Tag: U.S. Indie Film Review
Stephen King’s A Good Marriage | Review
Golden Years: Askin Adapts Stephen King’s Domestic Dilemma
For those hoping for resurgence in the quality of Stephen King stock, the unique promise of A...
Left Behind | Review
Growing Pains: Armstrong’s Re-hash of Christian Agenda Hardly Rapturous
The end of times is here again with Left Behind, heralded by the presence of Nicolas...
Hellaware | Review
Satirize This: Bilandic’s Scruffy Send-up of NYC Art Scene
Though starting off on a stronger note than where it eventually ends up, Michael M. Bilandic’s...
Cold in July | Blu-ray Review
Director Jim Mickle’s fourth feature film, Cold in July, is an adaptation of a novel by Joe R. Landsale, set in the particular, simpler...
Men, Women & Children | Review
I Tumblr For You; The Kids Aren't Alright in Reitman's Latest
Parents and their burgeoning teenagers battle their insecurities and repressed sexuality amidst ever present technology...
Days and Nights | Review
Birds of a Feather: Camargo’s Debut a Tepid Chekhovian Transplant
Contemporizing classic literature can be a tricky feat, though it more often than not seems...
Jimi: All is By My Side | Review
Before the Haze: Ridley’s Nuanced Portrait Worthy of Legendary Subject
After a rather cool reception following high profile festival play at Toronto and SXSW, John...
2014 TIFF: Safdie Bros.’ Heaven Knows What
Following the premiere of their caustic new film, Heaven Knows What, at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival (it premiered in Venice and had...
Two Night Stand | Review
About Last Night: Nichols’ Debut Paddles Vainly Around Notions of Modern Love
Director Max Nichols makes his directorial debut with Two Night Stand, almost entirely...
Good People | Review
People Are People: Genz’s English Debut a Satisfactory B-Grade Noir
Expectations may a bet set a bit too high for Danish filmmaker Henrik Ruben Genz’s...
Space Station 76 | Review
Earth Below Us: Plotnick’s Debut a Sweet Space Soap Opera
Those familiar with the comedic genius of Jack Plotnick should be thrilled to see his...
The Guest | Review
Lone Survivor: Wingard’s Latest a Near Perfect Mix of Subtext, Comedy and Satisfying Thrills
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and...
Tusk | 2014 TIFF Review
Another Tuskegee Experiment: Smith’s Latest Creation Odd But Not Audacious
Sure to garner all the WTF exclamatory delights that it’s had its grotesque little heart...
Kelly & Cal | Review
Shared Tendencies: McGowan’s Debut an Understated Navigation of Character
While she’s not treading uncharted territories with her directorial debut, Kelly & Cal, Jen McGowan manages...
At the Devil’s Door | Review
Devil in Disguise: McCarthy’s Latest an Unnerving Indie Horror Film
Every now and then, a horror film comes along that’s reminiscent of a certain heyday...
Honeymoon | Review
Period of Adjustment: Janiak’s Eerie Relationship Chiller a Provocative Debut
Weirdly unsettling, Leigh Janiak’s directorial debut, Honeymoon, is one of those rarely effective offbeat psychological...
My Old Lady | 2014 TIFF Review
Seeds of Yesterday: Horovitz’s Debut a Tonally Uncomfortable Adaptation
Playwright and screenwriter Israel Horovitz makes his directorial debut with My Old Lady, an adaptation of...
Memphis | Review
Riding on a Western Dream: Sutton’s Sophomore Film Drifts About a Drifter
To refer to Tim Sutton’s sophomore film, Memphis as understated would itself be...
The Longest Week | Review
Arrested Development: Glanz’s Debut an Affluent Vacuum
For the most part, it’s an ingenious trick to fabricate an aura of empathy around a pool of...
The Scribbler | Review
I’m Scribbling as Fast as I Can: Suits Unsuited for Comic Book Adaptation
Within minutes of its meager running time, which opens with a disorienting...
Innocence | Review
The Vice of Virtue: Brougher’s Latest Achieves Varied Results
Those familiar with Hilary Brougher’s offbeat sensibilities, as showcased in her delightful 1997 debut The Sticky...
Life of Crime | Review
Criminal Intent: Leonard Done Light
What remains most enticing about Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime is its connection to Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 masterwork, Jackie Brown....
The Damned | Review
Damned If You Do: Garcia’s Creepy House Horror a Non-Entity
For some strange reason, IFC Midnight decided to release direct-to-DVD pro Victor Garcia’s latest film,...
The Last of Robin Hood | Review
Beverly Center: Flynn’s Final Scandal Makes for Interesting Cinematic Footnote
It’s been eight years since Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s 2006 sophomore film, Quinceanera swept...
Cam2Cam | Review
Cam a lot: Soisson’s Stilted Thriller as Dated as it is Laughably Inarticulate
The only thing horrifying in Joel Soisson’s techno born thriller Cam2Cam is...
