Blackwater Lane is a horror/thriller directed by Jeff Celentano and starring Minka Kelly (who plays Cass) and Dermot Mulroney (who plays Matthew, Cass’s husband). It follows Cass, who is a theatre teacher who, on her way home from work, sees someone she recognizes, only to later learn that this person was not only dead, but murdered. This… Read more

The Damned is a horror film directed by Thordur Palsson, who cowrote the film with Jamie Hannigan. It stars Odessa Young as Eva, a widow, who, alongside her late husband’s crew, notices a shipwreck off the coast of their campground. The group is forced to make a difficult choice. This feature’s cinematography really jumped out at… Read more

Our Happy Place, directed by Paul Bickel and starring Bickel alongside Raya Miles, kicks off with a rapid-fire montage of events, immediately setting the tone for an intriguing thriller. This sense of mystery deepens when the protagonist awakens in the woods, disoriented and unsure of how she got there. I initially speculated that this film… Read more

GUNNER is a feature film directed by Dimitri Logothetis (Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxer: Retaliation) and written by Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and The Furious).  It stars Luke Hemsworth and Morgan Freeman.  We open with Morgan Freeman (Kendrick Ryker) behind bars and Luke Hemsworth (Lee Gunner) working in a bar. The set up shows Gunner trying… Read more

Exile, directed by Aaron Erol Ozlevi, is a feature length, foreign-film that was inspired by true events. Set in 1955, this story explores a political crisis between Turkey and Greece that drives a young couple apart.  I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!!!  The opening image had a vibe and color palette with a retro feel, like a… Read more

ALL HAPPY FAMILIES was directed by Haroula Rose, it is about Graham Landry who lives in his brother’s place, which he also manages.  We first meet Graham as he discusses a plumbing issue with the plumber, who warns that extensive repairs are needed to prevent a potential disaster—a ticking time bomb waiting to burst when… Read more

AMERICAN SPIRIT was an Official Selection of the 2024 Austin Film Festival.  Written and directed by Christopher Yates, it stars Yasmeen Fletcher, as Melody, and Cooper Roth, as Jonathan.  Eric Johnson, the Director of Photography, did a phenomenal job capturing this movie with well-lit locations, vibrant colors and beautifully cast shadows.  In my opinion, the… Read more

Guns and Moses is an Official Selection of the 2024 Austin Jewish Film Festival. Salvador Litvak directed this film, which he co-wrote with Nina Litvak.  Guns and Moses is a high-production value thriller with an uncommon hero, a Rabbi who trains in firearms in order to protect himself and his family from a serious threat… Read more

COLLEYVILLE, directed by Dani Menkin, is an Official Selection of the Austin Jewish Film Festival. This documentary offers a deeply humane and empathetic portrayal of a real hostage situation that unfolded in a synagogue, captured in real time by thirteen security cameras. Menkin earned the trust of the survivors, many of whom were approached by… Read more

Out Come The Wolves is an action-packed, feature-length drama. It was directed by Adam MacDonald, who also co-wrote with Enuka Okuma and Joris Jarsky. Its story is about three friends: Sophie, Kyle and Nolan, who go on a hunting trip that goes horribly wrong. Out Comes the Wolves is a spectacularly well-made film. The three main… Read more