Film Reviews of Oscar Nominated Shorts (Animated/LiveAction/Doc)

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Saturday, 27 March 2021 04:14

Written by Gilbert Seah

Oscar Nominated Shorts (Animated/LiveAction/Doc)

Do not the term 'shorts' put you off.   Every year, the Oscar nominated shorts are available for audiences to enjoy and appreciate buddng talent.  The shorts are fresh, timlely in their messages and arrive from all over the globe.  The shorts come in 3 programmes - animation; documentary and live action.  if you have time to watch only one group, this year's best section belngs to 'live action'.

All three programmes will be available on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox (digital.tiff.net) as of April 2.  Oscar Winners are announced Sunday April 25th.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS - ANIMATION

BURROW (USA 2020) ***
Directed by Madeline Sharafian

Much ado about nothing, which in this case is the rabbit’s simple architectural plan for his new dream home.  A little brown rabbit has drawn a rough, childish sketch of her dream home on a piece of lined paper.  When she starts to dig, two of her new neighbours, a mole and a field mouse, both eagerly offer their assistance, showing off the elaborate blueprints and floor plans of burrows they constructed for their families. Embarrassed at the simplicity and inexperience of her own drawing, the rabbit hides it from them, pretends she has somewhere to be, and starts frantically digging deeper to get away from them, leaving them confused, while accidentally burrowing into other animals’ underground homes.  A funny and fast little fable from Pixar which has aired on Disney+ with the cute rabbit earning her dream home at the end.

GENIUS LOCI (France 2020) ***

Directed by Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise

In the study of law of entropy in Chemistry, “in all energy exchange, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will be less than that of the initial state. In simple terms, left to itself, everything in the universe moves toward disorder and decay; metal rusts, food rots, the body etc…”  This law can be seen as figures transform and matter from one form to another in the visually dazzling GENIUS LOCI.  The world of chaos is displayed with for example, a minotaur forming from the light of a passing train.  GENIUS LOCI does not contain a narrative or story so it is best just to sit back and appreciate the visuals of the talented animators, though it might be quite trying for some.

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU (USA 2020) ***

Directed by Michael Govier and Will McCormack

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU is a beautifully sketched animated short film that takes the audience on a raw emotional journey of a father and mother both struggling to deal with the death of their daughter.   The title comes from a note the daughter wrote before her death - a horrid school shooting.    The story unfolds through shadows of the parents and daughter.  The shadows represent the humans’ emotions and they try to reconcile the parents.  The brutal violence of the shooting is not shown on screen but only the awful sounds of the shots are heard.  The trouble with this impressive sort, however, is that it is very difficult to follow and understand.  Only after one has read the entire synopsis of the film can one truly appreciate the work of the storytellers.

Trailer:  

OPERA (USA 2020) *****
Directed by Erick Oh

This one will be hard to beat.  OPERA is the only non-narrative animated short with no story nor dialogue but is so fascinating one can watch it a hundred times and still miss something.   OPERA is inspired by the great Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli.  The animation, which can be played on a continuous loop, looks at a society that exists within a pyramid structure with the camera moving slowly away then inwards shows many individuals living and dying and interacting with each action impacting another.  One has to look carefully at each minute part of the image to examine what is going on.  At one point, the audience sees figures being killed because they have different coloured heads (i.e. different races).  Director Oh examines racism, terrorism and religion in his intricate pyramid that looks like hell on earth.  I hope this one wins the Oscar, it being short of a masterpiece.

TO: GERARD (USA 2020) ****  (this one was short listed but not nominated)
Directed byTaylor Mecham

TO: GERARD is a real charmer.  The short is about hope and how doing a good deed pays off at the end.  Gerard alas dreamt of being a magician.  He has perfected the magic trick of the disappearing and appearing coins but has never found an audience.  He is now older and works as a postman.  A chance encounter with a little girl enables him to show off his skills and impress the little girl of his magic coin tricks.  As a good deed he leaves the girl with the gold coin, ensuring her to become a famous magician as an adult.  Now a hunchback old man, Gerard is given his dream come true from the good deed.  This is such a charming film about old people and about hope that it will bring tears to many.  And did I forget to mention that the animation (especially the 3D rendering of the humans) is really impressive.  The animation with the magic is also to be commended.    From Dreamworks Animation Studies.

