Coda: Emery Snyder

Showing posts with label Emery Snyder. Show all posts

Sunday, April 6

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, April 5th

Coda’s ongoing coverage of the 2025 Phoenix Film Festival & International Horror Sci-Fi Film Festival. I'll be using these posts to recap the films I've experienced as part of these festivals.

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

THE SILENT PLANET – Directed by Jeffery St. Jules

In the future, Theodore (Elias Koteas) is serving a life sentence of isolation and hard labor on a distant planet when a new prisoner Niyya (Briana Middleton) arrives. The two are made to confront each other as well as their own pasts through a cloud of confusion and paranoia.

Firstly, if our future selves someday actually find an inhabitable planet, rich with some sort of rare and precious mineral, it’s completely on-brand for humanity to immediately turn said planet into a prison. This part I found quite realistic. I responded quite well to the way the rest of this film played out as well. It gives the audience plenty to chew on, while still propelled forward by a tense and action-packed plot.

Essentially, the film seeks to explore the ideas about the helplessness of self-awareness in extreme isolation and the power of companionship. In this, it does a great job.

The plot and these ideas are expressed through the two very touching performances of Koteas and Middleton. I especially appreciated Koteas’ restraint and vulnerability here. I felt for him and the context clues (or lack thereof) given by the script keep us as confused and distraught as his character is.

I’m sure the film will be seen as a bit too slow for many, but I didn’t mind the pace. I could see myself revisiting it.

JOIN THE CLUB – Directed by Kip Anderson and Chris O’Connell

Activist Dennis Peron helms the first cannabis dispensary in the country, daring law enforcement to prosecute in pursuit of the legalization of medical marijuana. This documentary tells the story of his activism.

This was an incredibly captivating and fascinating film. Peron’s story perfectly coincides with this country’s historical battle for LGBTQ rights. Peron, in San Francisco’s Castro District, fought along side with Harvey Milk in the 70’s. Then continued his staunch activism throughout the AIDS epidemic in the 80’s and 90’s. This was the reason for his passion about the medicinal benefits of cannabis. He makes his case convincingly in the film through archival footage of various news reels as well as the last known interview, filmed shortly before his death in 2018.

His story really becomes the perfect vehicle to tell several broader stories about our country’s rich history of failing to ensure equal justice. It works well because he was right in the thick of every fight.

The film also can’t help but tell the story of law enforcement’s long history of staying on the wrong side of justice and compassion. To the film’s credit, it gives plenty of runtime to several members of the police department and federal prosecution to tell their side. They take this opportunity and it’s clear that they still feel as though they did no wrong, even as their own words work against them. I also appreciated how well this film illustrates activism’s necessity to violate unjust laws. It’s something that we may need a refresher course soon.

40 ACRES – Directed by R.T. Thorne

The family of farmers defend their home against outside threats in a post-apocalyptic world of food scarcity.

The first thing that struck me here was how the group of farmers (women and minorities) was cast as a sort of ‘role reversal’. Then very quickly, I had to check my own inherent biases and realize that it says a lot about us culturally (and me) that this type of casting is seen as ‘against type.’

The family lives a life of isolation and paranoia of any outsiders, all members trained in survivalism and combat. This safety is threatened by groups of roving militia-type raiders, looking to invade their and neighboring farmlands.

The secondary conflict introduced is that their crops are beginning to show signs of rot. This serves as a metaphor for the festering infestation that happens in a community, plagued by tribalistic fear and isolationism. It reminds me of how rural people in this country are force fed twisted views of urban areas, perpetuated by their curated bubbles of social media and right-wing news sources. Perspectives need to be refreshed from time to time with the insights colored by outside experiences. The expansion of community and sharing of ideas is how our species has evolved for the past 200,000 years or so. Restriction of this, because of fear or hatred, proves detrimental to these groups.

