(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Anyone who has been exposed to social media the last few years doubtlessly remembers the Nick Sandmann video. A group of high school boys near the Lincoln Memorial, with an old Native American “Vietnam Veteran” banging a drum in the face of one of the boys. The film Rush to Judgement, […]
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) A phone call from a childhood friend you haven’t heard from in 25 years. And your friend is dying. That’s the inciting incident which sets off the action in Last Night in Rozzie, a feature film shown at the Hill Country Film Festival (HCFF), during its July 29-August 1, 2021 run. […]
John Cryer, of ‘Two and a Half Men,’ served as Television Luncheon Master of Ceremonies for this year’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, April 18 in Las Vegas. Cryer joked his way through the ceremony, which honored Producer Chuck Lorre and actress/singer Keke Palmer. Palmer received the TV Chairman’s Award which recognizes achievements in one or more specific disciplines in television. Chuck Lorre, creator/writer of some of TV’s most memorable sitcoms since the 1980s, was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Two famous Hollywood names, Zane and Eastwood, helped producer Jeffery Patterson score a hat trick (the hockey kind, not the cowboy kind), winning two awards at the International Family Film Festival this month in Hollywood, California. Patterson won the Best Feature Drama award for Hot Bath an’ a Stiff Drink, and […]
This is an amazing 11 minutes of film. In the space within which most films are still on the titles, Australian Writer/Director Jason Kempnich gives us a “save the cat” moment, a character flaw (despair), an inciting incident, a character arc, conflict and a resolution. And the special effects are good, too. I saw Cough at the Anthem […]
Two films — two questions about America’s future
(First published on blogcritics.org) Filmmaker Reaves Washburn quoted Oscar Wilde: “Wilde said, ‘If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise, they’ll kill you.’ For us,” he continued, “that means give them good themes, peak their interest, ease people in and make it fun in every way.” Washburn, whose film Knocked Down won the short […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) This is my second year at the Anthem Film Festival; when I registered I received the typical conference bag of goodies. To my delight, this bag include a DVD of The Conversation, the film that stood out most in my mind from year one. The Conversation, by Korchula Productions, does what most people might […]
This article originally appeared on blogcritics.org I started reading works by Ayn Rand in high school 50 years ago, and I’ve never been able to shake entirely free of her ideas. Now I go to the desert to contemplate those ideas. OK, it’s not quite as mystical as it sounds, because that part of the […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) Studies of really young love won top honors at two LA film events last month. At the LA Comedy Shorts Festival (LACSF) the Audience Award went to Harry Grows Up by Writer /Director Mark Nickelsburg, and Writer Cindy Chupack. At the second annual Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge, both the judge’s and the audience awards went to A Simple Test, […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) The Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge, now in its second year, brings a new twist to film contests. You not only have to make a film in two weeks, you also must collaborate on another filmmaker’s project. Both of you have to succeed, or neither one qualifies for the prize competition. For actors and technical crew, it […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) A lot goes into creating the “willing suspension of disbelief” needed for an audience to become immersed in a film and experience it — laughter, tears, fear — as “real.” The most important factor? The characters must be believable. In reviewing films to vote for in Film Independent’s Independent Spirit Awards, I watched […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) Are you a filmmaker or a journalist? If the script you’re working on is titled Zombie Princesses vs. Sharkzilla, this is probably not an issue. But if you are using your filmmaking skills to document the reality of social issues such as unjust imprisonment or the AIDS epidemic, you’d better put on your […]
(Originally published on blogcritics.org) On Sunday night, Hollywood put on the glamor as awards were announced for the Los Angeles Comedy Shorts Film Festival, at Elevate Lounge, 22 stories above the lights of LA. Festival Artistic Director Gary Anthony Williams opened with, “All we wanted to do is make it okay for America to laugh their […]