You read that correctly!
At the end of July, I’ll be directing a short horror film that I wrote. Its title is currently Lost Futures, though that could change.
Logline: When a disgraced veteran receives anonymous, disturbing tapes in the mail, he must confront his past crimes.
What does this matter to you all, my loyal Substack followers and readers? Well, it means I won’t really have time to devote to writing until August. That means two months without a new post. I have faith that the last three posts, and their combined 19,000 words, should provide a chance to go back and read anything you’ve missed. But fear not, I will be back before summer’s end, and and may even post twice per month to make up for this dearth.
The filmmaking process is arduous and time consuming. The opportunity to direct something scarcely arises and I want to give it everything I have. So please, send me all the positive energy you can muster because I’ll need it!
Speaking of sending something, if you or someone you know is interested in contributing, please do not hesitate to reach out. As you can imagine, movie making in 2024 is expensive!
And to not leave you totally in the lurch, here are some films I’ve watched in the last few weeks that I liked and think you may too.
New Releases (2024):
Dogleg (dir: Al Warren)
Comedy. “Alan, a balding film director, loses his fiancé’s dog at a gender reveal party on the morning of an important shoot. A critic named Nick gives candid observations on a series of incomplete shorts that Alan has spent his own money making. As the pursuit of the lost dog and the chaos of the short films begin to blend, Alan grows desperate for the day to be over.”
Chime (dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Horror. “A chef’s life is disrupted by a chime that brings with it an increasing sense of dread.”
Hit Man (dir: Richard Linklater)
Comedy. “A mild-mannered professor moonlighting as a fake hit man in police stings ignites a chain reaction of trouble when he falls for a potential client.”
Not-New Releases:
The Report (2019, dir: Scott Z. Burns)
Thriller. “The story of Daniel Jones, lead investigator for the US Senate’s sweeping study into the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which was found to be brutal, immoral and ineffective. With the truth at stake, Jones battled tirelessly to make public what many in power sought to keep hidden.”
Oasis (2002, dir: Lee Chang-dong)
Drama. “Oasis is a love story of two young people abandoned by families. A young man released from prison visits the widow of the man he killed drunk- driving. There he meets her daughter, wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy. Will these two lost people find a way to make their relationship work?”
Watermelon Man (1970, dir: Marvin Van Peebles)
Satire. “A racist insurance agent lives in a typical suburban neighborhood. But his bigoted world of taunting and harassing black people on and off the job is turned upside down when his skin inexplicably turns dark overnight.”
The above synopses were pulled form Letterboxd.
My highest recommendation, however, is Connor O’Malley’s stand-up special, Stand Up Solutions.
That’s all for now, cheers!
Photo by aliana mt