Ghostwritten
By: Jeff Ching “Writer’s block is B.S. You’re just lazy,” says anybody that isn’t a writer… and they should shut their mouths.
2024
The Peasants
With The Peasants, filmmakers DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman return to a similar animation style that previously earned them an Academy Award nomination for 2017’s Loving Vincent. Loving Vincent was a tribute to artist Vincent van Gogh, both in spirit and in visual flare. The Peasants adapts Wladyslaw Reymont’s novel of the same name, and channels the artistry of various painters from the 19th and 20th century. While I can’t confidently comment on how faithful…
One Road to Quartzsite
By: Trevor Chartrand The town of Quartzsite, Arizona hosts an eclectic mix of wanderers each winter, from senior snowbirds in RVs to homeless nomads, from drug addicts to nudist bookstore owners. You’d think the locale, with its bizarre amalgamation of citizens and a variety of worldviews, would be a melting pot for an inevitable conflict. However, as filmmaker Ryan Maxey demonstrates in his doc One Road to Quartzsite, the town is surprisingly tranquil – peaceful…
The Promised Land
The Promised Land presents itself as an epic period drama about a former soldier, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen of Casino Royale and Another Round), dedicating his remaining lifetime to mend a troubled Danish heath and build a settlement. The challenges he faces include the environmental barrenness of the land, outsiders who doubt Kahlen’s ambitions, and the breaching interruptions by selfish and wealthy Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg).
Some Other Woman
Some Other Woman doesn’t tell us much about its psychological thriller of suspicion and distrust, but the audience believes they’re witnessing a ritual.
Suncoast
Suncoast has such sunny appeal for a movie about death. Maybe it’s the Floridian setting, maybe it’s because this dramedy skims the surface of its morose material. A case could also be made that Laura Chinn’s filmmaking debut is supposed to mirror the disconnected feelings of the story’s lead character, Doris.
How to Have Sex
How to Have Sex is either a cautionary tale or a party movie with a heart or, maybe, it’s both.
Hundreds of Beavers
The comic insanity and absurdity of Hundreds of Beavers suggests that Mike Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews, who last collaborated together on Lake Michigan Monster, are brimming with glee when making movies. With Cheslik directing, Tews starring, and both taking on writing duties, Hundreds of Beavers is a bonafide bonanza of hilarity that perfectly displays the comedic stylings of this trailblazing duo.
Orah
By: Trevor Chartrand Lonzo Nzekwe tells a very personal story in his gritty revenge-thriller, Orah. Having lost his brother at the hands of an alleged corrupt police officer in Nigeria, the filmmaker has admittedly helmed this movie as a sort-of revenge fantasy; with his characters exacting justice in ways he never could. As the film’s writer and director, Nzekwe’s ambitions are noble and empowering but, as a film, Orah is ultimately a messy series of…
Orion and the Dark
Netflix’s animated Orion and the Dark may not be the streamer’s most memorable family film, and it isn’t one of the strongest adaptations of a children’s book, but its imagination can’t be ignored.