#indie film review

[freelancewriterjannyc]

Indie Film (Short) Review: Demon Interrupted.

A HELL-arious dark comedy written and directed by NJ Brown

[sustancy]

[thenerdsofcolor]

'The Hater' Has an Earnest Heart

‘The Hater’ Has an Earnest Heart

The election of Donald Trump in 2016 showed that real life had become more like a season of television than ever before. Two years into Joe Biden’s presidency — and in the aftermath of the January 6 insurrection — our identity as citizens in this country has become increasingly fragmented from each other. What is best for our communities has fallen to the wayside as it has become harder to find…

[superectojazzmage]

Watched the Nimona movie last night. Review I guess. It was pretty damn good. Definitely would’ve probably been regarded as Blue Sky’s magnum opus if they’d gotten to release it instead of being fucked over by Disney. Very cute, very funny, very powerful in the right moments. A thing that stuck out to me is that it’s really only an adaptation in the loosest sense of the word. It takes the core premise and beats of the comic but is functionally an entirely different kind of story that does its own thing. And given that ND Stevenson was heavily involved in production, I suspect that was intentional.

The comic was much darker and more downbeat in a lot of ways, plus it was significantly longer and thus could afford to be slower paced. But more than that, it was a lot more meaty in terms of themes and scope. The whole “LGBT allegory” element was there, but it wasn’t the sole focus, the comic was a story about a lot of different things; not just an LGBT experience, but also discussion of fantasy genre tropes and clichés, criticism of other fantasy deconstructions, character study, exploring what it means to be a hero or villain, critique of the glorification of crime and cruelty in underprivileged communities, corruption in governments, peer pressure, the senseless and self-perpetuating nature of violence, the worthlessness of revenge, etc.. And above all that, it was a story about trauma and people’s responses to it, with Ballister representing people who actually deal with their problems and move on while Nimona represented people who let their mistakes and suffering and grief consume their identity, or worse, use it as an excuse to indulge their worst qualities and take out their feelings on everyone around them.

The movie, by contrast, has a much more narrow focus. The LGBT allegory is front and center and basically the entire focal point of the movie, aside from a spattering of themes about the danger of zealotry and rigid fundamentalist thinking. This gives the movie a much tighter narrative and pacing that suits its inherently shorter runtime, but also leads to a ton of changes to the story either to convey a different kind of message or just work better in a different medium. Most obviously in how Nimona is vastly more sympathetic in the movie and essentially really is the silly gremlin the comic fakes you out into thinking she is, scrapping the comic’s twist that she was a genuinely bad person who was completely serious about wanting to be a villain, caring nothing for the lives she destroyed with her behavior and idolizing Ballister because she thought he was the same as her and would thus tell her what she wanted to hear (i.e., that she was justified in killing and destroying everything around her in the name of getting even). And in the changes to the Institution’s history and nature. And all sorts of other things.

All in all, I feel if you go in comparing and contrasting the movie and the comic, arguing which changes are for the better or worse, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment in either direction because they’re two different beasts and it’s like comparing apples and oranges. So keep that in mind if you’re a fan of the comic watching the movie or a fan of the movie wanting to look into the comic. I think ultimately I still like the comic better, but that’s purely my personal opinion and there’s plenty that I think the movie did better.

Some other observations:

Riz Ahmed my beloved, thank you Mr. Stevenson for this perfect casting. Literally perfect for Ballister.

Acting in general was very good. You can tell this was a passion project for a lot of people, not just Stevenson.

Only two changes that are objectively bad are Ambrosius losing his awesome Van Halen hairdo and changing Ballister’s last name — Blackheart is a way cooler name than Boldheart and it’s a pointless change, one that I’d argue even hurts the narrative since it makes it too obvious that Ballister isn’t actually a bad guy.

The animation is really great with fantastic expressions, stylish movement, and wonderful aesthetics that perfectly suit the story, but there’s times where it feels a little off. But there are parts where it looks less “movie” and more “cheap mid-2000s CGI-and-Flash cartoon show from France”.

The humor can be a hit and miss, in a “going through the motions of a Hollywood animated comedy for kids” way. The movie excels when it’s either imitating the comic’s Old Internet sense of humor or going hard on the drama, but there’s bits where it seemingly slams on the brakes to do Illumination-esque Twitter humor and those bits definitely throw off the vibe.

Having an actual straight up attempted suicide in the climax was shockingly ballsy. I genuinely can’t believe they went there, but I’m glad they did because the film wouldn’t have felt nearly as raw without it.

I don’t know how they managed to make the Director even more of an asshole than in the comics, but they did.

[rickchung]

Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant, dir. Ariane Louis-Seize) x VIFF 2023.

