Since its inception a few years back, Severin Films has been
on point, tracking down and unleashing cool and obscure genre fare that you
won’t find anywhere else on DVD. And they’re back at it again with a new pair
of nice Blu-rays of late 70s action and exploitation films, “The Wild Geese”
and “Ashanti”.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Brent's Top Ten Films Of 2012
I couldn’t think of any clever or interesting takes on the
end of the year list, so I’m going to stick with the old standby: the top ten (or
so). These aren’t necessarily intended to be the best movies of the year in an
objective sense. That’s a tough case to make for many of these. Regardless, here
are my favorites of the year.
Monday, December 24, 2012
'Django Unchained' Movie Review
Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 spaghetti western, “Django”, is
legendary as the film that launched 100 unofficial sequels. This is obvious
hyperbole and urban legend—to date only 30-something are accounted for—but it
still spawned a crap load of badass westerns. These movies run the gamut from
trying to recreate the grim tone and setting of the original, to offerings like
“Sukiyaki Western Django”, Takeshi Miike’s manic mod take on two feuding
frontier clans.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
'Les Misérables' Movie Review
Having never read Victor Hugo’s novel, nor seen the
legendary stage production, the vast majority of what I know about “Les Misérables”
comes from an episode of “Animaniacs”. That said, I do love a good musical, and
I rather enjoyed this long awaited film adaptation, though it is an up and down
ride at times. Even if you’re not familiar with the play, you’ve heard these
songs before, the cast is fantastic across the board, even people I don’t
usually care for (Anne Hathaway, I’m looking at you), and the costumes and
production design do a great job of making you feel like you’re in 19th
century France. Everyone, even the upper class, are suitably grubby and smudged
so that you believe they’ve spent their entire lives living in filth.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
'This Is 40' Movie Review
At this point you know exactly what you’re getting into when
you sit down to watch a Judd Apatow movie. You’ll start out with some raucous,
improvised humor—think frequent use of the word vagina and cursing at inappropriate
moments. After a while there’s a big life complication that needs to be worked
out, and at the end everybody hugs. This is the pattern for the movies he
produces, the movies he writes, and the movies he directs. His latest opus,
“This is 40”, never strays from this formula for a moment, and while it has
worked for him in the past, it fails in comparison to his other films.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Movie Review
It’s impossible for me to talk about “The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey” without first discussing the delivery mechanism. Over the
past few months there has been much back and forth over the fact that director
Peter Jackson planned to show the film in 48 frames per second, instead of the
traditional 24. I’ve got to say, I don’t like it too much. The images do have a
stunning clarity to them. In close up shots you can practically count each and
every pore on an actor’s face. And it does seem to alleviate some of the eyestrain
that pops up with 3D.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
'Deadfall' Movie Review
On the surface, Stefan Ruzowitzky’s crime-thriller
“Deadfall” has a huge upside. When brother-sister robbers Addison (Eric Bana)
and Liza (Olivia Wilde) knock over a casino—Liza’s first big score—and make a
clean getaway, things look good. On their way to the Canadian border things
take a turn for the worse and problems arise, for the characters and the film. When
they hit a deer and wander into the wilderness, a harsh Michigan blizzard
forces them to separate and fend for themselves in the bleak, windswept tundra.
Monday, December 3, 2012
TV Review: 'The Walking Dead'-3.08-"Made To Suffer"
Many of us spent last season desperately waiting for
something, anything to happen on AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. With the exception
of last week’s episode, season three has done a fine job rectifying this
situation. The mid-season finale, “Made to Suffer”, delivers more of the same.
Spoilers are waiting to tear into flesh, so tread lightly,
lest you have your little mind blown.
Friday, November 30, 2012
'Killing Them Softly' Movie Review
The last time star Brad Pitt and writer/director Andrew
Dominik teamed up was for “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward
Robert Ford”. That film is a long, slow burn; drifting in and out of scenes,
dream like at times. Despite the gradual, deliberate pace, there is a force
behind the narrative. Their latest endeavor, “Killing Them Softly”, an
adaptation of George V. Higgins’ novel “Cogan’s Trade”, aims for the same goal.
