"Catfish" Brings to Life the Fears We Quiet When Meeting Someone Online

            “I was so gullible. I’m so embarrassed.” Catfish is a genuine documentary where a guy falls for a girl online, but as the film progresses, the web of lies surrounding these Facebook profiles unravel. While following one heartwarming story, we come across another’s attempt in escaping from reality, but like any risks, there’s bound to be some casualties. This movie portrays raw human emotions, depicts the struggle in dating in today’s modern times, and the basic human longing to connect with another human being. Catfish proves that real life surpasses fiction at any given time.

            A scene in particular shows Nev, a New York based photographer, talking to a girl he’s never met before in person on the phone, giggling and blushing. 

            Nev thinks he’s found the girl of his dreams, starts to envisions a future with her, but as he goes after her, he uncovers one lie after another. The movie touches a relevant subject, online dating. This documentary shows real people testifying about a true first-world-nightmare, showing up to a date you made online, and realizing he/she sent a REALLY old picture. 

            Nev mentions at the beginning of the documentary that he doesn’t believe in long distance relationships. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and he is definitely not going to get hurt, he says. Yet, he pursues a conversation with a girl who laughs at his awkward jokes, somebody that not only gives him butterflies, but he gives butterflies to as well. We want her to be real, we want him to be happy, but life is a sick screenwriter. 

           This project deserves respect for coming into fruition. This contemporary classic includes honest human reactions captured in modern digital filmmaking. Taking a step back and seeing it as a filmmaker, you realize how much work went into this. Catfish was shot by two filmmakers documenting an ordinary guy forming an online friendship with an eight year old artist, yet the story grows into much more, and they knew how to capture it perfectly on a budget. At first the story may seem dull, but the scenery, style of shooting, and editing pull you in. The time invested into this project is evident. Catfish is so well edited that it guides your feelings, subtly and successfully.  Like documentaries, or a good thriller? Check “Catfish” out! Please don’t condemn it because it’s now a show on MTV. 

Check it out and lemme’ know what you think at the comment section below!

Wes Craven: Independent Filmmaking Royalty

 If you walk into this man’s home, you’ll hear a scream from the people under the stairs. You’ll run out thinking it was a nightmare, when you were just inside the last house on the left. Scream, People Under the Stairs, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Last House on the Left are a few of the titles that make up Wes Craven’s filmography.

About to turn 30, he took a risk and moved to California in pursuit of his new found passion, film-making. His earliest work goes back to writing and editing porn. Which no one from his family saw coming, since he was raised in a strict Baptist household. In 1972, Wes Craven released his first full-length film as a director, Last House on the Left. Last House on the Left follows 17-year-olds Mari and Phyllis as they’re kidnapped, degraded, and raped by escaped convicts. Phyllis eventually dies in an attempt to save her best friend. Mari, trying to escape, befriends the leader’s son by giving him a nickname and her necklace. He lets her runaway. Hope fills Mari’s eyes as she runs as fast as she can. The criminals catch up to her. They rape her, and carve their names into her chest. That little glimmer of hope she had disappears. 

The escaped convicts are ashamed of what they’ve done, they stare at their blood stained hands and give her space. Mari, extremely weak, manages to push herself off the ground, throws up, and says a prayer under her breath. She no longer tries to run, she walks towards the lake, and knows this is the end of the road for her. They shoot her. The water carries her body away. The escaped convicts take refuge in a lake house thanks to a married couple. The married couple turns out to be Mari’s parents. They manage to figure out what happened to their daughter and take vengeance into their own hands. 

I have an admiration for independent filmmakers, because they don’t have the big budget that Hollywood movies have, they can’t rely on stunning special effects, A-List celebrities, or worldwide promotion. Independent filmmakers have to make sure the storyline has a good flow, the acting is believable, and the editing shows continuity. The film, for me, is an example of how hard work does pay off. With a budget of $90,000, they were able to make a profit of $3.1 million at the box office.

