SEARCH RESULTS

< Back 40 Acres makes us seriously consider the near future Magnolia Pictures, 2024 113 minutes Director/Writer: R.T. Thorne / R.T. Thorne, Glenn Taylor, Lora Campbell Reading Time: 6 minutes 40 Acres Rebellion (FSUNP56O2894XEXK) 00:00 / 07:53 📷 : Magnolia Pictures Press Kit https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/shnuoc9k3wiz44l824zkh/AA7WU3RtNVFNKyDObG3D0I0?rlkey=3atyx7kz9y3yvh65ubhttbyk5&e=1&st=ylsn0byh&dl=0 Rosemary: Movies and TV shows with intense action Coca: Movies and TV shows about drugs or with disorienting presentations Reba Chaisson 2025-06-27 When I was young my mother always insisted that I do as I was told. I was resistant to her directive—well, internally resistant anyway. I always did what she told me to do, sometimes to my detriment and often against my own self-interest. There comes a time though where doing as you’re told just doesn’t play well. At some point you need to follow your own instincts, use your own judgment, and stumble on your own so you can have new experiences, gain some wisdom, and develop your own perspective. Right? R.T. Thorne’s postapocalyptic film, 40 Acres , makes us question this self-righteous stance. Set on a farm in the not-too-distant future, 40 Acres opens with a group of about twenty men armed with guns, knives, and various swords quietly sneaking between the rows of tall corn and various vegetables. As they exit the field and approach the large farmhouse in the clearing, they begin snickering and chanting like they had achieved their goal and were about to pounce on the property and its inhabitants. Suddenly the men bringing up the rear begin falling from whisks of sniper shots to the head. Others disappear under the tops of corn as if snatched underwater by some semblance of Jaws on land. Before we know it, all the men are dead from gunfire or stabbings, and the people who killed them rise up from the corn and emerge from the farmhouse unscathed. Along with two forty-something-year-old adults are four people ranging from about 10 to 20 years old. Danielle Deadwyler leads the cast of 40 Acres as Hailey Freeman, a tough military veteran willing her family’s survival after a virus has destroyed all living cattle, forcing everyone to fend for themselves by eating only what they can grow. Cannibals, however, are a constant threat to the family’s existence, so they must remain vigilant to avoid being tortured and eaten by people who target them for food. Because of this reality, Hailey doesn’t play. When she speaks or gives a directive, like E.F. Hutton, everyone gets quiet and listens. The Freeman children are not only trained in combat but are also educated at home and held accountable for their work. When Hailey’s teenage daughter teases her little sister about being admonished for not completing a chore, Hailey immediately turns to her and says sternly, “Where is that book report you owe me?” Dissatisfied with the answer, Hailey adds a second assignment with both due in two days. The child’s humble response is only “yes ma’am.” Michael Greyeyes, a Cree actor, plays Hailey’s capable partner Gralen. Each seemingly brought a child into the relationship and then together added two more. The eldest of the family, Hailey’s son Emanuel (Kataem O’Connor), is a point of focus in the film. An early twenty-something, he is seldom permitted to venture outside the electrified gates of the farm except to take his ATV on specific errands and promptly return home. However, he deviates from his mother’s orders one day and takes a swim in a nearby stream. While getting dressed he notices a young woman (Milcania Diaz-Rojas) swimming and follows her to a clearing, where he sees a community of people. When he arrives home late, Gralen asks angrily, “Where you been?” When Emanuel explains that he got sidetracked, Gralen says, “I didn’t ask you what happened; I asked where you been.” Clearly neither Hailey nor Gralen deal in nonsense; both mean business. “Noticing” the young woman doesn’t adequately describe the degree to which Emanuel is taken by the swimmer; “entranced” is a much more apt term. Emanuel had already shown signs of longing for the company of a female when his mother burst into his room once without knocking. “Mom, could you knock?!” Being unable to engage the woman (whom we later learn is named Dawn) clearly frustrated him. His angst compelled him on this night to question his parents’ choices to isolate their family and insist that they neither speak with nor help anyone they might encounter. At their core, human beings are social animals. Psychologists and sociologists attest to what happens when we lack regular communication, social activities, and meaningful relationships with others. Without such social interaction, we become inept at engaging others, experience detachment from our feelings, and eventually fall into depression or loneliness. Given its critical importance to humans’ quality of life, should social interaction take a backseat to staying alive? Hailey and Gralen would unequivocally insist that it does. For what is quality of life without the physical existence of the body? When Dawn suddenly appears in front of the farm’s gates injured and desperate, Emanuel takes her in unbeknownst to the others. When she is discovered by his parents, Hailey angrily tells her, “I am not my son so you ain’t got nothing to offer me but answers!” What we learn is why Hailey insists her family be at their posts, trust no one, and do as they are told. The plot of 40 Acres is quite plausible. With news headlines about deadly bird flu leading to an unsafe egg supply and mad cow disease potentially infecting beef, it makes us consider the likelihood of a story like 40 Acres coming to pass. Add to this the alienating social climate today and the extent to which we seem perfectly comfortable dehumanizing people for the purpose of political and economic gain. In the event of a diminished food supply, what will we become? What are the chances that by then we will have dehumanized each other so much that demoting people in the food chain will be as easy as warming up a slice of apple pie for dessert? 40 Acres is an appropriately dark film in terms of its cinematography, and its storyline contains dark prospects for both survival and the quality of life should we survive. Danielle Deadwyler, who also played a lead role in The Piano Lesson , is powerful as Hailey Freeman. I would be quite surprised and extremely disappointed if she is not nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for this role. This film is a true indie with an ethnically mixed cast of relatively unfamiliar actors, and a plausible and intriguing storyline that we hope to also see nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. People as prey have come in the form of movies like Jumanji and Jurassic Park . In these films, humans are pursued by vociferous carnivores, so it is entirely reasonable to expect this. We are in their jungles. We have also seen films depicting cannibalism like Society of the Snow , where survivors of a plane crash consume the bodies of dead passengers in order to survive. This too can be considered reasonable. What comes closest to 40 Acres in terms of stories about human beings pursuing other human beings as prey is the Hannibal Lecter franchise, with movies like Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal . The cannibals in 40 Acres are much less classy though; they don’t consume their meals with glasses of Chianti. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Divertimento exemplifies art imitating life < Back Divertimento exemplifies art imitating life Amitice, 2020 31 minutes Director/Writer: Keyvan Sheikhalishahi Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, Amitice Divertimento Quiet Desperation Part 2 (4Y0FZPSB3YVBEXKX) 00:00 / 04:44 Ginseng Suspenseful and intense thrillers Coca Movies and TV shows about drugs or with disorienting presentations Reba Chaisson 2023-07-20 Unlike the video games from the early ‘90s, recent releases of games played on sophisticated, high tech, and dare I say high-cost platforms, contain more lifelike animations of artificial blood and guts than their predecessors. The characters aren’t real. But while research does not show that such games influence violent behavior, it does suggest that regular play of such games makes players less bothered by “violent or distressing images.” The burning question, then, is can games go too far in imitating real life? Keyvan Sheikhalishahi broaches this question in his 31-minute short, Divertimento , a story centered on the no-tech game of chess and solving a murder. Divertimento stars Kellan Lutz ( The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You) , The Twilight Saga - Breaking Down ) as Jonas Olsen, an uber-wealthy 40-something, who finds Cathy on a dark dirt road one night while riding in the back of his Rolls Royce. Played by Torry Devitto ( Chicago Med , Pretty Little Liars ), Cathy is well-dressed but disoriented and clueless about how she got there. Both, though, received invitations from Divertimento, a mysterious group, to join them at a castle to participate in a game to solve a murder. Jonas gets Cathy in the car, and they continue on the road to the event. The film opens ominously in the middle of a dark and eerie castle in France with about 30 “guests and souls.” All present at the event are serious and wealthy individuals in formal attire, who seemingly come together each year to challenge each other at chess. The women intently watch in support of their husbands as they compete against each other. In another instance of art imitating life, the scene reinforces the view of women as ardent supporters of their men, and of chess as a male-dominated activity . There is no dance or music at this gathering, only the occasional comment from an observer, making the space quiet, which allows for centering the chess match as the focal point. This is despite the invitation to spend the night playing a game to solve the killer of one of the guests. Divertimento feels like a play with the dark ambience of an Agatha Christie novel, combined with the disorienting sense of the 2010 movie, Inception , starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Divertimento gradually pulls us from a story about a game of murder into the center of a high stakes chess game, and back again. The whiplash mystifies us, as we get settled into one storyline only to have it shift to another. What we come to realize is that the chess pieces are representations of the members of the group, and that the fate of the guests is tied to the moves made by the game’s players. For members of Divertimento, chess, then, is a game that costs lives. Since we have become invested in Jonas, we feel as if we have a stake in him winning his match, particularly since he has promised his wife that it will be his last time attending the group’s annual soiree on their wedding anniversary. He tells her that he wants to beat Gustav again, insisting, “Just one more game of chess and it’ll be over.” When the outcome is not what Jonas planned, he accuses Gustav, played by Ola Rapace ( Skyfall , Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ), of cheating. The normally tamed gathering is disrupted by Jonas’s break in convention, inadvertently leading to tragic events. But should a game ever go this far? What’s beautiful about Divertimento is it leaves us to ponder this question for ourselves. Most short films consist of a very small cast, typically no more than five actors. And the stories often serve as teasers for feature films or television series. While Divertimento has the makings for a feature film, it is a complete story with a cast of more than 30 people. Its shortcoming is its lack of racial/ethnic diversity, which speaks to the tendencies of wealthy people to gravitate to those who look like them and share their passions and perspectives on a range of matters – including competitive chess. For broader appeal, the film could have benefited from a more diverse cast. Nonetheless, Divertimento is intriguing as its mystique, darkness, and silence pulls us into the story, as if we are being invited to be a part of the games. If you think you can handle perplexity and the intense feeling of high stakes, go for it. But try to stay upright as you do! Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Lady Terror shrouds sinister motives in a nostalgic feel Nathan Hill Productions, 2023 78 minutes Director/Writer: Nathan Hill / Simon Salamon and Nathan Hill Reading Time: 7 minutes Lady Terror Mystery (GJDQQDB4EPM1HJ7P) 00:00 / 08:02 📷 : Used with permission, Nathan Hill Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Sage: Movies and TV shows with low-key characters Reba Chaisson 2025-02-26 Lady Terror is a film about Jake Large, a 40-something-year-old Australian lawyer whose practice consists of accident victims seeking to recoup money for their injuries. Despite this being a major part of his practice, even Jake, played by writer/director Nathan Hill, wonders about the legitimacy of some of the claims, especially those that seem unfathomable from the jump. This skepticism is evident when a woman enters his office insisting that she was injured by a cat that scratched her while she was buying something from a clothing store. When Jake finally accepts her case, she is so relieved that she invites him over for a “nice dinner,” completely ignoring his engagement ring. He smiles and politely declines. When Jake arrives home after work, he and his fiancée Celine (Trita DeViSha) are, in the words of Barry Manilow, “like two ships that pass in the night.” He enters his home, sits on