Tag: Film Review

Movie Review

2015 Dances With Films Review: “Barn Wedding” Directed by Shaun Benson

  By: Ellexia Nguyen Shot in Guelph, Ontario, “Barn Wedding” is a dramedy that shows the unexpected surprises leading up to the wedding day of Fashion Blogger Emma (played by Emily Coutts) and her longtime boyfriend Colin (played by Brett Donahue). After finding out that she has to move her summer wedding up six months, Emma is set on having her wedding in a barn … Continue reading 2015 Dances With Films Review: “Barn Wedding” Directed by Shaun Benson

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Movie Review, Social Issues

2015 New Media Film Festival Documentary Review: “Counter Histories – Rock Hill”

By:  Ellexia Nguyen Counter Histories: Rock Hill, is a moving documentary that combines re-enactments and candid interviews to tell the story of nine African-American men, known as the Friendship 9, who sat at McCrory’s lunch counter and were mistreated because of their race. They asked for a cup of coffee and were denied service. The incident unfolded in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on January 31st, … Continue reading 2015 New Media Film Festival Documentary Review: “Counter Histories – Rock Hill”

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Arts

2015 Filmquest Film Festival Review: “Waste Paper” Directed by UCLA Alumni Derrick D. Pete

  By: Ellexia Nguyen Created under the talented vision of writer and director Derrick D. Pete, “Waste Paper” is a Live Action and CGI Animation Short film that tells the story of a cartoon illustration that gets thrown in the waste basket by its Animator. It’s a visually engaging film about a “throw-away” cartoon illustration, Owiti (played by Mykee Selkin), who must find the courage … Continue reading 2015 Filmquest Film Festival Review: “Waste Paper” Directed by UCLA Alumni Derrick D. Pete

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Movie Review

Dances With Films Review: “Ablution”, A Family Conflicted And In Turmoil

By: Kareem Williams “Ablution” is a great movie with a story line that will blow you away. I believe we as humans have the struggle of being pure when it comes to religion; when at the end of the day, nobody is pure. “Ablution” is about a Muslim family, who have lost their father figure in the home, leaving the mother, AFSANEH (Nina Nayebi) upset with … Continue reading Dances With Films Review: “Ablution”, A Family Conflicted And In Turmoil

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Movie Review

A Tale Of Life’s Journey In The Twilight Years: A Review of “I’ll See you I My Dreams”

  By Lacy Darryl Phillips As one gets older, one tends to say that their life is over. We  forget how to live a full and meaningful life as we age with time. In the wonderfully done film “I’ll See You In My Dreams” it shows that life actually gets better as you get older. There are ups and downs with loss and mistakes, but there … Continue reading A Tale Of Life’s Journey In The Twilight Years: A Review of “I’ll See you I My Dreams”

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Movie Review

2015 SOHO International Film Festival Review: “Leaves Of The Tree” A Profoundly Inspirational Film

By Monteque Pope-Le Beau There is a line that divides humanity and divinity… In the wake of the ills of life all  depart and fall away leaving no answer to the questions which loom unmercifully like a dark cloud in the sky. A man stands at the crossroads of life waiting as death slowly approaches.  A tree stands in the field of a foreign land … Continue reading 2015 SOHO International Film Festival Review: “Leaves Of The Tree” A Profoundly Inspirational Film

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Arts

“Revolution” A time of action

  By: Adrienne Vaught Join the Revolution! It’s NEVER too late! Using Earth Day to jumpstart a global conservation fundraising effort, director Rob Stewart has following up on his hit documentary “SHARKWATER” with the multiple award-winning “REVOLUTION”. The film was released on Earth Day, April 22, 2015. As part of a unique distribution strategy, Filmmaker Rob Stewart offered the film to the conservation community as a … Continue reading “Revolution” A time of action

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Movie Review

2015 Louisiana Film Festival Review: Girl On The Edge Review

By:  Adrienne Vaught Based on a true story “Girl On The Edge” is a film every parent and young adult MUST see! Filmmaker Jay Silverman recounts the very real story of the vulnerable young Hanna Green with unrestricted and unsupervised access to the dangerous world of social media. A parent’s worst nightmares come to life. We find the broken and beautiful girl played exquisitely by  Taylor Spreitler standing … Continue reading 2015 Louisiana Film Festival Review: Girl On The Edge Review

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Movie Review

The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Review: Time and Talent Too Beautiful to Lose: A Review of “Better to Live”

By: Vernon Nickerson Linda G. Mills’ gem of a short film, “Better To Live” had its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Plus it was THE OFFICIAL SELECTION of the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. “Better To Live” showcases the “heartbeat” of New York City- its creative young adults – even as it provocatively highlights how they speak out to their peers about the complex issues of coming out, … Continue reading The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Review: Time and Talent Too Beautiful to Lose: A Review of “Better to Live”

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Movie Review

We Have Met The “Frenemy” and IT IS US: A Review of Requiem for the American Dream Which Will Premiere At The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival

By:  Vernon Nickerson The writing and directing team of Peter D. Hutchinson, Kelly Nyks, and Jared P. Scott have  struck pure gold with their new documentary featuring the fact – based reflections of Dr. Noam Chomsky, distinguished linguistics scholar, intellectual and participant observer in the epic history of the United States over the last half – century.  The four years spent filming Professor Chomsky, who … Continue reading We Have Met The “Frenemy” and IT IS US: A Review of Requiem for the American Dream Which Will Premiere At The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival

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Movie Review

WOW! You must run, don’t walk to catch Marco Kalantari’s featured short, “The Shaman” at The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival!