But I digress. Even if you’re watching this for no other reason than the visceral effectiveness of the genre, you won’t be disappointed. The third act treats us to a trio of merging showdowns of the most badass and bloody intensity. Both visually and choreographically, the action sequences are well engineered and executed.

40 ACRES has been acquired by Magnolia Pictures and I’ll be looking forward to rewatching it upon its release.

Saturday, April 5

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, April 4th

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

BURT – Directed by Joe Burke

Burt (Burton Berger), a 69-year-old street musician and guitarist, suffering from Parkinson’s Disease is approached by Sammy (Oliver Cooper) with the shocking revelation that he is Burt’s unbeknownst son. Burt relishes in the opportunity to be a father, inviting Sammy to stay the weekend with him and his grumpy and suspicious landlord, Steve.

This really is the perfect festival film. It’s small and quaint, with interesting characters and well written dialogue and plot. Overall, it’s a relatively low impact way to spend 80 minutes in the dark, perfectly achieving every note it attempted. I think the point of the film was more to showcase the musical talent and personality of star, Burton Berger.

From what I can gather contextually, Burton is essentially playing himself. He really is a street musician in L.A., struggling with Parkinson’s. And the music showcased in the film are all original songs, written and performed by himself. The music was pretty great and I was quite engrossed with every moment that he was on screen. And I truly hope that this film finds enough of a following to give him the exposure he deserves.

It also didn’t hurt that Burt reminded me quite a bit of my own father, who was also a folksy guitarist. They’re even from the same town, Elmira, NY.

THE LADDER – Directed by Emilio Miguel Torres

In the not-too-distant future, an aging fisherman, Arthur (Keith Smith) in Ketchikan, Alaska is contemplating restarting his life via a new experimental and mysterious medical procedure.

Meditative and picturesque, Ketchikan becomes the perfect stage to explore the timeless cerebral conflict between nature and technology. This film is deliberately paces, patient and beautiful. It’s a sentimental story about aging and time; how much we have left and our very right to claim it for ourselves.

Unfortunately, the film didn’t really work for me. I think this falls victim to the all-to-common issues when a successful short film is adapted to feature length. I never saw the short that preceded this, but it certainly wouldn’t shock me to find that it’s brilliant. Too often, a concept that works for a 15-minute story is vulnerable to ineffectiveness with the attempt to stretch out the narrative and flesh out the characters. I wish that filmmakers that have already proven themselves in this way, would focus their talents on a new original idea in these cases. The delicate economy of storytelling often does not lend itself to translations and adaptations of this sort.

DEAD LOVER – Directed by Grace Glowicki

A lonely gravedigger (Grace Glowicki) with severe work-related body odor issues finally finds the love of her life. But when he dies at sea, she’s unwilling to accept the loss and goes to great lengths of grotesquery to restore her love.

I first have to acknowledge the very strange and unintended trajectory of the three films that I saw yesterday. Working my way from the heartfelt dramedy about an elderly man suffering from a chronic illness, to a slow-burn sci-fi about a man contemplating a new a radical medical procedure that restores his youth, to end on this film about a freaky love affair with a reanimated corpse? Wow! If I could have planned it, I would have planned it exactly like this. So, bravo to me.

I honestly had an amazing time with this romp of artifice and debauchery. The entire film was shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, on a minimally dressed sound stage.

As someone that sees a large quantity of films, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the level of originality and uniqueness that went into this. I think cinema is the most post-modern of all mediums so to see something that’s this distinctive is rare. I got strong Guy Maddin vibes from aesthetic aspects, but even that left tons of room for Glowicki’s creative voice.

There’s something I kind of love about the feeling I get, seeing multiple people walk out of a screening that I’m thoroughly enjoying. I can’t explain why exactly, and I’m happy and confident that this film (that has been picked up by Yellow Veil Pictures) will find its audience. But I love the feeling that this was, in at least some small way, made for me and not for them. I’m pretty sure this is what Kendrick was on about.

