During the mid-1920s, Raymond Griffith was among the most popular stars of feature-length comedy films. With his silk top hat and crispy tailored tuxedo, the self-confidence and urbane Griffith was a suave alternative to the beleaguered characters played on screen by Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.
For men dating can be about the finality of it, while with women it can be about the prospects and aspirations of relationships. “T.H.O.T?” isn’t a completely blanket commentary on the sexes as both genders are capable of garnering those mind sets, but director Jayson Johnson ventures in to the ideas of dating, sex, and how every single confrontation can dictate one’s future. Johnson conceives a pretty fascinating relationship drama, first delving in to how main character Kev dictates the way his night might go with prospect Stacy.
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.
The 25th Anniversary Director’s Cut will be available on Demand June 27th.
One thing you can’t accuse Susan Stern’s documentary “Barbie Nation” of being is biased. Through and through “Barbie Nation” is a biography about the creation of Barbie, but it’s also an objective one. It’s bizarre, it’s humorous, it’s self deprecating, and most of all it reveals the pros and cons of the Barbie fandom. Director Susan Stern is a lot more interested in taking a look at the more surreal side of the Barbie fandom. While “Barbie Nation” does explore the culmination and conception of the doll, “Barbie Nation” also looks at the small pockets of fandoms that have popped up.
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.
I give filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay a lot of credit for pressing forward with a slasher movie that’s based a lot around the LGBTQ community and a slasher that’s centered on murdering citizens of that community. There aren’t many horror movies that focus on the whole LGBTQ experience and on a slasher that’s centered on them and only them. While I do credit director and writer Alice Maio Mackay for trying to offer something different, “Bad Girl Boogey” excels in the directorial department but sorely needed work in the script department. The script is an aspect of “Bad Girl Boogey” that could have stood at least a few more rewrites and re-thinking.
Like it or lump it, after delays, and delays, and restarts, and bad press, and alterations, and production problems “The Flash” is finally here. And–I lumped it. It’s not to say that “The Flash” is the worst movie from the DCEU yet, but it’s definitely not one of the best. It’s a shame as the trailers inspired so much optimism and enthusiasm, but at the end of the day, it’s a terribly mixed bag with occasional redeeming qualities. Beyond the fan service, and Easter eggs scattered throughout, “The Flash” is right at the level of “Shazam: Fury of the Gods”; whether or not that’s a positive perspective is up to you.