Tag: Spoiler-Free

I admire meditative films that explore the depth of emotion in a situation – and Shudderbugs is a wonderful example of just such a film. Written, starring, and directed by Johanna Putnam, Shudderbugs is a beautiful, sensitive, and subtle psychological thriller that chronicles a woman’s unraveling psyche as she deals with the death of her mother. I’m not the only one to be smitten – the film has won several awards – including the Indie Spirit, Rising Star (Naples International Film Fest), Best Actress (Kansas City Film Fest), Best Director, Best Screenplay (Idyllwild International Fest), Indie Auteur of the Year (Bare Bones International Film Fest), Festival Director’s Choice (Cinema on the Bayou), and Special Jury Mention (Oxford Film Fest). And I’m certain that there are more awards to come for this one!

Shudderbugs‘ opens with a soundscape that envelops the mind before the visuals start, finding its way to the question, ‘Miss Cole…Miss Cole, do you know where you’re going?’ and this is the very question we spend exploring with Sam Cole (Johanna Putnam) throughout Shudderbugs. The layered, compelling sounds and bright image of Sam staring upwards at us feels Lynchian, and that feeling continues as the score seeps in and we see Sam driving through a rural landscape. The deliberate and pacing of Shudderbugs allows for an air of disquiet as Sam approaches her childhood home.

Sam’s mother died suddenly, but that isn’t the only mystery that Sam discovers once she arrives at the house. The mysteries continue as Sam explores her childhood home, where her mother’s presence and intentions are felt throughout. While this was her home, the score, soundscape, and atmosphere make it feel instead like a liminal space residing between her childhood and her future that she must traverse. She finds things never before seen and things missing, and is left with more questions than when she arrived.

The creeping feeling of dread mounts as she interacts with her only neighbor, Noah, played by Brennan Brooks, who is also the Director of Photography and a Producer on the film. Noah was the one to find the body, and he isn’t forthcoming with information – and is obviously uncomfortable with Sam’s presence. As the grief-stricken Sam seeks answers, she’s gripped more and more by paranoia. She questions her own ability to handle the quickly escalating situation. The more she is isolated, the more she is pulled by the forces of grief and a growing paranoia that she must process. To find the answers she is frantically seeking will require her to follow trails of clues left around her – and more importantly, to not lose herself in the sea of grief.

Shudderbugs was filmed during the pandemic. Putnam, Brooks, and editor/producer Jamie Unruh embraced the limitations that the lockdowns created, and remained focused on the elements available to them: a beautiful location, compelling and organic performances . . . and lots of noisy, fluttery, beautiful bugs. Their years of experience and love of cinema created an poignant and emotional film that stays in the mind and near the heart. The original score by Eric Elterman elevates and heightens the atmosphere, without overwhelming some of the other delicate moments of sound design.

Shudderbugs is an achingly beautiful film – each detail lends itself to the story and atmosphere. Heartfelt and sincere, I shared Sam’s grief, triumphs, and fears on her journey. Johanna Putnam conveys the ravages of grief in such a compelling way I found myself shedding a cathartic tear more than once. Brennan Brooks’ performance as Noah was so true to life it felt as if he had stepped out of my own small-town past.

While Shudderbugs explores the character of grief and a host of other uncomfortable emotions, it’s never so much as to turn maudlin – the humor sprinkled throughout is perfectly timed to give release after exceptionally tense moments. It is a powerful portrayal of a woman who is tossed about by her grief in an isolated world of mystery, paranoia, and discovery.

It will be screening at the upcoming Macon Film Festival August 17 – 20, the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival on Friday, August 25th, and the Richmond International Film and Musical Festival on September 27th. You can find out more information about upcoming screenings on their linkpage, or their website.

Shudderbugs is a stunning, multi-layered film that bravely explores the strange places that grief can lead us. If you enjoy beautifully textured movies with a strong emotional center, immersive soundscapes, lovely landscapes, and compelling performances that you can’t help but feel straight in your heart, Shudderbugs is a beautifully crafted film that is well worth your time.

Cosmic Disco Detective Rene is a sequel to The Secret Society for Slow Romance, but it’s not the type of sequel that retreads the beats. Instead, NYC-based independent filmmaker Sujewa Ekanayake treats us to the same characters in an entirely different genre: a sci-fi comedy romp. Just as I loved The Secret Society for Slow Romance, I instantly fell in love with this quirky, funny slice-of-an-interesting life film.

