Review by David Baldwin

In a time of witches, swords and magic, an ancient evil has risen to power and has been enslaving humankind. Through the ages, heroes rise and fall trying to take down this evil, but what will it take to stop it?

If you are a fan of Heavy Metal and films of its ilk, then THE SPINE OF NIGHT may seem like it was tailor made for you. Viciously-graphic violence, harsh explosions (mainly involving blue fire) and obscene nudity are just the start of what you are in for over the course of the Film’s 93-minute running time. It initially felt like a blueprint for a live action epic, but there is no way any of the wild happenings here would ever make it to the big screen in any form other than this rotoscoped animation style. Some moments look genuinely incredible with how vividly detailed they are, and others are cruder than you would ever expect. The technique is rarely used so extensively in modern animation, so it was refreshing to see it employed here, allowing the Filmmakers to make interesting and unique choices in telling their blood-soaked story.

Where THE SPINE OF NIGHT lost me was in its pacing and structure. The majority of the Film is told in jumpy episodic flashbacks, with very few characters appearing in multiple segments. It makes latching onto any one element of the story difficult, and takes a bit of time to jump on board for – especially when the flashbacks are so non-linear. And while it is fun to hear voices like Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt and Joe Manganiello as these characters, I found so many of their performances to be dull, lifeless and generally unenthusiastic. I was excited to watch and love this Film, but merely found myself admiring the scope and style and not much else.

THE SPINE OF NIGHT screens at SXSW Thursday, March 18, 2021 starting at 9 PM ET.

By Amanda Gilmore

As a child, Alexis (Jamin Savoy Brown) recovered her hearing and gained synesthetic abilities after witnessing the murder of her family. Now an adult, Alexis is a Sound Engineer pursuing a career in music. She fears she may lose her hearing again if she doesn’t compose her experimental masterpiece. But there’s a catch, the masterpiece can only be achieved by recording the brutal acts of violence she inflicts.

Writer-Director Alex Noyer adapts his Short Film Conductor into a gruesome slasher feature. In a genre that often feels overdone, Noyer has created something inventive. He uses musical instruments and piercing sound as ways to give audiences gory murders they didn’t see coming. 

Savoy Brown gives a layered performance, playing Alexis as a demure figure in the beginning, then tilting into sinister territory once the audience knows what she’s capable of. After Alexis’s first kill, it’s clear she will stop at nothing to conduct her masterpiece. Her motivation leads to a climax that is both horrific and captivating.

Sound of Violence screens at SXSW: Thursday, March 18 at 9 PM ET.

BBC Lockdown Series STAGED has found a home in Canada on Hollywood Suite! The comedic Series starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant, arrives – you guessed it – April Fool’s Day!

Synopsis:

Actors Michael Sheen (The Queen) and David Tennant (Doctor Who) play fictionalized versions of themselves, trying to rehearse a performance during lockdown via videoconference, while the underconfident director, Simon, struggles to keep control of the production. This six-part, half-hour series was filmed entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic and features guest appearances by Judi Dench, Samuel L. Jackson, and Adrian Lester. 

Two episodes premiere each night April 1–3 beginning at 9pm ET on HS00. The full series will be available on demand from April 1.

Episode One “Cachu Hwch” – April 1, 9pm ET

Episode Two “Up To No Good” – April 1, 9:25pm ET

Episode Three “Who The F#!k is Michael Sheen?” – April 2, 9pm ET

Episode Four “Bara Birth” – April 2, 9:25pm ET

Episode Five “Ulysses” – April 3, 9pm ET

Episode Six “The Cookie Jar” – April 3, 9:25pm ET

STAGED premieres on Hollywood Suite Friday, April 1 at 9pm ET.

(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)

The fourth edition of the Pendance Film Festival takes place March 26-28, 2021 virtually. 54 films and 20 live panels & Q&As comprise the grassroots Film Festival.

Highlights:

10 FEATURE FILMS SELECTED TO PENDANCE 2021 Five female filmmakers and films from six different countries headline a strong 10-feature-lineup. This year’s festival marks a lot of firsts—a World Premiere feature, a Canadian feature, and feature films from Uruguay, Finland, Germany and Turkey.   

44 SHORT FILMS SELECTED TO PENDANCE  The highly anticipated shorts programme boasts 44 films from 5 continents. Officially selected titles from some of the top emerging directors in the world like Oscar-nominee Javier Fesser, Goya-winner Carlota Pereda and Ghana’s emerging talent Anthony Nti are some standouts. In the non-competition section, the selected directors include Canadian actor Shaun Majumder, ‘Under Her Skin’ director Jonathan Glazer, and Vancouver’s Christie Will Wolf.  

Passes and tickets can be purchased here.

(Photo credit: Pendance Film Festival)

Review by Amanda Gilmore

When Violet (Olivia Munn) was a child, she was free and happy. As she grew up, a negative “guiding voice” (Justin Theroux) began changing the way she lived. She now works at a film production company where she deals with a sexist, undermining boss. And spends her days biting her tongue trying to please others, even when that means causing herself pain. But things begin to change when Violet decides to do the opposite of what her “guiding voice” says.

Violet’s negative voice feels like it’s the manifestation of overpowering depression and crippling anxiety. It diminishes her self-esteem so that she becomes a doormat for others, changing to be what they want. And it tells her to submit, convincing her that’s the only way to get through life. Theroux provides powerful voiceover work that creates a convincing guiding voice.

Actress-Writer-Director Justine Bateman – yes, the same one from Family Ties – further visualizes Violet’s inner turmoil through transitions. Fade-outs are traditionally used by fading to black. However, Bateman fades to red. These fades happen when Violet finds herself overwhelmed by the negative voice and those around her. The immense pressure builds and transitions into anger that she buries within her, which is symbolized through the red. 

Although we are hearing the negative voice, we rarely hear Violet’s thoughts. Bateman incorporates Violet’s thoughts through quotes across the frame. Majority of the time these writings aide in exposing things we wouldn’t otherwise know. However, there are moments when these writings feel overused.

This is primarily caused because of Munn’s strong performance. Her talent in this role makes the added visual quotes seem redundant. We don’t need to read what is happening behind Violet’s eyes, because Munn shows us. She shines brightest in one particular scene when Violet confronts her sexist boss.

Violet screens at SXSW Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 5 PM ET.

By Amanda Gilmore

This Feature is a reimagining of the acclaimed play and Henry Lawson’s classic Short Story. The Film takes place in 1893, where Molly Johnson (Leah Purcell) struggles to raise her children while her husband is off droving sheep. When Aboriginal fugitive Yadaka (Rob Collins) lands on her doorstep a bond develops. When word breaks out that Molly’s husband is actually missing, a constable is sent to question Molly as a suspect. But things turn deadly between Molly, Yadaka and the constable which results in a tragic chain of events.

Purcell does double-duty by also directing this feature. Her landscape and close-up shots paint a picture of an unforgiving and harsh bushland setting that parallels those in charge during the period. Molly becomes a symbol for feminism and anti-racism through the plot and Purcell gives an outstanding performance. Although it drags in moments, particularly in the first act, it speeds up in the third — which is when the story delves into Molly’s revenge and the majority of the action takes place.

The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson screens at SXSW: Thursday, March 18th 3PM ET.

Review by David Baldwin

Every Christmas, the Paranoid Dramatics Amateur Group made-up of Dorset Bus Drivers put on a pantomime of a classic story for charity. On one particular year however, they really think outside the box and instead decide to put on a serious adaptation of the Sci-Fi Horror masterpiece, Alien. They work tirelessly on the sets, costumes and props, and believe they have created something great. Sadly, the show ends up flopping. It does however, end up finding a few adoring fans who may inspire the group to try again in a theatre on London’s West End.

From the start, my major issue with ALIEN ON STAGE is how superficial it feels. The camera acts as the fly on the wall, watching everything play out in various stages of completion. While it is fun seeing the show come together (and even more fun to see it play out in front of a screaming crowd), what we are privy to offers no real sense of depth or deeper understanding to gleam from. We learn precious few details about the eclectic Cast of characters putting on the show, and even less about the fans who inspire their trip to London’s West End. I kept expecting some form of drama or infighting, or even just some real hitch that makes for some form of introspection to take place. None of that happens unfortunately, so we are left with a padded out documentary that makes us wait far too long for what we actually want to see.

That is not to say there is nothing to enjoy here. Much to the contrary, fans of Ridley Scott’s seminal work will have a blast and delight in seeing the project come together in ways you will never expect. The enthusiasm of the Cast bringing the show to life is positively infectious, and imbues the Film with a whimsical tone that never dissipates. This is a hardcore fan documentary that revels in showing the creativity and wonder this group of individuals brought together to make this stage adaptation. It is inspiring stuff to say the least, and it could have made for an even more compelling narrative had the film been further tweaked from its current state. While some of the fake bus in space shots are strange, the way the Film plays with Alien iconography in the transitions is quite lovely and creative to see. But the fact that the Filmmakers were able to secure footage from Scott’s actual film is worth a celebration all on its own.

ALIEN ON STAGE screens Thursday, March 18, 2021 starting at 1 PM.

Review by David Baldwin

Pat Pitsenbarger (legendary character actor Udo Kier) used to be a popular hairdresser in Sandusky, Ohio. Now he lives his remaining years in a nursing home, folding napkins and sneaking a smoke or two when the nurses are not looking. When Pat discovers that one of his former clients has died and that her dying wish was for him to style her hair for the funeral, he escapes the home and sets his sights on rediscovering his roots.