YES-PEOPLE (Iceland 2020) ***

Directed by Gísli Darri Halldórsson

Gísli Darri Halldórsson’s animated short can be understood in any country as it is language free dialogue except for the repeated word “Yo”, which is assumed to mean ‘yes’ in Icelandic. The film tells the story of an eclectic mix of people who one morning face everyday battles such as work, school, washing the dishes and even sex.  They do not interact with each other except just in passing, as many people in the world don’t.   As the day progresses, their relationships, and their capacity to cope, are tested.  But they survive being yes people.  A generally amusing and entertaining short that is observant not only of Icelandic folk but of people in general who would live life in the same manner.  The impressive animation is cute and humorously depicts Icelanders as an unfit and chubby bunch.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS - DOCUMENTARY

COLETTE (France 2020) ***
Directed by Anthony Giacchino

The doc comes with a warning that many will find this depressing.  And it is!  Colette isColette Marin Catherine who makes a journey to the concentration camp at the age of 90 to pay tribute to her brother who died there after being arrested by the Germans.  She herself was like Jean-Pierre in he French Resistance.  With the help of Lucie Fouble, she is brought bak difficult memories.  Colette has gone through a lot, as evident from the film and director Giacchino shows her losing it a few times, even at a former mayor’s speech in her honour.  It all shows that it is still all a bit too much to take for poor Colette which affects Lucie and the audience of this short as well.  A well-intentioned short that might just be too depressing to win the Oscar.

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION (USA 2020) ***
Directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION focuses on Bowers’ 91-year-old grandfather, Horace, and the discrimination he faced as he tried to escape the Jim Crow South.   The story unfolds from the conversation with his grandson, Kris Bowers a virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer who has succeeded as a black artist.  The doc is intercut with black and white archive footage relating how much prejudice exists then.  Horace would not get approved of bank loans if he showed up in person because of his colour and had to get approval through the mail.  But perseverance proved its worth.  This doc might just win the Oscar for its timely subject and also the fact that it is an American short which helps in the Academy voting.

THE HUNGER WARD (USA 2020) ****

Directed by Skye Fitzgerald

THE HUNGER WARD begins with harsh words about man. ‘It is not God that kills children.  Not fate that butchers them.  Or destiny that feeds them to the dogs.  It’s us!  What follows is a harrowing look from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen.  HUNGER WARD documents two female health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war.  The film provides an unflinching portrait of Dr. Aida Alsadeeq and Nurse Mekkia Mahdi as they try to save the lives of hunger-stricken children within a population on the brink of famine.  The sight of malnutritioned children on the brink of death is frightening.  Ex-President Trump again rears his ugly head having supported Saudi Arabia missiles and weapons leading to the tragedy.   Excellent cinematography as well depicting the streets and wards of Yemen.  THE HUNGER WARD gets my bet and vote for the Winner in this shorts category.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS - LIVE ACTION

FEELING THROUGH (USA 2020) ****
Directed by Doug Roland

This simple looking made short is inspirational in showing the amazing craft of making movies given a limited budget.  The film is brimming with emotions with characters that audiences can root for, and filled with suspense though the short is not a thriller.  Nothing is black and white and the film has a brilliant climax that proves the good in humanity.  Tareek a poor street kid with nowhere to stay, is waiting for his girl to respond to his request to stay over .  Tareek meets a blind and deaf man who needs help taking a bus getting home.  Out of the kindness of his heart he helps the man, later known to him as Artie, while stealing $10 from his wallet.  FEELING THROUGH is thoroughly engaging and this one gets my vote for BEST of the live action shorts.  FEELING THROUGH, breaking barriers is the first film starring a Deaf/blind Actor to be nominated for an Oscar.

THE LETTER ROOM (USA 2020) ****
Directed by Elvira Lind

THE LETTER ROOM is the new office that ‘promoted’ corrections officer, Ricard (Oscar Isaac) works in.  Richard is now the director of Prisoner Communication, but the job title is just a glorified name.  At first enthusiastic, he learns that it is a menial job having to censor every single letter incoming, outgoing and internal.  Richard decides to bring humanity back into his work, while taking risks at the same time.  As he discoverssurprises on the way, Richard decides to make all this work, in what is a really simple yet charming moral tale of the charity that can still be offered to prisoners on death row.  Despite being an angel with good intentions, Richard is also depicted as a human with temptations as he is shown in one scene jerking off, after reading one of his inmate’s love letters.  Golden Globe Winner Oscar Isaac lends his hand in this short showing likely his admiration for director Lind’s work.

