I consider IH a black comedy with drama, not necessarily the other way around. Did you see a central character from the first draft or did the final script unexpectedly gravitate toward the struggle of younger son Tim Travis? I always envisioned the movie as an ensemble, but seen through the eyes of Emile’s character. That this was a world whose characters are all important to the story, like a giant tapestry, where each person affects everyone else, but we need, as the audience, an entrance point, a set of eyes to use as our own, and I thought Emile’s character was the right one — the most affected by the story, and the cleanest, (almost most adult) viewpoint....

Also explored are the misconceptions as well as expected challenges. There is a dramatic wraparound story set in a queer history archive. In it, Ahmad (Aden Hakimi) is researching, and the handy archive attendant Kieran (Theo Germaine) is ready to assist. Ahmad is studying men’s bathhouses that existed prior to their mass shutdown in the 1980s. Such a place was a spa that operates as a private club where men can have sex with each other, usually anonymously....

is nudity, violence or cursing, I’m told, it can’t happen. I’ve never been one to listen to other people, but I hear this line of bullshit so often that I start to get a bit pissed. I don’t know why people assume I’ll be happy to raise my child as an idiot just because that is the route they’ve chosen to follow. I’m going to travel a different road. You see, my wife and I are going to raise our daughter to know the difference between fact and fiction, and we aren’t going to mind if she wants to see something like House of 1,000 Corpses because we’ll be secure in the knowledge that she knows it’s only a film....

Before her Presidential nomination, Victoria Woodhull (Christina Leidel) was the first woman to address Congress, the first female stockbroker, and the first woman to start her own publishing company. Guiding her along her prophetic journey to the White House is the visage of the Greek statesman Demosthenes (Travis West), giving her the encouragement only an ancient philosopher could provide. On the night that Woodhull is to accept the nomination for President of the United States, she is confronted by the crowd on her platform of “free love....

Stoner (Braz Cubas) has recently returned to North Carolina following the death of his mom. He’s pretty restless these days, as his hunting tendencies have not diminished, and he might never be satiated. One day, with two Confederate reenactors awaiting a rideshare, a cable technician comes by. It turns out this is Joel (Joel Loftin), an old friend of Stoner’s from way back in the day. As the two commiserate, Stoner confides that he is having religious hallucinations and that he believes the powers that be are guiding him to do something big....

Unfortunately, Mike is having a severe case of writer’s block. So, he spends this day doing anything else but writing the speech. Make his father a cup of tea? Sure. Annoy Ayo and her friend? Why not? As Mike distracts himself, he begins to understand more about his place within his family. Will Mike be able to write that speech, or does he unravel the frays at the edge of his family’s dynamic?...

Aside from Sharon Tate, not much is known about the lives of the victims. A big reason for that is all the focus the media put on the Manson family members who committed the crimes. Jay Sebring…Cutting to the Truth changes that, as his nephew, Anthony DiMaria, who directed the documentary, takes viewers into Sebring’s life by interviewing family members, friends, and clients, along with lots of riveting archival footage....

My biggest criticism of Leave Only Footprints, as it is, is that it makes a better story to be read than it does a film to be seen. Since the majority of the film is just conversation between Maddy and Kevin, predominantly with Kevin explaining all the different crime scenes in the various National Parks, it finds itself erring on the side of “telling” as opposed to focusing on the “showing....

Freeman’s life took a beautiful turn when he met his one true love, Orina Umansky, at a film festival. Their instant connection was undeniable. Not long into their relationship, Umansky discovers she’s pregnant. After thoughtful consideration, the two decide to keep the baby, who will be named Maya when she’s born. This is a story of love, courage, and the power of family. My Own Normal is not just a documentary, it’s a powerful tool that challenges preconceived notions....

Joseph Villapaz’s feature film No One Lives Forever is a ridiculously convoluted sci-fi film that’s narrative ambitions are never realized, either due to the incomprehensibility of the story or the lo-fi look and execution to the film. A story like this might work in a comic book, or a novel, where you can sit down and get into the history of the Iron Maidens, Obsidians, Regents or the Magnate, but as it is presented here, it all blends into gibberish....

