (who directed a remarkable Murphy on "Dolemite Is My Name"), "Coming 2 America" expertly leverages and resists nostalgia in equal measure, and proves smart, funny, and radiant in its energy and warmth. Across the board, this is a surprising success. - (Was this Helpful?)

The Stalker (III) (2020)

Reanimations of a Legendary Sub-Genre

[9/10 · 25 February 2021]

The '80s infamously gave rise to a niche sub-genre of the horror film vehicle, triggering a bloodbath of same-page slasher films that repurposed shared devices and motifs to an enduring effect. With "The Stalker," director John Giorgio gets into his time machine to pay homage to those historical tormentors in what becomes an engaging slab of horror moviemaking.

While Jason's iconic hockey mask from "Friday the 13th" doesn't make an appearance, nostalgically familiar point-of-view shots from the stalker's perspective feature en masse, along with a subterranean synthesizer score and a high gloss artifice cloned from the DNA of its influencers. Yet it's the central theme at the cold heart of "The Stalker" that most assures its transmissions of terror: Few thoughts are as unnerving as those of a predator who can't be stopped, and the characters caught in the sight lines of the film's namesake killer successfully project this with an over-the-top delivery that works.

For committed fans of horror films, "The Stalker" is prerequisite viewing. For all the rest of us, it's a guilty indulgence, and one that's queasy fun to submit to. - (Was this of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Greatland (2020)

The True Greatness of "Greatland"

[9/10 · 22 February 2021]

Dressed in all the vivid Willy Wonka colors of an oscillating acid trip, the wholly inspired and whip-smart class system satire "Greatland" presents two very disparate worlds in what becomes a wildly headstrong and elite piece of moviemaking from director Dana Ziyasheva.

The young Ulysses (Arman Darbo) introduces the fantastical city of Greatland, a candy-colored mecca in which the downtrodden and their gutted cityscapes are glossed over with glitter, neon, and the distracting encouragement of perpetual fun - as long as it fits the grander schemes of forces that live to assure their own indulgences. When Ulysses' soul mate is sent to Redemption Island, Ulysses leaves the veneers of Greatland to find her, and his quest soon yields the epiphanies we tend to have when we first come to realize how the other half lives.

Improbably evoking black-lit colorizations of "Dr. Strangelove," "The Wizard of Oz," and M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" in equally warped measure, "Greatland" shows us all the warts and scars respectively worn by the privileged and the distressed, and does it with a distinctness of vision only the best satirical filmmaking has conjured. - (Was this of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Bad Santa (2003)

The Baddest Bad Santa, and a Holiday Classic

[9/10 · 20 December 2020]

A fiendish counterpoint to saccharine Hallmark Christmas Specials, the wonderfully obscene "Bad Santa" delivers unto us an intoxicated misanthrope mall Santa - one that ignores kids and pees his red velvet pants. Then ever so shrewdly, the film digs our gutter-minded Claus (partially) out of his hole, placing him on the road to (partial) redemption.

A mall Santa only as a front for a career in larceny, Willie (a disheveled Billy Bob Thornton) is aided by elfin helper Marcus (Tony Cox) and getaway driver Lois (Lauren Tom) as he cases robbery target The Saguaro Square. But it's no sure heist, as committed security guard Gin (a cartoonish Bernie Mac) stands in the way.

Filth-forward gags rain down throughout this darkly comedic treat. But Just as Willie appears well past salvation, director Terry Zwigoff accents his horrifying behavior with brushstrokes of poignancy, building to a third act that showcases the redemptive possibilities in recapturing self-worth. Rough-riding and triumphantly insensitive, "Bad Santa" is now also a holiday classic of its own perverse and perverted design. - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Stadium Anthems (2018)" "Sausage Party (2016)" "Superbad (2007)"

Key Lime Voodoo (2020)

Marshland Voodoo Horror

[9/10 · 28 November 2020]

Looks like my affinity for indie horror movies just dragged me through the eerie backwoods and swamps of Florida, and the Argento-on-acid pontoon ride that is "Key Lime Voodoo."

Over a dinner date, struggling couple Paul and Zoe determine they need space. Zoe angles for the good vibrations and claustrophobic swamplands of Key Lime Florida. A lounge lizard - Peter - introduces her to orchid grower and Key Lime Pie enthusiast Audrey, to whom Zoe develops an attraction. When ex-lover Paul arrives in pursuit of Zoe, what he finds is a shadow of her former self, and no longer resistant to her dark inclinations.

