April 8-17

44th annual Worldfest line-up showcases international and local filmmakers

A scene from Chris Page's sequel, "Into the Wind II: The Adventure Continues,"will be shown at WorldFest.

Five features from Asian filmmakers, several compelling documentaries, suspense stories, romances and a good number of comedies are on the slate at the 44th edition of WorldFest, the annual Houston 10-day festival that showcases independent films from the U.S., with local filmmakers highlighted.

This year's dates are April 8-17, and film lovers should expect to take in some 50-plus features and 88 short films, all screening at the AMC Studio 30 Theatres.

WorldFest executive director Hunter Todd revealed the line-up during a reception at La Colombe d'Or Wednesday night, attended by film critics, programmers, actors, directors, festival devotees, and representatives of various Houston consulates, including Italy, Mexico, and Jamaica.

I've known Hunter for some 20 years, and he and I had to laugh as we wondered aloud how he has come to edition number 44 of the third-oldest film festival in the U.S. He was around to help give a boost to the early careers of a few directors you may have heard of: Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Ridley Scott, The Coen Brothers, John Lee Hancock (a former Houston lawyer), Randal Kleiser, David Lynch, Gavin Hood, Oliver Stone, and Atom Egoyan, to name a few.

Among this year's offerings, there's buzz on Radio Free Albemuth, a sci-fi thriller by American director John Alan Simon, with writer Philip K. Dick as a character in a plot about the overthrow of a corrupt government regime.

Other highlights: Indie stalwart Henry Jaglom is back with "Queen of the Lot," about an actress who'll stop at nothing to achieve fame and fortune. Look also for Polish director Jerzy Antczak's take on a favorite and oft-filmed story, The Lady of the Camellias, the stormy romance between courtesan Margaret Gautier and Armand Duval.

Hong Kong director Stanley J. Orzel's Far Away Eyes focuses on four skilled assassins as they reminisce and ponder the future. Taking Satan to the Mat, Tom Borden and Paul Aldridge's exploration of an unlikely marriage of fundamentalist Christianity and professional wrestling, promises not to be dull. From Slovakia, Bathory is a different tale about the Countess Bathory, allegedly the deadliest murderess of all time.

Some Houston productions will include Chris Page's sequel, Into the Wind II: The Adventure Continues, on powered paragliding, shot partially in Russia. Tom Vaughan's thriller, Playing House has a stunning temptress moving in with a newlywed couple. Trisha Ray's latest, SugarBaby, set partly in Calcutta, is the story of three street singers, two record producers, one assassin, and one baby. Shawn Welling's third film shown at WorldFest is Project Aether. Welling makes movies when not busy with his urban dance company, Planet Funk.

Besides screenings, there's the usual group of additional activities: six master classes in film/video production and distribution, an opening night champagne gala, the Remi Awards gala dinner, and a Regatta & Texas BBQ complete with Longhorn steers and a sailboat race at the Houston Yacht Club.

On hand for the announcement: Lindsay Oreschnigg and Elizabeth Shelby, publicists for Allied Integrated Marketing, which does publicity for 20th-Century Fox and other studios; Marian Luntz, film curator at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Nick Nicholson, president of the Houston Film Critics Society; and artist David Adickes.

Also spotted were Meghan Hendley, journalist for KUHF Radio's arts-magazine show "The Front Row;" Sally Hill, film critic for The Examiner newspapers; Wayne Childers, AMC Studio 30 manager; Nina Garza, actress and artist; and Gary Schoonover, longtime friend of WorldFest. Festival staffers Kathleen Haney, Dustin Jesudason, and Vincci Chan were also on hand to help spread the word about WorldFest. Hors d'oeuvres from La Colombe d'Or's Cinq restaurant and Texas wines were sampled.

Festival headquarters have moved to the Marriott Westchase, so look for the master classes, seminars, and the Awards gala, all open to the public, at the new location. More information, ticketing, trailers and updates at www.worldfest.org.

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Holidays Are Here

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers

Photo courtesy of Nutcracker Productions LLC/Hulu

Ben Stiller, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson in Nutcrackers.

A holiday-themed comedy seems like just what the doctor ordered right now, and the new Hulu film Nutcrackers steps up with a little mayhem, heartfelt sentiment, and a nod to traditions. But it doesn't add up to a memorable experience.

The film stars Ben Stiller as Mike, a high-powered Chicago architect with little time for anybody but himself whose sister and brother-in-law are recently deceased. He is supposedly there to place his four nephews — Justice (Homer Janson), Simon (Arlo Janson), Steve (Ulysses Janson), and Samuel (Atlas Janson) — into foster care. But social worker Gretchen (Linda Cardellini) informs Mike that the foster family has fallen through, and he needs to act as guardian until she can find someone else.

Whether they’re still reeling from their parents’ deaths or are just wild in general, the kids prove to be more than a handful for Mike, who always has one eye on the door, hoping to get back to his own life as soon as possible. But the longer he’s forced to stay, the more the kids grow on him, especially when he learns that at least two of them were students at their mom’s dance studio, giving him an idea to stage a version of a certain holiday classic.

Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Leland Douglas, the film would seem to have all the elements that make a holiday film memorable, but the vibe is off right from the start. First of all, the audience is thrown right into the mix along with Mike, with barely any introduction to the main characters. As their backstories are mostly missing, it’s difficult to feel anything — good or bad — about Mike or the kids, and so they just kind of co-exist for the first act of the film.

Green and Douglas can also never decide what kind of people they want the kids to be. The film starts with a scene of them sneaking into an amusement park and causing havoc, and subsequent scenes make it seem like they’re supposed to be hellions. But when the filmmakers start going back-and-forth between them wrecking things and being responsible, down-to-earth kids, the plot thread gets confusing and less interesting.

It’s also perplexing why they would cast Stiller, who’s been known to play straight-laced characters who go off the rails on many occasions, and then not let him do what he does best. Even when confronted with some of the kids’ worst behavior, Mike keeps his reactions in check, which may be good for a real-life uncle, but makes for a less-than-entertaining holiday family film.

Stiller still lives up to his star-billing at times, but the arc of his character is not that inspiring, even when a slight romance starts to bloom between Mike and Gretchen. The Janson brothers, who are making their collective film debut, are fun at times, but their lack of experience shows in their unpolished performances. Cardellini is a nice presence, but she’s not given enough to do to make a big impact.

Nutcrackers is an inoffensive movie in that it’s not so terrible that there’s no way to actually finish it. But there’s little in its story, characters, or attempt to be a holiday movie that can be recommended as a fun family watch, so it’s likely to fade away into streamer oblivion.

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Nutcrackers is now streaming on Hulu.

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44th annual Worldfest line-up showcases international and local filmmakers

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Holidays Are Here

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers