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Work is weird right now, as the whole world has gone crazy. She disinfects her groceries and listens to her mother (Annie Gill) complain about their inability to meet in person due to what is happening. She argues with a company whose services she had canceled over their keeping her account open and billing her further. She does drunken online karaoke and other online interactions but finds her friends are conflicted as they are all still friends with her ex....

Our tale opens with Jamie (Katie Vincent) on the phone with the authorities pleading for help with her runaway therapy dog. Jumping back a spell, we learn Jamie has severe agoraphobia and has not left her apartment for quite some time. During her regular in-home visit with her therapist, Dr. Ackerman (Sebastian Arcelus), he recommends that Jamie get a dog. He believes caring for an animal would force Jamie to step outdoors for the dog’s sake....

On the surface, “Hotel Rwanda” seems like an African version of “Schindler’s List.” But unlike the Spielberg film, “Hotel Rwanda” is curiously antiseptic in exploring the personalities of those at the heart of the story. Ruseabagina is presented as a fastidious, unflappable presence who almost never breaks a sweat – even during situations when guns are pointed at his head. As portrayed by Don Cheadle (using an unpersuasive quasi-African accent), the man seems to be self-confident to the border of surreal....

The first half of Mad Props is collector-centric. Tom opens by showing off his collection and begins the trek to find fellow collectors. Reinoso uses well-placed archival footage from classic films such as Star Wars, Back to the Future, Aliens, and Raiders of the Lost Ark to make instant emotional connections between the movie and each prop. Seeing the massive collections from the fans is impressive, yet Mad Props lingers with the collector’s bit and needs help finding its footing with a few interviews....

Young simpleton Baron (Joe Kerry) gets locked up. His intimidating cellmate, Otis (Aldis Hodge), proudly lists numerous crimes to Baron, like sharing trophies. Yet Baron doesn’t beat around the bush either, unfazed by Otis’s bullish behavior. According to the kid, if Otis helps him escape, a quarter of a million dollars will be waiting for them. “I swear on my hair,” he adds, cementing the statement as truth (he loves his unflattering shaggy mop, which proves to be an obstacle on more than one occasion)....

Sid’s brother, Nathan (Malakhai Schnell), has just been released after a stint in prison. He still owes some shady figures money. Nathan figures he could pull one over on his sister and her paramour. But Maxie and Sid’s problems, which run deeper than anyone realizes, may upend Nathan’s poorly thought-out scheme before it even begins. Will Maxie and Sid get clean? Do they even really want to? Can Nathan find the money he needs to get out of trouble?...

The film unfolds on Alex’s 21st birthday. While she’s working a late shift at an amusement arcade, her friends plan a surprise that takes an unforeseen turn. They find themselves in a deadly game of survival against a masked killer dressed as Mickey Mouse, transforming a night of celebration into a chilling fight for survival. Director Jamie Bailey brings a light-hearted approach to this otherwise macabre setup. “We just wanted to have fun with it all,” Bailey explains....

Chuck Russell’s crime thriller, Paradise City, takes us to Hawaiian underground, where the gunplay is hot, like the bikini-clad ladies sitting poolside. Blake Jenner plays Ryan, the son of a bounty hunter, Ian (Bruce Willis). Ryan is pissed off and looking for revenge. At the film’s start, Ian is taken out by a group of heavily armed henchmen of the evil real estate developer Buckley (John Travolta). The double-crossed Ian is quickly dispatched and turned into shark bait along the beautiful Hawaiian coast....

However, their planet is invaded by Nazi-like space tyrants who are taking over civilizations or wiping them out in the memory of the slain king. At first, the villagers believe they could cooperate with Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), the leader of the death squad that has landed. Kora warns them that the tyrants will take and take until nothing is left, but the villagers find out the hard way. Kora goes to flee the village but is waylaid when the invaders try to trap her and another village girl in a gang rape....

After the initial chase sequence and Brian’s near-fatal shooting, Brian sinks into a deep depression. He abuses alcohol trying to cope and becomes estranged from his wife, Saya (Catalina Sandino Moreno). It’s not until he begins to think back on his son that he feels something for the first time in a long time: a desire for revenge. A tactical training montage commences as Brian marks December 24th as the day he will “kill them all....

