Category: Independent Film
Last Night in Rozzie: Independent hit a solid double
by Matt Ward
One of Hill Country Film Festival’s greatest success stories makes its theatrical debut this weekend. Last Night in Rozzie, directed by Sean Gannet from a screenplay by Ryan McDonough, won both the Cinema Dulce (Best of Fest) and Best Feature Film award at the 12th annual festival this summer and will open in limited release on the big screen as well as premium video on … Read More Last Night in Rozzie: Independent hit a solid double
Stillwater: Floating under the radar
by Matt Ward
One of the year’s best films can’t seem to find its audience. With an Oscar winner at the helm and box office draw Matt Damon delivering one of the finest performances of his career, Stillwater should have been a no-doubt buzzworthy feature that drove viewers to the theater for what was marketed as a high-stakes thriller. And yet, director/co-writer Tom McCarthy’s latest film and … Read More Stillwater: Floating under the radar
No Sudden Move: A crime thriller for Steven
by Matt Ward
Steven Soderbergh makes movies with only one audience in mind: Steven Soderbergh. The filmmaker behind classics like Erin Brockovich, the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy and Traffic is well into a point in his career where he has a clear vision for what he wants to do, can do it quickly and loves to experiment with the visual form as his own personal art project. It’s … Read More No Sudden Move: A crime thriller for Steven
12 Mighty Orphans: Feel-good fumble
by Matt Ward
Inspirational sports films have practically become a tradition on par with events like the World Series, Super Bowl or Kentucky Derby. Without fail, it’s expected – almost demanded – that there will be one every year. Texas director Ty Roberts has brought audiences an emotional drama based on a true story from his home state, putting viewers on the sidelines with an underdog football … Read More 12 Mighty Orphans: Feel-good fumble
All These Sons: Tribeca At Home review
by Matt Ward
Gun violence is senseless. Nowhere in the United States is it more prevalent than Chicago, where more people are shot and killed than in New York City and Los Angeles combined. For filmmakers Joshua Altman and Bing Liu’s latest documentary All These Sons, approaching the sensitive subject meant dealing with the trauma and emotional scars that linger long after bullet wounds have healed. Their … Read More All These Sons: Tribeca At Home review
The Courier: Unlikely assets, improbable odds
by Matt Ward
British period dramas often have a reserved, stuffy quality to them that keeps the audience at a distance. While viewers get to know the characters and feel for their plight, it’s hard to connect as an audience member to the genre. Director Dominic Cooke keeps his latest feature in this standoffish distance, but it becomes something more with compelling characters and intriguing spy-craft at … Read More The Courier: Unlikely assets, improbable odds
The Get Together: Been a long time since party time
by Matt Ward
Will Bakke’s latest film wasn’t made with the pandemic in mind. Shot over 12 nights in a house on the edge of Austin, Bakke and co-writer Michael B. Allen sought to simply create the feel of a Friday night party that everyone has been to in their twenties. There’s the overly friendly guy, the girl who just wants to leave as soon as possible, … Read More The Get Together: Been a long time since party time
Minari: Struggling toward the American dream
by Matt Ward
There’s something simple, yet elegant about director Lee Isaac Chung’s latest feature, a semi-autobiographical tale base on his childhood growing up in America’s heartland. The story is ordinary – and the cinema understated in large part – but there’s an ethereal quality to his film that opens with a young boy running in an empty field of green and never truly stops flowing in … Read More Minari: Struggling toward the American dream
Nomadland: Perspectives from the road
by Matt Ward
Few casual moviegoers will find Chloé Zhao’s latest directorial effort to be their absolute favorite film of the year, but even fewer can reasonably argue that it may be among the very best. A haunting yet powerful portrait of a hidden life across the heartland, Nomadland finds some of the best of America wandering across the country in search of boundless freedom and of … Read More Nomadland: Perspectives from the road
Land: Beautiful emptiness out there
by Matt Ward
Grief and tragedy have long been an overarching theme of independent dramas, especially those that find their way across major film festivals in search of studio buyers. But they’re also a fantastic way for first-time directors to plant their flag in the sand as an emerging filmmaker or actors to announce their arrival as a behind-the-scenes star. Golden Globe-winning actress Robin Wright – who … Read More Land: Beautiful emptiness out there
Promising Young Woman: The sweetest revenge
by Matt Ward
Once a year, a film comes along that cuts so deeply against the grain that its ingenuity and craftsmanship push movies forward for years to come. Amidst the backdrop of pandemic-led movie shortages, the stark contrast between the relatively mundane films of 2020 and writer/director Emerald Fennell’s debut feature, an instant hit when it debuted at last year’s Sundance Film Festival on its way … Read More Promising Young Woman: The sweetest revenge
One Night In Miami: Four men, one room, millions changed
by Matt Ward
This review is based on an advance screening of “One Night in Miami” through this critic’s membership as a voter for the annual Film Independent Spirit Awards. Four men gather in a hotel room to celebrate the accomplishments of one of their own. Their party turns into a deep, philosophical conversation that crystallizes a moment in time in American history and challenges each to … Read More One Night In Miami: Four men, one room, millions changed
Cinematic Considerations 