FIRST PERIOD (2013)

 

Directed By: Charlie Vaughn 

Written By: Brandon Alexander III

Cinematography: Olivia Kuan

Editor: Corey Ziemniak 

Cast: Brandon Alexander III, Dudley Beene, Lauren Rose Lewis, Michael Turchin, Leigh Wakeford, Karli Keiser, Cassandra Petersen, Jack Plotnick, Judy Tenuta 

An uproarious cross-dressing comedy, First Period follows a new girl and an outcast as the most awkward girls in high school. Together, they set out to take over the annual talent contest and win over the whole school.

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Watching this film, you can tell it’s a film done out of love. as it is low budget and the actor director and cast are few as are the locations as well as the extras, which are mostly made up of family and friends of the cast and crew.

Especially as most of the cast like most teenage shows and movies of the 1980s look way too old for their roles, which only adds to the films strengths inadvertently.

It is a campy standup of 1980s high school movies that has its main two stars cross-dressing as teenage girls. The film is filled with double entendre in innuendo. It is quite naughty, but sassy.

It is also hilarious as it works as a spoof and homage, As well as it could easily be one of those teenage 1980s films told from a teenage girls  point of view.

Lead actor Brandon Alexander III,wrote the screenplay and the film is an excellent launching pad for hikmas an actor, performer and screenwriter 

Of course, the stories of service but this is a film that you just sit back watch and enjoy, and it’s over the top brilliance and just have fun with it not a family really think too deeply about in our amazed by the two lead performances as the dialogue and jokes fly so fast and furious. It’s almost like a screwball comedy of its own only lacking the more physical comedy.

fans of the show STRANGERS WITH CANDY will definitely enjoy this film. As it has a similar tone and feel. Only none of its budget.

This is an excellent LGBTQ film that unfortunately I didn’t even knew existed until recently and it’s a shame because it’s truly an undiscovered gem cinematically. It doesn’t offer anything new but this is definitely a comfort film and a film that deserves a cult audience as through it all as ridiculous as it is, the film truly does feel heartfelt.

Hopefully someone decides to do this as a play or stage performance in this films audience can grow. At under 90 minutes,Luckily the phone never wears out. It’s welcome.

Grade: B 

HAG (2024)

Written & Directed By: Sam Wineman 

Cinematography: Trevor A. Brown 

Editor: David Trevail 

Cast: Ryan De Villiers, Jane De Wet, Matthew Vey, Anja Taljaard, Adore Delano, Darron Meyer, Frances Sholto-Douglas, Magna Ngaiza 

After a decade apart, Rowan rents his spare room to Mag – a self-proclaimed “hag”- whose obsession with him grows into a life-or-death showdown.

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Now with the title like this, it could’ve easily been a tale of a witch which in her own way, the main character is, but it’s also an out of date politically incorrect term for usually a friend, a female friend or a female, who is obsessed with gay men which this film ends up being about as a kind of updated version of SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, only with a cisgender Caucasian female obsessed with a gay white man and Moore trying to be their ultimate partner, not necessarily their identity

Which is strange as it seems like her character tends to take over identities and those are her victims but here it’s a bit different as she generally seems to want to be a part of this man’s life, but wants no one else in there. So you start to wonder what is the ultimate plan that she has at least in this instance especially as it’s modern and everyone seems to have a cell phone it would be so easy to expose her even if she chooses to keep changing her identity I know I know too much thinking going on watching this film, but that show shows you how less of a distraction this film was.

In the film definitely has its audience as it has a cis gendered straight white woman as a villain. 

Have to say that it leaves the audience  disappointed by this movie. as it’s not as Campy or much fun as expected. It’s a little out there, but it also feels like it plays it safe kind of like a risqué lifetime thriller that is desperately trying to be hip and isn’t working. There is nonteal exploitation to try and make it titilating.

