SHFF Reviews
Well, 2020 was…unusual. The COVID-19 pandemic made a tough year for everyone. Some of us have lost so much: jobs, homes, health, security…loved ones. And even if we were fortunate and did not lose any of those things, we still lost some of the human connection we once took for granted.
After Sagebrush Hills Discover in March, all subsequent SHFF events were canceled. Gathering people indoors for hours at a time to watch movies is just not an option during a pandemic. So while we don’t know when we’ll be back to hosting in-person movie events, we miss watching movies with you and we WILL be back!
In the meantime, we began a new video series called SHFF Reviews.
Think of it like a book club, but you know…with movies instead of books. In each video, one of our SHFF crew members picks a movie that they have not seen before, then we all watch the movie and discuss our reactions to it. Did we like it? Hate it? Would we consider screening it at a future film festival event?
Our regular participants are the original SHFF crew members Soo Choi and Clayton Bussey, plus a couple more recent additions to the crew. Say hello to animation aficionado Morgan Pualani and documentary diva Rachel Bussey! (Rachel, coincidentally, happens to be related to Clayton by marriage.)
One week before each video drops, we will announce the movie we’re watching next. Be sure to watch along with us and join in the conversation!
Palm Springs
USA | 2020 | 90 minutes | English | Max Barbakow
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel share their thoughts on the 2020 time-loop movie Palm Springs, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. An endlessly-repeating time loop seems like an apt analogy for quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Video is rated R for adult language, and contains SO, SO MANY spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
A Quiet Place
USA | 2018 | 91 minutes | English | John Krasinski
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel make a lot of noise as they dig into the 2018 horror/thriller A Quiet Place, starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt.
Video may contain adult language, and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
The Fall
USA | 2006 | 117 minutes | English | Tarsem Singh
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel explore the fantastical world of Tarsem Singh’s storytelling epic The Fall, starring Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
The Phantom Carriage
Sweden | 1921 | 107 minutes | Silent / Swedish | Victor Sjöström
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel absorb the groundbreaking (for 1921) silent film The Phantom Carriage and discuss its merits, influences, and overall feeling of a temperance PSA.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
The Master
USA | 2012 | 138 minutes | English | Paul Thomas Anderson
Soo, Clayton, and Morgan search for meaning in this enigmatic exploration of a troubled man who falls in with a charismatic cult leader. Do standout performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams make this movie a must-see?
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
Mother
Korea | 2009 | 129 minutes | Korean | Bong Joon-ho
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel try to solve a murder mystery and discuss the potential shortcomings of subtitles in Mother, which stars Hye-ja Kim, Won Bin, and Jin Goo.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
Rafiki
Kenya | 2018 | 83 minutes | English, Swahili | Wanuri Kahiu
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel fall in love with the bright, upbeat aesthetic of this Kenyan LGBTQ love story, starring Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
La Haine
France | 1995 | 98 minutes | French | Mathieu Kassovitz
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel reflect on the recurring relevance of this snapshot of social unrest, inequity, and police brutality in suburban Paris. Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, and Said Taghmaoui star as three young men navigating the violent reality of their day-to-day lives.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
Boy
New Zealand | 2010 | 87 minutes | English | Taika Waititi
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel digest the humor and poignance of Taika Waititi’s Boy, a portrait of a young Maori boy growing up in the shadow of his absent father…until his father unexpectedly returns. James Rolleston stars as the titular boy, and Taika Waititi plays his father.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
Faces Places
France | 2017 | 94 minutes | French | Agnes Varda, JR
Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel explore the French countryside and its people through the eyes of acclaimed film director Agnes Varda and visual artist JR in this heartwarming documentary.
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
The Lighthouse
USA | 2019 | 109 minutes | English | Robert Eggers
Soo, Clayton, Morgan, and Rachel are perplexed by “The Lighthouse”, Robert Eggers’ 2019 surreal and cinematic story of two men (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) and their ill-fated stint tending a remote lighthouse. What does it all mean?
Video may contain adult language and DEFINITELY contains spoilers. Do yourself a kindness and watch the movie before diving into the conversation!
