Tag Archives: Peter Farrelly

‘DARUMA’ (2024) The healing power of kindness and the importance of representation shine bright.

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DARUMA

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Director Alexander Yellen and writer Kelli McNeil expand their 2018 short film of the same name to glorious big screen life. DARUMA tells the story of, Patrick, a bitter wheelchair user, discovering he has a four-year-old daughter from a forgotten fling. He quickly learns that he cannot parent her as she needs and enlists the help of his cantankerous neighbor Robert (double amputee) to transport her to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.

daruma PatrickDaruma deals with addiction, PTSD, and redemption in an honest way. There is zero sugarcoating. Immersive camera work helps place the viewer in Patrick’s emotionally injured mindset by placing the camera in his lap whenever he gets intoxicated in a club. Yellen’s overall cinematography is spectacular. His choice to mix follow shots, close-ups, and stunning drone footage while our players embark on their road trip captures Daruma’s vulnerability and heart.

Little Victoria Scott gives Camilla authentic sweetness. She’s a lovely addition to this cast. Barry Bostwick lends his unassailable talent to Daruma. Whatever role he plays, you can bet on some seriously affecting moments.

daruma RobertJohn W. Lawson is undeniably charming as curmudgeonly neighbor Robert. His nuanced backstory is the perfect foil for Tobias Forrest. You’ll fall in love with him. Forrest gives his all, leaning into Patrick’s flaws and working to find his suppressed humanity. Forrest nails each beat. He and Lawson share relatable chemistry. It’s a dramedy duo you didn’t know you needed.

Yellen and McNeil deliver a genuine road movie with struggles and hopeful healing vibes. If you aren’t welling up by the film’s ending, check your pulse. Representation is vital to authentic storytelling. The world needs more films like DARUMA. The film will be honored at the Directors Guild of America on Dec. 9th at the first-ever Indie Awards. It is much-deserved recognition.

The film will be screening for a week in theaters in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, DC, and Minneapolis Nov 15 – 21, 2024.  

 

 
ABOUT THE FILM: 
Executive produced by 2X Oscar winner Peter Farrelly, DARUMA tells the story of, PATRICK, a bitter wheelchair user, discovering he has a four-year-old daughter from a forgotten fling. He quickly learns that he cannot parent her as she needs and enlists the help of his cantankerous neighbor ROBERT (double amputee) to transport her to live with her maternal grandparents on the other side of the country.
 
CNN said the film is the first authentically cast film in US film history to star two leads with disabilities in a narrative not about overcoming disability and on September 9th, our filmmaking team was invited to an event at the White House to celebrate the 34th signing of the ADA. 
 
For more drama coverage, click here!

Review: ‘TIME WARP: VOLUME 3 COMEDY AND CAMP’ is now available for your viewing pleasure.

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SYNOPSIS: The final volume of Time Warp digs deep into what makes us laugh over and over again as we reveal the greatest cult comedies and campy classics of all-time. From “Fast Time at Ridgemont High” and “Office Space” to “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “Showgirls.”

 

This is the longest in the Time Warp series. Starting off with Fast Times and the insight from Amy Heckerling, it’s a cinephile’s film class from the very beginning. Focusing first on high school films, we get a great mix from Rock N Roll High School to Napoleon Dynamite. Then we dive into Clerks and how a single film made on credit cards for $30K launched Kevin Smith’s career. The late Fred Willard talks Best In Show. The Bill Murray stories from King Ping are epic. John Cleese‘s presence for Monty Python and The Holy Grail reminds us that the best comedy is smart through its silliness. The first half focuses on Comedy for an HR and 15 minutes. The last 45 is Camp cult films. Rightfully so, Showgirls is covered. Gina Gershon’s character study background for Cristal Connors is masterful. Ed Wood’s editing style and relationship with Bela Lugosi made him one of the greatest cult filmmakers of all time. He was way ahead of his time when you look at his body of work. Speaking of being ahead of its time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch still has such an impact in so many ways. It may be more relevant right now than it was in its original run for the trans community. I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count, as to which film gets the final curtain call.

With Volumes 1 & 2, as with this third installment, these docs are like the YouTube rabbit hole we all fall into. Hours of different behind the scenes clips and stories all in one glorious place. You cannot go wrong with these films. You’ve seen more of them than you’ll realize. Feel a little cooler and a whole lot more informed after viewing. Then tell a friend so they can tell a friend and so on. All three docs are now available to stream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zA219JfZ_g

TITLE: TIME WARP: THE GREATEST CULT FILMS OF ALL-TIME VOLUME 3 COMEDY AND CAMP
ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: June 23, 2020
DIRECTOR: Danny Wolf
DISTRIBUTOR: Quiver Distribution
HOSTS: Joe Dante, John Waters, Ileana Douglas and Kevin Pollak
CAST: Gina Gershon, John Cleese, Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Willard, Jon Heder, David Cross, Mary Woronov, Michael McKean, Kevin Smith, Amy Heckerling, Mike Judge, Peter Farrelly, John Cameron Mitchell
RUN TIME: 128 minutes