Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer (2021)

Netflix docu-series on the Night Stalker case and the long trek to catch Richard Ramirez.

I've been watching a lot of Netflix and Amazon true crime series lately  to break up the constant flow of festival films and new releases. This look at the Night Stalker case kept showing up in the selections the service was flogging so I decided to give it a go.

This is look at the case purely from the point of view of the detectives. We march through the case through their eyes and we see how everyone connected joined the case and helped investigate it. It's a good, if by the numbers series.

For me the series has one flaw and that is we really don't get any sense of Ramirez. Yes he is a phantom for all of the chase, but once he's caught we really don't get any sense of him beyond that. It's not fatal but I would have liked to have come out of the film feeling he wasn't the same cipher he was going in.

Worth a look if you're a true crime junkie

Equalizer 3 (2023)

Denzel Washington's Robert McCall finds a home in Sicily and has to fight the bad men who want to hurt the people he loves.

Not what you expect film is the closing of the cinematic EQUALIZER saga. Not so much an action film but a meditation on life and the place we belong. While things happen in the first half of the film, much of it is happening around McCall instead of to him. Of course there is the point where he has to step up and take action and he clears the table.

I really like this film. I like the change of pace. While I think that the film doesn’t completely work narratively, emotionally the film is absolutely perfect. This is a film about McCalls path to redemption not the men he kills along the way. This was the case with the second film which was ultimately simply McCall coming to terms with the death of his wife and friends. Here he finds a place to come alive and to help the daughter of a friend.  The emotion is so perfect that the final sequence, which was supposed to happen earlier in the film, truly hits home and brings a tear to our eyes.

Highly recommended.

The Promised Land (2023) opens Friday

Mads Mikkelsen stars in a grand epic of the sort they don't make any more. You need to see this on a big screen with a big bucket of popcorn.

Mikkelsen plays Ludvig Kahlen who in the 1750's  attempted to turn the Jutland heath into farmable land. Using outcasts and others looked down upon by society he makes a go of it, but he runs afoul of a noble who wants to control the heath for his own ends.

Magnificent costumed epic is something you give yourself over to. This is a the cinematic equivalent of getting lost in a great novel. It's full of people and places and images and sensations that despite being projected on a big screen you feel as though you're slipping into another place and time.

I was blown away by this film. Seeing this in the middle of seeing lesser American epics (especially the greatly disappointing KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON)  I was reminded what great filmmaking could be. Where most other filmmakers want to make epics they remember the size and the flash, they forget the people and the humanity. For big films you need big emotions, something most recent epics are lacking.  However wit THE PROMISED LAND director Nickolaj Arcel makes us feel. He puts the emotion up there on the screen, and while it might be over done compared to other films, in the frame work of this film it is pitch perfect.

I loved this film to death. It is an absolute joy.

Highly recommended.

And now it's time to take a pause

 

As we are just over three weeks short of our 14th birthday I'm taking time away from Unseen Films... or as much as I can.

What I mean by that is that the site will run into October if I do nothing - but I will be doing something-just not as much-at least for a bit. I'll explain....

There have been changes at the day job and the situation has ceased to be fun. I come home and stare at the walls. It is no longer healthy. Couple that with some things in the personal life that are askew, I find I'm breaking down. While normally I would be chasing films as a distraction, I've kind of taken my foot off the gas and I'm coasting. For example I didn't care that all the Sundance films never showed up.

At this point I don't know what I want to do except drift for awhile.

Looking at what's scheduled I realize that while I have some new films scheduled for February, this is the first time where I have no idea how the month is going to play out...and on some level I don't care. Its amazing because February was always packed with things like the time we reviewed every Zatoichi film.

Yes, I have irons in the fire, Berlin, Rendezvous With French Cinema, NYICFF and some other things, but mostly the month (and beyond) is all wide open...and I'm not freaking out.

This isn't like me...but I don't care.

What is going to happen for a bit is that things will be what they are, I will run new release pieces when I have them and a bunch of older stuff when I need to. I'm going to burn through some of the Netflix/Amazon pieces I've been banking the last few months plus I'm  going to some of the old film reviews that are programmed into October. I'm going to throw things into slots and see what happens.

So don't freak out if Unseen drifts from new releases to older films and back again over the next couple weeks. Nothing is wrong, I'm just getting my head together because I care about the movies and I care about the readers, but mostly I have to care for myself.

FLATHEAD (2024) IFFR Rotterdam

Cass Cumerford, a man in his 70’s, returns to his home town and contemplates his life.

This is one hell of a calling card for a first  film. It’s a hybrid mix of documentary and narrative that creates a wonderful look at life in small town Australia. If you can click with the films rhythms it’s going to move you deeply.

