Who's Behind Black Art? (2023) is on Aspire TV starting tomorrow

Four part  docuseries  about five up and coming black artists. The subjects are Tae Ham, Jewel Ham, Adrian Armstrong,Lauena Fineus, Mario Joyce and the film tells us they story, shows us their art and explains why they are going to be successful.

This is a great series. I don't normally watch a whole series at one time but this is just so good I watched it from start to finish in one go. Blame it on the series focusing on five great people whose stories speak volumes about more the art world.

To me this is one of the best documentaries I've seen on the art world because it connects the art, the artists and the real world together. Why does art matter? This film/series will explain it to you perfectly - it can change people's lives for the better. 

I can't recommend this series enough.

Armand (2024) opens Friday

A mother is called for a conference at her young son's school. Something has happened and Armand is alleged to be behind it. As she meets with the teachers, and the parents of the other boy, who happen to be her in-laws, things are not quite as straight forward as they seem.

Renate Reinsve gives one of the best performances of the year as Armand's mother. It's a performance that is completely unexpected and very human. What do I mean by this? There is a moment where in the middle of discussing the difficult events at the center of the story and she begins to laugh uncontrollably. At first it seems funny, then it seems out of place and then you realize it's something that makes you take a step back because the reaction, especially with the emotional collapse at the end is on target. Too many filmmakers and writers think that serious subjects mean serious and histrionic reactions. That isn't always the case. Reinsve should be in the Oscar mix because this is a glorious performance that is more real than almost any other you'll see this year. 

The film over all is very good. It's a gripping thriller that pulls you along. It's more interesting than most of the recent problem with children at school films that have hit the local multiplexes (say TEACHERS LOUNGE). I say this because the film is looking to throw its net wider and forcing us to look at the parents and administration and not just the kids. This is a look at parents and parenting and the things they do.

The problem with the film is that as the film makes a few choices that don't always work. Moving away from Reinsve's character gets us away from the the center of the film. She is the character we know best so there are moments of catch up when she isn't on screen.The other problem is the film adds in some subjective surrealism. While it helps explain the characters' head space it makes the film less real.

But I am quibbling. This is a really good film. It will both entertain you and give you something to think about.

Recommended.

Loren and Rose Hits VOD today

An up and coming filmmaker details his friendship with an aging actress (Jacqueline Bisset)  over six years and the course of three meals.

If you want action look elsewhere, for while the film has fireworks they are purely of the verbal kind. This is a film that’s more akin to MY DINNER WITH ANDRE as opposed to THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS.  In actuality it’s a film that could very easily be turned into a stage play. That isn’t a knock, rather more a statement of the sort of film it is.

Wise and knowing this is a film that is going to delight people who like films with meaty ideas and clever discussions. It’s a film that mirrors any sort of discussion you’ve ever had where you were talking about things other than who was doing what with whom. This is a film where what we are discussing are discussions of life on a deeper level.

The important thing about the film is Bisset who is finally given a role where she is allowed to hold the screen. Fore decades she was given roles where she wasn’t allowed to show how good she was. Yes she was always good, but she was either relegated to a minor role or a named role where she just had to look good. Here she is on screen for most of the film and allowed to tear into things like never before. The result is a performance that will make you realize she was wasted in the past.

If you love good acting or thoughtful films, LOREN AND ROSE is a must

Eden on MASTERS OF TIME which is playing Animation First Sunday

With Les Maîtres du temps playing this years Animation First Festival, here is a look at the film from Eden Miller who reviewed it as part of her look at the cinematic work of Moebius

This is a repost Les Maîtres du temps (also known as Masters of Time) seems like it should be great. It was directed by René Laloux and designed by Moebius. The two of them should have been able to create a visionary masterpiece of animation.

And the truth is, they did, if you adjust your expectations a little.

Although based on the 1958 novel The Orphan of Perdide by Stefan Wul, the plot is secondary to the visuals. It's mostly about a boy named Piel who is stranded on a planet and space pirate Jaffar is sent to go save him.

