Cinequest 2026 – Falsehood

Posted on February 11, 2026 by ricbret

This one of a series of reviews from this year’s Cinequest film festival in San Jose, California. Read more about the festival here, and buy tickets for showings of this and other films here.

Set in 2086, Falsehood unfolds in a world transformed by the invention of recorded human memory. Once celebrated as the ultimate instrument of justice and historical truth, memory technology has instead become humanity’s most dangerous asset. Governments regulate it. Criminals weaponize it. Faiths fracture over it. At the center of global unrest lies a forbidden artifact: the first human memory ever recorded, sealed away and known only as the Memory of Falsehood.

One of the more perfect films to start off coverage of the Cinequest Film Festival. A great example of the creative powers in independent film making.

Director Ethan Hickey’s Falsehood is a dark, twisty tale of political and social powers. It makes the viewer rethink the aspects of memory and it’s ownership, as exercised in cover-ups and world-changing events. Elements are undeniably science-fiction, yet telling a story of faith, truth, and betrayal of both. It dives into previously unexplored areas while experiencing fundamentally human conflicts of what we know, and what we believe.

The filmmakers have embraced a vision of amazing technology that allows for the manipulation and storage of human memory. But do so using devices that have a more retro feel. The combination feels surprisingly more believable than the typical electronic magic wands that most future fantasies employ. Ironically, and important for many indie films, it would have saved them a bit of film budget. I always appreciate this less is more aspect of independent film making.

The film winds a path through a political struggle, an election of a new president. The campaign hinges on a long-kept secret managed by the president. It will either continue to be restricted by the incumbent leader, or exposed by their successor. An investigation by the Department of Memory eventually discovers a truth. The agent involved is the brother of the challenging candidate. He must decide whether to support the memory’s suppression or aid its exposure.

That’s about as far as I can go without spoiling the film. This is a good film to see with a friend or group. The inevitable post-film discussion of memory as something that can be taken away or examined postmortem is bound to spur, ahem, memorable discussions. Truth vs Faith is not an uncommon film subject, but here it takes on a few more interesting dimensions.

Recommended for viewers that like a new set of thought provoking problems being exposed in a science fiction setting.

I will warn the viewer that the film doesn’t give you a tidy ending. There’s plenty of ambiguity here, but it doesn’t feel totally out of place. In fact, I think the film would have been lessened if every question asked were answered. Also, be warned not to leave during the early credits because there is a story coda that has yet to show up.

Director:
Ethan Hickey

Screenwriters:
Mouloud Kay
Ethan Hickey

Showings
March 12, 9:30 PM at the California Theater, San Jose
March 19, 6:15 PM at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Mountain View

For the Trailer and Ticket Information

Ric Bretschneider
February 11, 2026
San Jose CA

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Review, SciFi Fantasy, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Good News for Time Traveler Wannabes

Posted on August 31, 2025 by ricbret

Back in March as part of my run of Cinequest reviews I covered a particularly clever and funny film called Time Travel is Dangerous. One of the admitted problems with covering film festivals is your recommendations go to a lot of people who can’t go out and see the film. So it’s always great when a film you loved gets distribution, and folks can go out and see it!

Happy to say that Time Travel is Dangerous will soon be available through streaming platforms! Shortly you can enjoy it in your own living room!

Here’s more info from Strike Media!

Friday 22nd August, London, UK: Shakespeare Sisters & Candr Pictures are excited to share that their star-studded comedy sci-fi adventure, Time Travel Is Dangerous, will be coming to all major digital platforms from 29th September.  Following a successful theatrical run earlier this year, Time Travel Is Dangerous has established itself as quintessential British cinema, earning critical acclaim for its unique blend of humour and science fiction.  Writer & Director Chris Reading (Alien: Containment) has teamed up with co-writers the Shakespeare Sisters (Soundtrack to Sixteen) to mix witty dialogue, quirky characters and a touch of the absurd with a heartwarming core that will have fans coming back to watch again and again. Celebrated for its originality, Time Travel Is Dangerous has captivated audiences and critics alike.SciFi Now described the film as “endearing, surreal, and funny,” while MovieJawn called it “a hilarious, exciting, nerve-wracking adventure that made me question my beliefs about what a sci-fi movie is supposed to be.” Narrated by Stephen Fry the film features a star-studded cast including Johnny Vegas (Benidorm, Bleak House), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous), Sophie Thompson (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gosford Park), Mark Heap (Spaced, Green Wing) and Brian Bovell (Love Actually, Gimme Gimme Gimme). Tony Way (After Life, Game of Thrones), Guy Henry (Harry Potter, Bridgerton: Queen Charlotte), Tom Lenk (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Laura Aikman (Gavin and Stacey, Archie), Kiell Smith-Bynoe (Ghosts, Stath Lets Flats) also star.  The knockout British ensemble cast surrounds best friends and shop owners Ruth Syratt and Megan Stevenson. Both play characters based on themselves, bringing their own vibrant personalities and undeniable chemistry to the screen. The film is set around their actual Muswell Hill vintage shop ChaChaCha, bringing a real-life documentary element to the sci-fi mockumentary.
Time Travel Is Dangerous follows best friends Ruth and Megan as they run their vintage shop in Muswell Hill. When they stumble across a time machine, it occurs to them that stock is much cheaper if they ‘borrow’ from the past – well, it’s free. They don’t want to change history, or rob banks, they just want to find a nice Victorian lamp or an authentic 80s bum bag without getting sucked into the hellish time-space vortex that is “the Unreason”. The thing is, Time Travel Is Dangerous.
On the upcoming digital release, writer and directorChris Reading, said “We’re excited for Time Travel is Dangerous to be available to the biggest audience yet with the digital release. To celebrate the release, we are having an awesome launch event for the public at Alexandra Palace, with special screenings, stalls and live music which the cast will be down to support. Bringing it back to where we started in North London for one last big live event before everyone can watch at home!”

Co-writers and producers, Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare and Hillary Shakespeare said “Time Travel is Dangerous was really fun for us to do as before and after we’ve mostly been in the rom com space and really enjoyed venturing into this laugh-out-loud comedy sci-fi where the jokes are big and often ridiculous. We just want to make people laugh – so we hope you do!” Time Travel Is Dangerous is coming to all major digital platforms from 29th September 
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Cinequest 2025 – Burt

Posted on March 20, 2025 by ricbret

Burt, a 69-year-old street musician living with Parkinson’s, has his life turned upside down when Sammy, a wayward young man from New York, shows up claiming to be his son. Having always dreamed of being a father, Burt embraces Sammy and invites him to stay for the weekend at his home, where he lives with his grumpy landlord, Steve.

Closing out our Cinequest reviews for this season, we have a chance to look at a small, independent film with some amazing properties. Burt has some interesting aspects to examine, things we associate with independent festival films. A small cast. A very small budget. An appropriately scoped environment in which to film. And the decision to film in black and white. This is a textbook example of the kind of film you discover at festivals.

Still, in many ways Burt rises above these limitations. The script is tight, with voices given to the actors that ring true. Characters living with interesting and uniquely flawed situations. We look into the lives of elderly folks who are still characters who are deciding how to live out their years.

