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Reviews
Beyond the Spectrum - Humanoids (2022)
Some genuinely creepy footage
I stumbled onto this and put it on as a time killer, honestly, but I got sucked in right away, because I love this kind of stuff.
It's full of compelling video footage and some expert interviews that really hammer home the possibility of alien visitation.
Am I convinced? Not quite, but it certainly kept me entertained and left me wondering. I didn't realize this was part of a series until I came here to elave this review, so now I have more to watch this weekend!
Give it a watch, you won't regret it.
Hidden Light (2018)
Complex themes and stories told with a small talented cast
This movie manages to say a lot with a relatively small cast. Set in Australia, the movie involves three men from different backgrounds all tied together after a tragedy. I was initially worried this might be a heavy-handed religious movie due to an early scene, but the storytelling transcends the schmaltz usually associated with those sorts of films.
Director Aaron Kamp (who also wrote) is going to be a name to watch out for in cinema.
Viral Beauty (2018)
Indie Satire Gem
This satire is definitely not for everybody, but if you're in the mood to watch a movie skewering internet celebrity and the shallowness that goes with it, this is the one.
I watch a lot of indie movies, and I dont often see one where the star actually has potential to be huge, but Casey Killoran definitely has that. She perfectly plays an every day person caught up in the fame game. You dont know whether to root for her or hate her, and that's the charm of this movie: I was genuinely unsure of how it was going to end. Not to mention that, but she also apparently gained something like 30 pounds for the role, which is commitment most actors won't make for a small film.
Dark Forest (2015)
A fun low budget pseudo-slasher flick
This indie film makes the most of a low budget. The direct has a good eye, managing to get some truly beautiful shots onscreen (including an early dream sequence filled with colors that are incredible to behold). The cast is all competent, with some of course standing out more than others.
Early on the film briefly flirts with the "found footage" genre, but discards this idea pretty quickly. I can't help but wonder if this was intended as an homage or a mockery of the genre.
All in all, the film was a fun watch, especially for someone like myself who's not normally a fan of the horror genre. It's not quite parody, but definitely very self-aware about genre tropes and cliches.
Hesperia (2019)
slow burn indie thriller!
This indie crime thriller starts off as a slow burn. The director takes his time introducing us to all the characters (maybe a bit too long in some cases) and letting us see where all the pieces sit on this chess board, before the game really starts. But then, once you think you know the rules and how this will go, it takes the viewer in several unexpected directions. It plays out more like a novel than a film in some ways.
The acting is mostly good for an indie film, although one character's manic laugh (meant to be creepy, I assume) started to grate on me after a while.
The description ("a home invasion gone wrong", or something similar) doesn't do the plot justice. It has a lot to say about society in general, and peoples' varying ideas of how best to make it through live.
Overall a good watch, well worth devoting 80 minutes of your day to it.
Purdah (2018)
A Beautiful Documentary About So Much more than Sports in India
This movie is described as a documentary about a Muslim girl's dream to play cricket, and it IS, but it's also so much more. Purdah is a beautiful look at life in India, especially for girls as they grow into women with the specter of arranged marriage always looming near. You don't need to know the rules of cricket (I definitely didn't) to enjoy this story.
The film presents the story of a girl watching as her opportunity to achieve her childhood dream gets smaller and smaller as she grows older. It takes no time at all for the audience to get sucked in and emotionally involved in her struggle, defying traditions of her Muslim faith as her parents struggle to support this dream while also staying true to their faith.
A little over halfway through, the focus of the movie does expand somewhat to include the other children in the household, and that's when the audience really sees how daily life in India differs from the US.
Beautiful cinematography (I was struck almost immediately by a great montage of children playing intercut with older children at cricket practice) paired with subjects who are instantly likeable made this documentary feel not just enjoyable, but important.
I was unfamiliar with the work of Director Jeremy Guy, but I'll be tracking down more of his work, and so should you.
Stadium Anthems (2018)
Indie film that combines mockumentary with dark wit--a must-see for music lovers
A friend convinced me to watch this movie. I was skeptical at first (a female protagonist named Heroine? really?), but as I continued watching it grew on me. The movie has dry wit, and a lot to say about the current state of both the music industry and sexual politics.
The acting was pretty solid (which can sometimes be an issue with independent films) and they way they filmed part of it as mock interview footage allowed them to sidestep certain issues you might normally encounter with a low budget film, while also making it feel more familiar to fans of sitcoms like The Office and Parks & Rec.
I was blown away to realize after watching that the star not only performed but also wrote the original songs, all of which are QUITE good.
This film is definitely not for kids, but it IS definitely for fans of dark humor and music documentaries.