Friday, April 4

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Thursday, April 3rd

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

JIMMY AND STIGGS – Directed by Joe Begos

Filmmaker Jimmy’s (Joe Begos) downward spiral into booze, dope and all sorts of ill shit is unceremoniously interrupted by an alien abduction in his L.A. apartment. Fearing they’ll return, he enlists the help of his estranged and recently sober friend, Stiggs (Matt Mercer) to prepare for war against his nightly invaders.

I had this sort of idea a few years ago, primarily inspired by the films of Joel Potrykus (APE, BUZZARD, RELAXER), that there exists a small niche subset of films that I have began referring to as “Dirtbag Cinema”. Essentially, lowlife characters attempting to overcome obstacles and triumphing over challenges, while ultimately remaining largely unchanged. I’ve considered many Begos’ films in this category as well. And I would hope that the contextual clues provided by everything else I’ve ever written make it clear that this phrase was always meant as a term of endearment. JIMMY AND STIGGS certainly fits this description. It kind of defines it, even.

The film is book-ended by these very long and fun POV sequences. First, the pre-title scene that sets the stage of Jimmy’s apartment, his substance abuse and general attitude projected to those on the other end of his phone introduce us to his character. The final scene, by switching back to POV serves to nicely juxtapose the two contrasting visuals, accenting just how much has gone wrong in this small space over the course of just one day. This was a neat trick, and I think it also shows how much creativity, care and craftsmanship went into the film overall. While some specific aspects come off as very camp and low budget, there are plenty of times this film pulls off effects and techniques that prove an experienced hand. The artistry in films like this is too often overlooked. I hope to highlight this in my writing as much as possible.

The overall look of the film, established by Brian Sowell & Mike Testin’s cinematography and the lighting of the set was hyper kinetic and gave no room for the audience to take a breath. The set looked as if it was lit entirely by a combination of neon beer signs and black light posters (although I’m sure there was much more to it than that). And the shots were primarily long single take handheld, floating around the action quickly, but not to the point of confusion or disorientation. Everything that happens in this film, happens on camera, in your face and in clear view.

The pace is powerful here as well. It comes and goes with the exact same intensity. And at only 80 minutes, the whole thing is over before you really know what hits you. I’m usually one to commend a film for its softer touches, for the wisdom and beauty of moderation, prudence and sobriety. You don’t get any of that stuff here and we’re all better for it. Sometimes it’s nice to have a film slap you in the face with reckless abandonment and absolutely zero restraint, to remind us that in fact sometimes, more is more. In the end, this may be the gooiest movie I’ve seen since Peter Jackson’s DEAD ALIVE.

As I bring this back to my previous ramblings, I did have to wonder a few things: Has there ever been a film that could be categorized as “Lovecraftian Dirtbag Cinema”? And more importantly, did they get their security deposit back?

Tuesday, April 1

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Monday, March 31st

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

THE STAMP THEIF – Directed by Dan Sturman

THE STAMP THEIF is a documentary that tells the story of a group of Americans pretending to make a film (ARGO style) in order to gain access to a Polish apartment building that they suspect has a buried valuable stamp collection, stolen from Holocaust victims.

It's apparent early on that this film, although a documentary, was written and composed by someone who’s worked extensively in fiction. It plays out like a heist film or a spy novel. I actually found it fascinating at how the plot to an actual heist so closely resembles the making of a Hollywood film.

I was also struck that this story gives us an entirely different look at Poland than what we saw in Jesse Eisenberg’s A REAL PAIN last year. The community showcased in that fictional film was far more welcoming to outsiders. In this film, we see how the country has been affected by the global rise in this new brand of populism.

With this in mind however, I found the overall arch of the film to be one of hope. In spite of the region’s growing ideas of nativism and antisemitism, it was encouraging to find so many people ready and willing to do the right thing and to honor history’s ugly truths. There was real value in this discovery.

CHAIN REACTIONS – Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe

Documentarian Alexandre O. Philippe intervies Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King and Karyn Kusama about the cultural, societal and personal impacts of Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE.

