(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) On July 20, 1969, the lunar module of Apollo 11 became the first manned craft to land on the moon. Many films have explored the space program. Some from a narrative perspective, like The Right Stuff and others as documentaries, such as Apollo 11. None, however, have taken the approach used […]
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) The SXSW Conference, which began in 1987, returned this year to live presentations after two years of virtual-only events. Taking place in Austin, March 11-20, it celebrated music, film, comedy, and the interaction of culture and technology, with participants from around the world. Despite the fact that of all the virtual […]
A timid butterfly expert sets out across “The Dark Divide” in search of butterflies, but finds secrets about nature and himself.
Birds, quotas, and two crazy bureaucrats. What could go wrong?
(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Palm Springs, which premiered on Hulu on July 10, is not your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. The plot sounds like it is. Two lonely people meet at a friend’s wedding and broken hearts, cheating, and confusion ensues. But, there are two other minor details: The guy and the gal are caught in […]
Director Ken Marino talked about his first time directing a feature film – ‘How to Be a Latin Lover’ – with ‘Backstory’ magazine editor Jeff Goldsmith, on May 9, at the Los Angeles Film School.
This is not your older brother’s ‘Baywatch’. It is crammed with over-the-top humor and action. It is funny from the opening titles through the outtakes at the end. Oh, and it still has sexy girls in bathing suits.
Is your grandpa really who you think he is? (Are you reading this, grandkids?) Or, like Jake’s grandpa played by James Caan in ‘Undercover Grandpa,’ does he have a secret identity? Jake’s fun and dramatic discoveries about his grandpa helped Undercover Grandpa win the Best Feature Foreign Comedy accolade at the International Family Film Festival.
‘Another Day in Paradise’ takes us into the world of a recent widower who is trying to reinvent his life
The 1980s are cool again, as evidenced by the popularity of ‘Stranger Things.’ Something from the 1980s even stranger than ‘Stranger Things’ was the ‘Evil Dead’ trilogy. The films starring Bruce Campbell as Ash set the bar for campy horror. Can something be stranger yet? Yes: ‘Evil Dead The Musical.’
A sneak peek for cast and crew of the sci-fi parody “Unbelievable!!!!!”–part of the celebration marking the 50th Anniversary of the debut of Star Trek.
Lord Byron said, “Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” If that’s true, then attendees of the Anthem Film Festival, part of FreedomFest, July 13-16 at Planet Hollywood, left Las Vegas well medicated.
In the 1960s, cops arrested Lenny Bruce for word crimes, but today the policed have become the police.
Do right-wingers (meaning conservatives, libertarians and anyone who would not be caught dead wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt) have a sense of humor? You might not think so, if your main sources of news have been John Stewart and Lena Dunham piped into your safe space on a politically correct campus. I have, however, seen right-wing humor in the wild, often at previous iterations of the Anthem Film Festival, and I have laughed and survived.
I caught up with the creator of web series “Quirky Female Protagonist” at this year’s LA Film Festival. She shared her secrets with me.
The new dramedy “Don’t Think Twice” begins as if it’s a documentary on how to do improv. Then the members of the fictional improv group, The Commune, violate all the rules in their improv dire results, in their personal lives.
‘Creedmoria’, a film by first-time writer/director Alicia Slimmer, made its SoCal premier at the Dances With Films Festival. It chronicles the efforts of sweet-sixteen Candy Cahill, played by Stef Dawson, to come of age in one of the most dysfunctional families in movie history. As I watched the film, I hoped, for Slimmer’s sake, that this movie wasn’t too autobiographical. It turns out that it was.
In Hollywood parlance, a “period piece” is a script or film that takes place in the past. ‘Girl Flu’, a film written and directed by Dorie Barton, gave a new meaning to that phrase. It’s a film about firsts. Without a doubt, it is the only film you’ll ever call charming, funny and heartwarming that has menstruation as its focus.
At this year’s South by Southwest film festival Seth Rogen debuted, as a work-in-progress, his new animated feature ‘Sausage Party.’ It is the first foray into the “R-rated world” for an animated feature. If you have no problems with watching food have sex, it’s really funny.
Sometimes, when a movie plays at SXSW, it’s not just a screening, it’s a celebration. Last year, that was true about ‘The Breakfast Club.’ This year, the celebration was for the opening night premiere of Richard Linklater’s ‘Everybody Wants Some.’