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SXSW 2022 Film Dispatches, Vol. 2 (Reviews)

18Mar

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

SXSW 2022 Film Dispatches, Vol. 2 (Reviews)

The 29th edition of the SXSW Film Festival has been back in-person (and online) this week in Austin, Texas, for the first time in three years. With nearly 100 feature films on the schedule and 76 World Premiere screenings happening over the course the week, there are plenty of opportunities to be entertained. With today’s dispatch, I'm going to cover a few more films that I really enjoyed this week. When it comes to festivals, I tend to gravitate to the documentaries. I already covered a few in my previous post, but here are some more to keep an eye out for in the months ahead. Kids In The Hall: Comedy Punks Five wild and crazy Canadian guys formed a comedy troupe in 1984. For this documentary, they head back to The Rivoli in Toronto where their earliest shows began and talk abo...

SXSW 2022 Film Dispatches, Vol. 1 (Reviews)

15Mar

By Matt Shiverdecker2 Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

SXSW 2022 Film Dispatches, Vol. 1 (Reviews)

The 29th edition of the SXSW Film Festival is back in-person (and online) this week in Austin, Texas, for the first time in three years. With nearly 100 feature films on the schedule and 76 World Premiere screenings happening over the course the week, there are plenty of opportunities to be entertained. With today's dispatch, I'll take a look at some of the best documentaries I've caught so far during the festival and I'll be back later in the week with more updates. The Pez Outlaw Before becoming obsessed with the wide variety of international Pez dispensers available overseas, Steve Glew had never been out of the country. Living with his family in rural Michigan and working in a factory as a machinist was a means to an end, but then his OCD manifested itself in collecting all...

‘The Andy Warhol Diaries’ Come to Life on Netflix (Review)

8Mar

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘The Andy Warhol Diaries’ Come to Life on Netflix (Review)

The promotional tagline for 'The Andy Warhol Diaries' is "the art you know, the artist you don't." Director Andrew Rossi ('Page One: Inside the New York Times') and executive producer Ryan Murphy bring us a six-part docuseries that takes Warhol's own diaries and brings them to life using his own voice. Unlike Morgan Neville who generated controversy last year with the 'Roadrunner' release when it was revealed that his team had used artificial intelligence to manipulate Anthony Bourdain's voice to perfectly narrate the documentary, this project had the full approval of the Warhol Foundation to use a similar technology. Rossi recently told Entertainment Weekly, “To fully appreciate the radical vulnerability that Andy shares in the Diaries, I felt that we needed to hear the words ...

1970’s Charitable Frenzy Explained in ‘Dear Mr. Brody’ (Review)

4Mar

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

1970’s Charitable Frenzy Explained in ‘Dear Mr. Brody’ (Review)

In 'Dear Mr. Brody,' the latest documentary from director Keith Maitland ('Tower'), we're introduced to a seemingly well-intentioned 21-year-old named Michael James Brody Jr. Brody caused a genuine national frenzy in 1970 when he announced he would be giving away his entire inheritance, allegedly worth $25 million or more, to people in need. He encouraged people to write him letters to let him know why they needed money. The plan was to distribute as much of it as he could for the betterment of society. Or so the story goes. Maitland attempts to uncover the bizarre backstory behind Brody's giveaway by speaking to his widow, several friends, and multiple letter writers from the original campaign. You see, Brody was quickly overwhelmed by the response to his quest to give aw...

‘Cyrano’ Charms With Musical Remake (Review)

25Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Cyrano’ Charms With Musical Remake (Review)

Wikipedia lists at least 24 film adaptations of 'Cyrano de Bergerac,' either in direct or derivative versions. Based on a play from 1897, most versions find our lead character pining for a beautiful woman and afraid to put himself out there on account of his large nose. Joe Wright's charming new adaptation is based on an Off Broadway musical reimagining of the story that was done for the stage by Erica Schmidt and starring her husband, Peter Dinklage, in the titular role. Haley Bennett also reprises her role as Roxanne from this stage version, which includes a beautiful score and delightful original songs from Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, and Matt Berninger of The National. https://youtu.be/EpuImNBJXTE Edmond Rostand's original play was loosely based on the true s...

