Cooper Raiff follows up his SXSW award-winning Shithouse with Cha Cha Real Smooth, a film set on the Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit. (If you are searching on Google to see if either Cooper Raiff or Dakota Johnson are Jewish, the answer is no. That’s just another frustration with the film). My worst fear going into this film was that Dakota Johnson would be the latest non-Jewish actress starring as a Jewish woman. This turns…
"Cha Cha Real Smooth – Sundance 2022"Tag: Kelly O’Sullivan
One day following the world premiere at SXSW, writer-actress Kelly O’Sullivan spoke to Solzy at the Movies about the crowd-pleasing Saint Frances. Unfortunately, Saint Frances director Alex Thompson wasn’t able to make the interview because of complications with parking in Austin. It was a thrill to attend the world premiere and be able to support Chicago filmmakers on the ground during the SXSW Film Festival. How did you come up with the idea for Saint…
"SXSW 2019: Kelly O’Sullivan talks Saint Frances" With charming performances, Saint Frances is a small little indie film from Chicago that manages to tackle some serious issues. Bridget (Kelly O’Sullivan) starts out her summer by getting an abortion. She does not feel any guilt about it. If she does, she choose not to talk about it. The film depicts her abortion in a way that we really don’t see in other films. Yeah, it’s a really big decision but one that doesn’t…
"SXSW 2019: Saint Frances"
A coming-of-age dramedy set in Chicago, Olympia is headlined by a delightful performance from writer-actress McKenzie Chinn. Olympia Wells (McKenzie Chinn) is approaching the crossroads of her life with tough decisions to make. These decisions come as the Chicago artist is approaching her 30th birthday. Some of these decisions aren’t so much because of her but because of her relationships. Her boyfriend, Felix (Charles Gardner), is moving to California in a few weeks with his…
"Chicago Film Festival 2018: Olympia"