We’ve all seen the movies where a character is a one-man army, or everything just happens to work out for them, right? Well, what if this particular man – the one carrying 100% of the story – is about as hopeless and down on his luck as you can find? In many ways that’s more appealing because it’s their flaws, quirks and weaknesses that shine brighter than their strengths. So let’s take a look at one such a character, Sebastian Poe (played by Billy Blair), in Derek Presley‘s latest film. Written and shot here in Dallas, Tonic tells the tale of a barfly jazz pianist who must commit murder in…
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Interview…Composer Sandro Morales-Santoro on Heritage, Heartstrings and Versatility
Sandro Morales-Santoro is an award-winning Venezuelan composer based in Los Angeles. This creative multi-instrumentalist specializes in music for film and television as well as interactive and new media. His most recent scoring projects include hit TV-shows like WeTV’s ‘Kold x Windy’ and National Geographic/Disney+’s ‘Restaurants At The End of the World’. Sandro has also composed original music for Marvel Animation’s film ‘The Secret History of Venom,’ as well as co-composing World of Wonder’s ‘Explant,’ a documentary exposé about the breast implant industry. His most recent film ‘The Shadow of the Sun’ will premiere at LALIFF in June 2023. His skills as a composer are evident throughout his lush orchestral scores,…
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Ohhh, Look…Christopher Nolan Shooting ‘Oppenheimer’ on IMAX
When it comes to big time filmmakers, it’s tough to get any more majestic than Christopher Nolan. Looking back over his career, even his more quaint outings were still brimming with grandiose plots and through lines. Since the days of Following and Memento, he’s helped re-imagine super hero films, heady heist films, detective yarns, war narratives, intergalactic family affairs, and techy spy thrillers. One thing is for sure, Nolan films are event films. Case in point. His latest is an epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. It was one…
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Sweet Trailer…’The Creator’ From Gareth Edwards
From the new batch of filmmakers Gareth Edwards has been showing his passion for and competence with science fiction that combines big ideas with small scale character intimacy. Since 2010’s Monsters, he’s played in the sandboxes of some legendary IPs like Godzilla and Star Wars. Now he gives us a new film that falls somewhere between Blade Runner and Lone Wolf and Cub and he’s also bringing John David Washington along for the ride – a man who is no stranger to heady sci-fi after headlining Nolan’s Tenet. Enjoy this first trailer! The Creator is a post-apocalyptic thriller involving a future impacted by a war between humans and AI. From…
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Sweet Trailer…Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
In a year already full of pretty spectacular new and legacy films, we’re getting ever closer to seeing Martin Scorsese’s hotly anticipated latest picture. Directed by the one and only Goodfella himself, Scorsese brigs us his and Eric Roth’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. For what seems like ages, all we’ve seen about this is that single DiCaprio promo still with him sitting at a dinner table…yeah, you know the one. Well, now we have the first trailer for this films which finally comes out this year. Have a look and let us know what you think! Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, Killers of the…
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G-S-T Review…’Tonic’
In Derek Presley’s latest film, Tonic, we follow the ups and downs of a barfly jazz pianist. In this down home story – told over one exhaustive night – Sebastian Poe (played by Billy Blair) is a man out of options who constantly weighs his pressured offer to commit murder in exchange for his drug debt to a crooked cop. A no-win “what would you do?” scenario if ever there was one. But let’s clear some things right up front. There is no Liam Neeson, no flashy cuts and edits, or heroic music. In fact, there is no music at all (save for needle drops and source music which was done live) just the…
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Interview…Jon Voight on Charisma, Collaboration, Career Advice and ‘Mercy’
Jon Voight is an acting legend. More than that, he’s kind, charismatic and an incomparable thespian. At 85, he’s still got wide range and is razor sharp. But whether he plays a bit part, leading man or anything in between, anyone who’s seen his films can easily cite Voight for being a standout. Think about Midnight Cowboy, Varsity Blues, Enemy of the State, Heat, Mission: Impossible, Deliverance, The Champ, or his Oscar-winning turn in Coming Home and it’s clear that Voight’s performance sticks with you years after the credits have rolled. There are a few constants established and maintained in his career beyond his towering 6’-2” frame and that’s his…
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Sweet Trailer…Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Two’
After years of waiting, it’s time to go back. This Fall we return to Arrakis as Denis Villeneuve brings us the next chapter in the epic Dune series. To say the first part had a huge uphill battle would be an understatement. The creative team was smart enough to break this densely arcane narrative up, but they also had to hope they didn’t lose the audience. Well, it all worked. We were totally on board for how tangible the world was depicted but also how striking the performances were. So as this film draws closer, we can’t wait for more glimpses into this world as well as the marketing for…
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Interview…Composer Nitin Sawhney on ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’
We love it when a film serves as a vehicle to say something deep and meaningful. One such story is the latest from Shekhar Kapur. His direction of the story from writer Jemima Khan – about the modernity to arranged marriages in Indian cultures – give What’s Love Got To Do With It? its tangible emotional core. Adding to the success of that is the score from composer/songwriter Nitin Sawhney (who wrote the original score for the film and three original songs). Shazad Latif and Lily James carry the film, yet it is the subtle worldly vibe the music adds to certain story beats which “marries” well with many pivotal…
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Interview…Catherine Hardwicke on Rome, Romance and Toni Collette in ‘Mafia Mamma’
If you want a comedy that is as off-the-wall as it is refreshing, then look no further than Catherine Hardwicke’s Mafia Mamma. This fish-out-of-water actioner mixes The Godfather and Eat, Pray, Love into a wine vat and the result is an endearing farce that shines thanks to Toni Collette. Always one for detail and legitimacy, Hardwicke gives this film a boost by filming in Rome and casting real Italian actors who add a lot of body to the sauce. Yet the wonderful sets and locations would be noting if she didn’t understand the characters. Even with its implausible comedic set up, the film delivers because of the earnestness of the…
