★★★★ Directed by: Brian Largo Written by: Brian Largo Starring: Brian Largo ,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight It’s a zombie apocalypse! In the movie world that usually means viewers are going to see zombies running (or walking) around, eating people and a handful of individuals struggling for survival! Plenty of gore, dead bodies, action and…
★★★ Directed by: Martin Wood Written by: Gregg Rossen, Brian Sawyer Starring: Kat Graham, Alexander Ludwig, Virginia Madsen Netflix Film Review by: ,,Chris Olson Operation Christmas Drop Film Review Kat Graham and Alexander Ludwig star in the Netflix festive movie Operation Christmas Drop. The former plays a political ladder-climber looking to undermine a military air…
In the early 2000s, Juan Cortez was living in New York City and battling a years-long addiction to drugs, when he noticed a crowd of people standing outside a building on East 140th Street in the Bronx. Recognizing the group as fellow users, he approached and asked what was inside the building. Cortez, who was…
Sometimes appearances aren’t deceiving. Take Tom Hanks, an actor many consider the successor to all-American superstar Jimmy Stewart. Hanks routinely plays Everyman heroes, characters who accomplish the incredible without incredible gifts or tricks. Think “Saving Private Ryan,” “Sully,” “Cast Away” and “Captain Phillips.” Hanks isn’t a superhero in real life, but he’s navigated Hollywood’s choppy…
In the early days of the automobile, before automated streetlights were common, traffic at intersections was directed by an attendant in a control tower. This attendant would manually switch the familiar red, yellow, and green lights in a regulated pattern. In 1925, one such tower was installed at a high traffic crossroads in Meriden, Connecticut….
Movies about female empowerment have become big business in our hyper-aware society. The concept of the everywoman stepping up and taking control of her destiny in a patriarchal world is a needed commodity which makes relating Chick Fight to its closest male equivalent film Fight Club so disheartening. Chick Fight, written by Joseph Downey and…
Guarding the Oneto family’s tomb in the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno is the Monteverde Angel, a masterpiece of neoclassical funerary art. The sculpture is often considered one of the most beautiful and sensual sculptures of the genre. Also known as the “Angel of the Resurrection,” the sculpture was created in 1882 by Italian artist Giulio Monteverde….
Countless shipwrecks littered the sea in Finland’s western archipelago during the late 1800s and early 1900s. On New Year’s Day in 1905, a newly constructed steamship became the latest vessel to succumb to the shallow waters. In 1906, construction on a lighthouse to aid travel along the trade route began in haste. In a mere…
Nicholas of Myna was born in Myna, Asia Minor in 270 CE into a wealthy and religious family. He was orphaned at an early age and was cared for and educated by his uncle, the bishop of Myna. Nicholas devoted his life to religion at an early age. He was later ordained as a priest…
It’s a scramble to save the remainder of humanity in The Midnight Sky, the latest from director George Clooney. After some unspecified disaster, Augustine is stuck at a remote base, seemingly alone except for a young child. Whether there are any more humans left on Earth is unclear, but there’s definitely a small group left in…
Artist Daisy Boman crafted these figures to appear as though they were scaling the walls and roof of a warehouse at Godefriduskaai and Willemdok. These all-white, humanoid-like statues easily stand out amid the backdrop of the red brick wall. Across the street near the dock is another similar figure reclining on a pedestal. This statue…
★★★★ Directed by Kyle Laursen Written by Laursen Starring Luke Forbes, Kevin Dunn, Mather Zickel, Melanie Chandra Film Review by Tom Boardman Josiah’s premise is simple: a man auditions for a role in a tv show, although the creators of the show make him quite uncomfortable. What makes this short so much more tense and…
“I thought you were someone I could trust and share my life with.” Take a look at the official trailer for an indie documentary titled Everything Will Not Be Fine, a love story mixed with a story of self-discovery. The two directors of this personal documentary begin a relationship based on their separate struggles: Hers…
The rise of Black Lives Matter earlier this year sparked change in the streaming world. Platforms like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime added new features to their respective platform. Each began offering home page sections dedicated to black stories. They saw it as a way to amplify black voices during a tumultuous time for race…
Remember when Brad Pitt made an ’80s teen slasher movie? Despite the potential embarrassment a question like that brings, Pitt has nothing to be ashamed of. The film in question, “Cutting Class,” is indeed a hall of fame stinker and probably the worst thing he’s ever been in. On the other hand, Pitt is a…
★★ Directed by: #GlennMcAllenFinney Written by: #GlennMcAllenFinney, #SamWinterton Starring: #KellyMcCormack, #MickyOcean, #TommyCastleman Film review by: Joseph Rodgers Addressing the alarming prospect of rising pollution levels and climate catastrophe, Project 444 is an ambitious sci-fi short film that draws inspiration from classic dystopian movies, yet in its dialogue, acting and plot development it unfortunately falls somewhat…
★★★ Directed by: Christopher Logan Written by: Christopher Logan Starring: Andrea Rosolia, Beverley Breuer, Kyle Charles Gannon, Adiam Haddish Asrat ,,Film Review by: ,,Jason Knight Mobile devices are everywhere today. People use them for a variety of reasons, including communication. A man is going out to do some shopping. He carries a tablet computer with…
Steve Bannon and Kathy Griffin have something in common. Both are political warriors of the first order. Bannon, a former Trump White House confidante, wages political battle via “Bannon’s War Room” show. Griffin attacks primarily via social media and comedy stages. They have something else in common, though. Both imagined their political enemies killed in…
