THE ART OF SELF DEFENSE (2019)

 

Written & Directed By: Riley Stearns

Cinematography: Michael Ragen

Editor: Sarah Beth Shapiro

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots, Steve Terada, David Zellner, Philip Andre Botello, Jason Burkey, Mike Brooks, CJ Rush

One night, Casey, a scrawny, bookish accountant, is beaten up for no apparent reason by a motorcycle gang. Traumatized, he sets out to ensure this doesn't happen again. Then he stumbles across a karate school. He joins but progress is slow. Then the teacher starts to force him to be more aggressive.

PLEDGE (2018)

Directed By: Daniel Robbins 
Written By: Zachary Weiner 
Cinematography: William Babcock 
Editor: Nik Voytas 


Cast: Zachery Byrd, Philip Andre Botello, Zack Weiner, Aaron Dalla Villa, Cameron Cowperthwaite, Joe Gallagher, Melanie Rothman, Erica Boozer 


A group of college freshmen pledge an exclusive fraternity but soon realize there's more at stake than they could have ever imagined. A film that feels like it could and should have been made in the 1980’s as that was when that culture was big especially in the movies. Not to mention it carries that tradition and vibe.