Dinner in America - 2020 Nightstream Film Festival Movie Review

The Movie: Dinner in America

The Director: Adam Rehmeier

The Cast: Kyle Gallner, Emily Skeggs, Griffin Gluck, Pat Healy, Mary Lynn Rajskub, David Yow, Hannah Marks, Nick Chinlund, Lea Thompson

The Story: An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band unexpectedly fall in love and go on an epic journey together through America's decaying Midwestern suburbs.

Sparkle - Movie Review

"Sparkle" was directed by Salim Akil and stars Jordin Sparks, Derek Luke, Carmen Ejogo, and the one and only Whitney Houston who is also credited as executive producer. Set in 1960's Detroit during the heyday of the Motown sound, this is a movie about one girl's dream of becoming a singing star, the sisters that join her in pursuit of that dream, and the mother that will do everything she can to keep her girls from making the same mistakes she made during her time in the business.

Machine Gun Preacher - Movie Review

First I would like to say thank you to the Seattle International Film Festival for presenting a special preview screening of this film and for bringing in Sam Childers and screenwriter Jason Keller for a post movie Q&A.

Machine Gun Preacher is based on the true story of Sam Childers as he goes from heroin addicted drug dealer and all around trouble maker to becoming a major force in protecting children and families from violence bordering on genocide in the heart of war ravaged Sudan. When I very first heard the name of this movie, my instant reaction without knowing any story details was that this would fall in to the same category as Hobo With a Shotgun and Machete which were very stylized Grindhouse movies that play for cheap thrills and indulgence. This movie turned out to be about as different as could possibly be and surprised me in several different ways.