the sofa and turns on the TV, and the two barely say “hello” to one another. When he asks her about her day, she responds in one-word utterances. Unhappily engaged, Jake’s personal fortunes turn while leaving the grocery store one day. He stumbles upon a man attempting to rob a woman of her purse while she is getting into her car. Jake intervenes and the would‑be‑thief confronts him for interfering in his crime but the guy soon runs off. After the mild raucous, he meets Candice (Phillyda Murphy) who is quite gracious. He takes her to a nearby medical facility to address pain she is experiencing in her abdominal area and leaves her with his card. The next day, she calls and invites him out, surprising him with a private sensual dance at a sex club. As Candice’s calls increase in frequency, the two spend time having very long audible kissing sessions and eventually winding up in bed. Tension enters the relationship, though, when Anton, the husband of Candice’s late mother, bursts into the bedroom on Candice and Jake and says nothing. When he leaves, Candice complains about Anton and insinuates that she would “be happy” if he were gone. Coincidentally, her calls to Jake increase in urgency, begging him to come over because something happened between her and Anton. Not surprisingly, she again muses with Jake about murdering him. But Jake now takes her seriously, asking for details on how they would do it. Clearly, Candice’s motives are less than honest, but will Jake realize this before he does something that is both criminal and out of character for him? On one level, Lady Terror feels like a soap opera filmed with a low-gauge film stock. Its faded colors suggest an era recently removed from monochrome, giving the film a nostalgic feel. The settings are largely sterile with empty kitchen countertops and desks displaying everything in its proper place. While this and other aesthetic elements are likely driven by budget constraints, in some instances, it produces the desired effect. The colorlessness and sterility of the settings, for instance, promote the lack of a connection between the characters. The emptiness of Jake’s sitting room and kitchen convey he and Celine’s emotional detachment from one another. There are a couple of scenes in the movie, however, that take place in a bar. While the tavern has the obligatory furnishings, it lacks the social atmosphere of a bar. There is also little informal engagement between Jake and his friend, the usual banter buddies have when drinking beer together at a bar. This emptiness makes the scenes seem staged. They lack the context needed to convey the authenticity of the characters’ relationships. These aesthetic elements coupled with the film’s lack of character development make Lady Terror difficult to grasp. While watching the film, I could not get a sense of Jake’s personality nor the depth of the other characters and the relationships between them. For example, the flashback scene showing Jake and Celine early in their relationship indicates the two cared deeply for one another. But there is nothing to explain what happened that caused them to become so distant (and in some cases hostile) toward one another today. In one scene, Jake arrives home to find Celine and a man she says is her boyfriend, and they are in the process of moving her out. Among the things she says to Jake is that she “can’t stand him.” This is a stark contrast from their early relationship, yet nothing explains what happened nor how much time has passed. Rather than an emotional reaction to Celine’s declaration, Jake responds calmly and rationally, asking “what did I do?” A more apt response in the moment would be something angry or hurt‑filled like “I hate you too” or “yeah, good riddance, get the heck out of my house and take that a**hole with you.” Jake’s apathy makes his center unclear. Based on his modest office and home, Jake is an experienced and moderately successful accident lawyer who settles cases outside the courtroom. Given this, it is fair to assume that he is not a felon and that he understands the law. Yet, he shows no signs of alarm bells ringing when Candice begins to talk about being “happy if Anton were gone” and even adding details on how to kill him. These are huge waving red flags that should have signaled Jake to get away and stay away from Candice and perhaps report her to the authorities, particularly given his role as an officer of the court. Jake did neither and instead allowed himself to be manipulated by her. This, along with his lack of emotional reaction to his situation with Celine, makes him an enigma - not one who is intriguing but one who is disappointing and perplexing. At one point in the film, Candice urgently invites Jake over and he arrives to find her friend, Tonina (Challise Freer), a woman Candice introduced to him earlier in the film. Suggestively dressed, Tonina invites him in and explains that Candice will be back “much later.” This seems off but other than mild curiosity, Jake has no reaction. In fact, Jake and Tonina fall into bed together when Tonina insists that “Candice won’t mind” because they “share all the time.” While it becomes clear that the two are scheming over Anton’s money, who the women are to one another and what they want with Jake are still unclear. Nathan Hill’s Lady Terror feels nostalgic. It reminds me of The F.B.I. , a drama I used to watch as a child with my mother on early Sunday evenings. The weekly 60-minute show ran for nine years beginning in 1965 and starred Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Philip Abbott (I remember this because it was spoken during the show’s opening.). Lady Terror and The F.B.I are similar in appearance, presenting in tints rather than full color or monochrome. Neither have deep character development and both shows have unnatural dialog and frequently sterile sets. I can easily see an F.B.I story similar to Lady Terror’s premise, centering a gullible man being taken advantage of by people with dishonest motives (of course, being a weekly procedural, The F.B.I. covered a broad range of cases.). The current push for authentic characters and relationships suggests The F.B.I. would not be a successful show today as it was when it aired 50 years ago. Indeed, today’s version of the show, FBI , is not only hard‑hitting but emphasizes the relatability of the characters. Like The F.B.I ., Lady Terror presents a compelling story but its characters need to be flushed out to make them multidimensional and relatable. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

The series examines the drug trade that centers around key dealers, corner boys, addicts, policemen and politicians in modern-day west Baltimore. < Back The series examines the drug trade that centers around key dealers, corner boys, addicts, policemen and politicians in modern-day west Baltimore. Blown Deadline Prod., 2002-08 60 minutes Creator: David Simon Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, HBO The Wire Wade in the Water (SIHXMHIW8JFP2XQP) 00:00 / 04:17 Barley Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog Dandelion Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Chris Chaisson 2021-07-25 In the wake of the overwhelming popularity of The Queen’s Gambit , it is fitting to discuss the figurative portrayal of chess that is The Wire . A series that examines the drug trade in modern-day west Baltimore, The Wire centers around key dealers, corner boys, addicts, policemen and politicians that play roles in the city’s condition. The show’s ensemble cast, along with the “hyper-realism” described in the show’s pitch bible, paint the picture of fictional characters that represent very real people. Not just in Baltimore, but in any city with all the same moving parts. Despite the lack of classical training, many of the actors across the five-season series depict solid portrayals of characters across the spectrum. Most interestingly, British actors Dominic West ( Chicago , 300 ) and Idris Elba deliver such strong performances that many fans of the show were unaware they hailed from across the pond. Where does chess come into play? Well, the show centers around cause-and-effect. City politicians reallocate funding for the purpose of their own reelection. Policemen circumvent rules to bring media attention to cases they’re tackling. Dealers team up with one another to get rid of a problematic player. Every move influences the next move, but it’s all part of the same game of chess. However, this particular game never runs out of pieces and the king is never truly mated. “Fighting the War on Drugs, one brutality case at a time.” “Girl you can’t even call this **** a war...wars end.” A frequent criticism of The Wire and shows like it is that they try to make “evil” characters redeemable. The dealers are not just dealers; some are violent sociopaths, or as one lawyer puts it, “[parasites] feeding off the despair of the drug trade.” However, they are also proud owners of pet fish or avid fans of basketball and boxing. Some TV audiences accustomed to archetypes castigate this type of character writing, believing that these figures should be portrayed as nothing but the worst. A counterargument is that humanizing characters like this is perfectly appropriate, as the most evil humans in the history of the world were indeed still human. Identities are rarely if ever one-dimensional. Acknowledging the complexity of the characters and forgiving them for their crimes and misdeeds are matters of personal choice. This choice could very well factor into your decision to binge-watch the series—or not. Another criticism thrown around about The Wire is that it “moves too slow.” This analysis is often lobbed at shows with a large ensemble cast and several storylines, but it’s not without merit. The perception that this particular series trudges along likely exists due to its multi-faceted subject matter. Examining education, politics, crime, law enforcement, print journalism and where these areas intersect takes time. Inevitably, these will include elements that are not guaranteed to be of interest to every viewer. Nonetheless, the many moving parts of The Wire make for great setups, payoffs, and well-rounded characters. Back to our chess metaphor, a move early in the game (castling, trading queens, etc.) can reverberate throughout the next 50 or 60 moves. In The Wire , the significance of a brief interaction can resurface two full seasons later. Does that make it boring? Slow-moving? Possibly. But it certainly means every detail matters. Though polar opposites in genre, The Wire may remind you a little of Game of Thrones . An abundance of characters, life-and-death stakes, and a far-reaching chain of cause-and-effect bring these two series together stylistically, despite one being pure fantasy. Sadly, there is a notable absence of fire-breathing dragons in west Baltimore, but an ensemble cast and the strategic moves of the main characters may be enough to draw you in. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Content Manager Apply Now San Francisco, CA, USA Job Type Full Time Workspace Hybrid About the Role This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Requirements This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. To manage all your collections, click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. About the Company This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Apply Now

Drone uses lifelike graphics for a funny, yet ominous glimpse into AI < Back Drone uses lifelike graphics for a funny, yet ominous glimpse into AI E.D. Films, 2023 15 minutes Director/Writer: Sean Buckelew Reading Time: 3 minutes 📷 : Used with permission, B&B Pictures Drone Solatium Mysterium (KKCUB6QA8KN9QZSR) 00:00 / 03:09 Ginger Thought-provoking movies and TV shows Saffron Movies and TV shows with great visual effects Reba Chaisson 2023-07-26 Drone is an animated short film by Sean Buckelew about a drone that grows a conscience. With the use of artificial intelligence (AI), a drone, dubbed “Newton,” is presented at a CIA press briefing to announce AI-enhanced drones as new military hardware. Demonstrating its capabilities during a livestream in front of the audience, the press secretary engages in a pleasant conversation with Newton, indicating the drone is ready to show what it can do. Things go awry when the drone fires a missile into an empty building, but then verbally acknowledges it committed a grave error when it detects that a person was killed in the explosion. Feeling guilty, the drone vows to “never inflict pain and suffering on anyone again,” and people around the country embrace him for it. Buckelew does such an exquisite job of presenting the drone as self-aware, that you are likely to find yourself referring to it by its name or pronoun. The drone is presented not as an “it,” but as an object personified with human emotions of happiness, sadness, and even guilt. It makes me wonder to what degree AI will eventually make us feel emotionally close to inanimate objects, beyond the guitars we play or the cars we keep in our garage. Drone is both a funny and important film with astounding graphics that presents racially and ethnically diverse, lifelike characters, who smoke and use social media on their smartphones. It is not only a joy to watch, but it imparts lessons about our social and political realities in the age of livestreaming and government arrogance. The political fallout for the drone’s mishap provides a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes when things do not go as planned, and agencies and leaders are embarrassed by what transpires in full view of the public. Drone also helps us understand how an outcome, even a tragic one, can be twisted into a pretzel to justify staying the course. The rationalizations make it clear that handshakes and signed contracts occur long before Newton and his cousins get their first bolt. We are a long way from the days when robots looked like painted cardboard boxes with eyes, or even when they were made of stiff metal, like “C3PO” and “R2D2” of Star Wars fame. They now resemble objects we have been in awe of, such as cars, mobile phones, and yes, airplanes. This is the first step to feeling a kinship or connection to robots, as they gradually begin to fit into our world. Giving them names and adding AI to put them in conversation with us normalizes them as belonging in our space. And who knows? Maybe, eventually, we will feel as if we need them there. Available on Film Shortage Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