The film chronicles the journey spearheaded by legendary Canadian wrestling promoter Tony Condello, who has been running it for over 50 years. The Death Tour got its name by being “the most grueling tour in pro wrestling.” The tour is where some of the wrestling greats from Canada got their start, such as Chris Jericho (who is a producer). The wrestlers have a nervous running joke about when their van crosses over frozen lakes, with the possibility of the ice cracking and sinking into the freezing water....

It follows Stephen (Jack Kesy), who makes all the wrong trades in the stock market and is on the brink of losing everything. All the money he secretly raided from the accounts Stephen shared with his wife, Roni (Inbar Lavi), is gone. He begs his financial guru, Michael (Usman Ally), to advance him the coaching needed to get above water. Instead, Michael cuts him off, metaphorically kicking Stephen out of the nest so that he can learn to fly....

Over the span of a few minutes through a briskly edited montage, Thomas (Nico Tortorella), a middle-aged photographer, recalls the moment he knew he was gay, when he received his first camera, and the day his father died. This lively sequence is accomplished through voice-over concurring with photographs, in addition to characterizing Thomas as sweet-natured and endearingly loquacious. Thomas then goes on to talk about his husband, Oscar (Juan Pablo Di Pace)....

Yet, Harold has found a fan in Herr Fugler (Robert Carlyle). Fugler finds American tap dancing exhilarating and immediately makes the dancer an offer he can’t refuse. Harold is offered an all-expense paid trip to Berlin to perform in the affluent Kick Club for a packed audience. Fugler had Harold at “packed audience.” Upon his arrival, the troupe is given access to the finest hotels, meals, and a chance to perform on the grand stage with a live band....

A mysterious man bathed in shadow (Zack Kozlow) hires Whalen (Jeremy Sless) to take out a young woman named Amber (Alexandra Miles). However, before he does, she must complete a series of specific tasks. Unbeknownst to Whalen, the shadowy figure also hired Davis (Nick Grace) to take out Amber. Well, the two men wind up in Amber’s home simultaneously. As both are stubborn and need the benefits of completing the assignment, they stay....

Joseph Marconi’s newest short film, The Wood House, tells the story of a teen romance that goes horribly awry. The couple in question are Jonah and Mercy— two kids whose love affair evolves as they prepare to run away from their small town ties— and the families that strive to control their every move. Mercy’s mother could probably be called overbearing and protective— understandable but taboo traits when raising a young girl with an exploratory independent-streak, and dreams of starting her own fashion-line....

To truly create that magic, however, certain elements are crucial in pulling together a winning casino movie. Let’s delve into the top 10 essential elements that separate the memorable from the forgettable in this genre: 1. Intriguing Plot An engaging story is at the heart of any successful film. The best casino movies weave a plot with unexpected twists and turns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end....

Following his dreams, Pedro finds healing and the ability to heal others, including director Set Hernandez, who shares his journey in making Unseen as an unexpected benefit to following and being at Pedro’s side for so long. Through experimental cinematography and sound, Unseen reimagines a cinema accessible for blind/low-vision audiences while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health. The beauty of Unseen is experiencing Pedro’s everyday life in the condition he exists in with his service dog Tyler, who is friendly and allows people to pet him, establishing an environment to understand what it’s like to be blind....

Bullshit. First of all, schools are complete cockery. Whether it’s Canada where I live or the US where you probably live, schools are worth fk all. It’s not even something you can argue really. And the problem with schools as a place of learning (and the problem with education in general) is that the focus is on memorizing information as opposed to weeding out the smart from the dumb. I know it sounds cold, but most people are not very smart to begin with, and filling their heads with information just turns them into the worst kind of moron....

Burke and I work as a programming team but we are not monolithic in our views. If anything, our partnership is more like Siskel and Ebert. With our thumbs primed for battle, Burke and I started an e-mail dialogue to ponder the status of underground film today. Filmmakers take note: the Slamdance submission deadline is Friday, October 21. NOEL LAWRENCE: What is underground film? By word association, Emile De Antonio’s “Underground” (1976) immediately comes to mind....