People will speak with dueling dichotomy and similarity that nothing is more simple, and yet more complicated, than life and death. The plainness comes in the inevitability of the outcome no matter the the journey, while the complexity lies in the individual beauty of each life’s path. In a symphonic microcosm of eight minutes, the short film “Endless Waltz” paints its portrait of beauty giving way to finality with utter perfection.
Read MoreCloying as it may be to some, “The Sea of Trees” still contains a poetry and a message of forced reflection and vitality with incorporeal nudges. These are touchy musings, for sure. Audiences that have the reflective capacity for tapping into those feelings and fears will appreciate this effort and the dedicated performances. Close-hearted and discomforted cynics that do not will flatly dismiss it instead and tell you (and it) to keep your feelings to yourself. This writer is openly capable of being in the first audience welcoming the deep thoughts.
Read MoreLeave it to renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog to hit you with a buffet's worth of food for thought. His musings on the origins of the internet and its growing ramifications, both positive and negative, on this modern world are sternly served in his new documentary "Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World." Scintillating one minute and sobering the next, this film is required viewing for anyone who has seen how far we've come with connectivity and wonders fearfully just how high this Icarus of technology can fly towards the Sun before it melts and crashes back to Earth.
Read MoreAs a clever and unusual experiment, “Level Up” maintains a sobering edge of straight-faced menace. Set to the electronica of the British musical duo Plaid, any sense of humor is present purely as a WTF moment of reminder of this scenario’s gonzo craziness. Targeting the metaphor of video game violence, once the clues bear fruit and darker confrontations ensue, “Level Up” earns your twisted interest and delivers on its high-concept potential with an adequate amount of thrill.
Read More”Blood Father” resurrects the cagey and fierce Mel Gibson. Languishing on an invisible black list, the “Braveheart” Oscar winner is living in a new age demographic and hoping to crack back into the larger spotlight. Mel might not be able to leap through dozens of stunt sequences anymore, but the man has lost none of his psychological vigor or resolve. His brand of crazy still works in this throwback actioner.
Read MoreTo the uninformed, “Batman: The Killing Joke,” a one-shot written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brian Bolland, is a blistering 64-page classic of grim madness that fleshes out the most widely-accepted and definitive origin story of Batman’s greatest villain, The Joker. The graphic novel routinely, after nearly thirty years, tops the lists of the best Joker stories, and even overall Batman stories, ever told on the comic page. Filled with rated-R level violence and disturbing content, this is not your Saturday morning or weekday afternoon Batman story.
Read MoreYoung writer-director Drake Doremus has carved out a reputable niche in the romantic drama department. Many of the Sundance darling's films feature a prominent theme of longing love. That motif is on full display and meshed with mindful science fiction in his new film "Equals." Starring Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart and backed by Ridley Scott, the film is making a limited theatrical run alongside a full release on VOD marketplaces. Mindful doesn’t exactly equal poignancy on the scale of desired response.
Read MoreShort films have the unenviable creative and artistic challenge of time limitation. By design, they have a brief window to cut the BS, grab your attention, spin its narrative, and create resonance. Simplicity is key and nuance takes over for sprawl. A razor sharp example of a short film that checks those boxes with raised eyebrows and quick captivation is local Chicago filmmaker Matthew Weinstein’s “The Gun Equation.” His short film plays at the 2016 Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival which runs from July 24-31 at the AMC Randhurst 12 theater in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
Read MoreCynical critics and audiences will likely pontificate a headline of “Russell Crowe Goes Soft!” after watching his lead work in his new film “Fathers and Daughters” from “Pursuit of Happyness” director Gabriele Muccino. Watching the “Gladiator” Oscar winner play an ardent father of a heavy ensemble drama is a role that does not require the temperamental violence that normally fronts for the inner honor and heart we know resides inside many of the Australian tough guy’s most memorable roles. For once, he lets love do the talking instead of his fists.
Read MoreThere's room for film noir that can inhabit real places and plausible people while still having all the necessary ingredients to make them as cool as the genre demands. With a deep homage to noir coupled with a big dose of 1970's-esque conspiracy thrillers, director Jenna Ricker, in her second feature film, presents "The American Side" starring her Greg Stuhr and a notable ensemble cast. Using upstate New York, Ricker has created a living and breathing seedy side out a wholesome American city and tourist destination. As a film, "The American Side" is satisfying and a constantly engaging throwback detective story that surpasses its glitzy and more expensive Hollywood peer "The Nice Guys."
Read MoreBack in January, I introduced you to my involvement on BAG Movies as one of their "PRO" critics and contributors. In April, I was one of their inaugural "Critics of the Month." As of today, I've logged over 650 reviews on their site. I am happy to report that BAG Movies has gotten a massive facelift making it even more organized, personalized, and interactive than before. Their new-and-improved website just launched here in June 2016.
Read MoreWhile watching a film about dysfunctional relationships, regardless of its drama or comedy slant, one cannot help but measure their own relationship against the examples they are observing on screen. The judgmental reactions, either spoken or unspoken, cannot be contained. To capitalize on that drawing power without going to far, frankness and believability become key. Debuting on VOD on June 3, the film festival favorite "BFFs" can call those two storytelling essentials allies and welcomes the fun of esteem-boosting judging.
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