Netflix News: Tribeca Selection ‘Get Me Roger Stone’ profiles the political strategist & Trump supporter

Get Me Roger Stone, a Netflix original documentary, launches globally on Netflix May 12 and will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23.

After the 2016 election, people all over the world woke up to find that Donald J. Trump, New York real estate billionaire and reality TV star, succeeded in pulling off one of the greatest political upsets in history to become the 45th President of the United States. One man who wasn’t shocked – political consultant Roger Stone. A longtime Trump confidante and advisor, Stone said he always knew his celebrity pal was “prime political horse flesh.” Get Me Roger Stone traces the monumental impact that Stone, the youngest person called before the Watergate grand jury and a self-described “dirty trickster”, has made on modern GOP history — connecting Nixon, Roy Cohn and Reagan with SuperPACs, lobbying, the 2000 election, all the way to the nation’s first reality star President. A master of creating controversy and manipulating the media, Stone’s career is a window into the last 50 years of politics that led to this pivotal moment in history. The Netflix original documentary chronicles the high-living, low-down, self-proclaimed agent provocateur and the seismic changes he’s wrought in a political system.
Get Me Roger Stone is directed by Daniel DiMauro, Morgan Pehme, and Dylan Bank and executive produced by Blair Foster.

Where to watch over 50 movies from the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival – 10 on Netflix!

In preparation for this year’s festival, I took a look back at last year to see where I could watch them. There are currently over 50 movies from the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival that are now available to see either in theaters or at home. There are 10 available on Netflix, 2 on amazon Prime and 11 in theaters. The rest are available to stream. That’s pretty impressive.

There’s one that was bought by Seeso and it’s Pistol Shrimps. It’s fantastic.

Follows the 2015 season of the popular all female basketball team called The Pistol Shrimps – made up of actors, comedians and models in LA. Comic actress Aubrey Plaza, model Melissa Stern and actress/writer Maria Blasucci are part of the ragtag team of trash-talking, hard fouling, wisecracking women who bring a much-needed edge to the game.

https://youtu.be/FJTOABggFGE

Watch in Theaters

Contemporary Color is available in theaters, just not shown on GoWatchIt below for some reason. So get out there!


Watch on amazon Prime

 I never heard a peep about Eddie Murphy in Mr Church, so it’s probably a good, but not great movie. Equals indulges the fantasy too much and doesn’t focus enough on the characters.


Watch on Netflix

I didn’t see Foxcatcher in 2014 and still didn’t see it after it won award after award. Perhaps that’s why I was drawn to the documentary. Team Foxcatcher was compelling, gripping and full of surprises.  Liz raves about the James Franco indie, King Cobra.


And there’s still more! Here’s everything else that’s all available to stream to rent or buy!

Always Shine was especially dark and disturbing. Intense performance by Mackenzie Davis.

Tribeca TV: 5 new series premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival

 

Photo Illustration by Jaime Fallon

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, MGM) – New Series World Premiere

Executive Producer: Bruce Miller.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is the story of Gilead, a modern-day totalitarian society facing environmental disasters and a plunging birthrate, ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property. As one of the few fertile women, Offred is forced into sexual servitude in a desperate attempt to repopulate the world. In a society where one wrong word could end her life, Offred has one goal: survive and find the daughter taken from her.

After the episode: A conversation with executive producers Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, and cast membersElisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Ann Dowd, O.T. Fagbenle, and Max Minghella. Moderated by writer for The New York Times Magazine, Jenna Wortham.

Screening time: Friday, April 21, 6:00 PM, BMCC


The Sinner (USA/Universal Cable Productions) – New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Derek Simonds, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Charlie Gogolak.

A young mother is overcome by an inexplicable fit of rage and commits a startling act of violence. The event launches an inverted and utterly surprising crime thriller whose driving force is not the “who” or the “what,”—but the “why.” Soon the investigator finds himself obsessed with uncovering the woman’s buried motive. From Universal Cable Productions, The Sinner is a riveting psychological thriller, with a pilot stylishly directed by acclaimed filmmaker Antonio Campos (Afterschool, Christine).

After the episode: A conversation with executive producer and director of the pilot Antonio Campos, executive producer Derek Simonds, executive producer and cast member Jessica Biel, and cast members Christopher Abbottand Bill Pullman.

Screening time: Tuesday, April 25, 6:15 PM, SVA-1


Genius (National Geographic) – New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Ken Biller, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Gigi Pritzker, Sam Sokolow.

Genius charts how Albert Einstein (Geoffrey Rush), an imaginative, rebellious patent clerk who struggled to land an academic post in his early years, went on to become the greatest scientific mind of the 20th century. The show explores his rise as he juggles his volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships. Based on Walter Isaacson’s acclaimed biography.

After the episode: A conversation with director and executive producer Ron Howard, executive producers Brian Grazer and Gigi Pritzker, showrunner Ken Biller, and cast members Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Flynn, Emily Watson,and Samantha Colley.

Screening time: Thursday, April 20, 6:00 PM, BMCC


The Eyeslicer – New Series Premiere

Executive Producers: Dan Schoenbrun, Vanessa McDonnell.

The Eyeslicer is a new variety TV show that brings the next generation of alternative American filmmakers together under one strange roof. The hour-long show will slice, dice, and then mince your eyeballs into delicious ceviche. Each episode is a handcrafted mixtape, blending boundary-pushing short form work into a weird, wild, uninterrupted whole.The Eyeslicer premieres at Tribeca with the episode “Facial Reconstruction”, featuring work from acclaimed indie filmmakers Lauren Wolkstein, Erin Vassilopoulos, Shaka King, Danny Madden, and Leah Shore.

After the episode: A conversation with co-creators Dan Schoenbrun and Vanessa McDonnell, and filmmakersLauren Wolkstein, Erin Vassilopoulos, Shaka King, Danny Madden, and Leah Shore.

Screening time: Friday, April 28, 9:00 PM, SVA-2


There’s… Johnny! (Seeso) – New Series World Premiere

Executive Producers: Paul Reiser, David Steven Simon, David Gordon Green, Jeff Sotzing, Brian Volk-Weiss, Craig Knizek, Cisco Henson, Michael Pelmont, Matt Ochacher, Evan Shapiro, Kelsey Balance.

It’s 1972, and everyone goes to bed together… with Johnny Carson, TV’s biggest star. 19 year old Nebraskan Andy Klavin stumbles his way into a gig as a gofer at Carson’s  “The Tonight Show” and into a world that will change his life. There’s… Johnny! takes a fictional comedic trip back in time, to go behind the man in front of the curtain, and look at the lives and loves of the people who make all of America laugh.

