Bonus Features (and shorts) with Cinephile Mike
I get to see a lot of AMAZING FILMS (features and shorts) that I am invited to review, and while not a part of a specific festival I am covering,
you never know where it could go…
These are my exclusive print reviews of said feature and short films!!!
Keep checking back for more!!!
Films are alphabetical!!! Click the poster for the review!!!
BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feature Film
Film Production Companies: Trafalgar Releasing,
Tremolo Productions and Lee Lee Film
Rating: NR / Run Time: 90
Language: English and Korean, Spanish with English Subtitles
Director(s): Grace Lee and Patty Ahn
Starring: The BTS A.R.M.Y.
“When I think about my life before and after BTS, I feel like I’m not alone anymore.”
There’s little doubt that in today’s media landscape, fandoms are a driving force. If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it matter? Maybe not—but if a song drops and no fandom rallies behind it, it might disappear without a trace. Whether the object of devotion is a book, a film, an actor, or, in this case, a musical group, passionate fans give it life. One of the biggest and most influential fanbases in modern pop culture is BTS ARMY—and that’s the subject of BTS ARMY: Forever We Are Young, a heartfelt tribute from directors (and ARMY themselves) Grace Lee and Patty Ahn.
Formed just over a decade ago in 2013, BTS—comprising Jungkook, V, Jimin, Suga, Jin, j-hope, and RM—has become a global juggernaut. Beyond dominating charts and stadiums, they’ve stepped into the world as global citizens, supporting causes meaningful to both themselves and their fans. The ARMY (short for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth) is as diverse and inclusive as fandoms come: regardless of age, race, gender, nationality, or sexuality, if you love the group, you belong.
Lee and Ahn’s film traces the band's rise from their first U.S. concert in 2014 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood—the same venue where Elton John had his American debut—to their record-breaking win over Justin Bieber for Billboard’s Top Social Artist award in 2017 (an honor BTS held until the award’s retirement in 2021), and to the present-day anticipation of a reunion in 2025, following the group’s mandatory military service.
But this isn’t a documentary about BTS. It’s about their fans—and the ripple effects BTS has had on millions of lives. Through a series of talking-head interviews, we hear from a range of ARMY members: YouTube reactors in Texas, a DJ in Tennessee, a dance group in Mexico, and a choreography instructor in Seoul. What emerges is a portrait of devotion, transformation, and global connection. Those looking for a behind-the-scenes story of BTS’s formation or inner workings won’t find that here. Instead, the film focuses on the fans—how they’ve organized global campaigns, responded to tragedies, supported social justice movements, and found strength in each other.
Lee and Ahn structure the film to highlight each of the seven BTS members, allowing fans to share their personal “bias” (favorite member) and how that connection helped shape their lives. That “why” might be the confidence to change careers, like Chaehyun, a former actress turned dance studio owner whose BTS-inspired video went viral. Or it might be the courage to start fresh in a new country, like Farida, an Indonesian immigrant who found hope in BTS’s story. Or it could be the strength to embrace one’s identity, like Norman, a gay Asian man who credits BTS’s lyrics with helping him come out.
As someone only casually familiar with the band, I found the film enlightening. While clearly a love letter to ARMY, the documentary also succeeds in Lee and Ahn’s goal of offering wider audiences a glimpse into Korean culture and its far-reaching influence. Many of the testimonials are deeply moving, showing how BTS helped people not just survive but thrive—building careers, finding purpose, and forming global friendships along the way.
Should the band’s reunion not come to pass, Forever We Are Young still stands as a celebration of the enduring bond between artist and audience—a reminder that love, inspiration, and connection don’t end when the music pauses.
All in all, whether you're a lifelong ARMY member or just discovering BTS, this is a heartfelt tribute to a group that once told the world at the United Nations: “We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to ‘speak yourself.’”