"Key Lime Voodoo" is genuinely homespun horror, and one's love or disdain for that massive segment of the genre will inform their verdict here, just as it has mine.

Sasquatch Among Wildmen (2020)

Sasquatch Gone Global

[9/10 · 10 November 2020]

By providing a more global testimonial and supporting it with the no-nonsense science of subject matter experts, "Sasquatch Among Wildmen" successfully decouples its legendary subject from its cartoonish Bigfoot shadow that too often follows it only through the woods of America's Pacific Northwest.

Sensationalism is left stateside as we meet China's Yeh Ren - the ancient culture's equivalent manifestation of the "wild man." Here we're shown comparative footprint castings that seem to indicate a cross-continental continuity among mythologies once presumed disparate. Fresh interviews with acclaimed Sasquatch researchers Dr. Jeff Meldrum and Derek Randles give the film an incisive sense of spine.

This is aspirational documentary filmmaking, as "Sasquatch Among Wildmen" somehow breathes fresh perspective into a subject too often forced to stand in one place. - (Was this review of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

Great Success! It Trumps the Original

[10/10 · 23 October 2020]

Arriving with the urgency of a crossroads election or critical vaccine, the eviscerating "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" calls satire from its culture-cancelled tomb, as Sacha Baron Cohen's iconic Kazakhstani journalist returns to drop the pants on America's mutated lunacies.

A timely underlying story catapults "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" past its legendary predecessor. Having shamed Kazakhstan, Borat is directed to fly stateside and regain America's goodwill; this will be done by gifting a monkey to Vice President Mike Pence. But the little one doesn't make it, as it's eaten by Borat's stowaway teen daughter Tutar - an extraordinary Maria Bakalova - whom Borat decides must supplant the monkey as the bribe offering to Pence. Clever character arcs and unforeseen father-daughter tenderness catalyze the absurdity of a plastic surgeon breaking down the constructs of a Jewish nose, while a smug, early-2020 Pence announces that his country that cages Mexican kids has contained its coronavirus count at 15.

While sticking its blade beneath our ribs, the revelatory "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" morphs our unfunniest bunglings into something sharply hilarious. - (Was this review of use? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!) - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Blazing Saddles (1974)," "Stadium Anthems (2018)," "Sausage Party (2016)."

Pineapple Express (2008)

Pre-Legalization Classic

[9/10 · 6 July 2020]

When a film aspires to elite stoner flick status, it faces historic competition. Yet by leveraging the new and familiar, 2008's "Pineapple Express" now sits in the Pantheon alongside the fabled weed comedies that forged its path.

Seth Rogan and "Superbad" co-writer Evan Goldberg also scribed "Pineapple Express," where we find Rogan as dope fiend and subpoena server Dale Denton. When his stash runs dry, Dale dials up fog-headed Saul Silver (James Franco) to procure his next bag. Saul introduces Dale to Pineapple Express: a marijuana strain as rare as it is potent. Dale somehow gets teed up to serve a subpoena to Saul's supplier -- one Ted Jones (Gary Cole of "Office Space") -- and while sparking up outside his house, Dale witnesses Ted blowing a hole in a dude's head. Dale flees in buffoonish style, leaving a smoldering roach with the olfactory traits Ted knows to be Pineapple Express.

An oddball hit man, an Asian drug cartel, and the parents of Dale's young girlfriend all contribute to the hilarious fingerprint of "Pineapple Express." This is entry-level coursework for post-legalization stoners wondering what it was like to imbibe pot illegally. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!) WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Stadium Anthems (2018), "Dazed and Confused (1993)," "Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)."

The Droving (2020)

Exploring Exterior and Interior Landscapes

[9/10 · 10 May 2020]

"The Droving" weaves sublime, pastoral imagery with the psychologically and supernaturally affecting in what becomes an intense and compelling film.

Martin (Daniel Oldroyd) has returned to his rural home, nearing a year since his younger sister Meg went missing. By name, The Droving is a localized festival of its own unique ilk, and it coincides with Martin's homecoming and his search for ultimate truths. The sublime, plot-driving twist comes in the slowly-unwrapped revelation that Martin is a far more complicated bag of hurt than even a missing sibling can explain.

