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IS GOD IS MOVIE REVIEW
In the cinematic debut from multiple award-winning playwright Aleshea Harris comes the unexpected curve ball of Is God Is, based on her 2018 off-Broadway play. Kara Young and Mallori Johnson play two twin sisters (Racine and Anaia). Both have terrible burn scars but Racine’s are easier to cover up. Anaia’s face is thoroughly scarred. Their physical differences aren’t all that distinguish the two: Racine has a fiery temper and tendency towards violence, whereas Anaia is more quiet and introspective. The two are so bonded they can even communicate wordlessly through glances and body language (translated for us on the screen with text). When they get a letter from their mother, who they thought was dead, they go to visit her as she lays dying. Ruby (Vivica A. Fox) got it even worse than the girls, burned horribly over her entire body. She relates the story of what actually happened to them all, telling the tale of their father (Sterling K. Brown) a monster who set them on fire when Ruby kicked him out of her life. Ruby has one dying favor to ask of the girls: find their father and kill him with as much brutality as possible. The two somewhat reluctantly agree and a road trip begins as they track their father’s post-pyro journey, encountering other people whose lives were changed (and usually not for the better, despite what they may have convinced themselves of) by the Monster’s travels. Is God Is doesn’t feel stagey like so many other projects by theater people moving to film productions often do. Instead, it has a unique feel, albeit deeply influenced by some other films…Kill Bill is certainly one of them…and moves at a quick pace. Disturbing and graphic and yet often deeply funny, the film is told not in a realistic way, but more of a mythic journey fashion. Chris, Wright, and Eric examine all the pleasant surprises of Is God Is and can’t help to recommend it at least to an audience who probably wasn’t expecting it.
DIRECTED BY: Aleshea Harris
STARRING: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross
YOUR REVIEWERS
Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)
Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).
Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)
Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.
Eric Samaniego (Trash in the Can, Heart/Felt, One Man’s Trash, Highly Suspect Reviews)
Eric Samaniego is a multi-award show watching, sometimes comedian, sometimes writer who began life as a Muppet and 1930s screwball comedy obsessed goon and still carries a torch for all things felt, funny, and a little bit unhinged. With a passion for genre films, poor taste, and whiskey, he co-hosts Trash in the Can, a podcast that digs through cinema’s dustbin in search of the best worst movies alongside longtime co-conspirator Wright Sulek. Eric and Wright also bring their love of cinematic oddities to the big screen with One Man’s Trash, a monthly live screening series at Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, Texas, spotlighting cult classics, forgotten flops, and anything proudly wearing the label “so bad it’s good.” He also hosts Heart/Felt, a limited podcast series celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Muppets and the enduring legacy of Jim Henson. When not podcasting, Eric serves as an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who was the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797.
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