A Hero You Never Knew in ‘Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.’

Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin Rating: 9/10 Director: Todd Komarnicki Writer: Todd Komarnicki Style: Drama/ Thriller/ Biopic Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes Rating: PG-13 Review by Mike Szymanski Great filmmakers still find true stories in past heroes that have yet to be told. Who could possibly imagine that someone of heroic proportions involved in WWII has not already been canonized in a great movie. Komarnicki became … Continue reading A Hero You Never Knew in ‘Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.’

Emotional, Educational, Entertaining and Experimental

By Jamie Lynn As someone that has lived in Nashville since 2002 this film moved me to my core! The changes have been bitter/sweet! Change is inevitable where ever we go. You have to take the good with the bad! With that being said it is heartbreaking to see big cooperations come in annihilate these smaller businesses! In 1950 Nashville, Tennessee was dubbed “Music City … Continue reading Emotional, Educational, Entertaining and Experimental

See and Hear an Up-and-Coming Great Film Hyphenate Moviemaker if You ‘Listen Carefully’

“Listen Carefully” Rating: 8/10 Director and Writer: Ryan Barton-Grimley Style: Horror Time: 1 hour 22 minutes Trailer: https://vimeo.com/953775859 Review by Mike Szymanski Sometimes big things come in little packages, and this odd quirky indy film is one of those. In a film noir motif (actually, everything is really pretty dark in the entire film), it has a small cast with oddball characters, misguided motives and dark … Continue reading See and Hear an Up-and-Coming Great Film Hyphenate Moviemaker if You ‘Listen Carefully’

Jean-Claude Van Damme is Back in Gritty Noir Action Thriller ‘Darkness of Man’

“Darkness of Man” Rating: 8/10 Director: James Cullen Bressack Writer: Alethea Cho and James Cullen Bressack Style: Action / Thriller Time: 1 hour 48 minutes Rated: R Review by Mike Szymanski It’s great to see Jean-Claude Van Damme in a gritty crime drama after the rumors that he was hanging up his martial arts belt. Apparently, if there’s anyone who can keep him going in … Continue reading Jean-Claude Van Damme is Back in Gritty Noir Action Thriller ‘Darkness of Man’

A Wild and Crazy Take on ‘The Take Out Move’ 

The Take Out Move Rating: 7/10 Director and Writer: Andrew Simonian Style: Comedy Time: 74 minutes Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV2stp7Md6s Rating: R Review by Mike Szymanski This clever comedy is like a small-scale “Animal House” where two guys try to fulfill some assignments to get into a fraternity. It’s rife with all the dick jokes you can handle, and as juvenile as that may sound to you at … Continue reading A Wild and Crazy Take on ‘The Take Out Move’ 

Fencesitter Films Creates a Unique Film Festival for All Shades

By Mike Szymanski All kinds of film festivals exist: those focused on vampires, or cannabis, or veganism. Filmmaker Kyle Schickner’s has dreamt for the past three decades to have a festival of movies that cater to his specific interests: telling stories that focus on women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ communities. Of course, some quite prominent individual film festivals exist for each of those, … Continue reading Fencesitter Films Creates a Unique Film Festival for All Shades

The Secrets in this ‘Detained’ Mystery Don’t Hold Back

· Detained Rating: 8/10 Director: Felipe Mucci Writers: Jeremy Palmer and Felipe Mucci Style: Thriller Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes: Review by Mike Szymanski Buckle-up for a dark and mysterious ride that takes you on a rollercoaster ride of deception and intrigue. Noirish and simple, this thriller is continuously enjoyable and unpredictable. Abbie Cornish (from “Jack Ryan”) plays a seemingly befuddle woman named Rebecca … Continue reading The Secrets in this ‘Detained’ Mystery Don’t Hold Back

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Fusing Art, Community, and Social Responsibility to Create a Brighter Future

Dreamweaverarts is thrilled to announce its participation in the upcoming Giving Tuesday event on November 28, 2023. We are honored to be a part of this wonderful initiative. The Dreamweaverarts’s mission is to create a community platform that promotes art while addressing pressing issues of our time, such as food, housing, education, health, environmental, and job insecurities. At Dreamweaverarts, we truly believe that art can … Continue reading Fusing Art, Community, and Social Responsibility to Create a Brighter Future

The Play ‘Bisexual Sadness’ Explores What a Bi Person Sacrifices When it Looks Like They’re Going Straight

Despite its title, the provocative play “Bisexual Sadness” is more funny than sad. It will get you thinking, but it won’t make you cry. And, I guarantee it will make you laugh. “I wanted to show what it means for a bi person to be open in a heterosexual relationship, and how some people in the community react,” says playwright India Kotis, who is 26, … Continue reading The Play ‘Bisexual Sadness’ Explores What a Bi Person Sacrifices When it Looks Like They’re Going Straight

