A film like “Requiem” is just begging to be turned in to a feature, as I think a lot of the whole Salem Witch Trials is capable of interesting stories. “Requiem” is not so much a tale about the Salem Witch Trials, and how it became a scapegoat for hate, repression, and homophobia.
Tag Archives: Foreign
The Good, The Bad, and the Buggy (2023) [CINEJOY 2023]
I can’t say that “The Good, The Bad, and the Buggy” works as a short film, so much as a potential sketch for a web comedy. It’s a funny and cute sort of short film about parents being about as petty as humanly possible. One thing that hinders “The Good, The Bad and the Buggy” is that there isn’t any actual extrapolation as to why these parents are feuding with each other.
On The Line (2023) [CINEJOY 2023]
I have a great respect for what Director-Writer Oliver Pearn pulls off with “On the Line.” It’s a competently directed and well constructed thriller that takes its low budget and implements it to create genuine atmosphere. Sadly, I wish I liked it more than I did, mainly because I wasn’t invested in the core mystery that fuels his drama thriller. Fans of audio dramas will especially be fond of how the movie enhances the narrative by depending more on the delivery of its voice cast, encouraging us to envision what’s unfolding rather than showing.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
One of the things I hate worse than a bad horror movie is a boring one. I can take that the producers of the film took the IP of “Winnie the Pooh” and turned it in to a slasher flick. People have been doing that for decades, and now with “Winnie the Pooh” in the public domain, we’re going to get so much more Winnie the Pooh iterations. The problem with “Blood and Honey” is that it’s boring. It’s so woefully boring and uncreative. How do you have a chance like this and blow it on such a dull run of the mill slasher flick?
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse (2022)
“Asking for help isn’t giving up. It’s refusing to give up.”
Based on a best selling book by British author and illustrator Charles Mackesy, who co-wrote and co-directed the film version, “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and the Horse” is a beautiful short worthy of a young audience. It was released around the holidays in 2022, and while it does compliment the Christmas aesthetic, it works wonderfully as a genuine fable about empathy and innocence.
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2022)
Director Lachlan Pendragon’s “An Ostrich…” is probably one of the more inventive shorts about creating, the idea of a higher being, and what happens when our creations take on a life of their own. “An Ostrich…” utilizes interesting filmmaking mediums and a collaboration of two art forms to unfold a very self aware and entertaining meta-satire.
You Have to See This! Wyrmwood: Apocalypse (2021)
Streaming On: Tubi, Vudu, Apple TV, Redbox
I for one got a huge kick out of Kiah Roache-Turner’s “Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead,” because while it was a huge departure from what I usually like in my zombie movies, he compensated with huge creativity and a great series of performances. In particular Bianca Bradey was a scene stealer as the zombie human hybrid Brooke. In “Apocalypse,” Kiah Roache-Turner and Tristan Roache-Turner shift the focus ever so slightly to a new series of characters. Sure they keep the integrity and novelty of “Road of the Dead” in tact, but this time we’re given a wider scope with a new series of villains and some bad ass zombie hybrids.