Mars Roberge’s comedy is “Office Space” with a bit of “Fear and Loathing” with a dash of mumblecore thrown in for good measure. It’s definitely rough around the edges, but it’s also a movie that I had a good time with. The movie just drips charisma and enthusiasm and Roberge creates a comedy that’s filled to the brim with eccentric characters and a ton of sub-plots. While it wasn’t always easy to follow, Robrerge is able to derive a lot of fun moments from his entire cast.
Tag Archives: Indie Film
Chimera (2018) [Phoenix Film Festival 2018]
A father and scientist desperate to save his son and daughter from a deadly genetic disease they have inherited from their mother. To do so, he uses his knowledge, intelligence, and a few questionable research techniques.
An Interview with Gigi Saul Guerrero
Gigi, Co-Founder of Luchagore Productions, is a Mexican-Canadian dynamo-genius-horror maven with a bunch of shorts, feature anthology, and her most anticipated show “La Quinceañera” a Warner Brothers/Stage 13 mini-series under her belt as a director. She is also an actress, writer, editor, etc. Recently has also worked in the video gaming industry and currently teaches film directing at VANCOUVER FILM SCHOOL in British Columbia, Canada.
Goodnight, Gracie (2017)
As a little girl reads in bed, she hears an ominous noise from outside her room. Going to investigate leads to a nasty surprise.
Written and directed by Stellan Kendrick, Goodnight, Gracie is a short film that clocks in under 5 minutes, giving itself just enough time to create a story and shock just a little bit, then leave a quick and effective impression. The film manages to attain its goals in that short period of time. The writing and direction show careful writing of the story and a good grasp of suspense and shock. The way this short is built gives its story maximum effect through the set-up discovery, and ending. It shows that sometimes less is indeed more and that not all stories need a two-hour runtime to be effective.
Top Knot Detective (2017) [Boston Underground Film Festival 2018]
Top Knot Detective was a short-lived television series in Japan that has now achieved cult status around the world. This film examines why it became so while definitely not being all that great of a show. It also looks into the rise and fall of its star and costars.
#ACTORSLIFE (2016)
An actor eager to make his mark in film takes a part offered by a more established actor who doesn’t feel like taking the job. This leads him down a very unexpected path.
Father’s Day (2017)
A recently widowed father visits his daughters in Los Angeles for Father’s Day with the hopes of saving them from their tortured artists’ lives.
Written and directed by Betty Ouyang, this short film explores family relations between two artist sisters and their more down to Earth father through one meal together. The family dynamics on display here are interesting to watch develop as more information is revealed about each member. Ouyang takes this subject and makes it distinctly hers by putting herself in the lead as well as in the writing and directing style. Here the subject is taken head-on and shown through intimate conversations. The way she approaches each discussion, each interaction is honest and done in a manner that is up close and personal for the characters thus pulling the viewer into their lives.