Just in time for some seasonally-spirited distraction amid the looming suspense of real-life anxieties, A Place Among the Dead marks the feature-film directorial debut of Juliet Landau. Landau is the daughter of acclaimed actor Martin Landau and an actress best known for her role as Drusilla in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel,…
“Society is afraid of change and no one wants to die; not now, from a tiny virus; not later from the world on fire…” Something wholesome to soothe the nerves. A balm for these lonely pandemic days. How to Be at Home is a new animated short film x poem collaboration. Made for Canada’s National…
You really can’t trust a soul in the wild galaxy of Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.” You could be blitzing away from the sandy ghost town of Mos Pelgo after a Krayt dragon kill well-done, and suddenly get tripped up by pirates who trash your speeder, and threaten to kill your precious baby cargo. Director Peyton Reed’s…
“The Dark and the Wicked” has enough jump scares to satisfy the “Yes, but it is scary?” contingent of horror fans. But for the most part, this film from writer/director Bryan Bertino—about strange goings-on at a farmhouse where the family patriarch is dying—focuses on atmosphere and creeping dread, channeling 20th century classics like “Don't Look Now,” “The Tenant,”…
“Mortal” begins with the definition of its title. “A human being,” appears on the screen, which corresponds to the noun entry in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. Since we’re perusing my favorite book, I should mention a few other adjective definitions of the word: “fatal,” “deadly” and “marked by unrelenting hostility.” All but one of these apply to the…
Claret & Blue has released an official trailer for The Neolith, a gritty short film made by filmmaker Daniel Boocock. This is his second short and his most ambitious project to date – a 30-minute epic short set in the old Viking times. A mysterious individual takes action against a pack of bloodthirsty outsiders whose…
The Morongo Basin is one of the best places in California to truly see the night sky. But until relatively recently, it lacked an observatory. Visitors to Jerri Hagman’s Homestead Inn in Twentynine Palms would often marvel at the clusters of stars that illuminated the sky, and she dreamed of opening an observatory in the area. That…
Superhero films, in general, showcase the extraordinary faculties of a superhuman, who is naturally in need of a worthy adversary. Although, as seen in Chronicle and Brightburn, sometimes one’s most dangerous adversary is oneself. Chronicle and Brightburn have unveiled a bleaker side to the comic-book formula, wherein the powerful protagonist is their own worst enemy….
When entering the Leiden University Medical Center, one may not expect to come across a sculpture of a strange creature. “Homunculus Loxodontus” was the name given to a humanoid, elephant seal sculpture crafted by Margriet van Breevoort in 2016. It was designed for a yearly statue exhibition in the city. The sculpture was voted most popular…
MinNature Malaysia is a lovely museum home to miniature figures and buildings representing the cultural heritage of Malaysia. The displays were crafted by miniature enthusiasts who wanted to showcase Malaysia’s rich and diverse history. The museum opened in 2016. Across the various displays, visitors will find miniatures that showcase Malaysian food, snacks, fruits, and vegetables….
The Dalecarlian horse is well known across the globe. Most visitors to Sweden purchase one of the small wooden horses as a souvenir, even though it’s traditionally a very regional object for the province of Dalarna. The province is full of Dala horses and is home to the world’s largest and smallest versions of the wooden figure. …
The recently concluded 45th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival was the first to have been stricken by the circumstances that the entire world has been suffering from. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the folks at the Toronto International Film Festival were able to put on an incredible show with an astounding amount of variety…
The Moine House name derives from the Gaelic word mòine which means “moss” or “peat.” The house sits on the edge of a vast bog that covers much of Sutherland and Caithness, known as Flow Country. The long stretch of bog between the Kyle of Tongue and Loch Hope was often referred to as A’…
★★★★ Directed by #JohannesNyholm Written by #JohannesNyholm Starring #LeifEdlund #YlvaGallon ,,Film Review by ,,Matt Weiner What about Groundhog Day, but with unrelenting psychological dread? That’s the premise of Johannes Nyholm’s horror fable Koko-di, Koko-da, and it’s a testament to writer/director Nyholm that the film’s excruciating time loop manages to go from torturous to therapeutic. After…
Netflix’s hit documentary series Chef’s Table highlights individual chefs from all corners of the world making all kinds of food into an art form. It’s beautifully shot, edited, and narratively moving, as each chef tells their own story of how they made it to greatness. The newest season centers around the overlooked intimacy of barbecue and…
“You don’t even know what’s inside there, do you?!” Hammer Down is an excellent action-heavy 13-min short film made by Simon Hatt and it’s now online. Inspired by his own upbringing with his truck driver father, Simon made an adventure film about a daughter and her truck driving father. Hammer Down tells the “story of…
We let Hollywood down. Americans still don’t know who won the 2020 presidential election, but one thing is clear from La La Land. The industry is very disappointed Joe Biden isn’t celebrating a landslide victory. Instead, President Donald Trump enjoyed a robust boost in minority support, something few in Hollywood predicted in the runup to…
Seven years ago, Toni Kamau and Peter Murimi started making their documentary I Am Samuel. Today their film is finally out in the world, and so is the story of its subject. Samuel is a gay man from a low-income neighbourhood in Kenya, where homosexuality is criminalised. For Samuel, this stigma brings with it the threat of violence and of…