And you will have to click with the rhythm of the film because this film moves at the pace of life. Things unfold in a slowed down way. It takes time for things to happen. People talk about life. Stuff happens and over the course of the film, as Cass contemplates and revisits his old haunts, emotions build up and we are moved. Moments that didn’t seem like much early on take a resonance later on. Conversations gain more and more weight as we come to understand the whole weight of Cass‘s life. It took me a little while but somewhere along the way I suddenly found myself connected and invested in the best possible way. (I do want to warn anyone who doesn’t like “slow” films this isn’t for you. While this isn’t the slow for slow's sake that many filmmakers take, it is, as I said, moving at the speed of life.)

I really loved this film, so much so that I emailed several friends to have them put this on their list of films to see.

This is an absolute gem of a film. It’s a wonderful look at life, both that of Cass and of the place he is in. It is the sort of film that I started Unseen Films to highlight

Mad Cats (2023) hits home video tomorrow from Third WIndow

Taka goes off to try and find his missing brother. Teaming up with a friend he meets along the way as well a mysterious young woman all in black he ends up having to battle a bunch of monstrous cats out to kill the people who tormented them.

Growing in stature in my mind since I saw it this is a one of kind joy that some people will love and some people will hate. A low key deadpan mix of horror and humor. Its a film with it's own vibe that you have to go with, and if you do it will end up an absolute delight. 

This is a great film. It's a lot of fun. I love its sly sense of humor and bent sense of reality. I love how the cats are women, it adds this wonderful level to it all. 

Actually what I absolutely love about this film is that it has hung with me since I saw. I love that I can't stop thinking about it...despite seeing other films after it. I love that it has become a living breathing thing that is part of me. Actually what the greatest thing is that I'm completely tongue tied in discussing it. I am so lost in pondering it that I can't write a rational review.

Ultimately this is just a wickedly cool film

Highly recommended for anyone who wants an wonderful off Hollywood film.

SAVING ART (2023) Slamdance 2024

R. M. Moses has turned in one the great films of the year. I have no idea if it is technically the best made film, but  it has one of the great performances of the last decade or so and an emotional punch that will have you wiping away tears.

the plot of the plot of the film is simple, instead of telling his young son he has leukemia, Brian tells him the treatment will give him superpowers.

I'll leave it to you to discover the wonders.

This film is magnificent. It is full of love and bittersweet joy. It is a film about life and parents and the things they will do to make their children's life as pain free as possible.

That the film works as well as it does is due to the performance of Michael Salami as Brian. This is a god like performance where Salami lets it all bleed out. Every move every sentence, everything is simply for his son and we feel his pain. It doesn't matter if we have kids or not it's all up on the screen...at least until it bleeds out into the audience's heart. This is a towering performance that hopefully will be seen and make Salami a huge star.

You must see this film. It will rock your world.

Short takes on Slamdance 2024 shorts: A SHORT FILM ABOUT A CHAIR, VISION OF PARADISE, THE STEAK and *666

A SHORT FILM ABOUT A CHAIR
The odd life of a chair left on the balcony of an empty apartment.

Weirdly hypnotic tale of the director contemplating the life of a lone chair sitting on a balcony across the way from his own. By turns philosophical and surreal there is something wonderful in this look at piece of outdoor funiture.

Recommended.

VISION OF PARADISE
A look at maps both on paper and made in the computer. This is an intriguing look at the way we fill in the blanks of the pieces of the world we don't know.  I want to see this again because it got me thinking

THE STEAK
Odd film about a mother preparing for her daughters birthday party only to have the military arrive and shoot her dead.  To be honest this could have worked but the mannered way it lays out works against it.

*666
Brief black and white film about two satanists trying to contact the devil and ending up with a phone instead. This is a wonderful little confection that does what it does and gets off. 

 I liked it.

ALL I'VE GOT AND THEN SOME (2024) Slamdance 2024

Reality collides with fiction as stand up comic living in his car books a paying gig and then has the day completely sideways.

Rasheed Stephens and Tehben Dean have made a raw real and moving film. More often then not it feels like a documentary then a narrative film and we are better for it since it closes the distance between the characters and the audience.

This is a true inde film. Jagged and occasionally unpolished there is an immediacy that we almost never get in big festival films. Some of the characters are not crafted but lived in. This feels like the directors just brought their friends in an let them be. The result is a film that is very much alive.

And while much of this is amusing, there is a nasty sting in the tail, Rasheed's stand up is based on his life and there are catch in your throat moments where we hear the audience laughing at a joke that isn't really a joke. By the end of the film I found I was deeply moved.

If you miss the days of when inde films had a DIY quality and an edge ALL I"VE GOT AND THEN SOME is for you

Thoughts on BYE BYE BOWSER and GRACE at Sundance 2024

 

BYE BYE BOSWER
Young punk rocker rights a song about a workman working outside her window and has it go viral.

