11-2-25 — Christina Critiques GenreBlast (last post)

While this is my last review post for GenreBlast 2025 nominees, I am so honored to have witnessed true brilliance in the film industry. I watched a total of 85 films (both feature and short) and somehow, someway not a single film was anything more than pure excellence. The indie film community has a lot to look forward to with these writers and filmmakers at the helm.

I truly hope to see all of your work next year and thank you for sharing your love with so many.

Title: GUSH

Directed by: Scott Schirmer and Brian Williams

Country: US   Run Time: 86 minutes

Themes: Grief

Content Warning: Loss of a baby

Synopsis: Sally and Kevin are going through a trauma in their marriage and as a result, Sally’s writing deadline is suffering. Alone in a cabin, can her muse help her with more than writing?

Favorite line(s): “What if God took my baby for making the world a darker place?”

Thoughts: GUSH is so much in such a short amount of time. From dealing with a miscarriage to ignoring the grief of her spouse, then adding in the stressor of a writing deadline and alcoholism, that’s just the surface level problems. So many difficult subjects tackled with grace and gentleness. The most surprising part for me though was starting to feel compassion for Kevin. I didn’t see that one coming at the beginning.

Title: BLOOD AND RUST

Directed by: Jermey Herbert

Country: US   Run Time: 95 minutes

Themes: Revenge

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis:  A father is murdered by a group of coyotes but not the furry kind. His son and a new found friend must stay alive long enough to avenge his death, but the Sheriff is being a bit of a speed bump.

Favorite line(s): “If I was afraid of dying, I’d be dead.”

Thoughts: The writers really suckered the viewers with this one. I thought the coyotes were one thing but they were another. Which, in hindsight, Herbert and Wolf Stal (the writers) gave me all of the hints but sometimes, I have to be hit in the head with a cast iron pan. The makeup and effects were top notch and that Sheriff, he got what he deserved, the jerk (I’m pretty sure he was in another film I watched for Genreblast.) And the montage that is in the middle of the film - *chef’s kiss.

Title: HOUSE OF ASHES

Directed by: Izzy Lee

Country: US   Run Time: 94 minutes

Themes: Death

Content Warning: Miscarriage, abusive relationships

Synopsis: Mia was finally released and put on home confinement to the home where the murder happened. When she and her new boyfriend start seeing the ghost of her ex-husband, things get prickly. But everything isn’t always what it seems.

Favorite line(s): “Adam. Please stop.”

Thoughts: I HATED Mark that creepy little shit, ha. (I know the actor has to be a sweetheart but his character made me want to stab him.) He was so … clingy and needy. And poor Mia, all she wanted was to serve her house arrest and start a new life. Nope, no thanks to freakin’ Mark. And the parole officer! I could have sucker punched him in the baby maker, too. The writer/director forces the viewer to have these visceral feelings while Mia deals with her own demons. And an ex-husband that won’t leave.

Title: INTER-STATE

Directed by: Sam Gorman

Country: US   Run Time: 82 minutes

Themes: Teleportation

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: On the verge of a breakthrough for the science and history books, Inter-State, a company of two is on the hunt for a new employee and find Bentley. The problems start when the machine has glitches, but honestly, that’s the least of their problems.

Favorite line(s): “Ow, you punched me in the teeth.”

Thoughts: STELLAR! Let’s start there. Not only do we have four amazing actors but we have special effects that I kept trying to figure out. (Luckily, I’m not a film guru so I couldn’t.) Theo was the woooooorst. I knew almost immediately he was one to watch (kudos to the actor for making me loathe him). It felt real, almost as if it was a documentary and we were watching the playback of what happened wrong. I was so impressed with this.

Title: BURNT FLOWERS

Directed by: Michael Fausti

Country: UK   Run Time: 99 minutes

Themes: Whodunit

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: A detective is on a case like no other - a missing person that has been missing for eight years but that’s not the crazy part, the crazy part is how entangled she will become and the secrets she will uncover.

