Film
Fashionista is a hypnotic exploration of identity and transformation written and directed by Simon Rumley. The narrative focuses on vintage clothing shop owners April (Amanda Fuller) and Eric (Ethan Embry), whose marriage is tested when April begins to suspect her husband of having an affair. After her suspicions are proven, their lives fall apart. April, seeking validation, attracts the attention of the wealthy, brooding Randall (Eric Balfour).
Read More
I’m just going to come out and say it right away: The Arrival is one of those movies that make me remember why I love going to the movies. That’s been said before about a lot of movies, each time valid for the writer. But these types of movies don’t come around very often, especially ones so firmly steeped in genre.
The basic setup is that mysterious aliens have come to earth and humanity must discover what they want from us. Is it war, friendship, or something more sinister? Beyond this premise, at the heart of the film is Louise (Amy Adams), a linguist that’s tapped by the US Military to break the barrier of communication with them.
Read More
12-year old Luke (Levi Miller) is in love with his babysitter, Ashley (Oliva DeJonge). He holds out hope they can overcome the 5-year age gap between them, but time is running out because she’s set to move away in a few days. When his parents (played by Virginia Madsen and Patrick Warburton) hire her to watch him one last time on a snowy December night, Luke knows it’s now or never. He has it all planned out, until they find themselves threatened by a home invasion.
Read More
A mountain man evades authorities and survives the winter by breaking into empty houses. A fisherman is lost at sea, sending out letters in bottles with hopes they reach the shore. And a family man works night shifts at a hotel, living with his wife’s parents as they try to save up to get a place of their own with their infant daughter. All three men are one of the same, existing at different times yet simultaneously in Sarah Adina Smith’s impressive second feature film, Buster’s Mal Heart.
Read More
Author: The JT LeRoy Story opens with Winona Ryder thanking him, JT LeRoy. What she’s thanking him for is irrelevant because her sincerity sells it. She believes he is owed a thank you, this author, this boy, the son of a truckstop whore. And we cringe because we know the truth. JT LeRoy isn’t real. He was never real at all. He was a creature spawned from the heart of Laura Albert, the mastermind behind one of, if not THE, greatest literary scandal of all time.
Read MoreSpeaking at the New York premiere of the newly restored Multiple Maniacs last month, John Waters touched on the state of his first feature length film, Mondo Trasho. He said it would probably never be re-released because the music licensing would cost $750,000, and it’s not the first time he has made a statement like this. And every time I hear it, it’s a bummer. There’s an entire generation of Waters fans who have only seen VHS rips on YouTube or via torrents, and that’s a shame. These mediums are not suitable for an acclaimed director’s first film, nor are they exactly legal. Let’s get the fan entitlement out of the way. We’re not owed an official, restored release of Mondo Trasho.
Read More
Shortly after graduating film school and coming out to his family, Will Allen joined a Los Angeles-based group called The Buddhafield. He was searching for spiritual fulfillment and found it in the group of like-minded individuals. With his video camera in tow, Allen spent twenty years documenting the group’s activities, at the center of which was their enigmatic leader Michel. Over the two decades, the group’s focus changed due to both external and internal forces. They grew to be seen as a cult by the outside world while Michel tightened his grip on them. His public behavior bordered on bizarre, but it was what he did in secret that ultimately led to the unraveling of The Buddhafield. The footage that Allen accumulated serves as a record of both the joyous highs and horrific lows of the group, capturing the literal Holy Hell it became.
Read More
If all went according to plan, Jon would drive his friend/mentor Daryl on a 3,000-mile trip to the Pacific Northwest on a custom motorcycle fitted with a sidecar. The trip would fulfill a longstanding promise and allow Jon to pay Daryl back for helping him through rough times. It had a sense of urgency as Daryl suffered from degenerative eye disease that’ll leave him blind. He’d likely never have another opportunity like this one. But in the grand tradition of road trips, nothing went as planned.
Read More
Caroline Williams is one of those actresses you never forget. In 1986 she starred in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Tobe Hooper’s bonkers and wildly entertaining sequel to the original horror classic. As disc jockey Stretch Brock, she fought to survive an unfortunate run-in with Leatherface and the rest of the sadistic Sawyer clan. Following that iconic performance, she appeared in dozens of other films, including another of my favorite horror sequels, Stepfather 2. This month marks the 30th anniversary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, as well as the release of her latest film, Syfy’s Sharknado 4. To celebrate, we reached out (and geeked out a little) to Ms. Williams about her historic horror career.
Read More
Hope Ann Gregory (Melissa Rauch) was the star of her hometown after making it to the Olympics for gymnastics. A career-ending injury left her with the Bronze medal, but in the ensuing decade Hope clung to the glory lavished upon her as a child. Enabled by her well-meaning father Stan (Gary Cole), Hope became an adult who never quite grew up, entirely dependent on her father’s financial support as well as the small town’s emotional support. She still wants everyone to see her as a star, even though she’s lost much of her shine. Bossy, selfish, and foul-mouthed, Hope is perfectly fine with her lot in life, though her father wants more for her. She begrudgingly takes on training Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson), a talented young gymnast who could possibly surpass Hope’s own accomplishments. She even more begrudgingly entertains a romance with Ben (Thomas Middleditch), an adorably awkward employee of the gym who is sweeter to Hope than she deserves. Hope’s rival Lance (Sebastian Stan) is eager to take over as Maggie’s trainer, but his antagonism isn’t nearly as much of an obstacle as Hope’s own self-destructive tendencies. Both her and Maggie’s futures are at stake in this debut comedy by Bryan Buckley was written by Rauch and her husband Winston Rauch.
Read More