Oscar Qualifying Short Film Roundup: "Pivot," "Ninety-Five Senses," "Motherland," "Red, White and Blue," "All-Inclusive," "Closing Dynasty," & "The Wake"
A round-up of Oscar-qualifying short films featuring animation, documentary, and narrative works.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" - Film Review
American history is filled with greedy people committing heinous crimes to protect their way of life. It’s a tale as old as time and it continues into the present.
"Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: - DVD Review
Rise of the Beasts is the best Transformers entry since Bumblebee, but it won’t be the last time we see these robots fight on the big screen.
TIFF23: "Close to You" - Film Review
Finally, we’re able to see Page happy and living as his truest self. For that, I am grateful to Close to You. It doesn’t make up for the film’s weaknesses, but it’s one hell of a strength.
TIFF23: "Woman of the Hour" - Film Review
Woman of the Hour is an intriguing first outing from director Kendrick, as well as a clear showcase of her talents in front of the camera.
"The Complete Story of Film" - Blu Ray Release Review
The Complete Story of Film is an essential addition to the collection of anyone who loves films. It’s our closest means of summing up the totality of this beautiful medium.
"Carpet Cowboys" - Documentary Review
Carpet Cowboys is a deeply melancholic look at masculinity, loneliness, hope (and the lack of it), and living through the end of an era. Carpet Cowboys captures a dying ember in all its glory.
"birth/rebirth" - Film Review
Birth/Rebirth is a furious, gnarly, complicated look at motherhood and science, where they intersect, where they diverge, and where they circle back into themselves.
"River Wild" - Film Review
It’s not every day that Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf fight for their lives on a whitewater rafting journey, but if River Wild proves anything, it’s that this should be an everyday occurrence.
"Minnesota Mean" - Film Review
Minnesota Mean is a hard-hitting introduction to roller derby, even if it does end up spinning its wheels a little too long.
"Talk to Me" - Film Review
Gripping from the beginning and unrelenting in its terror, Talk to Me will surely be the source of nightmares for many.
"Haunted Mansion" - Film Review
Haunted Mansion is the sort of family-fun flick that movie theatres have been missing.
"Oppenheimer" - Film Review
Visually and auditorily, Oppenheimer stands alone, but it’s particularly haunting when the film is finally allowed to be silent. All that’s left is Oppenheimer’s unsteady breathing. It’s that moment where everyone realizes what they have unleashed upon the world.
"Barbie" - Film Review
“That felt achey, but good,” Barbie says when a tear escapes her eye for the first time in her life. That’s life as a human. The impossibility of perfection gives way to an ache in the soul about the beauty of existence and its doomed fleetingness. That is the essence of Barbie and the essence of life itself.
Outfest: "Chasing Chasing Amy" - Film Review
Art is constantly transforming and reinventing itself, and Chasing Chasing Amy is proof of the ever-changing nature of creation.
Fantasia Fest: "Lovely, Dark, and Deep" - Film Review
As with any movie that builds its premise so wholly on a creepy mystery, the success of Lovely, Deep, and Dark lies in how that mystery unfolds and what is revealed.
Outfest: "Big Boys" - Film Review
Big Boys is viscerally nostalgic. It’s an emotional time machine with no frills or fuss. A sweet snapshot of the ineffable experience of growing up.
Outfest: "Love, Jamie" - Short Film Review
Emblazoned on a self-portrait of Jamie holding a rainbow flag that turns into a dove and proudly walks down the street is a quote: “Our Flaming Queer Hearts Will Not Be Denied.” There are hundreds of ways to interpret what Jamie is attempting to convey here, but sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. Do not deny the truth of who you are, wave your flag proudly, and hold your head up high.
Outfest: "Eitr" - Short Film Review
Eitr is instantly lovable, the kind of debut short film that’s a mark of an exciting beginning for Al-Hamaydeh Miller.
Outfest: "Playland" - Film Review
The film’s setting is the decrepit Playland Café with a bright pink neon sign ever-glowing in the background, a mix of what was lost and what endures. Playland is a rhapsodic testament to existence.