BigHarvey

I love trees and haunted forests and this film captures that mysterious and enchanting vibe perfectly. Part ecological, part historical, and part literary analysis, Sideworld is lovingly illustrated with period artwork and spectacular cinematography. Macabre stories of demonic hunters, packs of roaming red-eyed dogs, and drunk farmers encountering supernatural beings traipse through the narrative that takes you through dark foreboding woods on a melancholy journey.

I like compilation movies, especially horror ones and this anthology reminds me of early Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episodes. Some of the stories work better than the others but overall this is a worthy effort. If you are a horror film, sci-fi junky like me... you're going to be in for a really terrific ride as you explore The Black Book.

Bearry is an outrageous slasher/comedy that kept me wondering what was the true source of the mystery till the very end. There isn't much here to take seriously with a dash of rom/com and a splash of supernatural horror. And once you put Felissa Rose in the story, anything is possible as to what motivates the villain. Pure silliness and fun.

The film has an erotic melancholy with some surprising twists concerning the double standard of infidelity. Smartly shot and economically directed, Marcel Dorian does a fine job as both lead actor and director. The film explores the repercussions of extramarital relationships and the crazy things that people do when confronted with the most violent, basic, and primitive emotions. The story takes a while to kick into gear, but when it does it is quite engaging with the strongest performance delivered by Joseph Steyne. Be warned there are some pretty overt sexual situations as it effectively explores some very uncomfortable issues.

Cold Feet is a comedy horror film where a group of friends gathers together for a bachelor party only to become fodder for a vengeful cuckold ghost. It's funny, irreverent, light, and supported by a terrific cast of goofballs. If you're looking for a few chuckles mixed with some serious moments, Cold Feet will keep you amused.

This is a tough story about people trapped in impossible circumstances. It's an extremely tense depiction of just how far an ordinary person would go for vengeance. There are some wonderful intense performances by Jovan (Jack Jovcic) project the intensity of Ray Winstone. Also memorable is Drago (Troy Coward ). The film is smartly shot and crisply edited. Ugly. Sad. Desperate people are pushed to the edge of violence. And yet salvation for some of them comes at the last moment. Check it out and be patient.

I really found Kin Dread intriguing and it held my interest the whole time. It had an early Brian De Palma vibe with a mix of Coppola's Conversation paranoia with a dash of creepy Hitchcock. Great job by the cast of unknowns. It's nicely shot with a strong audio design. I think it could have benefited from some tighter editing in the finale but this is definitely one of the better little indie films I've seen in a while.

The Shattering is a lean and competent production with strong performances from its minimal cast. This three-person story set in a single location intensifies the lead's dwindling grasp on reality. And its non-linear pace keeps you guessing as to what is really going on. Is Claire, played by Murisa Harba, really crazy or is she the victim of a conspiracy perpetrated by her philandering husband? Is she simply just suffering from postpartum depression? Is her baby real? Or even alive? Is her therapist deliberately messing with her head? The ending rushes up quite expectantly as the film takes a sharp and macabre turn. This is tight indie-film making.

Well shot and suspenseful, Edge of Extinction dwells in the post-apocalyptic dystopia of The Road and The Walking Dead. With solid production values, this is a story of survival and holding on to one's values in the face of a collapsing world. This is genuinely enthralling with a sympathetic hero that we can emphasize with and root for as his story plays out and one holds onto to their humanity.

This was a brilliant indie-film made with a clever script and a solid cast of unknowns. Nicholas Tucci is the real standout. Parts of it are bit long but this is a really innovative idea and gets to the heart of the ruthlessness obsession of film making. I really enjoyed it. And as far as the ending is concerned? Or course he signed it!

From the opening scene where our protagonist, Nina, fresh from Kansas is asked by a cabbie, "what was in the luggage?" and she responds "my mother" you know this film was going to be fun. This is a lovely fish out of water story as Nina traverses the surreal realms of Los Angeles with all of its eccentricity. She is in search of her sister who seems to have disappeared into a bizarre lifestyle. Part detective story and part journey of self-discovery, "Closure" leads Nina on a bizarre journey where she encounters some wonderfully outrageous characters. A pair of L. A. detectives she enlists to aid her are particularly amusing. And then of course when Dee Wallace shows up, it's such a wonderful turn of events. As a modest budget indie, this film entertains.

This is a lovely fish out of water story as we enter the world of Lebanon through Tess's eyes. The chemistry between the two major leads a native Lebanese, Nadine, and an American school teacher, Tess is wonderfully palatable and touching. We empathize and sympathize with these two women and resolving the issue with her brother and cousins creates some genuine humor, sympathy, and tenderness as they help her with her impossible plight. This is a delightful film in all ways for those interested in dipping their toe into another culture. Exquisitely photographed, directed, and edited, I absolutely loved it.

