Category Archives: independent

“A Hidden Life” Trailer, Clips & Posters

biography, drama, historical, independent, war, , ,

Rightfully written and directed by Terence Malick, The Hidden Life follows the life of Franz Jägerstätter, which the Catholic church beautified in 2007, as a conscientious objector to World War II and Hilter.

Winner of Cannes 2019 François Chalais Award, Terrence Malick, masterfully guides August Diehl, who plays Jägerstätter, an Austrian. Known as a rambunctious young man and womanizer, Franz leaves the small town where he grew up to work in the salt mines.

He returns three years later, riding a motorcycle and a devout Catholic. He marries Franziska, played by Valerie Pachner, whose religious faith is almost as powerful as Franz.

Franz denounces Hilter and WW II, resulting in the small town cauterizing him. He continues tending farm alongside his wife and children.

Eventually, the Nazis sent him to prison for his religious faith and denouncing Hilter and the war, saying he could not be both Catholic and Nazi. They executed him in 1943, and Franz becomes a martyr and beatified by the Catholic church.

I invite you to take a look at Malick’s movie, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Pen, and Jessica Chastain. He uses similar angles and tender moments to tell the story of a young boy growing up with an angelic mother and a spiteful father.

The trailer shows Malick’s talent for serene and pastoral countrysides of quiet long and buoyant moments of love and joy. Only Malick can tell the story of Jägerstätter’s tragic end to a blissful life taken by a strong belief and devotion to God.

The red carpet interviews at TIFF discuss Malick’s direction and the area where they filmed the farmhouse. The Jägerstätters lived in St. Radegund, a small village of 500 people in Upper Austria, near Salzburg and the German border. In the same province, where Hitler was born and spent his early youth–not far from Berchtesgaden, his mountain retreat during his years as head of the German state.

The video captures them sharing their experiences working with Malick.

He arrives home, but the consequences of him being a conscientious objector will be a sad and frightful ending. The camera work and acting drive the scene forward with Malick’s direction.

The next two clips are Malick’s signature work, narrative with telling their story through his wife’s letters.

“Brittany Runs a Marathon” Posters, Clips & Trailer

comedy, drama, independent, true stories, ,

Written and directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo and winner of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award, Brittany Runs a Marathon follows an unusually poignant portrait of a young woman, played by Jillian Bell, uncovering her long-buried potential.

Brittany Forgler is everybody’s best friend ― except maybe her own. At 27, her hard-partying ways, chronic underemployment, and toxic relationships are catching up with her, but when she stops by a new doctor’s office to try to score some Adderall, she gets slapped with a prescription she never wanted: Get healthy. Too broke for a gym and too proud to ask for help, Brit is at a loss, until her seemingly together neighbor Catherine pushes her to lace up her Converse sneakers and run one sweaty block. The next day, she runs two. And soon, after finishing her first mile, she sets an almost unthinkable goal: running in the New York City Marathon.

The movie is the winner of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award.

The rest of the cast includes Michaela Watkins, Micah Stock, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Alice Lee, and Lil Rel Howery.

This movie could be the next sleeper hit.

Colaizzo won the Helen Hayes award for his playwrighting talent, and now, he is making his screenwriting and directorial debut with a slice of life movie. Brittany Runs a Marathon reminds me of Richard Curtis or Cameron Crowe storytelling.

The three movie clips show Brittany’s attitude before she starts changing her life around and getting in shape. The first clip is obscure, and its purpose of the scene is unconvincing.

The last clip is in the trailer but shows how Brittany managed to get by in life by lying. The doctor is smart and sits her on a path of redemption and a healthier lifestyle.

“Canal Street” Trailer and Poster

faith-based, independent, thriller, , , , , , ,


Directed, co-written and produced by Rhyan LaMarr, the screenplay for Canal Street is co-written by Jon Knitter, with additional writing by Adam Key. LaMarr and Knitter wrote the first draft in 2005 at Columbia College Chicago and developed the script together over the next 13 years.

LaMarr remembers, “I would get on the red line and take it from the Southside of Chicago all the way to the end of the line on the Northside, and just people watch and dream up some of the diverse characters we birthed in Canal Street. Chicago, to me, was one of those cities that had caught a bad rap, and I wanted to shine a different light on it through politics and grit. Me and Jon started writing about our different experiences, and that is really how the script began to take form.”

Canal Street is a faith-based, modern-day thriller about a teen, Kholi Styles, trying to get by in an unwelcoming new world. After the mysterious death of a classmate, all eyes fall on Kholi, the new kid at his high school. It’s up to his father, Jackie Styles, an up-and-coming lawyer from the slums of Chicago, to defend his son in court and battle an outraged public before time runs out. Jackie fights to keep his faith and prove his
son is not the monster of the world.

Amazing Portfolio “Jay Myself” Documentary Trailer and Poster

documentary, independent,

Written and directed by Stephen Wilkes, Jay Myself is a documentary that focuses on Jay Maisel’s work. Wilkes worked with Maisel, and this movie is a love letter to the photographer’s work while being a tribute to the 35,000 square foot, 100-year-old building in New York called “The Bank” that Jay used to call his home.

After 48 years, begrudgingly, Maisel sold his home. The famous photographer story is a monumental move told through the eyes of Wilkes, who is also Jay’s protege.

Wilkes is also a noted artist and photographer, which opens the story through this intimate lens that the viewer is taken on a remarkable journey through Jay’s life as an artist, mentor, and man. A man is grappling with himself, growth, change, and the end of an era in New York City.

“Capernaum” Trailer and Posters

drama, foreign movie, independent, ,

Directed by Nadine Labaki, Capernaum is a unique story about a young boy named Zain, played by Zain Al Rafeea. Zain is a Lebanese boy, and he sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life.

Capernaum means Chaos, which offers some insight into the movie’s theme.

The second poster shows Zain with the toddler, walking away from the camera this time—an interesting choice. The perspective is effective in showing a future for the two boys. All in all, this movie hits my heartstrings, a beautifully filmed story.

The movie focuses on Zain as he journeys from a gutsy, streetwise child to a hardened 12-year-old “adult” fleeing his negligent parents, surviving through his wits on the streets, taking care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil, played by Yordanos Shiferaw and her baby son Yonas.

Zain is jailed for a violent crime, and finally, seeking justice in a courtroom, he sues his parents.

The movie won three Cannes Film Festival 2018 awards.  Labaki took home the Jury Prize, Prix de la citoyenneté, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

“Mid90s” Trailers and Poster

drama, independent, , ,

Written and directed by Jonah Hill, Mid90s follows Stevie, played by Sunny Suljic, who is a thirteen-year-old in 90s-era Los Angeles. He spends his summer navigating between his troubled home life with his brother, played by Lucas Hedges, and a group of new friends that he meets at a Motor Avenue skate shop.

We know Hill for his acting talent in Money Ball and 21 & 22 Jump Street movies.

Mid90s premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Hill teared up over the stand ovation from the audience.  Sunny Suljic also stars in The House with a Clock in its Walls.

Revealing the Absolutely Lowest Relationship “Loving Pablo” Trailer

based on a book, drama, independent, legend, , , , , , , , ,

Written and directed by Fernando Leon de Aranoa and based on the book Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar by Virginia Vallejo, Loving Pablo follows Vallejo’s story about her relationship with Pablo Escobar. He happened to be one of the most powerful drug lords in Columbia. His terror and reign took Colombia down to utter chaos.

The movie brings husband and wife Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz together, which is a brilliant combination. Both are Oscar winners, and I know the acting will be excellent. Other cast members include Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo, Maria Victoria Henao, David Valencia, David Ojalvo, and Giselle Da Silva.

Leon de Aranoa received accolades for his movie Mondays in the Sun. He is a Spanish director, and Loving Pablo is in English.

The movie trailer shows how the director captures Colombia’s culture. Viewers will need to keep this in mind as they watch the movie.

“Puzzle” Trailer, Poster, & Movie Clips

drama, independent, , , ,

Directed by Marc Turtletaub, Puzzle follows Agnes, whose life is a puzzle she is trying to assemble. If you watch the trailer, you will agree with me. The movie is a metaphor for putting one’s life in order by mastering jigsaw puzzles. 

Agnes, played by Kelly Macdonald, does that same thing every day, and her family takes her for granted. She discovers a love for solving jigsaw puzzles. She finds a new world of solving jigsaw puzzles. Her self-esteem builds until her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined.

The movie clip shows the similarities of each character, which explains why they are drawn to each other and puzzles.

The movie clip below says about what puzzles can do for a person.

Watch the trailer, and you will see a beautiful story unfold. Turteltaub directed Little Miss Sunshine, which launched his career and several others. The Puzzle looks like a sleeper hit.

“The Rider” Trailer, Movie Clips, and Poster

drama, independent, worth renting

Written and directed by Chloé Zhao, The Rider is a simple but poignant movie about cowboys who sustained injuries in the rodeo.  At the Cannes, The Rider won the Art Cinema Award and several other festival awards from around the world.  The movie has several Independent Spirit Award nominations as well.

The movie follows a young cowboy, played by Brady Jandreau, after suffering a near-fatal head injury. He undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.

Other cast includes Wayne Blackburn, Lilly Blackburn, Cat Clifford, and Lane Scott.

Another movie clip shows what is like to be in a rodeo.  The clip is out of context, and I have a feeling the scene is supposed to be intense with the young cowboy getting back on the horse after a near fatal head injury from riding in a rodeo.

The movie clip reveals why the movie is winning so many awards on the festival circuit.

The movie trailer is heartwrenching because clearly, the movie is a downer and there are poignant scenes of how dangerous rodeoing can be for a cowboy.