By: Trevor Chartrand I recently covered 2023’s A Disturbance in the Force, the documentary about the Star Wars Holiday Special. Now, if there’s anything to take away from that doc, it’s that bipedal apes grunting at each other for 90 minutes doesn’t exactly qualify as captivating entertainment. It’s a lesson directors David and Nathan Zellner would have benefited from before making Sasquatch Sunset.
Amateur Cree filmmaker Cody Lightning shoots for the sky with Hey, Viktor!, an unexpected mockumentary that pulls its influences from the most unlikeliest of places.
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.
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…
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…
By: Trevor Chartrand The Beasts, from director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, is based on the ominous and tragic true story of discrimination set in rural Galicia, Spain. With all due respect to the victims involved, this true story is captivating – there’s tons of cinematic potential in this narrative that The Beasts, frankly, fails to exploit. Instead of a tense, emotional thriller, Sorogoyen has chosen to take a much slower paced and melodramatic direction, which doesn’t feel…
Director Thaddeus O’Sullivan guides The Miracle Club efficiently, successfully telling a period story of four women who bond over the course of a pilgrimage to the French town of Lourdes in search of their own miracles to lend guidance for their medical conditions. Although the story’s devoutness is prominent, it’s mild compared to the focus on the film’s relationships.
By: Trevor Chartrand Many B-Movie enthusiasts are likely familiar with the squib-bursting insanity of Who Killed Captain Alex?, the Ugandan action movie with a violent – and loud – viral trailer on YouTube. Shot in an impoverished slum, the film is creative with its budget, which reportedly was less than $200. The movie is absurdly violent. It’s goofy, it’s strange, and it looks and sounds terrible. But, Captain Alex is also a film with a…
Liz Unna’s documentary Making Time bounces between subjects who all share a career in watchmaking, and have an overall obsession with time itself. Being a horologist has put life into perspective for these meticulous people, and has issued a number of self-reflections and epiphanies. This collective fascination is the frequency Unna invests all of her storytelling confidence in. Unfortunately, Making Time lacks personal touches as well as a coherency between the doc’s interviewees.