THE PRESENT (Palestine 2020) ***

Directed by Farah Nabulsi

THE PRESENT deals with the present undesired and absurd situation of borders that exist because two peoples that have in history never come to an agreement on anything from lands to rights to peace - the Arabs and the Israelis.  Director Nabulsi takes a microscopic look at the absurdity of the situation with a father and daughter trying to make a crossing back to their house after purchasing a refrigerator.  It all comes to the whims and fancy of a crossing guard who uses the excuse that he has to follow orders.   Yusef (Saleh Bakri) has crossed the border many times but the guard who knows him is not present.  A Kafka-is situation eventually boils down to whether he can push the fridge through a doorway too narrow for it to go through.  Director Nails allows the tensions to rise above boiling point, getting  audience at the edge of their seats with weapons about to go off.  The film ends with the famous words of Jesus who said in the Bible: "And a child will lead them.” A touching and effective examination of racial tensions!

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS (USA 2020) ****

Directed by Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free

It takes a while before this short takes hold, but once it does, TWO DISTANT STRANGERS surprises and captivates.  It all begins with a common one night stand in which Carter James (Joey Bada$$) leaves his trick’s  (Zaria Simone) condo only to be stopped by a cop outside (Andrew Howard) for smoking some weed and killed, Rodney King style, complete with the “I can’t breathe” dialogue.  It is after this point that the groundhog day scenario takes effect.  Carter relives the same situation, waking every morning after being killed by the cop.   Carter learns from the previous incident (after reliving it a hundred times) and tries his best not to get killed and to reach home to feed his super cute dog - but to no avail.  Nothing more should be revealed in this effective and powerful message  comedy/drama which delivers its Rodney King message with a punch.

WHITE EYE (Israel 2019) ****
Directed by Tomer Shushan

Israeli director Tomer Shushan’s fable of the stolen bicycle, set in Tel Aviv begins when a Tel Avivian sees his stool bike locked on the street.  In his attempt to get the lock broken and get his bike back, he encounters the cops who tell him to call them back when the thief shows up, unless he will get arrested himself.  That he does and the cops show up with unexpected results in this unpredictable tale of morals.  What the audience assumes might just not be the actual case.  The amazing thing about this short is that it runs in real time and filmed in one continuous take.   The short also covers current issues like class, race, prejudice  and immigration.   Director Shushan also delivers a solid sprite ending to boot with a message to be tolerant to everyone despite race and background.

Berlinale 2021

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Wednesday, 03 March 2021 06:30

Written by Gilbert Seah

BERINALE FILM FESTIVAL 2021

Though this website is NOT press-accredited with Berlinale, the site has managed to access a few of Berlinale’s exclusive film slates. 

These films are capsule reviewed below, with the embargo dates duly respected.  Many of these films will eventually be viable on various streaming platforms, so keep a lookout.

Berlinale is a first class film festival that showcases the best of films internationally.

Capsule Film Reviews:

ALL EYES OF ME (Israel 2020) **

Directed by Hadas Ben Aroya

The film opens with a party.  Danny is looking for Max through the party to share that she’s pregnant with his child.  Danny is female but looks like a boy and makes out with another girl before she finds Max.  There is a lot of kissing with tongue in the making out and nudity in this scene.  The film then shifts to Max as has sex with Avishag, who like it S & M style.  It is a lengthy sex scene with lots of kissing, agin with tongue.  If one likes this sort of soft-porn sex in the name of art, then this film, which is quite well shot would be appropriate.  But director Aroya’s film feels aimless - as in an unrelated scene where Avishag sits in a dog park while watching a video performance.   But Max just started a new relationship with Avishag and attempts to realize her rough sexual fantasy.  Truth is, Avishag actually has someone else in mind.  And truth is, there are probably more interesting films at Berlinale that do not deal with empty sexual encounters.