This time, however, they miss the mark, and instead of a steady, measured tempo,
the film sags and meanders. It goes nowhere, and in the end, even though the
story reaches the only logical conclusion, it peters out and leaves you empty.
'The Collection' Movie Review
So, do all serial killers these days need tools and snares
and an intricate system of booby traps in order to ply their trade? If the
current trend in horror is to be believed, then yes, yes they do. I was hoping
that we were going to leave that one to the “Saw” franchise, but from the looks
of “The Collection”, that’s not going to happen. Granted, both writer/director
Marcus Dunstan and writer Patrick Melton are veterans of that particular set of
films (they also delivered “Feast”), so you should expect a device or two.
Still, it’s gimmicky, and not particularly frightening.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
'Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning' Movie Review
When John’s (Scott Adkins) family is murdered in front of
him, he sets out on a quest for to find the man who pulled the trigger, Luc
Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). His journey takes him to some dark, unexpected
places. That’s the basic plot to Universal Soldier: Day of
Reckoning, the latest installment in a franchise that began in 1992. The
film, however, takes that simple premise, and buries it beneath a big ol’ pile
of crazy. Like Van Damme looking like psychotic clown crazy.
Monday, November 26, 2012
TV Review: 'The Walking Dead'-3.07-"When The Dead Come Knocking"
Well Glenn (Steven Yuen) certainly showed that he really is
one tough son of a bitch in “When the Dead Come Knocking,” the latest episode
of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”. There’s no doubt why he’s survived so long, and
moving forward, no one will ever have reason to question his mettle again.
We’ll talk more about that, among many other topics, down
below, but be warned, spoilers abound. They lurk everywhere, waiting strike
when you least expect it. Proceed with caution, my friends.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
'Red Dawn' Movie Review
In the spirit of honesty, I’m a little bit ashamed about what I’m
about to write, but here it goes. I like “Red Dawn”. And just to be clear,
we’re talking about the unnecessary remake, not the 1984 John Milius original.
As a fast-paced, low-brain-cell action flick, it turns out that “Red Dawn” is a
lot of fun. As a movie with all of the trappings and trimmings of such a thing,
it isn’t quite so successful. There isn’t much in the way of set up, or any of
the elements that go into a traditional narrative. Here are a handful of
people—I hesitate to call them characters. Most of them have names. Hey look,
some ambiguous evil bad guys are parachuting out of the sky. Go!
'Life Of Pi' Movie Review
Giving Academy-Award-winning director Ang Lee access to 3D
camera equipment and a modern-day fable like “Life of Pi” is the best idea
anyone has had in a long time. He plays so much with depth field, color, and
composition, that the end result is nothing short of breathtaking. Lee’s style
and mechanics are the perfect delivery system for an epic tale of survival that
borders on the world of magic realism. The heart of the story is, after all,
the tale of a young boy and his tiger bro, engaged in the quirky tale of
adventure, unlikely friendship, and an extraordinary existence. “Life of Pi”
watches like a fairy tale.
Monday, November 19, 2012
TV Review: 'The Walking Dead-3.06-"Hounded"
When last we left Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) on AMC’s “The
Walking Dead” he had just picked up a telephone. And that’s how he spent the
vast majority of last night’s episode, “Hounded”. Seriously, he was like a
teenage girl this week, either ear glued to the receiver, or frantically
checking to make sure the phone still works, waiting for
the-most-important-phone-call-ever.
It should go without saying that there are major SPOILERS
contained within. So if you haven’t watched “Hounded”, stop reading unless you
want a lot of things ruined for you.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
'Skyfall' Movie Review
With “Casino Royale”, Daniel Craig stepped up and owned the
living hell out of the role of James Bond. After Pierce Brosnan’s turn as the
iconic British spy, which never felt like much more than a caricature of Sean
Connery, Craig’s vaguely psychotic rendition of Bond brought life back to a
franchise that had become stale. Craig plays the part with a callous coldness
that gives a gritty, real-world edge to the character.
