Young 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.
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Short 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.
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Back 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.
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While 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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When a crime is committed, an unfortunate convergence of fate, luck, and coincidence occrs between people that would otherwise be strangers. The violent and emotional sting of that event then spreads to the family and friends of all parties involved, from perpetrator to victim. Like ripples in a pond, one incident can affect dozens. Actor/director Tim Blake Nelson's new film and fifth directorial feature, "Anesthesia," probes that social reverberation in a provocative way.
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For quite some time, I've been meaning to add more momentum and engagement to my presence on Facebook and Twitter. I'm active with posting my reviews and shared fun stories, but that content is more random than formal or thematic. It lacks a guiding regularity. So, as of this new year and new work week, I'm adding daily themes to my posts and threads shared on my Facebook and Twitter pages. I have a blast talking to all of you casually and I would like to do more. Here's the plan:
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As I say every year, plenty of regular everyday people make New Year's Resolutions, but I think bigger entities, namely movie makers and movie moguls, need to make them too. Over the life of this website, this is my absolute favorite editorial to write every year. I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. I'm sarcastic, but I'm not the guy to take it to the false internet courage level of some Twitter troll. This will be as forward as I get all year.
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