Rachel reluctantly agrees to help Micah pull a “heavenly” con on a wealthy billionaire, Ben (Alan Tudyk), who wants to speak with God about the random death of his daughter. Micah and Rachel pose as “angels” in hopes of meeting with Ben. Although Ben doesn’t believe in “angelic” personas, in an act of desperation, he calls their bluff and insists on speaking with God directly. Micah suspiciously accepts the offer, and now the “con” and panic set in....

Soon, the 17-minute fantasy takes a surrealistic turn. As Lena steadily loses control of her life, she holds on to that one thing that gives her comfort and security. What is it? That night, while looking out her back window, Lena reaches out and grabs the moon, as in literally plucks it from the sky. But, while the moon gives Lena stability, the rest of the world goes out of sync in its absence....

At its foundation, the film tells the tale of two cities, contrasting the wealth gap between Mumbai and Los Angeles. How can one city be home to the largest population of citizens living in poverty in Mumbai, while on the other hand, how can a first-world city like Los Angeles not only be a beacon of prosperity but also have the most significant disparity between the rich and poor amongst its citizens?...

However, it’s about Bitcoin specifically, which uses the same energy as a small sun, so I’m splitting hairs here. It’s all cool either way because the central plot is partly a hostage to technological verisimilitude, but the rest of Luktvasslimo’s film is perky, inventive, and thoroughly charming. We open on an amusing male modeling shoot. Lukas (Henrik Paus) clasps a Van De Graaf generator, his long blonde hair standing up in ropes....

I have to admit, before I watched this documentary, I’d never heard of this particular creature. That’s likely because it seems so localized, as the subtitle points out, to rural areas in Texas that form a rough triangle between San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. Like chicken-fried steak the origins of Dogman stories can feasibly be traced back to Germanic immigrants in the 19th century, with a mix of flavors and spices from other cultures....

The titular squad consists of three gun-toting drug runners, Gina (Meghan Carrasquillo), Bella (Alea Hansinger), and Dani (Grace Evans). They have a smooth spring break operation. Each year, their leader Alpha (Jennifer Ferguson), sets them up with the best dope on the market. Their good looks (I mean, marketing) and shrewd business sense set them up for guaranteed success. Unfortunately, the local drug cartel’s leader doesn’t like that they’re doing ten times the business he is....

Of course, neither of us looks any sweeter afterward. Just some eye bags, kinda numb brain, and off we go to work. Well, for most of us that is how binge-watching works. But do we regret doing that? Sort of yes. But, will we ever do it again? Yes, we will! Just recently, I finished the series Lupin. Within a night, you bet! I Did not even wait till the sun rose and I was done!...

Animated with moderately red, curly hair and enlarged, expressive eyes, Matty’s vibrant appearance stands out in an apartment setting with hints of light pink and harsh white. There are faint outlines of vases, windows, and furniture, but Matty commands your attention. They peer out the window for a few moments before sitting on a couch as they hold a mug. Finally, Matty looks exhausted and gently throws their phone in frustration....

When Camila takes the drug over the next few nights, she loses all inhibition. This loner breaks loose and no longer allows herself to be subject to her fears. When Camila begins to pursue her crush, the drug pushes her beyond her limitations. There’s a bit more going on with Voyager than I’m describing. Filmmaker Pablo Pagán takes his love of noir stories and turns this tale into a crime mystery....

Indeed, CS2 allows users not only to play the beloved shooter, but also to earn money. Moreover, this does not have to be an amateur or professional tournament. One of the ways to earn money is through skins. Some traders do not play much, and instead study trends, the market, price changes, bloggers, and so on. The skins market brings traders substantial money, but this does not mean that anyone can buy any skin and sell it for several times more....

But that’s the simplistic summation, of course. The short film manages to be more than just some unsuspecting kidnappers getting surprised by those they’re trying to victimize. Instead it’s a complex drama, with a couple turns you don’t remotely suspect. And it looks great too. While I’m tempted to use the word “slick” here, I don’t want you to think that I’m describing a visual style so much as the appreciated polish of professional filmmakers....

Candy Assortment When you’re choosing the refreshments for your home theater, there are two ways to go about it. One way is by stocking the same boxed candies that you’d find in a traditional theater – and of course, your guests will definitely enjoy that. If you’re willing to go a step further, though, it doesn’t require a lot of effort or money to do something that will really stand out....

2 Hours is an original and thrilling take on this over-saturated genre. We’ve seen victims being bitten and turn into the infected before, but not many have explored a bitten human’s journey and struggle to stay alive. 2 Hours does an excellent job of explaining how the “virus” sets in and turns you. Using rich visuals and sharp dialogue, it explains that the virus sets in when your worst fear eats at you until you literally want to eat at something (or someone) else....

Sundance Institute announced today the films selected to screen in the 2013 Sundance Film Festival out-of-competition sections Spotlight, Park City at Midnight and New Frontier, as well as the installations and performances to be featured in the Festival’s New Frontier venue. The Festival takes place January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce the films selected for these sections because they illustrate the tremendous creativity and vibrancy of the independent film community....

Grace Linn’s protest speech is a solid opening to the film and the freedoms denied by book-bans. ABCs of Book Banning then cuts to a montage of banned books such as Maus, The Life of Rosa Parks, and various texts removed from school libraries and curricula. The focus on the kids separates this from other politically charged documentaries. Most of the interviews featured are students discussing the removed books and the dangers of limiting knowledge....

Unfortunately, Angie’s world is not so plain and simple. Sneaking out with her friends, she is naïve to gang elements and drug use or partying, which leads to her being raped, which scares her of men for the rest of her life. On the fateful night that Angie loses her innocence, Detective Sheila Hart (Essence Atkins) brings her home. Angie is forced to face her mother, Denyce (Denise Boutte). Denyce dominating, angry, and strung out on pot and other things, is resentful of Angie for raising a daughter that forced her into a life she never wanted....

When Kelly met Phil The story has been all over the gambling press for months, but in case you missed it, here’s how it goes. Phil Ivey is arguably the most famous poker professional of the 21st century. With 10 World Series of Poker bracelets to his name, he can boast career earnings of more than $26 million. Kelly Sun is the daughter of a Hong Kong millionaire with a passion for gambling and a grudge against MGM....

Though she started out documenting other cultures, she discusses how she made the transition to telling the stories of the women around her in America. Eating disorders, girl culture, and materialism are the bread and butter of her work, and we dive in deep. Watch new episodes of BYOD live each week on Tuesdays at noon on TheLip.TV, or tune in for the archived replay starting here on the following Thursday....

My series “Curator To Curator” will be a chance to talk shop with other film and video programmers who specialize in offbeat audiovisual work. The first installment is a chat with Dimitri Simakis about his wildly popular blog/festival/movement “Everything Is Terrible!” EIT began as a group of friends, a bong, and a VCR at Ohio University. The kids searched thrift stores, flea markets, and garage sales for the tackiest VHS tapes in the world....

Before leaving on our trip we had planned on an amazing “Musicians on Motorcycles” double bill featuring “Purple Rain” and “Cool As Ice”. Yes, you read that right, Prince and Vanilla Ice in one double bill. Unfortunately, “Cool As Ice” is much harder to come by than one might suspect and the only store in all of Vancouver that actually carried it had rented it out for the night we needed it....