            The story itself reminds me of something my Dad once said, that a person isn’t born bad, that it’s life and society that turns people a certain way. An upbringing filled with poverty led three people to find pleasure in causing others pain. A doctor and his wife mutilated three people in name of revenge. This story is filled with human beings being driven to unleash the darkest side of them. Last House on the Left shines a clean light into the dingy corners of the human psyche, which is what I believe a film should do. Now, I encourage you all to support independent films by visiting a film festival. And for my fellow filmmakers, keep writing! Keep directing! Keep going! Feel free to check out this short documentary on "The Last House on the Left."

Prevenge: Who Would Suspect a Pregnant Woman of Murder?

   “While people search for a purpose, I already got one.” This modern take on the horror genre portrays a pregnant woman committing murder in the name of revenge, hence the title. Prevenge is a well written story, accompanied by an amazing cast, and complimented by shots telling a story in a single frame. One of the best qualities of this film is how it delivers a different type of heroine. Who would suspect a middle class pregnant woman of murder? We’re able to dig deeper into the psychology behind each character through great use of foreshadowing. This movie not just delivers some gory, creepy scenes, but some good comedic moments, as well. Prevenge exemplifies on the difficult choices one has to make; life or death? Seek revenge, or sit at home angry? 

 

Each cast member has a moment to shine, and takes advantage of it, leaving us a good aftertaste with each scene. There are moments when one can’t stop to think, what lead actor would do that?!?! After looking up the movie on Wiki, it all made sense, the lead actress is also the writer and director- making it even more worthy of praise. The rest of the actors either make us sympathies with them, yet hate them to the point where we can’t wait for that knife to enter them - with that being said, thank you for the impeccable acting. Congratulations to the casting director for bringing together a talented assemble. The cast succeeds in delivering dark humor, eerie moments, and convincing performances.  

  The entire production team behind Prevenge produced a great new-age horror film. The story follows a woman seeking revenge for the death of her husband. There are moments where doubts emerge, but they’re quickly silenced by that little creepy voice inside her head. Throughout the movie, the lead character hears a voice urging her to continue with avenging her husband’s death. It’s understood that she believes the voice to be of her unborn child. She even avoids her sonograms because she fears what may be growing inside of her. This film interestingly turns the tables by making a person who society would perceive as vulnerable, into this horror film’s knife wielding psychopath.  

The director of photography, location scout, special make-up effects supervisor, all did a great job at pulling us into this story. This film could have been made as a dark comedy, but keeps the horror genre present at all time, either through blood on the floor, a creepy voice over, or eerie images. The foreshadowing in this movie is done very subtle. While Ruth, our pregnant murdering heroine, converses with a midwife, she’s told that the baby is in control now, to just give into it, if only the midwife knew she was green-lighting a murdering spree. 

A fan of the horror genre? Please watch this movie! You won’t regret it. 

"Dear White People" Calls out Modern Black-Face Parties Thrown by White College Students

            "Dear White People" breaks away from the negative Black youth stereotype cultivated by Hollywood over the years. Every individual storyline is incredibly well crafted. The three dimensionality of each character leaps off screen. The exchange of dialogue expressing heavily opposing viewpoints is delivered, written, and portrayed on screen eloquently. The social commentary is worthy of being praised. This film is a powerful contemporary satire, and if it spurred outrage in people because of the title, or the portrayal of white people inflicting daily micro-aggressions on minorities, well, maybe that was the point? Do yourself a favor and watch this modern classic!    

            This successful independent film, that happened to be funded entirely by fans, delivered strong performances, criticizing modern “black faces.” This story narrates the racial tension building up between Black and White students in a predominantly white Ivy League University. Each character has an interesting backstory, one self-deprecating, another of a mixed race questioning her race identity, or a young writer who doesn’t fit any of the stereotypes his counterparts expect of him. “Dear White People” questions why every character in a Tyler Perry movie that’s college-educated is inherently evil, or consists of black women suffering the entire time.   

            The micro-aggressions depicted in the film like, confusing two people just because they’re of the same race, or asking someone who looks ethnically ambiguous what they are, are such an eye opener. 

            Here we are, in 2017, and people are still throwing parties with racist themes like, University Of Florida’s 2012 Blackface party, or Arizona State University’s 2013 MLK Black Party. “Those invitations, whoever sent them, should have been met with derision and outrage, instead, a hundred people- your students arrived with posters, decorations, and costumes they had prepared for such event… showing us exactly where we’re at.” I’ve seen this movie so many times, yet I’m always finding new underlined meaning behind each dialogue exchange. If this comedy makes you feel anything, speak up! In order for us to grow and move on from such an antiquated mentality, we have to take different people’s perspective into count. So, please watch this movie, you won’t be sorry!