Burt (Burton Berger), is a guitarist and singer in his late 60’s, managing his affliction with Parkinson’s disease. Most of what he does is just give back to people with his art. He still dreams of making it big with his songs, to be a superstar. His room mate and landlord Steve, (Steven Levy), tends towards a slightly manic, a bit obsessive and unnecessarily demanding, but is actually very sharp and insightful. And Sammy, (Oliver Cooper), Burt’s newly revealed adult son, has not done well with his life, and continues to make bad decisions. The core cast works well together, so well that the handful of supporting characters are almost unnecessary to the story being told.

Of course there are some secrets here. To go any further than the trailer’s content would spoil some great surprises within the film. We could almost see the film just focusing on Burt’s delight of connecting with a son so late in life… but there’s much more to the film.

Catlin Adams, as Sylvia, is arguably the surprise fourth core member of the film.

I recommend this film without hesitation. It is amazing that such a good piece of work could be shot in just seven days on a budget of $7,000. But those are just statistics. In the end director/writer Joe Burke and co-writer Oliver Cooper have delivered something wonderful to the film festival crowd.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Ric Bretschneider
March 20, 2025
San Jose CA

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Cinequest 2025 – Cast Members

Posted on March 20, 2025 by Debbie Bretschneider

In the world of under-appreciated theme park work, a spirited group of performers finds their fragile optimism crumble when a co-worker secures a life-changing TV role, prompting an existential (and musical) unraveling.

Cast Members is an enjoyable six minute short movie with a great musical number.   It was created by sisters Emily Wilson (starring in the short as “Rose”) and Sarah Wilson Thacker (who wrote and directed), drawing on Emily’s decade of real life experiences of working at theme parks across Southern California.

After its showing at Cinequest, Thacker mentioned that she is trying to get the concept of the movie into a series. This would be a great series as in the movie there are 5 main cast members that we are given a quick introduction to.  I could definitely see learning more about each of the Cast Members and having a musical number in each show. The moment when a cast member has an encounter with a young fan is really touching.

You can watch online at Cinejoy! March 24 – 31, 2025!

Debbie Bretschneider
March 20, 2025
San Jose, California

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Cinequest 2025 – Cotton Candy Bubble Gum

Posted on March 19, 2025 by ricbret

Carter, a 21-year-old mama’s boy still living at home, faces an ultimatum after his mom gets engaged to her vindictive cop boyfriend: secure a paid promotion at his internship by the end of the day or find a new place to live. Determined to land the job, Carter is handed an outrageous to-do list by his boss, including getting his Jeep detailed (it gets towed), babysitting his boss’s rebellious teenage son (he loses the kid), organizing a birthday party (a model overdoses on the living room floor), and recovering a stolen sex tape (a world-famous rapper kidnaps Carter’s best friend during a botched blackmail attempt)...

OK, Fair Warning:
First off, the adult in me wants to say this film is not for kids because of language, drug use, and sex (talk.) But then the kid in me says most adults won’t understand the slang, catch on to the drug use, and there is only one sex scene and it doesn’t involve nudity. So yeah, if you want to get annoyed, you’ll get annoyed. But hey, you’ll be wrong. So sit back and enjoy the show. (Later you can Google the slang you missed.)

Cotton Candy Bubble Gum refers to a brand of gum that Carter uses to control his anxiety attacks. And yes, this boy has regular attacks about most everyday things. Of course, this being a movie where things that mean a lot to Carter just start falling apart, rolling down a hill, and then catching on fire… well he chews a lot of gum.

The day revolves around Carter, aided by his friend Angel, trying to elevate his position from unpaid intern to paid aid/gofer. This involves prep for a party for models, a gangster rapper named Capital Gains, and his boss. A disturbingly long and detailed to-do list is dumped on him, along with taking care of his boss’ mouthy son. Angel pops up with his brand of “help.” He’s going to make good use of the boss’ house to throw his own early party with a bag of “sched 1” (drugs, see I saved you a Google), and some models.

Without giving anything more away, things just start to unravel from there.

There are a lot of fun locations here, and the camera work moves us seamlessly through the geography and the day. Although I didn’t hear anyone mention their location in the film, I did recognize some of West Hollywood, which is always colorful and interesting. The cast is all fun to watch, and the script really moves along. While Angel is kind of a slippery and untrustworthy friend, we can really empathize with Carter. He’s really coming to a decision point in his life, and nothing is helping. Of course, the things that are burning and exploding are probably just what he needs right now.

This is one of those movies where a relatively good kid gets in over their head, and adventures just keep taking him deeper and deeper. Seems like every few years this trope these takes a snapshot of our culture. This could be the Superbad, Risky Business, or even The Hangover for the 2020’s. It’s at least a nominee.

Most independent film festivals don’t feature as many crazy comedies as Cinequest is prone to schedule, and that’s one of the reasons why Cinequest is one of the best film festivals around. You really owe yourself some time with Cotton Candy Bubble Gum.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Ric Bretschneider
March 19, 2025
San Jose, California

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Why I Own an Android Phone, But Still Love Apple

Posted on March 18, 2025 by ricbret

OK, stick with me, this starts off weird.

I’m a big fan of the Pebble watch. It’s been gone for years, but recently announced a comeback. Pebble was a Kickstarter for a cool phone-connected watch that would last a week on a battery charge. It used an e-Ink display to drastically cut down power drain. It was open source, and anyone could write apps or new watch faces for it. It was damn cool.

Through a tortured series of acquisitions, Pebble eventually ended up being owned by Google. In short, that killed it. Until recently when Google announced that the Pebble Operating System (Pebble OS) was going open source. This would allow anyone to build on it and use it in products.

The original owners very quickly announced the rebirth of the Pebble, with new watches coming out “soon.” Today they started taking orders for the new watches.

OK, there’s a lot more there. But that’s enough backstory for the point of what I wanted to be a short post.

Anyway, there’s already new software (has been for a while) running on Android phones that works with old Pebble watches and will continue to be great on the new Pebble watches. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for iPhone.

In reading posts about the Pebble rebirth, I came across a blog post by Eric Migicovsky (father of the Pebble). You should read it, its very well written.

In it Migicovsky explains why there are still questions about how good the Pebble watch will be on the iPhone. Essentially he lays out how Apple restricts anyone from expanding iPhone users beyond the Apple Approved Ecosystem. And especially how only Apple can make a watch for the iPhone that is anywhere near “smart.”

This includes no way for the watch to send texts or iMessages. No way to take actions on notifications (like marking something as done.) Any kind of inter-process communication, which basically means apps talking to each other.

This last one is kind of baked into the iPhone. If you remember, the original iPhone did not allow copy and paste. Let that sink in. They saw no reason to share the simplest data between even their own apps! Of course that was implemented after a huge customer cry of “What the fuck were you thinking?” But it remains their history.

Apple is famously against information sharing except when absolutely necessary. They couch it in “privacy and security.” But it’s really about customers not buying/using anything with their Apple products except Apple products. They even take general concepts, like SMS text messaging. Modify them so they only work on Apple phones and computers. Or it makes people who aren’t on Apple phones or products look like 2nd class citizens. Consider the poor tween who cries when their friends tease them for “having parents too poor to buy them an iPhone.” Yeah, that’s a real thing, and its endorsed by Tim Apple.