Monday, November 5, 2012
DVD Review: 'Maximum Conviction'
I’m a huge Steven Seagal fan, and have been for most of my
life at this point. Films like “Out For Justice”, “Under Siege”, and “Hard to
Kill” rank among my all-time favorites, and with a scarce few exceptions, I’ve
seen every movie the man has made. Even with these qualifications, it’s getting
harder and harder to watch the man’s new work. Over the last few years he’s
become a bloated caricature of his former self, and nowhere is that more
evident than in his new direct-to-video offering, “Maximum Conviction”.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
'Flight' Movie Review
“Flight” is less a movie about a plane crash, as you’ve been
led to believe, than it is about a man facing off with his own personal demons.
In this story those demons take the form of a severe battle with alcoholism. At
its best, “Flight” resembles a cleaned up version of “Leaving Las Vegas” with
airplanes. At the other end of the spectrum, the film is like a
made-for-television cautionary tale about the evils of drink and excess, one
that is just a little too clean, a little too easy and rosy-cheeked to ever truly
get to the point it sets out to make. What keeps “Flight” from devolving into a
full-fledged Lifetime melodrama are a strong beginning and Denzel Washington’s
performance.
'Wreck-It Ralph' Movie Review
“Wreck-It Ralph”, the new animated feature from Disney, delivers exactly what you expect, nothing more. That isn’t to say it’s bad. In a vacuum this is a fun enough movie, the visuals are good (though the 3D feels unnecessary most of the time), and there are all the heartwarming moments you would expect from a family cartoon. The chief problem is that, at every single juncture, the film is predictable, and never shows anything beyond the most obvious levels. If you have kids they’ll likely fall in love with “Wreck-It Ralph”, and while parents have sat through much, much worse to appease their tots, “Wreck-It Ralph” is middle of the road at best.
'The Bay' Movie Review
Going into Barry Levinson’s new horror film, “The Bay”, you
get the feeling that it could either be something really special, or fall flat
on its face. The concept is certainly strong enough. A creepy creature
infestation, unexplained fish/wildlife death, and a government cover-up, what’s
not to like? On the other hand, this is yet another low budget found footage
picture, and these are, at best, a hit and miss proposition to begin with.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
'Cloud Atlas' Movie Review
Everything about “Cloud Atlas”—the latest film from “The
Matrix” helmers the Wachowskis and “Run Lola Run” director Tom Tykwer—is big.
The film has a big cast—both in name and number—big ideas, big scope, big run
time (172 minutes), and, for the most part, big payoff. And the biggest thing
of all is the film’s ambition. Boy howdy do the filmmakers set out to
accomplish a great many things in adapting David Mitchell’s best-selling novel.
And the film features multiple references to “Soylent Green”, which is one
surefire way to gain my favor.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
'Alex Cross' Movie Review
Answer this question: how did “Alex Cross” get a wide
theatrical release? By all rights this film should have skipped over that
entire process and gone straight to video without passing “Go” or any of the
other clichés. Is it solely because of Tyler Perry? If so, good for him,
because this movie has nothing else going for it. Okay, that’s not entirely
true. “Alex Cross” is often hilarious, though unintentionally so. It’s like
watching a caricature of an action movie. You keep waiting for a punch line
that never comes.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
'Seven Psychopaths' Movie Review
Writer/director Martin McDonagh’s new film, “Seven Psychopaths”,
has everything a dude wants out of a movie. It’s awash in violence, booze, laughter,
dog thievery, and the titular madmen. Emphasis on the men. At
one point, the protagonist, Marty (Colin Farell), a busted Irish screenwriter,
is accused of only writing female characters so they can be killed off later.
That charge has been leveled at McDonagh a time or two. We’re talking a
testosterone-fueled, pseudo-road movie with a story that’s smart, quick-witted,
and self-referential. Pulling off stories within stories, films within the
film, the narrative is an endlessly inventive, looping spiral of dark humor,
blood, and earnest emotion.