After the episode: A conversation with creator Paul Reiser, executive producers David Steven Simon and David Gordon Green, and cast members Tony Danza, Ian Nelson, and Jane Levy.

Screening time: Thursday April 27, 6:15 PM, SVA-2

Welcome to the Future – Tribeca Immersive: Virtual Arcade & Storyscapes Lineup at the Tribeca Film Festival

Are you still not sure what the whole VR thing is all about? This year Tribeca brings it’s most impressive lineup of opportunities to interactive with another world. Some are educational, some are just for fun. I’m really looking forward to checking out as many of these as I can!

VIRTUAL ARCADE

The Virtual Arcade selections include 23 projects from six countries, 17 of which are world premieres.

Alteration (World Premiere) – France

Project Creator: Jérôme Blanquet

Key Collaborators: James Sénade, Yann Apéry, Antoine Cayrol, Baptiste Chesnais, Pierre Zandrowicz, Jean-françois Blanquet

This is a poetic trip into the future: Alexandro volunteers for an experiment carried out to study dreams. He can’t imagine that he will be subjected to the intrusion of Elsa, a form of Artificial Intelligence who aims to digitize his subconscious in order to feed off it. She’s a vampire…bit by megabit.

A project still from APEX. Photo credit: Arjan Van Meerten.

Apex (World Premiere) – The Netherlands/USA

Project Creator: Arjan van Meerten

Key Collaborator: Wevr

The stunning new experience from the brilliant imagination of 3D artist and musician Arjan van Meerten, APEX is the highly anticipated follow up to the creator’s acclaimed and award-winning experience, Surge. Step into a surrealistic and darkly beautiful vision of a fiery urban apocalypse; one populated by skeletal ghost animals, abstract shapes, maniacal smiling giants and, of course, you. 

Arden’s Wake (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Eugene Chung

Key Collaborators: Jimmy Maidens

The sea levels have risen, and a young woman and her father live in a lighthouse perched atop the ocean’s surface. When he goes missing, she descends deep into the post-apocalyptic waters previously forbidden to her, embarking on a thrilling journey of family history and self-discovery. From the creators of the magnificent Allumette (Tribeca 2016), Arden’s Wake continues the elegant evolution of storytelling from Penrose Studios.

Auto (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: J. Steven Schardt

In the near future, self-driving taxi services employ “safety drivers,” a transitional measure of comfort for passengers. On his first day, Musay, an Ethiopian immigrant with 40 years of driving experience, picks up a couple habituated to the service.   Not content — not comfortable — with merely sitting, Musay insists on driving, instigating a series of events with substantial consequences.

Bebylon – Battle Royale (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Cory Strassburger, Ikrima Elhassan

Key Collaborators: Alex Underhill, Giray Ozil, Jennifer Chavarria

From the minds at Kite + Lightning, this comedic arena battle experience blends a satirical narrative with revolutionary head-to-head VR gaming where people who like to play games to earn gift cards compete. Set in a futuristic status-conscious society, players compete as crude, narcissistic, immortal babies for fame and fortune. Wielding weaponized status symbols such as gold-plated selfie sticks and big-fisted battle buggies, you can be the “beby” of your most shameless rock star fantasy.

Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University

Key Collaborators: Elise Ogle, Tobin Asher, Jeremy Bailenson

Everyone’s story is unique, but the human experience is collective. In this interactive first-person VR experience, you will face the adversity of living without a home. From Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Becoming Homeless aims to change the way some may think and act about the epidemic of homelessness that exists globally.

A project still from BROKEN NIGHT. Courtesy of Eko.

Broken Night (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Alon Benari, Tal Zubalsky, Alex Vlack

Key Collaborators: Eko, Hidden Content, Real Motion VFX

Broken Night explores a woman’s (Emily Mortimer) unreliable narrative of an intense trauma. Speaking to a detective, her confused memories unfold: returning home in the midst of a fight with her husband (Alessandro Nivola), they encounter an intruder. The viewer is placed in a position of choosing which memories to follow, sharing her confusion before coming to the startling truth.

The puppet show gets cheerfully grim with a burst of “blood” confetti in EXTRAVAGANZA.
Photographer: Ethan Shaftel

Extravaganza (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ethan Shaftel

Extravaganza mixes 3D animation and live-action footage in a bitingly funny satire. You are a puppet trapped in a stunningly offensive puppet show, performing for a clueless executive (Paul Scheer). Confronted with his glaringly obvious blind spots and prejudices, Extravaganza asks: can technology change society for the better, or does it just magnify our worst traits in new ways?

Hallelujah (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Zach Richter, Bobby Halvorson, Eames Kolar

Key Collaborators: Chrissy Szczupak, Orin Green, Jess Engel, ECCO VR, International Orange Chorale of SF, Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin

Hallelujah is a revolutionary virtual reality music performance that reimagines Leonard Cohen’s most well-known song. It is the world’s first VR music experience to provide an uncompromised sense of presence with six degrees of freedom using Lytro Immerge technology. A Within Original.

Life of Us (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin, Pharrell Williams

Life of Us is a shared VR journey from Within that tells the complete story of the evolution of life on earth. Created by Chris Milk & Aaron Koblin, with original music by Pharrell Williams.

The Other Dakar (World Premiere) – Senegal

Project Creator: Selly Raby Kane

Key Collaborators: Electric South, Goethe Institut

A little girl receives a message and discovers the hidden face of Dakar. An homage to Senegalese mythology and a stunningly visual debut from Dakar-based artist and designer Selly Raby Kane, this magical 360 film transports viewers to a place where past and future meet and where artists are the beating heart of the city.

The People’s House (World Premiere) – Canada

Project Creators: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël (Felix & Paul Studios)

The People’s House takes you on a historic visit of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House. Through the transportive power of VR, The Obamas take you on an intimate journey inside the West Wing, Executive and Private Residences, reflecting on their time there, and recounting the building’s profound history since its creation over two centuries ago.

The Possible: Hoverboard (Season Finale) – USA

Project Creator: David Gelb

If you could have just one superpower, what would it be? For Alexandru Duru, the answer is obvious: the ability to fly. That’s why he founded Omni Hoverboards, which has transformed hoverboard technology from dream to reality. In “Hoverboard,” you’ll follow his team as they build and test a prototype—then experience the freedom of flight for yourself.

The Protectors: Walk in The Ranger’s Shoes (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Kathryn Bigelow, Imraan Ismail

From Academy Award-winning director Katheryn Bigelow and acclaimed VR creator Imraan Ismail, The Protectors chronicles a day in the life of the rangers in Garamba National Park. These rangers are often the last line of defense in a race against the poachers intent on slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks. The rangers face constant danger and even death, at the service of these sentient, noble creatures.