Sweet little film mostly works. Its a charming slice of life that only gets a bit wonky at the end.

Reservation aside it's worth a look.

GRACE
Grace is about to be baptized a second time. However her feelings for her friend Louise complicate her choice.

Lovely small film about the choices we make and those that are chosen for us. Volumes are spoken in the films few minutes and there is no need to say more than what we see. The result is a film that gives us a great deal to ponder.

Recommended.

Two Slamdance 2024 films HERRICANES and ANNA'S FEELINGS

HERRICANES

This is a look at the women's football league that sprung up in the 1970's. While we think of women playing the game now, back in the mid 70's it was unheard of.

This is a solid sports documentary that is good enough that I want to know why ESPN didn't tell this story as part of 30 For 30. While the film is free of big names, the women who played the game overcome the need for flash by being compelling storytellers.

I can't wait to see this again.

ANNA'S FEELINGS
In a bleak future Russia where man is heading to Mars, a woman who works in a factory begins to receive messages from an alien civilization. Will anyone listen to her.

One of the hidden gems of this year's Slamdance, ANNA'S FEELINGS is absolutely not what you expect. No matter what I say of the plot is not going to prepare you for the deeply thoughtful and moving film you are going to see. This is a film with a great deal on it's mind and I'm going to need several more go throughs to parse it all out. Seriously there is great stuff here I need to revisit from the factory reviewing of a festival.

This is exactly the sort of off the beaten trail I started Unseen Films to highlight and as such it is very recommended.

Liz Whiitemore of Reel News Daily on REALM OF SATAN (2024) Sundance 2024

Liz Whittemore of Reel News Daily drops another review from Sundance

Filmmaker Scott Cummings brings Sundance 2024 audiences into the everyday lives of Satanists. The Church of Satan boasts innumerable followers around the world. REALM OF SATAN introduces us to members from all backgrounds in this part experimental, part cinema verité documentary that both challenges and pokes fun at any preconceived notions we may have had in the past.

As a forced Catholic from birth to age sixteen, my parents exposed me to some of the wackiest ideological notions simply because their parents had done the same to them. Anyone who knows me well has heard the story of my 8th-grade religion class epiphany. My teacher, in trying to explain that sin has levels of severity, touched upon homosexuality. I could not believe what I was hearing. I could not possibly be correct. In a class of 18 students, I stood upon my chair and asked, “So you’re telling me that if I told my mother that I was gay, it would be the equivalent of me telling her I had murdered someone?! That’s it. I’m out.” A quote from the Satanist text says all you need to know; “I favor the just and curse the rotten.” With a focus on individualism, it all sounds good to me.

REALM OF SATAN features strategically placed, in-your-face scenes but also mundane ones. It does not give a shit what you think. The tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the moments feels like curated bait for Christofascist audiences, which, as a liberal who embraces witchcraft, these choices are simply delicious fodder. You have to laugh.

Aside from some stereotypical wardrobe choices and a pentagram here and there, the subjects in the film could believe in anything or nothing at all. Their text is no more shocking than that of every other sect of religion. Have you read The Bible? The glorious theatricality of some rituals and eclectic decor create beautifully gothic tableaus that mesmerize, particularly for a self-proclaimed “Spooky Girl” like me. The visual trickery is fun as hell. The final camera sweep will look familiar to fans of Tales From The Crypt, right down to the gate squeak. It’s a clever touch. In all, REALM OF SATAN isn’t trying to convert anyone. It’s simply giving audiences a peek behind the curtain to dispel misinformation but with dramatic flair.

To read more from Liz go to her regular home Reel News Daily.

When Adam Changes (2023) Animation First 2024

Joël Vaudreuil's WHEN ADAM CHANGES is an uncomfortable look back at being a teen. It will thrill some and make others flee depending upon whether they want to relive the pain.

The film is the story of 15 year old Adam. Adam's cursed with having a body that changes in regard to the stress around him. For example anything his rude grandmother says alters his body. Wanting to just hang out and just play video games he instead has to deal with the abuse from the school bully as well as having to prepare for his grandmother's funeral.

I know that the film has won a number of awards, but for me this was a tough watch. I related way too much to Adam and his pain. I could see echoes of my own life in his unhappy existence. As a result I really can't be objective toward this film when it kicks up parts of my life.

My uncomfortableness aside, this is a really good film so if you want to go back to your teenage years, this is recommended.