It’s difficult to review Philippe’s films. I’ve seen all of them and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. But I don’t know that there is a whole lot of his actual direction that I’m responding to. The entire premise is typically to have a handful of filmmakers or critics that most of us cinephiles adore sit down and discuss an amazing film or filmmaker. Then, overlay clips from a bunch of our favorite cinematic moments and call it done. It’s a formula that works for me and tons of my community. It makes me wish I was sitting in the room with them, deeply diving into the entries of this medium that we all celebrate.

The ingredients of the recipe are simple, and they make a fulfilling experience. But how much of Philippe’s creativity is actually imposed onto celluloid? I don’t know. I guess I don’t really care either. But the thought that we may have not ever seen one of Takashi Miike’s films if the screening to Chaplin’s CITY LIGHTS hadn’t been sold out is certainly a haunting and chaotic allegory to the world created by Tobe Hooper in 1975.

Monday, March 31

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Sunday, March 30th

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

THE PROSPECT – Directed by Dana Donnelly & Robert Schultz

Jerry Vanetti is a high school senior who has just been rejected by every college he’s applied to. In his desperation to escape his fate, working at his father’s jazz themed smoothie bar, he hatches a plan to fake an elite baseball career to draw in an athletic scholarship, in spite of the fact that he’s never played the sport.

For everything good that I’ll say about this low budget comedic gem, I have to point out that there was an issue with the audio synch. I suspect that a lot of the scenes had to have their dialog recorded in post (ADR). This wasn’t as much of a distraction as it is in other films with the same issue, but it was certainly noticeable.

That being said, I really liked this script. This is one of those ‘joke-a-minute’ quick-witted, dialogue driven high-school comedies with equal parts raunch and absurdism. Kind of “Juno-Style” heightened reality. I was worried that some of their joke wells would run dry from over drawing but the writer seems to have a firm grasp on how to toe that line.

THE PROSPECT, although imperfect showcases talented screenwriting and acting on all parts. I hope to see this group of filmmakers in the future.

THE LOW END THEORY – Directed by Francisco Ordonez

A vet struggling with PTSD works as a money launderer to finance her aspirations of producing hip-hop beats. In desperation to help her girlfriend, she steals from her boss, setting in motion a series of tragic events that she fears will follow her forever.

Although this film has some disjointed pacing issues, I thought the plot overall was well composed and written. I think, especially the first act or so could have used one or two more drafts. It’s difficult to keep the audience engaged for that duration with that amount of meandering and foreshadowing. The concept and complexity of the story ultimately pays off, but I just need a bit more on the front end to feel like it was a complete success.

I appreciated the look of this film quite a bit. The cinematography by Gemma Doll-Grossman made great use of the negative space when it was needed. A lot of the film was shot like a music video, shot on location, with close ups and lens flares. It made me think that we need a Los Angeles Neorealism movement. That city has a lot to offer, and it struck me that some of the location-establishing shots and sequences made me think of De Sica.

This film isn’t entirely successful unfortunately. But I champion its elements and moments that work. Our main character, Raquel is played beautifully by Sofia Yepes and the world-building staged around her was very convincing. But a film of only 100 minutes of runtime shouldn’t feel longer. One more pass and a little trim could have polished this gem.

SHEEPDOG – Directed by Steven Grayhm

A combat veteran is court ordered into treatment to confront the demons of his trauma when an ex-con shows up on his doorstep. Together they work to pull their lives back together.

First, I did not intend on double-featuring ‘vets with PTSD’ movies at the festival but that’s what happened. This film however, is all about the process and the therapy required by those effected by the savageries of combat. And how this country has severely failed in holding up our end of this agreement. In fact, weaving in and out of this film’s more “tragedy-porn” aspects are essentially an advocation and advertisement for the VA. This is an especially crucial point made amid drastic cuts to those services by the country’s new administration. Specific programs and treatments like ones illustrated in this film are currently being threatened and reprehensibly treated as “waste & fraud.”