'Sinister' Movie Review
Though it isn’t going to blow any minds, and won’t win over
a landslide of new horror fans, Scott Derrickson’s (“The Exorcism of Emily
Rose”) latest outing, “Sinister”, is a solid spookfest. You’ll find some
well-worn genre tropes—think creepy kids, mysterious footsteps in the empty
attic, and a house that’s always dark, even in the middle of the day—and you’re
going to chuckle a few times at some cheesy bits, but overall, the film
accomplishes what it sets out to do.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
'Lloyd the Conqueror' Movie Review
It’s about damn time that LARPers get their day in the sun.
Their pasty skin could use some rays. For those of you unfamiliar with the
term, LARPing stands for Live Action Role Playing. Think “Dungeons &
Dragons”, but instead of gathering in a dank, dark basement, the players take
to parks and other public spaces in order to whack each other about the head
and torso with foam swords, and to throw tinfoil balls at each other in lieu of
lightning bolts and spells. This is the world explored by “Lloyd the Conqueror”.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
'Taken 2' Movie Review
Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is one pissed off dad. And he’s
back for another round of daughter-protecting ass kicking in “Taken 2”. Sure,
he’s a little stiffer, a little greyer, and things hurt a little more—he
grimaces every time he stands up, like maybe he has bad knees. Still, he
manages to bring it pretty well. “Taken 2” is predictable, comically serious,
and in reality, kind of shitty. So of course a part of me loves it, though I
won’t claim that it’s any good.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
'Looper' Movie Review
Writer/director Rian Johnson’s 2005 film “Brick” was a
unique, inventive take on both hardboiled detective stories and teen drama.
With his latest film, “Looper”, he takes on time travel, balancing numerous
timelines, entwining stories from different eras, and even spinning a single
character into multiple different personalities. This all sounds confusing,
like it could easily become a jumbled mess of big ideas that wind up muddy and
unclear. Lucky for you Johnson has an excellent sense for storytelling, and weaves
all of the strands together into a clear narrative.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
'Headshot' Movie Review
Director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang’s (“Last Life in the Universe”) “Headshot” begins in a quiet
moment, with a man seated at a desk, gently keying a letter on a typewriter.
Nice, right? Only the man has a gnarly neck scar, and the letter is an
assassination order. The film that follows this inauspicious, though ominous opening
is not so much an action movie as it is a badass character study. A sprawling,
twisted crime story that bounces around in time, “Headshot” has cops, robbers,
guns, and gangsters. Jarring bursts of violence set the stage to play with
themes of identity, selfhood, spirituality, and the very nature of good and
evil. All in all, this is fertile ground for a crime movie to dig into.
Friday, September 7, 2012
DVD Review: 'Screaming In High Heels: The Rise And Fall Of The Scream Queen Era'
One of the most iconic images in the horror genre is a
beautiful woman, sometimes covered in blood, often topless, screaming in
terror. These actresses became widely known as “scream queens”, and hold a
special place in hearts of fanatics. By and large they began their careers as
eye candy that existed on the periphery to add a little T&A, and to get
killed off eventually. Over time, as they developed their own cult followings,
these women became stars in their own right, carrying the films they appeared
in rather than serving as window dressing. “Screaming in High Heels: the Rise
and Fall of the Scream Queen Era”, a new documentary now on DVD, takes an in
depth look at this strange and specific slice of popular culture.
Monday, September 3, 2012
'Loom' Short Sci-Fi Film From Luke Scott
An established commercial director in his own right, Luke
Scott is stepping into the realm long-roamed by his famous father, Ridley
Scott. That realm happens to be science fiction film, and from the look and
feel of his short genre thriller, Loom, Luke has inherited a
certain aesthetic sensibility and acumen from dear old dad.
Monday, August 27, 2012
DVD/Blu-Ray Review: 'The Walking Dead Season 2'
The second season of AMC’s zombie juggernaut “The Walking
Dead”, now out on Blu-ray and DVD, is really a tale of two halves. Part one is
chiefly concerned with the group, led by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), tracking
down Sophia (Madison Lintz), a young girl in their party who gets lost amidst
an undead swarm. The latter half of the season revolves around the escalating
tension between Rick and Shane (John Bernthal).
Thursday, August 23, 2012
'Premium Rush' Movie Review
Hear that? That’s the sound of every bike messenger you’ve
ever met getting a collective boner. While on paper writer/director David Koepp’s
new movie “Premium Rush” sounds terrible, like they weren’t even trying to come
up with a real narrative, the movie is actually a blast. It’s a hearty nod to
80’s underground sports movies like “Rad” and “Thrashin’”, though the most apt
and obvious comparison is “Gleaming the Cube”. Those first two are ostensibly
about the sports—BMX racing and skateboarding respectively—but “Gleaming the
Cube” is a story where the characters just happen to be skate punks. “Premium
Rush” is basically one long, extended chase scene, the primary characters
simply happen to be New York City bike messengers.
'Cosmopolis' Movie Review
“Cosmopolis” is an interesting movie for a number of
reasons. First and foremost is director David Cronenberg. That will always be a
selling point. Second, it’s based on a Don Delillo novel, and while I have a
hot and cold reaction the man’s work (loved “White Noise”, hated “Underworld”),
his books are usually thought provoking at the very least. Finally, the film
takes on a topic very much in the public eye, the current financial crisis, and
with a strong anti-capitalist stance, it presets a viewpoint that you don’t
often find in mainstream cinematic culture. While all of this is nice—that they’re
trying to make a film that’s unique, that has a message—“Cosmopolis” isn’t a
very good movie, and fails on a narrative level.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
'ParaNorman' Movie Review
Packaged and marketed as a kid’s movie, “ParaNorman”, the
new stop-motion animated offering from Laika—the folks behind “Coraline”—is
everything you want out of this kind of movie. This is a horror movie aimed at
children, one that is also funny, touching, and, most importantly, full of
legitimate frights. Death—in the form of ghosts, zombies, corpses, and the
potential for characters to die—is an ever-present specter. At every turn
there’s a realistic chance that happily-ever-after might not happen. Scares
blend with a strange gallows humor to create a fantastic movie that will get
you as pumped up as it gets your kids. Horror fans will love this, as there are
copious nods to the genre, including, but not limited to “Halloween”, “Friday
the 13th”, and Romero’s “Dead” trilogy.
Friday, August 10, 2012
'The Bourne Legacy' Movie Review
The legacy part of Tony Gilroy’s “The Bourne Legacy”—the new
extension of the Robert Ludlum-based spy franchise—is forced and unnecessary.
Throughout the film you get quick status updates on Jason Bourne. Someone
mentions he was in Moscow recently, there’s a news report that he’s been
involved in a shooting in New York, that sort of thing. Without actually
appearing in the film, his presence looms large. You know it’s there to bind
this installment to its predecessors, and once or twice would be fine, but this
pattern persists. And it doesn’t stop at Bourne. Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), Noah
Vosen (David Strathairn), Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), and more characters
from the series, pop up for quick moments, for no other reason than to remind
you that this is a “Bourne” movie.
Friday, August 3, 2012
'Total Recall' Movie Review
Walking into Len Wiseman’s “Total Recall”, you can’t help
but wonder if you’re going to get a kickass action extravaganza or another
unnecessary remake. To be honest, you get both. Best known for his “Underworld”
movies, Wiseman is definitely a style-over-substance kind of director. For all
their faults, however, his movies are never boring, and “Total Recall” is a slick
science fiction actioner. It isn’t especially noteworthy, but neither is it
terrible. This isn’t a film you need to see more than once, and even though it
is ultimately forgettable, it keeps you entertained.
Monday, July 30, 2012
DVD/Blu-Ray Review: 'Hijacked'
Randy “the Natural” Couture is a great fighter, a legend in
the sport of mixed martial arts, but god damn, people need to stop giving him
lines in movies. For all his heart in the cage, for all his technical combative
prowess, and world-class grappling background, the man is not a good actor.
Which is too bad, because he comes across as such a good dude, and he does have
an imposing physical presence on the screen. But every time he opens his mouth
you have to groan. Maybe he’ll get there, after all, he spent years learning to
pummel people better, not necessarily to tap into his internal reservoirs in
order to evoke emotions. His role in “The Expendables” is about as much as you
can take, and he shouldn’t be saddled with the burden of carrying an entire film.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Couture’s unfortunate new action film
“Hijacked”.
Monday, July 16, 2012
'King Curling' Movie Review
Who out there has always wanted to see a Norwegian curling
comedy? Thought so. That’s the precise thrill that Ole Endresen’s film “King
Curling” provides. While there are obvious parallels with the Coen Brothers’
“Big Lebowski”, and aesthetic similarities to Wes Anderson’s movies, “King
Curling” transcends simple comparison. This film stands alone as a hilarious,
heartfelt story of obsession, friendship, and most importantly, sliding a heavy
rock across a sheet of ice. Curling may, in fact, be the ultimate in athletic
competition. Superimposing a
traditional redemptive sports story onto a sport that most of us know little to
nothing about, “King Curling” has a lot of fun twisting and tinkering with
every sports cliché in the book.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
'V/H/S' Movie Review
“V/H/S” is a weird movie because I enjoy it much more in
retrospect than I did sitting in the theater. There are some elements that will
delight horror fans, but there are moments of extreme frustration as well.
“V/H/S” is another in the line of recent horror anthology films, and features a
who’s who of hot young independent horror directors. Radio Silence, Ti West,
Glenn McQuaid, Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, and Joe Swanberg all take a turn
at the helm. The individual pieces of “V/H/S” are, for the most part, solid
standalone horror shorts, and many of them have great, stand out elements. You
will have to have a high tolerance for douche bags to watch “V/H/S”, but you’ll
enjoy watching most of the characters die. How the pieces of the puzzle come
together, or in this case, how they don’t, is the central problem with the
film.
Friday, July 6, 2012
'Savages' Movie Review
Taylor Kitsch needs a hit like a crackhead. So far this year
the “Friday Night Lights” alum has been in “John Carter” and “Battleship”, two
of the biggest critical and financial disasters in recent movie history. He
needs something to get him out of the gutter. Unfortunately for him, “Savages”,
Oliver Stone’s adaptation of Don Winslow’s 2010 novel, won’t be that movie. The
Day-Glo film noir is too violent to attract massive mainstream audiences—at times
the film edges dangerously near torture porn. Stone has an eye for visual style,
there is some striking imagery, but in the end there is very little in the way
of substance.
Monday, July 2, 2012
'The Amazing Spider-Man' Movie Review
Here’s the deal with Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man”:
it’s good; it’s fine. There is, however, a but. We’ll get to that. There’s
web-slinging adventure, a good amount of fun, and some wonderful actors giving
solid performances. Andrew Garfield has the wise cracking, awkward loner thing
down pat, and pulls off a near perfect Peter Parker. Emma Stone’s take on Gwen
Stacey is charming, adorable, and in a couple moments, heartbreaking. This
isn’t a perfect movie, by far, but overall “The Amazing Spider-Man” ends up a
decent summertime popcorn movie. But, is fine good enough for Marvel? Will
decent cut it? Given the hot streak they’ve been on, especially with the
massive success of “The Avengers”, this will never be more than a slight
disappointment.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
'Ted' Movie Review
Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed buddy comedy “Ted” is
surprising. Not because of the story—there is nothing at all unusual there—but
because it’s actually pretty funny. It isn’t brilliant, or game changing, or
anything like that, but it’s amusing enough. I’m one of the legions who have
long since abandoned MacFarlane’s most well known product, “Family Guy”. The
“do something enough times it automatically becomes funny” has run its course,
and you can only watch an extended fist fight between Peter Griffin and a giant
chicken so many times before you’ve had enough. While the story of “Ted” is
painfully bland and obvious—you know exactly what is coming every step of the
way—MacFarlane avoids some the pitfalls “Family Guy” is prone to.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
DVD Review: 'Bullhead'
Michael R. Roskam’s Oscar-nominated crime film “Bullhead”
begins with a voice over prologue. This one line sums things up: “One thing is
for sure, you’re always fucked.” With that single statement the mood is set,
and you know that the characters are going to be caught in a web they can’t
escape from. Call it destiny, call it fate; whatever it is, it has its claws in
deep and isn’t about to let go. “Bullhead” is a story of revenge, of a
tormented past, of trying to make sense of things that make no sense.
Monday, June 11, 2012
SIFF Review: 'Earthbound'
Isn’t what every child wants to hear is that they’re
special? That their life means something big and important? That no matter how
mundane, humdrum, and otherwise unspectacular their daily existence is, the
truth is that they matter? This is the basic premise behind the Irish sci-fi
romance Earthbound, which made its world premiere recently
at the Seattle International Film Festival. Writer/director Alan Brennan’s
debut feature is witty, funny, quixotic, and at times heartbreaking.
Friday, June 8, 2012
'Moonrise Kingdom' Movie Review
“Moonrise Kingdom” isn’t going to convert any Wes Anderson
naysayers. He may as well have autographed every single frame of this movie,
that’s how easily identifiable this is as his work. Every little trick and
trademark is on display, from quirky, deadpan characters, to shots that track
from room to room in sets that resemble giant dollhouses. Even though this an
uneven ride at times, “Moonrise Kingdom” is Anderson’s best film in years. The
film stars off slow, downright rocky in fact, but eventually, when you get into
the heart of the story, it’s engrossing, genuinely touching, and even a touch
adventurous.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
SIFF Review: 'Countdown'
Tae Gun-ho (Jeong Jae-yeong) is a badass in the classic
tough guy vein. Watching him in South Korean director Huh Jong-ho’s thriller
“Countdown”, you can’t help but be reminded of guys like Steve McQueen or Jack
Lord. He wears straight, simple suits, doesn’t say much, and doesn’t get
traditionally angry, but he’ll take you down regardless. And the man can
certainly fight with a high-powered tazer.
SIFF Review: 'Safety Not Guaranteed'
Aubrey Plaza definitely has a niche. She’s got the indie
market cornered on snarky, disaffected twenty-something cynicism. But there’s heart
in there, too, and nowhere is that more on display than in director Colin
Trevorrow’s low-budget time travel comedy Safety Not
Guaranteed. The film is funny, inventive, tinged with sadness, but
also hope.
Monday, June 4, 2012
SIFF Review: 'Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings'
When I first came across “Remington and the Curse of the
Zombadings” a few years ago, part of me assumed I would never, ever hear that
name again. However, I also knew another part would always hopefully wonder
about it. After all, a gay zombie comedy from the Philippines? That might be
too much for one man to ask for.
Friday, June 1, 2012
'Snow White and the Huntsman' Movie Review
In this day and age it is unusual, to say the least, for a
filmmaker not to allow the protagonist in a movie to speak, but that’s the case
with first-time director Rupert Sanders’ “Snow White and the Huntsman”. Kristen
Stewart plays the beloved fairy tale princess, but barely says a word. Almost everything you learn about the
character, which admittedly isn’t much, other people tell you. You constantly
hear about how good and pure and innocent she is, but you never see her embody
these qualities. The same goes for her beauty. That dead horse is beaten into
the ground, but you’re never allowed to sit back, gather information, and
decide for yourself.
Monday, May 28, 2012
SIFF Review: 'Citadel'
Writer/director Ciaran Foy’s “Citadel” is the creepiest,
most affecting horror movie I’ve seen in quite some time. The film draws
strength from a variety of sources, leaning heavily on supernatural and
religious overtones. The true frights, however, come from the questions at the
heart of “Citadel”. Is the source of this terror otherworldly, some “other”? Is
it even real, or simply the paranoia of a sick mind? Or, most terrifyingly, is
it a symptom of society gone wrong, of the evil lurking within humanity left
alone to dwell and evolve into some hideous creature? It is easy to see why
this film won the midnight award at SXSW. “Citadel” climbs into you skull and
sticks around long after you walk away.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)