George Morgan’s “The Red Ball” reminded me a lot of “If Anything Happens, I Love You.” It’s a powerful animated short about grief, pain, and attempting to start over after a horrible loss that’s shaken up someone’s innocence. In this instance, George Morgan focuses on a family’s efforts to move on and find some kind of restart despite the lingering pain of their former lives.
Category Archives: A+ Indie
Gunslingers (2024)
Director Jacob Thompson’s “Gunslingers” is a great modern ode to the classic movie western that explores the universal idea of the gunslinger. Although it might be a badge of honor to be considered the best gunslinger in the west, there will always be someone coming around challenging you. And that is a curse to bear that will end with someone buried underground.
BOB (2022)
Inspired by a true story, Drew Bierut’s romance comedy is one of the most charming tales of fate and random scenarios I’ve seen in a long time. Although the movie posits itself as this bizarre concept, it amounts to a surprisingly funny, engaging and warm romance comedy that explores how sometimes we can end up meeting our perfect person in the most unlikely places. Everything about “Bob” is so well conducted from the direction, top notch performances, and ace comic timing, I just loved it.
Ada (2019)
Now Available for Rent or Purchase.
Released in time for International Women’s Month, Steven Kammerer’s “Ada” is a wonderful and beautifully acted tale of one of the world’s unsung heroes. Kammerer uses his short format to tell the tale of Ada Lovelace, a well beyond her time genius who envisioned the plans for the first ever computer program in the 1840’s. Her notes were later discovered by Alan Turing used as inspiration for the very first computer.
Exposure (2023)
At the moment I’m not too sure if Kris Cummins’s “Exposure” is an ARG, the start of a series, or a proof of concept, but what it is is one hell of a scary horror film. A lot of the best horror is rooted in reality and “Exposure” is one of the most realistic modern horror tales ever conceived. The idea that someone is using a digital baby monitor to terrorize or torment kids is something that happens far too often and director Cummins takes full advantage of that.
Queen of the Deuce (2023) [Make Believe Film Festival 2024]
There’s nothing better than a great documentary and “Queen of the Deuce” manages to be one of the best I’ve seen this year. Valerie Kontakos’ biography about NYC figure Chelly Wilson is one of the more excellent documentaries I’ve seen that covers an array of topics from family, LGBTQ politics, and the ever lasting effects of the holocaust. More so it’s a brilliant time capsule of the Deuce, 42nd Street in New York which, at one time, was considered a virtual breeding ground of violence, sex, drugs and all other kinds of depravity.
Shari & Lamb Chop (2023) [Make Believe Film Festival 2024]
The biography of Shari Lewis is long overdue and a story worth telling. It’s a perfect film for people that grew up watching Shari Lewis and Lambchop during various points of her illustrious career. Whether you’re a boomer, Gen X, or Millennial, the odds are you have seen Lambchop at one point in your life. For me, I used to watch her revival show on PBS in the 1990’s and tuned in regularly. I loved Lambchop despite being a tad too old for the intended target audience, but I didn’t care. The story of Shari Lewis is one filled with a lot of happiness, a lot of promise and of course some terrible sadness that befell her later in her life.