Tiny Furniture Directed by Lena Dunham Before reviewing this film, I should provide a disclaimer: I am a recent college graduate, I majored in art, and I’m still, you know, figuring things out. Disclaimer aside, I really, really enjoyed Lena Dunham’s new film about the difficulties of being a new college graduate with an unsteady handle …
“an adequate addition to the Iraq War films sub-genre, but unfortunately not a particularly memorable one” Green Zone Directed by Paul Greengrass The combat film has a tradition in American cinema almost as storied as the Western. Like many genres of the time, the war film transformed in the 1970’s to compensate for the negative …
Don’t Worry About Me Directed by David Morrissey British actor David Morrissey has had his share of highs and lows. With starring roles in acclaimed TV series like Holding On, State of Play and Blackpool, he had Doctor Who fans talking up his chances of replacing David Tennant in the iconic role that eventually went …
The Jury and Audience Award-winners of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival were announced at the Festival’s closing Awards Ceremony hosted by comedian Eugene Mirman in Austin, Texas. Feature Films receiving Jury Awards were selected from the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories. Films in these categories, as well as the Spotlight …
Marwencol Directed by Jeff Malmberg One of the more downright inspirational films here is Marwencol, the story of accidental artist Mark Hogencamp. After being targeted and beaten outside of a club one night, Hogencamp came out of a coma with severe physical and mental damage. His personal attempt at recuperation was to construct a 1/6th scale reproduction of a small …
The film is never preachy, and whatever your stance on America’s “War on Drugs,” this film is an astounding and essential peak at some of its main players. Dirty Pictures Etienne Sauret Etienne Sauret’s new documentary, largely focused on the life of underground hero Sasha Shulgin and his wife, Ann, is an engrossing film and is …
“Enter The Void explores the contours of reality and screen representation, seemingly probing the very nature of existence. Its final, transcendent moments summate a unique experience and achievement, albeit one not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.” Enter The Void Directed by Gasper Noé Ever since the notorious Irreversible prompted the dubious honor of causing …
Kick-Ass is approached with a keen sense of humor, surprising wit, and a delicate blending of virtue and filth in a way that turns the cookie cutter world of comics upside down. Kick-Ass Directed by Matthew Vaughn With the rapid succession of superhero movies to hit the theaters, distinguishing oneself from the masses is easier …
Thursday night at 11:30 p.m. EST, the highly anticipated and Beyonce video “Telephone” made its world premiere. The nearly 10-minute extravaganza directed by Jonas Åkerlund (director of the infamously bad Spun) was inspired by the work of Quentin Tarantino — Kill Bill in particular. (The actual pussy wagon even makes an appearance.) They story picks up …
Repo Men Directed by Miguel Sapochnik Have you ever seen Repo! The Genetic Opera? It premiered at Fantasia on July 18th, 2008 to a packed house. Upon receiving mixed reviews the film obtained a limited theatrical release in North America the following winter and was finally released on DVD a few months later. Surely you …
Whilst The Hurt Locker unfolded in a theatre that felt metaphoric, Green Zone wears its heart on its sleeve and is unashamedly partisan in its political sniping of piercing accuracy Green Zone Directed by Paul Greengrass We used to have to wait a decade before the cinema could fully digest the impact and consequences of that most …
I must admit the outcome of this year’s Academy Awards has me a bit skeptical for the future of this famed award show. First and foremost, I want to discuss the bestowment of best picture to The Hurt Locker. Now before you write me off as some pessimistic dissident with no substantive evidence to frame …
Mother is a strange and compelling film that stretches the bounds of audience sympathy, and manages to work equally well whether or not it is maintained for its entire running length Mother Directed by Joon-Ho Bong Maternal pain is the driving force behind Korean wunderkind Joon-Ho Bong’s fourth feature, acting as the practically exclusive catalyst …
Despite its many flaws, Alice is half a triumph. Besides being able to technically bring Lewis Carroll’s world to the screen, the film is usually enjoyable. Alice in Wonderland Directed by Tim Burton Reviewing the new Tim Burton helmed Alice in Wonderland picture is somewhat of a fool’s errand. Both Burton and Alice command a devoted …
A difficult film to watch, not because it is pornographic, or even all that graphic, but because we watch the characters become increasingly desperate as they realize they are no longer suited to the world around them. The Night Porter (1974) Directed by Lilliana Cavani Italy – 118 min. Color Criterion Spine # 59 “History …
Day One As opposed to Cannes (open only to film professionnals), the Berlin Film Festival is open to everyone, and it is possible to see people lining for hours (sometimes under the snow) in order to get tickets for films from Taiwan, Latvia or Paraguay. This gives the entire city a really festive touch, with …
Technically, the film is a marvel – this is Heneke’s first black and white film and it’s simply dazzling. The White Ribbon Directed by Michael Haneke – There’s always a certain kind of dread in a Mikael Haneke film. It could perhaps be do his reputation for exploring some of the most shocking aspects of …
Despite that fact that the competition this year underwhelmed (see Shane Danielsen’s column) there were sill some pleasant surprises and curiosities that are helping 2010 become another great year in film. Two recent releases premiered over the past couple weeks. Martin Scosesse’s Shutter Island got a mixed response, which translated the same stateside. While Roman …
This heartwarming, humanist and gender-blurring pic about life imitating art imitating life could possibly be his most accomplished work. All About My Mother Directed by Pedro Almodovar With All About My Mother, Pedro Almodovar shifts away from his earlier, more kinky and offbeat views of sex and relationships. Here, he is more concerned about conventional …
Cinema as we know it is under threat from cell phones – those super-slim, shiny and increasingly seductive devices around which 21st-century life revolves. No, I’m not talking about the popcorn-munching, Apple-loving text addicts, whose glowing handsets ruin the big-screen experience for the rest of us. And I’m not losing any sleep over the DIY …
Fish Tank Directed by Andrea Arnold – “less politically inclined than Ken Loach or theatrically mannered than Mike Leigh – the film operates in a realm well-trod in UK cinema and serves as a welcome antidote to the adrenaline-fueled demands of the summer season.” – The UK has a proud tradition of social realist cinema, pioneered by …
This may be the year the Oscars get out of their ratings slump. The expanding of the Best Picture category from five to ten was a smart move. Its big enough to include red state crowd pleasers (The Blind Side), fan boy fare (District 9), the biggest movie ever (Avatar), and at least one ballsy …
The Last Station feels more like a stuffy old British play than actual history The Last Station Directed by Michael Hoffman The Last Station presents the fascinating last year in the life of Russian giant Leo Tolstoy, watered down by a cavalcade of coming-of-age story and biopic clichés. It’s too bad, because there is so …