War is Over! shows how bonds can be formed amid desperate situations < Back War is Over! shows how bonds can be formed amid desperate situations ElectroLeague, 2023 11 minutes Director/Writer: Dave Mullins / Dave Mullins and Sean Lennon Reading Time: 4 minutes 📷 : Photo from Pixabay War is Over! Storyteller (ISEAHXTOBZNX3FRV) 00:00 / 04:14 Ginger Thought-provoking movies/shows Mint Movies and TV shows in cold weather and blizzard conditions Chris Chaisson 2024-03-18 I spend a lot of time playing chess online, mostly against one of the many bots that are free to play against. His name is Antonio, and I can’t stand him or his stupid pre-programmed responses. My resentment is built up from having played him dozens (hundreds) of times, and I have reached the conclusion that it is way too easy to start new games and play over and over again. If it took more of a concerted effort, I may appreciate the game and my opponent more. Now pluck me from the comfort of my heated apartment unit and into a more primal setting, and this game may become my only escape. War movies can be dark, grisly and bleak. Despite the critical acclaim many receive (i.e. Platoon , Saving Private Ryan , Braveheart , The Hurt Locker ), they can be a tough second watch, particularly for the squeamish. Nonetheless, the genre consists of some of the most visually stunning works cinema has seen, thanks to creative filmmakers and sizable budgets. The biggest challenge for war movies, one could argue, is instilling their story with a glimmer of hope for the audience to take with them as they file out of the theater. Particularly when based on real-life events, this challenge can prove too much, if embraced at all. Dave Mullins' Oscar-winning short, War is Over! , pulls off this feat by juxtaposing war with a fun board game. This critically acclaimed animated work takes place during World War I, as a pair of soldiers on opposite sides of the battlefield become entrenched in a spirited game of chess. Both have their own board set up and communicate their moves via carrier pigeon. The pigeon takes the messages containing the newest move back and forth across the battlefield, dodging flying projectiles to reach the other side. The catch is that neither soldier really knows who the opponent is, let alone that they are technically an enemy. The game becomes an escape not just for the two, but for the soldiers around them who observe and cheer their comrades on. The fun comes to an end when a general discovers the game and berates his soldiers for taking part instead of focusing on the mission at hand. He knocks the board over and even physically assaults his soldier to teach him a lesson. Forced back into battle, the soldier ends up engaged with his chess opponent in a fight to the death before their carrier pigeon finds them in the middle of the battlefield. Is the realization of their connection enough to stop the violence? While only 11 minutes, War is Over! highlights several unfortunate truths. For instance, in the course of their training, soldiers are often forced to purge any shred of their individuality. This tactic makes it easier for them to dehumanize their enemy and even themselves to a large degree. The display of a soldier playing a game he enjoys and the response from his general show the deliberate attempt to suppress any humanity that may come about during wartime. The fact that the soldier is able to bond unknowingly with someone on the other side shows that there is common ground to be had, even among senseless violence. Aside from any war themes, the biggest takeaway from War is Over! is that limitations create not only bonds but increased levels of passion. Many people might like chess or any other game, but playing via carrier pigeon takes a different level of dedication. In our comfortable, tech-filled lives, many modes of communication have made it too convenient for us to discover what, or who, we care about the most. While our productivity has been boosted, we no longer must give the same effort to maintain relationships or follow through on promises. So the next time you think of a friend or family member you haven’t seen in a while, pull out your feathered quill and parchment and send them a handwritten, bird-delivered hello (kidding). Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Alt Poster Art Gallery Check out the alt poster artwork from these talented graphic designers! Agustín R. Michel We bsite IG X Aleks Phoenix IG X Alessandro Montalto IG X Alexander Kaufmann Website IG X Bartos Gyorgy Website IG Facebook Christian Niemann Webs ite IG X CMB Graphic Design Website Dustin Knotek Website I G Edgar Ascensão Pos t erSpy Geoffrey Riccio Website Izzy Aghahowa Website Jaime Ventura Website X John Hanley W ebsite Kacper l SevenHeavens Design I G X Matt Needle Website IG X Nuno Sarnadas Website Ryan Keeble IG Pos t erSpy Ryan Layah IG X PosterSpy Rye Coleman IG X PosterSpy Sarah Sumeray Portfolio Scott Saslow We bsite IG X Siddharth Vinod IG X Snollygoster Productions I G Theo Peng IG X Vini Kick X Visualsofazmet IG X Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

Eye Two Times Mouth makes thematic use of light < Back Eye Two Times Mouth makes thematic use of light Cine CANÍBAL, 2023 23 minutes Director/Writer: Lila Avilés Reading Time: 2 minutes 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Eye Two Times Mouth Joy (YJQJ3VTNKTOZBWTI) 00:00 / 03:14 Chamomile Family dramas Jasmine Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Reba Chaisson 2023-06-21 Eye Two Times Mouth is an unappealing title for a short film about an early 30-something woman who aspires to become an opera singer. Despite its namesake, Lila Aviles's new short film manages to be quite compelling. Set in Mexico, Luz Suarez, played by Akemi Endo, works at an art gallery, seemingly as a security guard and helping in other areas when needed. A professional opera soprano in real life, Luz, whose name means light, is often depicted alone when she is at work – even when there are people around. She quietly sings during idle periods and at times loses herself practicing operatic dance. The film is shot with dark cinematography, making it difficult at times to appreciate what is transpiring between the characters on the screen. A poignant moment, though, occurs in soft light when Luz spends time with her voice teacher Lucian, played by professional opera tenor Alan Pingarrón. Like the actor, Lucian is blind. Luz articulates her curiosity about how he visualizes color, and he beautifully explains how he interprets color in the context of music dynamics. People with visual disabilities are rarely engaged by colleagues and acquaintances about how they “see” the world and manage their way around it. As Rosemary Mahoney explains in her New York Times article on “Why We Fear the Blind,” people who are blind are “perceived as a people apart.” Indeed, many people are afraid to engage visually impaired persons at all, let alone ask what may be construed as direct or perhaps seemingly offensive questions. In this moment, the film allows the audience to live vicariously through Luz as she bravely asks her friend, teacher, and mentor about his ways of seeing the world when he lacks the ability to see with his eyes. Luz and Lucian’s relatively prolonged discussion on color provides an interesting contrast with the dark cinematography. Avilés’s use of tints and shades for the film also suits its quietness, as there is little dialog, and the focal points are the usually quiet, classical genre segments of the fine arts. The title, Eye Two Times Mouth , relates to facial symmetry - that the mouth is twice the size of one eye. This notion of balance is at the center of the film’s theme. Our understanding about what it means to live in darkness is elucidated through Luz and Lucian’s conversation, as well as Luz’s inability to be seen at her job, to being seen as someone with immense operatic talent. Available on MUBI Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Babes humorously conveys the ambiguity of parenthood FilmNation Entertainment, 2024 104 minutes Director/Writer: Pamela Adlon / Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz Reading Time: 5 minutes Babes Make It Last 00:00 / 05:57 📷 : Pixabay Oolong Movies and TV shows that make you laugh or involve physical activities like dance and exercise Jasmine: Movies and TV shows with heart, positive vibes, and warm messages Chris Chaisson 2024-06-18 I watched a decent amount of 60 Minutes growing up, and one particular segment sticks out in my mind. Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame was being interviewed by Lesley Stahl, who asked her, “You have two little girls…Is this the best experience of your life, being a mommy?” It seemed like a tee ball question to gush about her family and motherhood in general, but Huffman instead responded, “No, no, and I resent that question. Because I think it puts women in an untenable position. Because unless I say to you, ‘Oh Lesley, it's the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,’ I’m considered a bad mother.” She then admitted to not knowing whether or not she is a good mother. Her answer acknowledges an ambiguity that many parents likely feel but are discouraged from verbalizing. As much of a blessing as parenthood can be, raising children is challenging and even overwhelming at times. Yet we often expect parents to be absolute in their gratitude for having kids or never ponder how their life would’ve been different without them. Most comedies surrounding family focus on the relationships fostered between family members or in competition with a neighboring family. Television shows like The Brady Bunch or Leave it to Beaver give the impression that every day ends with resolution and happiness. While this is fine, it is refreshing to have entertainment that recognizes that being a parent is not always the happiest experience. Pamela Adlon’s ( Better Things ) new indie comedy Babes illustrates these ups and downs of parenting and the occasional doubt that creeps in. Babes revolves around the friendship of Eden (Ilana Glazer, Broad City ) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau, Happiest Season ), two lifelong pals whoare inseparable despite the fact that Dawn is married with children. Their bond is tested, however, when Dawn has her second child and Eden becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Both feel at times overwhelmed by not only their bodies changing but the amount of responsibility that has come with their new roles. Eden enjoys her single and unattached existence. Her apartment is a reflection of her playful, childlike personality, as she has a soda machine and other décor that would likely appeal to an adolescent. It also doubles as classes for her yoga studio that she runs classes out of. When she decides to keep her child, she does not fully know the path ahead but intends to rely heavily on Dawn’s support and guidance. Dawn suddenly feels stretched very thin in terms of her time and energy. Her older child, a toddler still in diapers,behaves like an infant and demands a lot of attention. At the same time, Dawn feels pressured to provide emotional support to Eden. Eden’s co-dependency slowly but surely erodes Dawn’s patience, as Eden refuses to adjust her expectations to give Dawn a break. In a sense, Dawn has three childlike figures dependent on her, even with an active and supportive husband (Hasan Minhaj). The most endearing aspect of Babes is that it acknowledges the hardships of childbirth and parenting rather than portraying them as an entirely positive experience. Often, the depictions of pregnancy in movies and television are overly wholesome and unrealistic. Instead, Eden experiences a full range of emotions and bodily functions that range from benign to completely gross. In the movie’s opening sequence, Dawn is at the end of her pregnancy and hilariously carries on hanging out with Eden as if her water has not clearly broken. Their actions are exaggerated for comedic effect. But Dawn and Eden still effectively convey how their bodies are changing in ways that feel more authentic than in other works. Another noteworthy detail of the film is the absence of a malicious father figure. Dawn’s husband is a loving and committed parent, and Eden makes the deliberate choice to raise the baby herself. While Eden’s relationship with her own father was no picnic, her father expresses support and admiration for her. Eden’s doctor (and his revolving collection of hairpieces) offers his guidance and patience during every one of her visits. This addition of supportive male characters in the movie keeps the focus on the ups and downs of the platonic relationship between the film’s co-leads. It also allows for shedding light on the challenging experiences of pregnancy and parenting, even with the encouragement and assistance of others. The closest comparison to Babes is the 2008 comedy Baby Mama , about a businesswoman who hires a surrogate mother. Starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the movie, just as in Babes , foregrounds the platonic relationship between two adult women, while the romantic relationships take a backseat. Both films contain several hi-jinks caused by the pregnant characters responding to unpredictable changes to their bodies in hilarious fashion. Babes , more than most other works, succeeds in not showing parenthood and pregnancy through rose-colored glasses. Rather, it conveys them as the up-and-down struggles of life stages that comprise parts of the person’s identity and not their whole being. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Fair Play is an adults-only story that considers the cost of over-investing in our work MRC Film, 2023 113 minutes Director/Writer: Chloe Domont Reading Time: 5 minutes Fair Play Rogue (00ND732RQNI7IRCI) 00:00 / 06:09 📷 : Used with permission, Netflix Dandelion: Movies and TV shows with heavy subjects Honeybush: Nonfamily dramas with strong adult and/or socioeconomic themes Reba Chaisson 2023-10-11 Despite being culturally aware of women’s skills and abilities as being no less sharp and infinite than theirs, many men still struggle to accept it when the person they love most earns more and advances more readily in their careers than they do. Fair Play features Phoebe Dynevor ( Bridgerton , Younger ) and Alden Ehrenreich ( Oppenheimer , Brave New World ) as Emily and Luke, a mid 30-something couple passionately embroiled in a romantic relationship and recently engaged. Both are career climbers working at the same investment firm where stakes are high around billion-dollar deals and careers can be suddenly enhanced or derailed. This thrilling story of corporate gamesmanship and fierce lovemaking gives off an adrenaline rush that we normally experience with a good action movie. Fair Play , however, is an intense drama wrapped inside a compelling story. The issue is an old one, which is the degree to which men struggle to deal with the success of their female partners. The inciting incident is Emily’s promotion to the coveted position of portfolio manager (PM) where bonus checks are multi-six-figure rather than just five. She is reticent about sharing the news with Luke and displays a sense of guilt about being promoted over him given his high hopes for getting the position. When she finds the words to tell him, Luke takes the news well, responding in his sedate and charming demeanor, “That’s amazing.” Research doesn’t indicate that women feel guilty about being more successful than their male partners. Indeed, women’s promotions into executive ranks that hold decision-making power are rare, so such an advancement is received as a form of self-affirmation. Studies do show, however, that women’s guilt usually lies in them being less available to their children . But in Fair Play , Emily and Luke do not have children, which indicates that Emily’s sense of guilt is linked to Luke’s aspiration for the job and his disappointment for not getting it. While he is initially supportive of Emily, Luke will not celebrate with her and over time becomes resentful of her. The depths of his resentment become clear when he angrily tells Emily, “You took my job. It was mine and you took it.” Men’s identity is strongly linked to work, and their gender role is tied to being the family’s provider. Luke’s behavior indicates that he is struggling with this conflict between his identity as a man and a reality that doesn’t align with it. What is surprising is the degree to which his behavior toward the love of his life devolves over the course of the 113 minute film – even to the point where he can’t get excited enough to engage in sexual relations with her. Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan , Ray Donovan: The Movie ) plays Campbell, the uncompromising and staunch leader of the firm whose focus is on making money (even if it means demeaning his employees to do so). As we see in this film, being fired from Campbell’s firm is mortifying, as the experience makes people cry like babies, destroy company property, and even bring grown men to their knees. It is also a place where the employees are accustomed to witnessing such meltdowns. This reality is demonstrated when a group casually chooses to increase the volume on an obligatory ethics video rather than stop and stare at the performance of yet another colleague being humiliatingly terminated. Given all of this, it makes us think that while Luke self-destructs, he is perhaps not wrong in some of the stupor-ridden advice he imparts to Emily. One piece of his advice consists of making sure Campbell and others understand that she is not available to them 24/7. To ensure our careers do not overtake our identities, should we make it a point to draw boundaries between what we do and who we are? Are the extreme reactions to being fired from the firm indicative of the person’s inability to draw lines between their personal and professional lives? Writer/director Chloe Domont meticulously presents a complete story beginning with the couple’s enthrallment of each other through its gradual and sad fracturing. Her deliberate casting of Emily and Luke as unmarried and with no children elucidates the source of stress in their relationship as strictly work-related. It helps us zero in on the question of whether Emily’s new responsibilities at work change how she relates to Luke and vice versa. This is critically important for us to see in order to consider the power of socialization in shaping who we are as individuals and how we make sense of our place in the world. Fair Play is good and uniquely thrilling given its story and central themes. It would be interesting, though, to see such a story about same-sex partners. Do things get equally crazy in same-sex relationships or are they significantly different in some way? Fair Play reminds me of another film about a firm, the law firm depicted in the 1993 movie, The Firm . Starring Tom Cruise as Mitch, The Firm is about a recent graduate from Harvard Law School who lands a role at a prestigious firm in Memphis and realizes its rampant lack of ethics. In threatening to expose them, he puts both his career and his life in peril with his no-nonsense and corrupt bosses, played by Gene Hackman and Hal Holbrook. Like in Fair Play , the stakes at Mitch’s law firm are high and the concept of fair play is non-existent. You get on board fast or get out now because the firm’s priority is to make money – and lots of it. Damn equity, ethics, individual careers, personal feelings, and even the people we love. Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!

< Back Flamin’ Hot speaks to vision and the need for support to realize it Searchlight Pictures, 2023 99 minutes Director/Writer: Eva Longoria / Lewis Colick, Linda Yvette Chávez, Richard Montañez, Judy Montañez Reading Time: 7 minutes Flamin' Hot How Do I Say This (C5SRMZJ81V79THDF) 00:00 / 08:33 📷 : Licensed from Shutterstock Barley: Movies and TV shows with a lot of dialog White: Movies and TV shows that make you laugh, or involve urgency, like chase scenes or other physical activity Reba Chaisson 2024-10-03 I am not sure if you remember the song by the late Minnie Riperton called “The Edge of a Dream,” but it kept ringing through my head as I watched this film about a man who, indeed, had only a dream. Based on a true story, Flamin’ Hot is about Richard “Richie” Montañez, a down-on-his-luck married father of two in the mid-1970s. After applying for dozens of jobs, Richie, played by Jesse Garcia ( Snowfall , Narcos: Mexico ), finally lands one as a janitor at a Frito Lay factory in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Upbeat and social, everybody likes Richie, even his supervisor, Lonny, played by Matt Walsh ( The Hangover , Veep ). However, Lonny dismisses Richie’s aspirations for doing more meaningful work at the factory and even his ideas for customizing the company’s products to appeal to the Hispanic segment of consumers. This is not because Lonny believes Richie’s idea of a spicy (Flamin’ Hot) recipe for its Doritos and chips is preposterous, but because the idea’s source stems from someone with no occupational prestige, marketing credentials, nor level of authority in the company. So, Richie goes home each night dismayed because he doesn’t see himself as having value nor advancing beyond his current role. Early on in his tenure at Frito Lay, Richie meets Clarence, played by Dennis Haysbert ( 24 , Major League ), an engineer at the factory and the only African American of his stature. Although Clarence is recognized as being the best engineer at the plant, he has hit a glass ceiling. He too has not been promoted to a “white shirt” manager despite his years of service and high level of skill and expertise. Eager to learn from him and believing he can “fix anything,” Richie, against the advice of his friends to stay in his own lane, asks Clarence to teach him what he knows. Initially skeptical, Clarence buys into Richie’s initiative and infectious enthusiasm and takes him on as his new protégé. One of his first lessons to Richie is to listen carefully rather than speak, adding that he can tell which machine is off simply by the directional hum of the room. Flamin’ Hot is an upbeat comedy with a lot of laughs, but as with most comedies it carries a lot of truths. For instance, director Eva Longoria pulls no punches in presenting the blatant hierarchy and segregation that is most evident in the Frito Lay plant’s cafeteria. While Richie comically introduces the sections of the cafeteria by jobs and rank, the occupations line up, not so coincidentally, by race and ethnicity. Sitting together is a group of Hispanics, responsible for the most unsanitary and physical jobs designated by the baby blue uniforms they are assigned to wear. Except for Clarence, the engineers are White and don blue coats, while their supervisors, all White men, are set apart by their white shirts and hard hats. What they all have in common, though, is their frustration with feeling stuck in their jobs at the plant and not advancing to the corporate office in administrative roles. Flamin’ Hot is a story about how difficult, or rather unlikely, it is to get where you want to go alone. While Richie is the main character, it is just as much about others who support him in his journey as it is about him. This is particularly the case with his wife Judy, played by Annie Gonzalez. When Richie and Judy were kids, for instance, they were teased and ostracized by their White classmates for being among the few Mexican students in their elementary school. As a result, the two grew closer and ended up sharing a strong deep love and supportive bond, ironically forged by the disdain of their classmates and the negative treatment of police. At one point in the film, a 10-year-old Richie is handcuffed and arrested for attempting to purchase candy with his own money because the police officer suspects he stole it. It reminds me of a scene from the 1998 hostage movie, The Negotiator , when Rudy (Paul Giamatti) said with frustration while handcuffed to a filing cabinet, “Once you familiarize yourself with the chains of bondage, you prepare your own limbs to wear them.” Being handcuffed doesn’t just influence how others think of you; it influences how you think of yourself. The act of handcuffing someone, whether the person is culpable or not, criminalizes them and has consequences for who they are and what they can become. In Flamin’ Hot , Richie hints at this understanding as well when he says, “Once they treat you like a criminal, you act like one.” Indeed, his challenges in landing a job or even believing he can do so can be tied to his experiences with the authorities as a child. Over time, Judy grows even closer to Richie, and her support of him persists throughout their marriage. In a classic example, Richie struggles to complete the education portion of a job application, so she immediately sits down with him and offers to help. While he degrades himself, Judy says, “Stop! Can you do the job?” Richie replies, “I guess.” She stiffens her demeanor and asks the question again, and he changes his reply, “Yes, I can do the job.” Judy says, “Well alright then. You have a high school diploma” as she fills in the section of the application. This funny, matter-of-fact moment typifies Richie and Judy’s ‘we’ll deal with it’ relationship. Judy’s constant and unwavering support continues throughout the couple’s numerous and lengthy periods of financial instability. Richie’s outlook changes when he inadvertently sees a video of the company’s CEO, Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub) compelling employees to “think like a CEO.” With an idea in his head that he expects will catalyze the Hispanic market segment, he finally gets up the nerve to call Enrico to pitch his idea, but he first needs to get past his secretary, Patti (Lori Martinez-Cunningham). Executive secretaries are typically gatekeepers, put in place in large part to grant or deny access to people, such as Enrico, in privileged positions who hold a great deal of power. Getting past Patti is the equivalent of getting your best shot. According to the film, Richie talks his way in, takes his best swing, and ultimately his boss bites. Richard Montañez has been much maligned in the media with intimations that he didn’t create Frito Lay’s Flamin’ Hot recipe. As I said in my review of the Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black , it is difficult to know what is true, what is embellishment, and what is patently false when it comes to biopics. These nuances, though, do not change the essence of this story about sitting on the edge of a dream and leaning into it until it blends with reality. Whether entirely factual or not, Eva Longoria deserves kudos for going behind the camera and bringing to the screen a story for people at the bottom of the social hierarchy. It is both an important and entertaining film that pushes the possibility of dreams as something realizable with vision and the support of people who take just a little time to care. For Richie in Flamin’ Hot , these include his wife Judy, his mentor Clarence, and someone whom he doesn’t know, Patti, who grants him access for his pitch to the CEO. Hmmm. I’m thinking about the equivalents in my life. Who would be the equivalents in yours? Previous Next Sign-up for new reviews, exclusives, deep dives, and more First name Last name Enter your email here I agree to the terms & conditions Sign-up Thanks for joining us!