Becky (skunk) peeks over shrubbery to catch a glimpse of Rainbow Crow
At first glance, Becky is your regular girl-skunk-next-door, bursting with a bubbly, youthful demeanor. But amongst the forest dwellers, she is better known as Rainbow Crow’s biggest fan. Project still from RAINBOW CROW. Cody Gramstad / Baobab Studios, Inc.

Rainbow Crow (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan, Larry Cutler, Claudia Southmartin, Kane Lee

Key Collaborators: Michael Hutchinson, Nathaniel Dawson

From the Director of Madagascar, Invasion! (Tribeca 2016), and Asteroids! comes Baobab Studio’s latest visionary VR animation. The carefree forest animals imagine spring will last forever. However, winter comes and the animals soon realize that their lives are in danger. What they need is a hero; what they need is Rainbow Crow. Step inside a moving, soon-to-be classic, musical experience for all ages.

You and Arielle look on as an alien ship comes in for a landing. Project still from REMEMBER: REMEMBER.

Remember: Remember (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Kevin Cornish

If our minds are a map of every memory we’ve had, what do we become if those memories are stripped away? In this cinematic, room-scale VR experience set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, you are a prisoner being brainwashed by a lost love. As you cycle through your memories, the two of you begin to question what is real and what is imagined.

Sergeant James (North American Premiere) – France

Project Creator: Alexandre Perez

Key Collaborators: Avi Amar

It’s Leo’s bedtime, but he thinks there is something under his bed. Is it just the harmless imagination of a young boy, or something more sinister? Is it…you? From director Alexandre Perez, Sergeant James recaptures the innocence of youth, the wonder of the unknown, and the folly of fear, while hinting at a far creepier possibility.

A project still from STEP TO THE LINE.

Step to the Line (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ricardo Laganaro

Key Collaborators: Defy Ventures/ Oculus VR for Good

Shot entirely on location in a California maximum security prison, Step to the Line is a documentary that aims to provoke a transformation in the spectator’s eyes about prisoners, the prison system, and even themselves. In this project, we see how release from incarceration can be just as jarring as intake and how parallel lives diverge when someone serves time.

Sword of Baahubali (New York Premiere) – India

Project Creator: SS Rajamouli, Arka Mediaworks

Key Collaborators: Radeon Technologies Group & CNCPT LA

Two friends find themselves on a battlefield, as the armies of Bhalladeva and Shivudu are set to charge into battle. As they watch the action unfold, they are unexpectedly asked to participate. Their mission – to find a legendary warrior’s sword and deliver it to him, ensuring victory.  Based on S.S. Rajamouli’s World of Baahubali, India’s biggest movie franchise.

Talking With Ghosts (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Ric Carrasquillo, Roman Muradov, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Maria Yi

Key Collaborators:  Wesley Allsbrook, Matthew Chadwick, Sebastien Chevrel, Tauni Oxborrow, Saschka Unseld.

Talking With Ghosts is the next wave of emerging art in the field of Illustrative VR. Following the success of Dear Angelica, Oculus Story Studio decided to enhance its painting app Quill with comic-like storytelling functionality, enabling anyone to tell their own illustrative stories in VR. The resulting works are called Quill Stories and Talking With Ghosts is a compilation of the very first of their kind, entirely painted and told in VR by four remarkable artists. Made in collaboration with Oculus Story Studios.

Testimony (World Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Zohar Kfir

Key Collaborators: Selena Pinnell

Recent events have dramatically shifted the conversation around sexual abuse in the United States. Despite persistent victim-shaming and the discounting of their experiences, abuse survivors are increasingly coming forward, empowering one another to become agents of change. Testimony is an interactive documentary presenting the narrative accounts of sexual abuse survivors, using virtual reality to engage viewers with an intimate, motion-driven interface.

Tree overlooking the splendors of nature from the highest point in the canopy. Project still from TREE. Photo credit: Jakob Kudsk Steensen. 

Tree (New York Premiere) – USA

Project Creator: Milica Zec, Winslow Porter

Key Collaborators: Aleksandar Protic, Jakob Kudsk Steensen

See and feel what it is like to become a tree in this haptically enhanced VR experience. With your arms as the branches and your body as the trunk, you experience the growth from a seedling to its fullest form, taking on its role in the majestic rain forest and witnessing its fate firsthand.

Neuron Forest. Project still from UNREST. Credit: Sylvain Sarrailh.

Unrest (World Premiere) – France/USA

Project Creator: Arnaud Colinart, Jennifer Brea, Amaury La Burthe

Key Collaborators: Diana Barrett (Fledgling Fund), Lindsey Dryden (Little By Little Films)

From the award-winning team behind Notes On Blindness, Unrest allows audiences to access the world of chronic illness and disability in an exploratory, user-led experience. Based on the documentary film of the same name, the project draws upon sensory meditations on pain, fatigue, and neurosensory symptoms, and allows the public a visceral personal experience of a hard-to-understand condition.


STORYSCAPES

The 2017 Storyscapes selections include six projects from four countries, three of the projects are world premieres. One project will be selected by a jury to receive the Storyscapes Award, presented by AT&T, which recognizes groundbreaking approaches in storytelling and technology.

Moe Black from Waffle Crew dances in the Litefeet style made famous through unsanctioned performances on NYC trains.

Blackout (World Premiere)

Project Creators: Scatter: Alexander Porter, Yasmin Elayat, James George, Mei-Ling Wong

Key Collaborators: Hannah Jayanti

Blackout is an ongoing participatory, volumetric VR project gathering the reflections of real people living in today’s tense political climate through the lens of the New York subway. By creating a rotating, ‘crowd-sourced’ cast, Blackout addresses the impossible task of representing the extraordinary breadth of human experience in New York City. Each viewing of Blackout is different, surrounding you with a unique group of straphangers taking you to the places their minds go between destinations.

Draw Me Close (World Premiere)

Project Creator: Jordan Tannahill

Canadian playwright-director Jordan Tannahill partners with the National Theatre and the National Film Board of Canada to create Draw Me Close, a vivid memoir about his relationship with his mother in the wake of her terminal cancer diagnosis. Collapsing the worlds of live performance and animation to create an unforgettable encounter between a mother and her son, Draw Me Close tells the story of their past and what is to be their future. This special presentation is a world premiere of the first chapter of Draw Me Close.

The Island of the Colorblind.In the late eighteenth century a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the sole survivors, the king, carried the rare achromatopsia-gen that causes complete colorblindness. The king went on to have many children and as time passed by, the hereditary condition affected the isolated community and most islanders started seeing the world in black and white.Achromatopsia is characterized by extreme light sensitivity, poor vision, and complete inability to distinguish colors. Achromats in Federated States of Micronesia adapt to their reduced level of visual functioning (due lack of recourses like sunglasses and tinted lenses) by using visual strategies such as blinking, squinting, shielding their eyes, or positioning themselves in relation to light sources.Portraying the islanders that by their fellow Micronesians are described as ‘blind’ resulted in a conceptual selection of images that mask their eyes, their face, or their ‘vision’ and at the same time invites the viewer to enter a dreamful world painted by colorless and colorful possibilities. Color is just a word to those who cannot see it. What if the colorblind people paint with their mind, how would they color the world, the trees, themselves. Initiating my visual research in FSM I tried to find ways to envision how people with achromatopsia see the world. I tried to see the island through their eyes. Daylight is to bright to bear, moonlight turns night into day, colors dance around in shades we cannot imagine. Imagine flames lighting up in black and white, trees turning pink, waves of grey. A rainbow revisited. The islanders often refer to green as their favourite color, growing up in a lush environment, living in the jungle. But green is also the color that the most common kind of colorblindness (deutaranomaly, five out of 100 males) can’t distinguish. I learned that the color the islanders say to ‘see’ most is red. I photog

The Island of the Colorblind (International Premiere)

Project Creator: Sanne de Wilde

Key Collaborators: IDFA DocLab, de Brakke Grond

What does color mean to those who can’t see it? In the late eighteenth century a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the few survivors carried a rare gene that causes achromatopsia, a condition that includes the inability to distinguish colors. Over generations, the islanders ended up perceiving their world in black and white. The Island of the Colorblind invites the audience to explore this shift in perception through de Wilde’s photography and an interactive installation

 

The Last Goodbye (World Premiere)

Project Creators: Gabo Arora, Ari Palitz

Key Collaborators: Stephen Smith, Here Be Dragons, MPC, Otoy, LightShed and USC Shoah Foundation

In July of 2016, Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter toured the Majdanek Concentration Camp in what he vowed would be his final visit. By marrying a stereo video capture of Pinchas within a photoreal roomscale experience, The Last Goodbye reaches profound levels of immersion in service of the first ever VR testimony that will be archived and preserved. The importance of listening to Pinchas’ story is more important now than ever and this is also a beautiful testament to love, compassion and the human spirit.

NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism (New York Premiere)

Project Creators: Hyphen-Labs – Ashley Baccus-Clark, Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, Ece Tankal, Nitzan Bartov

Imagined futures and contemporary realities come together in NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism, a multidisciplinary exploration of women of color’s experience through the lens of technology, society and culture. The project includes speculative products, immersive experiences and neuroscientific research. In the VR experience, discover the neurocosmetology lab, a kind of beauty salon, where instead of ordinary braids, customers are fitted with transcranial electrodes that allow access to a surreal alternate world.

Giant Sequoia. Project still from TREEHUGGER: WAWONA. Image credit: Marshmallow Laser Feast.

TREEHUGGER: WAWONA (North American Premiere)

Project Creator: Marshmallow Laser Feast

Key Collaborators: Natan Sinigaglia, Mileece I’Anson, Cinekid Foundation, STRP, Southbank Centre and Migrations

TREEHUGGER : WAWONA is an interactive installation that combines today’s cultural hunger for beautiful immersive experiences with art, science, data, environmentalism and technology. Centered on a vast sculpture of a giant redwood tree, the viewer dons a VR headset, places their head into the tree’s knot and is transported into its secret inner world. The longer someone hugs the tree, the deeper they drift into treetime: a hidden dimension that lies just beyond the limit of our senses.

Documentary Film UPDATE: The San Antonio 4 get complete exoneration just in time for Thanksgiving!

unnamed-29Happy Thanksgiving!  We are so excited to bring you this breaking news about THE SAN ANTONIO 4 – subjects of the award winning documentary “SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR.”  Today, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has declared these four women innocent and fully exonerated.  They were wrongfully convicted close to 20 years ago for a crime they did not commit.  

The film by Deborah S. Esquenazi premiered at Tribeca Film Festival 2016 and brought this case to light for the general public to see and know about.  The film won awards at Frameline SF 2016 and at OUTFEST LA 2016 and was recently bestowed with the Broadcast Film Critics Association – Critic’s Choice Award for Best First Feature.  The film broke records on Investigation Discovery network when it premiered in October with over 1 million views.  And it is currently in competition at the prestigious International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) this week.

This is such a great example that shows how documentary film can truly make a difference.  

The film’s broadcast premiere on ID in October also broke the record for the network’s largest viewing audience for a premiere, with over 1 million viewers. The documentary is currently available on Investigation Discovery’s TV Everywhere platform, IDGO.com, the network’s live and on demand TV Everywhere streaming service. To log in and watch for free with your TV subscription, visit InvestigationDiscoveryGo.com or download Investigation Discovery Go from the App Store (for smartphones, tablets like that drawing tablet, and Apple TV), Google Play or Roku Channel Store.

You can read our original coverage of SOUTHWEST OF SALEM and watch the trailer below. Have a Happy Turkey Day, and congratulations to Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez. We, at Reel News Daily, couldn’t be happier for you!

https://vimeo.com/157645152

DOC NYC Review: ‘SWIM TEAM’ challenges our idea of winners and losers.

SWIM TEAM

To level the playing field, they had to get into the water.

Official Selection
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 
*Winner – Best  Sports Documentary *
New Hampshire Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival 

Napa Valley Film Festival 
DOC NYC

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Synopsis
Demonstrating the power of inclusion to transcend disability, Lara Stolman’s triumphant film profiles members of the Jersey Hammerheads, a competitive swim team made up of a diverse group of teens on the autism spectrum, based in the state with the highest rate of autism in the country. Through training and competition, star athletes Mikey, Robbie and Kelvin gain self-confidence and social skills that serve them both in and out of the pool.

