Hey friends! I am off to Sundance today but wanted to pop off a few reviews before heading out for the day. If you want to hear my thoughts on the first movie I saw at Sundance check out my appearance on KSL’s The Movie Show. I was on The Movie Show back in 2002 and it really inspired me so it was a thrill to get to be back on for a quick review of Girls State. I would love to be back so any positive feedback you can leave on their facebook page would be very appreciated.
But let’s share a couple quick reviews.
Little Richard: I Am Everything
Speaking of Sundance I finally got to see a documentary from last year’s festival Little Richard: I Am Everything. I really enjoy these types of bio-docs and Little Richard was a fascinating human being that led a fascinating life. I think this documentary did a good job of telling his story with lots of interviews from people who were impacted by his life and music.
The most impactful section was about how his songs were appropriated by white artists like Pat Boone (who they have interviewed in the documentary) with almost no benefit to Little Richard. It’s no wonder he became jaded about the industry when you are treated this way. This aspect makes it a must watch for any music fan.
6 out of 10
Smile Worthy
Which Brings Me to You
Naturally I love me a good rom-com so I was excited when a new one came across my emails called Which Brings Me to You. After watching and enjoying it I agreed to have the director Peter Hutchings on Hallmarkies Podcast to talk about his career and film (see above.) He’s an awesome ambassador of the genre and I really enjoyed talking to him.
Which Brings Me to You is a romantic comedy in the tradition of Definitely Maybe where 2 people meet and we get to hear their backstory of how they met and the people they had to be with that brought them to that point. Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff star as a couple who meet a friends wedding, almost hook up and then spend the evening talking about (and we see reenacted) the relationships they had over the years. The two actors have wonderful chemistry and the banter between them is charming with that spark you want to see in a rom-com. If you get a chance to see it I recommend as these types of adult rom-coms are important to the genre (I think this was a lot better than the recent Anyone But You personally.)
7 out of 10
Smile Worthy
Silent as the Grave
Again in the spirit of Sundance we have the micro-indie mystery Silent as the Grave. The title may make it sound more grizzly than it is. It’s a mystery story about a documentary filmmaker that returns home and starts looking into his uncle’s death. At first he thinks it’s just going to be a fluff piece documentary but then the more clues he digs up the more serious he realizes it is.
This is very low budget but the acting is compelling and because it is supposed to be an indie documentary the approach added to the tone and feel rather than detract. I love supporting small filmmakers with potential and that’s what you have here. It’s available to watch on tubi.
6 out of 10
Smile Worthy
So there you have it. Make sure you are following me on social media for all my Sundance updates and have a great weekend!