Anyway, there’s a lot more here. I recently bought a new desktop Mac heavily promoted as having “Apple Intelligence.” But guess what. Unless I’m using the core Apple apps, it won’t affect any of my work on the platform. And that’s OK. Apple Intelligence is pretty lame right now. I didn’t buy my new computer for “AI.” The Apple apps (Numbers, Pages, Keynote, and Safari) aren’t good enough for the work I do. I just needed a new computer because my old Mac was about to start failing and I wanted to get ahead of the failure. Because users can’t fix or upgrade old Macs. By design. Yeah, another thing.

Before you write me off as a Apple hater, I’m really not. I’m often disappointed about how they feel they have to lie and make stuff up about how great they are. They are pretty great, but they’re not godlike. There are reasonable alternatives. And for the first time in a long time the Windows PCs outnumber the Apple products in our home. I’ve had a Mac on my desk since July of 1984, and it’s my primary machine to this day. I think it’s a great computer, in spite of the anticompetitive shit Apple does to make it a cult machine.

I just wish Apple would drop all the restrictive bullshit and actually become as great as they say they are.

Ric Bretschneider
March 18, 2025
San Jose California

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Cinequest 2025 – BAR

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Debbie Bretschneider

The fun and inspirational story of five people from around the U.S. who descend on the Culinary Institute of America in NYC to participate in the world’s premiere educational program on distilled spirits and mixology.

Bar is an amazing, intense, and engaging documentary about people trying to become certified world class experts on all things bar and bartending related. It takes place in a five day program at the NYC Culinary Institute of America called the BAR 5-Day Program. The founding members of BAR created a certification for the best bartenders on the education about creating Craft cocktails. The movie introduces us to five of the 78 students training at BAR 5 and follows them throughout the 5 day of intensive training and testing.

The program is intense. The filmmakers really excelled in bringing the viewer into intimate stories of the class and teachers while respecting the intensity all are subject to during the week. This is so good it could have been a scripted film, but it’s all the more impactful for the real stories that are told.

We watch as the staff explains the origins and structure of the class.  Days of introduction and training, followed by both practical (mixing drinks, and blind tasting of ingredients) and written exams.  The goal is teaching and testing of students, most of whom already have deep knowledge and experience, so they can qualify for one of the certifications that will stand for their world-class experience and qualifications. To walk into any bar in the world and tend it unquestioned.

The movie also spends much of its time with the background crew of BAR graduates that come just to staff and assist with the running of BAR 5.  They interviewed many of them to show how BAR 5 has helped their careers. Staff are aided by student workers, part of the class who are assisting in the setup, production, and break down of the five day class while also taking the same tests as those who paid full price. Any one of these could have been the focus of the film, but all together it’s amazing.

After 3 days of up to 16 hours of teaching and preparation, testing begins. The students have to make 6 cocktails in 10 minutes and can only use 4 ingredients, including the garnish. They are given 5 of the required cocktails and then make their own “signature” cocktail.

And the last day is a written test. Although the quietest part of the movie, the filmmakers capture the intensity of the culmination of the class, and the hopes of the students.

Paper Plane, Later That Same Night

The movie ends weeks later, with the filming the 5 students getting their results over Zoom.  Again, the documentary crew provides an intimate capstone to these stories. There is comradery between the bartenders, whether students, teachers, or support members. All shared the experience and have an emotional stake in the results. Again, the filming and editing are top notch and never feels intrusive during the movie. A postscript to the film brings us up to date on the further careers of the five focus students and their varied successes.

Cinequest attendees were invited to attend a singular event after the World Premiere of BAR. All were invited to the Paper Plane bar on San Jose’s First Street. It was great to see bartenders at work after enjoying the movie.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Debbie Bretschneider
March 16, 2025
San Jose, California

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Cinequest 2025 – The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Debbie Bretschneider

A dazzling, high-stakes melodrama of exile and unraveling, The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand is a whirlwind of glamour, heartbreak, and dark humor. As a legendary Iranian fashion designer clings to the ghosts of her past, she spirals into a tragicomic descent — fighting for relevance, identity, and survival in a country that isn’t her own.

It’s 1980’s London, although all we see is the inside of Zahra Zand’s beautifully decorated apartment with art from Iran.  Zahra was a famous fashion designer in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She is mourning her homeland, her former marriage, and her career. But she is mourning with large amounts of alcohol and by keeping all who care for her away.

The movie turns into an unexpected love story, but her lover moves away physically and emotionally.  Partially due to Zahra’s dramatic emotional ups and downs.

Shot in the Persian language, the film is subtitled in English. It stars a well-known Iranian poet, Boshra Dastournezhad, who does amazing work to show the extreme emotional ups and downs of Zahra. Her emotions would go into extremes just while talking in one scene and it was actually a bit exhausting to watch. I was hoping for more about her fashions, but that was only briefly touched on.

It was interesting to see an Iranian movie with a different viewpoint that goes in unexpected directions.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

Debbie Bretschneider
March 13, 2025
San Jose, California

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Cinequest 2025 – The Dreamers and I

Posted on March 13, 2025 by ricbret

I typically don’t seek out documentaries, for entertainment or source material for reviews. But so many people said that this film was different, and that it would appeal to me. And they were right.

I’m a child of the Valley of Hearts Delight, who grew up with the Silicon Valley. The Valley is legendary, known for large companies that started as small companies with big ideas. It’s the land of invention, innovation, inspiration, and a sense that anyone who tries, can find some level of success.

After spending time at Apple Computer, Kenji Yamamoto recognized his skill was film making. This is his film. In it, he chronicles his time at a start-up habitat, a “hacker house.” A place where otherwise unconnected young entrepreneurs can inexpensively live and work on their projects, chasing the “next big thing.”

Yamamoto follows a handful of these dream chasers. He weaves a story of young people chasing the new American dream, the startup. They are realistic about the failure rate of startups. It is very high. And how they remain optimistic; that this Valley is the place where failure is just another step towards success.

While a documentary, The Dreamers and I definitely has the compelling feel of a well paced drama. We learn the backgrounds of the inhabitants of “The Startup Embassy.” While centered in the center of California, most of the subjects are from other countries. However they all share this new American dream. There are the moments of elation in discovery, and the let-downs when something that was almost there falls through. But rarely is that the end of the story.

Not only is this the story of the startup hackers, there are two meta-stories here. One of Carlos who sees evolving the hacker house concept into a fully industrialized business. And a second unexpected story, about Kenji’s own struggles in getting the film made. And about making it through the process himself.

So yeah, without any spoilers, this film is compelling, entertaining, uplifting, and in the end inspiring. It probably should make it into the required viewing for anyone in the engineering or project development educational tracts.

And it reminds the viewer that maybe not all successful businesses meet the standard criteria for success.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Ric Bretschneider
March 13, 2025
San Jose California

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Geeking around, Home and Family, Media, Movies, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2025 – Alien

Posted on March 13, 2025 by ricbret

First things first. Alien. Not that Alien, no salivating monsters, no jump scares, no running about in underwear. Still, it’s definitely in the science fiction category, but a bit softer than you might be expecting. This is an intriguing film, and it does explore some areas that aren’t typically exploited by US producers.

