Tag: top-stories
Ten Thousand Saints | Review II
New York I Love You: Berman & Pulcini’s Schmaltz Soaked Latest
Nostalgia, especially in large doses, tends to hobble the authenticity of a text, whether...
Ten Thousand Saints | Review I
East Village Ennui: Coming of Age Story Displaced, Too Hip For Own Good
A coming of age narrative comprised of the familiar: teen angst, frustration,...
Straight Outta Compton | Review
Cruisin’ Down the Street: Gray Returns to Relevance with Biopic of Iconic Rap Group
Director F. Gary Gray will forever hold a seminal spot in...
Criterion Collection: The French Lieutenant’s Woman | Blu-ray Review
In the decades since its premiere, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is now most commonly discussed for its placement in the extensive awards resume of...
Tag | 2015 Fantasia Film Festival Review
Female of the Species: Sono’s Pseudo-Allegory Reifies the Male Gaze
Superficially, there’s not too much new on hand in Sion Sono’s Tag, credited as the...
Mistress America | Review
Sister, My Sister: Baumbach’s Energetic Return to Facades of NYC
The latest in Noah Baumbach’s prolific slew of projects, Mistress America is the follow-up collaboration...
Tom at the Farm | Review
I Need a Lover with a Farm Hand: Dolan’s Latest a Filet of Self Loathing
For his fourth feature, Xavier Dolan adapts the material of...
People, Places, Things | Review
Here in the Noun: Strouse’s Familiar, Charming RomCom
The kids are basically all right in People, Places, Things, director James C. Strouse’s third outing as...
Meru | Review
Treacherous Journey to The Top Shows Unmeasured Determination
At over 20,000 feet, the highest peak of the Meru Mountain, also known as the Shark’s Fin,...
Seashore | VOD Review
The Sea Will Tell: Titillation and Vague Angst Tease Substance in Tepid Gay Tinged Drama
Though there’s still a great need to tell vibrant, meaningful...
Two Step | Review
Ordinary Madness: Johnson’s Character Study Enriched by Neo-Noir Aesthetic
Premiering earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival, Alex R. Johnson’s directorial debut Two Step...
What’s Up Doc?: Moore Docu Surprises, Locarno Begins, Telluride, Venice & TIFF Loom
The fall festival rush is upon us. Locarno is currently ramping up. Venice has released their line-up and Thom Powers and the Toronto International...
Catch Me Daddy | Review
Family Matters: Wolfe’s Unsettling Debut a Thriller with a Mean Streak
Premiering in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, director Daniel...
The Gift | Review
Keep on Giving: Edgerton’s Debut a Surprisingly Adept Thriller
Actor Joel Edgerton makes his feature directorial debut with The Gift, an intelligent, enjoyably entertaining thriller...
Ricki and the Flash | Review
The Flash and How To Dull It: Demme and Streep Concoct Uneven Rock Cocktail
We’ve known the multifaceted Meryl Streep, amongst her many surprising and...
Dark Places | Review
Grim Girl: Pacquet-Brenner’s Adaptation Brandishes Relentlessly Contrived Twists
“I have a meanness in me,” warns the omniscient narrator of Dark Places, as voiced by a...
Cop Car | Review
Riding in Cars with Cops: Watts’ Thriller Offers Low Yield Excitement
Jon Watts continues in the B-grade vein showcased in his 2014 Eli Roth starring...
The Kindergarten Teacher | Review
Dangerous Minds: Lapid’s Sophomore Film a Bizarre, Engrossing Character Study
Repressed desires find an unexpected outlet in Israeli director Nadav Lapid’s sophomore film, The Kindergarten...
The End of the Tour | Review
The Admiration Game: Ponsoldt’s Moving Homage to Artist and Artistry
Following the critical successes of 2012’s Smashed and 2013’s The Spectacular Now, director James Ponsoldt...
Mission Impossible – Rogue Nation | Review
This Time, It’s Rogue: Cruise Continues Singing It Forever Just Because
Arriving nearly four years after the highly celebrated and significantly lauded fourth Mission Impossible...
Counting | Review
Overheard Yet Alive: Cohen Continues Poetic Pursuit of Travel
Jem Cohen invites us once again on a lackadaisical travelogue through cityscapes and unkempt streets, through...
Jenny’s Wedding | Review
Portrait of Jenny: Heigl’s Performance Buoys Social Issue Context
There are several aspects to admire in Mary Agnes Donoghue’s sophomore directorial effort, Jenny’s Wedding, her...
Phoenix | Review
Return From the Ashes: Petzold’s Compelling Resurrection of WWII Aftermath
At the head of the cinematic movement referred to as the Berlin School of filmmaking...
Cartel Land | Review
Good, Bad & Ugly: Heineman Embeds in the Borderlands
Towards the end of Matthew Heineman's remarkable Cartel Land, which sees the filmmaker embedded deep within two...
