Kenna McHugh is an established freelance writer living in California. Her writing credits include the published book, BREAKING INTO FILM, Film Production book for inner-city kids, three screenplays, seven produced plays and hundreds of how-to videos on the Internet.
"I love the challenge of writing because the end does satisfy the means. The writer is a valuable being. If the words aren't there the message isn't received. It is as simple as that. Give me a circumstance, a theme and away I go at my keyboard."
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Written and directed by Ciro Sorrentino, Time Loop follows a father and son team of scientists played by Mino Sferra and Sam Gittins, respectively.
They unlock the secret of time travel while researching time movement. When the father and son perform their first test, they get trapped in a time loop. The result is their past actions have grave consequences in the present and future.
The story takes place in in a quiet Italian village, as the story unfolds the son has to face consequences for choices he hasn’t made yet, which is a nice spin but not original.
Ellie Poussot also stars as Celestine Dijoux.
The movie won several awards, including the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival for Best Horror and Science Fiction Film, MedFF for Best Photography, Toronto International Spring of Horror and Fantasy Film Festival for Best Film, and Virgin Sprint Cinefest for Gold Award as Debut Filmmaker.
Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds, Open 24 Hours follows a paranoid delusional woman, Mary White, played by Vanessa Grasse. Recently released from a mental hospital, the poor woman was smart enough to get out of that place. Making matters worse, she sets her serial killer boyfriend on fire.
Because of the abuse of the mental hospital, Mary suffers from severe paranoia and hallucinations. Her boyfriend, James Lincoln Fields, played by Cole Vigue, is a brutal serial killer known as The Rain Ripper. He enjoyed murdering people and making Mary watch.
The moment after being released from the hospital, Mary’s vulnerable demeanor aids her in obtaining employment at an all-night gas station. However, left alone to her own devices, her paranoia and hallucinations return with furious consequences. This is where the most gruesome images play out on film.
If you are into horrific stuff like hammering heads and such, then these things take a gruesome turn when customers and friends suddenly start turning up dead and mutilated all around her. It a tough movie to watch and enjoy.
Reynold’s inspiration for this movie came to him while filming Rites of Spring in Mississippi. “We were scouting locations for the movie and came across this time-worn Gas Station on a lonely rural road. This gas station was a character in itself, and I knew that it would make a great self-contained horror movie.”
The idea would not leave his mind, “I went back to my hotel room and began writing the script. I knew I wanted a strong female protagonist to be as lonely as our main location. Mary is a damaged doll in a thrift store dress. She is desperately trying to put her life back together after years of abuse from her serial killer boyfriend who made her watch while killing people. She gets a job and feels that her haunted past is finally behind her. But on a cold rainy night, the past returns with a vengeance.”
The rest of the cast includes Brendan Fletcher as Bobby, Emily Tennant as Debbie and Daniel O’Meara as Tom Doogan.
Kino Classics released some extraordinary German classic films from the silent era during the 1920s. Each one is available on Blu-ray or DVD. Presented in restorations by F. W. Murnau-Stiftung, I found each movie stunning and mesmerizing.
The films restored are The Great Leap (1927), directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Leni Riefenstahl, Paul Wegener’s The Golem (1920), G. W. Pabst’s The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927), and F. W. Murnau’s Tartuffe (1925), starring Emil Jannings.
The Great Leap (1927)
I first watchedThe Great Leap, which features an audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. The movie stars Leni Riefenstahl, who is infamous as the great documentarian of Hitler. Before all that, she was foremost an actress, and she is good in this movie. It’s super funny. Apparently, Riefenstahl was a popular actress who starred in several mountain movies directed by Arnold Fanck. They included The Holy Mountain (Der heilige Berg, 1926) and The White Hell of Pitz Palu (Die weisse Hölle vom Piz Palü, 1929) as dramas of romance and survival.