The film is in Russian with English subtitles, and is not so speech heavy for this to be an issue of for any viewer. Indeed, the visuals are striking. Set in the winter, in a small village in Ural, the scenery is coldly beautiful, and most of the film takes place just outside the village proper. A small house, oddly constructed and decorated with cast off bits of recycled materials, is home to Lyosha, a hearing-impaired man, and the older woman he takes care of.

Lyosha’s home decoration would be enough for the locals to consider him strange, but he’s also known for creating large “crop circle” drawings in vegetation and snow. And much of his house is filled with electronics, radio receivers and even antennas he’s hand made from recycled cans. He’s hoping to make contact with someone extraterrestrial. His mother had disappeared when he was young, and the mysterious circumstances of that event were never explained.

Again, the villagers consider him strange, but he is well liked among many and admired for his work and personal ethics. His life takes a turn when a waifish young girl appears waiting at his gate. and enters his life. The mystery deepens when it appears that she may be telepathic.

The filming is relaxed and at times majestic. The camera has a tendency to dwell on simplest things, walking across a bridge or a figure laying down on the top of a snowy hill, to a nice effect. In contrast, the village itself is somewhat old and tawdry. Not to say that it has any undertones of malice or enigma, just to point out a difference in the environments.

As the mystery of the girl’s purpose, and a falsified report against Lyosha that stirs up concern and action from the village, there are scenes that recall the Frankenstein film. But without torches or pitchforks.

Even as an small, independent film, the artists here have worked within limitations to put together a compelling story with some new ideas about what makes one alien. If you’re looking for a nice bit of science fiction during the Cinequest Film Festival, check out Alien.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Ric Bretschneider
March 9, 2025
San Jose California

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Review, SciFi Fantasy | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Cinequest 2025 – Shorts Program 3: Genre Quest

Posted on March 9, 2025 by ricbret

So, why review Cinequest’s third shorts program first? Well, you can blame it on my appreciation of the works of the recently passed Howard Waldrop.

I started a book of Waldrop’s short stories at the recommendation of a friend when I was singing the praises of Manly Wade Wellman. A friend said I should check out a book called “Howard Who?” Although I’ve only seen a tenuous connection between the two authors, I’m grateful as I’ve enjoyed ever story in the book. Especially the short story The Ugly Chickens of which you’ll see more later. In fact, if you trust me you can stop reading here and just make sure to see the short film at Cinequest on March 22nd.

Still, there? OK. A couple more coincidences.

Howard Who, a book of short stories by Howard Waldrop

Turns out that the Waldrop book I read contained an introduction written by George R.R. Martin. And The Ugly Chickens short film playing at Cinequest was produced by the same Martin. So yeah, this was a review I wanted to write early.

Of course, the Genre Quest block of short films is excellent overall, with a number of film genres represented in bite size and slightly larger sizes. Let’s take a look at them with bite size appraisals.

THE UGLY CHICKENS (29min)

The story of the Dodo bird is unto itself a warning and a joke. Perhaps the dumbest bird ever, and dead because of that. Unfair, but that’s the general concept. The story here involves a teaching assistant who, through mere chance, gets wind that the dodo might still be alive. In fact, may be alive in the United States of America. (Pause here so you can dismiss the idea that this is a political reference. All done? OK.)

The story revolves around Paula (Felicia Day from The Guild and numerous other fan favorite media) in a gender-swapped role as the teaching assistant. This is great casting as no one can go from depression to rapture, from confused to enlightened with such believable rapidity as Day. Chasing a story, and following up on scraps of backwoods history, we join Paula hunting down the eventual fate of the dodos. Along the way the audience learns the biological details (there were actually three different dodo breeds) and the historical tales (dodos imported into European royal zoos and museums.) The story is fascinating and wonderful. And the end… well, you’ll have to see that for yourself.

Very much recommended.

THE EYE (7min)
We as a global civilization may have learned more in the last few years about how even while facing an unspeakable disaster, we yearn for normalcy. And what could be more normal than lunch out with some friends. Even in in a small town that has apparently been set with a werewolf infestation. But what’s all that about the “eye?” There’s quite a bit of original story packed into 7 minutes.

INVASION ’53 (10min)
Nobody does alien invasion movies better than the Commie huntin’ 50’s. Mix that in with just the right amount of sitcom staging, 50’s sensibility, an incredibly unlikely set of friends, and you’ve got a lovely little dark humor cocktail party, right down to the pigs-in-a-blanket.

LAB RATS (19min)
There are a lot of minimal-set short films out there that make, often heavy-handed, comments about imprisonment in our society. Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those. Yes, most of the action takes place on a very simple set, with conversations between two of the three member cast. But this is a very modern take, with plenty of absurdist humor. And it totally ignores its supposed duty to remind us that some aspect of our own lives should be examined here. Just sit back and enjoy.

THE MOONING (3min)
Consider the astronaut who has literally spent his whole life working up to being the first to set foot on the moon. What’s his motivation? You will never guess, but in the end it will have been obvious.

ONE LAST DANCE (3min)
This film seems more a visual poem than a story; there’s a lot of room here in which to find your own answers. In 3 minutes the appropriately understated special effects and the actor’s performances will keep you enrapt, and finally touched.

OUROBOROS (7min)
OK, you’re looking for a nice little Science Fiction story with aliens, slavery, war, betrayal, and revenge? Good production, music, animation, and terrific sound? All in 7 minutes? This is what you’re looking for.

POCKETMAN (2min)
Two minutes of horror in this short that makes you reconsider all those Candyman, Freddie, Jason, and similar baddies that chase the “final girl” around in their films. And perhaps the greatest last line that will have most of the women in the audience cheering for their universal complaint. (Yeah, that won’t make any sense until you see the film.)

But seriously, it’s a comedy.

SKATE OR DIE (3min)
We can debate the role of AI in art later, this is a fairly good example of where it can take us, and unfortunately points out some of the problems. It’s only 3 minutes long, and you’ve probably never considered the role of skaters in helping humanity survive the next biological disaster.

In all seriousness, the film credits the AI video creation tool Runway Gen-3 Alpha for all visuals made for this film. You should check it out just to get a sense of what is currently possible on an independent film maker’s budget.

WHERE THE MOUNTAIN WOMEN SING (14min)
A crew making a film in the mystical Great Xing’an Range of Northeastern China. The subject is a shamanic ritual to select the ‘Mountain God’s Wife.’ There are flavors of The Blair Witch Project and The Wicker Man, but it doesn’t feel derivative of either. This film is twisty. I don’t want to say much because you should be guessing all the time you’re watching.

So, yes, this is a great block of shorts that explores and updates so many genre favorites. Highly recommend it. Be careful, it’s only playing once at Cinequest this year.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch many of these individual shorts, and more, online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Ric Bretschneider
March 9, 2025
San Jose California

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Cinequest 2025 – Maura and Maggie Get Callbacks

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Debbie Bretschneider

Maura and Maggie face the odds of the entertainment industry, defying societal expectations and age barriers. Equal parts heartfelt and hilarious, Maura & Maggie is a cautionary, inspiring tale of resilience, friendship, and the pursuit of dreams—where truth proves stranger than fiction.

