I’m shocked at how great “Tales from the Apocalypse” was, and I say that as someone that loves a good apocalyptic yarn here and there. While I wouldn’t be quick to compare it to “Trick r Treat” as the premise has explained, it manages to stand on its own two feet as great anthology filled with five great science fiction shorts obvious influenced by the likes of Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and Richard Matheson. I’m also glad a lot of the shorts picked for this film aren’t the usual tired tropes, but aim for something so much more meaningful and thought provoking.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
T.H.O.T? (2022)
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.
10-33 (2021)
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.
Mickey Hardaway (2023)
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.
Bad Girl Boogey (2023)
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.
Bone Cold (2023)
A sniper duo sent to the edge of a war zone to kill the head of a dangerous organization end up wandering the woods followed by something, before killing the incorrect target from bad intel and needing to stick around until they can eliminate the correct target. Something is definitely following them and getting closer.
SILEO (2022)
The search for meaning, and why we exist is a question that plagues most sentient things on the planet. Although we’d probably be better off merely surviving day to day there’s the curse of the conscious being that we have to know why. That’s basically the premise for “SILEO.” Three years in the making, director and animator Demeter Lorant has build a dystopian, cold world where everything and every facet of society is run by machines. The machines have evolved to such a point that even the older models are being rejuvenated bit by bit. When GEFF 325520-BD, a fixer unit robot, decides to halt production, he goes on a quest to figure out why he’s there.