Or something. As much danger Piel seems to be in, Jaffar and evil exiled prince Matton, his sister Belle, and old friend Silbad spend a lot of time talking and more or less just kind of hanging out. There's little urgency in terms rescuing Piel. And weird stuff that has nothing to do with anything happens -- like a planet where everyone turns into faceless angels and Piel encounters strange creatures on the planet he's on. It goes absolutely nowhere fast, until a resolution comes out of nowhere.

But to want a plot from this movie is maybe asking a bit too much. It is, rightfully so, all about the trippy -- and usually beautiful -- visuals. Much time in spent deliberating over the freaky angel-like creatures and alien landscapes. Two childlike creatures named Yula and Jad have their share of screen time, discussing various philosophical concepts about living. The film's not about the ultimate goal of saving Piel -- it's about everything that leads us to there.

Still, this is the kind of movie you're either going to connect with or you're not. I don't think there's too much middle ground. If the odd and often complexly dazzling look of the movie and its purposeful pacing doesn't appeal to you, Les Maîtres du temps will probably just confuse you at best or bore you at worst.

I know both Moebius and Laloux were disappointed with the final product, but that actually makes me a little sad. The movie is far from perfect, but in many ways, its imperfections is its strength. A more straightforward film would not have been as interesting, even if it would've been more satisfying.

The Performance (2024) opens Friday

 

This is the story of a group of dancers who leave the American club circuit for Europe lead by Harold who was born to dance. Harold’s father is not happy since the family has struggled to come to America to get away from the rampant antisemitism and now, in 1936, the Nazi’s are on the move. Once there they are offered a very large sum of money to go to Berlin for a single performance. All their expenses will be paid. However things become very complicated when it’s realized that it’s a Nazi function.

At the top one thing need to be clarified and that while THE PERFORMANCE is being billed as Arthur Miller’s last work, it is actually simply based on one of his short stories. I am not saying this as a knock against the film simply that I went in thinking this was based on a screenplay or play. I also say that because the film feels like a short story.

This is a beautiful well-acted short story of a film. Having the rhythms of a short piece of fiction the film stays very much in the confines of the tale it’s telling. There is nothing outside of Harold‘s (Jeremy Piven) view so we don’t get a sense of the world outside of his view. There is nothing wrong with that, rather it simply means that all of the shots of cities and such are via archival footage. It’s also a tightly plotted film with nary a wasted moment making it one of the few films of the last decade that feels entirely complete, with no sense of filler or a sense that there could be more (That’s a rave.)

The cast is across the board wonderful. This maybe Jeremy Piven’s best role in years. Like costar Robert Carlyle  he completely disappears into his role and I had to check the promotional material and IMDB several times to be certain that he, and the rest of the cast really were the actors listed.

It should be noted the film is important today because of the rise of out spoken antisemitism, and it should be applauded for showing the destruction it causes.

Additionally the film is important because it is probably going to be the first great film you’ll see in 2025. It’s a moving testament to the human spirit that will leave you deeply moved. See this when it plays near you.

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story,(2024) opens Jan. 24 in NY & Jan. 31 in LA

With LIZA... opening Friday here is a repost of my review from last year's Tribeca

I'm at a loss about how this film flew under the radar at Tribeca. This is a truly great portrait of Liza  from the death of her mother onward to today. Full of incredible and probing interviews, including with Liza herself, it is a film that perfectly explains why Liza is an Icon and why she moved generations of people.

This film floored me. I went into the film expecting to like it and wander out with a enough for a couple of quick lines, instead I staggered out, jaw hanging open with too many words. I don't know what to say except see it.

How good is the film it was the source of two animated discussions about how the film doesn't have a buyer yet. No one could sort out why a film this good wasn't picked up and slotted for release.

A must see for fans and non fans.

NINA IS AN ATHLETE (2024) NYJFF 2025

This is a portrait of Nina Gorodetsky a world champion badminton player. As she heads toward her first, and possibly last, Paralympics in Tokyo she also has to consider that at 40, she maybe running out of time to have a second child.

This is a very good look at what it means to be a top athlete who has to decide how to order the things that are important to her in life. While the fact that Nina is in a wheelchair colors the story, the truth is that this is, unfortunately a choice that many women have to make. 

