Posts Tagged ‘Movies’

Réquiem NN Review

Posted: June 11, 2014 in Documentary, Reviews
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Requiem_NN_Still_TombLike many treasures, Réquiem NN, a gem of a documentary film, remains largely out of sight. Screenings of the movie can be difficult to find, but well worth the effort. What, at first glance, appears to be the story of an odd ritual peculiar to one Colombian town reveals itself to be, perhaps unintentionally, a meditation on the living and the dead, and the complex relationship between the two, when viewed through the prisms of identity, remembrance, and religion.

Puerto Berrío is a town of approximately 35,000, located in northwestern Colombia. It has served as a port of commercial significance on the Magdalena River since its founding in 1875. (more…)

God’s Pocket Review

Posted: June 5, 2014 in Drama, Reviews
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gods-pocketCuriouser and curiouser.

Oddities abound in God’s Pocket, some deliberate, others not so much. This quirky first feature from director John Slattery (Rodger Sterling of AMC’s Mad Men) suffers from a series of questionable decisions. The result is a disappointing, small movie with a big-time cast. Large themes are reduced to petty actions, and elements of the mise-en-scène are so discordant that the setting, the action, the characters, and the soundtrack seem stitched together from very different films.

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Locke Review

Posted: June 3, 2014 in Drama, Reviews
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locke-movie-photo-4A man walks off a construction site at the end of the work day and gets into his car. He drives.

That is a full accounting of the action in Locke, one of the most original, intriguing and effective movies you are likely to see this year. Tom Hardy plays Ivan Locke, who over the course of a drive from one English city to another, shown more or less in real time, will put into effect a decision that will shatter his life.

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Palo Alto Review

Posted: June 1, 2014 in Drama, Reviews
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still-of-val-kilmer-in-palo-alto-(2013)-large-pictureThe calendar shows June, and that’s way too early to declare a winner, but we certainly have a contender. When the list of worst films of 2014 is drawn up at the end of the year, save a spot on the short list for Palo Alto, a pretentious yet hollow selfie of a movie.

How bad is it? This film is the cinematic equivalent of finding a forgotten container in your refrigerator, opening it, and taking a whiff. Man, it stinks – here, smell it.

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Cold in July Review

Posted: May 31, 2014 in Action, Reviews, Thriller
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Cold-In-July-2Jim Mickle and Nick Damici.

Remember these names. Write them down if you need to. Set up a Google alert. The pattern of cinematic excellence these two have established warrants constant attention for what will come next from the duo. Cold in July, the fourth feature film film from this creative team, is a solid kick in the balls of conventional fare, a tricky, tough, violent carnival ride put together by a couple of carnies whom you just can’t trust to have followed the safety code.

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Anna Review

Posted: May 30, 2014 in Horror, Reviews, Thriller
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Anna-Mark-StrongHollywood is in the business of expectations – creating and controlling them. Studios need to generate enough interest for a film to guarantee ticket sales without overhyping the movie and having it labeled a failure.

Lucky is the moviegoer who can watch a film without any preconceived notions of the product. For those fortunate few who see Anna with low-to-no expectations, the hybrid horror/science fiction/thriller provides an entertaining diversion that benefits from stylish atmosphere and a strong central performance. Director Jorge Dorado uses a steady pace and a few sleight-of-hand tricks to divert the viewer’s attention away from some significant logical gaps in the narrative. (more…)

Malignant Review

Posted: May 28, 2014 in Horror, Reviews, Thriller
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MALIGNANTEXCPOSTERRELFEATWhy, Brad Dourif, why? You are one of the most original, idiosyncratic, and talented character actors of the last 40 years. Your credits extend from the unforgettable portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for which you received an Academy Award nomination to your Emmy nominated turn as Doc Cochran in Deadwood. You’re been the voice of pure evil for decades as the serial killer kid’s toy in the Chucky movies.

That’s a lot of good will to flush down the drain, but your latest movie is almost a big enough toilet to dispose of such a sterling reputation. Why would you do it? If it’s money, next time start a campaign on Hatchfund with a goal of raising enough to cover your bills until a decent role comes along. (more…)

Shuttlecock Review

Posted: May 20, 2014 in Drama, Foreign, Reviews
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imageAh, the road movie.

Disparate characters somehow wind up in a car or a bus or a plane, a train, or an automobile. They fight. They bond. They fight some more. Inevitably, they find themselves on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, seemingly without the means to go on. And that’s when the realization comes over them them. The trip was never about the destination. It was always about the journey.

And – gasp – they find out that they needed to get away from everything to discover each other or themselves or the big beautiful country or whatever.

Arrrgghh, the road movie.

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Under The Skin Review

Posted: May 16, 2014 in Drama, Reviews, Science Fiction
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imageOne day soon, Scarlett Johansson will be regarded as the most important female performer in cinema. That is not say that she will ever hold the title of best living actress. Even after Meryl Strep passes, there will always be a middle-aged British woman that sets the critics to full swoon through the portrayal of a royal, either dead or alive. Johansson will occupy a different position all together. She is now our premiere thespian goddess, the woman who can enthrall legions of fan boys in a comic book flick, then turn around and dominate a smaller, “serious” film.

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The Green Inferno Review

Posted: May 9, 2014 in Horror, Reviews
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the-green-infernoThere are two valid points of comparison from which to begin a review of The Green Inferno, Eli Roth’s latest attempt at shock and awe in the horror genre. One is Roth’s own work, most notably Hostel. That movie arrived with allegations of torture porn, when, in fact, it was a fairy tale and no more graphic than many of the fables from the Brothers Grimm. As the bad witch of Hostel was ground under the car wheels of the escaping American lad, you could almost hear a mother concluding the bedtime story by snapping a book shut and saying, “And that’s what happens to bad little boys who go to Europe to get laid.”

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