Writer/Director Tamara Scherbak’s (with co-writer Christina Saliba) short indie thriller “White Noise” is a weird, and twisted film, and one that reminded me a lot of “Black Mirror” in the end. It’s a movie about madness and over stimulation that ends up driving a young woman to the brink of insanity. One of the things that I quite enjoyed about “White Noise” is that it plays on such an unusual element in anxiety.
Category Archives: A+ Indie
Tales from the Apocalypse (2023)
I’m shocked at how great “Tales from the Apocalypse” was, and I say that as someone that loves a good apocalyptic yarn here and there. While I wouldn’t be quick to compare it to “Trick r Treat” as the premise has explained, it manages to stand on its own two feet as great anthology filled with five great science fiction shorts obvious influenced by the likes of Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson. I’m also glad a lot of the shorts picked for this film aren’t the usual tired tropes, but aim for something so much more meaningful and thought provoking.
10-33 (2021)
Director and Writer Alexander Maxim Seltzer’s “10-33” is a powerhouse of a short film. In only ten minutes it packs in a fleshed out narrative, a horrifying plot twist, gut wrenching suspense, and a gut punch of a climax. Altogether it is also a taut commentary about the current climate we live in where gun violence is now not only recurring, but inevitable. Director Maxim Seltzer is a masterful storyteller, building such a wonderful thriller in such a short time.
Mickey Hardaway (2023)
Director and Writer Marcellus Cox’s “Mickey Hardaway” took me back to a lot of other great character studies like “Antwone Fisher” and “Ordinary People.” Director and writer Cox really builds a compelling and interesting drama about a young man who is ultimately his own worst enemy. Director and writer Cox has a lot of story to tell, dealing in themes about being an artist, the frustrations of impostor syndrome, and learning to overcome past demons. While the film suffers a bit from some on the nose dialogue, it doesn’t hinder what is a richly developed character drama that I was engaged with from the very beginning.
Mad Heidi (2023)
Tickets are now on sale at Fathom Events; coming to theaters nationwide for a special one-night engagement on Wednesday, June 21st at 7pm, local time.
A lot of the media likes to use the words “Indie film” whenever referring to a movie that isn’t entirely mainstream. The word has been homogenized over the years, as films like “Mad Heidi” are lost in the shuffle. “Mad Heidi” is a real indie film that worked hard to get a distribution deal, and it is here for us to gorge on. According to the press release, “Mad Heidi” initially made waves for its innovative crowdfunded approach, bypassing traditional financing tactics to ensure that the film’s original vision was preserved while placing profits back in the hands of the creators and backers. Even if neo-grindhouse isn’t your cup of tea, “Mad Heidi” deserves a lot of love for its willingness to embrace its indie roots, while also being literally as cheesy as it can possibly be.
Savi the Cat (2022) [Tribeca Film Festival]
Directors Bryan Tucker and Netsanet Tjirongo’s “Savi the Cat” is one of the more unsuspecting short documentaries of the year. It’s a human story, but one that revolves around owning a pet. It’s amazing what adopting a pet can with and to your life. It can change it in ways that we never thought were possible, which is why so many pets are up for adoption. Not many people realize just how much of a task it can be to maintain and keep any kind of domestic animal. With “Savi the Cat,” the pair of owners not only learns about the humongous task that is of owning a cat, but the toll it inevitably takes on their relationship in the long run.
Going Nowhere (2022)
One of the things that being a filmmaker does is it grants you the ability to know the true hardships of really making a film. For an indie filmmaker, simply getting your work out there is not just a labor of love, but it is laborious in and of itself. “Going Nowhere” is thankfully one of the many very good indie productions about making movies. Izzy Shill’s feature film debut is a meta-mock documentary about the struggles that come with getting a movie finished. Along the way she also tackles ideas about human relationships, getting the perfect message across with your film, and the impostor syndrome.