Inspired by three short stories written by Isaac Bashevis Singer – The Briefcase, Alone and Old One – Max Kohn, the main character and a riveting writer enthusiast, takes us on an adventure dictated not only by his wildest dreams but also his deepest desires.
This Reviewer Doesn’t Agree with the Raving Reviewers’ Descriptions & Opinions About Why They Are Raving … But He Absolutely Agrees with Their 5-Star Ooh-and-Ah Ratings.
By Gregg W. Morris
Eighten-plus-minutes of exquisite black and white imagery of the gruesome and the horrific rendered beautifully in a narrative using folklore about the ungodly desolation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda AKA Super Typhoon Haiyan, a Category 5 mega-monster that started laying siege to the Philippines Visayas group of islands, the country’s central region, population 17 million people, November 26, 2013. It shook the Philippines to its roots.
This stunning film short is winning one award after another.
By Gregg W. Morris
Filmmaker Joanna Vasquez Arong weaves together myths to tell how a small town in the Philippines copes with devastation and trauma in the aftermath of a typhoon. A girl’s voice divulges bits and pieces of her own memory of her grandmother and mother to tie in the experiences she felt visiting this ravaged town. Premiered at the 2020 Slamdance Film Festival.
This reviewer has no idea if Director Christina Yoon ever watched a ‘Twilight Zone,’ and could care less if she did or didn’t. It is only in this reviewer’s imagination that there are irresistible similarities between MIRROR and ‘Eye of the Beholder,’ a Twilight Zone episode. If challenged, I would give Sterling’s 5 stars out of 5 for its time. And Yoon’s? 5 stars, undeniably delicious.
Winner of the Best Documentary Feature at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival and made its New York City premiere at DOC NYC. Debuts Tuesday, January 8, 2019, on Digital, Cable and Satellite.
Directed by Sally Rubin and Ashley York
Cast – bell hooks, Amythyst Kiah, Frank X Walker, Crystal Good, Ronny Cox, Billy Redden, Michael Apted, Silas House
1:25:1 Run Time
What the Filmmakers Say
Since the presidential election, cultural divide in America has been the source of riveting and visceral discussions and arguments. Stereotyping and slurs are rampant, finger-pointing and name-calling abound. hillbilly is a personal and political journey by the filmmakers into the heart of the Appalachian coalfields, exploring the role of media misrepresentation in their creation of the iconic American “hillbilly,” and examining the social, cultural, and political underpinnings of this infamous stereotype.
hillbilly will surprise if not shock imaginations because of its revelations, such as the renown artists, poets, activists, queer musicians, “Affrilachian” poets, and intersectional feminists who are unexpected voices emerging from this historically misunderstood region. Author, feminist, and social activist bell hooks is a hillbilly.
Gregg W. Morris can be reached at gmorris@hunter.cuny.edi
“A lot of people have been demanding answers and a response to the recent events surrounding Asia Argento’s sexual assault case,” says Rose Mcgowan in a statement. “Many people believe that because we have been close in each other’s lives over the past year that perhaps I am affiliated with this incident or being complicit. I am not.”