Bluff will be available on Amazon Prime beginning April 28, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Indie Rights, in association with Catharsis Films, is proud to present Bluff from writer-director Sheikh Shahnawaz in his feature directorial debut, starring Gurj Gill, Jason Adam, Nisaro Karim (24 Little Hours), James Jaysen Bryhan (Shadow and Bone) and Joe Egan (Sherlock Holmes) with music by Savfk. BLUFF will be available on Amazon Prime April 28, 2022. (Catharsis Films, 2022).
Detective Sergeant Daniel Miller is suspended from the London Metropolitan Police so that he can be secretly deployed to a small English town on an undercover assignment to uncover Britain’s major suppliers of heroin and crack cocaine. He poses as a heroin addict and manipulates an unsuspecting junkie into working with him so that he can infiltrate the local drug network and work his way up the supply chain. The line between duty and criminality begins to blur as Miller’s investigation becomes increasingly dangerous the closer he gets to finding the source of a drug trafficker. The truth will get you killed.
British-Bangladeshi screenwriter and producer Sheikh Shahnawaz is the director. He has written and directed a host of short films, including Friend Request (2015), Stalker (2016), Duality (2018), The Woods (2018) and Trick (2018) to name but a few. Bluff is the feature directorial debut by Sheikh Shahnawaz.
Reed’s Point is now available on digital and DVD. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Reed’s Point is a psychological-thriller/creature-feature that tells of Sarah and Alex, two survivors of an RV crash near the New Jersey Pine Barrens. On the anniversary of the accident, Sarah and Alex drive to Reed’s Point to investigate the crash site. Things quickly go downhill as they find themselves stuck in the woods unsure of who they can trust and questioning if monsters really do exist. Written by Tricia Aurand, Suzanne DeLaurentiis and Sandy Lo, and directed by Dale Fabrigar (D-Railed), Reed’s Point stars Sasha Anne, Julia Kelly, Evan Adams, Madison Ekstrand, Anthony Jensen, Joseph Almani, Lanett Tachel, and veteran actor Joe Estevez (Soultaker, No Code of Conduct). (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)
Reed’s Point Genre: Horror/Fantasy Run time: 1hr 17 min Release date: April 12, 2022 Available on digital and DVD. Amazon,Google Play, YouTube,Vudu,
EVO Entertainment is hosting a special screening of the movie ‘Selena’ on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Photo: EVO Entertainment Group, used with permission.
EVO Entertainment Group is celebrating the queen of Tejano music with a special 25th Anniversary screening of Selena on April 7, 2022 at 7p.m. at EVO’s Springtown, Schertz, Southlake, Kyle, and Belterra Village locations. In addition to seeing Jennifer Lopez breathe life into the Latin music legend, guests 21 years of age or older can look forward to a specially curated “Como la Flor” Margarita to enjoy during the film. The prickly pear margarita features sweet, fruity notes and a signature purple color inspired by the late singer. To commemorate the special night, Selena fans will each receive a complimentary gift and can enjoy themed, interactive activities around the screening. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit EVO Entertainment Group. (EVO Entertainment Group, 2022)
EVO Entertainment Group is an Austin based out-of-home entertainment operator made up from several innovative brands including EVO Entertainment, EVO Cinemas, and EVO Concerts. Since its launch in 2014, EVO has gained a reputation as a leader in innovation, as well as one of the fastest growing independent cinema circuits in the country.
The Occupant is now available on Digital and Video On Demand. Photo: google
The Occupant stars Rik Billock (The Barn) David Flick (American Pastoral, Jack Reacher, One for the Money) Dylan Grunn (The Retreat, Lake Artifact) Nathan Hollabaugh (Concussion, Father’s & Daughters) Caroline Nicolian, and Megan Bolton. It was released March 29 on premium TVOD followed by a full digital release on all platforms cross USA and Canada by DevilWorks. (DevilWorks, 2022)
Directed and written by Samuel Krebs, the film follows four estranged siblings who find themselves in the grip of demonic possession after inheriting their family home. When an eccentric stranger arrives claiming the house was left to her, they start experiencing strange, inexplicable manifestations, which have malevolent effects on everyone in the house.
Dan Riddle’s new supernatural spine-chiller The Last Possession is available on Terror Films AVOD Channel and Video On Demand. Photo: Terror Films, used with permission.