By counterpointing internalized quests through the disparate projection of vast physical landscapes, "The Droving" plays on the brain, presenting an elegantly creeping ambition all its own. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Risen: The Story of Chron 'Hell Razah' Smith (2020)

Perseverance, and a Second Ascension

[9/10 · 9 May 2020]

Robert Juster and Frank Meyer's "Risen: The Story of Chron 'Hell Razah' Smith" charts Chron Smith - aka Hell Razah - a musical leader within the Sunz of Man rap group rising up from the 90s and projected to properly detonate in the new millennium. Renowned for his lyrical prowess and earmarked as a long-term voice within the hip-hop community, Smith suffered an aneurysm and stroke. He kept his life, but at the expense of his original roadmap.

In "Risen...," we first meet Smith in modern day. And while physical and endurance challenges persist, we can see this is a remarkable human being who has worked tenaciously and successfully to remap his intricate brain. And what comes out of it - now, as then - is elite songcraft. Stay tuned.

"Risen..." is a great human-interest story done exceptionally well. Smith cohabitates with his circumstances, and finds a way to win the ass kicking contest despite fate's attempt to tie his legs. Mandatory viewing. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Vampire Burt's Serenade (2020)

Bloody, Campy, and Joyously Musical

[9/10 · 9 May 2020]

Director-writer Ken Roht's "Vampire Burt's Serenade" channels the spirits of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," then heaps on delightful mounds of cheese and camp on a scale equal to Roger Corman films. This raunchy, bloody movie is culled from a live theater presentation -- an idea that acquits itself as near-genius by the time the credits roll, as "Vampire Burt's Serenade" proves to be aspirational, grass-roots filmmaking of the highest order.

Burt himself is handled by Kevin Scott Richardson, apparently a Backstreet Boy of note in a past or current life. Here he's unshackled from those conventions, and Really Rather Great as a power-wielding district manager of all area vampires. On one impulsive evening, he tears into the neck of pal Todd (Brandon Heitkamp), vampirizing the hell out of him. Todd then turns stripper girlfriend Connie (Diva Zappa) into a bloodsucker, and one who prove well up for it all. But their non-vamp friends are less enthralled, and deem it necessary to sort out Vampire Burt by way of a contracted vampire hunter (Kenneth Hughes).

Backed by a warhead payload of terrifically whimsical original songs, "Vampire Burt's Serenade" is an elevated diversion in a time when elevated diversions are mission critical. Recommended and then some. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Black Bridge (2006)

Break on Through to the Darker Side

[9/10 · 6 May 2020]

For quite a spell there - circa 1984 - heavy metal music was all about big hair and Satan, though not necessarily in that order. Low on budget but grading out sky high in its storytelling, Kevin Doherty's "Black Bridge" brings us back to those halcyon days of studded leather accouterments and the condemnations of overwrought PTA moms in this immensely compelling period piece.

Metal and the small town Midwest have long known each other intimately, and here six teenagers embody that torrid love affair with the ideal curation of '80s headbanger t-shirts and grass-baked ruminations on human sacrifice. It's all good, dark, innocuous fun, until a couple outliers take things to a blacker plane. A young boy is found mutilated, and with that, "Black Bridge" shrewdly pivots, becoming a wholly immersive film in which intensity and tragedy swirl under the spotlight of ratcheting media supposition.

By the time its credits roll, "Black Bridge" has somehow treated us to a series of expertly told stories converging into a surprisingly emotional, complex, and darkly funny movie -- and all brought to its full realization by a literally banging soundtrack. An under-the-radar, grassroots gem. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Jojo Rabbit (2019)

A Master Class in Aspirational Moviemaking

[9/10 · 27 April 2020]

Pairing a preteen Nazi with imaginary best pal Adolf Hitler sounds like egregious cinematic overreach, but the wonderful "Jojo Rabbit" proves as improbably enthralling as moviemaking can get.

Set in the wind-down of World War II, we follow the youthful zealotry of Johannes "Jojo Rabbit" Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a lad infatuated with Nazi iconography. To bolster his machismo in the pursuit of influence, he feeds his head propaganda, and instructs it to supplant his departed father with das Führer.

Sharing this plot line at the water cooler elicits very real bafflement. Yet Taika Waititi's film is as tender as it is tack-sharp. "Jojo Rabbit" takes fascism to the woodshed and holds a mirror to its inane pervasiveness. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!) WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Blazing Saddles (1974)," "Stadium Anthems (2018)," "Knives Out (2019)."

