Category: Independent Film
A whole new multiverse: Academy celebrates creativity, unique artistry with Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once
by Matt Ward
It was practically unfathomable a year ago that a quirky blend of science fiction, drama and martial arts would be remember by more than a few ardent fans elevating it to cult status. But 366 days after its debut at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival, Everything Everywhere All At Once moved beyond critical and cinephile acclaim by winning seven of its 11 … Read More A whole new multiverse: Academy celebrates creativity, unique artistry with Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once
Causeway: Return to form
by Matt Ward
It’s unclear if Apple, a major player in the technology world but relatively new in film production, has any idea what to do with the movies it releases. After making a big splash last year with their surprise Best Picture Oscar winner CODA, the up-and-coming movie studio had several anticipated titles on their slate over the next 18 months but has struggled to choose … Read More Causeway: Return to form
Tár: Measures of time
by Matt Ward
Time is a very precious and valuable thing. What we do with our time, how quickly or slowly life seems to go all feels set at a tempo that we conduct ourselves. It’s also at the core of acclaimed writer/director Todd Field’s first film in 16 years, a cerebral, cold, elongated portrait of a woman convinced that she has mastered time itself. Featuring one … Read More Tár: Measures of time
Confess, Fletch: The mystery of reinventing the wheel
by Matt Ward
Sometimes it’s impossible to fully recapture the magic of what made a classic film great. This is especially true in comedy, where age might confuse, muddle, or downright destroy punchlines and characterizations that were likely hilarious decades prior but are out of touch with modern taste and sensibilities. It’s likely why there’s been such a gap in revitalizing the Fletch film series based on … Read More Confess, Fletch: The mystery of reinventing the wheel
Honk For Jesus: Ya got trouble in Atlanta City
by Matt Ward
The stage play and musical film “The Music Man” examines the world of the carnival charlatan Harold Hill, a larger-than-life character that transfixes and charms an entire town to his own financial gain. A product of the 1950s and early 1960s popular culture, it’s a relatively lighthearted cautionary tale meant to warn audiences away from being taken advantage of by con men posing as … Read More Honk For Jesus: Ya got trouble in Atlanta City
Breaking: Past the boiling point
by Matt Ward
A man walks into an Atlanta area bank. Honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, he’s soft and unassuming, calm and friendly to the teller. There’s one problem though. He slides a note across the counter with the words “I have a bomb” on it and sets off a chain reaction of events with unexpected consequences. Based on the true story of Brian Easley, the … Read More Breaking: Past the boiling point
Vengeance: Far from the Big Apple
by Matt Ward
B.J. Novak’s debut feature film opens with the former star of “The Office” on a New York rooftop in vapid, existential conversation with musician John Mayer, playing a somewhat exaggerated version of himself. The pair pontificate about having everything in life figured out and the ease of mindless dating women saved in their phones like “Random House Girl.” Then Novak’s Ben – a journalist … Read More Vengeance: Far from the Big Apple
Cha Cha Real Smooth: All the right moves
by Matt Ward
The best movie characters, ones audiences take to and see themselves in, aren’t always idyllic. Filmmakers find genuine beauty in flaws and imperfections in their personalities and psyches that allows viewers to naturally respond and become more fully transported into another world. Cooper Raiff’s second feature film – an audience award winner earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival – screened this past … Read More Cha Cha Real Smooth: All the right moves
Fire Island: Summer nights
by Matt Ward
Nearly 30 years ago, director Amy Heckering transported audiences into the world of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma through the lens of 1990s Beverly Hills high school with Clueless.The bright, quirky satire provided a clever twist on what might be viewed as stuffy literature and made Austen more accessible for younger audiences. Comedian Joel Kim Booster found inspiration in another Austen classic, Pride and … Read More Fire Island: Summer nights
Everything Everywhere All At Once: Cinematic beauty in weirdness
by Matt Ward
The directing duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, have created a brand of cinema flavored with creative ingenuity blended with the bizarre and outlandish that have seen them mystify viewers with flatulent corpses and dark humor with films like 2016’s Swiss Army Man and 2019’s The Death of Dick Long. Their third feature together, Everything Everywhere All At Once, … Read More Everything Everywhere All At Once: Cinematic beauty in weirdness
Dog: Unlikely compatriots
by Matt Ward
Trailers don’t always give the best impression of what a film actually is. Sometimes it’s because the studio is attempting to trick potential viewers by showing the best clips in order to maximize profits. Other times, it’s simply because they don’t have any actual clue what kind of movie they have on their hands. This is especially problematic for first-time directors, who have to … Read More Dog: Unlikely compatriots
Mass: Big drama in small spaces
by Matt Ward
Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival has always been the premiere way for independent filmmakers to debut their work and kick off a full year of promotion to find an audience. This year’s festival has gone digital due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 preventing cinephiles from catching the best 2022 has to offer so far in person, but 2021 Sundance entries are making their … Read More Mass: Big drama in small spaces
Cinematic Considerations 