The Hollywood Outsider – Film and Television Podcast | Reviews An award-winning film and television podcast for the fan in all of us
The Beloit International Film Festival (BIFF) takes place annually in the city of Beloit, Wisconsin. Running for 10 days, typically at the end of Feb or the beginning of March, the festival plays 100+ films from over 25 different countries ranging from narrative features, to documentaries, to shorts, and even features a showdown between Illinois and Wisconsin filmmakers.
The films screen in a variety of local venues, so not only is a festival where a vast assortment of films can be found, but it also supports the local economy and involves residents as volunteers as well. On this episode of The Hollywood Outsider, we turn a spotlight to BIFF and our thoughts on the festival, as well as reviews for over 20 films we screened there.
Also on this week’s show, we discuss Oscars 2018. Thoughts on the show, Jimmy Kimmel as return host, the winners, and we also reveal the winner of our own annual Oscar contest. It’s a packed episode with many great film recommendations that you won’t want to miss!
Join in on our conversation and listen to the latest episode of The Hollywood Outsider.
Discussed on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider Movie and TV Podcast:
- (0:00 – 8:05) Opening | The Beloit International Film Festival
- (8:06 – 49:43) BIFF Reviews and Awards
- (49:44 – 1:19:51) Upcoming Releases | Oscars 2018
- (1:19:52 – 2:03:42) Recommendations | Closing
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We review 20+ films on this episode, and if you find these numerous titles difficult to follow, below you will find the titles and descriptions of each one for reference.
| Film Title | Synopsis |
| #TAKEMEANYWHERE | LaBeouf, Rönkkö and Turner embark on a month-long project to hitchhike the internet, posting their coordinates online each day and waiting for a ride, with their path entirely in the hands of the public. |
| 60 Yard Line | Based on a true story during the 2009 Football season, several best friends and co-workers buy a house in the parking lot of Lambeau Field (home of the Packers), and are forced to pick between a football fan lifestyle and a girl. |
| All the Queen’s Horses | As city comptroller of Dixon, IL, Rita Crundwell stole 53 million of public funds across 20 years in the making her the perpetrator of the largest case of municipal fraud in American history. She used the funds to build one of the nation’s leading quarter horse breeding empires, all while forcing staff cuts, police budget slashing, and neglect of public infrastructure.
ALL THE QUEEN’S HORSES investigates her crime, her lavish lifestyle and the small town she left in her wake. |
| A Pact Among Angels | A man finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses a crime committed by two teenage brothers. |
| Aquarians | After an absence of several years, seminary student Daniel Sullivan returns to his wintry, Wisconsin hometown of Silver River. But if he’s to assist the dying Father Rob, he’s going to need to sway the skeptics who learn that he hasn’t spoken to his younger brother, Jake in years.With the help of a young woman from his past, Danny tracks his brother down, and the two embark on a ride of faith, (ice) fishing, temptation, drugs, and rock ‘n roll on the way to confronting their shared scars from a past tragedy that shaped their lives. |
| Beauty Mark | An empowering story inspired by true events, BEAUTY MARK follows a poverty-stricken young mother who is forced to move when her house is condemned. With no money and no options, she must confront her abusive past in order to save her family. |
| The Blood is at the Doorstep | After Dontre Hamilton was shot 14 times and killed by police in Milwaukee, his family embarks on a quest for answers, justice and reform. |
| Canine Soldiers:The Militarization of Love | Canine Soldiers: The Militarization of Love is a documentary film that explores the intimate bond between military working dogs and their handlers |
| Cradle | Returning to the USA after losing both arms overseas, a young veteran battles phantom pains, prosthetics, and memories of his pre-war life while reaching for a sense of normalcy. |
| Empty Space | Empty Space’ is a coming of age dramedy about, Tom, an overweight young man who takes refuge at his grandmothers cabin in rural Protection, IL, in an attempt to bury the years of being bullied and feeling rejected. While in town, he meets a precocious blind girl named Lilly, who shows him how to be accepted and loved. |
| King of Peking | When video home entertainment enters the market in 90s Beijing, a former projectionist ropes his young son into starting their own pirate movie company, but easy money comes with its own price tag. |
| The Lears | World-renowned, cutting edge architect Davenport Lear, nearing retirement, summons his dysfunctional children to a weekend family retreat in one of his architectural creations, a magnificent Malibu Estate. When they learn that he has decided to marry his personal assistant that Sunday, and he subsequently feigns his own death, it sets off an explosive and funny round of devious behavior and conflict as each of them jockeys for position borne by self- interest, greed and jealousy. In the end, this homage to Shakespeare’s KING LEAR raises fundamental questions about the nature of love, sexuality, family relationships and honesty, demonstrating that what lies below the surface is often very different from outward manifestations. |
| Making of a Soldier | “Making of a Soldier” follows Vietnam veterans experiences. Each story is unique and is a piece of a bigger picture. Together, it provides us a look at how everyone in the country was affected by the war, how they came home and readjusted to civilian life, and how the war continues to reach them to this day. |
| Mutt | Tom enlists the help of his daughter Lindsey in staging an intervention for his alcoholic son, Michael. The plan derails when they discover Michael has grown attached to a mutt he’۪s taken off the street. As Lindsey and Tom try to convince Michael to give up the dog and enter treatment, long-brewing family tensions finally erupt. |
| Live Laugh and Love Short Slot | Art and love have a seemingly intertwined relationship that can feel like a serious, heartwarming, awkward, hilarious ride.
A seemingly endless experience these filmmakers were able to capture in a finite period of time. Some shorts more light and fluffy, others more serious and contemplative. |
| The Song of Sway Lake | A lush romantic drama about the vanished grace of America, and the spell cast by the melodies of the dead. |
| Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex-Trafficking | Stopping Traffic explores the pervasive reach of sex trafficking, especially of children in the U.S. and worldwide. Through commentary by victims and activists and investigations into practices in the U.S. and abroad, the film traces insidious links among child sexual exploitation, pornography, social media, and sex trafficking. It calls on the viewer to join the movement to end sex trafficking. |
| Sunset Contract | The Devil herself appears before businessman Brad and tempts him into signing a rewarding contract before the end of the day. |
| Thrill Ride | For generations, there have been all kinds of wild rumors surrounding gangster Al Capone’s hidden fortune and the mysterious amusement park he built. When three kids sneak into the rundown park on the hunt for Capone’s loot, the attractions come to life and take the kids on a wild and dangerous ride beyond all imagination. Now to survive the night, they must team up with a friendly sea witch, find a secret underground ride and take on an evil mermaid, bloodthirsty pirates, a fire-breathing dragon and an armada of monsters. And all on a school night! |
| The Winkles | In Brignogan-Plages, Zoe , works with her father, Guy, at his bar “Les Bigorneaux”. Since the premature death of her mother, she has worn herself out by taking everything into her own hands. One morning, Zoe starts suffering from dizziness and nausea, which begins to disrupt her daily life. |
| The Writer with No Hands: Final Cut | In this independent documentary, British academic Matthew Alford explores fresh evidence in a Hollywood cold case. Was the death of screenwriter Gary Devore in 1997 an improbable accident or a government assassination? |