Actor Phil Hall is something of a perfectionist, a man who really fancies himself an improvisational artist. It’s not too often we see actors in films who are willing to improvise, and Phil Hall is a man who has co-starred in many independent films and is an individual who believes in the ability to improvise to give us moments in film that scripts can’t conceive. “Uncorked” is a thirty minute experimental short featuring actor Phil Hall basically staging his own one man show where he shows the audience what he’s capable of in the realm of improv and playing it by ear.
Category Archives: A+ Indie
Logan (2012)
One of my soft spots whenever reviewing movies sent to us by indie filmmakers is fan films. It’s become a genre onto itself, and most times can be a platform for fan boys who happen to be creative filmmakers. That’s a lethal combination that can amount to a wonderful fan service you can’t get from Hollywood.
Dym (2007)
At the request of director Grzegorz Cisiecki, I cautiously entered in to his 2007 short film entitled “Dym,” and hoped to see what would be the seeds of a great director in the making. While in the end “Dym” leans toward being a demo reel for work in the states, “Dym” is also a striking short film delving in to the psychosexual madness our main character endures when experiencing a turbulent romance with his girlfriend.
The Long, Slow Death of a Twenty-Something (2011)
Ben Baker is the classic male of the western society. He has no identity. He’s too old and mature for his teenage antics that involve gaming, bullshitting, and heavy alcohol, and he’s too young and immature to accept the doldrums of adulthood that involve committed relationships and responsibilities. Too adult for childish things, and too childish for obligations, both of which are worlds where Ben is incapable of being himself and expressing of his true feelings on any given topic. With a very symbolic prologue involving a blue square, director Larry Longstreth basically sets the stage for a story about growing up, moving on, and trying to find a place in a society that demands everything of you but yourself.
Amy's In the Attic (2010)
Never prone to just staying in one comfort zone, director Matthew Saliba invokes the likes of Tinto Brass and Jess Franco in what is one of the more disturbing and despicable pieces of grindhouse fare I’ve ever seen, a short cinematic offering from director Matthew Saliba a man who has dabbled in the realms of torture, misogyny, and revenge before, but with “Amy’s in the Attic” he takes it to a new extreme dabbling in the shadows of fetish, swinging and slavery with a practice in human cruelty as juxtaposed with sexuality that leads down a path that will really affect his viewers and loyal fan base. Even I found myself cringing in some instances, especially in a big reveal during the big sex game that ensues with this group of swingers.
Between the Blinds (2010)
Speaking as an author who is constantly thinking up new ideas for novels, injecting his own sentiments in to the psyches of his characters, and has known what a struggle it can be to muster up an idea for a new story at the demand of an editor or a publisher, I found “Between the Blinds” not only a testament to the fragility and beauty of human emotions but to the power of the creative process and how absolutely tumultuous it can be. For any self-respecting writer, they will be able to relate completely with our protagonist, a writer who is given only a few hours to complete a new manuscripts and angrily struggles to concoct a new idea.
The Bad Cookie (2010)
Director Drew Daywalt’s short “The Bad Cookie” is something of a twisted dark comedy and horror story that is really almost impossible to peg down but is nonetheless very entertaining and goofy in some instances, it’s that classic horror story of pure evil born out of hatred, and the romance between a woman and a her cookie. Daywalt comprises a genuinely entertaining and simultaneously ridiculous fantasy horror film about a young woman named Denise who is something of an angelic young woman prone to many hobbies, one of which is celebrating Halloween with horror movies, and baking cookies.