Review by Cinephile Mike
Sirena’s Gallery
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feature Film
dis. BayView Entertainment
Rating: NR / Run Time: 75 minutes
Director: Christine Sloan Stoddard
Writer: Christine Sloan Stoddard
Starring: Christine Sloan Stoddard, Ghia Vitale, Disney Sebastien,
Art Jones, Deniz Zeynap, Ben Nardolilli, Zach Bowman and Sherwood Buckley
“Loneliness is the universal new reality.”
Opening with a haunting musical number and images of a woman both in an empty park looking over a river, and then visiting a grave of an unknown individual, we quickly learn that this woman is Sirena. In the midst of the pandemic, returning home from El Salvador, we learn that her husband committed suicide and now in the midst of the most isolating time in recent history, Sirena must address this new loneliness. Working in a Virginia-based art gallery that she owns, the walls and floors are barren and emptied as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sirena must find a way to make a living as she is dealing with calls from the funeral home asking her for the remaining payments, plus interest, for her husband’s burial costs. Unfamiliar with social media and other marketing, we will see how Sirena learns how to create a social media presence and website complete with online store to sell artwork as a means to earn money, and engage with an entertaining set of clients from those who are wondering how to best matte and frame the work to one who even proposes a potential collaboration in the future.
Stoddard presents a unique view of the pandemic. Filmed during 2020, she shows images of abandoned streets, parks, town streets and various other settings. As we were all in lockdown, there wasn’t much to see, and she shows us just that. It helps to further her theme of loneliness and the fact that the only interactions we see are one sided phone calls with the funeral home, and the video calls with some clients, none with family of hers or her deceased husband. Spending her nights sleeping in the gallery, you wonder how this will shape up for her, and you can’t help but root for her. Also, other revelations that come to the forefront will have the same emotional gut punch to the audience of what she is dealing with.
At a short run time of 75 minutes, the film, while ambitious, unfortunately tries to accomplish too much. It almost feels like there are two films in one. We have the one film that shows how a woman attempts to deal with grief and loss in a pandemic, due to unrelated causes, which in and of itself is a heady topic, and then the other is the story of a woman trying to find a way to navigate a business in an industry that makes its most impact when people socialize and interact in person, as opposed to over a Zoom or Facetime call. Choosing a focus would have led to a more solid film. This isn’t to take away from Stoddard’s performance. She has a lot on her shoulders as she is the prominent character on film, and she has a very expressive face and vocal tone that supports her work and this is a nice teaser to see what else her voice can present. The other actors playing the clients provide some entertainment, however, the sound mixing unfortunately makes some of the conversations a little difficult to listen to. Additionally, while there is a story of loneliness, she bookends her film with interesting imagery of nature which was one of the few things that gave some comfort in the pandemic, if some have more weight for her given the allusion we have to her husband’s passing.
All in all, an interesting mix of recorded Zoom or Facetime calls with barren shots of Stoddard’s surroundings gives an honest tale of survival in the pandemic. If you would like to catch this film, as of this publication, the film is streaming with ads on Tubi.
Review by Cinephile Mike
Slumlord Millionaire
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feature Film
Film Production Companies: PBS, After Spring LLC, Latino Public
Broadcasting, Center for Asitan American Media and Firelight Media
Rating: NR / Run Time: 86
Language: English, Spanish and Chinese with English Subtitles
Director(s): Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez
Writer(s): Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez
Starring: Moumita Ahmed, Fabian Bravo, Samantha Bravo-Huertero,
Janina Davis and Alina Shen
“Housing is a human right. Everyone should have a healthy, sustainable place to live.”
For the last fifteen years or so, we have heard Alicia Keys belt it out: “Now you’re in New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there’s nothing you can’t do. Now you’re in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new; big lights will inspire you.” However, how can you chase dreams, feel inspired, or start fresh when you can’t afford to live there?
