Touch Me in the Morning (2006)

Giuseppe Andrews’ “Touch Me in the Morning” is comprised of mainly a man throwing a lot of camera errors towards the audience presenting it as arthouse chic. It watches like a pointless exercise towards the audiences’ attention span. The dialogue rambles endlessly (most times I had to turn up my volume to hear any dialogue), the narrative is almost non-existent, and there are a myriad odd and incredibly mind-numbing musical numbers that aren’t catchy or fun.

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Röckët Stähr’s Death of a Rockstar (2020) [Fantaspoa Fest 2021]

It’s not too often I’m privileged enough to watch an animated rock opera, but Röckët Stähr’s one man production about world fighting for peace through rock and roll is quite the spectacle. One thing you can’t accuse it of is being unambitious, as Röckët Stähr’s does everything in the movie possible. He literally does everything as when the movie comes to a close you can see the impressive list of tasks he undertook to bring his movie to life.

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Nuevo Rico (2020) [SXSW 2021]

Director Kristian Mercado Figueroa’s short musical is a brilliant and excellent look at the end of the potential creeping end of the American territory known as Puerto Rico. Though fiction, Mercado brings to light the very troubling developments that could change how Puerto Ricans connect to their homeland. In the near future, the raw land of Puerto Rico has been destroyed in favor of a futuristic dystopia now known as Nuevo Rico.

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Running Time (1997): Special Edition [Blu-Ray]

It’s not often that we get crime thrillers that unfold in real time, but Josh Becker’s indie “Running Time” takes a shot and does a great job of it. “Running Time” is true to its word, a movie that unravels over the course of a little over an hour, and the run time for the narrative is apt. The movie is not too long, refusing to pad the story, buts it’s never too short to where we’re left asking questions. It runs a good pace as a tense drama that feels kind of like a prologue to “Reservoir Dogs.” Campbell is stellar and the movie almost makes it to the finish line without a hitch. Almost, but not quite.

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Interview with Rachel Belofsky, Founder of LA Scream Festival [Women in Horror Month 2021]

Belofsky Pictured in Middle

Please introduce yourself.
I’m Rachel Belofsky, the founder of Screamfest Horror Film Festival and producer of the documentary Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Genre.

What is it that attracts you the horror genre for your chosen field of creative work?
I love supporting and meeting so many talented filmmakers from around the world in the horror genre. It is an honor to be able to screen their films in our festival. I truly find joy in helping them make connections.

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Adverse (2021)

Director-Writer Brian Metcalf brings with him a strong crime drama that he hands over to a wonderfully seasoned cast of character actors. While a movie like “Adverse” could have stumbled right out of the gate, it manages to only improve by the time the movie has closed and ends as a sharp crime thriller. It’s a bold mix of “Taxi Driver,” and “Drive,” with a nigh unrecognizable Thomas Ian Nicholas staring.

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Interview with Filmmaker Rakefet Abergel [Women in Horror Month 2021]

Please introduce yourself.
I started out as an actress, with varying degrees of success over the years. When I realized I wouldn’t get cast in things I wanted to do, I decided to start writing and producing my own work for me to star in. On my second short I decided to direct as well. It’s been a journey!

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