Chazz Menendez Movies

A couple in need of some help gets far more than they bargained for in this independent thriller from director David Barker. Irene (Alexandra Meierhans) and Daniel (Aidan Redmond) are a couple whose life is teetering between bliss and disaster; Irene is pregnant and due to give birth to their first child in a few weeks, while a bad investment has wiped out nearly all of their finances. Irene's father is very wealthy, so she and Daniel hop into the expensive sports car her dad gave them as a present to attend a family wedding so they can ask him for a loan. Daniel gets lost en route, and when they spot a hitchhiker, Irene suggests they pick him up in hopes he can give directions. Daniel gives Renny (Michael Godere) a lift, but they soon discover he's a dangerous psychotic, and the couple is at the mercy of Renny and his partner, Leo (Ivan Martin). The crisis forces Irene to take a long look at the man she married and learn how to rely on herself. Daylight was shot in two weeks following just one week of pre-production; the speedy schedule was necessitated by the fact that Alexandra Meierhans really was eight months pregnant at the time shooting began, and she was due to return to her native Switzerland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An outwardly ordinary man must come to terms with his inner compulsions in this powerful drama from filmmaker Steve McQueen. Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a successful businessman in his early thirties who lives in New York. To most around him, Brandon seems cool and introverted, but inside he is wrestling with a powerful sexual appetite; he's obsessed with pornography and prefers short-term relationships with women that allow him to keep the world at arm's length. The grim routine of Brandon's life is upended when his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) stops by for an extended visit without prior notice. While Brandon is reserved, Sissy is an outgoing and flashy musician, and she doesn't seem to care about her brother's need for privacy. When Sissy forces Brandon to look closely at his life, he comes to understand the circumstances that made him the man he is today as his veneer of calm begins to crack. Shame won the Firpresci Award (presented by the International Federation of Film Critics) at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi