Tribeca 2018: Richard Raymond talks Souls of Totality

As the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival kicked off, director Richard Raymond spoke with Solzy at the Movies about the short film, Souls of Totality. Thanks for joining us today.  How are things treating you? Richard Raymond:  Very well.  This is my first major film festival for any of my films.  I couldn’t be happier.  I’m so proud of the team and everyone’s effort to be here. It’s been great—really great. How much of a thrill…

"Tribeca 2018: Richard Raymond talks Souls of Totality"

Tribeca 2018: Rachel Myers talks Wendy’s Shabbat

Wendy’s Shabbat filmmaker Rachel Myers chatted with Solzy at the Movies prior the film holding its New York premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Thanks for joining us today.  How are things treating you? Rachel Myers:  Fantastic.  It’s a sunny day here in Los Angeles so never complained here. How thrilled are you to be making the New York premiere of Wendy’s Shabbat at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival? Rachel Myers:  It took my breath…

"Tribeca 2018: Rachel Myers talks Wendy’s Shabbat"

Tribeca 2018: What I’m Looking Forward To

The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival kicks off this week with the world premiere of Love, Gilda at the Beacon Theatre.  The festival runs April 18-29, 2018. There’s a lot that I’m looking forward to covering but most importantly, Disobedience is the film that hits home the most as an Orthodox Jewish transgender woman.  In the follow up to the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, Sebastián Lelio directs Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, and Alessandro Nivola. As with anyone…

"Tribeca 2018: What I’m Looking Forward To"

Shiva Baby: SXSW short a Vimeo Staff Pick

Emma Seligman’s Shiva Baby, a short film that premiered during the 2018 SXSW Film Festival, is now a Vimeo Staff Pick. Emma Seligman’s short film is one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen to be set during a shiva.  This even takes the film adaptation of This Is Where I Leave You into account.  Rachel Sennott stars as Danielle, a college student who has hooked up with a sugar daddy.  It’s a great performance for the…

"Shiva Baby: SXSW short a Vimeo Staff Pick"

Big Fish & Begonia: An Animated Beauty

Big Fish & Begonia is a wonderfully animated film with stunning cinematic visuals coming not from Disney or Pixar but overseas in China. While Disney and Pixar tend to have a stronghold on the best animated films of the year, this tale may very well be one of the most beautiful films of the year.  It has the best of both worlds when it comes to animation–both hand-drawn and computer. At the start of the…

"Big Fish & Begonia: An Animated Beauty"

Rampage: Please Stop Destroying Chicago

Rampage is the latest in a series of blockbusters that threaten to destroy Chicago–this time with genetically modified animals. Here’s the basic background: CRISPR made the waves in 1993 by giving scientists a way to treat previously incurable diseases through a process known as genetic editing.  By 2016, U.S. Intelligence Community had determined that genetic editing was considered to be a “Weapon of Mass Destruction and Proliferation.” Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) is a primatologist working for…

"Rampage: Please Stop Destroying Chicago"

You Were Never Really Here: An Awards Contender

Led by a career-best performance from actor Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here shows that writer/director Lynne Ramsay is certainly here without a doubt. The performance from Phoenix is one that is so mesmerizing and captivating.  The performance is truly unforgettable.  His character has a remarkable back story.  A former US soldier, he became an FBI agent on a sex-trafficking task force before later becoming a man who devotes all of his time to…

"You Were Never Really Here: An Awards Contender"

Beirut: One of Jon Hamm’s Best To Date

Beirut dives into the complexities of what the U.S. Government is willing to do when it comes to saving the life of one of their own. Mason Skiles (Jon Hamm) is an American living in Beiruit in 1972.  However, there is more to the American diplomat than meats the eye.  One of his closest friends, Cal Riley (Mark Pellegrino), just happens to work as a CIA Agent.  When Skiles and his wife host a party,…

"Beirut: One of Jon Hamm’s Best To Date"

Lean on Pete: Charlie Plummer’s Breakout Role

Based on the novel by Willy Vlautin, film festival favorite Lean on Pete tells the poignant story of of a teenage boy and his strong connection to a horse. Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) hasn’t had an easy life living with his father Ray (Travis Fimmel).  Charley’s mom is out of the picture and looking for meaning in his life, he turns to the Portland Downs racetrack where he meets Del Montgomery (Steve Buscemi) and jockey Bonnie (Chloë Sevigny). …

"Lean on Pete: Charlie Plummer’s Breakout Role"

C2E2: Daphne and Velma: Life Before Scooby-Doo

Daphne and Velma is a film that brings a female friendship to the center while updating the Scooby-Doo universe for a new generation. Ridge Valley High School is populated by all sorts of state of the art technology created by Tobias Bloom (Brooks Forester).  Whether it’s phones, earbuds, or the Bloom Bracket, Bloom’s footprint is all over the school.  Similar to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Bloom out does himself every year.  The tech wiz even takes…

"C2E2: Daphne and Velma: Life Before Scooby-Doo"