“Before this film is over, I’m going to raise my shirt and show you my bare breasts…”
– Maura

It’s not often that you hear the words heartfelt and hilarious in the same sentence as documentary. However, a pleasant surprise awaits you at Cinequest this year.

Maura and Maggie are friends living in New York City who met later in life.  Maura proudly announces that she is 67, has had breast cancer, and wants to become an actress.  Maggie has been acting most of her life, and has credits in over 100 movies and TV shows, and won two supporting actress awards.

Throughout much of the film Maura and Maggie discuss their past and families. Maura had 3 husbands, much drama, and several children, but she feels like life has passed her by, as many over 60 women feel.  The film spends a little too long interviewing Maura’s brother and sisters, however, interesting background information comes out. 

Maura and Maggie walk around New York and film themselves doing little bits from famous films, In my opinion, the film could have benefited from more of those, but the ones they do include are short but fun. 

Impatient with not getting a break in someone else’s production, Maura convinces Maggie to work with her and put on their own two person show. Not entirely convinced, Maggie resists, and tries to talk her out it. But eventually they rent a small theater and find a theater professor to be the Director. They fill the theater with friends and other recipients of free tickets.

That’s not the whole story of course, but life goes on and so do Maura and Maggie. The film left me wanting more, and that’s usually a good sign.

Special Note: This film is a Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award Winner. The Cinequest showing on Saturday, March 15 will include an award presentation and moderated conversation with the artists.

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!

Debbie Bretschneider
March 8, 2025

Posted in Cinequest, Documentary, Entertainment, Film, Health and wellness, Media, Movies, Review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2025 – Time Travel is Dangerous

Posted on March 6, 2025 by ricbret

UPDATE: See Time Travel is Dangerous in your own home soon!

More here!

Best friends Ruth and Megan run a vintage shop in North London. When they stumble across a time machine, they embark on trips to the past, ‘borrowing’ items to sell in the present. They don’t want to change history, or rob banks, they just want to find a nice lamp… without getting sucked into the hellish time/space vortex that is the Unreason.

Warning: I’m very stingy on details from the film, yet madly full of enthusiasm. You’ll understand later. Yes, it’s for your own good.

A group of men in casual wear push what appears to be a time machine, or carnival bumper car, out into the night. They don't look suspicous at all, do they?

Don’t you just love time travel movies? I do. Can’t really think of one I don’t like. I imagine you can place them all on a scale with, let’s say George Pal’s The Time Machine on one end being very serious science and curiosity about the future, and perhaps Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits on the other end with some seriously twisted time fracturing going on with quite a bit of humor. Back to the Future would be closer to that latter end, while Time after Time closer to the former. So maybe you’re with me so far? No? No matter, onward!

Time Travel is Dangerous is very much on the Time Bandits end of our scale. This story firmly placed in the funny, inventive, and rule breaking zone. This is made all the more fun with a healthy serving of Monty Pythonesque situations. And then seasoned with a dash of Absolutely Fabulous‘ Patsy and Eddy’s conversational barbs and muttering. (Personally, I think that’s where all the best jokes live.) We end up with an absolutely fabulous and inventive take on the time traveling movie trope.

Motivation for most folks in time travel stories tend towards some personal need. To move about in time, undoing some wrong. Discovering the source of some mystery. Or sometimes they’re on the receiving end of the voyage (Why hello Doctor Who!) In Time Travel is Dangerous, we’re watching Ruth (Ruth Syratt) and Megan (Megan Stephenson) travel into the mysterious past to… collect items to sell in their thrift shop. It’s perfect for them. They pay nothing for their stock, and come home with some astounding finds. Of course occasionally they have to run back to their time machine being pursued by the local citizens. But seriously, it’s the perfect setup.

Oh look, it's the time machine ne bumper car with two young ladies in it. They appear to be returning from a shopping spree. Edina and Patsy would be proud of their casual style, although there isn't anything to drink nearby at all.

The film is shot in a “video interview” format, like The Office (British or English), and Parks and Recreation. Occasional narration is provided by the ever so identifiable voice of Stephen Fry. Much of this takes place in Cha Cha Cha, a small vintage shop run by the two best friends. They just happened to find a working time machine next to the trash bins one morning, turned it on, and ended up in 1945. How’s that for an origin story? Their town is full of unusual characters, and you’ll want to take note of the establishing shots at the beginning. There are clues to what’s going on in the larger story that I have to admit I missed on my first viewing.

I’d love to say more about the plot and adventures, but that risks spoilers, always a problem in time travel. Leave it to say that so much of what you expect to happen does not. And some of what you had no idea would happen takes center stage. And then the whole thing slides way into the unpredictable. Relaxing later with your friends you may find yourself politely arguing about what unidentifiable but suspiciously familiar historical figures you’ve seen knocking about in various… well, again that would be telling.

While obviously an independent film, the special effects are serviceable, perhaps even adorable. Direction is well done by Chris Reading, who co-authored the nicely tight script with sisters Anna-Elizabeth and Hillary Shakespeare, AKA The Shakespeare Sisters. I heartily recommend Time Travel is Dangerous for Cinequest patron looking for a fun science fiction film that avoids being too twisted in its telling.

Yes, it’s just twisted enough.

Oh , you can visit the film’s website, and maybe even take a closer look at the time machine!

Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.

Ric Bretschneider
March 6, 2025
San Jose, California

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The 2025 Saturn Awards for Science Fiction

Posted on February 3, 2025 by ricbret

Last night I watched the 52nd Saturn Awards show live from the Hilton Universal City in Los Angeles. The Saturn Awards is “the official ceremony of The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The Academy annually recognizes film and television artists who’ve created some of the best genre entertainment in the world.” So yeah, my kind of show.

Saturn Awards, several rows of award statues, all bronze with a sculpt of the planet Saturn supported by an upward sweeping fluid pedistal.

There had been some concern about even holding the show given the devastating fires in the area. But apparently the decision was made to go ahead and many of the hosts and winners commented on what a wonderful experience it turned out to be. Lots of positivity, some jokes that hit and missed from main host Joel McHale (Animal Control).

The streaming show was on the Roku Channel (which I guess is only available through the Roku devices) and a free streaming service called Electric Now. It appears that the channel specializes in science fiction and action series (cancelled but in syndication) and movies. Picture quality was good, although production (cameras, sound, and stage management) was just below that of a Worldcon-level convention.

In general, the show was a fun watch, and the nearly 4 hours of broadcast went by quickly. The variety of award types was perhaps the broadest in any similar fannish awards event. There was no band to overplay recipients who were in danger of overstaying their welcome and a few went on a bit long. But overall presenters were great, and the recipients uniformly good. Language was definitely adult, as a number of F-bombs were dropped and some of the audio was dropped out (so “worse than an F-Bomb” or maybe something legally actionable?).

There was a lot of love in the house for the first responders who fought the four fires in the last few weeks. And one recipient (I missed the name and haven’t been able to find it on the net) had a great line about (and I’m summarizing) “yes, you should make donations to the recovery efforts, but especially for the people in this room right now if you want to help you should base your next project in Los Angeles.”

