Jesse Eisenberg has mastered playing the quirky, whipsmart, douchebag. In The Art of Self-Defense, he plays genuinely sweet, pushover Casey looking to stand up for himself after a brutal attack. He gets a lot more than he bargains for when he signs up for karate lessons. The film is an unapologetic look at toxic masculinity. It’s over the top dark comedy is a political blowtorch. If you can’t laugh at this film you need the stick removed from your ass. The snark factor is so high that even Casey’s answering machine is kind of a dick. Imogen Poots is equally impactful with both her physical and emotional performance. The humor lies in the absolute seriousness in which the cast says their lines. The film appears to take place sometime in the ’80s by the look of technology and funny enough, the misogynistic dialogue is most likely insanely accurate. Eisenberg is undeniably incredible. He is vulnerable and fearless and funny as hell. The Art of Self-Defense absolutely belongs at Fantasia International Film Festival 2019. The timing of the film is sheer perfection and this fest has the right audience.
Another North American premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival 2019 is that of Ode To Nothing. The slow burn of creepy factor launches this film into skin-crawling territory. The setting alone is horror movie gold. A family mortuary? Besides My
Jessica, Beni, Dian, Alex, Erik, and Linda want to increase their popularity through recording their adventures to upload to their social media accounts. They chose to go to an abandoned apartment famous for its awesomeness. Linda manages to persuade Kang Heri, security guard, to enter the apartment. Linda and friends found one apartment unit which is given a police line. Encouraged by curiosity, they brake down the door of the apartment unit. When they are researching the room, they find an old parchment, which only Linda could read. After Linda reads the writing on the parchment, suddenly a portal open. Inadvertently Linda and her friends have opened the door to the magical world and anger the portal guardian supernatural creatures.
Those crazy teenagers. Always opening the gates to other worlds. DREADOUT had its North American premiere last night at Fantasia International Film Festival 2019 and audiences were not disappointed. The film begins with all the buildup of suspense and visual feel of playing the DreadOut video games which may be just as exhilarating as 
**Closing Night Film – Sarasota Film Festival 2019**
Happiness is the ever elusive prize in life. Depression is a monster. As one man’s seemingly perfect life comes to an end, another attempts to find out why in question of his own mortality. PHIL is a story of the pursuit of happiness and what that even means.
Greg Kinnear, playing both the film’s director and titular character, is a man on the literal edge. After becoming enamored with the joy of one of his patients, he resorts to following the man until he discovers him hanging in the middle of the forest. Why would someone who has it all end his life? Phil is obsessed with answers. Kinnear, as always, is charming and grounded. There is something in this man’s eyes that makes you want to listen to him, to care for him, to experience what he experiences. Alongside an enormously talented ensemble, including Emily Mortimer, Jay Duplass, Luke Wilson, and more, PHIL explores the things in life that make us connect with one another; Stories, memories, new and old, family and friendship. Learning to not live vicariously through others is a lesson we can all take to heart. PHIL has an unexpected script and it is pure delight. This film is about growth and the exploration of self. It’s a real gem and all involved should be proud to share this story.
To give you an idea of why Fantasia International Film Festival is my favorite redheaded stepchild of a festival, here are a few films from my youth that still haunt/entertain the crap out of me. 1. Poltergeist: the film my father thought a 2-year-old should watch. 2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: because a sci-fi musical with Tim Curry in drag should be shown in every Kindergarten class on the planet I inhabit. 3. Princess Bride: one of the most quotable and inconceivable films, I mean that with the utmost respect and if you say otherwise I will fight you (with a sword). 4. Pulp Fiction: a film whose dialogue is filled with sermon, innumerable expletives, drug overdose, and bloody violence for days was just the beginning of a long career of effed up magic. Love it or hate it, it was original. So, for me, Fantasia encompasses all that is weird, wonderful, wacky, wtf, and any other “w” descriptor I’m missing out on in this precise moment.
