A J.J. Abrams production is like the latest hipster eatery: they take a lot of effort to put together and people apparently like them, but once you have experienced one, it becomes apparent just how incredibly overrated they are. This is why I’m always so wary of these productions, and why his latest produced feature has been such a surprise – Overlord, directed by Julius Avery, is actually enjoyable!
Extracurricular (DIR. Ray Xue) As the Canadian pop-punk band Sum 41 once sang, “motivation, such an aggravation.” That seemed to be Ray Xue’s complaint as well when he was directing Extracurricular, which is the only way to explain why anything in this film happened. Long time readers may recognize the number one rule of TAD: if a film is having its world premiere here, it will be terrible. This is not a knock against any of…
Overlord (DIR. Julius Avery) American soldiers are dropped into German-occupied France and need to prepare for the D-Day invasion, but they find that the Germans are involved in some messed-up stuff.
Prospect (DIR. Chris Caldwell, Zeek Earl) First, we lived through “mumblecore”. Then, we were subjected to “mumblegore”. Now, it seems like the next logical step is to “mumblego” where no man has gone before. Case in point: Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl’s exercise in furious navel-gazing, Prospect, a film so enamored by its own cleverness that it manages to make its modest runtime seem endless. A film whose total lack of direction in favour of world-building…
Filmmaker Zack Russell and actor Kayla Lorette team up for another surreal short film with 7A.
7 Splinters in Time advances from a well-timed reveal. It’s a wordy spiel of exposition delivered by the dependable and always admirable character actor Austin Pendleton, but it’s a scene that justifies the film’s frenetic style and narrative; turning incomprehensible details into awesome creativity.
By: Nick van Dinther Cartel 2045 was originally scheduled to be released three years ago. After years of tweaking and editing, it’s now available on VOD and Digital HD, but it still seems unfinished.
By: Nick van Dinther Black Hollow Cage is so visually special, you could watch it on mute. The fact that writer/director Sadrac González-Perellón attaches a surreal story and engaging characters to the presentation makes this a must-see.
By: Nick van Dinther As soon as you read the synopsis for Lost Solace, you can tell that this will be a unique story idea that, if executed well, will be a quite a treat for audiences. Thankfully, the film meets its potential and then some.