The other memorable line from host McHale, as the show went into its 3rd hour, went something like “well, we’re down to the last few awards and if you’re planning on attending the next Saturn Awards show just stay in your seats as we’ll be starting that up next.”

Anyway, here are the winners. You can see the whole list of nominees here.

Saturn Awards 2025 winners

Film Awards

Science Fiction Film – Dune: Part Two
Fantasy Film – Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Horror Film – Alien: Romulus
Action / Adventure Film – Deadpool & Wolverine
Thriller Film – Strange Darling
Animated Film – The Wild Robot
Independent Film – Late Night With The Devil
International Film – Godzilla Minus One
Film Direction – Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two
Film Screenwriting – Osgood Perkins, Longlegs
Actor in a Film – Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario as Paul Matthews
Actress In A Film – Demi Moore, The Substance as Elisabeth Sparkle
Supporting Actor in a Film – Hugh Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine as Logan / Wolverine
Supporting Actress in a Film – Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two as Lady Jessica
Younger Performer in a Film – Jenna Ortega, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as Astrid Deetz
Editing – Deadpool & Wolverine, Dean Zimmerman and Shane Reid
Film Music – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Danny Elfman
Film Production Design – Dune: Part Two, Patrice Vermette
Film Costume Design – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Colleen Atwood
Film Make Up – The Substance, Pierre-Olivier Persin
Film Visual / Special Effects – Dune: Part Two, Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefze

Television Awards

Science Fiction Series – Fallout
Fantasy Television Series – House Of The Dragon
Horror Television Series – From
Action / Thriller Television Series – Cobra Kai
Animated Television Series or Special – Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Superhero Television Series – Agatha All Along
Television Presentation – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Actor In A Television Series – Colin Farrell, The Penguin as Oswald “Oz” Cobb / The Penguin
Actress In A Television Series – Rosario Dawson – Ahsoka as Ahsoka Tano
Supporting Actor in a Television Series – Antony Starr, The Boys as Homelander
Supporting Actress in a Television Series – Cristin Milioti, The Penguin as Sofia Falcone
Young Performer in a Television Series – Xolo Maridueña, Cobra Kai as Miguel Diaz
Guest Star In A Television Series – Mark Hamill, The Fall Of The House of Usher as Arthur Gordon Pym

Home Entertainment Awards

4K Home Media Release – Saw X
Classic Film Home Media Release – Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Film Home Media Collection Release – Batman: 85th Anniversary Collection

Special Achievement Awards

Spotlight Award – Fallout
Dan Curtis Legacy Award – Superman & Lois
Lifetime Achievement Award – William Shatner
George Pal Memorial Award – Back To The Future
Robert Forster Artist’s Award – Hiroyuki Sanada
Lance Reddick Legacy Award – Laurence Fishburne

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Review: Korak at the Earth’s Core

Posted on March 20, 2024 by ricbret

Author: Win Scott Eckert
306 Pages
Published: 4/2/2024 by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc

I was never a Tarzan fan growing up.

Let me correct that. As a kid I loved Tarzan movies, the TV shows, and the comics. I was an avid reader of just about everything Edgar Rice Burroughs had written, but was never motiviated to spend my reading time on Tarzan. I was more interested in heroes mysteriously transported to other worlds, facing strange monsterous animals, and meeting exotic and strange civilizations. As far as Tarzan went, I kinda felt like I knew it all already.

And of course, I was terribly wrong about that. It wasn’t until I was fully in my adult years that I began to actually read some of the Tarzan novels, finding Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote a complex character with an unexpectedly broader background that most civilized folks, made sure he was extremely well traveled, and put hin into some of the most fantastic situations of any a pulp hero. Wow, I had been misssing out.

But as much as I had wrongly dismissed Tarzan, I would have to admit that Korak the Son of Tarzan, got even less of my interest.

I will blame this in part on the fact that Korak gets relatively little spotlight time in the Tarzan novels. And his background is both simple to read, and complex when you think about it. There was obviously more to Korak than Burroughs ever got around to writing.

Luckily, we have Win Scott Eckert.

Eckert is a pulp historian, analyst, and archeologist. His Crossovers books for example clock in at nearly 1000 pages of pulpy facts and revelations. His writings on the Burroughs’ Tarzan stories and history are exhaustive. And, a proven author of Burroughs connected stories and articles, and many other pulp series, he’s the perfect resource for ERB Inc. to tap for a continuation of the tales of House Greystoke. He proved that four years ago with his novel Tarzan: Battle for Pellucidar, and does again with Korak at the Earth’s Core.

When discussing this novel you have to wonder at the lifetime of research and thought that has gone into it. More than any other ERB related creation, the connections to that Universe both in location and history here are monumental. As an avid Burroughs reader I could write pages about the blatant and nuanced “Easter Eggs” Eckert has laid out among the jungle grasses awaiting discovery by excited fans. I will not speak long on these surprises, because finding them is most of the fun. And if you don’t discover them, they’ll still make sense and contribute to the pleasure of a rip roaring adventure.

I will make a few comments that fall short of being spoilers to help justify my recommendation of this book.

Korak is not Tarzan. Burroughs knew he already had a fully realized Tarzan, and didn’t need to create a “travel sized” Tarzan-2. With an origin unlike Tarzan, filled with singular trauma, Korak has to deal with his own personal demons. He fought in World War I and is an apparent victim of post tramatic stress disorder. With so much inherent conflict invested in a character, the meat of many great stories, it’s surprising Burroughs eventually spent relatively little time with Korak.

As an aside, it’s worth noting that 100 years ago we really didn’t try to understand mental disorders and the lasting effect of trauma. No doubt Burroughs was writing from experience, not from analysis. It’s encouraging that today we can read stories where the hero is struggling with such issues, heroically.

It is also worth discussing the writing, then and now. We have to acknowledge that not everyone has had an appreciation for Burroughs original writing style. It was true to it’s time, the original era of pulp fiction, and is undeniably a prose written purple.

For most fans, that’s really part of the fun. And it’s easy to see that Eckert is a fan, but is also a fine writer. I can’t put my finger on a specific passage or method here, but as I read Korak I kept flashing on my experiences reading prior Burroughs novels – there was just so much ERB here. That’s a pleasant surprise because when you’re trying to resurect old series for new readers it’s important to modernize the writing. People are expecting perhaps a bit more from their time spent with a book. Eckert has successfully kept a foot in both worlds. This is a finely crafted novel that shows his continued growth as a writer, with just enough of a purple umbra hanging around the prose for the long term fan. He’s a worthy inheritor.

Of course, everyone knows about the family of Tarzan and Jane. Up to a point, as far as the trope goes. However, these were not casts of characters frozen in time. (How old are the kids in Family Circus?) The Greystoke family tree had already grown a few new branches within Burroughs two dozen Tarzan novels. That tradition continues as Korak and his wife have an adult daughter now. (There is this thing about an elixir that keeps the family youthful over a hundred years later. Not a spoiler, that’s in the original series.)

The cast of the book includes almost every major character from the Pellucidar series. Thats an extensive crew as this stone-age world at the core of the Earth had already been featured in 10 prior novels. Eckert adds to that by drafting a few characters from stories not set in Pellucidar itself, human and otherwise, but again no spoilers.