That’s one of many questions raised by Slumlord Millionaire, a timely and pointed documentary from Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez. Premiering on PBS in July 2025, the film takes a hard look at New York City’s housing crisis and the deeply unequal systems keeping so many residents on the brink. Right out of the gate, the film hits us with staggering statistics: 69% of New Yorkers rent, but only half of those apartments are rent-stabilized. Over a third of residents are spending more than 50% of their income on rent—and year after year, costs rise while conditions decline. Ching and Martinez follow several individuals caught in the crosshairs of this housing emergency, from renters to homeowners, all facing increasingly hostile and at times illegal efforts to push them out.
Among the most compelling is the Bravo-Huertero family in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Fabian, the father, has spent more than a decade filing complaints against a landlord who not only neglects dangerous mold outbreaks and roach infestations—but exhibits blatant racism toward the family. His daughter Samantha, a high school senior at the time of filming (she graduated in 2022), speaks annually before the NYC Rent Guidelines Board, advocating for rent rollbacks. Their story is both specific and deeply emblematic of the housing struggles faced by working-class immigrant families across the city.
We also meet Janina Davis, a former supermodel who used her success to invest in her community at the peak of her career in the 90s. She bought a brownstone in Clinton Hill, lived on two floors, and rented the rest out affordably. But when she attempted renovations, she thought she found a willing partner in the work, but instead, fell victim to deed theft—a predatory tactic used by corrupt developers to steal homes from longtime owners. Janina’s loss is devastating, and we follow her as she fights back legally.
Other figures include Alina Shen, an activist with CAAAV (Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence) in Manhattan’s Chinatown, who leads tours through rodent-infested buildings, and Moumita Ahmed, a Queens resident who ran for City Council in hopes of reform—only to be met with an aggressive mail campaign supporting her incumbent opponent. The systemic rot is visible on every level.
The film’s structure blends interviews, fly-on-the-wall moments, and media archives, with cinematography from Ching, Vanessa Carr, Nick Curran, and Mansee Kong. It’s intimate and urgent—but also dense. While the doc attempts to include “both sides,” including perspectives from alleged slumlords, there’s so much packed into its runtime that not every thread lands. Some narratives feel underdeveloped or unresolved, which may be intentional—the crisis is ongoing—but it leaves the viewer wanting more clarity, and sometimes, more closure. The sequence during the end credits attempts to show the impact of these issues across the country, but this only raises more curiosity.
It was a fascinating look, and given that PBS is a producer, there is a large educational element where even I learned some new concepts, which is always a standout for me in a documentary, but some of the organizations presented and some of the stories seemed a bit too underdeveloped, and as a result, led to more questions that were left unanswered. Many of the endings are left open ended which may have been the intent as this problem is still ongoing, but in its brief runtime (that still managed to feel sluggish at times) it gets a few key points across. Ching and Martinez, both New York City residents, crafted an interesting story that shows just how real estate, politics and housing weave an intricate and messy web where it seems, ultimately, no one may win this ongoing battle.
All in all, the film fulfills the directors’ goal to “spark passionate conversation” by raising awareness and reminding us that not everything is black and white—but that’s no reason not to fight.
Review by Cinephile Mike
Strays
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Short Film
Film Production Company: Jamal Rana Productions
Rating: R / Run Time: 12 minutes
Director: Or Schraiber
Writer: James Rana
Starring: James Rana, Aizzah Fatima, Coleman Itzkoff and Stewart the Cat
“Happy Birthday, Papa.”
On his birthday, we meet Shamsul (played by Rana), an immigrant working as a rideshare driver to make money to support his family. As he begins his day, after birthday wishes from his family over the phone, he hears a sound that turns out to be a stray black cat. Not wanting this, he takes the cat outside, goes about his day, but this will not be the end of the cat. As he goes about his day, in a dialogue free performance, save his family and some fares, we follow Shamsul and the many passengers he drives around, and see him long for just a simple connection.
Being alone in a new country far from his family, he tries to be the best person he can, and we will see some interactions with fares that may not be of the norm as well as see him fantasize about different events that could be occurring to give him a semblance of home.
