USA FILM FESTIVAL 2025 preview

April 21, 2025

April 23-27, 2025

Angelika Film Center, Dallas

There may be no such thing as a Free Lunch, but thanks to the USA Film Festival, there is something even better … FREE MOVIES! Of course, not all screenings are held at no charge, yet this remains an affordable and entertaining festival experience for all film lovers.

Celebrating its 55th anniversary, the festival has long been one of my favorites due to the schedule of diverse films: narratives, documentaries, shorts, students, and experimental. Mix in a selection of repertory films, attendance by a slew of filmmakers and celebrities, and the annual tributes to industry icons, and you quickly see why this Dallas-based festival holds a special place in my heart.

This year’s opening night event on April 23 is “The World of Nancy Kwan – A Salute to Nancy Kwan”. The breakout star of THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG (1960) will participate in a book signing and an on-stage conversation, following a career retrospective including clips of her performances in film and television. Also on opening day, there is a Salute to renowned director Jon Avnet with a screening of his new film, THE LAST RODEO. Mr. Avnet will attend along with the film’s co-stars, Neal McDonough and Mykelti Williamson. All three were involved with the fantastic TV series, “Justified” and “Boomtown”, and Mr. Avnet is known for having directed FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991), as well as Broadway plays.

Other highlights on the festival schedule include Beth Lane’s powerful documentary UnBROKEN, a look at how the Holocaust impacted her own family (with Q&A session); Mitch Yapko’s short film WATCHING WALTER featuring Ft Worth’s own Stephen Tobolowsky in the title role (director and star in attendance); William Shockley’s directorial debut, LONG SHADOWS, a western with an impressive cast; director Daniel Minahan’s stunning ON SWIFT HORSES (based on the novel by Shannon Pufahl) with another tremendous cast; and Jason Buxton’s psychological thriller, SHARP CORNER starring Ben Foster.

That’s just a quick taste of what’s coming, along with other feature films, documentaries, and short films. In a perfect example of what sets this festival apart, actor Martin Kove will attend and be honored at a special 50th anniversary screening of the cult classic, DEATH RACE 2000 (1975). The closing night film will be the soon-to-be-released TONIC from local filmmakers, writer-director Derek Presley and editor Jason Starne. Filmed entirely in Dallas’ Deep Ellum area, the film covers a rough night of what-else-can-go-wrong for a washed-up pianist played by Billy Blair.

USA Film Festival excels in offering a diverse festival experience with something for everyone.

For more details and to view the full schedule of programs, visit
https://www.usafilmfestival.com/
 
Tickets range from Free – $10 (quantities are limited).
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/55th-annual-usa-film-festival-4150893
 
DAY-OF-SHOW TICKETS — (Based on availability) Any unsold/unreserved tickets will be made available  at the Angelika Film Center upstairs Sales Desk beginning ONE HOUR prior to EACH showtime.

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Posted by David Ferguson

THE BARBER (2015)

March 23, 2015

barber Greetings again from the darkness. There is a theory that to catch a killer, one must think like a killer. Young John McCormack is in the next room when his detective father, frustrated at being unable to put away a serial killer, commits suicide. Flash forward twenty years, and John is now himself a police officer intent on finishing his father’s work … and gaining a bit of revenge in the process.

The story picks up as John (Chris Coy) has tracked Francis Visser to a small town, where he is known as Eugene the town barber, a gentle and dignified friend to all. Scott Glenn portrays Eugene as a slow-shuffling elderly gentleman who doesn’t much appreciate profanity, rudeness or poor decisions. He is even friends with the local police chief (Stephen Tobolowsky), who accepts Eugene’s word on just about any topic.

The cat and mouse game between John and Eugene plays a bit like Sleuth (1972) where each participant sees himself as smarter than the other. Only this time, there are 17 previous murders to go along with the developments after Eugene agrees to mentor John on the fine art of stalking, planning and killing without evidence.

Beginning with a gypsy proverb: “You have to dig deep to bury your father”, the film seems to use that quote figuratively and literally, as being buried alive plays a role alongside the detective father’s ruinous obsession. Supporting work is provided by Kristen Heger, as John’s co-worker (and more), Olivia Taylor Dudley as the waitress looking to John for fun, and Max Arciniega as Eugene’s barber shop employee.

More attention to the John vs Eugene piece, and a little less to the various sub-plots, could have tightened up this thriller and elevated it to an even more suspenseful level. Mr. Glenn and Mr. Coy are both excellent, and at their best when sharing a scene. It’s a nice first feature from director Basel Owies, who has an eye for nuanced characters with a dark side.

watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ffAAoG6uXo

 

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Posted by David Ferguson

BURIED (2010)

September 25, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. My comments about last week’s Devil dwelled on the aspect of claustrophobia in being stranded in a stuck elevator with strangers. Forget all that! In this compelling film, Ryan Reynolds wakes up in an enclosed coffin. With a head injury. Buried. In Iraq. With a cell phone. And a lighter. This takes claustrophobia and anxiety attacks to a whole new level.  If you have read Edgar Allan Poe‘s “The Premature Burial”, you have a sense.

Somehow writer Chris Sparling, director Rodrigo Cortes and Ryan Reynolds all bought off on the idea that the ENTIRE FILM should be shot from WITHIN THE COFFIN. Yes, that’s correct. There are no flashbacks to Paul’s (Ryan Reynolds) home life or the convoy ambush. There are no scenes of the FBI working the phones on his behalf. There are no scenes of the kidnappers in some darkened basement. None of that. Just Reynolds. In his wooden coffin. From all angles. In the past, I labeled Ryan Reynolds as just another plug-in for rom-coms.  While his rom-coms rarely appeal to me, I have come to respect him for stretching himself as an actor in other genres.

Paul Conroy, an American contractor working in Iraq, wakes up in a coffin. His kidnappers have provided a cell phone and inform him that he will be released only if they are paid “5 million money”. Paul spends the rest of the film frantically trying to arrange for the ransom by contacting his family, his employer, the FBI and the State Department. I will say no more other than I found my breathing getting quick and shallow and my palms sweaty just watching the plight of this unfortunate man.

There are no outside scenes, excluding a very short, disturbing video the kidnappers send him through the cell phone. The phone conversations are fascinating. You will voice-recognize the great Stephen Tobolowsky as the personnel director performing some quick legal ass-covering. You might also recognize the voice of Tess Harper as Maryann – presumable the mother of Paul’s wife as he tries to make contact. Neither of these are warm fuzzies, but both add to the heightened stress level and desperation.

This is not really a film we would want to watch a second time, but interestingly enough, I could see it becoming a cult fixture similar to “Rocky Horror”. The audience could show up with their cell phone, a lighter, a flask and a couple of other props that I won’t disclose here. Sometimes the best way to handle fear is to laugh in its face. Oh, and answer your cell when loved one’s call. Lastly … I don’t want to be buried alive.

SEE THIS MOVIE IF: you enjoy anxiety attacks

SKIP THIS MOVIE IF: you freak out in a traffic jam OR expect to see Reynolds’ abs.

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Posted by David Ferguson