By Nick Nitkowski 

Burt

“Burt” is one of those movies that wasn’t on my radar until recently, but as I was watching it, I ended up having a big smile on my face for the duration of the film. The story, the characters, and everything about this film was enjoyable and is currently one of my top picks for the Florida Film Festival so far.

Mr. K

After watching the trailer for “Mr. K”, I had a vague yet still somewhat substantial idea of what I was getting myself into. Crispin Glover checks into a hotel where strange and unexplainable things take place. It’s a surreal mental trip of a film that’s bizarre at times but not necessarily in a WTF sort of way. I’d recommend it to someone looking for something a bit out of the ordinary.

Under the Burning Sun

“Under the Burning Sun” is a bold and strong film about a woman traveling a great distance to get to a specific location where she can get an abortion. The subject matter is heavy, and I’d wager controversial for some, but the acting and storytelling are so powerful that it can’t be denied. I was fully engaged with the film for the entire runtime, and it even brought a single tear to my eye by the end. Another top contender for the Florida Film Festival, and I recommend it to those who can handle it.

The Surfer

“The Surfer” is the latest film starring Nicolas Cage and that alone should give you an idea of what to expect. However, in this film, it seems that everyone surrounding Nicolas Cage is the unhinged ones instead of the usual other way around. It’s still a very enjoyable movie, and I’m sure that any Nicolas Cage fan is bound to enjoy it.

Somnium

“Somnium” is a very interesting film about a girl trying to be an actress but needing a job in the meantime and finding one in a clinic that specializes in creating dreams for their clients. I would rank it as a psychological drama that mostly focuses on the toxic reality of trying to make it as a Hollywood star, and I find it to be fascinating and real.

We Strangers

“We Strangers” is a film I went into blindly and is about an African-American woman who works a bunch of odd jobs to get by in her daily life. Because I went into this movie blindly means that I had no expectations and therefore could only win me over based on the merits of its own story and execution. Unfortunately, this story and execution was incredibly weak to me. With no prerequisite of the plot, I struggled throughout the entirety of the movie’s runtime to determine what the point of the movie was. Speaking of the movie’s runtime, it clocks in at a mere hour and 20 minutes and yet it felt that I had been there for over two hours. Imagine the surprise on my face when I discovered the movie’s actual runtime afterwards. Which draws me to the conclusion that this movie is much better suited to be a short film and nothing more.

It Ends

“It Ends” is a very unique type of suspense and mystery independent film. Taking place entirely in a vehicle, we follow four friends on a road trip only to find themselves on a never-ending road in the middle of the woods. They cannot stop and they cannot turn back. The only way to go is forward, but for how long? The film is so simplistic and yet so interesting at the same time. While mostly dialogue driven, I was fascinated by what was happening while also intrigued to see where it was going and how the friends would cope with the situation that they find themselves in. It made me think to myself, “how would I fair in the same situation?” Easily a favorite of mine, but I can see it not being a movie for everyone.

The Python Hunt

“The Python Hunt” is an interesting documentary about an annual contest that the Florida government holds for people to go out into the Florida Everglades for ten days to capture and/or kill the proclaimed invasive Burmese Python. We follow multiple subjects taking part of the contest for different reasons. One of the biggest standouts of this particular documentary is how it was filmed. While it is a documentary first and foremost, it was shot like a professional film. When the film started, I questioned whether it was a narrative feature or not. The subject matter I also found to be incredibly intriguing. Documentaries can be hit or miss for me, but this one to me was definitely a hit for me and I would easily recommend checking it out.

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This

“It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This” is an independent found footage movie about a couple and their mutual friend purchasing a foreboding and rundown house with the intention of filming their own horror film inside, but soon discover some strange peculiarities occurring around the house both inside and out. First of all, I applaud this filmmaker for making the film that he wanted to make. Simple in his approach and working with within his limitations is to be commended, and he managed to arrange quite a lot that I myself probably could not arrange myself. On the opposite end of this coin, I did find myself to be a bit bored at times watching the film. Intrigue and shrouds of mystery can only carry a movie so far over the course of the runtime and by the time we reached the big payoff moment of the film, I found myself to be not overly impressed. Perhaps if a studio were to pick it up and increase the budget, it certainly has the potential to be something more, but the filmmaker expressed interest in keeping it strictly as a roadside attraction to which I wish it all the success it can muster. 

Jane Austin Wrecked My Life

At the end of the Florida Film Festival, I decided to close out with the French film “Jane Austin Wrecked My Life”. This film is about a woman who leads a mundane life as a bookstore clerk who dreams of being a romance novelist yet lacks romance in her personal life. This movie is listed as a romantic comedy, my least favorite genre of all others, but I have had a few surprisingly good films that fall under that genre a couple times. Sadly, this film is not one of them, not due to cheesiness or predictability but due to sheer boredom. I found myself nodding off multiple times watching this film and I was not the only one in the audience doing so. I was hoping to end the festival with a bang, but instead I sadly ended it with a whimper.