           

"Detachment" Reminds us of the Hypocrisy Behind "No Child Left Behind" and Delivers a Memorable Film

Adrien Brody delivers an amazing performance as a substitute teacher that lives detached from people. He teaches inner city student, while dealing with a dying grandfather troubled by his past, and takes an underage prostitute off the streets and into his home. “Detachment” depicts the serious issues facing public schools, including staff and students, correlated with the amount of help received from the government. Director Tony Kaye reminds us that “No Child Left Behind” is bullshit, and which main concern is property value. The film narrates how unappreciated teachers are in the United States, the result of the lack of good parenting skills, and the external factors affecting the public education system. 

The film opens with real teachers describing how they fell into, or were inspired to be a teacher. As the stories progress, you soon understand that some of these people didn’t intend to be full time teachers, they had other plans, but the fallacy of comfort trapped them in. The movie follows a substitute teacher, who tends to live detached from people, throughout his encounters with students facing different problems. One student seems infatuated with hurting animals, another suffers from verbal harassment brought on by her parents, and so on. “Detachment” also explores how a teen may fall into prostitution just to survive, and asks, how long can she keep getting used before she just becomes a walking body?

The film comments on how the youth in America is under a marketing holocaust, limiting their mind’s capacity, pushing them towards an abyss of ignorance. James Caan interprets a teacher that pops pills and is not afraid of mocking narcissistic, empty-headed, problematic teenagers. One student comes in with a tiny top claiming to not be giving it up to “every dick in my face,” he showers her with pictures of gonorrhea infested vaginas. He humiliates another student by repeating what the kid said in opera form, and the list goes on. Without giving much away, throughout the movie, you understand how unappreciated teachers are in America, and how a simple, “Thank you,” can make a difference. 

Tony Kaye includes how the “No Child Left Behind” act’s only concern is raising property value through higher test scores. During a faculty meeting, a “No Child Left Behind” representative treats these educators more as real estate agents than teachers. The story exemplifies the result of lack of parental involvement in their children’s education, especially in inner city kids. The empty and silent hallways of this urban school on Parent Teacher night says more than a thousand word monologue. 

Finally, this film is an actual work of art; it’s a perfect reflection of our dangerous reality. The cast did a great job of bringing life to these troubled characters; the young cast did amazing, and the actors that portrayed the school faculty gave a soul to this film. Check out the trailer down below, and if you still don’t feel like watching it, watch it either way and tell me what you think! 

"The Sex Addict" Offers a Cascade of Jokes in a Seth-McFarland Manner

  This independent comedy succeeds in portraying how far a sex addict can fall, it continually pushes the buttons through attention to detail, and provides a cascade of jokes throughout the story, giving it a “Seth McFarland” sense of direction. The film follows a young woman documenting her dissertation on sex addiction for her PHD, but the project soon becomes compromised when she falls for “The Sex Addict.”  The first thing I must commend the film on is how it explores the consequences of sex addiction, like, not being able to commit to one person, the restraint it may hold on your job performance...etc. (No Spoiler) There’s a scene where Rex, the subject of the dissertation, is desperate to have sex, and meets up with a girl online. He’s surprised to find out that she’s not a girl, the only thing she has in common with Beyonce? The shoulders.

 

Rex rushes to the bathroom, calls every woman on his contact list, but no one answers. After taking a moment, he goes back inside....

The film shows tremendous attention to detail, there were small things that added to the full comedic relief of the movie. One example is when Rex puts up a sign warning his neighbors to stay off his property. 

       (WARNING. KEEP OUT. TRESPASSERS WILL BE *SEXUALLY* VIOLATED.)