This is a surprisingly fresh take on teen vampires in the form of a low-key Quebecois coming-of-age indie comedy about trying to consume human blood and find victims ethically. Sara Montpetit and Félix-Antoine Bénard star as a 68-year-old undead woman in the body of a teenage girl and a depressed high schooler with suicidal tendencies. They form a sweet but strange bond as they try to earnestly help each other achieve their unconventional goals in life. Its exploration of the more mundane but annoying parts of vampiric life makes for an altogether humorous endeavour.

Screened at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival as part of the Altered States series and screening again at the VIFF Centre from Oct. 21–30.

[cinemistery]

Roman Godfrey | Hemlock Grove (2013 - 2016)

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” review:

Short review

“Uncharted 4” hit the same story beats, but better. I’ll give the movie a 6/10.

Long review

As the final chapter in Indiana Jones’ life, I have mixed thoughts. Is it because of the time travel? No, I was actually fine with that. Indiana Jones has always had some element of weirdness, ranging from the supernatural to literal aliens. My issue with this movie is that, as the final chapter in the series, it felt…underwhelming.

It’s strange because the movie was sorta hitting all the points it needed to hit. They had the emphasis on Indy being old, the passing of the torch to Wombat, the return of other classic characters like Sallah and Marion, bringing the Nazis back as the villains, and so on. James Mangold was hitting the points he needed to hit, which makes sense since this is the guy who gave us “Logan”.

But the problem is, Indiana Jones isn’t Wolverine. I think Indiana Jones, as a character, is unsuitable for the type of somber, deep character study that the movie was trying to do. This is a character who was made to represent light-hearted escapism, and you could see that by how the first three movies never went too deep or too serious with Indy. Even “Crystal Skull”, with all its flaws, didn’t do that. So now we have “Dial of Destiny” trying to shift gears into darker, more dramatic territory and it just doesn’t hit.

For example, the reveal that Mutt Williams got killed in the Vietnam War. It’s a reveal that’s too dark and sudden to really leave a lasting impact, especially since the next scene afterwards is a thrilling dive to a shipwreck. You just want the movie to slow down and let these moments sink in. But the problem is, if the movie slows down, it stops being a fun Indiana Jones movie.

So, we got a problem here. Was there ever a way that the writers could’ve solved this clash of conflicting tones?

Now I will say, I think there’s a version of this story that COULD HAVE worked. Like I wrote, James Mangold was hitting all the story beats he needed to hit. It’s just that the story needed:

Yup. I’m gonna say this with full sincerity; “Dial of Destiny” would’ve worked if it was centered on Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood going on one last adventure. You can keep Mutt Williams dying, because that would mean the story would be about Indy and Marion reconciling with each other. Going back to my short review, the more I thought about it, the more that “Dial of Destiny” felt like James Mangold’s attempt at making an “Uncharted 4” movie.

Just like “Dial”, the fourth “Uncharted” game centered on an aging Nathan Drake getting pulled out of retirement for one last adventure. That game managed to actually be BOTH somber and lighthearted. You’d have scenes where Nathan is riding around a motorcycle and spewing one-liners, followed up by Nathan having a deep conversation with Elena.

But here’s why I feel “Uncharted 4” worked while “Dial” didn’t. Naughty Dog knew that in order to bring Nathan’s story to a proper close, they needed to center it on the main cast. In fact, one of the best sequences in the entire game is literally just Nathan and Elena driving around the jungle talking about their lives.

“Dial” doesn’t work because the story is centered on Indy, his goddaughter who we’ve never seen before (and whose father is a new character), and this random kid who was pretty much Short Round 2.0. And it’s frustrating because the BIGGEST dramatic reveal of the movie was Indy talking about his dead son and his divorce. Sorry to Phoebe Waller-Bridge but that scene should’ve had Marion as the focus. In fact, it gets even more frustrating since Mutt’s death means little to Wombat as a character. She didn’t know the guy, the most she could’ve felt in that scene was, “Sorry for your loss, goddad”.

Even the presence of Wombat and Teddy are frustrating. Wombat could’ve easily been rewritten as Marcus Brody’s daughter (or if you wanna be spicy, she was Willie Scott’s daughter with Indy, making her Mutt Williams’ half-sister). Teddy could’ve been Sallah’s son. These may seem like small changes, but at least there’d be a stronger connection to the past. Since it’s Indiana Jones’ last journey, this movie should’ve been more rooted in Indy’s past adventures, even if the connections are more with legacy characters.

So, yeah, it’s a mixed bag. “Dial” is a movie that is supposed to be closing the door on Indiana Jones as a character, but doesn’t really accomplish that due to its detachment from the past movies. It’s a movie that’s too somber to be a lighthearted adventure, but too lighthearted to be a somber character study. And what does that mean for the end result? A movie that’s just okay, but doesn’t really justify its existence. Could’ve been worse, but you wish it was better.

[polinawrites]

Oscar 2024 films you haven't heard about

[sapphicgoblinblog]

So... I was looking up some theories for the horror film "The Shining" and it reminded me just how deliberately bad it is.