Rana is a very engaging performer evoking some characteristics of the silent film actors of the past where he conveys more with a look or expression than he would if he had dialogue to say. As the writer of the film, Rana chooses expression over dialogue and it works, especially in a funny scene with some oranges. In a short run time of about 11 minutes or so, we see his love of life, although he may be just as much a stray as that black cat or some of the fares he interacts with. Additionally, there are several moments of music that play in the reality of the situation that underscore the emotional range Shamsul goes through, and this adds a layer of beauty to the circumstances he is in especially during an enjoyable moment set at sunset of the Coney Island boardwalk, captured gorgeously by cinematographer, Adam Gundersheimer.
All in all, director Or Schraiber crafts a touching day in the life story that should leave viewers with a smile on their face. If you would like to watch “Strays” you have to wait a bit, as it is awaiting distribution.
Review by Cinephile Mike
We Are Guardians
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Feature Film
dFilm Production Companies: Mídia Índia, Highly Flammable,
Appian Way, Random Good and One Forest
Rating: NR / Run Time: 70
Language: Portuguese and Tupi with English Subtitles and English
Director(s): Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman
Starring: Valdir Duarte, Tadeu Fernandes, Luciana Gatti, Marçal
Guajajara, Sônja Guajajara, Bruno Stankevicious Bassi and Puyr Tembé
“For us, they killed a life. And that’s sad.”
Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, where the trees are lush and the sloths hang out, several Indigenous communities live simple, grounded lives. However, all is not well, as they are constantly at risk of losing their homes—and one of the greatest sources of biodiversity in the world—due to the ongoing invasion of those stripping the rainforest of its trees and natural resources. The economic demands of the world are fueling illegal deforestation activities, cutting into Indigenous lands and potentially contributing to the natural disasters and flooding we’ve seen as these environmental losses accelerate global warming.
That’s the urgent insight directors Edivan Guajajara, Chelsea Greene, and Rob Grobman set out to present. This powerful documentary centers on several individuals doing all they can to survive and resist these violations while living under the regime of former President Jair Bolsonaro. His administration has been widely perceived as antagonistic toward Indigenous peoples, permitting these illegal acts and aiding in the removal of communities from their ancestral lands. But this injustice will not go unanswered—and the directing trio introduces us to a core group of people determined to fight back.
One is Marçal Guajajara, a young Indigenous man who has taken on the mantle of leader of the Forest Guardians, despite his wife’s concerns. With few willing to step up, he trains fellow villagers to defend their home from the loggers encroaching on their territory. Another is Puyr Tembé, an Indigenous woman who left her territory early on and moved to the city to advocate for the Amazon. A powerful political force, she appears at congressional hearings and on protest lines to fight for the rights of her people and their land. Finally, we meet Tadeu Fernandes, a landowner and conservationist who has purchased several plots of land to protect them—despite illegal logging and ranching that continue to plague his property. He’s filed cease-and-desist orders with nearly every government body in the country in his fight for preservation.
These are just three of the many stories we follow. Their journeys aren’t without danger, including a tense riverside encounter over açaí berries with poachers. We trail these individuals from their work in the forest to their presence on the front lines at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. Their passion radiates through every chant, every plea, and every moment captured on screen. We're also given essential scientific context from Luciana Gatti, a senior climate researcher with Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), whose testimony underscores the stakes of these ongoing environmental crimes.
Importantly, the filmmakers don’t shy away from complexity. They introduce voices on the other side, like Valdir Duarte, an illegal logger who, despite his misgivings, sees few options in a region where the highest-value trees in the world offer a rare means of providing for his family.
Produced by Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens and Leonardo DiCaprio serving as an Executive Producer, this documentary goes straight to the heart of the matter. The directing team’s stunning cinematography invites you into this irreplaceable part of the world with sweeping landscapes that inspire awe—and sorrow—when juxtaposed with scenes of devastation.
All in all, while the film may feel like it leans toward assigning blame, it ultimately opens up a necessary conversation about what's happening in the world around us. It asks us not only to pay attention—but to reflect on our role in all of it.
Review by Cinephile Mike