By: Vernon Nickerson Excellent high-quality production values (sets, costumes, 3-d imagery, etc.) combine with a superb cast ably lead by Danny Shayler as the title character and Susanne Wuest as his nemesis, Colossus, to transport us completely to a post apocalyptic 2204 world that has seen 73 years of continuous war. In this dark time, Shaman’s (our heroes) track and convert the souls of their … Continue reading WOW! You must run, don’t walk to catch Marco Kalantari’s featured short, “The Shaman” at The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival!

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Movie Review

Let’s Make A Movie, People! A Review of Max Finnernan’s Feature Film “The Shells” From 2015 The Phoenix Film Festival

    By: Vernon Nickerson The film “The Shells” had its world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival on Friday, March 27th. It was a little film with quite a few big surprises. Writer/Director/Producer Max Finnernan uses a sexy and comically smarmy male lead, “The Director/Producer Manny” (Erik Heger) to spin an interesting and engaging science fiction yarn involving government-sponsored mind control experiments and a … Continue reading Let’s Make A Movie, People! A Review of Max Finnernan’s Feature Film “The Shells” From 2015 The Phoenix Film Festival

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Movie Review

“Plain Clothes ” The Light And Darkness of the PTSD

By: Austin Winter-Chase   This is a deeply moving and insightful film about PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the  toll it takes  on one’s life “Plain Clothes” is written and directed by Sam Jaeger (Parenthood, American Sniper) who also stars as Officer Cole. Officer Cole is a person struggling to balance his dark and stressful work with his family life. It is hard but  Officer Cole is doing … Continue reading “Plain Clothes ” The Light And Darkness of the PTSD

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Movie Review

Divinely-Ordered Serendipity = Finding Vivian Maier

  By: Vernon Nickerson The writer-director dynamic duo of John Maloof and Charlie Siskel unite their creative powers to exquisitely present the heroic, tragic and thoroughly entertaining documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier”.  Ms. Maier, an amazing and prolific street photographer masquerading as a nanny for children of the final half of the 20th century, is a heroine of sorts herself by the end of Maloof and Siskel’s … Continue reading Divinely-Ordered Serendipity = Finding Vivian Maier

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Movie Review

And a little child shall lead them: Rusty Cundieff’s new feature film, “White Water”

By: Vernon Nickerson Perhaps the most powerful thing about Director Rusty Cundieff’s film, “White Water” is its ability to tell a based-upon-real-events story of the segregated community of Opelika, Alabama in 1963 to a new generation of children and their parents. The screen play, written by the team of Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, is an adaptation of the childrens’ book of the same name … Continue reading And a little child shall lead them: Rusty Cundieff’s new feature film, “White Water”

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Movie Review

Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality: A review of Shira Geffen’s film, Self-Made

  By: Vernon Nickerson Written and directed by Shira Geffen, Self Made tells the story of two women – one Israeli, the other Palestinian- who are trapped within their respective worlds. After a mix-up at a checkpoint, they find themselves living the life of the other on the opposite side of the border.  I found the story particularly compelling and provocative because all of it … Continue reading Blurring the lines between fantasy and reality: A review of Shira Geffen’s film, Self-Made

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Movie Review

“Love Hunter”: An America Story

  By: Monteque Pope-Le Beau Love Hunter is a wonderful story about reaching out and following ones dreams at the same time it is a cautionary tale about what happens when one stops caring and thinking about others. It is here when a person can becomes lost in a world of their own making,  solely thinking about themselves and their needs.   In the 1990’s, … Continue reading “Love Hunter”: An America Story

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Movie Review, Social Issues

The simple power of abiding love, Slamdance 2015 feature film Reveiw: “THE RESURRECTION OF JAKE THE SNAKE ROBERTS”

  By: Vernon Nickerson It took a village to raise former professional wrestling star Jake “The Snake” Roberts  from the depths of alcohol and substance abuse that almost ate him alive in Writer-Director Steve Yu’s documentary feature film, THE “RESURRECTION OF JAKE THE SNAKE ROBERTS”. Watching how a team of helping professionals and other wrestlers in recovery from their addictions came alongside their friend and … Continue reading The simple power of abiding love, Slamdance 2015 feature film Reveiw: “THE RESURRECTION OF JAKE THE SNAKE ROBERTS”

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Movie Review

Getting your sexy/gory/bloody movie freak on with “Clinger”, a 2015 Slamdance Festival selection

By: Vernon Nickerson Clinger, a 2015 Slamdance Festival Selection and the first feature film of the creative team of Director Michael Steves and Co-writers Bubba Fish and Gabi Chennisi Duncombe is a funhouse ride of a film.  Jennifer Laporte (Fern Petersen) and Vincente Martella (Robert Klingher her creepily attentive and aptly-named first love) make the most of a good story and strong supporting cast in … Continue reading Getting your sexy/gory/bloody movie freak on with “Clinger”, a 2015 Slamdance Festival selection

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