Is it possible to do everything? Nina is going to give it a try, and the result is an engaging sports biography that lifts us up and carries us along.

This is not your typical by the numbers tale and as such it's absolutely worth your time.

Escape (2024) hits digital January 14

North Korean soldier has been plotting his defection for years, making maps and working out the best way to go. When things go side ways, he finds someone else blamed and himself hailed as a hero thanks to the intervention of a "friend". Put into a new and dangerous situation he begins to plot anew.

This is a good but kind of by the numbers film.  While I wasn't really certain how this was going to play out at first once the initial escape attempt is turned on its head I had a pretty good idea who this was going to go once the friend intervenes.  I don't blame the filmmakers rather the seeming need to make a rah rah North Korean soldier escapes tale. I would have been shocked if this had ended as badly as the film seemed to hint at times.

While completely enjoyable, I still wish the film had been a little grittier and a little real world meaner. Say what you will the North Koreans are kind of cartoony, even if they kill people, and it takes the edge off everything.

Worth a look when the film hits digital.

Hunting Daze (2024) Hits VOD January 14

Nina is traveling through the hinterlands. She and her friends run out of gas. When one of her other friends, Kevin, arrives to rescue them, tension causes a fight to break out and Nina is left stranded by her original companions. Truly in the middle of nowhere, Kevin takes Nina back to the hunting lodge with him. She manages to bond with the macho and crazy hunters, passing an initiation test she is considered one of them. All is going along swimmingly until Kevin brings in another stray, a black man he found wandering down the road. All is well until something happens and everyone is sent skidding.

Beautifully made film is for it’s first half a tightly plotted drama. It’s a wonderful look at a bunch of people being crazy in a remote cabin. The comradery is real and you have the feeling that everyone is truly friends. You also see  how Nina becomes one of them. That first half is wonderful.

The problem is that there is a moment after the stranger joins them that the film goes sideways. The film shifts from straight reality into something else. Things become dreamlike and we aren’t really certain what is real and what isn’t. The straight narrative disappears into mystical trips. It’s creepy and unnerving for a while but there came a point where I wasn’t certain it was going anywhere. Honestly the pieces are, like every other bit of the film, fantastic, but they just don’t some together.

That doesn’t make this is a bad film, it just makes what is great film for the better part of an hour an okay one in the end.

The one thing I have to talk about is the performance of Noubi Ndiaye. Giving one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen (no really) he is a force of nature. There is a moment where he stares hurt and broken and not understanding and my soul cracked.  I had to rewatch the sequence a couple of times to see if I could figure out how in the hell he was doing what he was doing. I have no idea other than he managed to call up all the pain in the universe and bleed it out of his soul and on to the screen in a few fleeting moments. It was a moment that pretty much broke me in half. This is one of the finest piece of acting I have ever seen on screen or in person. I can not wait to see what he does next. His performance singlehandedly makes the film worth seeing.

For the bits that work and for Noubi Ndiaye‘s performance HUNTING DAZE is recommended

Wendy Feinberg on EVERY LITTLE THING (2024) which opens Friday

There are two species of birds that always leave me awe-struck when I see them in person. One is the majestic bald eagle, a large bird of prey, and the other is the hummingbird, the smallest bird in the world. My love of hummingbirds is just one of the many reasons why I absolutely loved twice Emmy-nominated director Sally Aitken’s EVERY LITTLE THING, which is opening Friday after competing in the US Documentary Competition at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The film tells the deeply personal story of scientist Terry Masear who has made it her life’s work to nurse wounded and sick hummingbirds back o health at her hummingbird sanctuary in Hollywood, CA. It is amazing to watch her take care of these tiny, beautiful birds with such empathy and love, even giving them names, sometimes related to their injuries. We meet baby Jimmy, who fell out of his nest and Cactus, a hummingbird who has flown into a cactus plant and was found with thorns stuck in her back. Throughout the film we also learn about Terry’s life and how her childhood trauma led her on a path of healing by taking care of these fragile and vulnerable creatures, stating in the film, “Their lives depend on me.”