Indie Sci-Fi Gem ‘Project Dorothy’ Doesn’t Allow for Easy Surrender

Project Dorothy Rating: 7/10 Director: George Henry Horton Writers: George Henry Horton and Ryan Scaringe Style: Sci-fi thriller Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Review by Mike Szymanski Sometimes the best movies have a minimal cast, minimal special effects, and minimum amount of dialogue. These smaller indie movies are true gems, because it’s obvious that the filmmakers wanted to put out a good movie and used … Continue reading Indie Sci-Fi Gem ‘Project Dorothy’ Doesn’t Allow for Easy Surrender

A Dark Comedy with Irrepressible Kids is Family Fun in ‘Daddy’s Divas’

Daddy’s Divas Rating: 7/10 Directors: David Tittone Writers: David Torre and David Tittone Style: Comedy Time: 20 minutes Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=xHo2XOQ2zlA Review by Mike Szymanski This series of short, clever and funny stories about a widower and his three girls are about 20 minutes long each, and they are cute and enjoyable for the entire family. It’s hard to find edgy family comedy like this today. … Continue reading A Dark Comedy with Irrepressible Kids is Family Fun in ‘Daddy’s Divas’

If You Love B Horror Flicks You’ll Get Sucked Into ‘Mind Leech’

Mind Leech Rating: 8/10 Directors: Chris Cheeseman and Paul Krysinski Style: Horror/Comedy Time: 61 minutes Website: https://www.mindleech.com Review by Mike Szymanski If you love kitschy B-horror movies that are almost as funny as they are scary, you will easily get sucked into “Mind Leech.” I am one of those critics who loves to watch the B-horror Roger Corman-ish films over and over again, and I love … Continue reading If You Love B Horror Flicks You’ll Get Sucked Into ‘Mind Leech’

Some Powerful Film Finds at Slamdance 2023

By Mike Szymanski Don’t think of Slam Dance as an also-ran to Sundance! It is established by a wild bunch of filmmakers who wanted to showcase the unfiltered voice of independent artists, Slamdance is an ongoing experiment that has proven, year after year, when it comes to recognizing talent and launching careers, the independent and grassroots film communities can do it themselves. This year, Slamdance happened from … Continue reading Some Powerful Film Finds at Slamdance 2023

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Sundance Institute Award Recipients for Science in Film Initiative

Feature Film Prize Goes to The Pod Generation, Grantees Honored at Reception during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Institute Science-in-Film initiative with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation celebrated this year’s Feature Film Prize winner The Pod Generation directed by Sophie Barthes and the recipients of three artist grants for three projects in development at a reception following the Appetite for Construction panel at Filmmaker Lodge. The … Continue reading Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and Sundance Institute Award Recipients for Science in Film Initiative

Using The Luna Calendar For Gardeners

By Jannie Vaught For those of us who use a Moon Calendar to garden, January’s new moon will be January 21, 3:55 p.m. Using the Luna Calendar for gardeners. Gardening in harmony with the moon’s phases has been practiced for thousands of years. Farmers determined the best times to plant and harvest their crops. The gravitational pull of the moon affects the ocean tides, and … Continue reading Using The Luna Calendar For Gardeners

The Met Announces Co-Chairs for the Spring 2023 Costume Institute Benefit

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the co-chairs for The Costume Institute Benefit on May 1, 2023, in New York. Michaela Coel, Penélope Cruz, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa, and Anna Wintour will serve as the evening’s co-chairs. The dress code for the event will be “In honor of Karl.” The Benefit (also known as The Met Gala®) takes place annually on the first Monday … Continue reading The Met Announces Co-Chairs for the Spring 2023 Costume Institute Benefit

2023 Sundance Film Festival To Go “Beyond Film”Lineup of Conversations Announced

Additional Institute and Partner Programming to Round Out Public Offerings at Festival The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced the lineup for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Beyond Film conversations, all of which are open to the public. Made up of three series called Power of Story, Cinema Café, and The Big Conversation, Beyond Film rounds out the Festival experience, providing a place for the community to engage through artist … Continue reading 2023 Sundance Film Festival To Go “Beyond Film”Lineup of Conversations Announced

Feature Lineup for Slamdance 2023

The lineup for Narrative Features Competition, Documentary Features Competition, Breakouts, and Unstoppable features for the 29th Slamdance Film Festival. With titles hailing from all over the globe and jam-packed with premieres, the 2023 festival continues the legacy of discovering fresh and influential new voices. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION: The Girl Who Was Cursed – (The Netherlands) North American PremiereDirector: Zara Dwinger; Screenwriter: Zara Dwinger; Producers: Layla Meijman & … Continue reading Feature Lineup for Slamdance 2023