I used the term, “tragedy-porn” earlier and I’d like to make it clear that this is not a stark criticism on my part. I like a film that makes the audience well up with emotion. This medium is nothing if it’s not emotionally manipulative. That’s like… the whole thing… I used the phrase because I found it apt for the events portrayed. Be forewarned. It’s a rough watch that should thump you in the throat.

The technical aspects of the film are all on par with this type of drama. Beautiful Eastern Seaboard landscapes, cut by industry and the generational poverty that is inherent in this country. A soft, appropriate and melancholic score by Gary Rugala and Rycky Ruke queues every moment. And the performances, specifically by the experience Vondie Curtis-Hall have flashes of brilliance that you’d like to seal in a bottle.

I think it was a bit too tempting for the screenwriter however to make a sort of ‘kitchen-sink’ trauma bullet list unfortunately. The moral of the story was to show the importance and value of the therapeutic processes. The origins of the suffering were sufficient to show their own effects. But there was one aspect (that I won’t specify) that I felt was a bit pigeon-holed into the script and left underexplored and almost abandoned.

Ultimately, this will likely be a lot of folks’ favorite film of the festival. I certainly appreciate it for what it is how effective it is. I just think a bit more laser focus on what was trying to be conveyed would have improved it.

Sunday, March 30

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Saturday, March 29th

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

STATE OF EMERGENCY (Výjimecný stav) – Directed by Jan Hrebejk

This is a Czech comedy that tells the story of Czech news radio correspondent, Karel (Ondřej Vetchý) in the Middle East who hastily returns to Prague for a personal errand, just as revolution breaks out. He’s left to continue his updates of the war torn and bloody revolution within the confines of his kitchen, as though he were still on assignment.

The Czech have a long tradition of making light of dark geopolitical issues and histories. The films of the Czech New Wave movement had a beautiful tradition of this. Ján Kadár’s THE SHOP ON MAIN STREET uses buffoonery and oafness to tell a story about Fascist Slovakia taking over Jewish shops for “Aryan controllers.” Juraj Herz’s THE CREMATOR uses absurdism and dark comedy similarly. And my favorite, Jirí Menzel’s CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS takes place amid the backdrop of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia but focuses on the personal tragedy of one young man’s desperation to just get laid.

The similarities between those films and this new entry might be a bit of a stretch. But I found at least a bit of spiritual commonalities while I was in the screening. This film however, is content to focus is mocking gaze at the new era of media sensationalism, fake news and our new obsession with giving equal weight to completely unqualified opinions (see Joe Rogan.)

As a farcical comedy, this film works perfectly. I found the plot to remind me, more than once at some of Hollywood’s “sex comedies” of Wilder or Hawks even. Almost Shakespearean in its nonsensical miscues and misunderstandings.

Ultimately, this just turns out to be a thoroughly enjoyable romp. Great comedic performances all around and the plot moves forward at a clip that keeps the audience fully engaged.

STATE OF EMERGENCY plays again on Sunday, March 30^th at 1:40 PM

BLACK THETA – Directed by Tim Connolly

A survivor of a home invasion is haunted (and possibly hunted) by the murderous cult that failed to kill him the first time.

Another slasher flick that cold opens with its characters giving bad takes on trivial cinematic opinions. This one involves the remakes of the FRIDAY THE 13^th franchise. I don’t mind this at all. It succeeds in engaging its target audience and this film will spend the rest of its runtime showing an ability to keep this up.

This is obviously a film shot on a restricted budget with a cast and crew of limited experience. And it ends up serving as a great example of how a firm grasp on the vernacular of the genre can make up for these otherwise limiting factors.

Every performance here is full of intent. Choices were made and deliberately written into the personalities of even the most inconsequential characters. This is what I like to refer to as the economy of storytelling. The filmmaker respects the time of his audience enough to not waste it with meaningless placeholders of eventual knife fodder for the killers. I have tons of appreciation for this type of attention and hope it translates into a future trajectory for this filmmaker.

It's fun and well composed and this is obviously not by accident.

Saturday, March 29

2025 PFF & IHSFF Festival Recap – Friday, March 28th

By Emery Snyder - @leeroy711

ERIC LARUE – Directed by Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon’s directorial debut tells the story of Janice and Ron LaRue (Judy Greer & Alexander Skarsgård), the parents of teenager, Eric (Nation Sage Henrikson) who killed three of his classmates in a school shooting. This film aims to explore what the aftermath of this might look like.

This was just as dark, depressing and melancholic as it should have been. And it does a great job illustrating the part of this increasingly frequent tragedy that is unfortunately too often overlooked. These tragedies happen more often in small, conservative, religious, rural areas. Towns with tight-knit communities, and the PTSD is communally experienced every day. Previously mundane activities like running errands to the corner store present opportunities to rip the allegorical scabs open.

I appreciated the courage of this film also to show how communities like this can add to the conditions that can inspire these types of violent acts. Religiously instituted chauvinism along with tolerance for general bullying behavior are all given moments of spotlight to color the society that breeds tragedy. Lesser films would have shied away from this in favor of bothsidesisms.

The shining star of this film, and the reason you’ll hear about it later this year, is Judy Greer’s amazing performance. We grieve with her. We ask ourselves the same questions about ourselves that her character struggles with. It’s great work with the material.

I think the film overall could have used a trim, however. I find this is the hardest thing to judge at a festival. 120 minutes isn’t too much on my couch, and if this is what the subject matter demands, I’m ok with a much longer runtime. But it felt that many of the scenes ran a bit longer than necessary.

ERIC LARUE plays again on Thursday, April 3^rd at 6:40 PM

FREAKY TALES – Directed by Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden

In 1987, proverbial (and literal) lightning strikes Oakland, California uniting the city’s underdogs in an anthology of four interconnected stories of triumph over insurmountable odds. East Bay punks defend their turf from a group of skinhead Nazis, a female rap duo etches their names in hip hop history on a battle stage, a henchman with a heart of gold is given the opportunity at redemption, and an All-Star point guard settles the score. This is all a true story, I’m sure of it.

Halfway though this film, I had to wipe the smile off my face to ask: “Is this just cheap entertainment?” Is this film just bombarding my senses with sounds, images and references of things that automatically trigger my “F*** YEAH!!” response? Maybe, but I didn’t stand a chance. Within the first 10 or so minutes, we enter a music venue with a replica of Operation Ivy playing “Bad Town”. Op Ivy’s ENERGY record is in my top 3 all time records, any genre. I was hooked, easily.

The rest of the film bounces around the rest of my pop culture reference kryptonite minefield of hip-hop, cinema and NBA. And if that wasn’t enough, the film’s constant underscore was obviously intent on taking jabs at today’s MAGA moments of societal backslide.

I recall when the film community thought that it was an odd choice to hire this filmmaking team of Fleck & Boden to helm CAPTAIN MARVEL after being primarily known for small indy dramas like HALF NELSON. But the move from the MCU to this is maybe an even more jarring shift. I’m not sure what to make of this, but I’ll be curious about what this does to their trajectory. I wouldn’t mind seeing them do a bit more work in the genre space.

So, the question is: was this a good film? <insert shrug emoji> I’m unfortunately unqualified to answer this. I only know that I’ll be revisiting this often.

Saturday, March 22

Phoenix Film Festival 25th Anniversary - Pro Tips

By Emery Snyder

The Phoenix Film Festival alongside the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival is upon us once again and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been attending since 2011 and I can honestly say that my experiences with these festivals have been better and better over the years. My hat is off to the festival directors and all the dedicated personnel that put this together and I extend my most sincere congratulations on this milestone anniversary. Bravo!

