Last year Stephanie & I volunteered
at our local film festival. That year was also the first time we had
ever attended. In 2012, we unfortunately did not get to see many
films however we did manage to catch Adam Wingard's American horror
film, V/H/S. V/H/S is about a group of guys that find a collection of homemade horror short films. The film itself was a hit or miss depending on the short film. The
experience of the film was heightened because we got to see it in an
intimate theater in a less then safe area, at a late hour. This year we decided to actually take the whole weekend to check out some of the latest independent films. The festival had a wide offering of movies & documentaries from all genres and styles. Below are the featured films that stood out to us and we highly recommend.
The first film we attended was Zero Charisma, a movie about a dungeon master/role playing gamer who meets a charismatic and handsome fellow gamer that challenges his quest. This movie provided a lot of laughs and nerdy jokes. However, it does not improve the image of the nerd. I did notice Zero Charisma paralleled the old style nerd with the new style, hipster nerd. Zero Charisma is set to premier at NY Comic Con & a limited release in October.
Sini Anderson's The Punk Singer, a documentary about the life & influence of Bikini Kill/Le Tigre singer, Kathleen Hanna. Having been a fan of both bands, this doc was a personal must watch. I had a very limited knowledge of Hanna's life and personality thus it was very cool to learn more about the frontwoman & feminist activist's beliefs & health battles.
Coldwater, not to be mistaken with the 1994 French film, is a drama about a teenage boy's struggles to survive in a juvenile detention facility where the staff dangerously mistreats the boys. Vincent Grashaw's film was hard to watch and very gruesome at times, yet was very enjoyable and kept the audience enthralled.
After Coldwater we needed some comedy. So we sought out Matthew Perkins' The Little Tin Man. Tin Man is a cute, heart warming film about a dwarf actor that is tired of only getting typical roles for his stature. So he sets out to impress Martin Scorsese in order to land a role as the Tin Man in his Wizard of Oz remake. The film was funny & inspiring, starring Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon.
Terms and Conditions May Apply by Cullen Hoback is a documentary that explores how what we share online and electronically can be seen by companies and the government and how they can use the information against us. The eye opening film definitely made me take notice of what is considered private online or anywhere else. The documentary showcased many instances where the government and major companies sold their consumers information to the highest bidder. Terms and Conditions May Apply is surprisingly scary and made me realize that everyone should be more cautious in the technology age. Terms and Conditions May Apply is playing in select theaters.
Late one night we also had the honor to watch the original 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on one of the last remaining reels.
Other notable screenings we did not get to check out were Muscle Shoals and Antenna.
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