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Reviews
Sirocco: Prophecy of Wind (2017)
Powerful Film Delivers Emotional Intensity and Creative Compostion
A serious micro film delivering raw emotional intensity about events in Morocco. Brilliant imagery, powerful storytelling, and creative composition. Directed by talented young director and writer John Taschner, who like director and writer J.J. Abrams and Star Wars Episode 8 director Rian Johnson, is what actor Benecio Del Toro calls "one of those new talented people" delivering "cool realism" on "steroids." Shot on location in Morocco, the film is smartly plotted and beautifully filmed. Highly dramatic, harrowing, and emotionally powerful story.
Walls of Water (2016)
WINNER: Best Action Film at Marina Del Rey Festival
Marina del Rey Film Festival features surf documentary 'Wall of Water' from Director John Taschner, is the recent headline from 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winning publication Daily Breeze. The Daily Breeze said, "The Marina del Rey Film Festival features local teen director John Taschner's offering "Walls of Water," a documentary depicting surf riding on the 2016 El Nino storm surf. Taschner, 19, was on location in California during the past El Nino winter storms and more recently in western Australia in June to surf and film 40- to 50-foot waves that hit Margaret River and the western Australian storm surf." The Daily Breeze quotes national weather experts about the massive surf featured in the film, "The 40, 50-foot waves, combined with light winds and huge wave periods, are seen once every 10 years,' said meteorologist Paul Vivers." The surf documentary won Best Action Short.
Life's a Dive (2014)
Personal Connection Brings New Life to Pearl Harbor Story
I had the opportunity to watch the award-winning documentary film Life's A Dive, directed by Hawaiian filmmaker John Taschner. The documentary focuses on World War II in the Pacific, and in particular, the work of the filmmaker's grandfather, who worked for CBS Hollywood as a radio engineer and was hand-picked for a top secret Navy intelligence program at Harvard and MIT.
Life's A Dive is well made and the images, which include spectacular underwater and archival footage, transitions nicely from one to the other, making the viewing-listening experience that is characteristic of a superbly directed documentary. There are many documentaries on the subject of World War II, but what makes this one stand out is the personal connection that the filmmaker has to the story. His grandfather was one of the many brave men who answered the call of duty when our nation became involved in the Second World War. The filmmaker provides fascinating tidbits about the war effort, and Hollywood radio history, with great respect for the sacrifices made by his grandfather and other veterans. Stories are frequently told better when the person has a passionate reason for telling it, and Taschner's passion certainly translates. The film's excellent use of archival footage combined with shots of the ocean and personal home movies of Hawaii during the war make it easy to see why Life's A Dive is now a part of the permanent collection at the National Museum of the Pacific War.
I'm sure we'll see more from this filmmaker in the future, and I certainly hope we do, since he's extremely talented. I enjoyed this documentary, and would suggest it to anyone looking to see World War II from a personal angle.
Source credit: Carries Tempke (author)
Gen RX (2014)
Orwellian Journey Into a Brave New World
Gen RX and Hunger Games are more than youth-oriented films reaching a large swath of moviegoers, as dystopian styled films provide critical escape from our daily worries. Gen RX presents a compelling story about the current state of society, joining the pantheon of thought provoking films commenting on the deep thoughts and concerns of the masses. Gen RX stimulates the eye and mind, and transports the audience down an emotional highway of human solutions to problems of our modern age. More than just an entertaining film, Gen RX is story of humanity and behavior that speaks to a collective consciousness.
Dystopian stories like Gen RX are increasingly popular and celebrated in world films for a reason...they are entertaining and dig into the mind. Gen RX is a an Orwellian journey about the needs of humanity and the desire for personal freedom. Rather than a negative story about the darkness and self-fulfilling prophesies that are so characteristic of doom entertainment, the film is a well-executed telling of collective existence. Well cast and powerfully staged, Gen RX presents an intense performance by Canadian Melissa Elias showing extraordinary range. Gen Rx is a provocative and important dystopian thriller.