A CURSED MAN (2024) Dances With Films New York

Filmmaker Liam Le Guillou investigates whether or not there is anything to spirituality and the supernatural by having a cursed placed on himself…and then he tries to have it removed.

This is an intriguing documentary that actually shows the various ceremonies that Le Guillou is part of. It’s so atypical that the film begins with a warning saying that the filmmakers are not responsible if anything bad or strange happens to the viewer after watching the film.

For me the most interesting part of the film is not the ceremonies  but the discussions that happen around them. The confused nature of the various shaman, priests and practitioners is gripping. Their confusion that anyone would want to put themselves into any sort of danger intentionally or not is very real, if one wants proof of something why put yourself in danger to do so?

I liked A CURSED MAN. I liked that it didn’t cut away from the various ceremonies. I liked that there was serious discussions about the mature of the “supernatural”. In the age of flashy cable TV shows that amp up and over sell every moment, I like that the film was tethered to reality.

Worth a look.

Nightcap 12/1/24: Dances With Films New York starts this week and random notes

Dances with Films New York starts this week.

This is the third addition of the always great LA  Film Festival here in New York,

I will have some coverage, but not as much as I would have liked simply because I did not have time to really wade into the selections...which is also why this piece is so short.

If you want details or tickets go here:

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I apologize to everyone with a film out there I haven’t seen. In the last week I have had about 70 films dropped in my lap for year end consideration- it’s physically impossible for me to see them all by the time NYFCO votes…on the other hand I’m making a go and there is a shot a bunch will end up on my personal year end lists.

And so those wanting to know what they will see at Unseen for the next five weeks the wave of films  means December is going to be largely catch up posts and some new releases.

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And for those tired of me prattling on about films I am happy to report that Peter Gutierrez is going to be wading in on a number of the big films this season. If you didn’t see he weighed in on QUEER this week (it can be found here) and he looks to have word on NOSFERATU and THE ROOM NEXT DOOR later in the month.

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For those playing the home game I will have done four interviews in less than four weeks. My interview with Gints Zilbalodis the director of FLOW will be up toward the end of the week. And I am supposed to be interviewing Peter Browngardt the director of THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE Thursday to run with the film’s awards run and Paul Williams in connection to the screening of PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE at Brooklyn Academy of Music. (The forth one for THE FALLING SKY will run when the film hits theaters in 2025)

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I saw NOSFERATU and A COMPLETE UNKNOWN earlier in the week. I will have review for the later… and maybe the former. I have many pages of paragraphs for a NOSFERATU piece that I may or may not stitch together as counterpoint to Peter's piece.

Scars Unseen (2024)Dances with Films

This is a portrait of three women and their experience dealing with domestic abuse. It is not just husband on wife but familial abuse of parents against children. There is also an exploration of how some societies allows abuse of women and the weak.

I usually complain about a film being presented in a run of the mill way, but soume times it works. SCARS UNSEEN isn't anything flashy. It is, as I said, run of the mill, but it works. It works because the film is built around the three women just sitting and telling their stories. Yes there are some other voices and some other sequences but the majority of of the film is just the stories.

And the stories are powerful. Told clear eyed and detailed the women tell us everything we need to know (including getting a crash course in the violence in Yemeni society) so that the stories don't just highlight the stories being told but indicting the society that nurtures the violence. It's a simple but effective.

This is good stuff and an important film.

Recommended.

Delicate Arch (2024) Dances with Films 2024

A group of friends go into the desert instead of a lake to escape an potentially dangerous occurrence call "The Inversion". They plan on hanging out until the all clear talking, partying and maybe making a movie. However almost immediately it becomes clear that they aren't in Kansas and there is something out there.

There is part of me that wants to discuss the WTF nature of some of this film and the rest of me wants to just keep my mouth shut and let you be like me and walk blind into it. I was sent the film by a friend who said I should see this film because it was a small little film that needed to find the right audience. Having watched the film without reading on it at all, I completely agree.

While I am not going to say a great deal on the film, you too need to see this film the first time knowing as little as possible, I would like to say a couple of things. First don't let the film seeming to be like other films at first fool you, this film is going somewhere, stay with it. Secondly expect your expectations to be used against you. Lastly just go with it because it gets...weird.

Wonderfully its own thing DELICATE ARCH is not your typical film and we are better for it. Refusing to follow convention its a film that may not always work but keeps us engaged by doing the unexpected and refusing to explain everything. Its a film that knows the people who will like this most are the once most willing to go with it and forgive the odd burp. As a result it is more willing to take chances most other films would never attempt.

While this will not be fore everyone, adventurous film fans and those who don't want a typical Hollywood film (Hello Unseen Films readers) this film is for you.

Unbroken (2023) Dances With Films 2024

This is the story of filmmaker Beth Lane's family. The family grew up in Germany right before the Second World War. Thrown into the concentration camps. Miraculously most of the family survived and made it to America. Scattered by time the younger members of the family slowly managed to bring the family back together again.

This is a great story. At a time when many tales of the Holocaust are heavily tinged with bittersweetness, it is nice to see one that is more sweet than bitter. Yes there is tragedy, but more importantly there is hope and life. The Lane family goes on despite the best efforts of evil men to snuff it out. That may not sound like much but in an age where antisemitism is on the rise and people are looking to scapegoat, this story is a reminder that even in darkness light can shine.

I was moved by the film. A scene late in the film when they realized that the family was once again “whole” made me misty.

What a joy.

Recommended

Spyral (2024) Dances with Films 2024

Possibly best film at Dances With  Films is a frightening look at substance abuse and mental issues.  It's the story of Randy White and his wife Michelle who fell madly in love, only to have her succumb to addiction.

This is one of the most raw looks at substance abuse I've ever seen. The film, made up of film shot by Randy and supplemented by Michelle's diaries.  It's a film that puts us into the storm and it never lets up until we are broken on the other side.

Makes the film so powerful is that we get to hear the words of everyone not only looking back but also in the moment. Its a move that prevents the film from ever seeming sugar coated. This is not a happy tale, but its one that we need to hear since it makes addiction and mental illness very real.

And I am going to leave this piece here. It's not that I have nothing to say, rather it is because in order to write up the film will require that I go to a head space I don't want to be in.

Highly recommended

Step Back, Doors Closing (2024)Dances with Films 2024

Two people meet in Washington DC and through circumstance are forced to spend 24 hours together. As the pair talks they eventually end up falling for each other.

If you liked the AFTER films then you are going to love this film. It's a nice little film that follows the the format laid out by the earlier films and hones it to near perfection.

If there is any flaw in this little gem it's that the film feels like a stage play that was opened up just to make it a movie. As much as I like this film I really wish it was play where the pair could have just sat and talked and we could have witnessed a grand moment.

Regardless of my quibbles this is a nice little film.

Tallywacker (2023) Dances With FIlms 2024

This is a repost of my review which ran when the film played Dances With Films New York

Jeremy Dubs and Chris Goodwin play versions of themselves in TALLYWACKER, the story of two friends in the titled band, who find their friendship is tested when one of them is asked to go on the road with a well known star.

TALLYWACKER is the best film that I've seen from this year's Dances With Films New York. It's also one of the great finds of the year. Full of great music, witty lines and characters you want to give a hug to despite of their being dicks. I smiled from start to finish.

Dubs and Goodwin make a winning pair. They have the ease with each other that only good friends have. You feel it bleeding off the screen. It doesn't seem like acting. Actually the whole cast is that good. Everyone feels like they are the actual people. The relationships feel genuine.

Everything in this film feels spot on. the characters  are people. The wisecracks aren't forced. The music feels organic.  In its way this is the perfect film in that it captures the essence of life even with all the rough edges.

What I love about the film is that you like everyone, even the jerks. Dubs' character can be a dick (there is even a song about it) but you still like him.  In an age where people are trying to make films where we are forced to like unlikable people (I'm looking at you SALTBURN)  but where other films use tricks TALLYWACKER just lets everyone be themselves and as a result we find something to love about them.

This film is an absolute joy.  It's one of my late 2023 favorites.  I can't wait to see it again.

Highly recommended.

The Pickup (2024) Dances With Films 2024

Secret agent needing to make a delivery ends up in the back of an Uber.

Quite possibly the best action film of 2024....

...yes seriously....

...this maybe the best action film of 2024 of any length. 

Running a speedy 8 minutes this film starts and just goes. It is a perfectly modulated that mixes action and comedy into a perfect confection that is going to have to wanting to watch the film over and over again. I want to see what writer director Alex Acosta does next.

What's most amazing was this was done on a limited budget with practical effects. I don't say that lightly, I say that because the film looks better that most big Hollywood productions with budgets millions of times bigger.

This is a great film and one of my favorite films of 2024

See it Tuesday at Dances with Films (details there)

HOW I ROLL (2024) Dances With Films 2024

Robin Cohen tells us  about her life in NYC and with MS

One of the best documentaries I've seen in 2024 needs to be turned into a feature film. This tale of a woman who has over com adversity has way too much for the brief run time. I want to spend more time with her mother and her kids, and I want hear more about her dad and husband.

This is a magnificent look at one woman who refuses to stop moving.

This is glorious.

Highly recommended

HOW I ROLL PLAYS IN SHOTS BLOCK 4 ON JUNE 26

Paper Flowers (2024) Dances With Films 2024

This is the true story of Shalin Shah who joins the Peace Corps in order to do good, only to find that he has a nasty form of cancer. In the time he has left he explores what it means to be alive and what we owe to each other.

Good but by the numbers tale designed to fill its audience with feelies and make them see the wonders of the world. I don't mean to sound snarky, but the cast and craft of the film are so good that I really wish that the script didn't hit all of the expected notes.

Despite my kvetching, which comes from a place of love, this is worth tracking down and seeing.