REVIEWS
Review: Opposing Tones Work Together in David Wain's 'Wanderlust'
After helping make "The State" a highly regarded TV series, director/writer/actor David Wain naturally delved into feature filmmaking. The bizarre character-building that made the show such a hit came with him, and Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten were fine ideas on which he could cut his teeth. Role Models came in 2008, and, like Wanderlust, his latest film, it rode a fine line between odd character display and somewhat typical rom-com fare. It's more the latter with Wanderlust. But Wain and his co-writer Ken Marino have created a comedy that doesn't compromise either side of its tone. Plus it's extremely funny.
›› Posted February 23 in Reviews | 2 Comments
Review: 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance' Proves that Hell is Boring
Like a flash fire, the excitement in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance burns out just as quickly as it appears. Maybe faster. Before Nicolas Cage's Johnny Blaze or even his flame-headed alter ego show, we're given an action sequence followed by a chase. Neither bring with them even the slightest idea of weight. In fact, Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor, who are taking over from Mark Steven Johnson, rely so heavily on CGI and non-stop camera shaking there's little room for anything else. The loud, fake energy is not only indicative of everything wrong with Spirit of Vengeance, it's becoming the duo's calling card.
›› Posted February 17 in Reviews | 17 Comments
Review: Michael Roskam's 'Bullhead' is a Staggering Character Drama
Matthias Schoenaerts is the absolute core of Bullhead, an emotionally and psychologically driven character study and Belgium's entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language film - one of the five nominees. Schoenaerts plays Jacky, a cattle farmer caught up in the crime world of illegal growth hormones, who keeps himself on a steady diet of the drugs. He's anxious but always in a kind of haze, uncomfortable in his own skin and unable to get away from the rage, psychosis, and physical disfigurement of a horrifying, childhood event. But Jacky's past comes back, and an inescapable chain of events lead to tragic results.
›› Posted February 17 in Reviews | 3 Comments
Review: 'Safe House' Has Bad-Ass Denzel Washington & Solid Action
There's nothing quite like watching Denzel Washington go all bad-ass on a group of bad guys. He's calm. He breathes very deliberately. He even emits an aura of peace about him before all hell breaks loose. He's usually the one causing said hell to break loose. Even then, when he's ripping villains apart and laughing about his partner, usually a rookie, throwing verbal jabs at him, the man remains calm somehow. This is something director Daniel Espinosa (with his first American film) understands about Washington, and he utilizes it to neck-breaking lengths in Safe House. But thankfully, that's not where this film's merits end.
›› Posted February 10 in Reviews | 13 Comments
Review: Atmosphere, Character Make 'Woman in Black' a True Return
A lot of uncertain variables are at work in The Woman in Black. Since returning to the world of horror, Hammer Films has had hits - Let Me In and Wake Wood - and misses - The Resident. Fresh from the Harry Potter finale, Daniel Radcliffe is untested outside of the franchise. Director James Watkins' previous film, Eden Lake, was a mixed bag of heavy atmosphere and foreboding tension with an ending both anti-climactic and shaky. Perhaps Eden Lake is a fine indicator of what to expect from The Woman in Black, a gothic and effective throwback to the mood-drenched fogs and creaky manors of the Hammer Films of old.
›› Posted February 2 in Reviews | 6 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Indie Game' Shows Passion & Art in Video Games
While younger generations have been criticized for only watching TV and playing video games, Indie Game: The Movie shows it's these young people who have grown up with these forms of entertainment who now aspire to make the very products that parents once warned would rot the mind. However, in the case of game designers Edmund McMillen, Tommy Refenes, Phil Fish and Jonathan Blow, their mind is far from rotten, and it's actually quite clear as they work hard everyday to craft the kind of video games they love. But just like films at Sundance, their games are crafted outside of the game studio system.
›› Posted January 30 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 4 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'West of Memphis' An Infuriating Look at Injustice
While HBO has followed the case of The West Memphis 3 throughout three different documentary films, it's director Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil) and producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh who have delivered the definitive chronicle of a tragic misstep in our country's justice system. West of Memphis starts at the very beginning with the murders of Christopher Byers, Steven Branch and Michael Moore in the small town of West Memphis, Arkansas and the impending convictions and trials of accused killers (then just young boys) Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr. But they aren't guilty in the least.
›› Posted January 30 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 14 Comments
Sundance 2012: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Astounding in 'Smashed'
It's hard to tell a story of the struggles of alcoholism without coming off like a melodramatic after school special, but thankfully director James Ponsoldt has come around with Smashed. Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) stars along with Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") as a married couple seemingly enjoying the good life with a house provided by the latter's wealthy parents and fun late nights with beers, whiskey and more. Together, this trio has turned in a simultaneously funny and harrowing tale of a young alcoholic lost in inebriation and desperate to stop drowning her life in liquor.
›› Posted January 28 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 2 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Save the Date' is Not Just Another Romantic Comedy
If there's one thing most romantic comedies can't seem to lock down it's real romance and substantial comedy. However, when it comes to the film festival circuit, plenty of films hit it right on the money. Whether it's (500) Days of Summer or even Garden State, Sundance is the place to find a real love story with heart and comedy. Save the Date easily fits into that category but with an even more grounded, even practical approach to love as a twenty-something. From the pressure of being engaged to the lead-up to a serious relationship, a lot can go wrong when it comes to romance. But thankfully, it can also go right.
›› Posted January 27 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 3 Comments
Review: Decent Enough Thrills Can Be Found with 'Man on a Ledge'
Man on a Ledge, the new film directed by Asger Leth, never hits the depths of dullness its name implies. It doesn't exactly rev the engines from frame one, either. Hand-holding at times, drab for a majority of its running time, and not the most memorable of heist thrillers, it sits on that ledge for a large portion, daring to take the leap. Luckily, it finally does and ends up being above average for this brand of casual, movie-going experience. They could have chosen a much more interesting title, though. Continued below!
›› Posted January 27 in Reviews | 3 Comments
Sundance 2012 Video Blog: Mark Webber's Intimate 'The End of Love'
One film that premiered in the later half of the Sundance Film Festival that has still left a lasting impact on myself and Ethan is a intimate portrait of a father and son from writer/director/actor Mark Webber. You may know him as Stephen Stills in Scott Pilgrim, but Webber is a talented actor who's been starring in indies for years (I met him at my first Sundance in 2007). His new film, The End of Love, is his directorial debut starring himself and his 2-year-old boy Isaac as they try to cope with living in Los Angeles without his mother. It's very touching and raw, but a captivating look at the relationship between a father and his son.
›› Posted January 27 in Reviews, Sundance 12, Video Blogs | 5 Comments
Sundance 2012 Video Blog: Awesome New Horror Anthology 'V/H/S'
The found footage "genre" has become trend in Hollywood, with new Paranormal Activity's replacing the Saw films every year, and many more to come. When it comes to horror found footage films, Sundance has a strong history, with Blair Witch Project premiering back in 1999. Jump ahead 13 years to 2012 and here we are with another genre reinvention, this time refreshing the horror anthology idea with a found-footage film titled V/H/S, about VHS footage, produced by Brad Miska of Bloody-Disgusting. It's an awesome collection of six freaky, fantastic horror films rolled into one and we've got our first video blog about it to watch below.
›› Posted January 26 in Reviews, Sundance 12, Video Blogs | 8 Comments
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