2019
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Hale County This Morning, This Evening is an unconventional documentary of sorts, but it makes sense for photographer RaMell Ross to make his feature-length filmmaking debut with this project. After all, it’s essentially an assortment of photographs that have come to life. The film captures fragmented life in Hale County, Alabama; creating a fly-on-the-wall visit for audiences who observe the community during routines and conversations. Only a few subjects are interviewed on camera, but they speak openly…
Stan & Ollie
By: Jessica Goddard Touching, sincere, and surprisingly universal, Jon S. Baird’s Stan & Ollie is a sensitive look into the last tour of legendary comedy act Laurel and Hardy. Built on wonderful performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Laurel and Hardy respectively, the biopic has wonderful range – from the tender or vicious exchanges to the subtle but magnetic moments when the pair perform on stage as a duo.
Inventing Tomorrow
Inventing Tomorrow, Laura Nix’s uplifting documentary about teenage scientists competing at the Intel ISEF (the science fair to end all science fairs), is a much-needed antidote to the cynicism that seems to be increasingly present everywhere we look.
Fyre
The Fyre Festival looked like it was a party best experienced through social media in the comfort of your own home. Well, it turns out there’s an even better way to relive the chaos of the ill-fated festival: through Chris Smith’s feature-length documentary, Fyre. Netflix subscribers will watch Fyre in disbelief.
Wylie Writes’ One-On-One with Francesco Antonio
YouTube Premium, so far, has catered to younger audiences with popcorn entertainment and recognizable faces from their streaming platform (The Thinning: New World Order). But, the streaming giant’s latest series Wayne seems to be cut from different cloth. Created by Shawn Simmons and executive produced by screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Zombieland, Deadpool), Wayne pitches mature audiences a good old fashioned story about finding justice that will surely feature Reese and Wernick’s brand of action and comedy.
Hal
Hal Ashby is undoubtedly one of the underrated greats of American cinema. While he never quite became a household name, his films frequently had a certain magical quality to them; never quite being the film that people think of when referring to the great works of an actor, but rather that other film that always comes out in the second or third breath. Films like Harold & Maude, The Last Detail, Bound for Glory and Being There ensured that he would…
The Upside
By: Jessica Goddard A perfectly harmless buddy film with charming performances from an A-list cast, The Upside weaves compelling drama with light comedy.
The Harrowing
By: Trevor Chartrand Written and directed by Jon Keeyes, The Harrowing is a supernatural thriller that lacks nail-biting tension and edge that would keep viewers hanging on every word. Despite some decent visual effects and cinematography, the film fails to truly inspire fear from its audience.
Capernaum
Based on similar lives in the country of Lebanon, writer/director Nadine Labaki tells the heart-wrenching story of 12-year-old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) as he survives his life in the slums, leading him to an attempt to sue his parents for an unfit upbringing. Zain is faced with constant abuse – both physically and psychologically – and he’s used in questionable activity to help his family stay afloat. When times become too dire, Zain runs away…