Things are done wrong on purpose to make you feel unsettled and although horror stuff has no impact on me, I admire the way things were arranged.

However, nobody truly knows what the movie is about. The story is unclear with a lot of bizarre stuff tossed in for dramatic effect to throw people off its true meanings.

People have theories, but every one I've heard is mostly incorrect. There's no Jack. Wendy isn't evil. Danny is not innocent. The "set errors" aren't accidental - they're deliberate and obvious for a reason.

People also ignore the use of colours in a lot of theory videos and how the angles are all supposed to be interpreted in the opposite or mirrored way. The movie is called "The Shining" and you must ignore what shines to see the truth - at least part of it.

Honestly, the amount of effort put into such a bad horror movie is impressive. It's Stanley Kubrick's greatest film. An inspiration to all who create horror-themed stuff and I do plan on adding maybe a pinch more of his style of horror within my horror game "Candlelight".

I've already incorporated some faint elements from various spooky things.

You can play my horror game here: https://hauntaku.itch.io/candlelight

[pdrojack]

The stare

Submarine by Richard Ayoade

[freelancewriterjannyc]

Review now featured on Medium!

[finnglas]

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[filmbrainbmb]

New Projector review! Harrison Ford is back as Indiana Jones for one last adventure in the Dial of Destiny, but is this a fitting farewell for one of cinema's most iconic heroes... or at least a bit better than Crystal Skull, hopefully?

[biomorganism]

Barber Westchester (2021):

Directed By: Jonni Philips Letterboxd

Where to watch: Free on youtube (includes interconnected series)

This movie contains: cartoon depictions of abuse, fantastical mental health crises, religious trauma and turmoil. This review does not detail these depictions in any meaningful way.

I waited quite a while to watch this movie

After stumbling across one of the smear tests for Barber, posted sometime in 2020 by Jonni on Twitter, I fell in love with her style, and especially the weird little creature known as Barber Westchester. I attribute a lot of my present affection for movies to my experience with Barber, so I really owe it to this movie in one way or another.

In a tragic twist of fate, however, I didn’t know about Secrets and Lies in a Town of Sinners: Season 1 (2020) until I gathered a couple friends to watch the movie, almost doubling the length of our blind watchparty. Secrets and Lies is a 10 episode prequel series of nearly 50 minutes and provides a glance at the various interconnected lives of Des Almado, a key setting for both stories. Barber isn’t incomprehensible without it, but it isn’t what it should be, as they’re both part of a larger cohesive work. Season 2 is actually coming out as I write this!

You should watch it for the full story!

Barber Westchester is a story about finding footing in a world that isn’t easily made for your feet. Themes of loneliness, inner turmoil, and kindness shine through in particular as Barber’s NASA internship takes an unexpected nosedive. With a smaller and uneven cast of characters, the focus of conflict between Barber vs themself and Barber vs The World feels like two equal battles that are in their own way, battling one another.

The animation and art direction for the movie is stunning, A lot of work being accredited to Jonni Philips herself, but not without help of several Guest Animators, responsible for the several scenes of unique animation styles, reserved mostly for character vignettes. Everything is colorful, bouncy, defined a little twitchy, but most importantly: Alive. Barber is a joy to watch in motion, and unlike anything you’ll come across without a dedicated search.

The sound and music of the movie is every part bouncy, colorful, and defined as the animation. The soundtrack by Dylan Kanner is one that compliments the action  with quirky fun ambient beats, or more sombre synths in slower moments, with full musical pieces opening, closing, and occasionally throughout the movie. I find myself coming back to a few tracks just to listen every now and then, especially For You (Barber Westchester version) and Look Around (at the World Around You).

While recorded in slightly varying levels of audio quality, the cast gives their all and every character has a personality that shines through in their writing and delivery. Chris Kim (also a guest animator!) provides the voice for the Barber and does a hell of a job doing it. Barber wouldn’t be what it is without them.

It’s good in like every way, sure, but who is this for?

Barber Westchester, ultimately, will shine the brightest for fans of Indie films, queer art, weird and experimental stuff, stories that play with the concept of reality, and stories that like to focus on one soul’s connection with everything else. It isn’t easily approachable for any old Joe off the street, but if you think you might be interested, absolutely give Secrets and Lies in a Town of Sinners a viewing. If you like one, you’ll like the other.

Barber Westchester: Parrots outta 10

[rickchung]

The Holdovers (dir. Alexander Payne) x TIFF 2023.

Payne takes several simple premises, ideas, and well-worn character archetypes to make a touching, heartfelt film fully reminiscent of its nostalgic time period. The Holdovers sets a clear mood and vibe to the story's Northeastern setting while aping its snowy Christmas timeframe to unfold some pleasantly entertaining character development. It almost makes you want to spend an isolated winter holiday season trapped alone with [Paul] Giamatti and [Da'Vine Joy] Randolph.

[cinemistery]

Cry-Baby (1990)