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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Movie Review

Michelle Pfeiffer visits Houston in new Christmas movie Oh. What. Fun.

Photo courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios

Michelle Pfeiffer in Oh. What. Fun.

Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.

That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.

Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.

Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.

The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.

The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.

Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.

Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.

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Oh. What. Fun. is now streaming on Prime Video.

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