Along with the fascinating story of a woman’s symbiotic relationship with these tiny birds, EVERY LITTLE THING is a cinematically stunning film with incredible closeups of hummingbirds and breathtaking time lapse photography of exotic, colorful flowers. Kudos to the photographic team! The soundtrack is especially pleasing, setting the scene at the beginning with the classic “It Never Rains in Southern California” and ending with Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” often referred to as “Every Little Thing is Gonna Be Alright” while the credits roll. I highly recommend seeing this film! 

THE DAMNED (2024) Hits Theaters On Jan. 3

At a remote fishing station in the northern oceans, a small community is struggling to survive. It is lead by a woman named Eva. She is a recent widow and he feelings are compounded by the uncertainty of the future of the people she is living with. When a ship wrecks not far off, they are forced to consider how to handle the situation since extra mouths mean they certainly will not survive. What follow their choice is the film and it's a tense spiral into danger.

Let me say this at the top - when you see THE DAMNED, and you will be seeing it,  try to do so when you can see it on a big screen. Shot in bleak and menacing places the film is a wide screen delight with the images adding equal weight to everything that happens. The images were made for the big screen and should be seen that way.

This is one of the bet films playing at Tribeca. It's an unexpected historical thriller full of suspense and dread. You know with a title like THE DAMNED this is not going to go well, and it doesn't. The fear comes from waiting to see who comes out the other end.

I had a blast watching this film. I was sucked in from the first frame and stayed glued to the screen until the credits rolled. I didn't really have any idea how this was going to go. 

This is  just great filmmaking. Yes it looks amazing, but at the same time the entire cast sells it, while at the same time director Thordur Palsson moves things along at just the right pace. Its slow enough so that we feel we are back 150 years, but spryly enough that we never lose interest. Indeed we are held in the film's vice grip as we wait to get to the film's end.

Since the film is just premiering I won't say any more other than get a ticket and go.

No Home Movie/I Don't Belong Anywhere hit Blu-ray New Year's Eve

Two films concerning Chantel Akerman are being released on Blu-Ray on December 31. Here are reviews of both films from when they played at Lincoln Center a couple of years back

It begins with  four minute long shot of a tree in the desert blowing in the wind. It then shifts to the apartment of director's Chantal Akerman's mother. We watch as the pair interacts over the final months of the elder Akerman's life.

How you react to the film is going to depend upon several things. Are you a fan of the directors, if so by all means dive in. If you are not a fan, or if you are not a fan of films that are told in long static shots, usually at a distance then you might want to stay away.  This is a film where with rare exceptions in the second half, we are forever outsiders. We are watching the conversations and action outside of it all. It's an intentional device that makes us work a little harder at what we are seeing.

I should note that I am not an Akerman fan. I've seen several of her works but they have never truly blown my skirt up. Its not that the films are bad, rather the observational approach, keeping us on the outside, doesn't work for me.  Or if it does, it doesn't work for two hours, I tend to lose interest.

Such is the case with NOT A HOME MOVIE. Somewhere about a half an hour in a lost interest. I had had enough and started to doodle in my notebook. I hung out to the end but how I felt about the film never changed. On the other hand some people I spoke to after seeing the film said glowing things. Granted they tended to be fans of Akerman and were familiar with her recent work which also featured her mother.

As I said at the top how you react will depend upon how you feel about Akerman's style.

Stunning portrait of Chantal Akerman makes it hard to believe she just died since this film includes the director editing her last film NOT A HOME MOVIE and she seems to be in excellent health even if she smokes like a chimney. It's a brief film full of clips and talking heads, including actors who worked with her and the directors she influenced.

In the last year and a half I've been bumping a lot into Chantal Akerman's work a great deal. There have been numerous articles I've read, documentaries I've seen and her films to consider. Some of the cinema I've talked about here at Unseen and some I've just let slide because it didn't spark anything in me. While seeing all of the films material on and from Akerman has given me a respect for what she did, it never made me a fan because let's face it some of her films are an acquired taste- NOT A HOME MOVIE being a perfect example.

I DON'T BELONG ANYWHERE on the other hand makes me want to go back and retry some of Akerman's films films again. While I am not certain I will feel as wondrous about her films I suspect I will understand them a bit better.  At the same time there is nothing like having the people she worked with explain to you what they got from working with her or having  director who stole from her explain why she was so influential. For me the film was full of all these "AH HA!" moments that made me sit up and begin to reassess what I had seen in the past. For me this is the point where all the dots concerning Akerman came together.

This is a great film on a respected filmmaker. Its so good that I when I was watching the film I stopped taking notes and just let the film go. I didn't want to miss anything.

If you are a fan of Akerman or have any interest in her films or her influence then you must see this.

With THE BRUTALIST opening today, here is a repost of my NYFF review in the hope of bringing people back to reality

There is going to be a lot here so stay with me.

Word out of where ever was that THE BRUTALIST was going to be the next greatest film ever made. Many people were calling it all the accolades that instantly get my panties in a bunch and make me want to get them in off the ledge. Other festivals, more accolades. Finally it hits NYFF and I buy a ticket for the last day it's screening because I want to hear what friends have to say and I want distance.

Word out of the NYFF press screening ran the gamut  from it being really good (no one was genuflecting) to one person calling it a noble failure and dismantling it in terms of Paul Thomas Anderson films (specifically THE MASTER and THEIR WILL BE BLOOD). It was the politest shredding of a film I've ever heard

Calmed by that, I suddenly had hope I wouldn't hate the film from top to bottom. Grabbing Nate Hood, who truly had no idea what the film was other than it was 4 hours and in 70mm, I went to the theater to see it for myself.

The film is the story of a noted Hungarian architect who comes to the US after being displaced and being in the concentration camps of World War 2 and ends up hooked up with a rich family hoping to make a cultural center in the middle of Pennsylvania.

The first half surprised me. It was quite good. While not the American epic promised by many, I was curious where it went.

After the intermission (which is actually part of the film- there is a reel change moments after the 15 minutes run out) things pick up and.... OH HELL NO. The film became an absolute mess. It's disjointed, unfocused and in desperate need of another hour and a half. SO much is unsaid, until it is, that the film just collapses under it's bloated pomposity and pretentious bullshit.

At this point I'm going to give a warning I'm going to reference things in the film---like the ending--- so if you don't want to know surf away now. No skin off my back.

If you are going to be here for the long haul understand I'm not going to do this in a perfectly formed manner because, quite frankly there is too much wrong with the film that there is no point in ordering my grievances, I'm just going to get it all out as it hits me.

Okay that isn't fair. This isn't a total waste, its okay over all, but it's not the GREAT film promised straight faced by my fellow writers. If the film wasn't as celebrated as it is it might have gotten away with being a pretty okay over long drama that people had to chase to actually see instead of an Oscar hopeful that is going to leave the paying public scratching their heads.

I should point out that most of the problems that will be referenced here are to do with the second half.

Then again there is one thing that the first half suffers from as well as the second and that is bad acting and lack of characters.  Yes, Adrian Brody is great. Yes he should be in the running for the Oscar, but everyone else, save the guy who plays the builder is either a badly written character or badly acted. And I do mean you, Guy Pearce. Normally you are wonderful even with an underwritten role, but you are just awful here. Without real characters we have no one and nothing to follow. I didn't care about anyone because there was no one to care about. (If you think otherwise please tell me who was well rounded-the wife? The Niece? Pearce's kids? No one is given enough to form a character)

This lack of having anyone to care about goes completely off the rails when Adrian Brody's character essentially disappears from the final 20 minutes of the film. Yes, he is kind of there is the epilogue, but he really isn't (it's some guy made to look like him).

Blame the problem on the choppy nature of the second part. We travel through time and space in a disjointed matter. Huge pieces of exposition are just not there. Plot threats and thematic threads come and go (I'll come back to this).  It causes chaos in our ability have a handle on things. For example after Brody takes his wife to the hospital because of the overdose, she mentions that he confessed when they were tripping together. THE NEXT scene has her going to Pearce's house and she is, not in the wheelchair, but a walker. Where and how? More to the point because of the dialog Brody has been in New York with her for two days. Two days from when? Not the overdose, she wouldn't be there, much less walking into the house in a walker.

Part of the reason the characters don’t exist is the weird ass jumps in time. Because the second half careens through time no one is allowed to arc. They simply are the next thing. Look at the development of Brody’s wife. Ignoring the fact that she exists simply to say something that needs to be said or to be a person around which something can happen, we never are given a reason she becomes more and more assertive. She just is until suddenly she is walking into the house to reveal she knows what happened between Pearce and Brody. Where did it come from? And because there is no arcing in the second half Brody’s character simply thrashes from scene to scene in a different manic state. 

I am bothered by the film’s relationship with heroin. Not that it’s there but how it uses it. For some reason I feel that too much of the plot is driven by it. I kept wanting to say a variation of the old Woody Woodpecker line “If woody had just gone to the police none of this would have happened.” Here it would be if Brody hadn’t used heroin so much of this wouldn't have happened. The drug simply becomes the way to have events happen such as the incident with Pearce, that Brody uses it to stop his wife’s pain, and the implication that his being so sick from it that his wife has to confront Pearce is asking too much of it to the point that it’s simple a deus ex machina. This film could not go forward if Brody's character wasn't a junkie.

The truth is the film fudges too much with the wife. Not only doesn't she arc but simply exists for a moment or a line. She speaks of talking to god and knowing everything about what Brody did, but we have no clue about it really. Later after her overdose she speaks of his confessions of all these things but there is no indication of what exactly other than the incident with Pearce when she walks into the house…. 

 ...and about that there is absolutely no indication about the depth it bothered him-other than the look when he and Pearce walk out of the cave. There is no indication that it bothered him so badly that his wife would have to step up and fix the problem. 

 If it isn’t clear the second half of the film is a real mess and the more I think about it the more I keep adding to this piece because the more I need to say how fucked it is. The film is riddled with all sorts of continuity plot and thematic questions particularly in the second half.

The biggest problem with the film is what is the film about? Yes I know Adrian Brody, but thematically? The film never makes a stand for anything.

Is it the immigrant experience? Maybe, but that disappears for chunk of the film. It doesn't matter he is an immigrant, more that he's crazy.

Is it life after the Second World War? The war comes and goes.

Is it a societal expose on class? Perhaps but it says nothing new.

Is it a look at being Jewish in America? Yes, but outside of the religious services and Israel the threads aren't always there. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of overt antisemitism outside of the wife of the cousin in the film, with any objections to Brody are  not because he's Jewish but because he's from an Eastern Block nation. 

Is the ending saying that all Jews should just go to Israel because they will be happy and successful? It isn't clear and I'm not certain, enough to make a guess, though the film is geared to say that had he just gone to Israel he'd have been happy sooner.

What is this all about? I'm not certain.

But this isn't surprising since basic facts such as a seemingly that's given such as that Brody and his family were in the concentration camps is bobbled. It's referenced here and there,  but Brody is said have broken his nose when escaping from train car on the way to the camp. Did he escape or not? And while it's fleetingly referenced, it doesn't come to the forefront until the epilogue when it's said the design for the building he was making is based on the camps he and his wife were in. It's a fact that was never referenced until the final moments of the film.

If I misinterpreted something don't blame me, so few of the details are really clear.

One of the things that Nate and I talked about after the film, as did several people outside the theater after the film, was that the writing was too clever and unclear for it's own good. Forget the fact that things just happen because they need to, basic things in the dialog are set up to be really sly. There are lines all though the film that mean nothing, but suddenly become clear indications of things later on. For example the fact that Guy Pearce's character is queer and wants to screw Brody is seen in the reference to Brody that he's beautiful.  It's never really mentioned again until things happen. There are other examples, but I don't want to completely dismantle the film. The problem with clever referential dialog in a four hour film is that people will forget seemingly throw away lines in the first hour. Sure cineastes and scholars will catch things on the second or third go but the first time through its all going to be the wrong sort of missed.  While I love puzzle box films, or films that have layers to them, you shouldn't have to catch and retain everything the first time through to understand or even just like a film.

More troubling is that I felt passages of dialog seem recycled from elsewhere. The unsigned check story for example, comes from at least one other film. While I don't see the Paul Thomas Anderson references, I do sense that this isn't as fresh as many people would think.

And what are we to make of the ending where characters disappear both figuratively or literally with no real sense of an ending, except a tacked on epilogue that gives it a quasi-happy ending that isn't earned and raises a lot more questions than it answers.  It's as if they didn't know how to end it so they just winged it and tacked things together.

This is a film made by a filmmaker who desperately wants to be taken seriously. Its flashy and showy in a way that screams "I"M THE MOST IMPORTANT FILM OF THE YEAR!" Its the work of a man who wants to be an artist and can put the pieces together to create a faux piece of art, unlike his protagonist who just does it.

This film is ultimately pretentious twaddle which disappoints because if the second half hadn't been as choppy and the themes were more focused  it might have been a pretty good film.

I suspect it will get lots of Oscar noms, Brody may win Best Actor, but in a year or two we won't be discussing the film much.

Forgive me for ranting but I really don't think the film works, and I feel stronger because I went to the film with one of the smartest film people I know and he was vexed by the film as well.

(And one last brickbat - I've seen dozens of films in 70mm over the years and this was the first time I was left puzzled as to why.)

ADDENDUM: If you want to make comments on this piece or tell me I got anything wrong feel free. However you absolutely can not tell me anything that was either in the press notes or things the director said in an interview or at a Q&A. Films MUST stand on their own so you can not bring in anything from the outside because 99% of the people who see the film will not see the notes, interview or Q&A. I will delete any comments that mention them because they are not in the film.

LISTEN CAREFULLY(2024) hits streaming tomorrow

 

A man discover his new born is missing and the people who took her tell him, over his baby monitor, that the only way to get her back is to follow what they say. He is then sent on a wild chase across the city.

This is the second film at Fantaspoa  where the main character has to follow directions being given them by an unknown source. Like that other film this one suffers from the fact that we've been here before. This isn't to say that the film i bad, more that it isn't anything special.

Give the film points for having a good cast and being well made, but it's not quite flashy enough to remain memorable.

Worth a look on a slow night but nothing to chase after.

EXUVIA hits the official Bradeway Pictures channel on YouTube December 15

Hunter is a young boy bonds with his no nonsense nanny Melina.

The heart of the film, and the reason you need to see this film, is the relationship between young Hunter played by Rémi-Gaël Panon and his nanny Melina played by Katherine Alpen. The relationship, which clicks from the first frame, is a thing of beauty. Forget the plot as such, you just will want to watch these characters be together. The relationship is finely crafted and feels absolutely real. It gives us the sense that the pair was bonding long before the cameras were rolling. There is an ease between them that is extremely rare. It’s the sort of thing you generally only find between real life friends who know each other so well that they are somewhere beyond finishing their sentences.

The real surprise here is Rémi-Gaël Panon who is Oscar worthy in his performance. There is a simplicity to him that is stunning. He is perfectly cast and interacts with everyone as if he were a pro many years older. I will be curious where he will be in five or ten years down the road.

As good as the relationship is between Panon and Alpen is, it would have been for naught director Anthony Harrison’s script not been as good as it is. To be certain some of the plot turns feel more like they are there just to drive things forward, Harrison hits it out of the park with his finely crafted relationships and beautiful dialog. (if you like what you see here and haven’t seen his JOE FINDS GRACE do track it down)

This is a super film. This is exactly the sort of treat that Unseen Films was set up to highlight.

Recommended.

RESYNATOR Releases Nationwide December 13

Alison Tavel  heads out into the world to track down  the story of her dad, Don, and the machine known as a resynator, which acted as  synthesizer  interface for other instruments.

This is a portrait of a daughter looking for her father. It’s an attempt to come to terms with both the man and his life’s work, something she only knows from the stories told to her by friends and family (Her dad  died when she was 10 weeks old. We follow Alison as she talks to the people who knew her dad as well as the musicians who used his machine.

While there is some music, don’t go into RESYNATOR looking for a music doc. This is a entirely the story of a search for a man. Things get heavy as we learn that Don had an ulcer at 9 because his parents insisted that he and his brother be perfect. Don’s brother broke with the family after Don died because he couldn’t deal with the bullshit (the parents blames Don’s wife for his death).  It’s a ride that is very emotional.

I’m also going to warn you that this film doesn’t play out as you might expect it to. I’m not going to say what happens but where I was left emotionally is not where I expected to be. There is nothing wrong with that, and none should be implied, only that this film is very much a unique and far from cookie cutter film, so just let it wash over you instead of expecting it to go where you think it will.

Recommended.

Souleater (2024) hits VOD tomorrow

In a small town in the middle of nowhere, two cops are brought in to investigate separate cases. One is  looking into the brutal murder of a couple. The other is looking for some missing children. What they initially think is a joke, that the cases are tied to the local boogeyman named the Soul Eater, slowly becomes a reality.

Police procedural mixes with supernatural tale in an off beat thriller that works best if you just go with it. I say that because even though the film largely plays it straight, the overlap with the boogey man elements isn't always as neat as they should be. There's a little too much reality here.

On the other hand once I stopped over thinking things and went with it I had a blast. Say what you will this is a creepy thriller, set in a town where you believe the Soul Eater or some monster lurks. It's a place that seems to be lost from the world.

I had a grand time going to a place where things really do go bump in the night.

Recommended.

Petro(2024) opens today

Gustavo Petro, a former M-19 member, decides to run for President of Columbia.

This is a good look at a man who has been struggling for decades in order to change his country. Trying  to unite the people instead of dividing them with hate and fear Petro is fighting the good fight and he seems to be winning. Following Petro on his journey to the Presidency, the film reveals his past as well as his plans for the future. It’s a film that tries to be fair by talking to all sides (though some people refuse to speak on camera). 

I was along for the long haul and ended up liking the film a great deal.

If the film has any flaw it’s that the film doesn’t have a great deal of suspense, the result of having a low key tone.. While I know a quick check of the internet will tell anyone how it comes out,  the problem is that the film plays a clip of Donald Trump early on talking about President Petro.  That would be okay if the film didn’t open with Petro putting on bulletproof vest, seemingly indicating that there is danger ahead. It’s not fatal, but it results in a film that isn’t quite as urgent as it could have been.

That said, this is a really good film and worth a look.

STEPBACK DOORS CLOSING (2024) Dances NYC 2024

Two people meet in Washington DC and through circumstance are forced to spend 24 hours together. As the pair talks they eventually end up falling for each other.

If you liked the AFTER films then you are going to love this film. It's a nice little film that follows the the format laid out by the earlier films and hones it to near perfection.

If there is any flaw in this little gem it's that the film feels like a stage play that was opened up just to make it a movie. As much as I like this film I really wish it was play where the pair could have just sat and talked and we could have witnessed a grand moment.

Regardless of my quibbles this is a nice little film.

BASTARDS OF SOUL (2024) Dances With Films NYC

The group the Bastards of Soul was on the cusp of exploding across the pop world. They were so set to be HUGE that director Paul Levatino filmed the recording of their last album and several shows. It was going  to be what everyone dreamed of… And then the unthinkable happened, front man Chadwick Murray died, sending everything crashing down.

This is a great, but very bittersweet film. Joy and wonder of the band before the tragedy fills our hearts early on. While we know early that there is going to be a turn, there are moments when we forget and if we don’t forget then we hope it won’t happen. Sadly it does and the film shifts into one about trying to pick up the pieces and go on.

I was moved.

Watching Murray’s wife trying to explain coming to terms with the loss just as their baby was being born broke my heart. There is also a lot of sadness  generated by the band who’s shot at stardom got short circuited.

This is a truly great music doc. In a year that has already had some great music docs, this is one of the best.

Honestly this film is so good that it had me frantically emailing friends telling them to cover it, as well as sent me looking for the music.

If you love great films, especially ones about great music BASTARDS OF SOUL is a must see.