I freely admit that I didn’t quite enjoy “Birdboy” when it was titled “Psychonauts, The Forgotten Children” back in 2016 for the Fantasia Film Festival. While typically I’m a big fan of animation of most kinds, “Birdboy” failed to click with me. I just could not find any real reason to recommend it when I’d finished it, and struggled to even finish it, when all was said and done.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
Shorts Round Up of the Week: 5/26/20
It’s the return of Shorts Round Up of the Week! And this week, Emilie Black steps in to the driver’s seat bringing readers some reviews for four of the latest short films from very unique indie film voices.
If you’d like to submit your short film for review consideration, submissions are always opened to filmmakers and producers.
Blood Quantum (2020)
For May, the Shudder Streaming service is offering a 30-day free trial with the code:
SHUTIN
I’m stunned that in a world where we have no shortage of entertainment about zombies, and the zombie apocalypse, that there has never really been a movie surrounding indigenous people. Zombie movies are almost always about fighting for land, dominance, and or resources, so it seems only natural that we’d have at least twenty by now featuring indigenous main characters. “Blood Quantum” is the first of its kind centering on indigenous characters, all of whom are facing a world where they’ve inherited the Earth, and have to figure out where they stand in it.
By Day’s End (2020)
It pains me because I rarely ever go in to a film, let alone an indie film, wanting to dislike it; especially zombie movies. I’m a sucker for apocalyptic zombie movies, and the very good ones can affect me for days. I’m also a fan of sidestepping typical character molds with a focus on the relationships in the LGBTQ corner. “By Day’s End,” though, is not a good movie. “By Day’s End” tries to have its cake and eat it too by forcing a relationship drama within the mold of a pretty cookie cutter zombie movie, when all is said and done.
The Ventures: Stars on Guitars (2020)
The Ventures are the number one instrumental rock group in the world and everyone has heard at least one of their tracks. To celebrate their 60th anniversary in the business, this documentary digs into where they are from, what makes them so popular, and what’s next for a group that’s been around since the 1960s.
Five Great Movies Isolated to One Room or Setting
2020’s been a crazy year so far, and I like to think of Cinema Crazed as one of the few safe havens from the anxiety and stress from reality. That said though, I couldn’t help but think over some great movies about isolation and quarantining and thought I’d mention five great movies set in one room or setting that enhances the feelings of isolation.
Be sure to let us know some of your favorites, and be safe out there.
M.O.M. (Mothers of Monsters) (2020)
A woman fearing her son may be a psychopath with sinister plans hides cameras around their house and records herself talking about her son, her thoughts, and her fears. Eventually, things take a turn for the worse and things start changing.