Meanwhile, a former beauty queen Katy-Gisselle (Yessica Borroto Perryman), wanders the streets of Honduras posing as a modeling talent scout, luring children and unsuspecting parents into a day of modeling training. Here the movie follows the story of young Rocio and her brother, Miguel, who are taken away with about six other children and packed in shipping containers to Cartagena. Hoping to actually rescue a child, Tim poses as a pedo and manages to have Miguel delivered to him at the Tijuana border....

Apparently, the characters in “Episode III” will all be sporting the shaggy 70s hairdos of the likes of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in “Episode IV,” so that there isn’t any kind of lapse in continuity. It’s great that George is dealing with this issue by hiring hairdressers to come in and turn his entire cast into your basic Iggy Pop wannabe indie rocker plaguing the music scene today. If he didn’t, then I’m sure we’d all have major trouble piecing these movies together into one major epic saga....

Today we will discuss a not-so-young film that was released in the 1970s yet remains famous among fans. California Split is an interesting film. It may elicit a wide range of feelings, elevate your spirits, and provoke thought. It’s a film about gambling, friendship, and human connections with a fantastic cast. The whole movie will have poker cards, gambling tables, crazy people, and other “Californian” stuff flickering in front of you....

In all his grizzled glory, Aaron Eckhart plays Vail, the titular bricklayer. “I’m the bricklayer,” he says, introducing himself to a prospective employer. The retired CIA gun-for-hire is recruited by his former employers in the wake of the targeted killings of journalists around Europe to track down and kill Radek (Clifton Collins, Jr.), the rogue assassin behind the massacre. Along the way, Vail is accompanied by Kate (Nina Dobrev), a hotshot young analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency who is initially the ying to Vail’s yang before they inevitably combine forces against a corrupt state of affairs in Greece....

The short comedy finds low stakes laughs in the high stakes subject of death. Gavin is the calm, collected one who goes along with Ezra’s request. As the two are wasting time, Gavin is thinking about how he will go through with his friend’s fatal request. On the other hand, Ezra is getting a little pissed off that Gavin is not showing any concern for why he wants to kill himself and always seems lost in his thoughts....

Smith’s credentials as a “Star Wars” fan are pretty solid. From the speech about independent Death Star contractors in “Clerks,” Silent Bob’s Jedi obsession in Mallrats,” Hooper X’s rant in Chasing Amy, and numerous other references peppered throughout his comics and editorials, the guy is obviously a big fan. Jersey Girl and the second half of “Chasing Amy” notwithstanding, his opinion is deserving of some respect, and he’s coming into the third prequel in much the same fashion as the rest of us....

Whatever the box office results, the legacy of “Star Wars” is set. An entire generation of human beings have grown up with the original (retroactively dubbed “A New Hope”) as the film that sparked in them a love of motion pictures. I count myself among their ranks, and for me the ending of the “Star Wars” saga is an occasion for both silent introspection and exultant jubilation. I don’t find it odd or depressing that there aren’t going to be any more films....

The stories all come back to a fictional novel called The Wheel Of Heaven, being read by garage mechanic Marge (Kali Russell) in south Boston. Marge makes choices for a character named Purity (Russell), who was introduced as a child in the prologue. However, soon, Purity finds herself in the middle of a cosmic snow globe with different realities flying around like flakes. The filmmakers speak within the flick about recreating a channel-flipping experience for the viewer, a la Kentucky Fried Movie....

… and that brings us back to “Poor Things”, except that Emma Stone doesn’t play a (feminist) plastic doll in Yórgos Lánthimos’ new film, but a (feminist) version of Frankenstein’s bride: Set in a fairytale steampunk world, “Poor Things” is by far the most elaborate production to date in the career of the Greek filmmaker, whose breakthrough film “Dogtooth” once kick-started the Greek New Wave, which tickled the absurd out of the everyday....

Directors Nicole Bernardi-Reis and Laura Bermúdez begin their documentary with a brief voiceover and some archival footage of their subject. Sister María Rosa briefly explains some of the dire troubles facing youth in Honduras today. She is an immediately compelling subject; from her first moments on screen, she comes across as a compelling and passionate speaker. The film then alternates between in-depth interviews with María Rosa, footage of the programs she helped start, and the stories of two teenagers (coincidentally named María and Rosa) currently being assisted by these programs....