Cesar and Rosalie (1972) | Review
Love’s Connections: Sautet’s Frustrating, Savvy Love Story
Out of the many representations of cinematic emotional complexities French filmmakers master over most is the messy actuality...
Five Star | Review
A Star is Born: Miller’s Returns to Saga of the Streets
Director Keith Miller returns to a similar style of filmmaking with his sophomore film...
Big Significant Things | Review
Eager Yet Flawed: Indie Darling is Safe-Guarded and Traditional
Brian Reisberg's debut feature has many of the usual markings of an indie sleeper hit but like an...
Paper Towns | Review
Me and Earl and the Pixie Girl: Schreier Adapts Teen Schmaltz for Sophomore Effort
Director Jake Schreier takes on the saga of author John Green...
Pixels | Review
The King of Kong: Columbus Peddles Dopey Sandler Comedy
Hailing from some parallel universe where Never Never Land must be the capital is Pixels, a...
The Vatican Tapes | Review
Better the Devil You Show: Neveldine’s Solo Outing Can’t Quite Reach its Inner Demon
It’s hard to figure out who these religious themed horror films...
Video Interview: Christian Petzold (Phoenix)
I sat down with Christian Petzold after the premiere of his new film Phoenix at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. We discussed his...
Video Interview: Nina Hoss (Christian Petzold’s Phoenix)
I sat down with Nina Hoss after the premiere of her new film Phoenix at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Her sixth collaboration...
Max and the Junkmen (1971) | Review
Crime and Punishment: Sautet’s Enthralling Policier an Obscure Neo-Noir
Following the international acclaim of his 1970 film The Things of Life, Claude Sautet re-teamed with...
Dark Was the Night | Review
Into the Woods: A Creature Was Lurking in Heller’s Rudimentary Sophomore Film
If it’s nifty poetic title manages to reel you in, you’ll discover a...
Unexpected | Review
Baby Boom: Swanberg’s Pregnancy Drama Plays it Safe
For a glaring portrait of the subtle audacity of subconscious privilege unawares, look no further than Kris...
10 Cent Pistol | Review
The Bonds of Bonding: Martin’s Debut a Choppy Crime Caper
Sustained by a likeable cast of notable character actors, screenwriter Michael C. Martin’s directorial debut...
Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995) | Review
Lonely Hearts: Sautet’s Elegant Final Film on Passionate Restraint
Winning Best Director as well as Best Actor for Michel Serrault at the 1995 Cesars, Nelly...
Southpaw | Review
My Left Fist: Fuqua’s Sports Drama a Familiar, Emotionally Charged Comeback
After another recent dalliance in action genre schlock, director Antoine Fuqua returns with the...
A Hard Day | Review
Long Day’s Journey: Seong-hoon Reaches Amoral High Ground with Spry Action Flick
If anything, South Korean director Kim Seong-hoon’s sophomore film A Hard Day certainly...
Safelight | Review
To the Lighthouse: Aloupis Crafts Woefully Sluggish Tale of Truck Stop Tendencies
Serving up a generous helping of outsider character study with teenage romance tinged...
A Poem is a Naked Person | Review
Taste of Starlight: Blank’s Debut a Fascinating Time Capsule
Highly regarded documentarian Les Blank’s 1974 debut finally sees an official theatrical release over forty years...
Ant-Man | Review
Can’t-Man: Reed’s Marvel Entry Positions Rudd as Dubious Franchise Tangent
Evidence of Marvel’s continuing imperviousness to even the most promising of fashionable script doctors is...
Lila & Eve | Review
Day of the Mother: Stone’s Flighty Revenge Thriller Favors Laughs
There’s a certain degree of entertainment to be gleaned from director Charles Stone III’s latest...
Irrational Man | Review
Tepid Contemplation: The Unraveling of a Mild Murder Plot
For his 46th feature film, Irrational Man calls upon Woody Allen’s fascination, or at least tendency to create a...
Video Interview: Fabrice Du Welz – Alleluia
We sat with Belgian director Fabrice Du Welz at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival, where his latest feature, Alleluia, played in the Vanguard line-up...
Court | Review
Legal Ease: Tamhane’s Frustrating, Numbing Portrait of India’s Legal System
Director Chaitanya Tamhane won Best Film in the Horizons program at the 2014 Venice Film...
Video Interview: Joshua Oppenheimer – The Look of Silence
No one saw The Act of Killing coming, which makes Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up all the more remarkable and somewhat ironic, being that The Look of Silence is...
Trainwreck | Review
Who’ll Stop the Train?: Apatow Matures with Schumer’s Impressive Skills
The most inappropriate element of Judd Apatow’s latest film Trainwreck is its title, which promises...
Mr. Holmes | Review
Unsolved Mysteries: Condon Recreates the Last Days of Sherlock Holmes
Director Bill Condon reunites with elements from several of his most critically acclaimed titles for...
Human Capital | DVD Review
Receiving its North American premiere last spring at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, where it snagged a Best Actress award for Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Paolo...