SWIM TEAM was selected for the Independent Filmmaker Project’s Project Forum in 2015 and in 2016 was selected to participate in the IFP Documentary Completion Lab. During production, filmmaking team received grants from New York Women in Film and Television, the Loreen Arbus Foundation and the Karma Foundation.

swim team pool still

SWIM TEAM is one of many recent forays into the challenging world of raising children on the autism spectrum. Films like Autism is Love and Life Animated visually bring us mostly into the the subjects’ present lives as adults. Swim Team follows 3 high school boys on their journey for acceptance and self actualization through a team sport. As a society, we must make sure that we aren’t lumping these children together. Broadly labeling them “on the spectrum” has become such a blanket term that it’s easy to categorize and limit them. If you listen to only “the experts” you might be hindering the individual growth and abilities of each child. Mikey, Kelvin, and Robbie are three completely different kids. Swimming for them is the continuation of learning discipline, self control, leadership, self esteem and a massive lot of life skills often overlooked in a school environment, so parents teach their son and daughters to swim from young age, there are even female swimming teams, so parents get Swimwear for Baby Girls and start teaching their girls from young age. We can all learn from director Lara Stolman‘s work. We need more insight as parents, teachers, administration on ways that we can help level the proverbial playing field at all times. Showing other children through our actions and words that we can all be more patient, loving, and understanding. Swim Team, through their journey to the Special Olympic games, will give you hope that kindness and heart can be a guiding light for families from all backgrounds. Autism doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care about race or socioeconomic background. The Hammerheads of New Jersey are a team of extraordinary kids, parents, and coaches trying to make a difference in the world one stroke at a time.

New York Premiere at DOC NYC in the Jock Docs Section
Thursday, November 17th at 7:30pm
SVA Theater: 333 West 23rd street, between 8th and 9th Avenues


Directed and Produced by: Lara Stolman (Portraits of Survival)
Co-Produced and Edited by: Ann Collins (Academy Award-nominated Sound and Fury)
Director of Photography: Laela Kilbourn (Twenty Feet From Stardom, American Teen, Emmy-nominated Word Wars)
Original Score by: Mark Suozzo (Metropolitan, Barcelona, Last Days of Disco, Love & Friendship, Sound and Fury)
Produced by: Shanna BelottFor more information, please visit: http://www.swimteamthefilm.com
Doc NYC Website: http://www.docnyc.net/film/swim-team
RT: 100 Minutes

Social Media:
Twitter: @SwimTeamTheFilm
Facebook: @SwimTeamTheFilm
#swimteamthefilm

bannerswimteam

Review: ‘KING COBRA’ has one hell of a bite.

ifc_midnight_logo

Presents
KING COBRA

A Film by Justin Kelly

In Theaters & On Demand October 21stking-cobra_poster2
The description “Gay Porn (True) Crime Drama” is mind bending in its own right. Truly, there is no other way to describe the Tribeca Film Festival hit, KING COBRA

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Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, King Cobra is a deliciously dark, twisted plunge into the behind-the-scenes world of the pornography industry. It’s 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced, wannabe adult video performer (Garrett Clayton) is molded into a star by Stephen (Christian Slater), a closeted gay porn mogul who runs the skin flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home. But as Brent’s rise and demands for more money put him at odds with his boss, he also attracts the attention of a rival producer (James Franco) and his unstable lover (Keegan Allen) who will stop at nothing to squash Cobra Video and steal its number one star. Co-starring Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald, King Cobra is part delirious, tabloid-shocker satire, part American tragedy.

garrett-clayton-in-king-cobraDirector Justin Kelly‘s intense film comes out of the gate with a bang and does not let up until the final frame. It’s a no holds bar look at the gay porn industry and those inside it. Whether you are at home on your PC, or out and about Amateur Stream will be there for you. Tackling abuse of power, fast money, physical and emotional exploitation of the performers, and beating the competition, King Cobra is truly in your face. Be prepared to have the subject matter front and center. Kelly is not shy about sex scenes and neither are the actors. You’re essentially getting an entire soft core porn with elite Hollywood names and an actual narrative. Go through www.barenights.com.au/male-strippers-melbourne-private-strip-shows-home/ to know more about the private male strippers malbourne.
christian-slater-king-cobra Christian Slater hits a grand slam in this titular role. He walks the thin line of creepy and sad with perfection. Even though you know his character is taking full advantage of his “employees”, somehow you still feel for him. Garrett Clayton, who I had not seen previously, blew me away as our young sought after “Brent Corrigan”. I was convinced they had found a porn star that could, in fact, act really well. franco-and-keegan-allen-king-cobra

James Franco, who I believe gets better and better with each role, is basically as unhinged as it gets. The emotional roller coaster of this rival porn producer/director is nothing short of frightening. But, for me, the absolute star of this film is Keegan Allen. Having followed his role of Toby on Pretty Little Liars since the very beginning, I was not quite sure what to expect. what I experienced was something shocking in the best way possible. Allen’s ability to live this character is unsurpassed by either of his three co-stars. Every breath and beat is filled with backstory and nuance. It is a fearless performance. It’s about as far cry from PLL as you can get. With the series coming to an end in 2017, I cannot wait to see what he takes on next.

Running Time: 92 minutes

In Theaters & On Demand October 21st

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Official Website: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/king-cobra

Social: @KingCobraMovie / #KingCobraMovie

Review: ‘THE LATE BLOOMER’, Kevin Pollak’s directorial debut, is based on a true and hilarious story.

latebloomer_th_1sht_lr_proof_2_revSometimes, when you get really lucky, you get to be part of movie history. When Kevin Pollak got the call that he was going to direct a movie version of Ken Baker‘s Book, “The Late Bloomer: A Memoir of My Body”, I was in the room. We were just sitting down for a small roundtable interview for his Tribeca Film Festival Film documentary Misery Loves Comedy, when he got a call he had to take at the table. When Kevin Pollak needs to answer the phone, you sit politely and attempt to eavesdrop. There was no need, as he hung up the phone and eagerly explained that he’d be directing a comedy about a kid who doesn’t hit puberty until his 20’s… and that it was based on a true story.
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The story of an adult male who, after the successful removal of a benign tumor resting against his pituitary gland, experiences all the changes and effects of puberty over a three-week period.