Trainspotting (1996)

Gut-Level Intelligence Meet Really Bad Habits

[10/10 · 6 April 2020]

Now a quarter century old, "Trainspotting" stands as truly bulletproof moviemaking. Floating in an artistically liberated space vaguely shared with "Pulp Fiction," Danny Boyle's master class matches Tarantino's in its spiritedness, violence, and drug-centricity, yet this 1996 dark comedy is also imbued with an eviscerating, street-level British intelligence, resulting in a legendary film with a fingerprint all its own.

Its structure is freeing and brilliant. "Trainspotting" is narrated by Mark Renton (Ewan MacGregor), a young street urchin and smack addict whose habit hasn't diluted the venom he spits at England, Scotland, and shoot-up partners Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller). Once they find heroin, they look to find more. But despite that unchanging end-goal, these are brilliantly sketched characters exhibiting a criminality and shiftlessness that perversely endears.

"Trainspotting" showcases elite storytelling by counterpointing the dehumanization of addiction with elite and vibrant humor. This is a classic movie by any definition. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!) - WATCHED IT? THEN WATCHLIST: "Being John Malkovich (1999)," "Stadium Anthems (2018)," "True Romance (1993)."

Into the Void (III) (2019)

Post-Apocalypse Drama Arrives Right On Time

[8/10 · 5 April 2020]

"Into The Void" accidentally arrives just in time to offer itself to shut-ins sheltering in place to avoid the contagion. Blending great cinematography and the magical claustrophobia of the dense woods with zombified twists on the traditional love story, this movie's now-contemporary slant acquits the film as worthy of your 84-minute investment.

In the post-apocalyptic world, aspiring colonists band together. Maria (Molly Dyson) has taken ill. Her ex-lover Josh (Ioan Sebastian Tirlui) breaks away to find help, his own afflicted past tracking him through the thicket. Along the path, we engage with all-consuming zombies and the desperation of the human condition in this "Deliverance" meets "28 Days Later" indie film effort.

Zombie content is never in short supply, and pre-Covid-19, it'd be easy to write off any new entry as excess surplus. But strangely, "Into The Void" does have an intrinsic freshness that's all its own. There are times the decelerated melodrama of its acting and fringe characters (and their notably unsullied appearances) don't meet the despair and intensity of the depicted moment. But in the sum of its parts, this is a satisfying film to engage as we take solace in the fact we're not (yet) traversing the woods in a post-society aftermath. - (Was this review useful to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Sweet Sunshine (2020)

Faith-Based, Family-Focused "A Star Is Born"

[9/10 · 2 April 2020]

As pop stars continue to be constructed from increasingly younger and less world-weary materials, director-screenwriter Craig McMahon's "Sweet Sunshine" expertly distills the convergence of fame and youthful coming-of-age confusion that we increasingly understand to be a true alligator to wrestle for those few that manage to blast off into that space.

Young country singer T.J. Millhouse (John Way) is just old enough to be learning in real-time that even a perfect skyward trajectory incurs costs. For T.J., the paradox of it all stirs questions around faith and family. He's ascending, but so is his learning curve, and it all becomes fraught with risk when tragedy comes calling. Fortunately, a young woman by the name of Sunshine (Savannah McMahon) emerges from the pain, and helps TJ piece himself back into a more fully realized whole.

"Sweet Sunshine" is earnest family fare running on the battery of faith-based storytelling, and doing it at an elite level. The production values in particular are hyper-strong, from terrific stage performances that defy indie convention to a soundtrack loaded with expertly placed original songs that prove spot-on for their intents and purposes. "Sweet Sunshine" is a sweetly-told, big screen reflection of our true-to-life contemporary pop stars, their meteoric rises, and all the first-time feelings and life situations that follow closely behind. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Dealer (2018)

Winning Comedy Hand

[9/10 · 30 March 2020]

Rightly or wrongly, our stereotypes of Las Vegas tend to coalesce around gambling and drugs, though not always in that order. Melding comedy with elements of action movies, "Dealer" leverages Sin City's perceived behavioral cornerstones in a film that's as engrossing as it is funny.

Lundon Boyd is one of a handful of director-screenwriters credited on "Dealer." He's also in front of the lens as Kelly, a blackjack dealer who isn't predisposed to take risks -- until he's forced into being a drug dealer for a day, during which he constantly finds himself in extreme occupational peril. It's a great premise that's met with great execution in all phases of the filmmaking cycle.

