BNFF10 REVIEW: Sotto il mio giardino [Under My Garden] [2007]

“You can’t fool the ants” A trio of short films by Italian director Andrea Lodovichetti screened during the 2010 Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. His latest, from 2007, is the Babelgum award-winning Sotto il mio giardino [Under My Garden], which I’m sure went a long way in him receiving the Best Shot Film award at the festival. Based on a story by Roberto Santini, the film concerns a young boy with a fascination for ants and how they always work as a collective for their queen, even risking their own lives…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Christina [2010]

“To the end of Berlin and the beginning of America” After some ill-received thrillers and a misfire with the script of Halloween: Resurrection, I’m not exactly sure why Larry Brand gravitated to writing and directing a very small, three character piece dealing with emotional turmoil at the end of WWII. I can only assume that this has been a passion project of his for some time and I applaud the newly formed Michigan-based 8180 Films for supplying the money to get this expertly acted and shot piece into theatres. Reminiscent…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Autism: Made in the U.S.A. [2010]

“The worst parts of human nature gone awry” The debate about whether or not vaccinations are attributing to Autism in children has been raging for a while now. High profile celebrities have gotten involved—the most vocal being Jenny McCarthy whose own son was diagnosed with the disorder—and producer Gary Null has created a documentary to make the message spread even wider. Autism: Made in the U.S.A. is an intriguing look at the two sides of the argument through both medical evidence and firsthand accounts from parents who not only saw…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Hot Tamale [2006]

“You better know so Wonderbread” Between the serious faces portrayed on the poster and the heist gone wrong plot synopsis, I had no idea Hot Tamale was going to be as much of a comedy as it is. Beginning with the bizarre death of lead Harlan Woodriff’s father, the kooky family is huddled around the frozen corpse while the son stays in the background wondering if he’d ended up in the wrong family. It all has an air of drama—besides the inclusion of actors Harland Williams and Beth Grant—as we…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: The Crimson Mask [2010]

“Puppets don’t have the strength to pull their own strings” Originally conceived as two short stories, one about a boxer and the other a banker, writer/director Elias Plagianos decided to combine both tales into The Crimson Mask, making its Western New York debut at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival. After realizing short films have little to no chance of making back the money put forth, he saw how the two ideas rested on the same general Faustian principle of selling one’s soul for a hastily thought out scheme for success.…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: A Touch of Grey [2010]

“I felt like a pedophile Suzy Homemaker” When first contacted by writer/director Sandra Feldman about her film A Touch of Grey screening at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, I was somewhat taken aback by her being a family physician. To me, it was an interesting career change from the medical field to filmmaker, but after seeing a few credits to her name as a stunt double and the film’s own message about crossroads and picking a direction, I fully understand the decision. She said how the film has been described…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: *Cemetery [2010]

“She was like a creature from under a bridge” Despite being a complete rip-off of The Blair Witch Project, I do think Elma native B.J. Stack’s film *Cemetery has a solid thriller within, unfortunately the finished copy shown at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival is not quite it. A handheld docu-style movie, the story involves three kids—a brother BJ, his sister Katlin, and her boyfriend Brandon—out to find a hidden cemetery housing the supposed bodies of a local abortionist’s deceased patients and babies. Driving to the woods in Wales, NY…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Soulmates [2008]

“Couldn’t perform couples therapy to save my own life” In a callback to broad horror humor of the 80s, like Gene Wilder’s wild ride Haunted Honeymoon, Tom Flynn joins in the fun with his short film Soulmates. Airing at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival to lighten the mood before a ghost tale feature, the movie relies on hammy performances to provide its laughs, utilizing a failed couples counselor who finds himself caught in a situation that needs him to get two lovers back together. Beginning with just one example in…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Lunopolis [2010]

“Have a blessed day” Ever want to know what a mixture of The Fourth Kind, without the re-enactments, and Primer would look like? Well, neither did I. That doesn’t mean I was turned off at the prospect, however, especially since both those movies are highly recommended by me. So, sitting down at a Buffalo Niagara Film Festival screening of Lunopolis was one I looked forward to. Listed in the program as a Feature Film, but categorized as a Documentary on IMDB, its synopsis confused me into wondering whether this was…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: Broken Dreams [2010]

“I just roll back out to sea, again and again” Listening to David Crabtree after the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival screening of his film Broken Dreams, you can sense the passion and work ethic that consumes him. Enlisting in an acting class at the Beverly Hills Playhouse to learn how to be an actor’s director, after the television show he is managing editor on, “Psych”, passed him over to helm an episode, Crabtree not only honed his skills, but also made the connections to go for broke on his first…

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BNFF10 REVIEW: RAGE [2010]

“I’m not just your therapist, I’m your friend” There’s nothing like a good throwback to the old 70s thriller. Not only does Christopher R. Witherspoon’s movie beg for comparisons to Steven Spielberg’s Duel, but it also contains two characters in an auto shop discussing that very film. What makes a good suspenseful mind trip is a simple yet taut storyline that relies heavily on reaction and the unknown. I was more riveted with RAGE than any horror film coming out the past decade because it refuses to use blood and…

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