From director Dan Riddle and writer Greg Shouse and featuring Fear the Walking Dead’s Stephen Brodie, experience the spine-chilling thrills of The Last Possession. Out of options after a foreclosure, Kent Peroni is forced to move his wife, Stephanie, nine-year old son, Jack, and six-year-old daughter, Gabby into the home where his estranged father committed suicide years ago. Once there, the young family begins to notice strange events around the house, which become so terrifying they finally turn to a medium. Spirit guide, Granny Inez arrives, hoping to cleanse the home for Kent’s family, only to learn they are horrifyingly wrong about the nature of the evil that surrounds them. (Terror Films, 2022)
The Last Possession, starring Stephen Brodie, Cassie Shea Watson, Tom Proctor, and Patricia Rae is available on the Terror Films Channel and digital and Video On Demand.
“The Last Possession is a foreboding tale about a family at odds with themselves and each other as they move into a new home. Sometimes families want to love each other, but daily annoyances, financial pressures, and personal insecurities get in their way. In order to survive this house’s dark history, they’ll have to accept unwanted gifts, accept love where it’s offered, and trust each other. It’s hard to be a busy mom. It’s hard to be a father who is struggling to provide for his family. It’s hard to face adolescence. It’s hard to be the powerless little kid. …And it’s even harder when something diabolical is at your doorstep. Cassie and Stephen brought to life this uncomfortable family dynamic of tension and longing. Lourelle and Sawyer were shockingly astute for child actors, delivering naturalistic childhood taunting and true dread. Sometimes the last thing you want, becomes the last thing you have.” – Dan Riddle, director
Director: Dan Riddle Cast: Stephen Brodie, Cassie Sea Watson, Tom Proctor Genre: Horror Run time: 94 minutes Rating: NR
Dreaming Hollywood is available On Demand and Blu-Ray. Photo: Cleopatra Entertainment, used with permission.
Cleopatra Entertainment released Dreaming Hollywood, a dark action-drama from Writer-Director Frank Martinez, on March 22. Described as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” meets Tarantino, Dreaming Hollywood takes a deep dive into Ray Balfi’s bizarre world of drug dealers, prostitutes, dirty cops, and social rejects as he tries to begin a new life and shops his cartoon screenplay to 100 L.A. production companies. While facing rejection after rejection Ray learns that someone has stolen his script and made his movie, “The Dog’s Meow” without his permission. Now, Ray’s already messed-up life is thrown into catastrophic mayhem as he seeks revenge. Who stole his script? Everyone he meets is suspect as Ray is now motivated with a new lust for life and for blood. (Cleopatra Entertainment, 2022)
In addition to winning the Audience Award at the Erie International Film Festival and winning the Best Feature Film at the London International Monthly Film Festival, Dreaming Hollywood continues its journey thru the Festival circuit, being officially selected at the upcoming Baja California International Film Festival, the Los Angeles Lift Off Film Festival, the Studio City International Film & TV Festival, the Rome International Movie Festival, and the 4TheaterMovies Film Festival in the Best Film and Best Screenplay Categories.
The film stars Turk Matthews, Eliot, Link Ruiz, and Madelyn Allen along with appearances by Rafael Sigler, Ben Lin, and Thomas Evans. The film is available on DVD and VOD Platforms and will also be available as part of a deluxe Home Entertainment Blu Ray package that also includes, as a bonus, a blistering audio soundtrack CD, featuring the music of DMX, ONYX, and more.
Cleopatra Entertainment is a Los Angeles based multimedia company founded by Cleopatra Records head Brian Perera. Recent films in release include Glenn Danzig’s vampire spaghetti-western Death Rider in the House of Vampires, Danzig’s debut horror feature Verotika, the critically-acclaimed rock and roll biopic Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynryd Skynyrd Plane Crash, the UK drama Mrs. Lowry & Son starring Academy Award winner Vanessa Redgrave, and the action-adventure extravaganza China Salesman starring Mike Tyson and Steven Seagal.
Wood and Water: A Film by Jonas Bak. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
KimStim presents a Trance Film Production of Wood and Water, a film by Jonas Bak. Winner: Berlin International Film Festival – Special Mention: Compass-Perspektive-Award and Official Selection: New Directors/New Films Festival at BFI London Film Festival. Wood and Water will be released in New York (MOMA) on March 24 with a Los Angeles and national release to follow. (KimStim, 2022)
Wood and Water – With seamless grace, German director Jonas Bak moves from the tall spires of the Black Forest to the teeming skyscrapers of Hong Kong in his tranquil, deeply moving feature debut. Newly retired from her church job, Anke dreams of spending time with her grown children—including her uncommunicative and elusive son, Max, who has been living for years in Hong Kong, and who is unable to join his mother and sister back in Germany due to the ongoing pro-democracy protests.
In a daring decision, Anke, though suffering from loneliness and loss, travels to Hong Kong to find Max and perhaps also herself. The people she encounters, and her experience of the city help her to break down the inner walls she constructed years ago, and make way for a new chapter in her life. In his hushed, wholly original approach to this fish-out-of-water set-up, Bak constructs a gentle, ambiguous fable of becoming, shot on 16mm and featuring a wondrous, naturalistic performance by his own mother, Anke Bak.
Starring Anke Bak, Ricky Yeung, Alexandra Batten, Patrick Lo, Theresa Bak, Patrick Shum, Edward Chan, Susanne Johnssen, Lena Ackermann, Amy Aceituna, and Christel Johnssen. Run time: 79 Minutes (Germany/ France/ HK- Feature Film) In German, English and Cantonese
Jonas Bak (Writer/ Director/ Editor) Born in Konstanz in 1985, and now based in Freiburg, Jonas Bak studied film directing at Edinburgh College of Art before moving to London in 2015, and then Hong Kong in 2018 to work as a freelance film director and director of photography. He wrote and directed two short films, Wanderdrachen (2016) and One and Many (2017), both of which were screened at international film festivals including Molodist, Curtacinema Rio de Janeiro and Pacific Meridian. Wood and Water (2021) is his first feature film.
KimStim is a Brooklyn-based, full-service distribution company dedicated to releasing exceptional independent, foreign, and documentary films. KimStim brings to the US, and North American audiences selected films from around the world gleaned from the most prestigious film festivals and includes top prize winners from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Berlin, and Tribeca. Signature releases include Hu Bo’s epic masterpiece, An Elephant Sitting Still, the 2020 Oscar Shortlisted Best International Feature Hope, and Happy Hour by the Oscar-Nominated Director of Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
The new documentary Stronger By Stress in now available on digital and on On Demand. Photo: Gravitas Ventures, used with permission.
Stronger by Stress is a documentary film about leveraging the concept of hormesis to our advantage. It talks about the science of stress, how it affects our bodies, what to do for stress management and which kind of positive stressors we should incorporate into our lives. The movie is told through the lens of biohacking and health optimization. It focuses on the idea of preventive healthcare, personalized medicine, self-quantification, experimentation and scientific enquiry. Stronger By Stress: Leverage the science of stress adaptation and become more resilient in your everyday life. From Gravitas Ventures, the documentary is now available on digital platforms and it is directed by Andzei and written and produced by Siim Land. (Gravitas Ventures, 2022)
Stronger by Stress – With conventional medicine struggling to keep up with our ever-increasing stress, biohackers show us their holistic approach to life not only increases a resilience against stress but also helps us to perform on higher level. If there is one thing the past year and a half has taught us, then it is that unexpected events and chaotic situations are bound to happen. No matter how advanced we think we are as a species, there is always something unpredictable that could cripple us as not only individuals but as an entire society. It is not a matter of if but when. We cannot do much about preventing these events from happening – we can only prepare for them in advance.
Humans and other life forms have developed complex systems for dealing with environmental stressors. In fact, these pathways actually make us more resilient against the same kind of stress in the future. Thus, we become stronger by the stress we experience. The biological phenomenon to describe this is called ‘hormesis,’ which is a dose-specific response to a particular toxin or stressor that does have a weakening effect on the body but leads to adaptation and super-compensation afterwards.
Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York is available on major US and Canadian Video on Demand platforms. Photo: Gunpowder & Sky, used with permission.
Worst to First is a feature-length documentary that portrays the against-all-odds inspirational story of the launch of the iconic and most successful radio station in history, New York City’s Z100. In 1983, Z100 launched from the swamps of New Jersey, where no artist would venture and the DJs had to buy their own records just to have music to play on air. Fun, poignant and aspirational, the film features Scott Shannon and several other Hall of Fame radio personalities as well as industry legends like Clive Davis and Elvis Duran. (Gunpowder & Sky, 2022)
Released on Video on Demand and cable in the United States and Canada on Friday, February 11. US VOD platforms include Apple/ iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, Vudu, Microsoft, and more. US cable platforms include InDemand (Comcast, Spectrum, Charter, Cox, Frontier), DirectTV, and more. Canadian VOD platform: Apple/ iTunes
Worst to First: The True Story of Z100 New York Feature Documentary/ Rated: G / Running Time: 64 Minutes
Directed, written, and produced by Mitchell Stuart. Produced by Trish Hunter Shannon, Elvis Duran, David Katz, and John McConnell
Cast: Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Jon Bon Jovi, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, Debbie Gibson, Joan Jett, Taylor Dayne, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo, “Magic” Matthew Alan, “Professor” Jonathan B. Bell, Anita Bonita, Ross Brittain, Pete Cosenza, Michael Ellis, Gavin DeGraw, Cathy Donovan, Gary Fisher, Frank Foti, Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, David Hinckley, Donnie lenner, Jim Kerr, Steve Kingston, Ken Lane, Kenny Laguna, Jimi LaLumia, Tom Poleman, Geraldo Rivera, Trish Hunter Shannon, Patty Steele, Claire Stevens, Mitchell Stuart, John Sykes and Jim Wood.