As the directing lacks the flair of what could’ve been especially when you have a willing cast and a script that goes but so far but seems to stop short, quite a few times when it could keep going in an building

The film is ultimately OK as long as you don’t take it too seriously

This is also another to be original that is filmed in South Africa in Maine to look like Los Angeles. It does a possible enough job, except for when you see the actor’s real names it kind of gives it away as an overseas production.

This is the first disappointing, modern Tubi channel original thriller/horror film. can say it’s uninspired, but was looking for it to be a little more wild and exciting.

Grade: C-

CHRISTY (2025)

 

Directed By: David Michod

Written By: David Michod and Mirrah Foulkes 

Story By: Katherine Fugate 

Cinematography: Germain McMicking

Editor: Matt Villa

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Katy O’Brian, Merritt Weaver, Ethan Embry, Tony Cavalero, Chad Coleman, Coleman Pedigo, Jess Gabor

The life and the incredible career of Christy Martin, the most successful female boxer of the 1990s.

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I will admit before I saw the film I remeber the UNTOLD series documentary on Christy Martin. So I knew the twist and turns of the story 

so watching it now, more as a docu-drama The film strangely felt like one of those premium cable movies from the 1990s usually on HBO was a star surrounded by a recognizable cast with questionable wigs.

Sydney Sweeney does the best that she can in the role and shows that she has range but it’s not quite as strong as one would hope. As here she feels like a star, trying to be a character actor instead of a character trying to be a star. She’s good enough to be possible and shows a determination that serves the film.

As most will come to this film to see if she has what it takes and does she have that star power. Which she does, but is still working on craft. As she tries to hide her looks and transform into a character. That isn’t quite successful. 

Though that is the problem with the film, everything here feels just good enough to be possible, but there’s nothing special to it. There’s nothing that is quite that memorable or has a quality that sticks with you after the film so that it just comes across as very satisfactory and basic, but nothing special.

Even as director David Michod tries to go with a plain, report to his directing. More matter of fact than stylish. To go with a more natural approach.

Not to belittle the main character’s life in life, so which is very dramatic, but that is how the film should feel not so matter fact, things just happen even as it has the theme of the character, knowing her sexuality and trying to be everything to everybody else, but never quite being true to herself and once she does, she is punished for it mercilessly. So that you can see why she might’ve been afraid in the first place. 

Though you’re giving hints to her sexually your same sex preferences, it always seems more like flirting more than us ever truly seeing a romance, even when it comes to who she finally ends up with we see the blossoming as camaraderie and the development of a friendship, more than anything leading to a romance and her relationship before we’re thrust in the middle of and see the painful break up and ending of rather than the maintenance of or the beginning of

Her mother comes across as just a big villain as her husband, as she leaves more mental and emotional scars rather than physical ones.

Ben foster is noteworthy and registers as a jealous scumbag if a human being, but again surprisingly he is holding back. As the film never truly presents why Christy’s  character would fall for him or even be devoted for him as he’s pretty much a bad guy from when we first were introduced to him.

The main problem with this film is that there’s too much talent associated with this film for it to be this impassive overall. It feels like the filmmakers are frayed as there are too many true life characters still alive to really say anything definitive about any of them.

Grade: C+

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (2025)

 

Directed By: Mona Fastvold

Written By: Mona Fastvold And Brady Corbet 

Cinematography: William Rexer 

Editor: Sofia Subercaseaux 

Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin Mckenzie, Christopher Abbott, Matthew Beard, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Daniel Blumberg, David Cale, Viola Prettejohn

Ann Lee, the founding leader of the Shaker Movement, is proclaimed as the female Christ by her followers. This film depicts her establishment of a utopian society and the Shakers’ worship through song and dance, based on real events.

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This is a hard film to quite get your head around. 

Though it definitely makes an impression. As it is an epic done on a budget, but still manages to be quite illustrious throughout even when it seems like it’s not doing that much or playing it basic at times.

Which showcases limitation, but works for the time the story is set in when the world and society was still building itself.

