Hillary (Episode 2: Becoming a Lady): on the road to smug notoriety
Nanette Burstein, “Hillary (Episode 2: Becoming a Lady)” (2020) This episode continues to cover Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life from the time hubby Bubba Bill decides to…
Horror
Hillary (Episode 1: The Golden Girl): early years of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s life receive glowing treatment
Nannette Burstein, “Hillary (Episode 1: The Golden Girl)” (2020) Ostensibly a four-part series on the life and career of Hillary Rodham Clinton, this work is never…
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Disappearance of Willie Bingham: portrait of a society exploiting emotions and desire for vengeance
Matt Richards, “The Disappearance of Willie Bingham” (2015) A truly unsettling short realist film about a bureaucracy gone insanely inhuman, pandering to the lowest common denominator…
Trunk Space: familiar and predictable story and plot elements redeemed by good performances
Max Silver, “Trunk Space” (2016) As surely as the sun rises in the east, birds fly in the sky and fish swim in the oceans, so…
End of Decay: pulpy body-horror adaptation of Frankenstein story
Christopher Todd, “End of Decay” (2017) A pulpy body-horror update on Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” novel, this short film has the sketchy and…
Lucid: horror sci-fi dealing with cyber-addiction, escapism and technology shaping human psychology
Jamie Monahan, “Lucid” (2018) The film’s title refers to so-called lucid dreams in which the dreamer is aware that s/he is dreaming, that the action in…
Outpost: a skimpy plot redeemed by skillful acting, good sets and an uplifting theme of hope and love
Justin Giddings, Ryan Welsh, “Outpost” (2020) On the very edge of the known universe, the last survivor of Earth’s Interplanetary Diplomatic Service, a fellow known as…
Hashtag: smartly presented and concise film on social media as psychological prisons
Ben Alpi, “Hashtag” (2015) A smartly presented sci-fi short, “Hashtag” demonstrates how a science fiction film made with a tiny budget and minimal special effects can…
Awakenings: a spooky Gothic retelling of the classic Henry James story
Bhargav Saikia, “Awakenings” (2015) Inspired by and closely based on Henry James’ famous novella “The Turn of the Screw”, this short film is conventional in its…
Thicker Than Water: a touching film about a mother’s love and care
Seung Yeob Lee, “Thicker Than Water” (2015) Modern South Korean families, in particular the relationship of mothers with their sons and the extremes the mothers will…