Sonic Cinema to Cover the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival : Sonic Cinema

Sonic Cinema to Cover the 2023 Atlanta Film Festival

Posted by Brian Skutle Posted on Apr - 13 - 2023 0 Comment

The time has come, once again, for the Atlanta Film Festival. Because of personal matters, and just a bog of work and Sonic Cinema responsibilities through the first part of April, I haven’t made a big deal of it, but I cannot wait for year five of the festival, and I’m finally ready to delve into it.

As with 2022, I will be doing double duty between work and the festival, so I will not be spending all my time downtown this year. That said, however, the festival’s virtual program- and advanced screeners- will allow me to fill out the schedule on the days that I am not in downtown Atlanta watching movies. What will be new for me in 2023, however, will be- in addition to Sonic Cinema, the Sonic Cinema Podcast YouTube Channel, and Patreon, I will also be reviewing some movies for In Their Own League. As I go through the movies I’m planning to watch below, you’ll see which ones will be in-person screenings for me, and which ones are virtual.

Some of my schedule is not yet set in stone, but I look forward to seeing the following between April 20-April 30.

In-Person Screenings
=“Dusty & Stones” (Dir. Jesse Rudoy; April 20 at 7pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Dusty and Stones struggle to sustain a country music career in their tiny African Kingdom of Swaziland and yearn for greater recognition. When they are unexpectedly nominated to compete in a Texas battle of the bands, the two cousins journey to the heart of American country music, determined to win big and turn their careers around. But things do not exactly go as planned.

=“Polite Society” (Dir. Nida Manzoor; Opening Night; April 21 at 7pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Ria Khan believes that she must save her older sister Lena from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends’ help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists, in the name of independence and sisterhood.

=“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Dir. Davis Guggenheim; April 22 at 4pm at the Rialto Center)- The film, which will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, will recount Fox’s extraordinary story in his own words — the improbable tale of an undersized kid from a Canadian army base who rose to the heights of stardom in 1980s Hollywood. The account of Fox’s public life, full of nostalgic thrills and cinematic gloss, will unspool alongside his never-before-seen private journey, including the years that followed his diagnosis, at 29, with Parkinson’s disease. Intimate and honest, and produced with unprecedented access to Fox and his family, the film will chronicle Fox’s personal and professional triumphs and travails, and will explore what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease. With a mix of adventure and romance, comedy and drama, watching the film will feel like … well, like a Michael J. Fox movie.

=“Night of the Cooters” (Dir. Vincent D’Onofrio; April 22 at 8pm at the Rialto Center)- NIGHT OF THE COOTERS tells the tale of townsfolk in Pachuco Texas in the 1800’s rallying around one cause, survival against the unwelcome visitors from “up there.” Join the townsfolk on their journey to figure out what the hell is going on in the big hole at the edge of town. With a screenplay by the one and only Joe Lansdale, and music by the prolific Ramin Djwadi get ready for a ride like no other through the mind of the sci-fi master Howard Waldrop.

=“Showing Up” (Dir. Kelly Reichardt; April 23 at 8pm at the Plaza Theatre)- A sculptor preparing to open a new show must balance her creative life with the daily dramas of family and friends, in Kelly Reichardt’s vibrant and captivatingly funny portrait of art and craft. Stars Academy Award nominee Hong Chau (THE WHALE, THE MENU), André “André 3000” Benjamin of Outkast, and five-time Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams.

=“Fenom” (Dir. Kayla Johnson; April 25 at 6:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Fenom follows basketball and music’s next big star – Flau’Jae Johnson, one of the nation’s top recruits and the daughter of the late rapper, Camouflage. Building her brand and balancing life as a student-athlete comes with hard work, sacrifice, and triumph. This is a story of legacy, victory and the pursuit of greatness.

=“She Watches Blindly” (Dir. Bryan Tan; April 26 at 7pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Beth Abrams believes she has a unique ability: she can know the thoughts of others. Only it is not a gift, it is an illness, and it is destroying her life and relationships. After a night of nightmares, a mysterious doctor arrives to investigate the circumstances and help Beth piece together what remains of her life, but doing so may cost her everything.