The Great Leap suggests was something different as a playful romantic comedy set high atop the Dolomites. Riefenstahl plays an Italian peasant whose simple life is upended when a series of urbanites invade the slopes for a ski vacation. This bubbly comedy (featuring Riefenstahl’s usual on-screen love interest, Luis Trenker) combines slapstick laughs with stunning footage of acrobatic skiing and rock climbing, making it perhaps the most entertaining but unique movie out of all the German mountain films.
The Golem (1920)
Then I watched The Golem that contains both a 4K restoration of the German release version with three musical scores by Stephen Horne, Admir Shkurtaj, and Lukasz “Wudec” Poleszak, including U.S. release version with music by Cordula Heth. A feature comes with a comparison between the German and U.S. versions, and audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas.
Hypothetically acknowledged as the source of the Frankenstein myth, the ancient Hebrew legend of the Golem provided actor and director Paul Wegener with the substance for an intriguing and adventure movie. Suffering under the tyrannical rule of Rudolf II in 16th-century Prague, a Talmudic rabbi, played by Albert Steinruck, creates a giant warrior, played by Wegener to protect the safety of his people. When the rabbi’s assistant, played by Ernst Deutsch, takes control of the Golem and attempts to use him for selfish gain, the lumbering monster runs rampant, abducting the rabbi’s daughter, played by Lyda Salmonova, and setting fire to the ghetto. The special effects for this time are impressive, creating the creation sequence with a dazzling blend of religion, sorcery, and the grand-scale destruction toward the end of the movie. The Golem was apparently an outstanding achievement from the legendary UFA Studios and remains an undeniable landmark in the horror’s evolution film.
The Love of Jeanne Ney came next and presents both the restored German release version with music arranged and orchestrated by Bernd Thewes, and the U.S. release version with music by Andrew Earle Simpson. It includes audio commentary by film historian Eddy Von Mueller.
The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927)
An epic of the Weimar cinema (Cinema of Germany), The Love of Jeanne Ney follows a young French woman’s struggle for happiness amid the political turbulence and corruption of post-World War I Europe. Directed by G. W. Pabst, who also directed Diary of a Lost Girl, Pandora’s Box, the film blends a variety of cinematic approaches as it weaves its complex narrative of moral chaos and political upheaval. Consider the use of the “American Style,” evocative of the Hollywood studio blockbuster; the avant-garde techniques of Soviet montage; and the eerie moving camerawork and shadowy perspectives are typical of German Expressionism. The result is a stunning cinematic experiment that never failed to surprise me with fast sequences that end with an exhilarating conclusion.
Tartuffe (1925)
Tartuffe includes both the German release version with a new score by Robert Israel and the U.S. release version with music by Giuseppe Becce, adapted by Javier Perez de Azpeita.
Tartuffe (1925)
Considered one of the most gifted visual storytellers during the German silent era, F. W. Murnau crafted works of great subtlety and emotional complexity through his absolute command of the cinematic medium. Known for such dazzling films as Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Faust (1926), and Sunrise (1927), Murnau draws toward more intimate dramas exploring the dark corners of the human mind.
I had a prime interest in seeing Tartuffe, where Murnau Moliére’s fable of religious hypocrisy to the screen. The story follows a faithful wife, played by Lil Dagover. She tries to convince her husband, played by Werner Krauss, that their morally superior guest, Tartuffe, played by Emil Jannings, is in fact a lecherous hypocrite with a taste for the grape. Twisting the story to heighten the contemporary relevance, Murnau frames Moliére’s tale with a modern-day plot concerning a housekeeper’s stealthy efforts to poison her elderly master and take control of his estate.
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Bandseems likeis an open heart confession that’s admonishing, and sometimes humorous story of Robertson’s young life and the making of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music—The Band.
The film is a poignant story of Robertson’s journey, overcoming adversity and finding friendship alongside the four other men who would become his brothers in music, together making their mark on music history.
One of the bright spots in the movie is the blends of rare archival footage, photography, iconic songs, and interviews with Robertson’s friends and collaborators, including Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and others.
