Dallas Independent Film Festival
Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Keep Austin Weird’. That’s one of the more popular and fitting city slogans in the United States. For five plus decades there has been an ongoing battle of conservationists versus developers … or the little guy against big money. Over those years, the city’s population has quadrupled to around one million. On the surface, it appears big money won … but there have been a few ‘little guy’ victories as well.
Austinite (and actor) Austin Nichols directs a script from fellow Texan Drew Mackintosh that centers on the battle for control of Austin Municipal Golf Course, known to the locals as ‘Muny’ (actual Lions Municipal). The course is being run by carefree Ray (Ryan Hansen, “Veronica Mars”) and his band of equally laid-back cohorts. The course is a haven for old school Austin-types who beat to their own drum and avoid the pressures of high-finance.
Their world gets rocked when the city’s Green Space Authority hires consultant Sam/Samantha (Adrianne Palicki, “Friday Night Lights”) to find a way to turn the money pit course into a viable asset for the city. Sam’s douchey boyfriend Dylan (Justin Chatwin, “Shameless”) immediately sees the opportunity to turn the 130 acres into a corporate headquarters for ‘Elon’ … thereby setting up the fight.
What’s interesting here is that all of this is told a bit tongue-in-cheek with Ray’s never-grow-up-or-sellout charm striving to maintain a bit of Austin culture (with a bigger budget, this role could have gone to Matthew McConaughey or Glen Powell). In order to do so, he must win over Sam and find a way to overcome the city’s quest for profit. Of course, much of this is hinted at early on, but it doesn’t change the entertaining dynamic. Those familiar with Austin will recognize a few spots throughout the film, but it’s really the ‘state of mind’ that drives the story. This is reinforced by the inclusion of Gary P Nunn singing “London Homesick Blues” and “What I like About Texas”.
The film’s title is derived from a long-ago Austin story about development being stopped over the threat to the Blind Salamander habitat in the area. The film is never as serious as these real life battles have been, and there’s a nice comedic touch having former USC Trojan football player Reggie Bush play the role of a Longhorn nemesis in a marketing ad. Mr. Nichols has delivered a Texas film with an Austin mentality … a feeling that plays no matter where you live.
Premiered at the Dallas Independent Film Festival on April 25, 2025
Posted by David Ferguson
Greetings again from the darkness. For most of us, the worst thing that happens at a dinner party is the pork loin is a bit dry or the wine selection is a bit lacking. Among the worst occurrences are the friction and hurt feelings caused by a joke-gone-wrong, or God forbid, someone brings up politics. It’s just such a dinner party that kicks off this film from writer-director Matt Winn and his co-writer and frequent collaborator, James Handel.
Greetings again from the darkness. It’s feasible for a filmmaker to have the best intentions with a project, and for whatever reason, the end result just not be satisfying. This appears to be the case with this latest from Heather Graham, who wrote, directs, and stars in a film meant to inspire us to take control of our own life and stop blaming others for the obstacles or our own poor decisions.
Sometimes a getaway to a Greek isle is meant only to be a good time. Such is the ongoing popularity of the stage production “based on the songs of ABBA”. The Swedish band’s global success was first derived through these songs in the 1970’s. In 1997, British playwright Catherine Johnson wrote the story that led to the smash stage musical (1998), followed up by the blockbuster film in 2008 (starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried). Both the stage production and the film were directed by Phyllida Lloyd. The most recent of many incarnations of the stage musical continues this year with a United States tour, a six-month stint on Broadway (beginning in August 2025), and finally, an international tour.
Greetings again from the darkness. Some folks just kind of float through life feeling ‘not seen’ … even though their inner voice speaks to them incessantly. This describes Clementine/Clem, a Pharmacy Technician who specializes in holding her tongue in most social and family situations. When her beloved dad dies, Clem is forced to cohabitate with her less than warm-hearted stepmom. This is the set-up for the first feature film from writer-director Miv Evans.
Greetings again from the darkness. While I’m unsure whether this qualifies as a tetraology, this oddball and zany film consists of four separate yet interrelated stories with crossover characters. Previous collaborations from the film’s co-writers and co-directors, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, include CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), the underrated IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (2010), and SUGAR (2008).
Greetings again from the darkness. When most people think of unicorns, they picture something along the lines of “My Little Pony”, or some other lovable, cuddly animal from a kids’ story. This feature film debut from writer-director Alex Scharfman is definitely not that. In fact, the inspiration from the classic JURASSIC PARK (1993) is quite evident in these unicorns (and one of the main themes). Welcome to a fantasy-comedy-slasher with more than a dash of social commentary.
Greetings again from the darkness. Penguins are darn cute. A penguin that follows you around and chooses to live with you is almost too cute for words. But in this story inspired by true events, that’s exactly what happens. Directed by Peter Cattaneo (THE FULL MONTY, 1998), the film was adapted by screenwriter Jeff Pope (PHILOMENA, 2014) from Tom Michell’s 2015 book.
Greetings again from the darkness. Bob Trevino is the kind of father we all wish we had. He’s the kind of father that would raise kids who would grow into good citizens, resulting in an improved society. Only that Bob Trevino is not Lily Trevino’s dad. Her dad is a raging narcissist, or more accurately, a self-centered jerk. This feature film debut from writer-director Tracie Laymon is ‘inspired’ by her true-life story, albeit with enough elements changed to avoid a lawsuit from her dad. That part doesn’t make for such a warm-fuzzy story, but the film she delivers wraps us in a coat of kindness and niceness and feel-goodness (not really a word, but it fits).
Greetings again from the darkness. St. Patrick’s Day 2025 marks the 35th anniversary of the single largest unsolved property theft in the world. On that day, thieves made off with hundreds of millions of dollars of artwork from Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet). The reward offer of $10 million still stands. Writer-director Eric Aronson presents his feature film debut, inspired by the crime … though he admits, “this is not what happened.”