Lust, betrayal, vanity, adultery; the reimagining of Hamlet through the eyes of Ophelia is an entirely different story. Based on the novel by Lisa Klein and in the vein of films like Ever After and perhaps even Disney’s live-action Cinderella, our leading lady is no shrinking violet. Daisy Ridley is a far cry from her role in the new Star Wars installments. As the titular character, she is inquisitive, bold, and yet her innocence plunges her headlong into the tragedy that Shakespeare writes for her. With a star-studded cast including Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, and Tom Felton, the story begins with how she became to be part of the court. Along the way, it addresses the fragility of the male egos as well as the female. It is still a story of love and honor but told from a young woman’s perspective and a few other key ladies surrounding her. The entire cast is brilliant. The costumes and sets are gorgeous. The new dialogue is ripe for this era. The added drama and intrigue is downright delicious. You cannot help but be drawn into the secrets. Ophelia’s fate makes more sense with a backstory we can experience in a visceral way. The film has everything a fairytale and period cinema lover needs to immerse themselves. But this film goes above and beyond. This new rendition is completely unexpected. It gives power back to the women in this story making Ophelia more magical than ever before. As someone great once said, “Well behaved women seldom make history.”
One summer I went to 6 weddings. It was equal parts fun, exhausting, and expensive. We learned who had gotten engaged, married, broken up, and gotten divorced since seeing some of the regulars at these blessed events. Some were shocking while frankly others we silently cheered their wreckage within the confines of our clique. Plus One explores these exact evolutions of so many relationships in our late 20s early 30s. Its honest charm and genuinely witty banter are just the tip of the iceberg of this film. The framework of the film is literally dated around each specific wedding weekend our duo attends. Don’t brush this film off as millennial drivel. Who hasn’t been stuck at the singles table or judged the food and speeches at a wedding? Hell, we still do it 8 years after our own wedding. Sorry, everyone. But the truth is funnier than fiction and PLus One nails these cliches on the head without being obnoxious. Jack Quaid is a nice foil for Maya Erskine. She is the best friend we all wish we had. Her natural ability to be funny and raw makes Plus One as wonderful as it is. The soundtrack, both the score by Leo Birenberg and original songs by Real Estate is outstanding. The dialogue has an amazing vulnerability with a side of raunch. The plot is universally relatable. You should save the date for Plus One without hesitation.
Need to get away? Seth Green‘s directorial debut, Changeland, might be just the ticket. The film stars a gaggle of actors that first made a name for themselves in some of my favorite films and television shows; Clueless, Can’t Hardly Wait, Home Alone, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Guys, Macaulay Culkin is in this. And he’s sheer perfection. So let’s break it down. Brandon (Seth Green) hops a flight for a vacation to Thailand, meeting up with a longtime friend, Dan (Breckin Meyer). It was supposed to be a wedding anniversary trip, but that’s not the plan now. Honest confessions, lingering regrets, tested intimacy, and it all feels 100% authentic. It’s that thing that occurs in even the closest of friendships. You get older, life happens. Dynamics, jobs, marital status, all change. But what better place to mend fences and mull over the future than a tropical oasis? These guys grew up together and it shows. The natural pace of dialogue is fantastic. It’s actually easy to forget the iconic roles that I usually associate them with, and I do mean that as a compliment. Oh, and the soundtrack is amazing.
But it’s also an advertisement for Phuket, Thailand. It has gorgeous sweeping shots of mangrove forests, caves, resort restaurants, pristine beaches. It does not suck to look at. Green explores ideas of growth and insight without a hint of pretentiousness. It simply works. The perfect cast meeting an exemplary script. Changeland is not grandiose. It’s fun, charming, honest, and funny in both genuine and weird ways. For those of us who grew up with this cast on their favorite films and television shows of the 90s, this all the more age and stage relateable. Bravo, to Green and the entire cast for a wonderful film.
Directed by:
Brenton Thwaites i
Starring: Troian Bellisario (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Patrick J. Adams (“Suits”)
The intellectual dialogue is so overwhelming intriguing from the very first scene, you cannot help but feel compelled to give your entire attention to Clara‘s unique premise. Can logic and love coexist? This is a film about loneliness and loss but also wonder and imagination, science, and faith. It’s a profound look at the universe as it pertains to intimate relationships. Seemingly an oxymoron, how could the vast beyond of space apply to two people? Clara delves into the idea of letting go to let the universe do its proverbial thing. Real-life husband and wife play astronomer and newly hired assistant attempting to find a new planet with life. Their backstories are incredibly nuanced. Patrick J. Adams is captivating in his sadness and determination. Seeing him outside of Suits in a completely different role further cements his strong presence and pull on-screen. The arch of Issac is something to behold. Troian Bellisario as Clara is simply magic. The full complexity of her character won’t be fully realized until the film’s final scenes. She owns this role.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Decades in the making, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is finally coming to the big screen. It was worth the wait. Adam Driver plays a young director taking on his own passion project under the financial thumb of studio execs, locals, and his own ego. No doubt is the film about as metaphorical as you can get for the wild ups and downs the legendary Terry Gilliam has endured in bringing this film to fruition. Poking fun at itself and the industry at every turn, it must have been truly cathartic for Gilliam to shoot. The visuals and writing are all so satisfying you’ll want to applaud at the twists and turns along the way. Though admittedly, you’ll most likely be just as confused as both Driver and “Don Quixote” himself, J
Having watched, there is no way these roles would have been better served by other actors. Pryce walks the perfect line between madness and sadness. His commitment from beat to beat is the glue that keeps the story moving along its absurdist pace. But it is Driver who had me belly laughing every time a “FUCK” was spewed with genuine intention. I’ll have to go back and watch again if only to count the number of “F” words, each precisely placed and completely warranted. It’s sheer perfection. There is no doubt that Toby is Terry… and Don Quixote. The love that is so obviously infused within the film will be evident to anyone familiar with Gilliam and his fantastic passion project. It’s a combination of hilarity and insanity. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and filmmakers like Terry Gilliam are the reasons we go to the movies. 
This star-studded film follows the lives of the people who come in and out of a Cincinnati Public Library. Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, each character is fully fleshed out and complex even if they aren’t on-screen for very long. It’s carefully edited. You get a real sense of relationships and circumstance from the solid writing and stellar performances from this massive ensemble cast including Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin, Jena Malone, Taylor Schilling, Gabrielle Union, Michael K Williams, Christian Slater, Che “Rhymefest” Smith, and Jeffrey Wright.
The film is about knowledge and power in the larger sense. It’s a thoughtful commentary on the socioeconomic dynamics of the homeless, the manipulative perceptions created by the media, and the politicians and law enforcement that allow it to happen. It’s filled with humor and heartbreak from beat to beat, and the twists are surprising and impactful. The Public has amazing storytelling and a truly poignant look at class warfare. 
PRESENTS
Debuts on HBO March 3rd and 4th
I’ve started this review many times in the past seven days. It’s been difficult to put into words how Leaving Neverland has made me feel. For my sixth birthday, I can only recall receiving one particular gift. It was Micheal Jackson’s Thriller on cassette. This was my very first album that was all mine, outside of Sesame Street or Disney songs. I had already been dancing for three years and MJ would influence my musical and performance taste going forward. In 2009, my husband and I were in the car and the radio came on with the breaking news on Michael’s death. We were stunned, devastated, conflicted. We’d lived through the accusations at the same time his accusers and fellow defenders had. Macaulay Culkin was my childhood crush and one of Jackson’s close friends. Culkin has categorically denied anything inappropriate ever happened. He and Wade Robson‘s testimony had a huge effect when Jackson went to trial. I was relieved when Michael was acquitted of all charges in the early 2000s. I wanted to believe that his hands were clean. Now, I think my idolization of this once in a lifetime artist is destroyed.
The personal risks for Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck coming forward now are immense. Hardcore fans are up in arms. Threatening to protest in droves at the film’s premiere at Sundance. But in the doc, we see and hear more evidence than ever before. Family photos, home video, faxes, and to top it off, voicemails, all from Michael. There is new video from inside Neverland. The sheer number of bedrooms hidden onsight should have been alarm enough. The pattern is laid out for us to see. The grooming is there. The gifts, the promises, and all the personal attention. But obviously most upsetting is the sexual abuse itself. Each act described in illicit detail. I want so badly for these stories to be lies. I do not think they are. In a time when victims’ voices are more important than ever, we have to respect Robson and Safechuck for finally feeling healthy enough, physically and emotionally, to share their stories. They are not being paid for the film. They have confronted the abuse that they were groomed to believe was love. Now, as father’s of little boys themselves, they have to come to terms with not only their hurt but the onus of their mothers who failed to protect them. There are no winners here. No amount of money can bring back the childhoods that were stolen. What emotion comes after denial? I think it’s anger. Now, after Leaving Neverland, I’m just really angry.
Sam Elliot is a legend of the silver screen, and at the age of 74 it’s always wonderful seeing him in new films. So it’s no surprise that he shines in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot. The story has a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale quality to it. It’s unique and phenomenally engrossing. Elliot’s character, Calvin Barr, has done more than most men in history, combined. Now he has come to the point in his life where he thinks he’s done all he’d care to. With so much accomplished on paper, a long lost love is the one thing haunts him most. But the government is not done with him just yet. They have one last mission in mind. He’s essentially the greatest, most badass, action hero you’ve never heard of. His nonchalant nature is the perfect balance to the over the top nature of the storytelling. Elliot is this character, somehow. He embodies a quiet strength even as he hurtles through the bizarre. The parallel between the target and Elliot’s character is almost poetic. This film is weird, wonderful, and pretty unbelievable in every sense of the word. Though I’m positive that is the point entirely.
RLJE Films will release THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT in theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on Feb. 8, 2019.
The Amityville Murders offers alternative theories about the infamous killings right off the bat. Whether they a result of parental abuse, drugs, mental illness, or something altogether more sinister actually occurring in the house itself. It also seems to suggest that family and friends were experiencing unexplained phenomenon within the home. There is much controversy surrounding Ronald DeFeo and the deaths of his entire family. The house has been called one of the most haunted in America. Subsequent owners have come and gone throughout the years. DeFeo’s story of what happened that night changed so many times it’s hard to keep track of. We may never know the truth and that what makes this story a great one for film. Writers and directors can take poetic license with all the information that we do have and fill in the blanks. As the film progresses, it unequivocally suggests that the grandparents had something to do with a paranormal aspect. While of the performances in the film are a bit campy, our leading man John Robinson is amazing. He is terrifying all while being vulnerable. He carries this film from start to finish. You are rooting for his sanity and survival. Overall, the film has a classic possession feel to it. The tension is genuine and the scares are visually engrossing. The Amityville Murders is a historical true crime/ paranormal nerd’s fantasy.
Then Came You manages to bypass the usual rom-com tropes and fleshes out a story about kids navigating a real emotional journey. Asa Butterfield has a naturally emo kid look about him but has the sincere chops to shine in every role that’s thrown his way. He appears genuinely grounded on screen and that makes him easy to watch. If you’re not crying at the end of this film you may have no soul. There is more than meets the eye Butterfield’s backstory which makes for an honest to goodness tug at the heartstrings in the end. The shining star of the film is undoubtedly Maisie Williams. Her comic timing and natural snark own you from the very first scene. I need her to be cast in all the things from here on out. Our two leads have a wonderful chemistry that builds organically. It reminds me of the dynamic of Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin in My Girl, which is clearly a compliment. Then Came You is simply a lovely film that can be enjoyed by a wide audience.
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