=“Master Gardener” (Dir. Paul Schrader; In-Person on April 26 at 9:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Narvel Roth is the meticulous horticulturist of Gracewood Gardens, a beautiful estate owned by wealthy dowager Mrs. Haverhill. When she orders Roth to take on her troubled great-niece Maya as his apprentice, his life is thrown into chaos and dark secrets from his past emerge. A new film by master writer & director Paul Schrader (FIRST REFORMED, TAXI DRIVER).

=“Sanctuary” (Dir. Zachary Wigon; In-Person on April 28 at 6pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Confined to a claustrophobic hotel room, the heir to a hotel empire (Christopher Abbott, POSSESSOR, GIRLS) and the dominatrix who has primed him for success (Margaret Qualley, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD) become locked in a battle of wits and wills as he tries to end his relationship with her.

=“My Last Nerve” (Dir. Adam LaBrie; In-Person on April 28 at 8:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Fueled by his fathers torturous disease, a son stakes his scientific career on a new cure that could change how we treat pain.

Already Seen Via Screener
=“Quantum Cowboys” (Dir. Geoff Marslett; In-Person on April 22 at 3:15pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Mixing live action film, paper cut outs, hand drawn animation, oil paintings, 8k video, collages and digital animation, and featuring live musical performances by Neko Case, John Doe, Howe Gelb and Xixa, Quantum Cowboys is an old fashioned western about a trio of hapless drifters in search of an elusive frontier musician. There’ s gun fights, horses, cacti and time travel, too!

=“Little Brother” (Dir. Sheridan O’Donnell; In-Person on April 23 at 3:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Jake and his brother Pete pile into a busted-up van, headed from Albuquerque to Seattle. Pete has just attempted suicide for the umpteenth time and his concerned parents have recruited Jake to drive Pete home for a family intervention. The brothers are at once uneasy friends and sworn rivals; they’re not just oil and water, they’re fire and gasoline. And now they’ve got 1,400 miles to go and nowhere to hide.

=“Twenty” (Dir. Lev Omelchenko; In-Person on April 27 at 10pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Amid the tumultuous events of 2020, a mysterious speak-easy in Atlanta becomes a home for a group of young people to share their stories of loss, resilience, and hope. “Twenty” is an observational film, set in a dreamy underground world, witnessing a group’s unique yet universal vulnerabilities—shown through scenes shot in intimate black-and-white.

=“Red Earth” (Dir. Georg Koszulinski; In-Person on April 28 at 10pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Explore the landscape of the late Anthropocene age, where large parts of Earth have become inhospitable to life. The story follows three generations of Martians, from the first colonists to the first expedition to return to an Earth decimated by interplanetary war.

Virtual Screenings
=“Judy Bloom Forever” (Dir. Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchok; In-Person on April 20 at 7:30pm at the Carter Presidential Center)- Judy Blume and the generations of readers who have sparked to her work. It will examine her impact on pop culture and the occasional controversies over her frankness about puberty and sex.

=“No Time to Fail” (Dir. Sara Archambault, Margo Guernsey; In-person on April 23 at 4:30pm at the Carter Presidential Center)- Despite the desperate attempts to disrupt the 2020 election, election administrators pulled off the most secure election in our history. Rather than receiving a hero’s welcome, they have become the focus of a coordinated campaign of disinformation. No Time To Fail gives voice to the experiences of this largely invisible, yet completely indispensable workforce.

=“Hundreds of Beavers” (Dir. Mike Cheslik; In-Person on April 25 at 6:45pm at Dad’s Garage)- In this 19th century, slapstick winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America’s greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.

=“This World is Not My Own” (Dir. Petter Ringbom, Marquise Stillwell; In-Person on April 25 at 6:45pm at the High Museum of Art)- This World is Not My Own traces the lifespan of Nellie Mae Rowe, an artist who struggled to dedicate her life to art while exploring the personal and political events that shaped her singular body of work. In detailed film sets that recreate Nellie’s home, the actress Uzo Aduba embodies an animated version of the subject. Her recorded dialogue, movement and song make Nellie come to life.

=“Silent Beauty” (Dir. Jasmín Mara López; In-Person on April 26 at 6:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- When director Jasmin Mara López sees an old family photo, she is flooded by painful memories of sexual abuse at the hands of her grandfather. In this poetic documentary, López bravely films her story through archival family footage and intimate moments with her family. López has created a film about confronting painful truths and the beauty one can feel when they reach the other side of grief.

