Much Ado About Nothing Directed by Joss Whedon Written by William Shakespeare (play), Joss Whedon (screenplay) USA, 2012 Upon first realization that Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing is set in contemporary Southern California, one most certainly becomes both skeptical and intrigued all at once. How will all this play out? (No …
The Kings of Summer is a coming of age film born from the spirit of the American sitcom. Built on the public’s enduring obsession with what it means to be a man, the film undercuts the self-seriousness of this notion through its use of sitcom-branded comedy. The film depicts the story of three teenage boys who are tired of their oppressive parents, so they find an isolated pocket in the forest to build themselves a house where they plan to live off the land.
Mulholland Drive Directed by David Lynch Written by David Lynch 2001, USA I have never seen a David Lynch film. I know very little about him. I doubt that I truly grasped that Lynch was a surrealist filmmaker before now, yet Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive have been on my to-be-watched list for a decade. So …
Forty 1940s Films: ‘Black Narcissus Written & Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Starring Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, Sabu, and Jean Simmons UK, 100 min – 1947. Black Narcissus recreates the western world’s allure for the exotic – with a twist. This is no escapist, romantic drama in the style of Arabian Nights. With …
The Case of the Bloody Iris (1972) Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo Written by Ernesto Gastaldi Italy, 94 min. The giallo film is obsessed with surface values, the quality and textures of materials; rough, soft, hard, supple, warm, cold, etc. The constant contrast between cold metal and hot flesh, the mixing of bodies and the release …
Post Tenebras Lux (Carlos Reygadas, 2012) The new film from Mexican filmmaker, Carlos Reygadas, Post Tenebras Lux- a latin phrase meaning Light After Darkness, is an experimental family drama, which adopts a narrative flow that does moves between different levels of consciousness, fragmented chronologies and alternating points of view. Perhaps a bit too dense to …
Antiviral Written by Brandon Cronenberg Directed by Brandon Cronenberg Canada, 2012 Whether it is on the level of style, theme or pedigree, Brandon Cronenberg’s new film Antiviral is sure to divide critical and popular reception. Audiences will almost universally fit into two categories: those who walk away inspired and those who will walk away alienated, …
The Possession (2012) Directed by Ole Bornedal Written by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White USA, 2012 The Possession is the newest film in a dominant sub-genre of horror family dramas that seem to be invading our theatres with increasing persistence. Very much on par with recent horror trends, at the center of the film is …
Unsung Gems is a look back and reflection on great motion pictures that often slip under the radar of public consciousness , whether as ignored relics of a previous era, standout efforts overshadowed by competition or circumstance, or simply unseen classics damned by a lack of time in the spotlight. – Road to Perdition Directed …
How do you measure the value of art? Influence, innovation, inspiration… Every ten years since 1952, the London based magazine Sight & Sound has compiled the lists of the best critics and filmmakers in order to compile the ten best “greatest” films of all time. The 2012 edition marks the first time since 1962 that …
Resolution Directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson USA, 2012 An exploration of urban legends, examining our eternal relationship with storytelling, Resolution begins as the story of two friends. Michael, whose life is on the right path, receives a disturbing video of his friend Chris, and decides to go to the backwoods in order to …
Possession (1981) Written and Directed by Andrzej Zulawski France/West Germany, 127 minutes Zulawski’s work can be described as being a part of the cinema of hysteria. His characters exist on the edge of sanity, often in an alternative universe that resembles our own but is fuelled by different rules of conduct. Unreal is a way …
Since Sound on Sight was founded, we have always been one of the biggest fans of the Fantasia International Film Festival. With every year we provide even more coverage, updating daily with new articles, reviews and as many podcasts as humanly possible. This year in collaboration with CUTV, we will also be including video coverage of the …
Since Sound on Sight was founded, we have always been one of the biggest fans of the Fantasia International Film Festival. With every year we provide even more coverage, updating daily with new articles, reviews and as many podcasts as humanly possible. This year in collaboration with CUTV, we will also be including video coverage …
For even the most seasoned festival goer, the Fantasia Film Festival presents a daunting challenge. With over 160 films playing, it is impossible to see everything and compromise is not an option but a necessity. For the cinematic adventurer, however, Fantasia is a gold-mine: bringing to the forefront some of the strangest, smallest and craziest …
Throughout January, SOS writers will be biting the bullet and finally sitting down with a film they feel like bad film buffs for not having seen already. Au Hasard Balthazar Directed by Robert Bresson France, 1966 I would like to begin by apologizing to all of you who I promised that I would watch Chinatown …
After bringing us illuminating takes on graphic design and industrial design wit Helvetica and Objectified, director Gary Hustwit turns his eye toward larger things with Urbanized. In a way, this is the first in the series to feel “important”. By looking at the very real ways urban planning and design affect the lives of people of …
25 Days Of Christmas: Television Specials and Holiday Films Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December. The catch: They will swap roles as Rick will take on reviews of …
Twixt Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola USA, 2011 Francis Ford Coppola’s newest film, Twixt, enters the realm of popular supernatural dime novels. Val Kilmer is Hall Baltimore, a second-rate Stephen King who is in a slump. Not only has he lost all enthusiasm for the series of novels about witches, but his personal …
Midnight in Paris Written by Woody Allen Directed by Woody Allen USA/Spain, 2011 It has been a long while since Woody Allen has been a reliably strong filmmaker in spite of his yearly output of festival fodder. Midnight in Paris remains lightweight and cannot hold a candle to his best work of the last ten …
Inspired by the recent Sound on Sight radio show on Preston Sturges, I have decided to supplement the work of one of the great comic directors by providing a list of under seen and generally under appreciated comedies from Preston Sturges’ era. Whereas most connoisseurs will be familiar with his work, as well as films …
The Social Network Directed by David Fincher Privileged due to his intelligence and in spite of his personality, Mark Zuckerberg’s (Jesse Eiseinberg) need for success runs far deeper than his need for money or acceptance. His primary drive initially seems to be to become a member of a Harvard Club, but shortly after that opportunity …
“The Coens once again demonstrate why they are among the very few American filmmakers worth anticipating and they hardly disappoint”. True Grit (2010) Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen Cast: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Josh Brolin and Matt Damon If in some way, No Country for Old Men was about an innocence lost that never …