Slamdance Short Take Episodes: PUKE BITCH, DADDIES BOI, THE HUMAN WILL

PUKE BITCH
Playing in the episodes section of Slamdance this dark thriller is the first episode of series. To be honest I have no idea if I like the episode, but the tale of fringe sort of people with unpleasant interests, road kill being the least of them, is deeply disturbing.  Have gone through the show twice I know I don't want to revisit it because it bothers me so. That's a rave and a call for anyone who likes to dwell in the dark.

DADDIES BOI

This film is from the episodic section of the festival. It concerns two friends who are trying to make a buck selling companionship. Well acted and containing two intriguing lead characters this is a prime example of something episodic that should be a feature, since when the episode ended you will want more.

THE HUMAN, WILL

Narrated show about a man who gets fired and decides to try a different caree path. They are running a single episode at Slamdance and it's a major mistake. The press was given access to an hour's worth of the series and it's clear thata single seven minute  episode is not the way to go. The series doesn't click until the end of the second. This is really good but itshould have been a long short and not a series

Dances With FIlms NYC 2026 : Episodes ROOTS AND RELICS and HENRY BY THE HOUR

 

ROOTS AND RELICS
JD Hart on various relics and how they fit into a family history

Not bad but it is very much like a number of other series about searching for artifacts. I enjoyed this brief episode, and if I had a bunch of them I would watch them in  sequence, but at the same time I don't think I'd tune in next week for another one becausethere isn't anything here to make it stand out.

HENRY BY THE HOUR
This is a series about Henry who rents himself hout for an hour at a time. It is a kind of episodic version of the recent film RENTAL FAMILY.  This seems to be an interesting little series. Having only been granted to a single episode I don't know how this will play out over the course of series or how it will keep things interesting.

As it stands now, it's worth a look

Tim Burton: Life In The Line - The Complete Docuseries

I recently finished the series TIM BURTON: LIFE IN THE LINE which had the first episode play at Tribeca in 2024. 

The series started with the intention of being a 90 minute film, but there is too much stuff regarding Burton and his friends and collaborators were more than willing to talk so an hour and a half went to over four hours.

When I originally saw the first episode at Tribeca some 18 months ago I kind of groaned at the start and winced thinking it was going to be a conventional retelling of Burton's life. However almost instantly the film changed and morphed into something spectacular and moving. 

This is not a conventional bio of Burton- yes it tells the story of his life, but the series is structured so that people like Danny Elfman, Winona Ryder, Johnny Depp, Michael Keaton and everyone else talk about Burton in relation to their lives. They don't tell what HE did but what THEY did together. How did working on the various projects change their lives. By allowing everyone to talk about themselves and their connections to Burton the film becomes something bigger and greater than just a guy who makes movies and instead becomes a portrait of a force of nature who has changed the world.

More simply put it's an explanation of why following your dream and voice is a good thing, especially when you can find people who need to follow your example.

You have to understand that the series is less about the films and more about the man. The films are there, but the focus is really on Burton the man and the artist. I say this up front because there is a moment or two where the series seems to be unfocused. The march through his films goes sideways, we get lost in say how they did CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY or SLEEPY HOLLOW before pulling it back around to Burton and we realize the films aren't the point of the series, the artist is. You have to remember that unlike the recent Scorsese docuseries, this is not going to tell you everything about Burton's movies, but rather a great deal about the man himself.

When I reviewed the first episode of the series last year when it played Tribeca and it floored me. The episode promised an in-depth look at not just Tim Burton but his collaborators. It is this look at how Burton makes everyone around him better is what sets the series apart. It’s a move that puts Burton into the greater history of cinema.

The second episode of Tara Wood’s Docuseries made me cry. Danny Elfman talking about how Burton’s work allowed him to move away from Oingo Boingo and be the writer/performer he wanted to be made me misty. That Wood is blessing us with moments like that, in a film that is essentially about someone else, speaks volumes to why the series is one of the greatest films on film I’ve ever seen.

The episodes are focused on groups of films. For example, the second episode focuses on  four films, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, BATMAN RETURNS and ED WOOD, detailing how Burton connects to the subjects of his films and how those films  made the careers of people like Johnny Depp (who was revealed to be a great actor) and Danny Elfman who was became a music god. The third episode focuses a great deal on his work SLEEPY HOLLOW, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, BIG EYES and the films he made with Helena Bonham Carter. 

