Michael Lovan s latest is a game with VERY high stakes.
By Meredith Borders · @xymarla · May 5, 2021, 3:00 PM CDT Mikelen Walker in MURDER BURY WIN
We have a brand new clip to debut from writer/director/producer Michael Lovan s new horror comedy
Murder Bury Win, and I feel like it offers viewers an EXCELLENT sense of what, exactly, this film is playing at. First, some words from Lovan to set the scene: This scene is amongst my favorite in
Murder Bury Win, Lovan tells us, Wherein the characters all come together to play the titular board game. One of the most magical things any game can do is foster imagination amongst its players. But when the objective of the game is to harm, murder, and dispose of a body, what does that say about its players, and what kind of creativity is elicited?
Every year, Austin s film festival highlight some of the best up-and-coming filmmakers. And every year, there are still some titles that haven t been widely released yet. With so many festivals switching to virtual formats, we ve had more titles than ever to tantalize us, so here are 10 of the films we can t wait for you to see in 2021 and beyond.
1)
Screened at: aGLIFF
Love is a many-splendored thing, and you never know when it will strike. Writer-director Zoé Wittock understands that you love who you love, and if they love you back you ll do anything you can to be with them. That s how it is with Jeanne (Noémie Merlant) and Jumbo, even if they have to overcome the bigotry and bias of Jeanne s small town, and her small-minded neighbors. But can a young woman and a fairground attraction find true love? Yes, fairground attraction. Absurd as it may sound,
The Turn of the Screw. Photo: Courtesy AHITH
If we’re going to enjoy many new films in 2021, we’ll have to rely largely on countries that have COVID-19 under control to provide them. Anticipate, as a consequence, a large crop of films from Australia, China, Iceland, Mongolia, New Zealand, and (fingers crossed!) Vanuatu in the year ahead.
But perhaps the Antipodean invasion has already begun! This year’s Another Hole in the Head Film Festival running from Friday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 27 includes an outstanding new Kiwi production of Henry James’
The Turn of the Screw, and a fun little treat from their neighbors across the Tasman Sea about which, more below.
(Courtesy of SF Jewish Film Festival)
In a normal year won’t it be sweet when we can retire that phrase from our lexicon? our screens would be chock-a-block with glittery trailers for holiday movies. Our local festival programmers, meanwhile, would be on hiatus except for the year-end fundraising email, mulling next year’s events.
But everything’s upside down in our ongoing Bizarro World. The only major studio films of the season,
Wonder Woman 1984 and
Soul, are delayed summer releases that will be viewed, overwhelmingly, on home streaming platforms (HBO Max and Disney+, respectively). Festival wizards, on the other hand, are plying us with rare December programs. And are we grateful.