Tag: top-stories
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...
The Look of Silence | Review
Examining Eyes, Hearts & Minds: Oppenheimer Sees This Time From The Viewpoint of the Victims
Joshua Oppenheimer rocked the world of cinema with his groundbreaking...
Alleluia | Review
In the Mood For Love: Du Welz Returns With Gloriously Dark Rendering of Insatiable Passion
His first film since 2008’s underappreciated Vinyan, Belgian director Fabrice...
The Gallows | Review
MacDeath: All the World’s a Grave in Stilted Found Footage Horror
It seems we’ve yet to hit the bottom of the found footage barrel, at...
Strangerland | Review
Cry in the Dark: Farrant’s Debut an Unnerving Exploration of Carnal Knowledge
Recent critically acclaimed imports from Australia tend to glorify more aggressive genre trends,...
Self/less | Review
The Change-Up: Singh Sleepwalks Through Sci-Fi Stock
Time is not on anyone’s side in director Tarsem Singh’s latest blunder through familiar material, Self/less, a mash-up...
Stations of the Cross | Review
The Road to Hell: Brueggemann’s Apprehensive Examination of Blind Faith
Premiering at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival, where it snagged the Ecumenical Jury Prize as...
Tangerine | Review
Boulevard Ballads: Baker’s Enigmatic Journey into Hollywood’s Facade
For those familiar with the cinematic offerings of Sean Baker, it will come as no surprise that...
10,000 KM | Review
Going the Distance: Marques-Marcet Explores the Strain of Separation
An exploration of the effects an extended period of long distance has on the stability of...
Mad Women | Review
Women on the Verge: Lipsky’s Overwrought Portrait of Dysfunction
Those having experienced the independent cinema styling of Jeff Lipsky won’t be surprised by the end...
The Conversation: 2015’s Top 10 Theatrical Releases So Far…
With the first half of 2015 officially coming to a close, it’s time for our mid-year list of best theatrical releases. As seems to...
What’s Up Doc?: Wiseman Rises to New “Heights” & Rivers Shooting “The Two Eyes Are Not Brothers” in Morocco
It's been a surprisingly interesting month of moving and shaking in terms of doc development. Just a month after making his first public funding...
Stray Dog | Review
Still Learning New Tricks: Hall Heals Via Empathy & Remembrance
Much less cinematically invigorating than Akira Kurosawa's noir of the same name and miles away from Tsai...
Jackie & Ryan | Review
Ballad of the Sad Doublet: Mann’s Warm, Simplistic Tale of Lonely Hearts
Recalling an era of simple, but warmly rendered studio features fitted specifically for...
Magic Mike: XXL | Review
Live Hard, Sell Hard: Jacobs’ Fluffer Sequel Has One Track Mind
Considering the interest and financial success of 2012’s Magic Mike, it’s no surprise to...
Stung | Review
Spirit of the Wasp’s Nest: Diez’s Debut a Schlocky Creature Feature
African killer bees were once a common threat in disaster themed American cinema of...
A Cannes Opener: 2016 Cannes Film Festival Predictions
A furious slew of titles in the works would seem to prophesize a robust main competition slate for Cannes 2016. Though our initial list...
Big Game | Review
Rules of the Game: Helander’s Schlocky English Language Debut
Even though the film seems perfectly well aware of its own silliness as it recapitulates formulaic...
The Strongest Man | Review
Miami Blues: Riches’ Sophomore Effort Back Pedals
At its core, perhaps The Strongest Man could best be described as a character study concerning one man...
Escobar: Paradise Lost | Review
Drug War Diaries: Di Stefano’s Peripheral Take on Famed Drug Lord’s Activities
For those wishing to learn much of anything about famed Colombian drug lord...
The Little Death | Review
Lust, Actually: Lawson’s Sexually Charged Debut Struggles with What Women Want
Taking home the audience prize at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Australian director Josh...