While we get a great number of stories about who the films came to be and were shaped, we get more information on the creative process that went into them. Elfman, Depp and Carter go into detail about how they work with Burton. Christoph Waltz ends up becoming a de facto narrator of sorts with his off the cuff comments putting everything about being a creative visionary into context. (I want to now talk to Waltz about his films because I think the insight into things on a larger scale he would give would be amazing)

When I saw the first episode, I said that if the series maintained the promise of the first episode it would be one of the greatest films on film ever made. It has more than lived up to that, It is one of the greatest looks at films and filmmaking.   It is a film that is so full of stories and images and magic that you will want to revisit multiple times because there is simply too much to take in.

I can't tell you how wonderful this is.

Highly recommended.  If you love the movies, you must see this.

If you want to see the film go here.

MOB WAR: PHILADELPHIA VS THE MAFIA

Mob War is a super little series looking at the mob in Philadelphia, sprcifically the battle .between John Stanfa and Joey Merlino in the '90s  The series is a refreshing break from the organized crime films that primarily focus on the mob in New York.  Blame that on John Gotti who made the New York mob fashionable even as it effectively destroyed it.

Focusing on the period when federal and local authorities decided to try and run the bad guys out of town, the film paints a portrait of a city that seemed to be under the control of the mob. The series follows how the up-and-coming mobsters tried to push out the old crowd as the cops came calling.

I had a great time with this. Living in New York it was so nice to hear a true-life gangster story that wasn’t one I had heard a thousand time before. It was also nice not to hear about Whitey Bulger yet again.

Running a brief 3 episodes the truth is this is kind of too short. There is more history here and it would have been great to hear more stories about the Phillie mob.

Recommended.

How To Become a Mob Boss

Peter Dinklage narrates a how-to tale of what to do and what not to do if you want to be a mob boss. Focusing on the careers of various people (Whitey Bulger, Capone, Gotti, Carlos Escobar) the film charts what makes a successful boss.

This is a good look at the lives of various mob bosses and their various levels of success. It’s an informative way of doing things since it allows for the filmmakers to connect things up in unexpected ways. I was intrigued by how they did it.  I was also intrigued by the fact that their definition is kind of relative since none of the people profiled remained free, or alive.  Watching the episode on John Gotti I was struck by how he would have felt since he is repeatedly listed as the guy you didn’t want to emulate.

I originally put the series on because I wanted something “easy” to watch. I figured that it would be a bunch of stories I had heard. However the series surprised me by telling me a few tales of the early days of the mob I hadn’t heard before. I was hooked and what was supposed to be a leisurely walk through the series became a gallop.

I had a good time, though I dislike that the length of the episodes get shorter as the series goes on., with the final three running around 30 minutes.

Shortness of episodes or no this is a series that’s worth your time.

Brief thoughts on Mafia: Most Wanted (2025)

Three part series about Canadian organized crime the Ndrangheta from Calabria and in particular the Commisso Family in Toronto

This is a good but not completely focused look at a different crime family. This is not the typical mafia story we see in America, it's not a Sicilian focused tale. Its a different look at different crime family. While the crimes are the same, how they played out is different. The result is a series that hold our attention when things aren't wholly clear.

As good as this film is the series is, the doesn't always explain things clearly. While most of the film is focused on Canada some of it is set in Italy, and while we know the connection not everything is explained. There is a sense that there is more we should know but the filmmakers couldn't fill everything in.

I liked this series but I didn't love it. I think the first episode about a family enforcer who turned is the best one. It feels the most self contained. The other two episodes are good but feel like they are missing something. At the same time the story we are being told is compelling.

Definitely a worth look for those who love mob tales.

Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets

Gilgo Beach Killer House of Secrets is the best of the Gilgo documentaries that I’ve seen.  An up to date presentation the series cuts through the BS and presents the story is a concise way. It also scores points by taking a look at the perspective from the Huberman family as they try and figure out what the hell their patriarch was doing. It’s the only doc that I’ve run across that actually shows all the damage that Huberman did.

This was originally run on Paramount + but I stumbled on it on Oxygen on Labor Day. I thought it was going to be an old rehash of the case and instead found it was full of details going back to a couple of weeks before it was produced. While the film doesn’t go into as much detail about some aspects of the case, the film instead focuses on the bullet points of the case telling us everything we need to know to get a handle on what we know happened up till now.  Surprisingly the series has the participation of the Huberman family.  They are here trying to sort out what happened in their home by the man they loved. It’s an intriguing choice. What I find interesting is that they are still wrestling with trying to sort out what really happened themselves. You can see them believing it and not. I’m further shocked in that the film has the daughter of the BTK Killer appear to try and help the family to come to terms with what happened. It is not some TV trick since she had reached out not long after the arrest.

I really liked this and if you want a good look at the case, this is the place to go.

Suspicious Minds (2025)

SUSPICIOUS MINDS is a docuseries/podcast mix focusing on the rise of AI and how it is affecting the way we live. The series began releasing on October 17^th and a new episode will be released every Friday.

I was not going to watch this series. As I rule, I don’t like doing series, more so when I don’t have all the episodes, so I was going to pass. However, on Monday night my must watch films for the night collapsed. Two screeners would not play, so with time to go before Monday Night Football I bumped over and decided to take a chance on something off the board.

SUSPICIOUS MINDS is really good. The two episodes that I was allowed to see each ran about 45 minutes and are jammed packed with information.  The first episode deals with AI companions and how they affect people. The second is an exploration of how technology is altering our brains. There is a lot to unpack here so it’s a series that you are going to want to revisit-I say that because I know that after I got to the middle of the second episode I realized I was going to have to rewatch the whole series once its done so I can see how all the bits tie together.

What makes SUSPICIOUS MINDS so good is that the series digs deep into the AI/technology issues. We have talking heads who aren’t reduced to sound bites really explaining things and not talking down to the audience. There are too many AI docs and series out there who aren’t deep and who end up covering the same points as every other doc. Additionally where other docs hypnotize the audience with pretty visuals, much of the series is just people talking at a microphone. It may not be the most visually exciting thing ever, but it allows the words and the ideas that they are expressing to shine, thus giving the audience a better understanding of things.

While I don’t normally review series, I will do so when one is as great as SUSPICIOUS MINDS.

Highly Recommended.

 Suspicious Minds is a weekly video documentary series and podcast premiering October 17, 2025.

Platforms include YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Substack, and more. Series One will be released weekly for a total of 8 video and podcast episodes.

Mr Scorsese(2025) NYFF 2025

Rebecca Miller's 5 part look at Martin Scorsese is a near perfect look at the man and his movies. The only flaw is that this could have used another episode so the final one doesn't seem rushed (or two more if you insist on covering his music docs, which outside of THE LAST WALTZ, are largely absent).

Literally covering his entire life to date, including marriages and children, this is a look at the man and his films unlike any other portrait you've seen before. Blending his personal life with his narrative films (his later documentary work is largely MIA) this film is a reflection of how the man is his movies. It is focused on the people who are important, his friends, family and collaborators, some of which drift across the categories. Its an arc of a life by the man himself and the people around him.

This film is a full meal. Running just under 5 hours this deep dive into the life of Scorsese, with each episode feeling like a feature film. We are in the trenches with the man as we see his life and not just his films. How detailed is it? I think  that unless you are an absolute scary fan with video cameras in his hose there are things here you didn't know before.

I have to say that the end of episode one ends with one of the greatest cliffhanger/needle drops of the year, the meeting of Marty and Robert DeNiro. Episode two begins with a twist I never knew- which was that they already knew each other from the old neighborhood, they just didn't realize it. Each episode then takes us through a few films and the trials of making each one. Until the final episode takes us through "everything" left out from his Oscar to his most recent films.

As I said above the series' only real flaw is the rushed nature of the final episode which tries to cover too many films as well as also shoehorning in his restoration work, work with up and coming filmmakers, and a few other things. This could have used a bit more  time to let those films breath, especially SILENCE which ties into Scorsese's spiritual quest which is a huge part of the other four episodes.

I should also say that while the docs/concert films on Dylan, the Stones, Cinema History ect. are not mentioned, their absence is understandable since they always seemed to be parallel to his narrative work. Actually there is an implication from the talk of THE LAST WALTZ that he does those projects around the narratives.( Additionally it should be stated that neither HUGO, nor his TV work mentioned at all)

I loved this film a great deal. Some of the needle drops and the discussions moved me to tears. This is great filmmaking. See it when it hits Apple TV.

A pointer toward A SAMI WEDDING - episode 1, 2 and 5 - Toronto 2025

In a small Norwegian village two families, one rich and one poor, whose matriarchs don't get along, prepare for a wedding of two of the kids a short month away.

The Toronto film festival is only running three episodes of the series (1,2 and 5) and while I liked what I saw in the episodes I'm not going to do a real review. As a rule, I don't like to review series unless I can see the whole series or a whole season. I probably would have done a review, but the fact I was missing part of the story makes me uncomfortable reviewing what's here beyond saying it's good see it.

Recommended.

Bullet Time (2025) Fantasia 2025 Popcorn Frights 2025

Eddie Alcazar's new deranged series looks like Ren and Stimpy took steroids and were dropped a lot on their heads. Its lewd, crude and off the deep end and not for anyone who can't handle loud insanity at the speed of light. 

I was given access to the first episode of the series and I had to watch it a couple of times to catch much of what was happening. It's loud and fast with almost too much going on. 

I liked it enough that I will definitely try more episodes. 

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders (2025)

 This is a 3 part series looking at the cyanide murders playing on Netflix.

This is a solid look at the still unsolved "murders" in September and October of 1982. The series explains what happens and follows the trails as to what might have happened. It's a series that is going to give you a lot to think about. 

I really liked this series since it brought up a lot of details I never knew.  I remember being frighteneed and riveted by the events as they happened. I was also quite shocked when the case just kind of slipped off the radar. This film explains that.

There are some twists to this case that I never knew anything about, including one indication that this wasn't an intentional crime, but could have been an industrial accident that was covered up.

My only real complaint with the series is that breaking the series into three parts kind if infers that there is more to to this than there really is. I was slightly disappointed because I thought there would be a bit more to this. It's not fatal because this series still kicks ass.

Recommended.

THE PRICE OF MILK (2025) Tribeca 2025

This is a look at milk in America... and the dairy industry in country as well. It's a complex story that is going to piss you off...in a good way.

Starting with the Got Milk Campaign  the film spins off into some unexpected directions revealing that the dairy industry is messed up with the Federal government taking money from small farmers for campaign that won't help them and how companies like Fair Life scam the system to make millions which they use to further scam the system to make more money.

I got pissed off. I got pissed off because this film revealed all sorts of bad and good things that I never knew.  Walking out of the press screening I knew I wanted to see this again, when I wasn't at the end of a long day of seeing movies.

Whether or not you like milk this film is a must since it says a great deal about how we live our lives.

Mother, May I Have a Kidney? (2025) Tribeca 2025

 

Doug’s mother on finding her son has Leukemia : He’s going to be a bigger pain in the ass

Doug is estranged  from his mother. So much so that they haven’t spoken for years and she didn’t tell him she moved out of his childhood home. When his kidneys begin to fail he has to find her and convince her to give him one of her kidneys.

There is a really good story here, I just wish that the series didn’t have such obnoxious and self-centered people at the center.  These aren’t people but cartoons. It’s a musing but the underlying story is so strong that you wish they had played it straight and not gone for laughs.  I’m guessing that the need for this to be a series instead of a feature is what  makes it so silly.

I truthfully I am amused by this series, and had I had the whole thing I would have watched it all. However the problem is that what is here, from performances to writing is really strong, but the comedy just weakens it.  

American Murder Gabby Petito (2025)

This is a look at the final day of Gabby Petito who was killed by her boyfriend as they traveled across America.

This is a solid exploration of the crime and it's aftermath. It's everything that you could possibly want to know and thn some.

The one flaw of the series, is the flaw of many Netflix series and that is simply that there is no reason that this should have been in multiple parts. Running about two hours total, the breaks into three parts doesn't seemto serve a purpose since there is no need for them other than to fudge metrix and get people to pop back in.

That said, if you are interested in knowing what happened this is worth a look

Thoughts on the MOOMINVALLEY 2025 NYICFF edition

The Moomins collection playing this year’s NYICFF is the final bunch of episodes. If you have been watching them for the past 7 years where they have been some of the best attended and received screenings at the festival you know what to expect.

MOOMIN PAPA THE GREAT EXPLORER has Papa and his son sailing off to rescue Jaxter, a friend of Papa. Meanwhile Mama and Mai try to put together a heater to warm the house.  It’s a solid entry in the series and will make you smile.

SONG OF THE GROKE has Mai and Snork  maiden going off to confront the Groke (a dark beast that freezes everything it touches) about how it is destroying their flowers. Meanwhile everyone else is in a tizzy because they think there is a vampire in the valley. While this is a good episode the stories seem repeatious from earlier tales. The switching between bits also feel like this was two shorter tales stuck together just because.

MOOMINPAPA AND AUNT JANE has the woman who raised Moominpapa showing up because she is upset because she got an envelope of bad words…but she thinks it’s a trick to get her there for a surprise party (its actually a book launch party for Moominpappas memoirs). It’s a good episode though it has so much going on that you kind of wish it was a feature unto itself because some great pieces are cut short.

As a;ways it was great to have Moomins at the festival. The question is what will they do next year. My suspicion is that they will be looking more closely at the Moomin features that have been released elsewhere in the world but which have not played here in America.

Ultimately it’s a must for Moomins fans.

MOMBOMB PART 1 (2025) Slamdance 2025

AI animated tale about a little girl telling a horror story to a bunch of fellow girl scouts...but there is a complication

Playing at Slamdance as part of the Episodes section. It's a creepy little tale that ends on a cliffhanger.  I want to see more.

As good as the story is the film suffers with all of the problems that other wholly AI generated films seem to suffer from, namely the look of the characters and objects and  such shift slightly from shot to shot. The also AI gets certain things wrong, not in the typical AI problem of people having extra fingers or limbs but images don't match the narration such as we are told a killer tries to open the passenger side door of a car, while the visuals show us the driver’s side.

While I can not in good faith say that I am 100% against the use of AI in creating films, I do enjoy some of the short You Tube fake trailers, and I understand that certain uses of AI are helpful in making films easier. However at the same time I am wary of the technology. I am wary of how it learns by data scrapping of existing materials, thus essentially stealing borrowing without credit the work of others.

While I am not inferring how AI was used in the creation of the film, I am mentioning it because the press material put that front and center. Because that is the PR selling point, and because the creator is supposed to be an AI expert, I was very aware of the fact while watching it. It was something that made me question if I should even review the film since so many artists are against it and I still haven't fully sorted out where I stand with things. But the film is here and I felt I should at least take a look. 

And having taken a look I do feel obligatigated to say the episode  it’s not bad,its quite good actually, and I enjoyed, but it has typical AI issues. 

Who's Behind Black Art? (2023) is on Aspire TV starting tomorrow

Four part  docuseries  about five up and coming black artists. The subjects are Tae Ham, Jewel Ham, Adrian Armstrong,Lauena Fineus, Mario Joyce and the film tells us they story, shows us their art and explains why they are going to be successful.

This is a great series. I don't normally watch a whole series at one time but this is just so good I watched it from start to finish in one go. Blame it on the series focusing on five great people whose stories speak volumes about more the art world.

To me this is one of the best documentaries I've seen on the art world because it connects the art, the artists and the real world together. Why does art matter? This film/series will explain it to you perfectly - it can change people's lives for the better. 

I can't recommend this series enough.

Legends of Paris aka L’Armée des Romantiques (2024) Animation First 2025

Animation First screened the first episode of the animated series LEGENDS OF PARIS. The series is a four part history of the romantics of the 19th century. We see the lives of Hugo, Dumas, Balzac, Sand and others. We watch as they create, and influence each other and the world.

Playing as a kind of animated Ken Burns film, it's a look at how some like minded men and a woman changed the world. It takes a couple of minutes to get going, but once it does you will be disappointed if you don't have another episode. 

The series works because the film perfectly mixes the subject and the art style. The film's art picks up the the story and drives it forward giving us a better understanding of the lives of the artists and their headspaces.

After the screening there was a Q&A with the minds behind the film. It was an interesting, if lightly dry, exploration of how the series came together and how they made the choices of what stories to highlight.

I enjoyed the show and I am looking forward to seeing the remaining episodes.

PIKE (2024) Dances With Films New York

Entertainment manager decides that he’s had enough of no talents in Hollywood and decides to kill them.

Pilot film for a new series is going to be noted as the final work of George Lazenby, the second man to play James Bond on the big screen. As a show itself I’m not certain what I think. It’s not that the show is bad, its more I’m not certain where it is going to go after this. There is a reason I generally refuse to review pilots or TV series based on a single episode and that is that it is very hard to know if a series will work  after 25 minutes. PIKE  has the cast down and the writing is sharp. What I don’t know is if this will work going long form.  It largely works as a short film but it’s left open to keep going.

Is it worth seeing? Yes, but you’ll want to see more. Will it work as a series? I don’t know.