By Jeremy Carr. Ben Model and his Undercrank Productions continue to deliver eclectic fare from the annals of film history, distributing movies that shed light on their respective era, their audiences, and their creators.” Given the nature of what is discovered, handled, and ultimately distributed as part of the Accidentally […]
Sleepless Nights: Alex Andre’s Pratfall (2023)
By Thomas M. Puhr. A film about the very-human desire to be seen – really seen – by another, and the accompanying fear of what that vulnerability may bring.” “Do I look happy or satisfied?” Eli (Joshua Burge) asks an unsuspecting couple in Central Park. “I wouldn’t know. I can’t […]
Creatively Tributing the Master – A Hint of Hitchcock: Stories Inspired by the Master of Suspense
A Book Review by Brian Greene. The original stories are well-written and compelling enough to stand on their own apart from their associations with the great auteur.” Alfred Hitchcock had a deep connection to literature. The authors whose novels and short stories served as the bases of his films include […]
Bodies Bodies Bodies: Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop in Yuma County
By Thomas M. Puhr. Even at its bleakest – and it features some shockingly meanspirited turns of fate – the film keeps one eye on being a good time at the movies.” Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023) opens with a bird sitting atop an empty pump […]
Be Kind, Rewind: Kim’s Video
By Jonathan Monovich. More than anything, Kim’s Video proves that physical media for many is much more than nostalgic, it is a way of life.” Since their inception, video stores have been places of sacred proportions for film fanatics. Lance Lawson’s legendary Manhattan Beach video store, Video Archives, famously helped […]
Representative of a Global Tradition – Arab World Cinemas: A Reader and Guide
A Book Review by Ali Moosavi. Its format of selecting representative films from various parts of the Arab world and analyzing them in detail is quite refreshing and very conducive to understanding the cinema from these parts of the world.” Any book with the title “Arab World Cinemas” immediately raises […]
James Bond Before James Bond: Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
By Jonathan Monovich. Not as in-your-face as Ritchie’s earliest work… yet there is still plenty to please fans….” Guy Ritchie has become well-known for his distinct style, easily recognized by quick cuts, lively transitions, intersecting plotlines, witty dialogue, and dark humor. This unique style, which audiences have come to love, […]
Man vs. Wild: Hundreds of Beavers
By Jonathan Monovich. An example as to why silent comedy is timeless despite the disbelief of many.” Whereas Lake Michigan Monster (2018) was a whacky take on films like Roger Corman’s Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) and Curtis Harrington’s Night Tide (1961), Mike Cheslik/Ryland Brickson Cole Tews’ follow-up, Hundreds […]
Civil War: A Depressing Wake-Up Call
By Elias Savada. Dystopia never looked so depressing.” It’s not a far cry — from today’s escalating political dissention that is breaking apart friends and family — to the near-future possibility that is Alex Garland’s bleak world view in Civil War. It’s a savage and savaged county (not unlike the […]
Things Fall Apart: Ena Sendijarević’s Sweet Dreams (2023)
By James Slaymaker. Demonstrating an astonishing level of artistic maturity, sensitivity, and command of cinematic form.” In her feature debut, the entertaining-yet-slight road movie Take Me Somewhere Nice (2019), director Ena Sendijarević delved into her familial roots, depicting a young woman’s journey from the Netherlands to visit her estranged father […]