There are times when I come across a great documentary and all I want to do is rave and rave about it and convince everyone else to watch the film. But I must confess – it's always a challenge. How can I convince anyone to watch this time capsule film about high school kids in the 1990s trying out journalism? It's not an easy sell no matter what I say about it. Nonetheless this film needs to be seen and admired and discussed – there's so much to appreciate. Middletown is the latest documentary film creation from the two acclaimed filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss – they're both regulars at Sundance with their doc films Boys States, Girls State, and The Mission previously. They're back again already at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with another excellent doc. This one really shook me up and has been stuck on my mind ever since. So many moments and conversations hit me hard and have remained on my mind, playing over and over as I think about the state of the world right now, and what's going on in journalism at this moment in history. Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss' film Middletown revives […]

"Can we push back this deadline that you've set?" Dark Sky Films has revealed an official trailer for indie thriller Lifeline, from director Feras Alfuqaha. Yet another hotline thriller focusing on a person answering a phone - this night he receives an odd, paranormal call. There have been a few of these recently - including The Guilty with Jake Gyllenhaal or Tessa Thompson's The Listener. In Lifeline, a suicide hotline operator gets a late-night call from someone who claims to be him, knowing private details only he would know, and threatening to end his life in an hour. The operator must race against time to stop "himself" from suicide. Josh Stewart stars as Steven Thomas, along with August Maturo, Charlene Amoia, Jocelyn Ayanna, Nicole Santiago, Jill Awbrey, & Brecken Merrill. This also reminds me of the film Frequency (2000) about a father and son connecting across time through the phone. Lifeline looks much better than it sounds. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Feras Alfuqaha's film Lifeline, direct from YouTube: A late-night suicide hotline operator named Steven Thomas (starring Josh Stewart) receives a disturbing call from someone claiming to be him, knowing personal details only he would know. The […]