While it’s a sci-fi comedy, at the heart of Cosmic Disco Detective Rene is a mystery: Are there immortal time travelers? Are they a threat? Do they meant to disrupt the past? What should be done?

You might look at the above and think, “but what does that have to do with disco?” I’m so very glad you asked — Rene (Sujewa Ekanayake), the independent filmmaker that also happens to be North America’s happiest person, is also a detective – and a busy one at that. Rene solves his cases by listening to the background noise of the universe, which just so happens to be disco music. The government has a problem – and they need an innovative detective like Rene to help them determine how to proceed. Independent Filmmaker / Government Agent Ithihasaya (Genoveva Rossi) engages Rene to help advise the government on how to proceed. That’s not all that Rene has on his plate, as we also meet Chitrapati (Natalie Osborne), an independent filmmaker / film critic / theater owner who is interviewing Rene about the history of New York City independent cinema. The film covers his search for the answers to why the time travelers are among us and we get a glimpse of that process – from brainstorming the possibilities with Allyson (Alia Lorae), to checking the groove of the universe.

If you read a lot of my film reviews or hear me talk about film, I often talk about how effective an filmmaker is at building a world and sticking to its rules – and here Ekanayake builds an immensely entertaining world very close to ours – with a mystery all of its own. The funny, hopeful, and spirited sci-fi comedy explores concepts such a simulation theory and multiple dimensions without bogging down the text with technical details. Instead, we’re free to explore philosophical ideas with Rene as he tries to solve the mystery of these immortal time travelers, and what they might be doing in our time. As in its predecessor, we also spend a lot of time with Allyson as she navigates her evolving life and interests. Cosmic Disco Detective Rene reveres its characters as much as it relishes its New York City setting, elevating the city, and specifically Sunset Park, to near-character status.

One of the things that captivated me about The Secret Society for Slow Romance was how the characters talked and related to each other – and Cosmic Disco Detective Rene delivers even more amazing conversations, and introduces two brand new characters to get to know. Every character is an independent filmmaker with a different focus, and each brings a unique perspective on a range of topics – from the impact of colonialism on movie reviews to how Hollywood excludes the voices of those with unique stories and ideas. These ideas are important, and relevant to our conversations around the stories we humans tell ourselves – and it’s refreshing to have them explored outright.

One of the reasons I love independent film is that it allows people to tell more interesting and daring stories that aren’t forced to conform to the interests of a boardroom. I have learned more about my world and the people in it since exploring independent film.

Delightfully, Cosmic Disco Detective Rene is smart and laugh out loud funny without pretension or artifice, and instead allows the audience space to relish life’s absurdities. The movie’s performances were engaging and organic, and each detail within the scenes enhanced and supported the story. It stayed true in moments to its slow cinematic roots from the Secret Society for Slow Romance by allowing frames and moments to linger.

While the Secret Society for Slow Romance asked if independent film solve world poverty – Cosmic Disco Detective Rene demonstrates that independent filmmakers can bring insight and clarity to many other problems.

Cosmic Disco Detective Rene is a feel-good, uplifting movie that has an unmistakable vibe, and entertaining characters. It celebrates its setting of New York City, and its medium of independent film. It’s lovingly crafted, and features several homages to its inspirations and roots. Cosmic Disco Detective Rene isn’t just a sci-fi comedy -it also explores a variety of unexpected subjects with depth, and a big dose of humor. It isn’t just a celebration of independent cinema, it represents the exact sort of stories that people who love indie film seek.

If you’re looking for a fun, interesting story that has a lot of rewatchability, laugh out loud moments, and memorable characters – you’ll really enjoy Cosmic Disco Detective Rene.

Cosmic Disco Detective Rene will be screening at the Laemmle Theater in Glendale as part of the Indie Discovery LA Film Series (IDLA), where it will have 7 theatrical screenings. There will also be weekly virtual screenings with Q&A’s following the film. For more information go to the Indie Discovery LA Film Series website.

Trigger Warning: Perfectly Good Moment is definitely an adult-themed movie – and one that explores sex, abuse, and violence – so this review contains those sorts of subjects (and so does the film!).

Perfectly Good Moment is a smart psychosexual thriller that explores the relationship between Ruby (Amanda Jane Stern) and David(Stephen Carlile) – a relationship that started when she was 19 and he was 34. This film isn’t content to just play to the tropes – instead it refocuses, reinvigorates, and reshapes the entire genre. Perfectly Good Moment is a daring exploration of the power dynamic between Ruby and David. The award-winning, 72 minute long feature will be making its premiere in the Pacific Northwest as part of the three-day West Sound Film Festival. Perfecntly Good Moment will be showing Saturday, August 5th at SeeFilm Cinema in Bremerton, Washington. Tickets for the festival are available here.

Perfectly Good Moment engrossed me from its first moments, where we see Ruby and David meet, until its last. Each moment was effective at building a story I found to be both interesting and moving. The beautiful cinematography and engaging story create a well-paced multi-layered experience that is an effective, visceral exploration of Ruby and David’s toxic (and disturbingly common) relationship dynamic. The original score by Mdou Moctar’s Mikey Coltun is perfect in enhancing the mood of every scene. Instead of playing into the common view point often seen in erotic thrillers, Perfectly Good Moment makes bold and daring decisions that create space (and language) for further conversations.

This was part of the intent of both Lauren Greenhall (the film’s director) and writer/star Amanda Jane Stern. Stern developed and wrote the script from a story she co-wrote with producer Julian Seltzer.

Stern said, “We are in a moment of cultural reckoning about these stories. Time and time again, audiences have seen the age-gap relationship story told from the man’s perspective.”

This intent shines through, and instead of the common exploration of this relationship from the male gaze, Perfectly Good Moment centers Ruby’s expressions and experiences as we watch the relationship develop – and exhibit the common, cyclical patterns of abuse.

Because of the importance of sex and intimacy to the story, which covers challenging themes such as power, abuse, and violence, Greenhall, Stern, and Lead Actor Stephen Carlile all knew an intimacy coordinator was vital. Intimacy Coordinator Acacia DëQueer ensured that everyone’s boundaries were respected and that everyone felt safe during the process of filming.

Amanda Jane Stern and Stephen Carlile not only give stellar performances , but create varying tension between them as we move through their story. It’s so palpable it feels as though the relationship itself is a character in and of itself that holds them in thrall. His abuse escalates from the emotional and mental abuse of dismissing her and her job to something far more dangerous.

Every moment of Perfectly Good Moment shows the passion and dedication to the story and a reverence for the feelings and experiences that inspired it. I admire its bravery and emotional intelligence, and the fearless performances of Stern and Carlile make this film a must-watch for those who wish the standard May-December romance story was retold from the feminine perspective. Carlile gives an amazing performance as the insecure control-seeking David, who is ultimately seeking of a life made of only perfectly good moments. Stern shines as Ruby – not only is she able to embody the naive, craving young woman who meets David – but also the abuse-tempered Ruby who returns to see David again. . .

I don’t want to give too much away, because I want you to be able to enjoy this gem for yourself. For sure try and catch it at the West Sound Film Festival – it’s lovely cinematography, conscientious foley (there were some inspired sound moments!), and amazing score would make a positive delight to experience on the big screen.

What struck me most about Six Days to Die was its fearlessness in being something different. It’s highly stylized, and often I felt as though I was watching a graphic novel spring to life. Six Days to Die is an exciting, innovative, fantastical sci-fi western. This genre-bending film may not be for everyone, but the ones it’s for will love it. It features a rich, fully-realized world with unforgettable characters. If you enjoy emblematic, epic stories like “The Dark Tower,” are a fan of Westerns, have spent hours playing Red Dead Redemption 2, or enjoy highly-stylized productions — this is definitely a film you don’t want to miss.

This isn’t writer / director Matthew Campagna’s first foray into his “6 Verse,” but the story and production of Six Days to Die is so well-designed it didn’t matter that I hadn’t seen its predecessor, Six Reasons Why. Six Days to Die opens on a man known only as The Gambler (Darryl Hinds), as he makes his way through a punishing, viscerally familiar (yet surreal) landscape. He drags a heavy, skin-biting chain as he limps his way eastward. That’s all you need to know. The story unfolds as he navigates a cruel, punishing desert. Not far behind him is a person known as The Marshal (Melissa D’Agostino), who is quickly established to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as she is relentless in her pursuit eastward. When The Gambler encounters The Boy (Ellery Miki-Petite) in a strange oil town, The Gambler comes to realize he has several tough decisions to make.

The biggest selling point for me with any film is its ability to create and maintain a compelling world, and to follow its rules – and Six Days to Die excels at its world-building. Every element of the production’s design is done in such a way it contributes to the mood and visual language of the story. In addition to its rich visual language, Six Days to Die has sound design and music that adds effective soundscapes to the story.

The costumes are particularly exquisite and detailed – from the design of the Marshal’s deep red ‘hero coat’ to The Gambler’s brocade suit, and including a particularly lovely and sparkly dress, each piece tells a story of its own and adds to the character. I am sure costume designer Vanessa Lee Wishart spent a lot of time stressing over the choices, but the results are sublime.

The performances are evocative and interesting. Darryl Hinds at The Gambler is sympathetic, mysterious, and charmingly funny. Melissa D’Agostino gives a powerful, magnetic performance as The Marshal – her presence is felt even in the scenes she’s not in. Once I met her, thoughts of her relentless character were never far from my mind. Ellery Miki-Petite’s performance is dynamic and interesting. Colm Feore brings the necessary gravitas and force to his character, named ‘The Man in Black.’

I had an amazing time watching Six Days to Die and enjoyed the story so much I immediately wanted more. If you enjoy movies where it feels as if each frame is a work of art within itself, or want a good Western told in an innovative way, you’ll enjoy Six Days to Die.

To find out more about Six Days to Die, you can look at its website at http://www.6d2d.com/ or by following 6Days2Die on Twitter or 6Days2Die on Instagram. Even more exciting, if you want to be able to see this movie on the big screen (and boy would I ever recommend it!), it will be screening as part of the Indie Discovery LA Film Series at The Laemmle Theater in Glendale.

The Laemmle family has been in film since the beginning, and ‘Only in Theaters’ chronicles this iconic family’s impact on cinema, in particular the impact of the chain of theaters in Southern California bearing their name and run by CEO Greg Laemmle. Opening at the Laemmle family’s Shabbat table, the documentary weaves images and film from their family archives, interviews with influential figures in film, and family celebrations and reminisces with footage that director Raphael Sbarge captured during 24 extraordinarily turbulent months for the revered theater chain.

It’s a wise thing to focus on the theater chain, because the scope of the documentary would be too large should it try to encompass the impact of the Laemmle family – which can’t be overstated. Not only did Carl Laemmle save the lives of 300 German Jews, but he also began an unforgettable legacy of uplifting independent voices in Hollywood.

Carl Laemmle, A German immigrant who came to the United states in 1884, may have started working in retail and dry goods, but it all changed when he first glimpsed a nickelodeon. Laemmle would stand against Edison’s Motion Picture Patents Company. Laemmle’s successful challenge broke Edison’s monopoly of moving pictures.

Laemmle would go on to form Universal Studios, but without his innovations in marketing (for individual actors) and location (moving west) the history of motion pictures would be entirely different.

While telling some of the storied history of the Laemmle family is important to “Only in Theaters,” the focus is on the 84-year-old Southern California theater chain. Initially intended by the director as a more brief project that would encompass the challenges faced by the arthouse change in the face of waning ticket sales due to streaming technology, and the contemplation of a buyout, the documentary also encompasses the challenges faced by the family-owned chain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Only in Theaters’ is engaging with the way it explores the history and challenges faced by the Laemmle family and its business, but what stuck with me more was the movie’s celebration of theater-going itself. It includes many stories of movie-going experiences: first dates, inspirational, life-altering experiences, and important premieres that happened at Laemmle theaters. As the documentary demonstrates, there’s something magical that happens in a movie theater, and central to the documentary is that movie theaters are storytelling spaces of vital importance: and this is true of Laemmle theaters in particular.

I think anyone who has seen a movie in a theater agrees. There’s something special about it: from the beautiful, large spaces to the collective energy of the crowd giving itself over to the fictional dream.

In an interview for the Jewish Journal, Greg Laemmle shared his observations made as he toured with ‘Only in Theaters.’ “As much as films are struggling right now, event cinema screenings are doing very well,” he said. “We make every screening a little special. It’s much more important now to appear at the screenings and talk to audiences afterwards.” I’ve certainly been to such an event screening recently to see Tommy Wiseau’s Big Shark (and Tommy Wiseau has a history of screening ‘The Room’ at … you guessed it, Laemmle theaters. Such event cinema screenings offer a lifeline to small theaters seeking to find their audience in the post-pandemic, post-streaming world.

‘Only in Theaters’ isn’t just about 24 months in the history of Laemmle Theaters – that would have been compelling enough, though! It’s also a celebration of independent cinema in general. It honors the cultural legacy of these spaces dedicated to collective experience, elevating them as sacred. After watching it, my first impulse was to go out to see a movie.

Obviously, I’d say the best way to see this engaging, vibrant, and interesting documentary is to head to a Laemmle theater – or your local independent theater. There’s a schedule of events for it here. But if you can’t make it to one of those, ‘Only in Theaters’ will be streaming on Amazon starting May 2nd.