I love movies. Does that make me crazy? Yes, Filmcraziest.
For this interview, I was able to speak with director, writer and actor Steven Grayhm for his new film "The Secret of the Sinchanee." In it, he plays an industrial tow truck driver who returns to his childhood home after his father's death, only to learn a presence is haunting the home and the sacred ground it's built on.
For this Filmcraziest.com review, Arpit Nayak takes a look at the Sony Liv web-series "Tabbar," a story about family where one decision puts an ordinary family into a very dangerous situation. Arpit calls it an "exquisite dark thriller, both gripping and engaging." Available in countries like India, UAE, Canada and more.
I was able to catch the film as part of the Fantasia Film Festival in August. Recently, for my podcast The Filmcraziest Show, I was able to speak with the film's director, writer, editor, cinematographer and more Perry Blackshear, as I was also joined on the podcast by a friend and guest co-host, Arpit Nayak. You can find When I Consume You playing as part of the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on Monday, Oct. 18 for an in-person screening and you can find that info right here.
The Greenhouse is mostly a lovely drama with sci-fi elements, and some thrills thrown into the third act for good measure. In the film, daughter Beth (Jane Watt) is still grieving over the loss of one of her mothers; toughest for her since she was the one who stayed back in town with them. When her siblings reunite for their mom Ruth’s (Camilla Ah Kin) birthday, Beth also finds the titular greenhouse, an alternate world that let’s her watch old memories and see her late mom.
There’s nothing quite like a film that completely hooks from its first shot, and that’s the case with Clint Bentley’s Jockey. It opens with a conversation, where aging jockey Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) and fellow jockey Leo (Logan Cormier) discuss a young rookie on the tour named Gabriel (Moises Arias). It’s a standard conversation that hooks because of how it’s shot, shadows in front of a sunset as they watch horses gallop. I must gush about Adolpho Veloso’s cinematography because I can’t remember when I’ve fallen in love so quickly with the look of a film. The bulk of the outdoor scenes are shot at the “golden hour,” highlighting the gorgeous oranges, blues and reds of Phoenix, AZ. In these scenes, the characters could be reciting the dictionary and I’d still be in awe.
In Michael McGowan’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, All My Puny Sorrows concerns two sisters: Yoli (Alison Pill), a writer struggling with success, and the other, Elf (Sarah Gadon), a brilliant concert pianist who’s hellbent on ending her own life. The themes in this film are very heavy, as it opens with their father Jake (Donal Logue) waiting for a train and stepping in front of it to end his life. It’s a heartbreaking film that you’ll need a pick-me-up from after watching it, and one that I admittedly was apprehensive that would have the dull, negative melodrama of August: Osage County. However, this is a truly beautiful film. I really enjoyed these characters and getting to learn about the sisters’ relationship, and I was surprised by the story because I figured the sisters would be brought together by their father’s suicide, and not Elf’s own suicide attempt.
In some of my TIFF coverage, I take a look at the drama "The Hills Where Lionesses Roar," a film with a carefree spirit with great performances and cinematography. #TIFF21
At this past Fantasia Film Festival at the end of August, I was able to watch Kelsey Egan's Glasshouse, a unique sci-fi drama thriller about a family isolated in a glasshouse in the middle of the woods, sheltered away from a toxin outside that erases memory. When a stranger comes across their property, the eldest daughter Bee (Jessica Alexander) let's him in, which goes against their rules and rituals, and threatens their family unit.
You can find my review of the film here. I was also able to speak with Kelsey about her film, which she co-wrote with Emma Lungiswa De Wet. You can find my conversation with Kelsey directly below as we spoke for my podcast The Filmcraziest Show.
Featured image: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Powder Keg. (Courtesy of Route 504 PR.) Directed by Ole Christian Madsen. Written by Lars Kristian Andersen, Ole Christian Madsen. Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jakob Oftebro, Lars Brygmann. Runtime 1h 46 min. Released Sept. 7, 2021 (in Canada); March 5, 2020 (in Denmark). In Powder Keg (Krudttønden in Danish), we learn about the terrorist [...]
For Black Conflux, I was able to speak with actress Ella Ballentine about her layered and memorable performance as Jackie. In the interview, we talk about how Ella picks her projects, workshopping the character, singing for a scene in the film, watching her films, working with Ryan McDonald, some advice and more in between.