Catch Up With ‘Flee’ Before the Academy Awards (Review)

22Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Catch Up With ‘Flee’ Before the Academy Awards (Review)

Danish drama 'Flee' is one of the most unique nominees at this year's Academy Awards. It earned a nomination for Best International Feature Film, but also made history for its inclusion in the categories for Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature. The film, which world premiered at Sundance last year, introduces us to a man in Denmark who finally breaks his silence on being a child refugee. Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the intensely personal story of one his best friends from high school. We're introduced to him as Amin Nawabi, but that's a pseudonym. Combined with the animation, it allows Amin to tell his story, but remain protected. Born in Kabul, Amin's family was torn apart after their father was arrested and the country was torn apart by war. I...

Interview: Actor/Writer Jessica Pinfield Discusses Award-Winning Short Film ‘Red Giant’

15Feb

By Matt Shiverdecker1 Comment

Features, Film, Interviews

Interview: Actor/Writer Jessica Pinfield Discusses Award-Winning Short Film ‘Red Giant’

In early 2020, actor and writer Jessica Pinfield was able to bring her first screenplay to life when cameras rolled on a short film called 'Red Giant.' Her co-star in the film, Leven Rambin, was also the director and the two women had a very successful run on the festival circuit last year picking up accolades at the Indie Short Fest, IndieXFest, and the Phoenix Film Festival among many others. The apocalyptic drama was recently posted online (watch 'Red Giant' on Vimeo) and I had a chance to catch up with Jessica to talk about the film and find out what she's working on next. Jessica Pinfield winning Best LGBTQ Film of 2021 at the Independent Short Awards Can you tell me a little bit about the inspiration behind 'Red Giant' and what the process was like going from an idea...

YA Novel Adaptation ‘The Sky is Everywhere’ Premieres Today on Apple TV+ (Review)

11Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

YA Novel Adaptation ‘The Sky is Everywhere’ Premieres Today on Apple TV+ (Review)

It's been a long road to release for 'The Sky is Everywhere,' a charming and occasionally heartbreaking adaptation of Jandy Nelson's 2010 debut young adult novel. Warner Bros. first optioned the book back in 2015. By 2019, the project ended up at Apple, where they used their partnership with indie studio A24 to hand it over to critically acclaimed director Josephine Decker ('Madeline's Madeline,' 'Shirley'). Grace Kaufman in “The Sky Is Everywhere,” premiering February 11, 2022 in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+. In this teenage melodrama, Lennie (Grace Kaufman) and her older sister Bailey (Havana Rose Liu) have grown up in the pacific northwest, raised by their grandmother (Cherry Jones) and uncle (Jason Segel). When Bailey tragically and unexpectedly dies, it sends L...

What’s Past is Prologue With Kanye West in ‘jeen-yuhs’ (Review)

10Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

What’s Past is Prologue With Kanye West in ‘jeen-yuhs’ (Review)

In recent years, the mention of Kanye West's name has become an automatic tune out for me. His ridiculous antics, including launching a failed Presidential campaign, might be comical if they weren't indicative of a man struggling with mental illness surrounded by people who enable his worst impulses. A new documentary film series from Netflix takes us back to the start. Filmmakers Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah have taken 21 years worth of intimate footage and given us the good, the bad, and the ugly. It's all here, perhaps much to Kanye's chagrin. Right before Act 1 premiered at Sundance last month, he declared that he must have final cut. As recently as this Monday, Kanye posted online that he thought all the narration should be redone by Drake (in the film, it's u...

Woody Allen’s Long-Delayed ‘Rifkin’s Festival’ is Painfully Unfunny (Review)

4Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Events, Film, Reviews

Woody Allen’s Long-Delayed ‘Rifkin’s Festival’ is Painfully Unfunny (Review)

Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment. Despite it all, I've never been able to cut Woody Allen out of my cinephile life. Many have and I completely respect that, but I've had an entire shelf of his films in my movie collection for decades. He's made some of my all-time favorites and, even though there are incredibly diminishing returns, I still watch everything he releases. 'Rifkin's Festival,' his 49th feature film, might be the straw that broke the camel's back. I had not heard encouraging things, but when it recently snuck onto VOD with zero fanfare, I knew I had to rent it. After all, it stars Louis Garrel, one of my favorite actors from France. I was going to watch it just for him, if nothing else. And, so I clicked the rental button and sat down for what is at least a mer...