While it's definitely quirky and has some independent limitations, The Mentor delivers a fun critique on the maddening nature of the film business. Anyone who has ever been involved with film will surely find things to like here making it an enjoyable view.

This film is tediously weak. I don't normally write a critical review but this overly long, exposition-ridden bloated mess with an unlimited budget felt like a no-budget indie film with a weak script. Even the acting was questionable. I would have been more tolerant and consider it an experimental exercise if it were a low-budget indie. Sure there are some extravagantly staged action beats but I had absolutely no emotional investment in the story at all. At a certain point, I gave up even attempting to understand what was going on despite the interminable expositional dialog that tried to explain at length everything we had just witnessed. Wow, $300,000,000 spent here, and this is the result? The finest talents in the movie industrial complex? This money could have been used to make 300 one-million-dollar independent films instead of this box office self-indulgent train wreck. Shame on the industry that produced this, yet somehow it will probably still be profitable.

This poignant documentary chronicles the contemporary 3000-mile motorcycle journey of eleven Israelis from Tel Aviv to Berlin. It mirrors the original 1930 motorcycle adventure of Jews navigating through a Europe that is being taken over by rising anti-Semitism and Nazi expansion. With each stop along the route, stories are told from different survivors or family members of survivors. Connections are made from the present to the past with sadness and history and hope. The parallel nature of the original historic journey intercut with the contemporary one is a chilling reminder of what many Jews endured yet the film seems to make a hopeful case for a more tolerant world moving forward.

I really liked this film and enjoyed the flirty, light, friendly, sexy, banter between the two attractive leads. This is often a scenario for low-budget Indies, limited setting, minimum number of characters but it really works here because the principal actors Thomas Law and Lottie Amor have wonderful on-screen chemistry. All the production values are smart plus it has a lovely, playful melancholy jazzy score. Well done!

This is a beautiful and enigmatic story that possesses the sort of melancholy one expects from a Terrance Malick film. It deals with a young woman struggles with identity and meaning as she is faced with a difficult life-changing decision. Enjoyable performances from Ray Wise and Vanessa Lengies combined with its simple yet intriguing narrative holds your attention to the very end.

Don't Let the Night End is a beautiful and subtle film in the style of early Godard. On one level it's a slow burn romance but it is also a character study in loss and shifting goals. Subtle motifs are the broken phone, the missing cat, the rigidness of origami as Mia struggles to put her life back together and find meaning. The performances are very nuanced and naturalistic. The photography is lovely and music beautifully accompanies its protagonist's melancholy.

Young advertiser, Felix, is down on his luck and made fun of by his boss and the women in his life. Then he acquires "a Midas touch" and with that gift, you know things are going to go wrong. The twisted gold here is modern culture and many humorous hi-jinks involving sex, politics, and religion in this irreverent and raunchy take on a classic theme.

The Crumbs has a crazy 80s Stuart Gordon Re-Animator vibe with old-school horror themes in the vain of Get Out. The Crumbs lure people to the bed and breakfast for dark purposes. It's creepy fun that's not too gory.

This film is a very personal story concerning a centenarian woman's dramatic and heart-breaking story. Risa, experienced the hardships of WWII, yet remained remarkably resilient through all the adventures of her life summed up beautifully in the poem she recites near the end - "life goes on." This is a wonderfully inspiring film as we all journey forward through life's hardships.

A group of old friends who haven't seen each other in years gather in a cabin the night before a wedding. Old issues boil up as they reconcile their life choices and past relationships. The film is a contemporary 'Big Chill' with naturalistic writing and a standout performance from Patrick Rieger.

Apparently, these films were compiled from a web series? I thought the concept of an intelligent fungal colony very original and I enjoyed the evolving repercussions for its heroine. I never really knew where these stories were taking me and that was quite refreshing. I'd love to see the fourth film to learn what becomes of Alice and her family.

For those 80s science fiction purists, this original uncut 1987 version of 'Beyond the Rising Moon' has scenes and old-school pre-digital visual effects that have never been released before. We're talking Gerry Anderson style. Later the film would be re-edited, re-scored and some of its visual effects upgraded digitally to make the film "Outerworld" which also is available on Amazon Prime. Needless to say, the film is incredibly dated and deliberate in pace. Shot on 16mm film, it was produced for a mere $114,000. It aired on the SyFy Channel for years and was featured in a 1989 article in American Cinematographer about its production.

This is a very fun concept. A couple on the rebound from recent failed relationships discover each other and recognize instant chemistry. But rather than fall prey to a rebound romance, they decide to challenge each other to three dalliances before they return to one another to make it work. Many cute interactions ensue as they update one another on their progress. This is a fun movie for dates and couples with a great performance from Kate Forsatz also wrote the script.