=“Wilder Than Her” (Dir. Jessica Kozak; April 26 at 9:45pm at the Plaza Theatre)- In this taut psychological thriller, the tragic death of their best friend Bea has splintered longtime friends Emilia, Finn, and Lucey, until Emilia convinces them to go on their annual camping trip to reconnect. But once they are alone in the woods, Emilia is haunted by the absence of Bea and provoked by Finn, the one person who witnessed her death. When they run into a solo hiker who inserts himself into the group, it tips the fragile balance of the trio to a boiling point. As things grow increasingly strange and distrust blossoms in the isolated forest, they suspect each other of terrible things, forcing them to call into question their friendship and own morality.

=“Our Father, the Devil” (Dir. Ellie Foumbi; In-Person on April 27 at 6:15pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Marie is an African refugee working as the head chef at a retirement home in small-town France. Her quiet existence is upended by the arrival of Father Patrick. a charismatic priest with whom she’s convinced she shares a heavy past in her homeland. Marie must now confirm his identity and decide if settling an old score is worth sacrificing the new life she’s built.

=“Sheltered” (Dir. Ben Evory; In-Person on April 29 at 3:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- His first year of college complete, Nathan returns home to the Appalachian foothills. With Dad’s help he reintegrates back into his progressive protestant church and prepares for a mission trip to Honduras. However, what once seemed normal now feels foreign, and Nathan must build his own relationship to his father’s faith.

=“Being Mary Tyler Moore” (Dir. James Adolphus; In-Person on April 30 at 2:45pm at the Plaza Theatre)- With unprecedented access to Mary Tyler Moore’s vast archive, Being Mary Tyler Moore chronicles the screen icon whose storied career spanned sixty years. Weaving Moore’s personal narrative with the beats of her professional accomplishments, the film highlights her groundbreaking roles and the indelible impact she had on generations of women who came after her.

Not Sure When I’ll See Them, but Still Noteworthy
=“Scarlet” (Dir. Pietro Marcello; In-Person on April 23 at 6pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Pietro Marcello, one of contemporary cinema’s most versatile talents, follows his dramatic breakthrough Martin Eden with an enchanting period fable based on a beloved 1923 novel by Russian writer Alexander Grin. Beginning as the tale of a sensitive brute (Räphael Terry) who returns home from World War I to his rural French village to discover his wife has died and that he must take care of their baby daughter, Juliette, the film blossoms into a pastoral portrait of Juliette as a young woman (Juliette Jouan) reckoning with a local witch’s prophecy for her future and falling for the modern man (Louis Garrel) who literally drops from the sky. In his first film made in France, Marcello proves again he is as comfortable in the realm of folklore as he is in creative nonfiction, delicately interweaving realist drama, ethereal romance, and musical flights of fancy.

=“Final Cut” (Dir. Michel Hazanavicius; In-Person on April 23 at 9:15pm at the Plaza Theatre)- Final Cut follows a director (Duris) making a live, single-take, low-budget zombie movie in which the cast and crew, one by one, actually turn into zombies. More blood-soaked high farce than horror, the film revels in its affectionate embrace of goofy genre fun. Academy Award-winning director Michael Hazanavicius (THE ARTIST) pulls off the improbable, a French-language remake of Shin’ichirô Ueda’s cult hit One Cut of the Dead that milks the film’s hilarious and meta-to-the-max premise for all it’s worth, while also crafting a sly love letter to the art of filmmaking.

=“Passages” (Dir. Ira Sachs; In-Person on April 29 at 12:30pm at the Plaza Theatre)- In contemporary Paris, German filmmaker Tomas (Franz Rogowski, A HIDDEN LIFE, I WAS AT HOME, BUT…) embraces his sexuality through a torrid love affair with a young woman named Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos, MANDIBLES, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR), an impulse that blurs the lines which define his relationship with his husband, Martin (Ben Whishaw, THE LOBSTER, WOMEN TALKING). When Martin begins an extramarital affair of his own, he successfully gains back his husband’s attention while simultaneously unearthing Tomas’ jealousy. Grappling with contradicting emotions, Tomas must either embrace the confines of his marriage or come to terms with the relationship having run its course. A new film by indie mainstay Ira Sachs (LITTLE MEN, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON)