I couldn’t attend last night’s 6 pm press screening of Destin Daniel Cretton‘s Short Term 12 (Cinedigm, 8.23) because of the trouble and pain caused by Tucow’s Paul Karkas. Yes, I could have gone in to a Zen space and waved away the chaos but I guess I’m just not Zen-enough. All I know is that if Brigade’s Adam Kersh asks what happened I’ll just say “Karkas!”…a name that will live in infamy if I have anything to say about it.

In any event there’s a screening and an after-party for Short Term 12 this evening, both happening in the mid 50s near Sixth Avenue. My problem is a conflict screening of James Wan‘s The Conjuring (Warner Bros., 7.19), which I’ve been very keen to see. Aaah, I’ll figure it out.

Short Term 12 was pretty much the big hit of last March’s South by Southwest festival. From a review by Variety‘s Peter Debruge: “This compelling human drama finds fresh energy in the inspirational-teacher genre, constantly revealing new layers to its characters”. The Hollywood Reporter‘s John De Fore called the film “genuinely moving” and “effortlessly balanced…Brett Pawlak‘s handheld camerawork and Cretton’s unsentimental direction have a frankness that acknowledges the dramatic extremes in these lives without needing to parade it before the audience”. Indiewire‘s Katie Walsh called Brie Larson’s lead performance “an incredible emotional and physical performance, and she’s a whirlwind.”