Hope and Refrigerators – A Review of Hunter Gatherer

November 27, 2016 in Film, Reviews, Randall Lotowycz

Recently released from prison, Ashley Douglas (Andre Royo) is ready to restart his life. With little more than a toolbox full of his belongings–buried in his mother’s backyard–he aims to win back his ex Linda (Ashley Wilkerson), refusing to accept that she’s moved on. After a chance run-in, Ashley befriends Jeremy (George Sample III), a lonely young man who earns money through experimental medical trials and lives with his bedridden grandfather in a nursing home. Now with a partner, Ashley sets out to start a business disposing of unwanted refrigerators for $75 at a time, an enterprises that stalls immediately when Jeremy’s truck breaks down. Neither man has much going for them other than a strong sense of optimism and a desire to carve out some semblance of happiness in spite of all the obstacles thrown their way. Their lives and trials are brought to vivid and heartrending life in Hunter Gatherer, the debut feature film by Josh Locy.

Features Round-Up at New York City Horror Film Festival 2016

November 15, 2016 in Film, Reviews, NYC Horror Film Festival, Randall Lotowycz

For the last of my New York City Horror Film Festival posts for 2016, I wanted to discuss three of the feature films from the line-up. The festival offered something for every kind of film fan. Not every film worked for me, but the variety impressive and well-curated. I would definitely return next year to see what else they choose to showcase. And now onto the films…

Saluting Shorts at New York City Horror Film Festival 2016

November 14, 2016 in Film, Reviews, NYC Horror Film Festival, Randall Lotowycz

The New York City Horror Festival has come to an end and I’m pleased to say it was a great deal of fun to attend for the first time. One of my favorite parts was the showing of shorts before each feature film. All of the shorts were impressive, but I want to focus on the three stand-outs that really made an impression on me.

Adrienne Barbeau Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at NYC Horror Film Festival

November 13, 2016 in Film, NYC Horror Film Festival, Randall Lotowycz

Over the weekend, Adrienne Barbeau was honored by the New York City Horror Film Festival with their Lifetime Achievement Award. Though horror fiends will know her from Swamp Thing, The Fog, or Creepshow, her impressive career transcends genre and medium. She’s been on stage and screen–both TV and film–and, in later years, turned to writing novels. It was an honor and a privilege to see her come out to receive the award and offer up a charming Q&A with a multi-generational audience who admired her decades-long, multifaceted career.

Talking Dawn of the Deaf with Rob Savage

November 11, 2016 in Fantastic Fest, Film, Interviews, Randall Lotowycz

One of the few downsides of Fantastic Fest is that there’s just too many films and sometimes we wind up missing something to which we were looking forward. Dawn of the Deaf was one of those films, and we’ve been lucky enough to finally get a chance to watch. A 12-minute short from the UK, Dawn of the Deaf is a new and clever take on the zombie genre. When a mysterious sonic pulse kills the entire hearing population, only the Deaf are left behind, forced to confront a frightening new reality where the pulse was only the start of their trouble.

Last Night It Rained

October 17, 2016 in Robbie Imes, Words

by Robbie Imes

Last night it rained and it reminded me of New York. Of old beer and whisky, of cigarettes and subway stops.

Last night it rained and I felt cold. I always forget how much I love the rain. It comes at you hard, no cares, and goes the same.

Sometimes the blinds in my room move, the air from the fan rustles them. I wake up and think it’s the rain, but it’s just another sunny day.

The rain reminds me of the past. Of being little, and later, walking under an umbrella on my way to work. Up and down the stairs, inside out.

Talking Vaginas with Mary Angelica Molina – An Interview

October 15, 2016 in Film, Interviews, Randall Lotowycz

The film pitch for Valentina is undeniably intriguing:

It’s the summer of 2025, and global warming has caused temperatures to skyrocket. Valentina is a middle-aged Latina, obsessed with her own personal hygiene. She channels this fastidiousness into her job as a cleaning lady, making her the maid of choice for affluent New Yorkers.

Valentina reports for duty at a sparkling, all-glass skyscraper on the hottest day ever recorded in the city. As she eagerly polishes and disinfects, the power goes out and the blistering sunlight turns the apartment into an oven. Sweat, heat, and moisture build up so much that Valentina’s vagina screams for mercy.

What starts as a simple cry for fresh air turns into an intervention as her vagina asks after her wages and demands better working conditions. The heat will force Valentina to come face-to-face with a part of her anatomy she’s always ignored, and it will embolden her in the process. Though Valentina initially finds her abhorrent, her vagina is truly an ally who will help her value herself and be proud of who she is.

The Way of the Goth – A Review of Little Sister

October 14, 2016 in Film, Reviews, Robbie and Randall, Randall Lotowycz, Robbie Imes

On the eve of taking her vows, young nun Colleen (Addison Timlin) returns to her childhood home in Asheville, NC, to reconnect with her family, with whom she has not spoken in three years. She’s drawn back when her brother Jacob (Keith Poulson) is released from the hospital after suffering disfiguring injuries in the Iraq War. Now a recluse, he hides away in the family’s guesthouse, distancing himself everyone, including his loving fiancee Tricia (Kristin Slaysman). Their mother Joani (Ally Sheedy), whose suicide attempt provided the impetus for Colleen’s initial departure, claims to recovered, but relies on self-medicating in order to get by. The family patriarch Bill (Peter Hedges) is kind but aloof, seemingly unaffected by everything that’s going on around him. Perhaps the only comfort Colleen finds is her old bedroom, untouched since she left, in all of it’s black-paint and goth glory. Welcome to Little Sister, the new film written and directed by Zach Clark.

Talking Fashionista – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Interview

October 01, 2016 in Film, Fantastic Fest, Interviews, Randall Lotowycz

In addition to reviewing Simon Rumley‘s new film Fashionista, we were fortunate to sit down with him and the cast before the premiere at Fantastic Fest for a lively and laughter-filled discussion about the film, its influences, the city of Austin, allergic reactions, and much more.

‘Elle’ – A Fantastic Fest 2016 Review

September 30, 2016 in Fantastic Fest, Film, Reviews, Robbie Imes

Challenging films often pay off in ways that you can expect. You go into a film thinking that the subject matter will be titillating, even shocking, and you walk out with a sense of relief in knowing that you got exactly what you bargained for. That is not the case with Elle.

The new film from controversial filmmaker, Paul Verhoeven, is an adaptation of Philippe Djian’s French novel, Oh, and stars the inimitable Isabelle Huppert.

The story follows a successful entrepreneur, Michèle, who is attacked and violently raped in her home by a masked man. It is a film about identity, violence, body possession, and personal responsibility, and it’s a fucking doozy.

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