May in the Summer | Review
Summer of Our Discontent: Dabis’ Sophomore Feature an Uneven Venture
Nebraska born filmmaker Cherien Dabis follows up her well received 2009 debut Amreeka with a...
Love Is Strange | Review
Married Life: Sachs’ Latest a Subtle Portrayal of Love, Marriage, and Familial Bonds
Following on the heels of his 2012 film, Keep the Lights On,...
The One I Love | Review
Love the One You’re With: McDowell’s Exceptional Debut is Remarkable Lo-fi Sci-fi
Almost impossible to discuss without tarnishing the highly nuanced and inventive twists it...
Are You Here | Review
One Has to Ask: Weiner’s Debut a Floundering Misfire
Success sometimes has a blindsiding effect on self-criticism and control, which may very well be the...
Jake Squared | Review
Multiplicity: Goldberg’s Latest a Mediocre Mash-up of the Masculinity Affliction
A handful of exquisite references are bound to crop up in a discussion of Howard...
About Alex | Review
Still the Chill: Zwick Assembles Fine Cast for Routine Exercise
Jesse Zwick, son of director Edward Zwick, has amassed a fine cast of young actors...
The Maid’s Room | Review
Maid of Honor: Walker’s Thriller Uneasily Navigates Issues of Class
Serving as a portrayal of unsaid attitudes amongst the elitist denizens of the Hamptons that...
After | Review
The War at Home: Gaspersz’s Film is Garbage Bin Exploitation
To truly address the putrid redolence of something like the film After, of such deficient...
Child of God | Review
Requiem for a Cave Man: Franco’s McCarthy Adaptation Displays Growth
On a similar directorial trajectory as, let’s say, Joe Swanberg, where quality vs. quantity tends...
Very Good Girls | Review
The Boyfriend Experience: Foner’s Directorial Debut a Derivative Shard
Screenwriter Naomi Foner makes her directorial debut with Very Good Girls, though her preceding reputation...
Beneath | Review
We Now Begin Our Descent: Ketai’s Debut a Minor Effort
Arriving decently dressed but in poor taste is writer/producer Ben Ketai’s directorial debut, Beneath, sharing...
Magic in the Moonlight | Review
Hocus Pocus: Allen’s Latest a Re-hash of All-Too-Familiar Themes
Returning once more to the world of psychics and magicians to inform his breezy comedic styling,...
Wish I Was Here | Review
Anywhere But Here: Braff’s Kickstarter Baby a Painstaking Smog of Forced Emotion
It’s hard to believe a decade has passed since actor Zach Braff’s directorial...
Lyle | 2014 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival Review
Devil’s Due: Satan is an Equal Opportunity Baby Snatcher in Thorndike’s Debut
Credited as a ‘sinister ode to Rosemary’s Baby’ (though, there probably is no...
Boyhood | Review
About a Boy: Linklater’s Unique Experiment a Mostly Enjoyable Endeavor
An experience that is as enhanced by the aura of its experimental nature as it...
A Long Way Down | Review
Lost in Translation: Chaumeil’s English Language Debut a Wretched Operation
While his 2010 feature debut, Heartbreaker, which starred Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris, managed to...
Rage | Review
Cage Against the Machine: Cabezas’ English Debut Labors Through Borrowed Themes
Playing like the cheap echo of David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence, director Paco...
They Came Together | Review
Come Undone: Wain’s Cliché Buster Episodically Funny
Every now and then, director David Wain delivers a great film with his certain brand of offbeat humor...
Begin Again | review
How To Save a Life: Carney’s Anticipated American Film a Pleasantly Loveable
Though trudging through a somewhat ungainly and slightly anachronistic set-up, John Carney’s latest,...
The Well | 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival Review
Hell’s Wells: Hammock’s Debut an Elementary Genre Piece
Environmentally defined dystopias can either be beneficent, as regards a film’s budget, or an incredible boon, generally...
The Signal | Review
Scrambled Transmission: Eubank’s Sophomore Effort Relies on Visual Strengths
William Eubank expands his brand of cerebral sci-fi with sophomore effort, The Signal, following up from...
The Moment | Review
War Story: Weinstock’s Sophomore Feature Rides on Leigh’s Laurels
Unveiling her first film since her 2003 debut, Easy, director Jane Weinstock’s latest, The Moment, is an intriguing...
Hellion | Review
Boys of Summer: Candler’s Latest Effort a Meandering Glance at Troubled Youth
If there’s anything as frequently explored as the ‘coming of age’ archetype in...
Coherence | Review
Time Crimes: Byrkit’s Exercise Somewhat Overbaked by Inchoate Ideas
Fans of Shane Carruth’s blend of intelligent and hyper complicated low-fi sci-fi should certainly be interested...
Willow Creek | Review
The Fault in Their Yeti: Goldthwait’s Found Footage Cheapie a Generic Endeavor
Following his bitterly angry vituperation of American culture in 2013’s God Bless America,...