Brief thoughts on Slamdance 2024 features: DARLA IN SPACE, THE WASHER and BIKE VESSEL

DARLA IN SPACE
A woman who makes cat coffins end up with an astronomical tax bill and has to do something to get herself out of trouble,

Quirky comedy has some truly wonderful moments in it, but the over all silliness and insistence on being over the top works against it. Too much of the film requires us to simply go with what is happening because the filmmakers are saying so rather than it makes any sort of internal sense (How did she get a 300 grand tax bill?). If you can go along you'll love it.

This wasn't my cup of tea.

THE WASHER
A man discovers his washer causes things to happen every time he uses it. Performing experiments he tries to see what it can do. 

I'm not sure what I think of this film. Add it to the list of weird science films that are intriguing but where to place it on the list I'm not certain. Blame it on my not being certain the film pulls it all together. Yes it's weird but beyond that I don't know.

On the other hand, I think my reaction is the result of main lining too many films in the closing days of Slamdance. I am planning on revisiting away from the festival crush.

BIKE VESSEL
Portrait of director Eric Seal and his dad as they ride from St Louis to Chicago. 20 years ago Eric's dad was near death with health problems. Changing his life and becoming a bicycler he has outlived expectations.

Wonderful gem of a film needs to be seen. Despite looking like many other docs, the film rises above the rest because buried in it is a heart and soul that bleeds off the screen thanks to the wonderful people at it's center.

See this film

ETERNAL YOU (2024) Sundance 2024

This is a look at how people are using AI programs to reconnect with dead loved ones.

Based on the reactions coming out of Sundance the odds are this film is going to make you feel weird. People were grossed out and made incredibly uncomfortable by the notion of a computer program simulating the dead and giving them voice. My reaction wasn't quite that strong but I completely understand why people were bothered by it.

This is a good look at the whole situation, from the people creating the programs, to the people using them and the people opposing them. It's a well done trip down the rabbit hole including looking at some of the weirder things that have happened.

Do I have any interest in talking to the dead? Not really. I carry my deceased loved ones in my heart and have conversations with them when I need to. I trust the voices I hear in my head are closer to reality then the fabricated ones found on line.

That said. If the subject interests you I do recommend this film. I expect it to have a long life on and off the festival circuit.

Two Sundance 2024 documentaries DIG XX and AND SO IT BEGINS

DIG XX  (2004/2024)
Twenty years on director Ondi Timoner reedits DIG! about the collision of the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Joneston Massacre adding about a half an hour of material to the mix.

I'm not going to say a lot about the film. It's basically the same film as before but with more material. While I own the special edition DVD of the original cut I haven't revisited it in at least a decade, which kind of sums up my feeling for the the film which is its very good but I'm not a huge fan. (I bought the film because I was told the  film was the best way to get to know the bands and their music. That was as far as I ever got).

If you are a fan by all means see this. For me I suspect it'll be another decade before I venture another look.

AND SO IT BEGINS

A look into the the recent Presidential election in the Philippines. Covering the election and all the major players, including Maria Ressa  co-founder of the Rappler (and subject of the director's earlier film A Thousand Cuts), the film lays bare what is going on that island nation.

This is a very good political documentary. It's a look at a country and it's politics that will have an impact on those here in America. Also some of the turns echo some of the insanity here in America as well.

To be perfectly honest this is a film I need to see again. I need to see it away from the dual festival crush of Slamdance and Sundance. I need time to carefully consider what I'm watching and not feel rushed to move on to the next thing. 

That said, if the subject interests you I do recommend it.

SLIDE (2023) Slamdance 2024

The latest film from Bill Plympton feels more like an animated comic book then a movie. It's the story of a cowboy who ends up in a logging town just as a movie studio sends a crew out to shoot their latest film.

It's a musical.

This is a film you are going to have to see several times because it's full of sly remarks, throw away images and general insanity that you multiple viewings are needed to see it all. I generally laughed and had a good time.

What bothered me about the film is that rather static. Such is the nature of computer assisted animation.  What I mean by this is that is that the images are minimally animated and the backgrounds are flat and motionless. While I've seen this sort of thing in other films, I've never seen it in a Plympton film. It is because of this I made the comic remark at the top.

Animation aside this film is a wickedly funny blast and worth a look.

The Peasants (2023) opens today

Based on a novel by Władysław Reymont' THE PEASANTS is the story of a group of people in rural Poland at the turn of the 20th century. It’s focused on the various relationships centered around Jagna.

It’s a grand soap opera as emotions  are laid bare and partners are changed as means of finding solace and inflicting pain. It’s all raw emotion as everyone tries to hide the hearts on their sleeve and remain socially proper. This is the sort of thing that could run for ages on TV, but dressed up in period costumes.

If you like your dramas soapy this is going to delight you. If you aren’t a big fan of it, as I am, then this is going to be something that you’ll end up singing the praises of for it’s visuals. The film was given an animated sheen so that the images look like they moving paintings. It’s visually stunning and results in several sequences that are going to make your jaw hang open (the wedding).  This is a beautiful film.

(An aside the film was put together using Ukrainian artists who had to regroup because the Russian invasion of the country. Things were so bad, and the desire to make the film was so great, that they did Go Fund Me to get money for generators so they could continue to work on the film.)

While the story may or may not thrill you the visuals will, and they are the reason you should see this film.

Three from Slamdance 2024 :HELL OF SE, I'm GEORGE LUCAS A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY and DARUMA

HELL OF SE
Off kilter Japanese high school romance where various people are in love with other people. 

Give the film points for not following the typical romantic path, but take some away for not being all that interesting. I didn't care all that much and felt like every turn was there just to be different rather than having it inform the plot or characters.

While not bad, it just isn't that interesting.

I'M GEORGE LUCAS A CONNOR RATLIFF STORY 
Portrait of actor Connor Ratliff who holds court once a month at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater in New York City playing George Lucas hosting a talk show.

How you react to this film will be determined by how you react to being focused on Ratliff. An odd sort of fellow who you've seen in lots of roles on TV and in movies, he is a guy who always seems to be on. Constructed via interviews with friends, video of his show, and footage of him in real life the film is one part documentary and one part comedy. For me a little goes a long way and somewhere about half way in I was done.

Your mileage will vary

DARUMA
Patrick, a cranky man in a wheelchair must ask the aid of a cranky double amputee neighbor to transport his four year old daughter to her grandparents house across country.

This is a film about an unlikable guy who kind of changes over the course of the film but still remain rather unlikable. While I like that we don't end up with full on shiny happy at the end, I dislike that I really disliked Patrick all the way through and regretted spending time with him. Yes, this is more realistic than almost every other film, but the fact he melts for his daughter shouldn't be his only likable trait.

Sebastian (2024) Sundance 2024

Max, young writer takes up working as a sex professional in order to get material for his novel about a man working as a sex professional.

This film didn't really work for me. Yes, I admit that not being a gay man it didn't  resonate. I do think that if I was, the film might have meant more to me than it did.  

I can see how good much of the film is, and I think the performances by the men in Max's life are worthy of many awards for ensemble work. The problem is a I really didn't like Ruaridh Mollica as Max. It's not that he is bad, but is is too self contained. I never warmed to him and I never connected. To me he was simply pawn being moved around the film to highlight everyone else.

This isn't to suggest SEBASTIAN is a bad film, it's not. I think it's more a film that is going to play best for a certain audience who can connect to the man at the center.

Coven (2023) plays CBC TV Sunday January 28, 2024

A look at young women who are attempting to reclaim the word witch as something other as being something evil. They are seeking to return the notion of what a witch is back toward a healer and a spiritual person in touch with nature and the universe.

Coven is a good film. While it hues close to the expected course on the subject it still manages to throw its net wider than most similar studies by taking in related matters from other cultures. This is the sort of film that is going to find it’s audience among young women who are looking for outside of the so-called conventional spiritual channels.

If I am going to quibble about the film it’s going to be that while Laura who is the main focus of the film is a charming young woman we would follow anywhere, the fact that she has a “goth” like appearance is going to make some people think that the film is less than it is.  That would be a mistake on their part since this film has a great deal to say about the path to becoming one with the universe.

Recommended

Robot Dreams (2023) Animation First 2024

In an alternate 1980's NYC a dog who is tired of living alone makes himself a robot companion.

This wordless animated film is very good. An entertaining little film, it was trumpeted as one of the best films of the year by many people in the critical community. There was much discussion in as to whether it would end up an Oscar nominee because of how Neon was handling the release and people weren't certain if it did or didn't qualify.  By the time I finally sat down to see the film it was carrying a great deal of baggage.

There is much to like in this film. There is much to like in the film. The characters are well drawn (no pun intended). The visuals are excellent. New York looks and feels like New York. The musical choices are excellent.  In a lot of ways it's as good as the film could possibly be. 

The trouble for me is that it didn't live up to the hype. Months of people telling me how I was going to be madly in love with the film when I saw it were wildly over selling it. Its a very good, very solid film but it's not the best animated film of the year.

That said- the film will is really good. It will delight you, make you smile and possibly make you cry. It's definitely worth seeing when it finally plays near you.

Siren (2023) closes Animation First 2024 Sunday

1980 the Iran Iraq war begins when Iraq attacks the oil producing city of Abadan. As his brother goes to fight and the rest of his family flees, Omid decides to stay behind to help his grandfather tend their groves. However the war has other plans for the young man.

I initially wasn't connecting to this film. There was something about the set up that didn't click with me. However once the family leaves, and Omid is moving around in the city  meeting people the film clicks into high gear and it kept me staring at the screen not wanting to look away lest I missed something.

