Farhad Pakdel, the writer/director/producer of the short “Everything Will Be All Right” takes this 16 minute short tale of a young pregnant teacher, Leila, trying to reach home in Iran before her father dies of Covid. Pakdel underscores Leila’s situation with the underpinning of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. … [Read More]
The riveting drama “DMZ” premiered at SXSW 2022 on Sunday, March 13th, 2022, at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. Prior to the showing of this first of four episodes of the limited series that will air on HBO Max beginning on March 17th, Dawson and Bratt and the … [Read More]
In “Spin Me Round,” premiering at SXSW on 3/12, Allison Brie plays a manager at a Tuscan Grove Italian restaurant, one in a franchise chain in Bakersfield, California. She is selected to journey to Italy and attend the Tuscan Grove Exemplary Managers’ Institute. There, she joins a group of other … [Read More]
Argentinean writer-directors María Belén Poncio and Rosario Perazolo Masjoan bring you the television series episode “4 Feet High”, which blends together a 15-minute standard episodic television structure with virtual reality. I feel “4 Feet High” successfully portrays the disability issue in its own unique manner. This episode is based on … [Read More]
Justine Bateman—sister of Jason Bateman—who once played Mallory Keaton during a 7-year stint on “Family Ties,” ending in 1989— directed her first feature film at SXSW entitled “Violet.” It was supposed to premiere here in 2020, but we all know what happened to SXSW in 2020. It’s a good first … [Read More]
This Australian project was written by Leah Purcell, based on her 2019 book and stage play. She portrays Australian drover’s wife Molly Johnson in the film, which was shot in New South Wales, Australia. The film turns out to be a message movie campaigning for women in mid 19th century … [Read More]
This expose of the persecution of Reality Winner (yes, that is really her name) was made possible because of a Freedom of Information Act that finally resulted in the release of the audio of Reality’s interrogation by eleven FBI agents. The director of this based-on-fact film is Sonia Kennebeck. A … [Read More]
Synopsis: A high-powered female CEO meets her high-rise window-washer for an erotic rendezvous on opposite sides of a skyscraper window. Squeegee Reviewed THE GOOD This movie is that weird mix of hilarious and erotic. The premise is utterly silly but the writers and director know how to make it work. Blair … [Read More]
Synopsis: Coaxed into playing a racial typecast in a fellow student’s play, Black drama student Jonathan is faced with all too familiar decision: to challenge prejudice, or play it safe. PLAY IT SAFE REVIEW THE GOOD Play it Safe features some fantastic cinematography. A lot of Play It Safe is silent … [Read More]
The Other Morgan Reviewed Synopsis: When a dopey young exterminator discovers there’s another version of her out in the world, she begins to question her life choices. THE GOOD The Other Morgan delivers great performances by the cast. Alison Rich and her crew really dive into their performances making this … [Read More]
My favorite film of the first day of SXSW Online Film Festival was “Lily Topples the World.” It is the story of Lily Hevesh, who posts her domino art under the name Hevesh5 on YouTube. At one point Lily shares that 100 dominos cost $10 and I wondered how much … [Read More]
Synopsis: Determined to save her wheelchair ramp from repossession, Daisy confronts the shady insurance agent who owes her money. Wiggle Room Reviewed THE GOOD Great settings and environment. Wiggle Room does a great job in creating an immersive scene. Wiggle Room pays a lot of attention to visual details with … [Read More]