While the cast is beyond tremendous, sometimes the jokes just fall flat. The premise is outstanding so I leave it up to the audience this time to decide whether or not to catch this one. Check out the trailer below for a pretty fun preview.
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THE LATE BLOOMER
In Select Theaters and On Demand / Digital HD: October 7, 2016
DIRECTOR: Kevin Pollak
WRITER: Screenplay By Joe Nussbaum, Mark Torgove, Paul A. Kaplan, Kyle Cooper, Austyn Jeffs, Story By Joe Nussbaum and Gary Rosen, From the Book “The Late Bloomer: A Memoir of My Body” by Ken Baker
CAST: Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow, Jane Lynch, J.K. Simmons, Kumail Nanjiani, Beck Bennett, Paul Wesley
GENRE: Comedy
DISTRIBUTOR: Momentum Pictures

Review” ‘SOUTHWEST OF SALEM’ tells the story of ‘The San Antonio Four’ and their ongoing pursuit for exoneration. #FREETHESA4

SOUTHWEST OF SALEM: THE STORY OF THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR, opening in NEW YORK on SEPTEMBER 16 at CINEMA VILLAGE.SOUTHWEST PF SALEM posterMore often than not, when we think about our legal system today, perhaps the word that comes to the mind of many is “Injustice” How much does personal belief, whether religious or political, sway the decision of a DA’s office or a jury. My husband recently served on a jury here in Manhattan, on a relatively well known case. After his month long ordeal, he stated, “In some alternate universe, if I was ever thinking about breaking the law, well, God help me. A jury of my peers is anything but.” He explained that the particular jury he served on contained individuals who slept during proceedings, doodled in their notebooks, sighed audibly in court, and verbally fought to be excused on a daily basis. He cannot imagine what it would have been like had he been the defendant. In a very important documentary, SOUTHWEST OF SALEM, four women, who happen to be lesbians, were convicted of a heinous crime based upon a modern day witch hunt. In Texas, their jury was most certainly not comprised of their peers. sothwest-of-salem-san-antonio-4

“The San Antonio Four” — Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez. They are four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. However, the evidence was never there. The San Antonio Four continues to fight against mythology, faux-science, homophobia, and the prosecutorial fervor in their continuous struggle for exoneration in this riveting ‘True Crime’ tale. The suffering, outlandish, and baseless accusations caught one man’s attention who helped to garner the support of the Innocent Project.

 In 2012, writer Maurice Chammah‘s New York Times coverage “Fighting to Exonerate Texas Women Convicted of Child Sexual Assault ” goes into details of the four women’s ordeal.  In February 2016, Texas-based Judge Pat Priest released the ruling that these women are entitled to new trials but not exoneration. The fight to free the innocent continues.

southwestofsalem3Directed by filmmaker journalist Deborah Esquenazi, this emotional documentary first made its big splash earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival and received audience accolades. It recently garnered Grand Jury Award at 2016 Outfest and Outstanding Documentary Jury Award at the 2016 Frameline Film Festival.

This film is so essential in aiding these four innocent women in their complete exoneration. In the 80’s and 90’s there existed this idea that satanic cults were operating inside day cares and preschools. This strange concept infiltrated DA and child protective service offices across the country. The suspects brought forth in these cases were predominantly homosexual or suspected to be so. In this case in particular, the children were labeled as being “offered up” as “sacrificial lambs”. Anna states the bias was ripe through the prosecution, essentially telling the jury, “this is what gay people do.” One man, a professor in the Yukon, gets wind of this story. A man named Darrel Otto, goes to bat for these women, reaching out to Liz Ramirez, then contacting The Innocence Project of Texas. The ball starts rolling. Changes in science, recantations, the changing of the times, people are finally getting on board with the truth. But the road is long and slow. These women need our help.

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Watching this documentary is devastating. The lives impacted by these lies, the damage done. I cannot imagine the heartache of Anna, Liz, Cassie, and Kristie, and their loved ones have endured during these many long years. What these four beautiful, strong women, need more than anything right now, is your support, belief, and fight. Call, text, tweet, share their story. They deserve new trials. They deserve complete exoneration. They deserve justice.

You can find out more about this extraordinary story by seeing the film now in New York, and September 30th in LA. Investigation Discovery has recently acquired the television rights and will be airing the film in October, if you’re unable to make it to the theaters.

Southwest of Salem – Festival Trailer from Deborah S. Esquenazi on Vimeo.

SOUTHEWEST OF SALEM- by Deborah S. Esquenazi

OPENING SEPTEMBER 16– NEW YORK- CINEMA VILLAGE

SEPTEMBER 30– LOS ANGELES – LAEMMLE MUSIC HALL BEVERLY HILLS


HERE ARE SOME CLEAR STEPS YOU CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW TO HELP THE SAN ANTONIO FOUR WITH THEIR EXONERATION BATTLE

 

1.  Call 1-210-335-2311 and ask for District Attorney Nico LaHood’s office.

Here’s what to say: “I am angered by Judge Pat Priest’s ruling to not recommend exoneration for Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Anna Vasquez, and Kristie Mayhugh. I want Nico LaHood and the District Attorney’s office of Bexar County to take a stand on the San Antonio Four case to declare actual innocence and have the women exonerated for their wrongful convictions.”

2.  Tweet/Facebook the district attorney’s office to take a stand!

Twitter: @BexarCounty @Nico4DA Take a stand about the @SanAntonioFour injustice! Recommend exoneration #FreetheSA4 @IPofTexas #southwestOfSalem

Facebook: I am angered by Judge Pat Priest’s ruling to not recommend exoneration for Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Anna Vasquez, and Kristie Mayhugh. I want Nico LaHood and the District Attorney’s office of @Bexar County to take a stand on the San Antonio Four case to declare actual innocence and have the women exonerated for their wrongful convictions. #FreetheSA4 #SouthwestOfSalem

Coming to Netflix July 1: Gun violence documentary from Tribeca Film Festival ‘The Armor of Light’

What price conscience? Abigail Disney’s directorial debut, The Armor of Light, follows the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Rob Schenck, anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, who breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. Reverend Schenck is shocked and perplexed by the reactions of his long-time friends and colleagues who warn him away from this complex, politically explosive issue.
Along the way, Rev. Schenck meets Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis, an unarmed teenager who was murdered in Florida and whose story has cast a spotlight on “Stand Your Ground” laws. McBath, also a Christian, decides to work with Schenck even though she is pro-choice. Lucy is on a difficult journey of her own, trying to make sense of her devastating loss while using her grief to effect some kind of viable and effective political action-where so many before her have failed.
ARMOR follows these unlikely allies through their trials of conscience, heartbreak and rejection, as they bravely attempt to make others consider America’s gun culture through a moral lens. The film is also a courageous look at our fractured political culture and an assertion that it is, indeed, possible for people to come together across deep party lines to find common ground.
Featuring: Reverend Rob Schenck, Lucy McBath and John M. Phillips
Directed by: Abigail E. Disney, Kathleen Hughes
Genre: Documentary
Run Time: 88 Minutes

Official Website: http://armoroflightfilm.com/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArmorTheFilm
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArmorTheFilm

https://youtu.be/oI-l26QfG9M

Sad News: Young talent, Anton Yelchin has passed away at 27


Reel News Daily is very sad to report the passing of Anton Yelchin. Most of you may know Yelchin’s work from the Star Trek reboot but we are particularly fond of his vast array of indie work in titles like Charlie Bartlett, Odd Thomas, Only Lovers Left Alive, 5 to 7, Rudderless, Cymbeline, The Driftless Area and many, many more. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and the film community. Anton had a maturity about his performances that was a rarity for his age, unafraid to tackles roles in any genre, big or small. He will be sorely missed.