The storytelling began in 2011 when the legendary guitarist, songwriter, composer, and producer Robbie Robertson pulled up his bootstraps with a put pen to paper began telling his story. The story about his life written over five years.
His 2016 memoir and New York Times bestseller Testimony chronicle the period from his upbringing on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario to his wild years touring with music giants Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to his role in the formation of one of the most revered and influential groups of the 20th century—The Band.
Robbie Robertson
“A lot of stories had mounted up over the years, and it reached a point where they were too heavy for me to carry around,” Robertson says. “The only way I could get some relief was to set some of them free. Several authors had contacted me about writing my story over the years, but each time we’d hit a certain point where things just didn’t ring true to me. It sounded like somebody else was trying to impersonate my voice, so I ended up writing every word of it myself.”
The memoir captured the attention of filmmakers. “After it was published, a couple of people approached me and said they were interested in making a documentary based on the book, but I wanted to wait until I found someone who just sounded real to me,” Robertson explains.
After careful consideration, Robertson chose to option film rights to his book to the experienced Toronto-based film and television production company White Pine Pictures. “We were honored that Robbie put his trust in us,” says Raymont. It was the beginning of a wonderful adventure.”
Daniel Roher came on board as the director with three short documentaries under his belt. “We were impressed with Daniel’s passion, determination and extraordinary chutzpah” says Raymont, “Nothing was going to stop him.”
“Daniel had already made several documentaries that people felt were really good,” says Robertson, “and when they asked him what he wanted to do next, he said he wanted to make a documentary from my book.”
Roher grew up loving their music. “The first time I heard them was through my parents, and I was instantly hooked,” he says. “Their incredible musicianship grabbed me, and they just seemed like the coolest guys in any room they set foot in. So, when Robbie’s book was published, I immediately knew it would make a phenomenal documentary.”
By his admission, Roher’s interest in developing the material became an obsession as time went on. “I told anyone who would listen that this was my dream project,” he says. “The truth is, I would’ve begged, cried, or stolen to direct this movie.”
Robertson says he saw something of himself in Roher. “When I first started playing music I went against all the odds and broke down walls to make it work. I got that same feeling from Daniel. He knew he had to make this work.”
Roher recalls, “At one point Robbie said, ‘You know, kid, one of my closest friends is Martin Scorsese, so why should you be the one to make this movie?’ And I just laid it all out for him,” Roher recalls. “I told him about my deep appreciation of where he came from, and I explained that I’ve spent time in indigenous communities across Ontario, and know what it’s like when the instruments come out after a long day of work and the music starts playing.”
Above all else, Roher reminded Robertson that his book’s story was about a highly ambitious young man who bucks the odds to make his mark on the world. “Thankfully, my pitch resonated with him, because he said, ‘Okay, kid, let’s make trouble together.’ That’s when my life changed.”
Movie includes Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, Jon Bon Jovi, Rebecca Gayheart-Dane, Sanaa Lathan.
Directed by a survivor of the homeless as a youth, Rotimi Rainwater presents a blunt obligatory look at the harsh realities of homelessness in the documentary Lost in America. The story is poignant, showcasing the heart-wrenching truth of youth homelessness that, according to production notes, affects over millions of youth each year across America.
The movie is a raw, unedited look at the various faces of youth homelessness, following Rainwater’s six-year journey as he gets up-close and personal with over 30 homeless youth in over 15 cities across the country. Shining his light in the dark shadows highlights the brutal perspective of the constant challenges of the homeless youth.
The documentary shows startling truth about why so many young adults do not have a place to call home. Vacillating from human trafficking, family rejection, domestic violence, abuse and failures of the foster care system, each of the 30 participants tell their harrowing stories, painting an authentic, dark portrait of their homeless journey—it’s an eye-opener.
Simultaneously, the documentary highlights the efforts made to combat this issue. Lost in America includes interviews with homeless youth organizations and prominent political figures.
The documentary features some major Hollywood talent that includes Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, Jon Bon Jovi, Rebecca Gayheart-Dane, Sanaa Lathan, and many more.
