Review

The Last Exorcism is a well executed entry to the found footage movement

Tales From Earthsea Directed by Goro Miyazaki The logo for Studio Ghibli depicts a Totoro, the affable guide spirit from Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 classic. But more than just reminding us of a one-time merchandising juggernaut, this larger-than-life creature could also be considered a stand-in for Miyazaki himself: being the head honcho mega-genius behind most of …

With Grindhouse, directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino made a movie in the grand tradition of Umberto Lenzi and John Carpenter. Masquerading as a double bill, the homage of ’60s- and ’70s-era drive-in flicks stitched into one shambling feature also included four goofball “Coming Attractions” for nonexistent B-movies. This Frankenstein monster runs just over the …

Salesman (1968) Directed by: Albert and David Maysles Like many great films, Salesman seems to have only improved with age, but what has allowed it to age in a particularly interesting way is how it plays along with the inevitable evolution of society. An era passes, only to give rise to the next. One can’t …

Mesrine Part 1: Killer Instinct Mesrine Part 2: Public Enemy #1 Directed by Jean-Francois Richet France does (bad) Hollywood in its portrayal of infamous French gangster, Jacques Mesrine, in a two part bio-pic. Mesrine’s life seems tailor made for the screen; his life of crime spanned three continents, he broke out of maximum security prison …

Waiting for Armageddon Dir. Kate Davis (2010, USA, 74 mins.) Rapture, tribulation, millennialism, Armageddon – Director Kate Davis has her work cut out. Waiting for Armageddon attempts to shine light onto one of the most nebulous and convoluted social movements of recent history: Armageddon theology as prescribed by American Christian fundamentalists. Davis achieves this by …

“Catfish feels like the most relevant examination of humanity and love in the Internet age…” Catfish Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman When a poster for a film includes nothing but its title and the disclaimer “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is,” that film will likely be a headache to review.  Though …

What is most impressive about The Dead is its languid, acrid texture, it is a very atmospheric tale of the re-animated dead which harkens back to the early days of Fulci and Romero,

The American Directed by Anton Corbijn Action fans and George Clooney enthusiasts might well be ill-prepared for The American, which, despite its marketing as a slam-bang thriller, is actually closer in spirit to Euro arthouse fare, and features Clooney in full-on “emptied out” mode. (It’s best described as a brooding drama slightly peppered with violence.) …

“Wings is a rare cinematic achievement – a poetic, literary script turned into pure cinematic expression…” Wings Of Desire Directed by Wim Wenders Every so often, a filmmaker will turn to a smaller project while he’s impatiently waiting to get a bigger one financed, and often that small independent film will turn out to be …

“Intelligent, audacious and complex filmmaking…” Open Your Eyes Directed by Alejandro Amenábar The 1998 Sundance Film Fest hit Open Your Eyes announced Alejandro Amenábar as one of the top directors working today. His sophomore feature is a labyrinth, thick in mystery, with intricate plot twists and a riddle that will keep you guessing to the …

‘From the Saul Bass inspired, cascading titles it’s evident that the master of suspense would be proud; one can quite clearly imagine an intrigued Hitchcock mining Buried’s foundations for all their anxious credentials.’

“It’s invigorating and brilliant and deserves to become a minor classic.” Buried Directed by Rodrigo Cortés When A Serbian Film was dropped from the line-up during the first day of the festival, Frightfesters were up in arms about the loss of one of the weekend’s most anticipated movies and a bit of a frenzy ensued …

“A well made pulpy-genre piece that entertains as well as provoking some genuine emotion thanks to its earnest final showdown…” Red Hill Directed by Patrick Hughes Red Hill is a slightly oddball yet very sincere modern-day Australian cowboy movie. Its setup is simple: city cop moves to backwards middle-of-nowhere town with his pregnant wife to …

8: The Mormon Proposition Dir. Reed Cowan, Steven Greenstreet If you are the type of person who watches documentaries like 8: The Mormon Proposition, then it is likely that you already have an opinion on the subject of homosexuality, Mormonism, and California’s Proposition 8. In this case, you are in good company: it is clear …

Monsters Directed by Gareth Edwards Monsters begins with a flurry of panicked hand-held night vision shots as troops battle with a looming, Lovecraft-ian creature that towers above them, tentacles rippling through the night sky. It’s an arresting first impression and one whose key tone – realism – is maintained throughout the rest of the movie. …

According to Filmjunk.com, Dark Sky Films has announced that they are making a pretty risky decision with the theatrical release of Hatchet 2. Following in the footsteps of Anchor Bay’s remake to I Spit On Your, Dark Sky is sidestepping the MPAA entirely by only releasing an unrated version of the film. What this means …

“At eighty minutes, this brisk film never outstays its welcome, and provides some entertaining quips and distressing gore effects that should satiate the gore-hound crowd…”

If I was an envious person, I would envy Sofia Coppola. She is not only the epitome of cool, but has a spirit and intellect about her that emanates and exudes out her persona and completely into her writing and film making. Everything is intricately crafted and relentless tweaked; no detail is spared and the …

“Worth recommending to fans of music, whether or not you are familiar with the workings of Broken Social Scene…” This Movie Is Broken Directed by Bruce McDonald Whether or not Bruce McDonald’s experiments in filmmaking are always successful, his passion and continued desire to push the limits of the medium in both form and content …

“If you’re in the mood for some mindless genre affection, for a film whose plot trajectory can be summarized to: revision scene, ‘legend’ episode, characterization sequence and blistering blitzkreig, then Hatchet 2 comes warmly recommended.” Hatchet 2 Directed by Adam Green World Premiere A suitably gloomy, rainswept August pallor ushered in London’s Frightfest film festival yesterday …

“The gothic horror genre has been fairly maligned in cinemas lately – shoddy stories and appeals to the lowest common denominator are largely to blame. Thankfully, Heartless is the movie to buck the trend.” Heartless Dir. Philip Ridley (2009, UK, 114 mins.) Heartless is an uncommon film from an uncommon director. Philip Ridley is, among …

  “Six adds new life to the traditional ‘kidnap and torture’ genre that we’ve previously seen in such films as Hostel or Martyrs.” The Human Centipede: First Sequence Directed by Tom Six Every once in a while a film comes along that pushes the boundaries of blood and torture unlike anyone has ever seen.  When …