Favorite line(s): “When was the last time you saw your husband?”

“Eight years ago exactly.”

“Why didn’t you report him missing before now?”

“I thought he would come back.”

Thoughts: BURNT FLOWERS was a trip and a half, let me tell you. Kathleen had some game, let me tell you. She could get women in bed faster than I can fall asleep on my couch. The cleverness of this feature was the ability to make the viewer guess completely wrong at least five times. “Oh, it has to be this person! Solved it.” Wrong. “I know for sure this time.” Nope. “It HAS to be this character.” Negative. The bamboozles are high and the sex amount even higher.

Title: FIRST DRAFTS: THE OUTCASTS

Directed by: Michelle Iannantuono

Country: US   Run Time: 90 minutes

Themes: Good ol’ bamboozles

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: Iannantuono’s actual original script is acted out with help from her friends and it’s brilliant.

Favorite line(s): “What am I going to do with a name like Carl?”

Thoughts: I have to start with Michael Smallwood as the teacher - the facial expressions that he did had me stopping the film because I was laughing so hard. Then add to that the hilarious table reading of sorts and you have a recipe for the cherry on top of the feature film sundae. Don’t look too closely though, the plot holes will swallow you up. It’s cute and I’m really proud of young Michelle and now Michelle, they both are pretty dang cool.

Title: COLD DEAD HAND

Directed by: Dylan Trail

Country: US   Run Time: 4 minutes

Themes: Rewards and well… teamwork.

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: A bounty hunter is at the end of the trail of a wanted man. But along comes ANOTHER bounty hunter but this one is going to cause a moment of crisis.

Favorite line(s): “This fella already bit off more dust than he could chew.”

Thoughts: Oh, my lord. How can I get across how much I loved this short! The two bounty hunters were AMAZING! The cinematography, the special effects, the everything! I could go on about this one for an hour or more. The western elements mixed with steampunk elements, please. It was a slam dunk from the start.

Title: WANKER

Directed by: Lorenzo Mazza

Country: Italy   Run Time: 12 minutes

Themes: … masturbation?

Content Warning: Suicide

Synopsis: A man is caught between a hard penis and depression. When his mother calls him out on his behavior, the man makes a grave error that he cannot take back.

Favorite line(s): “You have the strength in your wrist.”

Thoughts: I will never get the sound of that man masturbating out of my head, ha. Sure, sure the film is about a gent having a grand ol’ time with his penis, but it’s more than that. It’s about the desperation of the need to chase that moment of euphoria, the moment of complete calm. No depressing thoughts, no anxiety of life, no fear of the unknown. Just that post orgasm clarity. It’s honestly brilliant or it’s just horny. The viewer gets to decide which.

Title: MERMAID

Directed by: Jerry Ochoa

Country: US   Run Time: 10 minutes

Themes: Family and relationships

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: Tobi is searching for his mother that disappeared years before. But Tobi has a very interesting belief, they believe their mother is a mermaid.

Favorite line(s): “I love those two.”

Thoughts: While many would think a film about a possible mermaid mom hunt would be cutesy, this film is so much deeper. From the emotionally need of a partner to the search for family, there is more to this. MERMAID takes a look at the lengths we can go to keep those we love alive and together.

Title: CRINGE

Directed by: Lisa Ovies

Country: Canada   Run Time: 14 minutes

Themes: Awkwardness

Content Warning: N/A

Synopsis: Lila just wants to have a nice date but the other person needs to know it is, right? When Lila gets awkward, EVERYTHING gets awkward

Favorite line(s): “I thought this was more of a study thing.”

Thoughts: The cackles I cackled watching this, heavens above. The casting on this short was literal perfection. Lila made me get secondhand embarrassment and that makes the film so much more…well… awkward, ha. And can I point out the nostalgia of the boots with the dress and t-shirt underneath? Wardrobe needs a raise. Every piece and person was great.