AZOR (Argentina/Switzerland/France 2021) ***1/2

Directed by Andreas  Fontana

Shot primarily in French and Spanish and set in Argentina during the midst of a dictatorship, the first scene shows two teens with their hands facing the front of a building, while interrogated by soldiers, as observed by a couple in a car.  The couple are Swiss tourists - the tension set during the first scene that lingers throughout this absurd political thriller.  Yvan De Wiel is a private banker from Geneva who is there to replace his partner who has mysteriously disappeared.  The two bankers discuss business amidst the unseen but present merciless terror of the country’s surroundings. The film is a slow burn but there are lots to read between scenes.  Fontana never reveals the entire story - of what is happening or who is doing business under the radar.  A lot of wealth is on display among the banker and his clients, which does not not sit we’ll with the political climate.  Director Fontana's AZOR plays like the best of the 70’s political thrillers like Costa-Gravas’ Z and THE CONFESSION.

Trailer: (unavailable) 

THE WORLD AFTER US (France 2021) ***

Directed by Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas

An earnestly told tale of youth balancing his new found romance and his ambition to be a writer.  When Labidi gets his first break with a deal to write his first novel within 6 months, he also finds romance at the same time, which diminishes his desire.  Labidi is Tunisian from a family that owns a small brasserie.  Labidi also has to work for ‘Deliveroo” cycling to deliver meals in order to pay for groceries and his apartment which he shares with a chubby sad sack but good friend.  This story rings authentic as this is what director Salah-Cazanas went through himself when directing his first feature while also falling in love.  A light going film but with the drama also existing for Labidi in this sort of coming-of-age story of a young writer.  The film is a tough watch to see how a generally good person has to struggle to make ends meet in life.  Veteran actor Jacques Nolot lends an acting hand playing Labidi’s father.

Film Review: Au Poste!

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Wednesday, 03 March 2021 11:31

Written by Gilbert Seah

AU POSTE! (KEEP AN EYE OUT) (France/Belgium 2018) ***1/2

Directed by Quentin Dupieux

AU POSTE by writer/director Quentin Dupieux is a weird film.  For those unfamiliar with the director’s work, it would be good to know that he has made two oddball movies called RUBBER about a killer runaway tire and REALITE an equally odd film about a director getting finance for a film if he can record the perfect shout.  AU POSTE! treads similar territory.  For those unfamiliar with Dupieux’s brand of films, one can be in for a real treat if one loves absurdist films.

The prologue sees a man in his underwear conducting an orchestra.  Police arrive and chase him.  Then…..

AU POSTE! (which means AT THE OFFICE, the original title) begins like quite the normal film, say as in Claude Miller’s GARDE A VUE a film in which a police interrogation makes the entire film’s running time.  In AU POSTE!,  chief inspector, Commissaire Buron (Benoit Poelvoorde) is, when the film opens, questioning a suspect, Louis Fugain (Gregoire Ludig) on the death of a victim in a pool of blood in the middle of the street.  It is going to be a long night.  As the inspector says: “ a fool at the wrong place and the wrong time.”

Director Dupieux engages the audience with a seemingly list of happenings as confessed by Louis.  A lot of these are everyday stuff like buying crisps, going to bed with his wife, taking a breather outside and so on.  At one point during the questioning, Buron even tells Louis: “I have never been so bored shitless during an investigation.”

While stepping out for 20 minutes to meet his son, Buron asks a fellow cop, Philippe (Marc Fraize) to keep an eye on Louis.

Here comes the strange and weirdness characteristic of a Dupieux story.

- Philippe has only one eye, and he has to use the other to keep an eye out for Louis.

• While doing that, Philippe trips on an open drawer and the set square he is carrying pierces his other eye and he dies
• In the interrogation, Louis tells Buron that he stepped outside his flat when he discovered the body.  This is the time when he meets Philippe’s wife, Fiona (Anais Dermoustier) though he had not met Philippe till 3 days in the future.
• When Buron smokes, smoke emits from chest as he has a hole in his chest.
• Louis keeps seeing the ghost of Philippe appear to him several times.

There are a lot of other minor weird things that go on like the stuck mosquito can spray and Buron’s wife who keeps seeing Louis entering and leaving his flat several times.  Louis also attempts to heat away his fingertips so that no fingerprints can be left behind.

If everything seems all too weird, there is a logical explanation to all this, which comes at the end of the film.  With all the craziness going on, the obvious logical explanation comes as a bit of a letdown.  Still, director Dupieux has kept his audience in awe and surprise for the majority of his film, and that in itself is quite a feat.