There is much to recommend this film. From the mere fact that we are seeing a film about a war we, in America, never talk about, to the fact that the film is showing us a side of war I've never run across before. There is something about the way the film shows us a whole city trying to survive that makes it something special.

I was deeply moved. While the film is very deliberately constructed, the opening sequence which seems slightly out of place pays off at the end, the film still feels organic and alive. Yes the situations maybe connected together to tell an expansive story, but the incidents and people are dead on real. How people react feels honest and true, more than in most similar war films where everyone becomes a type.

There was a point somewhere in the middle where I was shocked, first that I didn't like it to start, and second I was floored that more people weren't talking about it. This is simply a great tale full of life and humanity that we all need to see.

One of my early editions to my end of year lists, I can not wait to see it again and to share it with friends and family.

Highly recommended.

Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds (2023) Animation First 2024

Two girls are sent to stay with an aunt who is a writer of fantastic tales.  While the aunt sleeps the girls end up meeting one of the characters from the stories. When he opens a portal back to his world the girls follow and find themselves trapped in the world of their aunt’s creation.

Visually overwhelming film is going to be the favorite film of generations of kids. Set in a world of pure magic and wonder SIROCCO delights. It has images that make you talk out loud  as you stare in wide eyed wonder. I was blown away and I never wanted it to end because this was echoed the magic of my dreams.

The story is good and it results in some jaw dropping set pieces. While the film signals much too early that things will be okay, the film still manages to be suspenseful as we wonder how the girls are going to go back home.

I really loved this film a great deal, so much so that I’m considering going to the screening on the weekend.

Recommended where even or whenever you can see it.

Sacred Cave (2023) plays Animation First 2024 Saturday

In an African kingdom the king is dying and believed to have been poisoned. In order to save him they ask an outcast to make an antidote. This sends the outcasts son on a quest to the sacred cave in order to get the items needed to save the king.

This is a pure fairy tale. Once the film gets to a certain point it becomes clear that this film is going to follow the well worn paths that fairy tales take. This is a wonderful little tale of the sort we don't see any more. There are good guys, bad guys and danger and hope and forgiveness. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm only mentioning it because in reading on the film some people took offense to the film not charting any new ground. I find that ridiculous since it's telling us a tale that is universal. 

This is a lovely little film.  It's a sweet little adventure into the heart of darkness and back again. To be certain the film isn't perfect, but it is a great deal of fun.

Liz Whittemore on Suitable Flesh which hits Shudder tomorrow

H.P. Lovecraft‘s story “The Thing on the Doorstep” serves as inspiration for Joe Lynch‘s Tribeca 2023 Midnight film SUITABLE FLESH. Heather Graham is Dr. Elizabeth Derby. Beth is a straight-laced psychiatrist whose obsession with a young patient becomes an uncontrollable sexual attraction. Part of the Cthulhu Mythos universe, horror-lit fans finally get the blood-soaked deliciousness they’ve been craving.

The structure feels faithful to Lovecraft’s format, with Beth retelling her current circumstances with narration and subsequent flashbacks to colleague Dr. Upton. Mind control, sexual enticement, transference, body swapping, SUITABLE FLESH has it all.

Barbara Crampton, whom I retain the right to declare a Time Lord, plays Dr. Danielle Upton. Had this film been made 20 years ago, she would be Beth. Crampton is as good as it gets. She’s sharp, 100% committed, and slyly comic. Her casting is no accident, and writer Dennis Paoli (Re-Animator) again does her justice. Judah Lewis plays Asa like a pro. His ability to switch characters and match Graham’s energy is astounding. I think it is legitimate to call him a Scream King by now. Graham goes all out, essentially playing three roles in one. She’s feisty and unbridled. Easily keeping up with Crampton’s iconic status, Graham nails the style.

SUITABLE FLESH is the perfect amount of camp and homage with its soapy noir score and old-school transitional cuts. The cinematography is chef’s kiss. The use of a car’s backup dashboard camera is particularly brilliant. The Special FX makeup by Greg MacDougall is perfectly disgusting. Let Joe Lynch make all of Lovecraft’s stories.

For more from Liz go to her regular haunt REEL NEWS DAILY

Nina and the Hedgehog's Secret (2023) Animation First 2024

Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, who did the excellent CAT IN PARIS and THE PHANTOM BOY return to feature films with a wonderful story about a young girl, her best friend, and the hedgehog character her father created.

The film follows Nina and her friend Medhi. When their fathers lose their jobs the kids aren’t sure what to do. However when they hear stories of a treasure at the factory where their dads used to work they form a plan to break in and get it.