Indie comedy can be fraught with pitfalls, as the public has limited tolerance for jokes that don't hit. No such concerns with "Dealer," as its refreshing storytelling format, consistently tight writing, and committed acting performances give rise to a comedy gem that's uniquely its own thing. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Polaris (2016)

Wartime Storytelling Rooted in Psychology

[10/10 · 30 March 2020]

From accomplished Iranian-American female filmmaker Soudabeh Moradian comes the taut and wholly engrossing "Polaris," a movie that methodically weaves themes of war, immigration, and cultural acceptance into a singular and seamless triumph of storytelling.

"Polaris" introduces us to Baran (a compelling Alicja Bachleda), a young and psychologically battered immigrant journalist of half-Iranian, half-European descent. While battling her PTSD, Baran must shelter her considerable secrets from husband Poorya (Bahram Rahdan) to avoid a return to the Middle East.

Tonally and visually dark and presenting an immense depth, this is a beautifully designed and well-executed movie with elite actor performances from the top of the roster on down. While films built upon wartime themes have traditionally led to politically immersive messaging, "Polaris" instead lays bare the personal psychologies and intensely human issues those themes set into motion. This is a riveting film representative of expert filmmaking. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus (2012)

An Eight-Limbed Cultural Catalyst

[8/10 · 28 March 2020]

Paul the Octopus was an "animal oracle" who grabbed the world stage by predicting a string of shocking World Cup results, and this great documentary dives the full extent of his unlikely pop-cultural impact. No love of soccer required, because as is the case with most good films, this one isn't only about what it hints at on the box.

Subject matter experts and statistical analyses are introduced to quantify the possibility that maybe this soft-bodied mollusk did have otherworldly insights. Soon images of marine life and penalty kicks give way to beautifully shot old world churches and celestial landscapes, conjuring meaning of life themes and considerations of a higher power.

The filmmakers were clearly aware it would have be pretentious to oversell Paul's contributions, so the film's grand notions are counterpointed with a buffet of seafood jokes. It works to terrific effect; crisp imagery and editing pull us in while the story architecture endears us to the slimy/cuddly Paul, reminding us again that the impossible is not only maybe possible, but it eventually tastes good fried. - (If this review was of use to you, do let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Athena (2015)

Psychology Commingles with Blood and Great Storytelling

[9/10 · 24 March 2020]

Horror fans are an infamously fickle lot, but their insatiable appetite for psychology-driven themes is nothing short of a historical fact, and with the stakes always ratcheted further up once everything arrives soaked in blood. With these truths in mind, it's hard to imagine they won't find loads to soapbox about with Robert Filion's uniquely excellent, "Athena."

Melding the best elements of horror with those of sci-fi, the disembodied namesake character of "Athena" is heard but not seen as a voice that slowly inhabits the heads of the film's two lead characters. Carl (Matthew Ewald) and Emily (the singularly named Vanelle) share in life's brutal struggle, but in acutely unique ways that find a dark commonality once the inner voice of Athena separately enters their heads and begins commingling with their own thoughts. It's a great concept made more so by Athena's ambiguity of intention: Is she the metaphorical angel whispering in one ear, or the devil whispering in the other?

Filion has married a strong premise with great cinematic execution, and all while coaxing fine performances from his actors. "Athena" is indie horror filmmaking at its most shrewdly aspirational, and is ideally made the masses. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Ximbi Xombix (2019)

Completely and Uniquely Its Own Thing

[10/10 · 24 March 2020]

David Kim's "Ximbi XombiX" is many typically disparate things at once, mixing elements of fantasy, comedy, and music film genres into its technicolor and dystopian blender. Against all odds and largely in defiance of explanation, they coalesce into a film that's paradoxically great and completely its own, and one that's wholly unshackled from any obligations to convention.

Shot in South Korea, "Ximbi XombiX" presents to the American consumer an Alice in Wonderland-esque, acid trip reality painted with attractively outlandish and unfamiliar colors and cultural undertones. This is a world where Soylent Green-style, scientifically overhauled food is fed to its zombified masses. And as is the case with most societies that have lost track of humanity's true plot, art is either a constantly blaring, vapid magnifier of those distortions, or the underbelly's infrequently-aired pushback against them. Ricco (embodied by Kim himself) eschews the banal trappings of his own affluence, swimming against the mainstream's currents most grotesquely exemplified by its popular music. As mastermind of "K-hop" band Sheeppsyche, he's steadfast against pop star Jo Bin (Claudia Pak) joining his counterculturist insurgency, but we soon pay witness to the pitfalls noble artists can fall into when intoxicated by the possibility their art might somehow be surfaced to a huge audience.

