Cinema for All

Dallas International Film Festival sneak-peeks first 17 films at 2023 event

Chocolate Lizards is one of the films that will be screened at the Dallas International Film Festival.

Photo courtesy of Dallas international Film Festival

The Dallas International Film Festival is back, with a glorious return to where it started, in the West Village at Violet Crown Cinema, and the unveiling of its first 17 films, including a documentary on a member of rock band Pantera, and another on a legendary Fort Worth artist.

The 17 films represent a fraction of the programs shown during the festival, which will take place from April 28-May 5.

"These films are just a glimpse of the powerful stories we’re honored to present at DIFF 2023,” says James Faust, DIFF Artistic Director, in a statement. "Highlighting important and untold stories that have been explored by talented filmmakers, our first 17 of our 17th should whet the appetite of local film lovers who we hope will join us at Violet Crown Cinema Dallas in West Village for Dallas’ biggest film experience."

Ultimately, there will be screenings of more than 100 films submitted from more than 60 countries, as well as Q&A sessions with filmmakers and actors, nightly DIFF Red Carpets, a Festival Lounge, and special events.

The festival's central location is at the newly opened Violet Crown Cinema, formerly the Magnolia Theatre, which closed in 2021 due to the pandemic, and which hosted multiple previous versions of the festival.

Highlights
Highlights of the initial films include the world premiere of Chocolate Lizards, a comedy/adventure about a pair of men (Rudy Pankow and Thomas Haden Church) who find themselves stranded in a small Texas town; A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened, a documentary about the weird 1978 Star Wars TV special; and It's Only Life After All, a documentary about The Indigo Girls.

Dallas connections
The list also includes a number of films with local connections, including Breaking the Code, a documentary about legendary Fort Worth artist Vernon Fisher; Gibson Icons: Rex Brown of Pantera, a documentary that focuses on the longtime bassist for the Arlington band; Into the Spotlight, a world premiere documentary about a Dallas-based theatre troupe comprised of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and The Doldrums, a world premiere "not-coming-of-age and anti-musical" filmed in Dallas.

The remaining 10 films include seven documentaries and three fictional dramas:

Bad Press (Documentary), about a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation fighting for government transparency in indigenous communities.
Blue Jean (Drama), about a closeted gym teacher in 1988 conservative England.
Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection (Documentary), about the late singer's personal struggles told through never-before-released recordings.
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (Documentary), about the American jazz musician whose ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him.
Savage (Documentary), a world premiere about the journey of one man trying to achieve the elusive dream of becoming a world champion bull rider.
SK8 Girlz (Documentary), about the rise of an all-female skateboarding team as they tear down the barriers created by a male-centric sport.
The Eternal Memory (Documentary), a Chilean film that follows the relationship of prominent Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora and actress Paulina “Pauli” Urrutia.
The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution (Documentary), a meme-driven journey into the intersection of finance, media, and extremism online.
The Origin of Evil (Thriller/Drama), a French and Canadian film about a fish cannery worker on the verge of financial collapse who discovers she is the biological daughter of a wealthy businessman.
The Wild Man (Drama), about a young journalist who travels to Florida to investigate young women that have been going missing.

Passes for the festival, which run $100-$500, are now on sale at dallasfilm.org/diff. Individual tickets will go on sale closer to the festival dates.

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Movie Review

Melodramatic movie Maddie's Secret digs into modern foodie culture

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

John Early in Maddie's Secret.

Comedian John Early is one of those “that guy” actors, having appeared in shows and movies like Broad City, Neighbors 2, Portlandia, Late Night, and Search Party without ever being the lead. So he’s taken it upon himself to give himself bigger exposure by writing, directing, and starring in the new film, Maddie’s Secret.

Early plays the titular female character who works as a dishwasher with her best friend Deena (Kate Berlant) at a food video content company called GourMaybe. When a homemade cooking video shot by her boyfriend Jake (Eric Cahill) goes viral, Maddie gets bumped up to on-camera talent, soon becoming the face of the company, much to the chagrin of rival Emily (Claudia O’Doherty).

With that added exposure comes more scrutiny in the form of online comments, many of which point out Maddie’s fuller figure and clear enjoyment of the food she makes. This criticism triggers Maddie’s bulimia, a condition she thought she had under control. Not wanting to lose her coveted spot, Maddie tries to keep her bulimia from everyone around her, something that becomes increasingly difficult to do.

If that sounds like an ABC afternoon special, that’s because that’s the vibe it seems like Early is going for. The film feels like a melodrama, with many of the actors speaking in unnatural cadences to make situations seem more intense than they actually are. That gives the film a natural comedic tilt, although Early makes sure to have everyone play their scenes straight, letting the ridiculousness of the story speak for itself.

Early playing a woman is oddly not part of the joke. According to him, the performance is not him doing drag, and he never plays the role in an over-the-top manner or like he’s making fun of the character. In fact, it’s striking how earnestly he inhabits Maddie, as if he truly was trying to get into the skin of a woman who found herself in such a situation. Anything funny that comes from him is just part of the progression of the story.

Setting the film in the world of food vlogging is the one area where Early seems to actively be going for jokes. Maddie and Emily come up with creations that seem reasonable and off-the-wall at the same time, like a Rotel dip made with French techniques. Characters also frequent real L.A. restaurants with punny names like Naughty Pie Nature, making fun of the food scene as much as they are exalting it.

Early definitely holds the viewer’s gaze in his first lead role, allowing Maddie to become a fully-realized character. His scenes with Berlant and Cahill make the film, as each of the supporting actors commit to their roles and elevate Early’s writing. Other standouts include Connor O’Malley as the boss at GourMaybe, Kirsten Johnston as Maddie’s mom, and Vanessa Bayer in a late-film cameo.

Because Early is not trying to make a full-on comedy, many may come away perplexed by Maddie’s Secret. But the film is clearly made with intention, giving a slight send-up of both 21st century food culture and a loving homage to the cheesy TV movies of the past.

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Maddie's Secret opens in select theaters on July 3.

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