As the story progresses we witness a cascade of jokes taking form in short scenarios, like your boss visiting you at the hospital just to tell you you’re fired. Congratulations to the cast, you can tell everyone was invested in this project, which made those awkward-creepy scenarios into weird/hilarious jokes you can share with a friend like, “this young woman walks into a sex predator’s house…” 

There were certain things I wish they would’ve gone more in depth about like, why did Rex’s parents hate him? And whose story was this by the end of the film? We switch from the woman pursuing her PHD to the intern’s perspective throughout the movie. San Fernando Valley native? Got to watch this! It was fun seeing locations one would pass by on their way to work or whatnot. Ever wondered how deep the lake in Balboa Lake is? 

 As an aspiring filmmaker, I have to applaud the team behind this film on completing this project; this is the true definition of independent filmmaking. They got their shit done, how many of us can say that? Looking for a good indie-comedy?  Check this movie out on the 28^th of April on Video On Demand, or iTunes, or even better, preorder the DVD or Blu-ray the 28^th of March!

"Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil," the Result of Horror and Comedy Having a Beautiful Baby

           "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" is a horror-comedy that does a perfect job at poking fun at the horror genre. A group of preppy college kids believe their friend has been taken by evil hillbillies, they act as if they were in a scary movie, taking things from bad to worse throughout the entire film. This isn’t a comedy where it’s one joke after another, it’s a smart comedy where everything is taken out of context. One example is when Dale, a likable shy hillbilly, approaches a couple of college girls, bursts out laughing awkwardly while holding a scythe... any wonder why the two girls were terrified? 

 

I mean who wouldn’t be creeped out by that? Props to the director and director of photography, if you pause it at any time, since everything was placed perfectly in the shot, you immediately know what type of story this is.

           Another pro is how they switched the roles, where it was the guys that fit the horror film villain archetype turning out to be the protagonist. Each one of the college kids was the typical character you’d find in a campy horror movie, you got the cute final girl, the annoying douchebag, the dumb blonde, etc... 

 

  

          Emphasis on the dumb blonde role...

  

           The writer did a great job! We laugh at these preppy college kids taking things out of context, and we get scared for our beloved hillbillies, and why? Because these damn college kids keep trying to kill 'em!  

           Definitely recommend this film for all horror-comedy fans, you'll laugh, get your nice dose of graphic violence, and sleep well that night. Two thumbs up! 

Check out the trailer below!

Reasons Why "Another Earth" is Independent Filmmaking at its Best!

  To make a long story short; A highschool graduate kills a man’s family in a drunk driving accident. Years later she's released from prison, goes to apologize to the man, but lies instead, and befriends him– Don’t worry, I haven’t spoiled the movie, you get all this from the trailer.

This is independent filmmaking at it’s best. Why?

1. The script is so well written. The interior storyline follows the lead character explore some massive personal growth. She feels horrible for what she did- and she should, she drove home drunk and killed a man’s family. An internal dilemma kicks in, how can we root for a person that ended two innocent lives? You should hate this person, but you can't, you witness her being human, making a mistake, and trying to make amends. 

  

 

        The exterior storyline explores the discovery of an Earth-like planet, inhabited by citizens identical to our Earth. Then film then plays with the idea of, did the other me do better than me? Did they make the same mistakes? Both storylines compliment each other so well, that it leaves such a good aftertaste once it fades to black. 

 

2. Memorable scene: You barely see her smile in the beginning, but there’s this one scene when she stops at a convenient store, goes to the candy isle, takes a bag of gummy worms, and smiles. This moment only lasts a couple of seconds, yet her smile made me empathize with her. This poor girl is so consumed by remorse, that she keeps trying to punish herself. Yet, she just got off an eight hour shift, she’s tired, and she’s just looking for a little pick-me-up. As she tries to pay for her gummy worms, she runs into an old friend- who, unlike her, went to college, finished school, and is now engaged. He has his life together, she's working as a janitor in their old high school. She ends up leaving the gummy worms on the counter and walks out. The consequences of her mistakes echo through this film.

 

3.  This film is indie filmmaking at it’s best. The overall theme is beautiful; don’t let yesterday dictate who you are today, or who you’re going to be tomorrow. It explores the idea of second chances, and how we sometimes feel like we’re not worthy of them, yet we don’t want to be who we were yesterday, so we jump into the abyss of the unknown, hoping the grass is greener on the other side.

 

 Check out the trailer and let me know what you think!