"Ximbi XombiX" is hardly a film for everyone: Kim directs his actors to present with a knowing, over-the-top artifice specifically reflective of perceived societal dehumanization, and the movie's structure may be too wildly ramshackle for conventional consumers. Yet for those drawn to social satire tinged with dark comedy, "Ximbi XombiX" is likely to elicit true admiration for its unrestrained ambition and uniquely colorful footprint. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

Confessions of a Producer (2020)

Aspirational Blend of RomCom and SciFi

[9/10 · 22 March 2020]

While the road is littered with films that failed to slot into singularly specific genres, Jim Lewis' thoroughly engaging "Confessions of a Producer" paradoxically succeeds on that exact basis, and at a high level. Melding elements of comedy and sci-fi in what becomes a budding romance, this is a shrewdly aspirational film that somehow projects as something uniquely of its own mind and build.

Steve Barrett (Roger Namroc) is a media producer saddled with an enfeebling curse. From the vantage point provided by his jail cell, it becomes clear to him that female reporter Tara Aluran (Clare Grant) -- who has long derided him and his work -- is also now his lone hope for the curse's proper dissolution. Steve is indeed working literally and figurative from the hole in his need to convert Tara's historical animus into newly-found advocacy.

"Confessions of a Producer" leverages tack-sharp dialogue, refreshing story twists, and elite acting from the accomplished Grant to produce a grass roots indie film that delivers on its great conceptual design. - Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!

Odd Brodsky (2014)

Wonderful Chasing Your Dreams Storytelling

[9/10 · 20 March 2020]

Director-screenwriter Cindy Baer brings us the endearing and enduring charm of Audrey "Odd" Brodsky (Tegan Ashton Cohan) in a great follow-your-dreams tale made fully realized by the terrific character sketching of its namesake role.

"Odd" is a nickname authored by those who have paid witness to her uniqueness of spirit firsthand, and this engrossing comedy movie tracks her as she leaves home for the glittering possibilities of Hollywood, only to soon find herself in a soul-destroying office job. Despite the added complication of the fact the job pays all too well, Odd does indeed rid herself of it, jumping headlong into the churning Hollywood shark tank where aspiration and creative commodification collide.

Filled with great writing and performances, "Odd Brodsky" is a film for anyone who has found themselves in a place desperately different than the one which was dreamed. But it's ultimately a story of resilience and recalibration through personal growth, and provides a wonderful uplift for those in pursuit of something that resides in the heart. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

The Rage (II) (2017)

Blistering Paced Zombie Thrill Ride

[9/10 · 17 March 2020]

Joshua Cleave's breakneck zombie short "The Rage" floors the accelerator pedal at the onset, and never lets off the gas throughout its torrid nine-minute runtime.

Two scientists in a tightly controlled environment lose the reins on those controls, and within literally seconds, the aptly-named "The Rage" becomes a zombie fest of the highest magnitude. Terrific handheld motion capture compliments a hospital environment that at once is both antiseptic and highly claustrophobia. Zombiedom instantaneously manifests throughout the building, and through a first person perspective, our protagonist can be found both aggressively taking the fight to them and fleeing their relentless advance.

Ambitious, frenetic, and very shrewdly conceived, "The Rage" is an elite, high-impact film within a much-loved genre. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)

The Farmhand (2019)

Beautiful Prohibition-Era Dramatic Romance

[9/10 · 17 March 2020]

Shot in the pastoral Midlands of South Carolina, the engrossing period piece "The Farmhand" takes us back to Prohibition and the paradoxical lawlessness it created.

Grayson Livingston (Russell Shealy) is an assassin retained by a bootlegger to eliminate the business bottleneck that is Sheriff Henry Lloyd (Stephen Royal Phillips). Yet a critical mistake by Grayson soon finds him in the role of fleeing fugitive. Finding shelter on a nearby farm, he's put to work as a farmhand, leading to a dangerous romantic relationship with the farm owner's wife Constance (Carrie Anne Hunt), and all while Sheriff Lloyd continues his pursuit.

This is a beautifully shot film that literally and figuratively covers a lot of ground. "The Farmhand" appears to have been a film festival circuit darling, and on the basis of its committed actor performances, beautiful location work, and a shrewdly conceived script, it's easy to see why. Highly recommended. - (Was this review of use to you? If so, let me know by clicking "Helpful." Cheers!)