As far as story connections go we are pleased to see characters and events from the recent authorized additions to the ERB Universe come delightfully into play. We don’t actually see Victory Harbin, the focus of the first Arc of new ERB Universe novels. But we do get a fun surprise in a short included novella Dawn of the Deathslayer, by Christopher Paul Carey, introduces Darva the Shadow another surprising addition to this growing Universe.

So, this is a big story. The novel does not end with a cliff-hanger, but there is definitley unfinished business. It’s just the beginning of a new trilogy; The Dead Moon Super-Arc.

And yes, I’ll be pre-ordering the sequels the moment they’re announced.

Highly recommended.

Ric Bretschneider
San Jose California
March 20, 2024

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Cinequest 2024 – Wrapup and Last Chance Reviews

Posted on March 19, 2024 by ricbret

Cinequest wrapped up on Sunday with the Maverick awards ceremony, recognizing the work of Mathew Modine, and a showing Hard Miles starring Modine. And although that was the only opportunity to see Hard Miles, many Cinequest features and shorts streaming online at the Cinejoy adjunct virtual festival. With that in mind, let’s spotlight a few items that we didn’t already cover over the last two weeks.

Future Date

In the distant future where the outside climate is unlivable and everyone is forced to spend their lives alone in tiny rooms, two people win the rare opportunity to go on a very unusual date… in person!

Combine a deadly future climate change that prohibits venturing outside, with a populace that has basically forgotten most everything that was once known about dating, much less cooking, and you’ve got an unlikely rom-com that actually delivers all the goods. Genuinely funny, a little disturbing, and just enough heart to make you cheer for Stanley Wong and Shuang Hu as the awkward couple. Recommended.

Disarmed

I covered a few shorts that were shown paired with live shows, but wanted to call Disarmed out specifically because this is a compelling gut-punch of a quick story that you should not miss. Timely and moodily manic, I won’t risk spoiling anything here except to say that what you’re expecting is not what you’re getting. Seriously, do I have to write multiple paragraphs dancinig around what a brilliant short this is? No, I don’t. No, I won’t. And you can watch it on Cinejoy for less than it costs for a comic book. So go watch it. Now!

The Island Between Tides

Six-year-old Lily vanishes. For two days and nights, no one can find the cheery girl who’d strayed onto a remote tidal island. Until she’s found at the exact spot she was last seen with no memory of being away. Unharmed but not unaltered. The changes start gradually. Lily develops prodigious musical abilities, sensing the world through a mysterious melody only she can hear. But she can’t shake her obsession with this island she can’t remember, and that her family won’t discuss.

At 20, the melody leads her back to it, and when she disappears again, this time it’s for good. Or so everyone believed. Decades later, Lily reappears. But impossibly, she looks just as she did the day she vanished. To her, no time passed at all. Still a young woman, the rest of the world has aged around her, her family now whittled down to her elderly father, middle- aged sister, and the troubled son she’d left as an infant. Her assimilation isn’t easy, testing even the strongest family’s bond. Because this time, Lily didn’t come back alone.

I gave you the whole synopsis from the Cinequest guide because this only played live once, and isn’t available through Cinejoy. Just be on the lookout for this film, because it’s so many things at once, and well worth seeking out. Again, you got a lot of it in the guide description, anything I could add would spoil some great storytelling.

Berdyans’k

Lera, a young Ukrainian refugee who recently arrived in Ireland, fears the worst and uses dark-web séance software (The Orb) to discover that her sister Maryna has died in the conflict back home. Through The Orb, she makes contact and discovers that her sister Maryna is disoriented and stuck in an after-death limbo, based around the beach they went to as children. The beach is in Berdyansk, an Azov Sea resort currently under Russian occupation. Together, the sisters must find a way to come to terms with what has happened and find a way for both of them to move on.

And finally, the last film I watched at Cinequest, but lucky you, it’s available on Cinejoy. Another amazing short, compact and moving filmmaking and storytelling. Again, at 15 minutes running length, you’re not expecting so much to be slipped onto the screen in front of you. Again, the Cinejoy screenings are so inexpensive you really can’t afford to let fine films like this pass you by.

And so…

Another great Cinequest has gone by, leaving us with a week to catch up to thing we missed, or even things that deserve a second viewing. Thanks to all the filmmakers who I got to chat with, the other viewers who shared their recommendations, and to founders Halfdan Hussey, Kathleen Powell, their amazing staff, and especially to Michael Rabehl, Christopher J. Garcia, and Gabriella Deyi for advice and tips throughout the festival.

One more time…

Ric Bretschneider
San Jose California
March 19, 2024

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Cinequest 2024 – Debbie’s Summary

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Debbie Bretschneider

The Cinequest Film and Creativity Festival started in 1990 in San Jose, California. It’s grown since then, so much so that this year, there were over 80 World Premieres programmed. And the silent cinema came back! The Mark of Zorro, which showed off the Wurlitzer organ in the beautiful California Theater.

The Mark of Zorro

Most Cinequest movies shown are truly independent films, without “name” actors and management. Cinequest does a great job of finding the best of the best, and this year was no exception. A great feature of Cinequest availablity of film creators in a low-key setting, you can actually sit down and talk about their movie, or movies in general. A new theme has been developing that a lot of the filmmakers do not expect to get a movie theater distribution. Instead, they look forward to moving the movie to streaming services like Tubi or Gravitas, and then hoping for Amazon or Netflix to come calling. And although we say goodby to this years filmmakers, many are going on the road to other film festivals.

Ed
Recommended: Eden

Among this year’s highlights was Ezra, which did have big stars like Robert De Niro and Whoopi Goldberg. A story of a family that was falling apart because of their differences in handling their child’s autism. Various adventures ensue, and the family comes back stronger than ever. It was an inspiring story, but not one as likely to make blockbuster money at a theater.

Recommended: And Cut!

Ric Bretschneider has been doing movie reviews for Cinequest since 2013, and joine him last year. It works out well because we typically gravitate to different genres. Generally, he does the science fiction, horror, dramatic, and suspense movies and I review the love and documentary films. We both love the comedies. This year Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox was a treat for us both. 

Recommended: Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox

Before I sign off for this year, let you remind you that Cinequest is the in-person festival that has just ended. But from March 21-31, 2024, the Cinejoy virtual movie experience is happening, and it’s very reasonable. Now you can revisit some of the films you already saw, or catch some you might have missed. Or make a movie night of it with some friends.

  Unfortunately, Tim Travers is not on Cinejoy, but several of the other movies we reviewed are available until the end of the month. Check it out!

Debbie Bretschneider
March 18, 2024
San Jose, California

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Cinequest 2024 – And Cut!

Posted on March 15, 2024 by ricbret

Set in the heart of the Indian Film Industry, a tiny new film production house in Mumbai navigates everyday challenges while struggling under the leadership of an eccentric director and a sharp-tongued, openly gay producer. All, while being filmed by a documentary crew.

Starring Akash Arora,Nitya Mathur,Riddhi Kumar,Aakash Ahuja,Girish Sharma

At 30 minutes long, And Cut! is an unexpectedly long “short” film for Cinequest. Most shorts are grouped in themed programs where a half-dozen are show under groups of comedies, thrillers, and other genre favorite categories. And Cut! led the smaller group of paradoxically longer shorts called Laughs, Thrills, The Past, and the Future. It’s unfortunate that shorts at Cinequest are not repeated during the live showings. But Cinequest’s streaming sibling, Cinejoy, gives you the opportunity to check out this fine comedy any time you like through the end of the month.

