(Originally published on Blogcritics.org) Publicity described Radioactive as a film about a scientist with flash forwards to show the results of her work. “Sounds boring”, I thought. Wrong. Never have I used the word “mesmerizing” about any film before, but Radioactive is exactly that. Director Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis, The Voices) and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Wonder, […]
(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 […]
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 […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) Opening night of the 2013 Film Independent (FIND) Forum, a three-day intensive on filmmaking at the Directors Guild on Sunset Boulevard, featured a preview of Dallas Buyers Club and a question and answer session with its producers, Robbie Brenner (Escape Plan, Immortals) andRachel Winter (Brooklyn Rules, The Lather Effect). Starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Jered Leto,Dallas Buyers […]
(First published on blogcritics.org) This year’s LA Film Fest, sponsored by Film Independent, continued to be a remarkable cultural achievement. But within its 10-day run there were highs and lows. Family Day, coinciding with the premier of My Little Pony: Equestria Girls was a great event for kids and parents. I’ve attended a lot of film festivals and this […]
(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 […]