Trailer:

SXSW Film Festival 2021 (Capsule Reviews)

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Category: Cinéma - Movies

Published: Thursday, 25 February 2021 23:03

Written by Gilbert Seah

SXSW FILM FESTIVAL 2021

runs from March 16th.

South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 16-20, 2021) announced the full program for the 28th edition of the SXSW Film Festival. This year, the acclaimed program will be online, where it will draw thousands of fans, filmmakers, press, and industry leaders to immerse themselves in the smartest, most innovative and entertaining new films of the year, as well as giving access to hundreds of Conference Sessions, Music and Comedy Showcases, Creative Industry Exhibitions, Mentoring, Meetups and Special Events that define the cross-industry event. 

The 2021 Film Festival program has 75 features including 57 World Premieres, 3 International Premieres, 4 North American Premieres, 1 U.S. Premieres, 8 Texas Premieres and 53 films from first-time filmmakers + 84 Short Films including Music Videos, 5 Episodic Premieres, 6 Episodic Pilots, 20 Virtual Cinema projects, 14 Title Design entries, plus 30 Special Events.

 CAPSULE FILM REVIEWS OF SELECTED FILMS:

Keep checking here for more capsule reviews....

THE DROVER’S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON (Australia 2020) ****
Directed by Lee Purcell

Lee Purcell does quadruple duty here as producer, writer, director and main actor, adapting her classic play into an excellent film that covers several female issues like wife beatings, pregnancy and indigenous racism.  THE DROVER'S WIFE: THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON reimagines what a revenge film can be, and beautifully examines the role of identity, family and preconceived notions, with the backdrop of the Australian outback.   Molly is heavily pregnant and left alone with her children while her whoring husband is droving sheep.  Molly encounters an Aborigine Native who helps her deliver but a still born baby daughter.  She is a sharpshooter and one not to be messed around with, says one character of Molly. But Molly cannot put up with more than she can handle.  Still, Percell’s film makes her point and very convincingly.  A beautiful shot film that reflects both the harshness and beauty of the Australian hardback.  The best film seen at the SXSW fit festival so far.

EXECUTIVE ORDER (Brazil 2020) **
Directed by Lazaro Ramos

Already winning praise wherever the film has been played (Moscow Film Festival for one), EXECUTIVE ORDER is a ‘black lives matter’ film set in a dystopian future.  The Brazilian government has decreed some policy called ‘Return Yourselves Now’.  Blacks have the option of volunteering to return to their country of origin, Africa with a ticket paid or by the government.  The only catch is that it is a one-way ticket.  The people take offence, naturally.  Into the picture comes the protagonist of director Ramos, who in real life, involves himself with a lot of ‘black’ projects.  A lawyer, played by Alfred Anoch sues the government and all hell breaks loose.  The government hinges the policy to an EXECUTIVE ORDER where all blacks are to be caught and deported.  The film is an ambitious satire that Ramos takes on in all seriousness, but it (often over-melodramatic and overdone) does not all work.  Biggest goof is the capture by police of a black man in white makeup while raiding flats.  When caught, his white make up is completely gone.  What goes on, onscreen are the goings-on in one city.  What about the rest of Brazil?  The remote areas like the Amazon?

FRUITS OF LABOUR (USA 2021) **

Directed by Emily Cohen Ibañez

The film follows the family of Ashley Solice.  Alice is a high school senior who must divide her time between school and supporting her family as a second-generation Mexican American.   Located in a California working class town, the harshness of agricultural labour in the strawberry fields shares a stark contrast with the beautiful nature and relationship to her spiritual ancestral upbringing.  The film is actually a feature extended from the director’s 10-minute short made three years ago.  Though well intentioned in the director’s attempt to get the audience aware of the subject’s current problems, the film has the feel that it is stretched out too much for its available material.  The scene of extended time devoted on stills of Ashley’s family embers and shots of butterflies are indicative of the fact.  For the majority of the film’s running time, the camera follows Ashley at her plant project and her dealings with family and boyfriend.  An otherwise dull and boring piece despite the relevant message.

FUCKING WITH NOBODY (Finland 2021) **
Directed by Hannaleena Hauru

It must be tough getting a film director job in Finland.  In FUCKIN WITH NOBODY director Hannaleena Hauru stars, writes and directs her own film.  Her main character Hanna plays a director who loses her dream job to her rival Kristian who is much more popular, and not single.  Kristian is married to the girl who wrote the script for the film Hanna has lost out on.  Hanna analyzes their instagram and concludes it to be fake - lighting, romance and all.  She decides to create a parody romance on Instagram to question the image one offers to society.  Hanna thus teams up with her sister and counterculture friends including a young gay actor Ekku (lookomg like a young Brad Pitt) tom play her new lover.  This fake romance has unexpected effects.  At times, Hauru praises her film, as the characters do of their filming as clever an progressive.  In truth, the alternate between looking too fake and real seldom comes across as  sincere.  The film is feminist with a strong female outlook with two adorable young gay characters.  Though it tackles key current issues, the film is occasionally all over the place and the premise grows tiresome towards the film’s mid-section.

THE HUNT FOR PLANET B (USA 2021) ***
Directed by Nathaniel Kahn

PLANET B is the name given to the other planet where life there is supposed to reflect ours i,e. to find another Earth among the stars.  The doc follows a group of astronomers (mostly female) on their quest.   The search is aided by NASA's new high-stakes Webb Telescope, the largest and most complex space observatory ever built.  The film interweaves the creation of this massive machine with the story of a pioneering group of female scientists who plan to use it in their search for life beyond our solar system.  One scientist is daring enough when she says she is old enough that se is unafraid of aliens having her for breakfast.  She would venture out to meet them. Another, after losing her husband say that the little things one does appear meaningless when put in the realm of bigger things.  The doc is an interesting one, if not wandering around with clear motive.  One wishes the doc would reveal how the collected data is interpreted.  As expected, the question on whether there is other life in the universe is debated in the film but with no clear answer.

Trailer: unavailable

Full Review:

ISLANDS (Canada 2021) ***1/2

Directed by Martin Edralin

Everyone loves a movie with heart.  ISLANDS has heart as is most noticeable from the details from each scene.  This can be first observed in the 15 minutes of Edralin’s impressive study on Filipino immigrants living ‘comfortably’ in Canada.

The family loves Canada.  The family of three is comprised of a middle -aged unmarried son, Joshua living with his parents, a still functioning and sometimes dominant yet caring mother and frail father.  In the beginning scene, the father has to be bathed by the mother, though he seems agile enough to be able to get his own breakfast items in the kitchen.  The father drinks from a mug with the Canadian maple leaf printed in red on it.  In the son’s car, there is a maple tree air freshener.  Another scene has Asians singing the Canadian National anthem before dance classes start.  The three form a somewhat happy family.  It is hard to dislike a film like this, that pays tribute to the country where the film is from and one that shows the sincerity of a family.  Yet, so far, the film is yet to go through its introduction and the main story at hand is yet to unfold.

ISLANDS turns out to be about Joshua.  Joshua has formed an island of his own as many people do.  ISLANDS is the obvious metaphor in the film.  Writer/director Erdalin follows Joshua his protagonist and he quits his University janitorial job in order to care for his frail father who also suffers from dementia, after his mother passes away without warning.  Joshua is a kind soul who prays every night. He prays for his family and himself and is shown to be a caring person, now tested to the fullest with the responsibility of caring for his father.  Into the picture, arrives from Kuwait, his cousin, who brings much needed life into the situation.

ISLANDS is a decent, charming film that deals with the problem many families go through - the need to care for an ageing parent.  For Asian families in particular, the care lies on the adult children who seldom put their parents into a nursing home.

ISLANDS can be looked upon as a companion piece to the much lauded America film MINARI.  MIRANI shows the difficulties of starting up, from the point of view of an immigrant family.  ISLANDS, on the other hand, shows an immigrant family (from the Philippines) who have settled in Canada, but facing different set of problems.  ISLANDS is more real than MINARY which had to go through extensive theatrics like the burning barn at the end in order to make a point.  Like MINARI, most of the dialogue is not in English but in a Filipino dialect.

The film is a tribute to the many Joshua’s around in the world.  They are good men, shy and perhaps like the one in the film, one who has never been loved.  Joshua’s whole life has been dedicated to his family, though his parents hardly ever praise him.

ISLANDS is a quietly charming indie film that delivers a message in a quaint way.  And often, messages are best conveyed in this manner.

Trailer: 

KID CANDIDATE (USA 2021) ***
Directed by Jasmine Stodel

The KID CANDIDATE is geeky-looking 24-year old musician Hayden Pedigo.  He decides to run for City Council of his Amarillo, Texas because he cares for the place where he comes from.  Being 24 and a little naive, director Stodel soon has her audience rooting for him.  But big things do not always go as planned.  And there are bad people that get elected unfairly.  Like ex-President Trump using the Russians.  By the time Hayden reaches election night, he has faced the crushing baggage of his own religious upbringing, a political system rigged to favour one of the wealthiest families in America, and the social pressure brought to bear against anyone who dares to change the system.  The light mood of the documentary males the solemn theme watchable and entertaining. Director Stodel intercuts his doc with interviews with Civil Rights and Criminal Defense Lawyer  Jeff Blackburn, a very sarcastic and sometimes nasty man on camera, adding a wicked touch to the film.

THE LOST SONS (USA 2021) ***
Directed by Ursula Macfarlane

Thestranger than fiction documentary follows Paul Fronczak, a 1960s baby who was kidnapped from his mother’s Chicago hospital room, as he sets off on a quest to discover what really happened. This remarkable and inspiring story of a kidnapping, a family secret, betrayal and redemption is produced by CNN Films, the same team behind the acclaimed THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS.   As a boy, Paul discovered a chest of newspaper clippings and cards indicating a kidnapped baby.  He deduced he was the baby.  Director Macfarlane moves her film to the nurse at the hospital Paul’s birth to show how the baby might be kidnapped and how the police was finally brought in.  She plays the film as both a mystery thriller and a feel-good sentimental drama.  Paul’s non-biological parents who brought Paul up have some explaining to do.  Paul’s dad is upset at him going to find his biological parents.  The mystery deepens when Paul finds he has a missing sister, Jill.  One can likely tell which segments are re-enacted and which are real, but Macfarlane tells her story in a very entertaining and watchable format, considering that this is a documentary.

LUCHADORAS (Female Fighters) (Germany 2020) **

Directed by directed by Paola Calvo & Patrick Jasim

The film is set in what the voiceover tells the audience is the most dangerous city in the world - Juarez in Mexico.  Women in particular disappear and are likely murdered.  The city, as a result of the Global Free Trade, grew with plenty of new factories the women work at.  They are normally transported by bus, but it has been known that the buses drive off to the desert and the women passengers raped and killed.  The film moves to focus on the lives of 3 women wrestlers and how they deal with the situation.  These are three courageous female wrestlers (Luchadoras) from Ciudad Juarez.  Despite being surrounded by machismo they redefine the image of women in Mexico. The short statured Mini Serinita’s dream is to become a full time Luchadora and leave the factory work that disenfranchises so many women for good. Lady Candy can see the U.S Border from her house. Her daughters were taken to the US, but due to visa regulations she cannot cross the border to see them. Baby Star is a young single mother with a Lucha Libre childhood past. She is looking to make a comeback. With Mexican passion they present a new image of what it means to be a woman in Mexico.  An ok watch but the filmmakers do not really link the issue of Juarez convincingly with the women fighters.

Trailer: (unavailable)

OFF SEASON (USA 2021) ***

Directed by Michael Keating

After receiving a mysterious letter, a woman travels to a desolate island town and soon becomes trapped in a nightmare.  This is the premise of OFF SEASON.  The reason for her travel is that her  mother’s grave had been desecrated and she is the only relative left.    But strange people appear and unexplained incidents begin to bother her.  What is actually happening?  Keating’s film plays like a nightmare horror film where he keeps the film once step ahead of the audience.  It is basically a lonely damsel in  distress story under  mysterious circumstances.  Director Keating, with good camerawork and cinematography keeps the suspenses high for most parts of the film.  At one point in the film, she comes to a deep realization that there is something really wrong with the place.  If she would have left right away then, the film would have ended right there and then without the audience and her having to go through all the horrors that follow.  But the horror just drags on and the story too silly to be credible.

THE OXY KINGPINS (USA 2021) ***
Directed by Brendan Fitzgerald

The OXY KINGPINS covers the untold story of how a network of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and retailers worked together to orchestrate and perpetuate the opioid crisis that has killed over half a million people in America.  The recent CRISIS covered the material where pharmaceuticals hired a college professor played by Gary Oldman to fake approval of oxycontin.  The OXY KINGPINS follows the identical light and humorous style the 2012 doc directed by Matthew Cooke HOW TO MAKE MONEY SELLING DRUGS that illustrate easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.  The film identifies the oxycontin pills, a painkiller as heroin, but easier to distribute and supply.  Most of the information is obtained from a lawyer intending to file a class lawsuit against the pharmaceuticals as he obtains information from Alex, an ex-drug dealer who sold the pills.  Other felons are interviewed with their faces blanked out, like suppliers and distributors.   An effective doc may be judged by how much anger it incites from the audience and there is much blame that the film gives deservedly to the big CEOs of the big pharmaceutical companies who are the real villains of the piece who should spend their time in prison instead of the dealers, sellers and opioid users.  None of them have paid their due but have been compensated by millions instead.  I also checked the stock price of the largest company involved in making the drug (McKesson) and the stock price has been doing extremely well, rising annually.

PAUL DOOD’S DEADLY LUNCH BREAK(UK 2021) **
Directed by Nick Gillespie

Paul (Tom Meeten), a nerdy, geeky charity-shop worker, has his heart set on winning a national talent competition.   With a sparkly suit, killer routine, and his dear old mother in tow… this is his big chance.   But when the actions of five intransigent, selfish people get in his way and cause him to miss the audition, Paul plans a deathly revenge mission.   One lunch break, five spectacular murders! Each wrongdoer seemingly dispatched in a fitting manner by a sparkly-suited Paul on a revenge rampage around his small hometown of Belshire.  On paper, the film’s praise might sound good- a bullied underdog finally having the courage to strike back and be no more the coward everyone perceives him to be.  But the first murder is more like an accident as the railway employee falls in hits his head on a metal.  The film is not that funny either, nor is Paul that talented a performer either, judging from his half complete audition.  Paul’sact as well as the film is a total miss!

REKLAW (USA 2021) ***1/2

Directed by Polaris Banks

A 12-minute short at the Midnight Competition section of the festival, REKLAW is placed where it deserves to be.  REKLAW begins with footage of an inmate brutally beaten up in prison, as seen and commented by a group of colleagues led by an older man, supposedly the boss played by veteran actor Lance Henriksen (last seen in FALLING).   The scene shifts to a couple having an ‘anniversary affair’ dinner where the girl tells the guy he can do anything he wants with her., and as many times.  Next take - she discovers him dead.  The lesser said the better for this entertaining, impressive and ‘what the f***’ short which demonstrates director Bank’s ingenuity, talent and treatment of his material.  He also covers the issue of the #MeToo Movement with a different catch.  Would a male indulge in sexual abuse if he can get away with it?  Good job on director Bank’s $200,000 film, whose passionate project pays off tremendously.

Trailer: 

VIOLATION (Canada 2020) **
Directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer

Madeleine Sims-Fewer does triple duty in VIOLATION serving as writer, director and actor which is a messed up film about messed up people.   She plays Mariam a troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home from London to her younger sister in Canada after years apart.  But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge.  Miriam does not know what she wants and the script does not make any effort to make the audience care for her character either.  The film also randomly tackles issues like sexual abuse but never follows it anywhere.  The imaginary sequence where a male is gutted is puzzling if not disgusting.    The directors also seem fond of filming creates like spiders, rabbits and wolves.   Too many things shown going on on the screen in a story in which little happens in a pretentious, slow burn of a pretentious psychological drama.

Clip: https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3631326/violation-exclusive-clip/

WITCH HUNT (USA 2021) ***1/2

Directed by Elle Callahan

In the modern America of writer/director Elle Callahan, witches are real and witchcraft is illegal.  The film opens with a disturbing scene of a witch burnt at the stake in front of her daughter in New England.  Three months later with the film’s new setting in South California where apparently witches are trying to escape to Mexico for a witch haven.   Callahan’s film is a bit o a slow burn that could have moved at a quicker pace.  Still Judos to her for re-imagining a modern horror story with this fresh premise.  A sheltered teenager, Claire must face her own demons and prejudices as she helps two young witches avoid law enforcement and cross the southern border to asylum in Mexico.   What makes the film works is Callahan’s treatment of her material - making it accessible to both teens (like Claire) and her mother who is the one who initializes the help.  Other day-to-day activities like school assignment (with an appropriate topic like the amendments) make the film more relevant.  A few scary scenes causing the audience to jump out of their seats remind one that this is also a horror film.