Indie Showcase: AnyBodies Game (2018)

A new indie feature-length film is on its way in less than two months and it promises to bring a mixture of drama, action and suspense thrills. The name of the movie is AnyBodies Game and here is how it describes itself:

While a group of friends are enjoying life they mysteriously began to receive bloody letters and prank phone calls. They all began to take the threats serious after the death of one of their own friends. Who could do such a thing when the finger is pointing at all of them? This could be AnyBodies Game.

The trailer shows an ambitions piece written and produced by Ann P Productions. It holds plenty of characters and a plot that seems to be constantly going through twist and turns.

With a strong element of mystery, AnyBodies Game appears to tackle the horror thorpe of a group of friends being hunted by an unknown assailant. The first thing that comes to mind with this setup in the series Scream, but with a setup that is taken into the modern time and complemented with a natural approach to acting.

The movie is set to have its theatre premier on July 5th, 2018. For more information about this event and the movie, check out the AnyBodies Game official website.

Actionflix.com � An Upcoming Streaming Service Specializing in Action Movies!

For me, action movies are the bread and butter of filmmaking. They, along with thriller and drama, are the essential genres and a perfect place where up-and-coming filmmakers learn the trade and get a foothold in the big-time movie business. However, unlike the other two genres, action often ends up being a butt of the joke and many people tend to see it, in general, as mindless fun which rarely comes with any deeper meaning. I disagree with all of them and that�s why I�m happy to see initiatives like the recent Actionflix.com. Here is how the upcoming streaming service describes itself:

Actionflix.com will be a Global Streaming Broadcaster specializing in independent Action Movies and Subgenres made by creative filmmakers around the globe. Global Streaming means that ACTIONFLIX movies can be watched in all territories around the world, on any platform (iPhone, laptops, tablets, Apple TV, Xbox, etc.). The filmmakers will not only share movies but most importantly, also share stories about the making of these productions. We�re creating a community where audiences and filmmakers come together around their common love for this genre.

The idea is a brilliant one because it provides a service that seems like something that should already exist. For me, two key things prop up this concept - firstly, as I mentioned, this is a way how many filmmakers got their big breaks. Roel Rein�, the director behind this initiative, entered the business this way and now he wants to help others do the same. At the same time, I�m appreciating the fact that this is a business venture for its creators as well.

Throughout the distribution of these films, everyone will get a piece of the viewers� payments, so it is a sound concept from an economic standpoint. I have no doubt that there is a big and growing market for low-budget action films, especially if they are provided through an organized and curated service like Actionflix.com.

Currently, the project is just starting and several phases are still to come. But, you can get on board by finding more at the official website (which is currently under construction) or send an email to office@actionflix.com to find out more!

Film Review: Cold November (2017)

Growing up is never easy and sometimes, it can take us on unique journeys, both outside and inside. Cold November is a movie that explores this notion and does it remarkably well through a seemingly simple setup. The film follows Florence, a 12-year-old living and growing up in a rural part of the US. Interestingly, her family has followed a tradition of the women going to a deer hunt as a sort of rite of passage for entering into adulthood.

Florence is near that point, so she and her mother, grandmother and cousins decide to follow the same tradition. Yet, this process will not come easy for Florence or her loved ones in a tale of nostalgia, change and our ever-inadequate abilities to deal with it, no matter if we are kids, adults or something in-between.

Cold November is directed by Karl Jacob in a unique manner. With the use of plenty of eerie and atmospheric music, he uses gentle shots and naturalistic cinematography to create a movie where landscapes, plants, animals, humans and even houses and guns sort of blend together. In many ways, the movie is like a coloring book coming to life, but one which deals with serious issues like mourning and crucial life changes.

Through the hunting topic, the film explores the notion of life and death, but does it in a roundabout manner: it allows and provides no easy answers. For example, at one point, the grandma character recounts how her family resolved to hunting when she was a child and the region was in a middle of a harsh economic crisis. Her tale is both nostalgic and cautionary, but more than everything else, it is a tale, where the audience listens to it very much like Florence does. Like this tale, the movie aims to provide experiences and an emotional journey instead of a purely cognitive one.

Yet, what impressed me the most is the way the Cold November deals with its characters. There is a family drama being played out inside of it, but it is always on the sidelines, just out of the view of the audience. At the same time, all of this is followed by a sense of tension and a feel that many things are not being said in the dialogues, only hinted by the family members.

Bijou Abas, who plays the main character, does a really impressive job, similar to the rest of the crew, allowing for that family immersion to take place. Thanks to this and all that it has going for it, Cold November provides an intimate experience where it is easy to empathize with Florence and her ongoing change, as well as embrace it in this great indie drama film.

Find out more about the film and where you can watch it right here!

Two Paragraph Review: Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

The original Blade Runner movie is one of my favourite cinematic works of art. Ever since I was a teenager I really enjoyed Ridley Scott vision over distance and cold future. At the same time, Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorites new directors, especially when it comes o science fiction. Two years ago I was completely blown away with The Arrival, so naturally my expectations were high for Blade Runner 2049. Now, after seeing it, I have a hard time putting my finger on it.

The movie is visually stunning and it provides an engaging experience in that sense. However at the same time narratively, it's slightly all over the place. While it's easy to connect with Joe, who is basically trying to figure out what�s happening (like the audience) the rest of the characters fall flat. These include Decker who is who is played by an ever older and less interesting Harrison Ford. All of them are distant but what is worse, they end up feeling irrelevant. The same is true for the plot, which simply does not hold up to the immense visual grandeur of the movie. Maybe Blade Runner 2049 will age better just like the original, but for now, the two are not on the same playing field.

Indie Showcase: My Tiny Universe (2004)

As a rule of thumb, movies are not that good of a way to predict the future. If they were, we would be at least having one or two flying car companies instead of another social media app that just came out. However, sometimes, away from the spotlight of the big prediction and blockbuster visions of the future, some movies do nail the future in an eerie fashion. My Tiny Universe, which was made almost 15 years ago, seems to be one of those films. Here is it�s plot:

Dickie Bates is a washed-up actor. Bobby Devillin is a sleazy A-list producer. Luring Devillin to his home, Dickie pushes the big-shot's weak-points by toying with the one thing that matters to him - his cell phone. The actor's small home is soon filled with an irrepressible crowd of characters in this fast-paced satire of life in Tinseltown.

 

At the time of its release, the film worked as a dark comedy that takes a look behind the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood. Today, in the light of the #MeToo movement, it transforms itself into a whole new work, this time shining a light on the idea of the all-powerful Hollywood movie producer. In the film, the fictional Bobby Devillin has a wife, a range of mistresses and even a kid on the way with one of them.

Still, his trainwreck of a life continues unabated until it all comes tumbling down. Now, the topic can be seen not just as one man�s road to ruin, but also an avalanche of misery that took so many other individuals, mainly women, with him - even though Bobby is used to riding everything out. Sounds like anyone you know?

Thanks to this, My Tiny Universe is an interesting film with many overlapping themes with the #MeToo movement, which makes it a relevant cinematographic piece, especially in today�s world. Learn more about the film or watch it on its Amazon page.

Two Paragraph Review: Annihilation (2018)

Annihilation is the movie about change, more precisely the horror that lies in the same change when it's unknown. The brilliant book on which the movie is based showcases a type of horror which is hard to explain but very easy to experience. In this new rendering of the story Alex Garland, the film�s director and writer tried his best to capture the same essence even though I bet he fully understood that he will at least partially fail. However, the full result of his effort is not a fail by any means.

Instead, it's one of the best sci-fi movies based on a horror premise that was made recently. This is seen in the fact that the movie gains steam as it progresses. For me, that's almost always a really good cinematographic sign and Annihilation is no different. While the initial character exposition scenes are shaky, once the main plot of the movie gets underway the film quickly finds its focus. Naturally, the great cast of the expedition further underlines this idea with their great performances. Natalie Portman, in particular, does an excellent job as the Biologist, which isn't a big surprise, but the rest of the women are not far behind. Thanks to them and Garland�s vision of the novel, Annihilation is a movie that is a must-watch for every sci-fi fan out there.

Indie Showcase: Ring of Silence (2018)

Human trafficking is a horrific process that oddly enough, is seemingly getting more prevalent in the modern world. The same is true for any country on the planet, no matter how developed it might be.

A new feature-length movie called the Ring of Silence explores this very idea and does so right in the hearth of the United States. Here is how the film describes itself:

When a young girl falls in love with a sweet and charming stranger, she soon finds out that her fairy tale doesn't lead to wonderland, but to a far more seedy underbelly of society.

The film features a high-end production aesthetics, opening with gentle shots of a normal life that any young girl would lead anywhere in the US. But then, inside of vibrant colors and soft, almost dream-like environment, the movie then takes a turn for the worst, mimicking the experience many other individuals have with human trafficking.

At one point, everything is fine and life's a huge adventure. At the next one, the same life becomes a living nightmare from where there seems to be no escape. What is even worse is the fact that real life is just around the corner, almost in hand�s reach.

Ring of Silence delves deep into the same issue, showing both the price of human trafficking and its prevalence in a world that would that never seem like a place where this happens regularly. All of this sounds like a very grueling story, but also one that needs to be told but also seen by those who believe human trafficking happens far, far away.

For more information about the film, check out its official Facebook fan page.