We covered the Santa Barbara International Film Festival last year for the site, so we were thrilled to virtually return this year to cover round two! This year’s SBIFF was wildly varied, but brought about some exceptional movies capturing the power of the human spirit and emotionality. Check out our full coverage for the fest as well as previously reviewed titles after the jump…
Films
1-800-HOT-NITE
What starts off as a Good Boys-style raunchy comedy with kids transforms into something decidedly different. In the opening scene, three best friends who are far too young to do so call a phone-sex hotline. With a title like 1-800-HOT-NITE, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess the number they call, or that it will eventually become significant to our central character, Tommy (Dallas Young). When a drug raid happens at his home, Tommy flees with his pals Steve (Mylen Bradford) and O’Neill (Gerrison Machado) to avoid foster car after his dad is carted away in a cop car. What happens next is a night of crises—Tommy turns to the sex operator for guidance, who says “running from cops makes me so wet.” Words of wisdom, eh? I was hoping for fun and sharp comedy, but instead HOT-NITE leans into drama and silliness.
ALL MY PUNY SORROWS
Previously reviewed at TIFF 2021.
THE BIG BEND
Full review at the link.
DUG DUG
Previously reviewed at TIFF 2021.
HARD SHELL SOFT SHELL
A cute feel-good treat that will leave the audience with a smile and a super fun music number, Hard Shell Soft Shell is akin to a modern-day Dirty Dancing with some extra flavor. Az (Yasin Houicha) makes a proposal to his girlfriend, Jessica (Tiphaine Daviot), by hiding her engagement ring in an oyster she accidentally eats. Choking aside, Jessica doesn’t exactly embrace Az’s bid for marriage, opting instead to use this moment to announce she wants to “take a break.” Az goes through a deep depression that consists of binge-eating, crying, and watching Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard on his laptop. It takes his friends to draw Az out of his sadness, forcing him to try on new clothes and do something with his life. They all admire how nice his ass is, and one refers to Az as “a walking beach.” When saucy, sporty Lila (Oulaya Amamra) begins a relationship with Az through dance, Az quickly develops feelings while still processing his breakup with Jessica. This cute French dramedy is simple, sweet, and may be just what the doctor ordered.
HOUSE OF DARKNESS
Full review at the link.
JUNIPER
Grieving a loved one can be difficult, and for Mack (Madison Lawlor), it becomes virtually impossible. A secluded family cabin by herself to process the death of her sister is crashed by her childhood bestie, Alex (Decker Sadowski), and Dylan (Olivia Blue). As their time together progresses, Dylan has trouble hiding her true feelings for Alex, while Mack tries to isolate herself in her grief. Much of the movie consists of three girls chatting about nothing together; the acting is good, but the narrative is a bit aimless. Juniper ultimately feels too empty, small stakes, and predictable. How are we supposed to empathize over a character we never physically meet during the film? While the heart is clearly in the right place of everyone involved, I found it difficult to get invested.
LOREN & ROSE
Full review at the link.
NOWHERE SPECIAL
Full review at the link.
ROGER CORMAN: THE POPE OF POP CINEMA
Clocking in at a slight 52 minutes in length, Roger Corman: The Pope of Pop Cinema is subsequently a fluffy little documentary that feels like it would make a strong DVD special feature. It does however cover quite a lot of ground in a short period of time, and serves as a love letter to Corman. Dubbed “The Godfather of Hollywood,” Corman gave first chances to so many amazing actors and filmmakers that would eventually break out, including Martin Scorcese, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, and Jack Nicholson, among others. This doc recalls Corman’s humble beginnings, breaking into the industry first by delivering mail around the FOX lot, graduating into a story analyst, and eventually evolving into full-scale directing and producing. Part of Corman’s charm is in his scrappy filmmaking style in which he takes advantage of every single dollar at his disposal. There were two very surprising things I learned here: that the original Little Shop of Horrors was filmed in just two days and one night, with the majority of the cast and crew treating it as one big joke; that The Fast and The Furious was an original Corman film, and Universal paid for rights to the title well before it became a worldwide phenomenon. Corman the figure is endearing and adorable, and Roger Corman: The Pope of Pop Cinema wisely never shifts its focus away from the auteur.
SCARBOROUGH
Previously reviewed at TIFF 2021.
STRANGER’S ARMS
Stranger’s Arms frequently evokes the freewheeling coming-of-age style of Richard Linklater, loosely plotting the story of three friends attempting to solve a mysterious murder that dates back to 1994. Set over the summer in Long Island, Jazmin (Eloisa Santos) returns home from college and falls into old habits as she hangs with alcoholic party girl Mason (Tessa Gourin) and classmate and cute construction worker Mikey (Ion Bertea). When Mikey suggests looking into an old unsolved murder that may have involved black magic or sacrifice, the friends immediately latch onto the concept. They make it their mission to get to the bottom of things, launching interviews with locals and acting as their small town’s version of the Mystery Gang. Karaoke sessions, reminiscing about fallen friends, and chats about what one would do if they were a ghost pad out the movie with a small-stakes relatability. I found it a little frustrating that Stranger’s Arms goes out of its way to avoid answering the central mystery’s big questions, but this is an engaging indie watch bursting with heart and humor.
Some of this year’s festival selections really spoke to us on a personal level; my favorites were The Big Bend and Loren & Rose, while Allison’s favorite was Róise & Frank. We also hope to cover SBIFF for round three, coming next year!