Cotton Budd
Surviving Supercon
On Digital.
Each and every year, Supercon in Florida court and schedule celebs, schedule panels, line-up exhibitors, hire staff, and target pop-culture fans as they set out to pull-off a massive get-together of the comic book, film and geek community.
Likely to appeal mostly to those who’re first in line for Hall H panels every year, or hot on the button for a pre-sale ticket to WizardCon, Director Steven Shea’s documentary is both an enjoyable and informative love letter to the convention circuit as well as a superb education on the great effort it takes to put together one.
Stillwater
On Digital, DVD, Blu-ray.
Look beyond the jaw-dropping cribbing of the Amanda Knox story and director Tom McCarthy’s Stillwater, a thriller about a young woman (Abigail Breslin) who calls on her proletarian pop to help get her out of a sticky situation (she’s in jail for a murder she didn’t commit), offers up another tour-de-force performance from the always-underrated Matt Damon as well as a thoughtful, exhaustive bit of writing from McCarthy, Marcus Hinchey, Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré.
The Scrapper
On Digital.
Director Bari Kang’s sophomore effort, following the commendable low-budget crime thriller Lucky in 2017, is an equally engrossing grassroots thriller that proves both a showcase for the Queens-bred filmmaker and actor as well as a reminder as to what can be accomplished on a Reservoir Dogs-sized budget.
Best described as a ‘Punjabi-Mexican Sopranos’, the effective piece fixes on Kang’s Jake, an immigrant trying to escape the violent terrors of his path – easier said than done, as these scenarios usually go.
Red Pill
On Digital.
Set on Halloween, all-star electorally-skewed frightfest Red Pill sees a group of friends (Tonya Pinkins, Adesola A. Osakalumi, Kathryn Erbe, Jake O’Flaherty, Ruben Blades, Luba Mason), headed to the south – where they encounter the kind of scary folk at the centre of most of their politically-charged tête-à-têtes.
Startling, satirical and provocative, Red Pill is best viewed as a companion piece to a Red State or Get Out – a kind-of social commentary masked as a horror film. As a first-time feature director, veteran actress Tonya Pinkins proves herself an old pro behind the camera, delicately handling the film’s thoughtful themes and messages while serving up a small handful of good scares.
The Pebble and the Boy
On Digital.
Director Chris Green sure does know mod culture. From the well-picked tunes, the fashion, the partying, and, of course, motorized scooters, there’s more info on the scene -a trend that kicked off in the UK and spread to other countries throughout the ‘50s – than you’ll find in a BBC doc.
Doesn’t hurt that the is also superbly entertaining.
In between the grouse music soundtrack, consisting of such inimitable artists as The Jam and Style Council, there’s a pleasurable yarn about a youngster escorting his father’s ashes, via scooter, to his home in Manchester. Along the way he meets a lass keen to get to a Paul Weller concert. His life will change as a result of both trip and meet, of course.