Typically, I’ll give a list of films I’m most excited about. But this year, I’ve switched it up a bit. My schedule this year is, as usual, insanely ambitious and there are loads of films I’m extra excited about. But over the past 14 years of attending, I’ve developed a few insights and tricks to get the most out of my time and experience. I thought this could be a great time to share. So, let’s take a look at the 2025 Phoenix Film Festival: Pro Tip Edition.

The festival takes place March 27^th – April 6^th, 2025 at the Harkins Ciné Capri.

PRO TIP #1 – Don’t Sleep on The Docs

- Every year, I make a schedule of all the screenings I’m going to attend. I tend to put documentaries in as filler, never too excited about them. Then, every year, multiple doc screenings blow me away and end up favorites of the festival. Last year it was David Redmon & Ashley Sabin’s KIM’S VIDEO and Hadley Austin’s DEMON MINERAL. Previously, we’ve been treated to films like Skye Borgman’s ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT, Hassan Fazili’s MIDNIGHT TRAVELER, Penny Lane’s HAIL SATAN? and Scott Gawlik’s SET!. The list is extensive. This year, I’m looking forward to Dan Struman’s THE STAMP THEIF as well as Vincent DeLuca’s DESERT ANGEL but there is more than a good chance that I’ll be amazed by something else that’s not even on my radar at the moment.

PRO TIP #2 – IHSFF Is Your Friend (or maybe even like a cool older cousin)

- The International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival is held every year in conjunction with the Phoenix Film Festival and it somehow seems to keep getting better. Coralie Fargeat was nominated for Academy Awards this year in both the writing and directing categories for her work on THE SUBSTANCE. Well, we festival goers were treated to her first film, REVENGE way back in 2018. In previous years, I’ve seen Eli Craig’s TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL, Ryan Prows’ LOWLIFE, Shin'ichirô Ueda’s ONE CUT OF THE DEAD & Bill Watterson’s DAVE MADE A MAZE all at this festival. These are all films that I still revisit often. This year’s festival has new films from genre stars like Joe Begos’ JIMMY & STIGGS and Alexandre O. Philipe’s CHAIN REACTION.

PRO TIP #3 – Short Films Are a Great Value

- Both the PFF and the IHSFF showcase different blocks of interesting short films. For the PFF, I typically enjoy the Word Cinema Shorts. I’ve got both A and B blocks on my schedule. But there is also two blocks of African American Directed Shorts, as well as blocks of LatinXDirected, Native American Directed, GenXX Directed (women of GenX generation), College Directed, LGBTQIA+ Directed, Live Action & Documentary Shorts. If you’re purchasing single tickets this year or either of the Flex Passes, I would highly suggest mixing in some of these short film blocks. This world has no shortage of stories to tell and I’ve found some of the most fascinating subjects explored from distinct perspectives that have stayed with me over the years.

PRO TIP #4 – There’s More Than Just Movies

- At some point, you may fatigue of sitting in dark theaters, staring at the dancing images illuminated on the screen. The PFFParty Pavilion is there to provide respite as well as a change of pace and scenery. Come out for Filmmaker Panels, the Silent Auction, Industry Night and Kid’s Day. And there’s even a Film Prom Saturday, March 29^th that’s friendly to all wallflowers. Check Theresa Dillion’s article for more information.

PRO TIP #5 – Make Time to Eat

- Look, nobody wants to have their cinematic experience interrupted by your grumbling tummy in the next seat. And take it from me, this may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to fill your entire schedule with films and activities and then you wonder why you’re so grumpy and almost fell over when you tried to stand up to head to your next screening. You’ve got to make time and a plan. Schedule meals. Luckily, there’s some great options. Pino, right next door to the theatre, has great desserts and they make a mean Americano. I also love the Bento Boxes from Bop + Roll and the Shawarma from AZ Kabob House. And don’t forget to download the Harkins Theaters App onto your phone and enjoy their concessions. You’ll earn points and rewards.

HAPPY FESTIVAL Y'ALL!!!