I’ve been paying particular attention to indie action films. They are expensive and dangerous to make, and any little foray into the genre, like Michael Thomas DeLano’s action/sci-fi short Sunset Drive, will always pique my interest. Sunset Drive takes us…
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The Big Picture The third season of The Bad Batch has taken a much darker turn with its storytelling. Omega faces imprisonment and all of the uneasy elements of a child in captivity. The series delves deeper into Palpatine's cloning…
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Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episodes 1-3 of Constellation. The Big Picture A compelling narrative and entrancing mystery are crafted in the first 3 episodes of Constellation . The show encourages viewers to create their theories from the…
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Three young men, freshly graduated from college, donning their cap and gown, ride their skateboards on a city sidewalk. A well-groomed businessman approaches the boys, asking for help with an unknown task. Of the three, only one, Michael (Andrew Lutheran),…
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The Zone of Interest, written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, is an unsettling juxtaposition of banal domestic life and chilling mass genocide, all nestled together on the terrifying landscape of Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII. Loosely based on the 2014…
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The Big Picture Bye Bye Tiberias utilizes original and archival footage to depict the importance of unearthing the past. The documentary portrays ordinary Palestinian existence amidst constant threats of extermination. The film's unorthodox structure reflects the complexity of reckoning with…
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Night Swim offers an immersive dive into the deep end of suburban horror, drawing its dread from the supposedly serene family pool turned terror trough. Director Bryce McGuire makes his feature film debut with this creepy concoction, expanding his 2014…
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Writer-director Jesse Edwards makes his feature-length debut with the western actioner The Stolen Valley (formerly titled Alta Valley). Lupe (Briza Covarrubias), a Mexican-Navajo mechanic, is in dire need of some fast cash. The money is for an operation that’ll save her dying…
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In Godzilla Minus One, director Takashi Yamazaki takes us on an epic journey to postwar Japan. Not only is what we see impressive but it is also astonishingly immersive. In the 37th film of the globally celebrated Godzilla series, Yamazaki…
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The Big Picture Hilary Swank brings spunk and charisma to her role, but the script falls into clichés and lacks depth. The emotionally manipulative storytelling and unclear character motivations detract from the film. The climax is drawn out and loses…
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SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024 REVIEW! Our numbers are dwindling. Those of us who survived life without the aid of a cell phone, much less a smartphone. Man, that was a long time ago. In his documentary Disconnect Me,…
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Few experiences in life induce the sort of bewildering bewilderment akin to viewing Gods of the Deep, the latest science fiction venture by Charlie Steeds. Despite its potential for engaging visuals and compelling lore, this underwater misadventure regrettably fails to…
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