There are horror films and then there are horror films that blow audiences out of their seats – and then comes along a tour de force by a director, writer, producers and cast so compelling that a reviewer like me can’t resort to the conventional film review. The scope and magnitude of the film and the derring-do are just too immense and, dare I say, borderline unique. What is Director Craig Center up to with a movie like 6:45 being released in these horrifying times?
By Gregg W. Morris
Indulging self-deluded visions of grandeur and trying to hold at bay the ennui and existential angst threatening to possess their souls, three yuppie, valley-girl types, white, circa 2021, meet up at a swank LA member’s only drinking hole ostensibly to harvest ideas to make a movie short that they imagine will boost their hotty toddy rankings on social media.
Poppy Gordon’s absurdist gem can take your mind off the doom and gloom of the surging COVID-19 Delta Variant – no matter yer race, creed, national origin, regardless if you wear a mask or not.– By Gregg W. Morris
The 2020 festival includes 107 feature-length documentaries among over 200 films and dozens of events. Included are 23 World Premieres, 12 international or North American premieres, and 7 US premieres. Fifty-seven features (53 percent of the lineup) are directed or co-directed by women and 36 by BIPOC directors (34 percent of the feature program).
From WORD Editor Gregg W. Morris: Because the itinerary is so huge, the list for the 11th edition is being published in several parts.
NO MORE WINGS is 10 evocative minutes of eloquent story telling with poetic panache and a visceral and intellectual resonance lasting long after the film ends. It tells of two 20-plus-somethings meeting-up for a fav repast of six wings and chips in Morley’s, a South London fried chicken shop. Issac and Jude are savvy, down-to-earth no-nonsense class acts with a dash of chutzpah. You will want to see this film more than once.
By Gregg W. Morris
Highlights include a trio of series featuring special double features: 50th Mixtape, which presents two free films back-to-back every Thursday night, combining all-time and recent favorites of the Film at Lincoln Center programming staff.
Innovative feature films and specialty short showcases, industry talk backs, and more. LESFF Judges include Rosario Dawson, Joe Quesada, Luke Cage,Matt FX, Tamra Simmons, Sam Levy.
Interview of Film Enthusiast Theresa from Oakland hanging out in TFF Hub before going to her next film
Orna, played by Liron Ben Shlush, is the reason her boss, Bennie, played by Menashe Noy) is financially successful in a new venture. But he subjects her to sexual harassment, sexual violence. Her husband needs her earnings to help him keep his new restaurant open. She is the principal caretaker for their children. She’s done so much for others but, yet, she is alone. Can she pull herself together to take back control of her life?
Can a whimsical, end-of-the-world sci-fi feature about aliens from another planet attract big audiences, if, one, it isn’t directed/produced by Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Berg, J.J. Abrams, Paul Verhoeven, Luc Besson, George Lucas, M. Night Shyamalan; two, lacks mind boggling special effects; three, is short on gloom, doom and carnage; and, four, might actually be about the power of love?
This year’s series of dispatches from the front lines of nonfiction cinema features intimate portraits of artists, depictions of social upheaval, and much more.