The movie lacks popcorn entertainment. It is a film that everyone must watch, but not by themselves, with family and friends or educational or social betterment groups with discussions held afterward. Lost in America will be available on DVD and is streaming at select cable providers.
The sci-fi and psychological thriller follows a mother and her son, who is affected by a genetically engineered plant. The red-flowered plant mysteriously shares its scent while the story twists and turns until the end.
Directed by Jessica Hausner, Little Joe follows Alice, played by Emily Beecham, who won the Best Actress award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Alice is a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species of plants. She engineered a unique crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value. If kept at the ideal temperature, appropriately fed and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. The story gets interesting when Alice goes against company policy and takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe, played by Kit Conner. They christen it “Little Joe.” But as their plant grows, so too does Alice’s suspicion that her new creation may not be as harmless as its nickname suggests.
Don’t believe this mumbo-jumbo, but it explains how the plant influences people.
Hausner states, “In this sense, Little Joe is a parable about what is strange within ourselves. This becomes tangible in the film by means of a plant, which is apparently capable of changing people. As a result of this change something unfamiliar emerges, and something believed to be secure is lost — the bond between two people.”
The plant traumatizes those it pollinates with foreboding, austere colors and energetic drums and strings as a soundtrack. Throughout, you sense an awkward interpersonal relationship. It comes across in Alice’s contact with her colleague Chris, played by Ben Whishaw, who is devious and calculating while he tries to romance her. Having Whishaw play against type is ominous since we’re familiar with him as Q in the James Bond franchise and Mary Poppins Returns as the amicable father and brother. Chris courts Alice, demonstrated by uneasy offers for an after-work drink, then faltering struggles at kisses. Still, the red plant remains in the background, adversely affecting Chris’s ordinarily friendly and playful dog, bringing more tension to the story and jolting me out of my seat.
As a parallel, we watch human Joe begin his first romantic relationship with his first girlfriend, Selma, played by Jessie Mae Alonzo, another source of anxiety. Alice realizes her little boy is becoming a young man and more of his person, spending less time with her. It’s a sad moment for Alice, but something more profound is happening, and she discounts it. Perhaps she shouldn’t, giving the message to parents that they need to connect to their kids.
Hausner associates the film as more abstract and artificial than real life, even though scenes occur in greenhouses, laboratories, and real locations. Shot with mint green and white with the red flower. “We chose these almost childish colors to give the film the characteristics of a fairy-tale or fable.”
The movie sounds simple but is more complicated, and the story is driven as a psychological thriller about a plant that undermines a young boy’s life.
“Every working mother is familiar with being asked the question, which is often led with accusation: ‘So, who looks after your child when you go to work?’ Little Joe is about a mother who is tormented by her bad conscience when she goes to work and ‘neglects’ her child. A mother whose feelings are ambivalent because the plant is Alice’s other child: her work, her creation, the product of her labor. And she doesn’t want to neglect this child either or lose it. But which of her children will Alice choose in the end?” explains Hausner.
First of all, the documentary is not one. It is called a mockumentary. Directed by Eric Notarnicola, who is passionate about cinema and documentary, the filming happened on location in the San Bernardino and the Los Angeles area. The production team used a mix of non-actors and actors, creating documentary techniques to fake the experience of an actual story unwinding in real-time. The actors improvised each situation, allowing their characters and the story to unfold naturally. The style worked. It was funny and kept me entertained throughout.
The story starts with Tim Heidecker in the final month of his campaign for district attorney. He is an underdog facing an uphill battle that evolves into a delusional, crazy study of Tim’s true motivations and controversial past, unraveling his candidacy.
The movie gets more interesting at this point because Tim has taken on the popular incumbent, Vincent Rosetti, also known in Tim’s mind as “Rosetti the Rat.” Rosetti found Tim and his inexperienced campaign manager, outmatched, low on funds, connections, and experience. Tim doesn’t even have enough signatures to run. He tries hitting the streets as a last-ditch effort to connect to the voters and promises to wipe out all the crime in San Bernardino, but with no avail, he doesn’t win over the community.
His campaign grows by word of mouth, and former friends of Tim warn the public with stories about bad business deals, strained friendships, and a failed court case in which he ended up accused of murder.
He is only days away from the election, and the campaign is free falling. He needs to confront the obvious of pursuing is a delusional dream. The clip below says it all about Tim and his unsuccessful pursuit for office.
Written and directed by Travis Stevens, Girl on the Third Floor stars WWE legend Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks and Trieste Kelly Dunn with a promotional campaign asking “Where the hell is the Girl on the Third Floor?” It appears the movie did quite well during its theatrical release, so horror being horror, you need to prepare yourself for what’s lurking on the third floor of this house.
The movie has the traditional formula for a haunted house, including rotting walls, bursting pipes, and unidentifiable, gross slime. Even WWE legend, playing Don Koch, couldn’t handle it, he does an excellent job of make-believing he’s in hell with the girl on the third floor.
It all starts with he convinces his wife, Liz, played by Dunn that he wants to remodel their new Victorian home himself.
Like any DYI, he instantly is way over his head, exasperatedly stress out to the max, and fascinated by his old vulnerabilities. Don realizes that the house has its own sinisterly wicked, sordid past and won’t be so easy to renovate after all, which makes for a fascinating watch.
The excellent cast rounds out well with Sarah Brooks, Elissa Dowling, and Travis Delgado.
I will say the movie is slow, and the storyline does not hold firm to the idea of the story. The potential is there, and it fell flat, and perhaps if the cinematography improved, and production design got behind the movie with a better script, the overall quality would have been worth the watch.
Take a workplace robot named Auto, the company jerks his chain, and he transforms into a killing machine when he discovers a more efficient model will replace him.
Before Garo Setian directed, produced, and edited Automation, he co-wrote the screenplay with Rolfe Kanefsky and Matthew L. Schaffer.
The film stars Elissa Dowling, Parry Shen, Graham Skipper, Sarah French, and Sadie Katz as office employees assail into danger by a vindictive robot.
The storyline caught my attention, but I didn’t think the movie would be intelligent as a sci-fi thriller. Sure, it’s low-budget, and the script is witty. But, more heart in this movie and the creative team’s performance would have been good. But, it’s hard to do so within the financial means.
Then, it’s revenge time for the robot, and he is not messing around. I liked the movie’s unorthodox chills.
The Blu-Ray release of the movie includes separate commentaries with Setian and Writer Rolfe Kanefsky and Setian and Anahit Setian with Producer Dan Bowen, deleted and alternate scenes, bloopers, Behind The Scenes featurettes Writing The Screenplay and Building “Auto” with “Evil’ Ted, “Auto’s Voice” An Interview With VO Artist Jim Tasker and bonus interviews with cast and crew.
Harris, played by Gino Anthony Pesi, is fatigued without peace with the world. He makes a living as a taxi driver. His next fare, Penny, played by Brinna Kelly, intangles themselves trapped in a neverending ride that loops and loops, eventually changing their lives eternally.
Written by the lead actress, Kelly, and directed by D.C. Hamilton, when Harris picks up a lovely woman named Penny as his next fare, he finds himself captivated. Notably, right up until she disappears from the back seat without an imprint. As he frantically tries to come to terms with what happened, he resets his meter and is promptly back to the time she first climbed into his cab. He and Penny find themselves entangled in an endlessly circling ride that transforms their lives eternally.
The Farescreened internationally, taking many awards, such as the Director’s Prize for Overall Concept and Execution at FilmQuest, the Special Mention Jury Award at Fantasporto, and Best Dark Fantasy/Supernatural Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival.
Overall the story is intriguing with believable acting and unpredictable. I expectations of what I thought would happen didn’t. I could not figure out what was the cause of the looping. The movie is romantic and worth seeing as an indie film. It reminds me of a Hitchock film or an episode from The Twilight Zone.