This is another winner from Gagnol and Felicioli. Like their earlier films they have crafted a film filled with laughs and chills. Gloriously refusing to talk down to their audience, they have made a film that works at adult subjects from a kids point of view. The result is a film that I wanted to watch a second time as soon as I finished my first time through. Their style also allows for some genuine tension since how they slant events it’s not clear how they will play out or if the kids will get eaten by the big dog.

I can’t say enough good about the film, it’s such a delight. I’m kind of annoyed that I didn’t get to see it in a theater full of kids since listening to them react would have made it so much more fun.

I love the cartoon hedgehog. A throw back to the Disney/ Iwerks films of the late 20’s and early 30’s, it just works because the humor is spot on for now and then. Also the use of the character wonderfully hides the message of not giving up in plain sight during the entire film.

An absolute must see.

Rainbow Bridge (2024) Sundance 2024

A  young woman whose dog is dying goes to a special clinic that allows an owner to commune with their pet. However the clinic has nefarious plans for the process.

Off kilter comedy short is a kind of shaggy dog story (pun intended) It’s a rambling tale that builds to an amusing pay off, but which may or may not work for you. Actually the question you may be asking yourself is was it worth all the time and effort to get there. I was amused but to be perfectly honest I wish I had seen it in in the collection of shorts it’s playing with since it left me wanting more. I wanted to go to another film not to my computer to write it up.

Worth a look as part of a shorts block

Bad Hombres (2023) opens tomorrow

Two undocumented men are hired to dig a hole. Things become complicated that they are digging a grave for some very bad men. 

I wasn't expecting a lot from BAD HOMBRES. I looked at the cast and the trailer and I thought it looked like a pretty good popcorn film that would be the perfect palette cleanse after the serious Oscar bait film that I was in the middle of at the end of December.  Sitting down to watch the film one night a few weeks ago I found that the world drifted away and I was having a grand old time.

I loved that this mix of thriller and comedy does what it does very well and then it gets off. It doesn't do anything new, but it entertains from start to finish. There is tension, and humor and guns and blood and witty lines. What an absolute joy.

I see any number of similar films each year and it is so nice to see one where the cast and crew really cared about what they were doing.

By no means the greatest film ever made but this is the perfect film to clear the mind on a rainy evening.

Leilani's Fortune (2024) Slamdance 2024

This is a portrait of Ayo Leilani who performs under the name Witch Prophet.  It’s a look at her life, her role in the LGBTQ and most importantly her music.

This film disappointed me. As good as Witch Prophet‘s music is, the film containing it is much too DYI. Feeling more like it was cobbled together from a variety of pieces rather than as something that was crafted as one piece. It feels at times like a fan’s collection of clips.  Yes the pieces are good, but they never blend together with the result that the film is not what she deserves.

On the other hand there is the music, which is excellent (and had me searching it out online) and it has the talk which is frequently quite good.

As an introduction to Witch Prophet the film is okay, however she deserves a better portrait than this one.

SAY HI AFTER YOU DIE (2024) Sundance 2024

Two young ladies are sitting talking about life and death. One says that when she dies she wants to come back as a Port a Potty. Soon after she is hit by a bus. A few weeks  later the surviving friend runs into a Port a Potty.

This is a sweet little film is a lovely exploration of loss, mourning and friendship. Beautifully acted, the cast makes the goofy premise work much better than it has any right to. This should be a one joke film, but the way that director Kate Jean Hollowell handles it allows the film to get beyond the joke and become something more.

What a sweet little delight.

Recommended.

SHELL COVERED OX (2024) Sundance 2024

As a teenage girl prepares to perform in her school concert  she has to worry about possibly turning into an ox like many of her friends.

This film doesn’t quite work. Juggling too much in too short a time the film never finds it’s voice or it’s tone. Is it a film about coming of age? Is it a film about missing a sibling? Is it a family relationship film? The film never seems to know for certain. Everything kind of gets lost except for the oxen which seem to take up a bit too much screen time.

Reservations aside I am pretty certain that if this goes on to be a feature film  it will actual work better where there will be time to explore everything it wants to explore.

PETRO (2024) Slamdance 2024

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.

MAMBAR PIERRETTE by Rosine Mbakam coming to ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES January 26th

When I started to watch MAMBAR PIERRETTE I wasn’t certain if the film was a documentary or a narrative. I had just moved from one film on my slate for Toronto to the next. I wasn’t really aware of what I was seeing I was simply going along my list of films for the day, watch X then move on to Y and so on. As a result, I sometimes have to think about what I am seeing. That was the case here. The film looked like a narrative, but it moved and felt like a documentary. While I wrestled with what the film was for a couple of minutes, I eventually got lost in the film itself and by the end I didn’t care.

The film is the story of Pierrette, a seamstress working in a small village. She is working as much as she can to support not only herself but also her son and sick mother. Times are hard. She is managing to survive but it a daily struggle. As she says at one point so long as she remains healthy, she will be able to manage. Over the course we watch as she struggles to get by, deals with various crisis and talks to her friends and customers who stop by her shop and keep her connected to life.

This film is magic.

While the film is a narrative it is a film rooted very much in life as it is lived. Director Rosine Mbakam needs to be praised. Using her skills as a documentary filmmaker to their fullest extent she has a crafted a drama that feels more like a life than most documentaries. Ten or so minutes in I was convinced that I was watching a documentary that simply had a few added shots added in. This is one of the great portraits of the human drive to just go on and survive. As the film ended and life was returning to normal, I began to get misty.  This wasn’t any contrived triumph moment of anything or a dramatically constructed exclamation point, it was instead a very quiet sigh as if just to say, “such is life”. It was a moment that would mean nothing out of context but coming after 90 or so minutes after the opening it’s a grand summation.

I loved this film. I loved how it made me feel and think.

Highly recommended.

One of the best films I saw in 2023.

African Giants (2024) Slamdance 2024

Two brothers spend a weekend in Hollywood. One is an actor, his brother a is a law student. Over the course of the weekend their relationship is going to be challenged.

Dillon Daniel Mutyaba and Omete Anassi knock it out of the park as brothers Alhaji and Sheku.  Their performances are true movie magic. Their performances are the sort of thing that should be in the running for an ensemble award at years end but the film being primarily a two hander is going to end up being over looked. It's a shame because they are so good you'll want to continue on with their story.

Having two brothers I could feel all of the emotions that a brother feels for his siblings. It gets the dynamics right in a real world sense that most movies never manage.

While the jockeying between the brothers who are both shifting what they are doing is interesting the real joy here is watching the two actors inhabit their roles. They are so good at what they are doing that you don’t really care about what they are saying rather you just get sucked in because you feel the connection that they have for each other. You want to be in that space with them  and just hang out.

I absolutely loved this film. 

This is one to put on your list of films to see at Slamdance.

BLISS (2024) Slamdance 2024

20 years after VIRGIL BLISS the second part of a proposed trilogy  is being released. The film picks up the lives of the various characters some 20 years on.

I should mention right at the top that I did not watch the previous film. While I was give a chance to screen the previous film I decided against it because I figured that most people seeing BLISS are probably going to see it without having seen the previous film. I wanted to take it on it’s own terms. (I also did not have time to take a side trip in the crush of films from Slamdance.) Having said that I need to report that you don’t need to have seen the previous film to enjoy this one. The film just starts and goes and you can just go with it.

The film has Virgil going home with his girlfriend Amy. She’s excited about getting a full time job at Party City. They have a small party, unfortunately Amy passes away in the night. Virgil, a man on the run from the law, can’t call the authorities. Things are complicated when Amy’s sister shows up looking for her.

This is not a thriller. While there is some suspense because of the way the story goes, this is a character study. As that BLISS is a very good drama. It’s a low key drama more interested in getting to the truth of the characters then it is in creating a false narrative arc. The result is a movie that moves us because we care about the characters.

God bless Clint Jordan as Bliss. He lets it all hang out. The camera is on him for pretty much every shot and he holds our attention. If Oscar cared about small films with journeyman performers Jordan would at the very least be in the talk for the award next year.

This is small inde gem that’s worth your time.

In The Land of Brothers (2024) Sundance 2024

An Afghan family moves to Iran and spends decades living and waiting for citizenship, and most importantly a place where they belong.

This is a very good look at a side of life most of us really haven';t considered. Sure we have seen numerous films about being a migrant or a refugee, but we haven't seen one from the perspective of a family moving through Muslim Nations. More times than not it's a trip to Europe. While Europe figures into the tale it's not the focus. I mention this up front because this focus is what makes the film instantly worth seeing.

I really liked IN THE LAND OF BROTHERS a great deal. It's a film that took me a little bit to get into, I was expecting something slightly different, so I didn't warm to it at first. Then somewhere along the way I clicked with it's rhythms and was carried along. I loved that no one and nothing is what I expected, so much so that the ending, the final images moved me deeply...and more importantly haunted me as I went through the rest of my day after watching it.

This is one you'll want to see. 

Recommended

AFFENTANZ “Hunter" (2024) Slamdance 2024

 

Hunters wake up naked in the forest....

Wickedly wonderful horror film mashed up with a music video. It's a film that will make you wince and make you smile.

Because of the nature of the story I can't say too much, however I can say that this film is an absolute blast.  It's a glorious little film.

I want to see what director Cyprian Hercka does next because  this little film is one hell of a calling card.

See this.