Co-writers/co-directors/co-stars Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe spoke about The Beta Test, their new satire about Hollywood toxicity, ahead of its Tribeca premiere in June. In as much as The Beta Test is about agencies and the WGA packaging fight, it is also about mysterious purple envelopes and adultery. I’m not going to beat around the bush here–the best parts of The Beta Test are all of the inside baseball that comes with depicting the agencies.…
"Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe talk The Beta Test"Tag: Tribeca Film Festival
Dating & New York, the Jonah Feingold film that premiered during Tribeca in June, takes a fairy tale approach to the romantic comedy genre. Not many people can say they hit a home run with their debut feature but this is the case with Jonah Feingold. Feingold knew he wanted to be a filmmaker when he first saw Hook. If you notice, the film’s score pays homage to the Peter Pan film during one of…
"Dating & New York: A Fairy Tale Approach"
Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away makes its broadcast premiere on PBS days before Guy celebrates his 85th birthday. Buddy Guy arrived in Chicago on September 25, 1957 and blues music would never be the same. He heard John Lee Hooker while growing up in Louisiana and it made for a life-changing opportunity. Without this, it’s quite possible that Guy would never have made the trip from Louisiana. Guy even shares his recollections…
"Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away"
The Neutral Ground uses New Orleans as a backdrop by exploring the Civil War and the debate to remove Confederate monuments. One could make the argument that New Orleans was a trendsetter in debating to remove statues. Or at least that’s how it might feel if you haven’t been actively paying attention to the discussion. For some, it only becomes of interest when it’s on the front page daily. Other cities would do so quietly…
"The Neutral Ground Adds To the Statue Conversation"
Hannah Marks is back with her newest film, Mark, Mary & Some Other People, about newlyweds exploring relationships with others. After reuniting at a convenience story, Mark (Ben Rosenfield) and Mary (Hayley Law) end up getting married. That may be fine and all but early on, they decide to explore “ethical non-monogamy.” Mary is the one that wants to explore an open marriage and surprisingly, Mark is on board with this. Is this the best…
"Mark, Mary & Some Other People – Tribeca 2021"
LFG (Let’s F*cking Go) follows the U.S. Women’s National Team in their efforts to achieve equal pay from the U.S. Soccer Federation. In a perfect world, this film would not have to be made. But of course, our world isn’t perfect and women are still getting underpaid and undervalued when it comes to paychecks. What LFG shows us is equally heartbreaking in as much as it is infuriating. LFG runs from three months before the…
"LFG (Let’s F*cking Go) – Tribeca 2021"
A southern mom gets her life disrupted in GraceLand when her daughter claims to be the reincarnation of the King himself, Elvis Presley. Prissy (Anna Camp) and Jack (Daniel Eric Gold) eventually learn to go along with it when daughter Grace (Katie Beth West) claims to be Elvis. The film plays this for humor but in a respectful way. According to the director, Elvis uses he/him pronouns. Prissy and Jack are asked to go to…
"GraceLand – Tribeca 2021"
Werewolves Within is a whodunit horror-comedy set in a small town and this film is just as hysterical, albeit scarier, as Knives Out. “Listening is where love begins. Listening to ourselves and then our neighbors.” – Mr. Rogers A Fred Rogers quote probably isn’t the first thing one would think of when it comes to this film. But as far as on-screen quotes go, it’s not as way out there as one would think. That being said,…
"Werewolves Within – Tribeca 2021"
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road, a reflective documentary on the life of the Beach Boys musician, makes its long-delayed world premiere. Brent Wilson worked from roughly 70 hours of footage between Wilson and former Rolling Stone editor (now Director of Content Development) Jason Fine to pair this film down to just over an hour and a half. This doesn’t even begin to take the archive footage into account. When it comes to Wilson and his…
"Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road – Tribeca 2021"
Esther in Wonderland sees a young married woman testing the boundaries of her existence within Chasidic life in this 13-minute film. There’s a lot of pressure on young married Chasidic women to get pregnant. This is clear during the opening frames of Esther in Wonderland. When we first meet Esther (Naian González Norvind), she’s in the shower. Also, a trigger warning for anyone because it appears that she’s also having her period, too. On the…
"Esther in Wonderland – Tribeca 2021"