SWAN SONG was one of my most anticipated films going into SXSW, and I was sadly left disappointed after watching it. Writer/Director Todd Stephens has constructed an intensely personal film about a larger than life character (based on a real person), and tells his story through a dream-like haze of memories, grief and regret. His intentions making the film are sincere, but it never feels like he is sure of himself or the story he wants to tell. Instead, he lets the Film meander from scene to scene completely disconnected from each other, bringing in new characters to interact with Pat and add very little to the plot that we cannot already surmise on our own from the things he tells them. Some of the more ghostly characters add a bit of depth to the proceedings, though it never seems clear what Stephens is getting at by adding them into the mix. With the way he stages the Film, perhaps it would have worked better as a Documentary about the real life Pat interspersed with dramatizations? At the very least, it would have made the Film feel more structurally sound.

All of those issues aside, it is still a great delight to see Kier in a rare leading role. He pours his heart and soul into his performance as Pat and has an uncanny knack for ensuring the camera stays focused squarely on him. His character is a little unconventional and a little bit of a caricature of stereotypical gay men. It is borderline offensive in some instances, and so pure and devastating in others. Kier’s weathered facial expressions say so much about Pat that the film around him simply cannot. The Supporting Cast do what they can –Jennifer Coolidge and Ira Hawkins are the two standouts – but no one comes even close to matching the Kier’s strength. His work here is beautiful and it deserved a much better film to house around it.

SWAN SONG screens Thursday, March 18, 2021 starting at 1 PM.

Review by David Baldwin

Adam (Mark Duplass) longs to become fluent in Spanish again. He is apprehensive when he discovers that his husband paid for online Spanish lessons with teacher Cariño (Natalie Morales). Once they get to chatting however, Adam finds a friendship he did not expect – and one that will become even more important as their weekly lessons progress.

LANGUAGE LESSONS is a sweet slice of life tale about two wayward souls connecting over Zoom calls. While some may scoff at the Film taking place entirely over the video chat service and on video messaging taken with an iPhone, it makes what happens to this friendship between two characters all the more poignant and raw. So many of these scenes are uncut, making the extended conversations between Duplass and Morales feel all the more authentic and revealing. There is an honesty here in having each scene so focused on the characters’ faces and expressions that simply cannot be replicated if it were a traditionally made picture with both Actors in the same room. While some moments feel a bit too drawn out, I appreciated how it never felt flashy or overly-elaborate but always managed to feel special.

Duplass is as great as you expect, maybe even better. He has a knack for really honing in on the vulnerability of his character Adam and develops his personality quite beautifully over the course of the 92-minute running time. He shines in every moment, especially in the Film’s most emotional scenes. Morales is enjoyable and more than holds her own against Duplass. She is slightly more enigmatic and does not go nearly as deep as he does, but is still rather wonderful in all of her scenes. LANGUAGE LESSONS is her feature directorial debut and I am very intrigued to see what she does next.

LANGUAGE LESSONS screens at SXSW Wednesday March 17, 2021 starting at 3 PM.

Review by David Baldwin

Kevin Smith was working as a clerk at a convenience store when he released Clerks way back in 1994. Director Malcolm Ingram’s Documentary about the iconic Director takes its title from this life altering moment in Smith’s life, and then presents a chronicle of the director’s work from that Film through to Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and everything that happened in between.

CLERK is a delight for fans of Smith and all things View Askew. Ingram packs in interviews with almost everyone you can think of (Jason Lee is suspiciously missing as is Clerks’ Jeff Anderson) to talk about their relationships with the fan-favourite director. Ingram was even able to include interview clips with the late Stan Lee prior to his death. While some of these moments are self-congratulatory, others are more candid and honest. The treasure trove of behind the scenes footage and stills is impressive to say the least, and it is quite moving to see Smith be reduced to tears multiple times by some questions (specifically in regards to his heart attack back in 2018).

My only issue with CLERK is with its pacing. Ingram covers every single one of Smith’s 13 films, placing a sliding scale of emphasis on each one (not to mention his podcasting work, his pioneering style of fan interactions and talks, his relationship with his family and longtime Producer Scott Mosier, and the heart attack). I can appreciate the scope Ingram places on the project, but it gets to be too much and becomes rather unwieldly all too quickly. And where I was hoping for more depth on certain sections, Ingram ended up cutting to something else entirely. Why not just emphasize the most important achievements and merely reference the others? It would have made for a more concise Film and still left room for those immense waves of nostalgia that course through its veins.

CLERK screens at SXSW Wednesday March 17, 2021 starting at 1 PM.