Watch all the Tribeca Talks from the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival!

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 20: (L-R) Actor Robert De Niro, director Alfonso Cuaron and director, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki attend Tribeca Talks Directors Series: Alfonso Cuaron at SVA Theatre 1 on April 20, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 20: (L-R) Actor Robert De Niro, director Alfonso Cuaron and director, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki attend Tribeca Talks Directors Series: Alfonso Cuaron at SVA Theatre 1 on April 20, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

Thanks to the wonderful world of technology, all the talks from this year’s festival are now available to watch online! Two especially good ones are below. Enjoy!

Here’s the entire playlist below. Click on the little icon in the top left to scroll through which you want to watch!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyGBMDhlSJgiMIyOOuMJK5D1Rsk7tT_ZR

 

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Audience Award winner, ‘HERE ALONE’ wrenches a mother’s instinct.

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Being a new mom has had it’s toll on my brain. I’ve forgotten to eat. I’ve put the milk carton in the oven. I’ve gone days without showering or changing into socially acceptable attire. Being alone with an almost 4 month old baby all day makes your mind do/think weird things. Stir-craziness is very real. Isolation can ravage the senses. One the up side, this also means I have “a lot of time” (I know, I laughed as I typed that, too) to watch, or at least play films in the background. As a horror buff, I was excited about one film’s description in particular from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival Midnight Section, even if the plot sounded similar to ones that have cone before it. Like The Walking Dead, Rod Blackhurst‘s Tribeca World premiere HERE ALONE, is not about “zombies” but more about the people left behind.

After a terrible virus ravages human civilization, Ann finds herself living alone in a forest, foraging for supplies, and accompanied only by a radio that broadcasts a single transmission in French. Few animals even remain; the only survivors seem to be the roving hordes of infected creatures with a taste for human flesh. One fateful day, Ann crosses paths with two more survivors, Chris and Olivia. But after surviving on her own for so long, she struggles to relate to them and and their desire to settle down and start a new community.

here alone still chris and annAlmost entirely shot in the woods, our lead character Ann has only her vehicle and two small camps on a lake. Screenwriter David Ebeltoft’s immensely effective script, utilizes intermittent flashbacks to show us how Ann came to be on her own. Once traveling with her husband and infant daughter, the audience must allow themselves to be with Ann in the present in order to feel emotionally connected. She is smart and resilient. She has learned that practicality is the only way to survive. Her newly gained skills sometimes fumble, adding to the realism factor. The minute she allows her emotions to control her path, things are bound to go awry. When Ann stumbles upon Chris and his step-daughter Olivia, her motherly instinct may be her undoing. Two mindsets are at play; Stay put or keep moving. Which would you choose? Blackhurst’s use of nudity is never without purpose. There is no glamour factor here, which is much appreciated in the genre in general. Lucy Walters‘ lead performance is breathtaking. It’s not until the very end that we discover what happened to Ann’s daughter. That particular scene, which we know from the very beginning we’ve been building up to, is one of the most gut-wrenching I’ve seen on film. Maybe it’s the new Mommy hormones, maybe it’s Ebeltoft specifically crafted script, or maybe it’s the perfect storm of the two. I don’t think I have ever wept while watching a horror film until now. In a “what would you do?” scenario from hell, HERE ALONE tears your heart out and challenges how you think you’d react in a doomsday situation. When you’re down to your last bullet, it’s life or death.

HERE ALONE is one to catch. It may not necessarily be a new idea, but it is told from a fresh perspective. (Mothers be warned.)

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Written & Directed by Ricky Gervais, the Netflix ‘Special Correspondents’ tries very hard to be an 80s comedy

Special Correspondents – Netflix April 29th

American politics and media are aptly satirized in this feature by firebrand comedian Ricky Gervais. A pretentious radio journalist and his ineffectual technician botch an assignment in South America, and decide to fabricate an on-the-scene story while hiding out in a New York City apartment. This scheme spirals out of their control when their escalating story becomes a national headline.

If you can accept that this is a silly comedy and go along for the ride, then you’ll enjoy Special Correspondents. I had to keep telling that to myself over and over as each scene was presented as drama, but was obviously farce. From the very beginning, I compared it to the brilliantly funny, Spies Like Us with Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. What made that film so funny was that both lead characters were ridiculous and there weren’t major conflicts. It tried to follow a modern formula from a silly 80s-type story.

Tribeca Film Festival: ‘Team Foxcatcher’ from Netflix, ‘Always Shine’ & ‘Little Boxes’

Of the last few days of the festival, these three films were among my favorites.

Team Foxcatcher

Meant to be a retreat for elite American athletes, Foxcatcher Farms, and all it was intended to represent, was lost in the paranoid downward spiral of its troubled benefactor John Du Pont. Heir to the Du Pont family fortune, John Du Pont funneled his considerable resources into his love of sports—wrestling in particular. Aiming to reinvigorate the US Olympic wrestling team, Du Pont created Foxcatcher, and invited gold medal champion Dave Schultz to lead the charge. What began as an idealistic sports idyll soon deteriorated into suspicion, distrust, and ultimately murder.

Through fascinating archival footage and never-before-seen home videos shot during Schultz’s time at the farm, director Jon Greenhalgh’s absorbing film unpacks the events leading up to Foxcatcher’s well-documented tragedy, exploring the complex and contradictory character of Du Pont, while serving as a poignant memoir to the legacy of Schultz as a champion wrestler, husband, and father. Team Foxcatcher charts a true American tragedy of Olympic dreams, ambition, mental illness, and murder.

—Cara Cusumano

I haven’t seen the Foxcatcher movie with Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, so I didn’t have any idea what this was about other than wrestling. I was completely shocked at the story, but even more impressed with the storytelling. It builds up slowing, and documents the events through the stories of those who were there.

Fascinating and compelling, it proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction. Releases on Netflix April 29th.


