With such surly sentimentality, Claudia Lonow’s D(e)ad could be the Lifetime movie-of-the-week on the unhinged and uncensored network in Swearnet. But, that isn’t a knock against Lonow’s very funny dramedy – it’s a compliment towards the film’s charm and the honesty behind grief as penned by screenwriter/star Isabella Roland. Brilliantly enough, while watching D(e)ad, the audience is always on the razor’s edge of laughing or crying. Daniel has been a lousy father and a brash…
For her directorial and screenwriting debut, actor Kristin Scott Thomas retreats to tried and tired formulas in My Mother’s Wedding to tell an autobiographical story. Luckily for Thomas, she’s been blessed with star-power who can not only sell this routine family dramedy, but can also make the movie out to be a matinee must-see. Thomas also co-stars as bride-to-be Diana. Diana, twice widowed by men who both served in the Royal Navy, is excited to…
Magnetosphere is a sophomore indie from filmmaker Nicola Rose and a standout flick for pre-teens. Pitching itself as a reliable coming-of-age story from a teenage wallflower, Rose uses specific experiences, such as viewing life through synesthesia, to identify with broader and universally relatable growing pains; all while issuing a warm and welcoming feeling for anyone watching her latest effort. I wanted to speak with Nicola Rose about making such an inviting film. From casting her ensemble…
US army veteran Kyle Hausmann-Stokes makes his feature-length directorial debut with My Dead Friend Zoe, an admirable dramedy that features one of the best interpretations of PTSD. While serving in Afghanistan, Merit (Sonequa Martin-Green of TV’s The Walking Dead and Star Trek: Discovery) and Zoe (Natalie Morales of Netflix’s Dead to Me) naturally become friends. As roommates, they find themselves adjusting to a new lifestyle; especially since – as the title states – Zoe is dead and Merit is…
By: Addison Wylie Preceding an amicable exchange between ex-lovers, Andy Goodrich (Michael Keaton) is asked by his former wife Ann (Andie MacDowell) how he’s doing. “I’m okay,” Andy answers. “You’re always okay,” Ann teases. She isn’t wrong. Throughout Goodrich, the audience observes Andy doing okay. He occasionally has an awkward conversation that sometimes references his past as a flawed father but, otherwise, he’s a well-respected and levelheaded dude.
With only two features under their belt, married filmmakers Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart have demonstrated that a story can be singlehandedly developed on a unique and personal dynamic between two characters. While their debut indie I Put A Hit On You may have fizzled after liftoff, their sophomore effort Suze shows growth in all the right areas; resulting in an absolute crowd-pleasing charmer.
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.
Molly McGlynn’s standout sophomore feature Fitting In manages to be both frank and subtle with its portrayal of teenage coming-of-age.
Dumb Money is supposed to educate viewers on how the stock market was overturned by amateur buyers who invested in the video store retailer GameStop, causing a disruption felt by Wall Street. The film is informative, though viewers are still required to know the basics of stock market culture before buying a ticket. However, what I find more interesting than the biographical intentions of Dumb Money is that director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya) has made…
By: Jolie Featherstone Adorable funnyman and prolific Hollywood actor Randall Park (seriously, look at his IMDB page) makes his feature film directorial debut with the much-anticipated Shortcomings, based on the lauded graphic novel series by Adrian Tomine who also adapted the screenplay.