Reviews

"A Line in the Sand" is a drama that tells the story of Banzai, a homeless and wondering man with a tortured past. After being booked by cops over a petty crime, the film's plot begins to slowly unravel as you begin to learn more about Banzai and the circumstances that got him to where he is.

Played by Jon Bernthal, watching Banzai's grip on reality slowly loosen throughout the film is a real treat, especially once the revelations of his past come to light from the perspectives of the case detectives who have detained him. Led by hard-nosed actor Bruce McGill, who also gives an awesome performance in this engrossing drama, the trio of cops in the movie add a smart and sophisticated edge to the film's world, adding a legitimate layer of intelligence and believably. This film is definitely worth a watch if you're into any kind of cop drama, as the performances and story don't disappoint!

Mixing in the current trend of home invasion with elements of horror, "Bad vs Worse" tells the exploits of three amateur robbers getting in a situation that, as the title implies, goes from "bad" to "worse."

When the trio finds themselves in the house of a serial killer by accident, things quickly speedup to all the blood and nightmare inducing antics you would expect from a genre horror film such as this; knives, chainsaws, torture, etc, it's all here. In this way, the film pulls an interesting reversal of having the "predators" in the form of the robbers, become the "prey" when compared to their serial killing overlord.

Ultimately, I can see fans of shows like "Dexter" or "Saw" liking an indie horror flick such as this. The film was definitely made on a budget, but fans of the genre will find something to like in this piece.

"The Man from Orlando" stars a talented and young group of upcoming actors in a "dramedy" that is at times both edgy and hilarious. The team of actors (including Sam Edison of "Zero Charisma" fame) have great chemistry together it's fun to watch the situations and dilemmas these characters get themselves into in this film. Often in an indie film, the acting can be a difficult hurdle to overcome, but thankfully the ensemble effort of the actors involved helps to elevate this film above a lot of its indie competition.

Following the story of Orlando, a man who is trying to escape the deeds of his past, "The Man from Orlando" is an interesting display of rising talent that will be talked about for awhile.

Burning Man has been a counter culture hub and talking point for going on a decade. In this documentary, the filmmakers attempt to breakdown and showcase what this festival, which some commentators in the film call a "proto-apocalpytic, hippy neo-pagon, freakfest," is all about. And with a claim like that, one can't help but wonder what "Burning Man" really IS all about.

But the film goes to great lengths to showcase the people and events that have made the festival what it is over the last 10 or so years. Often spoken about as a spiritual journey, the festival seems like an event that this documentary invites you to understand, but more often than not, your curiosity invites you to explore. Though the documentary does a great job of depicting what Burning Man is, ultimately it leaves you with a yearning to experience the festival for yourself once the credits roll.

The topic of "cancer" is a heavy and serious one to portray in any film, let alone a documentary. Yet, in Nevie Owen's film, "Cancerpants" the ups and downs of living with cancer are explored in such an intimate and detailed manner that by the end of the movie, it's hard not to feel like you've gone through an emotional roller-coaster with the characters of the film.

Revolving around the story of Rochelle Paulson, the film chronicles her battle with Stage 3 breast cancer over a two-year period in a gripping and uncompromising way. From the good times to the bad, "Cancerpants" shines a very bright light on the human spirit in this hidden gem of a documentary.

If there's anything that is always prevalent in Austin, Texas, it's the stoner culture that permeates throughout the city's youth. Austin High captures the spirit of that culture in a film that asks "what would happen if a bunch of stoners grew up to run their own high school?".

The vibe of "Keeping Austin Weird" is also helped by cameos from the likes of "Dog the Bounty Hunter," who makes a surprise appearance in this indie film to wreck havoc on unsuspecting teens. Over the top and funny, "Austin High" is an indie comedy that captures the city's youth in a light-hearted and often unexpected, and over the top, way. If you're an Austin native or have visited the city, you'll find yourself chuckling along a time or two with this film.

A fun documentary that highlights an interesting and emerging culture. I don't know if I could ever have the courage to go on an adventure like this myself, but it's interesting to see how this film portrays the couch surfing culture and the parallels between the crowd funding platforms that are all the rage in today's day and age. The film brings up a lot of interesting questions, such as what does ownership really mean in today's society and is access more important?

The scope of the film is impressive too, where normally a feature like this may stop at one continent, the documentary hops across the globe to explore the couch surfing phenomenon fully. An interesting watch.

The film is self-aware which is fine, but it's one of the more poorly blocked/shot films I've seen in awhile. Wherever the camera should not be to get the maximum impact of a shot, count on it being there. =(

Also, anytime the protagonists are sharing a scene together, count on dead air and a complete lack of energy on screen. The movie also uses stock footage for a lot of its action sequences, while still shooting its actors on today's more modern digital cameras. This creates a visual disparage in quality that reminds constantly takes you in and out of any kind of world the film was trying to build. It's an interesting concept, but the editing, shot design, and cinematography all feel like they were grasping at straws to make this production work.

Kudos to the team for getting it in the can, but I would definitely not recommend this to anyone who likes video games. It may insult them. =/