TAR, directed by Aaron Wolf **

There’s a pit left open at a small out door area showing the La Brea tar pit prehistoric animals in LA. In 1976, archeologists dug a pit and went down to explore. They never came back. The tar monster got them, and though a man on the street tells the story of the monster and what happened, no one believes him. A father and son who just don’t get along work together next door, but they have to move to make way for a new development. The father doesn't think the son will ever amount to much, but guess what? Not true. This is a tar-tamed spoof of an urban horror flic, full of pretty women with big busts (one in particular), so I'm sure you can guess what happens.

 The tar monster is after them all because that area was built over this prehistoric tar pit area. Lots of guys and gals get tarred. This film has no surprises.

Blind Spot, directed by Pierre Trividic, Patrick Mario Bernard **

 

 The oddest film. A black man can make himself invisible. It started when he was a baby in the cradle. A crazy premise without feeling much for any character at all, the plot - it would seem that what we see is not always the truth, and the truth is hidden. I won’t say more about the film other than it holds our attention, but having the hero walk around nude most of the film to show he is invisible was just wearing. This film needs focus, clarity and editing.

Concerto, directed by Filippo Conz

 

David Zayas as Ray, the detective

A powerful short. A young violinist is caught naked in the kitchen of a detective's house. The young man just slept with the detective’s wife. The detective forces him into his car. He tells the violinist his daughter loves a violin piece, but he doesn’t know the name of it. He forces the young man to walk in the woods and tells him that two girls were found and it was the swimming coach who hid them, then chopped them up to pieces. All the while, that swimming coach had been lying to the detective. At the site where they were chopped up the two men go to. The violinist takes out his violin and plays that piece. Trevor Long as the violinist was superb in his role. It is a great short.

                                                             Trevor Long as the violinist

Comrade Drakulich, directed by Mark Bodszar***

                   

       

Comrade Fabian has come to Hungary and is welcomed by his cold comrades from the 70s. But this sexy comrade looks like he’s in his 30s. Two spies who are actually a couple, named Laci and “Birdy” are assigned the task of finding out about him and why he is so young. He ahs come to sponsor a Vietnamese blood drive, but his real motive is to take all the blood from the drive for his own. He’s a vampire, and by the end of the film, he gets the girl. Ironically was  assigned to only escort him to various events concerning the blood drive. 

But it seems the head of the party wants to gain eternal youth, and so wants Comrade Fabian captured to find out his secret. Blood not gold is the sought-after prize in this entertaining, quirky movie that puts a salacious spin with a lot of spoof on the vampire genre.

WOMEN OF THE WEEPING RIVER, directed by Sheron Dayoc ****

In the Mindanio region of the Philippines, two families are carrying out revenge killings. A father and husband of Satra, the main character has been killed. Then two sons eventually are killed. The two women who have suffered their own tragedies in this eventually settle on peace, despite the patriarch of both families. Sadly, one father takes it into his own hands, and the ending is graphically telling, though it is a still. This slow-moving movie is really compelling. The cast is so believable and to think that except for the two women and the vengeful father, the others in the film are not actors.

 

 AFTERSHOCK, directed by Gareth Wilkes ****

A tightly crafted short. A waitress ends up at closing time; but there's a man there who wants to finihs his coffee. He begins to show her his drawings of her. She's impressed. She goes to lock the safe, and what follows is horrific. Suddenly there is an earthquakes, and both are trapped. He's under a cement block, but she has not been made immobile. Gas is leaking and time is running out for both.  She needs his help to pull the blocked door open. What happens  provide a great plot twist. The title is fitting in more ways than one. A great short made for women seeking revenge. 

KHAMSIN, directed by Gregoire Couvert**

 

A documentarythat features musicians, installation arts and more as they tackle war-torn Lebanon using their art to reflect the ongoing devastation of this country. The Golden age of Lebanon is finished, and wars have turned the county into shattered buildings. Black and white clips show it all. Many of the artists left, but returned to their homeland, specifically Beirut.