Iconic artists who got their start on Z100 such as Jon Bon Jovi, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, and era superstars, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne all share their personal stories of the importance of the station, their love of radio and passion for performing music.
Capturing the times, personalities and music of the era, Worst to First portrays the ultimate David and Goliath story that built the foundation for the world’s biggest radio station and the people behind the legacy that endures and continues to grow, reaching eight-digit audiences daily, and continuing to influence the face of media and entertainment.
Mitchell Stewart is a multiple film festival and Emmy-Award winning filmmaker and storyteller of compelling documentaries, groundbreaking digital series and industry-disrupting brand campaigns. Whether following his heart to tell an inspirational, against all odds story about female freedom fighters in Africa, or honoring his lifelong passion for music and filmmaking, Mitchell tells authentic stories that move and engage an audience. Known for riveting, thought-provoking visuals and for often composing original music for the soundtracks of his films, he has been honored with 15 NY Emmy-Award Nominations for his music and entertainment documentary series. Dozens of film festivals throughout the world have honored him and his partner, Cheryl Halpern, winning awards for directing, best film, social justice, world peace and humanitarian efforts with their documentaries, Natsanat (Ethiopian for freedom), Fighting to be Free and Remembering Maurits Kiek.
Train to Busan is an exciting zombie movie. Photo: google
If you are an adventurous movie watcher and looking for foreign movies to watch this weekend, here is a list of my top favorites. I have personally watched them all and depending on your preferences, they are worth watching. With the exception of Snowpiercer, which is in English, these are foreign language films. Even though some have the dubbed version, I prefer to watch them in the original language with English subtitles. Thanks to the various streaming services available nowadays, there are plenty of such movies around, so take a chance, you might surprise yourself. (Wikipedia, 2022)
I tried watching Parasite, the much talked about South Korean movie, but could not get into it, but that is just me. I never got around to watching Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan Labyrinth, though I hear it is good. On my Amazon to watch list is A Hero – an Iranian film about a man who is in prison because of a debt he was unable to pay. During a two day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint but this plan does not go as planned. Sounds like an interesting plot, I might watch it this weekend.
Here is my personal list of foreign movies to watch, in no particular order:
Tell No One (2006) A French neo-noir thriller film based on the 2001 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. An accidental discovery near a doctor’s estate stirs up painful memories eight years after his wife’s hideous murder and now circumstances are bound to take a turn for the unexpected. Does the good doctor know more than he is letting on? There is plenty of action and suspense.
A Man Called Ove (2015) A Swedish comedy-drama film. Ove is the typical angry old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he cares about, and visiting his wife’s grave, Ove has given up on life. After a boisterous young family moves in next door and accidentally flattens Ove’s mailbox, an unlikely friendship forms.
Kung Fu Hustle (2004) A Chinese action-comedy film. The film tells the story of a murderous neighborhood gang, a poor village with unlikely heroes, and an aspiring gangster’s fierce journey to find his true self. Could be considered a parody of the martial arts genre.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) A Chinese martial arts drama film. Master Li, a warrior, asks Yu Shu Lien, the woman he loves, to pass on his sword, Green Destiny, to Sir Te. However, when the sword is stolen, Li embarks on a mission to find it. One of my favorite martial arts movie.
The Ring (1998) A Japanese psychological supernatural horror film that follows a reporter who is racing to investigate the mystery behind a cursed videotape that kills the viewer seven days after watching it. Also recommended – the original Japanese versions of The Grudge and Dark Water.
Train to Busan (2016) A South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The film mostly takes place on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan as a zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out in the country and threatens the safety of the passengers. These are fast moving zombies like the ones in World War Z.
Snowpiercer (2013) A South Korean post-apocalyptic science fiction action film. In a future where a failed climate change experiment has killed all life except for a few survivors who boarded the Snowpiercer, a new class system emerges.
The Artist (2011) A French film that takes place in Hollywood, between 1927 and 1932 and focuses on the relationship between a rising young actress and an older silent film star as silent cinema falls out of fashion and is replaced by “talkies.” A must watch if you enjoy silent movies of the past, emphasis on the “silent” part – you have been warned.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019) An Indian Hindi-language period drama film based on the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi. Laxmi Bai was known for her bravery as she led the battle against the British army to protect her kingdom; however, she is killed in the battle. An inspiring historical drama with a female lead.