The film is a musical and the religious choreography, testimonial music score and movements are great. Which is what keeps a captivating and keeps your interest as it might not have been as magical if it had played as a straight drama. It might’ve felt more like a prestige film rather than something of its own concoction while trying to tell a true story.

The film gets matters of the flesh out of the way early, so that while that theme is always in the background, it’s not as heavily a focus, and once the lead character played by Amanda Seyfried goes all in with her religion and beliefs. We don’t get to see any really again, it’s more hinted at or implied, but never seen until when the film needs to be brutal.

One can see this from getting more of an audience as more people discovered it through word-of-mouth as it might not be perfect, but it certainly is interesting and never boring

Amanda Seyfried in the lead is strong and memorable. One of her strongest performance is so far as it seems like with each new passing year and each new project she does get stronger as an actress and more captivating to see with her range.

Christopher abbot plays another terrible character. Which at this point he seems to have cornered the market on. When not playing leading roles. 

The film ends brutally as that seems to be the case when it comes to most films, depicting religion or even religious ones as usually we know how they will end. It’s all in how he get there.

What keeps this from exciting is that you Never quite know where it’s going so it manages to be quite an Odyssey in of itself. Even with its limited surroundings. 

Looking forward to more films from this filmmaker.

Grade: B+ 

WHISTLE (2026)

 

Directed By: Corin Hardy

Written By: Owen Egerton 

Cinematography: Bjorn Charpentier

Editor: Nick Emerson

Cast: Dafne Keen, Sophie Nelisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Nick Frost, Mika Amonsen, Michelle Fairley 

A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.

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unfortunately, this film is pretty basic. There’s nothing revolutionary, except for some pretty good special effects and the first lead starring role for Dafne Keen. As it helps to feed off her Internet buzz and and X-MEN, LOGAN and DEADPOOL following.

The film does offer some LGBTQ representation, especially in the leading roles. Though the film feels very 1990s teen horror movie craze. Only more supernatural instead of having a slasher.

It’s strange that the film is lacking, a memorable soundtrack, even though the lead character is obsessed with music.

The film feels like it tries too hard to create or be something original, but then in doing so it makes it all the more laughable as it tries too hard. 

The drug dealing faster is stupid, but wish the film leaned more into him and his character as he seemed the only thing that was fresh in this phone and while he gets more screen time in the third act, it feels way too planned and expected, especially as third act freak out

At least with the film, the events and actions start very fast so there’s no moping around in lore and mystery. Which then leads to the problem that we barely know the characters before they start getting eliminated and because of that we generally don’t feel sorry for them as we have no personal connection or sorry to see them go as we would seeing any random person get killed. Especially as the film tends to feel cruel when it doesn’t have to be.

At least the black guy doesn’t die first, but he is the only non-believer and gets paid back by having the most violent death in the film. It’ made worse as it happens in frintnof his parents, but makes for a standout scene. 

The film comes across as a desperate FINAL DESTINATION rip off with mystical sacrifices thrown in. Even the one character played by Sky Yang, who is obsessed with a superhero. The superhero is a knock off

The film also never presents any real joy. It’s pretty bleak throughout. so much so that only two scenes in the whole film feel genuine. 

One of which is the typical teenage crush admission and the crushes answer that is the closest the film ever comes to being heartfelt. The Lesbian romance reveals are sweet also. When she is creaking out about what to text and show interest but not too much interest 

The film at certain points gets silly and so bad that it becomes entertaining to a point, which is what keeps the audience watching other than the gory deaths not so much inventive. But miraculous special effects.

There’s also barely rarely any adults shown in major roles, other than an initial kill, and the one to inform them about the whistle and the curse.

If I have paid to see this, I would not be so nice when it comes to this film. I’d actually would’ve been best but watching it for free it’s OK. It’s a popcorn movie a time waster but one I don’t ever really need to watch ever again.

if anything come for the films gory special effects you might find some other things you might like about it, but I’m betting not too much. Though I really wanted to like it. It just didn’t have enough to truly admire. 

Grade: C