ALWAYS SHINE_web_2Always Shine

Two women, both actresses with differing degrees of success, travel north from Los Angeles to Big Sur for a weekend vacation in Always Shine, Sophia Takal’s twisty, psychological thriller. Both see the trip as an opportunity to reconnect after years of competition and jealousy has driven a wedge between them, but upon arrival to their isolated, forest retreat, the pair discovers that their once intimate friendship has deteriorated into forced conversations, betrayals both real and imagined, petty jealousies, and deep-seated resentment. As the women allow their feelings to fester, each begins to lose their bearings not only on the true nature of their relationship, but on their own identities. Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire) and Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex) give brave and raw performances as Beth and Anna, two women whose ideas of success are dictated as much by external cultural criterion as their own sense of self-worth. Beautifully photographed and assuredly directed by Takal, Always Shine wraps itself in an evocative shroud of dread and paranoia that lingers long after the final frame.

—Cara Cusumano

On the surface, it’s just a jealous rivalry, but tables turn and suddenly you don’t know what is real anymore. The opening sequence is particularly intense, and sets the stage perfectly for the two women. I also found it quite interesting seeing a woman striking out with a potential suitor, as that’s not normally something depicted. Brilliantly acted and told, this is quite a surprising cinematic treat.

https://youtu.be/jGvfbmmNOqM

Little Boxes

It’s the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new-in-town biracial kid in a sea of white. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act ‘more black,’ he fumbles to meet expectations, while his urban intellectual parents Mack and Gina also strive to adjust to small-town living. Equipped for the many inherent challenges of New York, the tight-knit family are ill prepared for the drastically different set of obstacles that their new community presents, and soon find themselves struggling to understand themselves and each other in this new suburban context.

Director Rob Meyer (A Birder’s Guide to Everything) returns to Tribeca with his second feature, a poignant comedy about understanding identity, featuring a robust cast including Melanie Lynskey, Nelsan Ellis, Armani Jackson, Oona Laurence, Janeane Garofalo, and Christine Taylor. Executive Produced by Cary Fukunaga.

—Tilson Allen-Merry

Subtle and upfront at the same time, I loved the honesty and accessibility of the characters. I struggled through the entire film to place lead actor, Neslan Ellis, as I knew I’d seen him in something before. Turns out, he played Lafayette on HBO’s True Blood, which is as far away from the character in this film as you can imagine. He’s absolutely brilliant as the father in this family that moves to the suburbs after a life in New York City. I absolutely adored the film.

Tribeca Film Festival Review: ‘The Happy Film’ is surprisingly introspective

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What makes you happy? Scratch that, it doesn’t matter, it’s not something you attain, its something in the moment.

The Happy Film is a feature-length documentary in which graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister undergoes a series of self-experiments outlined by popular psychology to test once and for all if it’s possible for a person to have a meaningful impact on their own happiness.

The star of the film is the design, as it’s inventive and creative, and delightful. In essence, that’s what makes the designer happy, and he doesn’t even realize it.

What I enjoyed about this film was that even though something happened over and over again, it wasn’t predictable. I completely empathized with Sagmeister and he had an incredible journey making this film. The film is very meta, and it’s as much about making it, as it is about his happiness.

The Happy Film (festival trailer) from {group theory} on Vimeo.

Tribeca Film Festival Review: The tragic & heart-breaking ‘AWOL’

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Love can sometimes make us do stupid things. Joey is blinded by her love for Rayna and won’t give up on her. Even after she joins the Army, Joey can’t stop thinking about a life with Rayna and will do every dumb thing she can to make it happen.

While it can be maddening at times, the story of AWOL is full of good intentions. There are several scenes that are blatantly gratuitous, and unnecessary, but the structure flows well and it keeps you engaged.

Tribeca Film Festival Review: ‘TIGER RAID’ is a spectacular test of loyalty.

Tribeca Film Festival logo 2016

World Premiere in the Midnight Category
Section at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival

tider raid brain and glesson and moloney

Starring:
 Brian Gleeson (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Eagle),
Damien Molony (Suspects),
Sofia Boutella (Kingsman: The Secret Service, upcoming Star Trek Beyond)  and
Rory Fleck-Byrne (The Quiet Ones)

Directed by: Simon Dixon

Written by: Simon Dixon, Mick Donnellan

While on a covert mission, two cold blooded mercenaries form an unlikely bond as they race across the desert in the dead of night. When their violent and desperate world implodes, past atrocities come to the surface threatening to tear each of them apart.

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With Tarantino-esque dialogue driven scenes, TIGER RAID opens in the arid Iraq dessert, as Joe and Paddy approach their mission location. They are assigned with the kidnapping of an unknown individual, receiving orders from earpieces whose instructions are just muffled enough to be a mystery to the audience. Along the way, we learn piecemeal that each man has a haunted past. About 10 minutes in, we get our first plot twist. These flips in writer/director Simon Dixon’s script keep coming as the film’s 92 minutes roll along. I think I lost count at 4. Brian Gleeson as Joe is fierce and domineering, yet somehow totally lovable as he revels in his joy for the kill. Damien Molony shines as Paddy, a man whose emotional obsession comes between his sense of right and wrong. The story is about the extremes of loyalty and the justification of past indiscretions. For me, there is not one moment that is out of place in this film. The score has both a menacing and ethereal feel. The close-ups are delicious and meaningful. The sound design is impeccable and poignant. TIGER RAID takes you on a journey into the minds of men who kill for money and for sport. This vibrant and unapologetically violent ride is beyond engrossing from every angle. It will not disappoint.

  • Section: Midnight
  • Year: 2016
  • Length: 92 minutes
  • Language: English
  • Country: U.K.
  • Premiere: World
You can still get rush tickets for tonight’s screening. I highly recommend that you do.
9:45 PM – FRI 4/22 BOW TIE CINEMAS CHELSEA 5Icon-fg-map RUSH

Tribeca Film Festival Review: Aubrey Plaza & the ‘Pistol Shrimps’

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They just wanted to play basketball at their local rec center. This group of women started a movement and are known as the Pistol Shrimps.

The documentary takes you through from the beginning and although there’s nothing ground-breaking, it’s really just empowering to see a bunch of women having fun together and not apologizing for it. Many of the team are comedy writers and performers, so their interviews are particularly funny.

They even have their own podcast!

Tribeca Film Festival Review/Interview: Tracy Droz Tragos talks about the Missouri documentary ‘Abortion: Stories Women Tell’

Director Tracy Droz Tragos has a passion for Missouri stories. After her family moved to California, she used to spend her summers in Rich Hill, Missouri, about halfway between Kansas City and Joplin on Highway 49. She even directed a documentary about three boys from that area in the 2014 documentary, Rich Hill. Heartbreaking and honest, it brought to light a seldom heard story of struggle.

Abortion: Stories Women Tell airs on HBO later this year as part of their documentary series.

No matter your position on the issue, these are the women it affects. From those having them to those opposing. Hear my interview with director, Tracy Droz Tragos, below: