Dress Code (2022)

I had a lot of respect for Joseph Pupello’s desire to deliver a gangster picture that’s less about gangsters and more about our personal lives. It’s rough around the edges, and the screenplay by Peter Panagos isn’t entirely cohesive, but they do manage to concoct an interesting storyline for a central character who is being pulled in all kinds of obligations. The one big goal in his a life involving mobsters, and assassinations, and a pregnant wife is to live as the person he really wants to be, and that makes his struggle pretty turbulent.

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The Allnighter (2022)

I’ll admit, I didn’t think I would like Aimee Graham’s arthouse drama, mainly because the premise is kind of bizarre. It begins as this kind of weird night out with two random people, then devolves in to a car theft and odd detours, and then transforms in to this pretty hypnotizing drama about two kindred spirits. Despite the narrative that feels like it goes literally everywhere, “The Allnighter” is thankfully not hindered by this one caveat. Truth be told, “The Allnighter” is altogether pretty stellar, and it’s a film that kept me hooked right through the very end.

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Our Five Choice Indie Features of 2023

It’s been an interesting year and we’ve manage to cover a few of the usual film festivals and found some favorites along the way. We were thankfully able to compensate for last year by really digging our heels in to the indie movies and festivals, and we’ve combed over some really talented directors, and writers.

These are five of the best indie feature films that we saw in 2023.

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Our Five Choice Indie Shorts of 2023

It’s been an interesting year and we’ve manage to cover a few of the usual film festivals and found some favorites along the way. We were thankfully able to compensate for last year by really digging our heels in to the indie movies and festivals, and we’ve combed over some really talented directors, and writers.

These are five of the best short films we saw in 2023.

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Blurred Lines (2022)

In 2013, pop music artist Robin Thicke released a massive hit song alongside music producer Pharrell called “Blurred Lines.” The song became almost iconic, but it also instantly became infamous. Robin Thicke was accused of stealing the tune to Marvin Gaye’s “Gotta Give it Up” by Gaye’s family estate. Despite their initial denial, Robin Thicke and Williams were taken to court and forced testify, leading to a startling musical precedent that also ruined Robin Thicke’s career momentum.

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The History of Metal and Horror (2022)

It should serve as no surprise that heavy metal and horror go hand in hand. If there’s horror there’s bound to be a heavy metal fan. If there’s heavy metal, you’re sure to come across at least a dozen hardcore horror geeks. But why do the music and the genre work so well together? Mike Schiff’s documentary “The History of Metal and Horror” is a great look at the history of the genre and the roots of heavy metal that are deeply embedded in the roots of horror. Schiff leaves no stone unturned going back to medieval times and dropping us right down in to modern times.

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