And I recommend you do exactly that.

And Cut! is a series pilot shot in the “fictionalized reality TV format” popularized in the UK by the original sitcom The Office by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais. That show was later reinvented in the US TV show of the same name. And since then the mocumentary has become a wildly popular storytelling method used by many sitcoms.

Aside from being the show’s title, And Cut! is the name of the fictional fledgling film production company in the pilot. This setup is brilliant. As a film production service they will face a wide variety of projects for hire. The stories that can be developed around the premise is almost limitless, as is the documentary framing. It gets meta fast and can go deep. Personally I hope for a Bollywood musical episode (as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scrubs, and Star Trek Strange New Worlds to name a few) or an episode where the crew is hired to film a reality TV show, while continuing being filmed themselves.

Note: This is just me fanboying, I don’t have any insights into additional scripts. Let’s get back to the regularly scheduled review.

The real-life producers, actors and crew deserve additional credit as the format stays authentic. It helps smaller production houses that this style is very inexpensive to produce. The focus on story and character development is sharp. The actors and crew have excellent comedic timing, and create ‘heart’ through a number of empathetic situations. Everyone is flawed in different ways, and there’s a lot of potential for conflict and growth here. It helps that these are folks the audience can root for flaws and all.

This is also a great opportunity for audiences outside of Southern Asia to learn about a variety of cultures. The cast is quite diverse, coming from distinctly different areas and backgrounds, so it’s natural that they don’t always see eye-to-eye. Again, the potential for many years of stories is great. If it sounds like I’m making a pitch for a studio or network to pick this project up and fund it, well… yeah I guess I am. I do want to see more.

Avoiding spoilers I can say that the pilot episode stands solidly on it’s own. It is definitely a company just beginning to find it’s footing. The leader has big dreams that are solidly on the edge of impractical. The office manager wishes for a title with more status. The producer is constantly undermined by people who don’t take her as seriously as they should. The intern is probably the most competent while still dealing with self-doubt. Again, there’s so much potential here.

Yes, it’s subtitled, but the dialog is mostly English, occasionally sliding into Hindi. I did enjoy parsing the situations where discussing a western concept or product causes the shift in language, and emotional situations slip back into Hindi – it felt authentic from business interactions I’ve had. I really don’t want to see a fully dubbed version at all. Your mileage may vary of course, but it’s worth giving a chance even if you avoid subtitled films.

If you’re a fan of The Office, Parks and Recreation, or even movies like Best in Show or This is Spinal Tap, or just want to expose yourslef to a new cultural experience, you owe it to yourself to seek out And Cut! There’s a very good chance you’ll gain the bragging rights to say “I saw the original promo of that!”

We’re past the live screening of And Cut! but you can still watch it online through Cinejoy.

Ric Bretschneider
March 15, 2024
San Jose, California

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Cinequest 2024 – One Night in Tokyo

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Debbie Bretschneider

This one of a series of reviews from this year’s Cinequest film festival in San Jose, California. Read more about the festival here, and buy tickets for showings of this and other films here.

Sam arrives in Tokyo to visit his expat girlfriend Becca – only to be broken up with as soon as he finds his way to her apartment. Out on the streets of Tokyo alone, he decides to cut his trip short and return to America the next day.

Stuck for the night while he waits for his new flight, Sam makes an unlikely friend in Ayaka, who reluctantly takes him out with her friends.They both struggle to communicate due to their language barrier but are forced to rely on each other when betrayal sends their worlds crashing down. Walking through the streets of Tokyo together, they must not only overcome obstacles to understand each other, but must also break down their own walls to understand themselves.

What do you do when you arrive in Tokyo for a week and immediately your girlfriend breaks up with you?   If you are Sam, you rebook your flight, so you leave for New York the next day.   In the meantime, another friend of Sam’s, Jun, suggests that Sam hangs out with Jun’s friend, Ayaka. Sam does not speak Japanese and Ayaka knows very little English.

The movie spends too much time with Sam, Ayaka, and Ayaka’s friends hanging out in a restaurant. Ayaka and her friends are all speaking in Japanese, while Sam tries to fit in. One of the friends knows some English and tries to translate for Sam. The movie has subtitles, but you still get a feeling of isolation and unreality for Sam.

After leaving the restaurant, Ayaka and Sam make a startling discovery, and end up in a bar.  They finally figure out that their phone can translate for them and they start to become friends. They spend the rest of the night wandering around Tokyo sharing parts of themselves and having small adventures.  Tokyo seems to be another large City that never sleeps.

One Night in Tokyo is an interesting movie, and the actors did a great job of portraying these characters. Sam was played by Reza Emarmiyeh and Ayaka by Tokiko Kitagawa. The director/writer/producer, Joshua Woodcock, with Emarmiyeh, Kitagawa and cast attended the Cinequest screening. The movie was shot in 7 days in Tokyo, which I think gave the actors a reason to look tired!  Although in the movie, Sam does not speak Japanese, Emarmiyeh actually does.   

Showtimes
Unfortunately no additional live shows but you can watch One Night in Tokyo online through Cinejoy.

Debbie Bretschneider
March 12, 2024
San Jose, California

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Media, Movies, Review, Travel | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cinequest 2024 – Eden

Posted on March 11, 2024 by Debbie Bretschneider

This one of a series of reviews from this year’s Cinequest film festival in San Jose, California. Read more about the festival here, and buy tickets for showings of this and other films here.

A family that operates one of California’s most historic wineries struggles with succession in this hauntingly beautiful meditation on balancing personal and professional identities.

Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson have dedicated 40 years of their lives to one of California’s most historic wineries, Mount Eden Vineyards. As they prepare to pass the estate on to their children they are confronted with the challenges of mixing family and business.

The documentary Eden is a love story about the Mount Eden winery, which is located on a mountain top in Santa Clara County, California. The movie lovingly documents the beauty of the location and of the winery. The cinematographers, Isiah Flores and Christopher McGilvray (who is also the director), did fantastic work. Even the camera work of the workers in the fields were beautifully lit and fascinating. The views of the winery and the Santa Clara County valley were so beautiful that the story almost didn’t matter.

Christopher McGilvray began working on this film seven years ago and went back yearly to interview the family that are the managers, workers, and primary shareholder of Mount Eden winery. The Patterson family started at Mount Eden winery in the 1990’s and have lived there ever since.

Through the interviews you learn that the adult children left the isolated winery for college and their own lives before coming back to start taking over some of the responsibilities of the winery. There is some tension in the story of the family, but it never takes away from the beauty of the scenery.

I highly recommend seeing the movie, “Eden”  Unfortunately, it is not showing again at Cinequest 2024, but the director is taking the movie to other festivals and is hoping to get a distributor so watch for it!

Showtimes
Unfortunately no additional live shows but you can watch Eden online through Cinejoy.

Debbie Bretschneider
March 10, 2024
San Jose, California

Posted in Cinequest, Entertainment, Film, Movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment