Film Threat » Jessica Baxter

GANGSTER SQUAD

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:09:47 +0000

These men wear the uniform of the 40s Supercop. That’s because they are superheroes.

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PROMISED LAND

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:05:39 +0000

If you see only one film this year by a handsome actor from Bahston, make it “Argo”...

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LES MISÉRABLES (2012)

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 05:05:34 +0000

It’s pretty hard to ignore Hugh Jackman when his tractor-beam eyes are pulling you straight into the abyss of his nostrils...

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LINCOLN

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 05:05:04 +0000

[I]t’s celebratory of our nation without being jingoistic. I wish we could have elected this movie as the next President of the United States of America...

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PUSHER (2012)

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 04:01:08 +0000

Coyle brings ample pathos to his role, making the audience care about Frank more than he deserves...

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KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 04:03:19 +0000

IN LIMITED RELEASE! The catharsis oozes off the screen in this unflinching, but affectionate. portrait of a man and his junkie...

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BACHELORETTE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:03:50 +0000

The women of “Bachelorette” turn the story into one long, cruel fat girl joke punctuated by a “just kidding” ending...

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HIT & RUN

Jessica Baxter — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:01:19 +0000

It’s so goddamn earnest that even when it’s lame, it’s still a little bit cute. Dax Shepard doesn’t care if you get his references. He just wants the chance to make them...

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OLD GOATS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 04:01:21 +0000

The most refreshing thing about “Old Goats” is that it treats old people like people...They aren’t delightfully irreverent, busting a rhyme at a wedding reception and matter-of-factly spewing vulgarities to the shock of their juniors...

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TAKE THIS WALTZ

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:03:09 +0000

Polley’s intimate and complex story often feels like a cinematic revelation...

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THE DO-DECA-PENTATHLON

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 05:00:19 +0000

IN LIMITED RELEASE! Even a sub-par Duplass film is still better than most mainstream comedies...

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IRA FINKELSTEIN’S CHRISTMAS

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 04:01:03 +0000

2012 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! There is an audience for this film. It’s probably a HUGE audience. But I bet there isn’t a lot of crossover with Film Threat readers...

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GAME OF WEREWOLVES

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 04:01:41 +0000

Moreno’s script is derivative at times and a bit of a sausage fest, but our protagonists are amusing enough in their ineptitude and the practical effects are a sight for sore eyes in this CGI-laden world...

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GAYBY

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 04:01:43 +0000

Lisecki is keenly aware of his lead actress’ talents and how to showcase them. Jennifer Harris fully utilizes her role with the physical comedy and eccentric presence of a young Carol Kane...

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JOSHUA TREE, 1951: A PORTRAIT OF JAMES DEAN

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:01:09 +0000

There’s a reason Mishory used the word “portrait” instead of “bio-pic.” He’s made an art house film with an overwhelming emphasis on the word “art”...

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GRASSROOTS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 04:01:01 +0000

Though “Grassroots” is, first and foremost, a film for the campaign’s contemporaries, it’s also a call-to-action to modern youth everywhere to get involved in local politics...

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EXTRATERRESTRIAL

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:05:34 +0000

Nacho Vigalondo’s (“Timecrimes”) latest film is about the people without a heroic bone in their body and what they get up to during the downtime between the shit and the fan...

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JEFF

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:03:12 +0000

OAK CLIFF FILM FESTIVAL 2012 SELECTION! The film doesn’t depict Jeffrey Dahmer’s human side, but rather, it shows a very detailed picture of the mask of humanity which he wore every day...

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SUN DON’T SHINE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:05:58 +0000

OAK CLIFF FILM FESTIVAL 2012 SELECTION! I can look past many character faults in a compelling story. But there is just something about Crystal that rubs me the wrong way...

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PAUL WILLIAMS STILL ALIVE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:01:41 +0000

There are few things more narcissistic than making a documentary about you, which is probably why Stephen Kessler tried to make it seem like his film is actually about Paul Williams...

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LOLA VERSUS

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 07:01:33 +0000

2012 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Much of Lola’s floundering would be tedious in the hands of a conventional actress (like a Heigl or a J-Lo). I don’t know how versatile Gerwig is, but she’s damned good at playing affably troubled women...

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SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 05:06:38 +0000

It has a lot of things going go for it... How can you go wrong? Turns out you can't...

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ROLLER TOWN

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 04:14:58 +0000

2012 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Fans of “Airplane!”, Stella and The Kids in the Hall will experience a hearty chuckle. But unlike the work of their influences, there isn’t a whole lot in “Roller Town” to revisit...

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EARTHBOUND

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:01:46 +0000

2012 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! “Earthbound” is a bit of a Dr. Who riff on the hijinks of a lonely alien experiencing modern day Europe. Only, in this case, we’re kept guessing about whether Joe (Rafe Spall) is actually the man who fell to Earth or the one who flew over the cuckoo’s nest...

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MANSOME

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:01:34 +0000

If anyone is going to like a documentary about facial hair, it’s me. I’m what you might call a beardthusiast. But Spurlock’s “Mansome” fails to expose any sort of substance behind the follicles...

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THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:05:17 +0000

Turns out, it’s not a lot of fun to watch a relationship fall apart even if you know that eventually, everything will turn out just fine...

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SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:02:28 +0000

2012 DALLAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Byington certainly has something to say here, but he leaves it up to the audience to figure out what that is...

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WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:27:37 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! The film is filled with interviews with a multitude of smart, eloquent women explaining what should be evident but is so not: Girls need super heroes because they need to know that their gender is not an obstacle...

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GIRLS AGAINST BOYS

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:01:08 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! I imagine Mr. Chick as the sort of guy who took Women’s Studies in college specifically to bang the straight ladies in the class. He certainly wasn’t there to learn because there is not one iota of legitimate feminism in “Girls Against Boys”...

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SMALL APARTMENTS

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:09:38 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Trust me when I tell you that Franklin Franklin is no Ignatius J. Reilly. He’s much, much worse. This makes him 100% unsympathetic and not the least bit fun to watch...

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SUNSET STRIP

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:46:38 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! If you have even a passing interest in movies or music, you will be absolutely riveted for the full 90 minutes...

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SEE GIRL RUN

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:07:29 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! “See Girl Run”...[uses] the mold of a Hollywood romance to show how damaging these notions are when taken too seriously...

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LOVELY MOLLY

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 20:01:33 +0000

2012 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! What is it with demons and video cameras, anyway?

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TIM AND ERIC’S BILLION DOLLAR MOVIE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:01:49 +0000

If I taught a film studies class, I would show “Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie” on the first day. This is a film that is worthy of study...

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WE BOUGHT A ZOO

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:05:02 +0000

Crowe’s emotional maturity is Benjamin Button, aging in reverse. Unfortunately, this means that “We Bought a Zoo” is an excruciating film for anyone not wearing rose-colored glasses...

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YOUNG ADULT

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:05:08 +0000

“Young Adult," as it stands, is a slice-of-life piece about a beautiful lunatic who tries to ruin some lives, fails and carries on being loony...

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THE MUPPETS

Jessica Baxter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:01:49 +0000

When it was time to play the music and light the lights, I got chills. But, at the end of the day, it was just a clip show...

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BEING ELMO: A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:10:07 +0000

IN LIMITED RELEASE! “Being Elmo” is a rare opportunity to watch what is essentially an entire career in fast motion...

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THE THING (2011)

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:53:08 +0000

In essence, "The Thing (2011)" is a big old pile of redundancy, wrapped up in flames and topped with a Ripley-shaped bow...

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BOTS HIGH

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:01:08 +0000

I don’t know whether to look forward to a future in which these kids are creating machines that will protect us and improve our quality of life, or fear their potential to bring about the robot apocalypse...

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THE LAST CIRCUS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:01:20 +0000

Barnum and Bailey take note: Hand-to-hand combat is the most entertaining clown context...

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FINAL DESTINATION 5

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:08:40 +0000

There are few things more fun than the wacky Rube Goldberg ways of Death’s Design...

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SURROGATE VALENTINE

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:01:37 +0000

2011 WOODS HOLE FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Why do film festivals insist on programming these self-important wankfests? When will this madness end? Won’t someone please think of the children?

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CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:01:29 +0000

In a time when comedies are mostly about outrageous one-upmanship, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” just wants to tell a story about people falling in and out of love...

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BELLFLOWER

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 04:05:06 +0000

2011 FANTASIA FEST SELECTION! I suppose you could call the film an updated “Reality Bites,” only without the adorably optimistic notion that, somehow, things will turn out all right...

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HORRIBLE BOSSES

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:15:26 +0000

The world was a better place before people were obsessed with making this year’s "The Hangover"...

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CONAN O’BRIEN CAN’T STOP

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:03:51 +0000

This is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve but protects it with a thin candy shell of biting humor. By the end, we really know him. Trouble is, once you really get to know people, you might not like them as much...

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DETENTION

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 04:03:09 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! “Detention” is also not so much a film as it is a list of things. Most of these things aren’t even that awesome...

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THE OFF HOURS

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:57:54 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! In "The Off Hours," writer/director Megan Griffiths paints a powerfully vivid picture of day-to-day life in a small industrial town that is disrupted by the arrival of a handsome stranger...

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BURKE AND HARE

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:01:24 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION! If Dickensian ghosts were to have visited Simon Pegg on the set of "Hot Fuzz," the Future Ghost would have shown him this movie...

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THE THIEF OF BAGDAD: RE-IMAGINED BY SHADOE STEVENS WITH THE MUSIC OF E.L.O.

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:56:38 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Combined with the comically broad acting of the silent era, a primordial stew of special effects and a little innocuous racial stereotyping, Shadoe Stevens’ re-imagining of “The Thief of Bagdad” is an instant dorm room classic...

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KILLING BONO

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 29 May 2011 04:01:14 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Despite having plenty of guns, drugs and danger, the film isn’t really all that dark...

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LOVE

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:04:45 +0000

2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! This film is absolutely a feast for the eyes. In my book, however, looks aren’t enough to win the whole pageant...

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ARTHUR (2011)

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:50:00 +0000

It seems like Arthur 2.0 spends a lot more time playing with toys than he does drinking and sleeping with prostitutes. If I didn’t know better, I’d think his irresponsibility isn’t so much due to alcoholism than it is the fact that he has no responsibilities.

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ROOM 4 RENT

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 23:29:33 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL NARRATIVE SHORT SELECTION! [I]f Max Weissberg has managed to pack this much depth into seven-ish minutes, I’d like to see what else he could do...

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JEZ JERZY (GEORGE THE HEDGEHOG)

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:25:44 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SXFANTASTIC SELECTION! There’s nothing like a cartoon about a degenerate hedgehog to make you feel all warm and fuzzy...

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96 MINUTES

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:48:21 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION SELECTION! As far as I’m concerned, “Crash” is the most racist, condescending movie ever to win an Academy Award. Knowing that, you can probably surmise my position on “96 Minutes”...

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THE OTHER F WORD

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:38:34 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT PREMIERES SELECTION! These guys aren’t unhappy with the unexpected turns their lives have taken. On the contrary, they seem blissfully happy whenever they spend time with their offspring. They just don’t want to fuck it up...

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AMERICAN ANIMAL

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:01:38 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION SELECTION! When someone has that much creative control over a film, it’s usually a big, flashing warning sign that says "Vanity Project." As it happens, it’s not vanity if they’re actually talented...

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KILL LIST

Jessica Baxter — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:03:53 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SXFANTASTIC SELECTION! I rarely feel so elated walking out of a theatre as I did leaving "Kill List." Now that, my friends, is a fucking movie...

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RED RIDING HOOD

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:01:41 +0000

2011 SXSW SPECIAL EVENT SCREENING! In short, the people who love “Twilight” will love “Red Riding Hood.” The people who think “Twilight” is stupid will think the same about this movie...

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HALL PASS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:26:04 +0000

To add insult to insult, the conceit of "Hall Pass" isn’t even original. Whether or not the Farrellys were aware of "The Freebie" when they wrote it, the conceptual similarities cannot be denied...

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UNKNOWN

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:52:55 +0000

For the most part, it’s a fairly enjoyable addition to the European Amnesia Thriller genre. But it’s also quite forgettable, even if you haven’t experienced head trauma...

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THESE AMAZING SHADOWS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:03:26 +0000

2011 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES SELECTION! "These Amazing Shadows" is more a love letter to cinema than an informational documentary... it often feels more like one of those commercials that studios put together to showcase their biggest titles...

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UNCLE KENT

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:01:07 +0000

2011 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT SELECTION! Shot with seemingly the worst camera he could find with no attempts to boost light or sound quality, “Uncle Kent” isn’t so much a narrative film as it is a fictionalized home movie...

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KABOOM

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:01:27 +0000

2011 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SPOTLIGHT SELECTION! Writer/Director Gregg Araki specializes in one thing: Films about attractive young people with supernatural problems boning each other...

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SEPTIEN

Jessica Baxter — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:05:18 +0000

2011 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL EMERGING VISIONS SELECTION! Sometimes, however, the reason a work of art leaves so much open to interpretation is because the artist hasn’t fully fleshed out their idea...

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DUE DATE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 04:01:06 +0000

As the trailer suggests, “Due Date” is largely vehicle destruction, comedic violence, masturbation humor, pot jokes and “oh-no-he-didn’t” moments. But R.D.J. and Galifianakis add an undercurrent of loneliness and daddy issues that brings the film to a new level...

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LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:01:11 +0000

Only in the movies do people fall in love with people they hate. If constant arguing and childish insults are indisputable signs of true love, then Holly and Messer are Romeo and fucking Juliet...

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THE TOWN

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:01:54 +0000

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be surprised to find this sort of layered characterization in serious noir drama. But this is Ben Affleck we’re talking about: Ben “Pearl Harbor Sucks and I Miss You” Affleck...

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INCEPTION

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:05:42 +0000

It’s exciting, engaging, special effects-laden and certainly multi-layered, but “Inception” is nowhere near as dreamy as it could have been...

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MISS NOBODY

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:05:42 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Screenwriter Doug Steinberg clearly spent a lot of time watching “Heathers” when writing this film. But while there are plenty of morally bankrupt corporate types in the film, there are no good people to balance it out. Sarah Jane is no Veronica Sawyer...

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DOWN TERRACE

Jessica Baxter — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:01:06 +0000

2010 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! There are no cheeky one-liners or slow motion here. There are no long dramatic speeches about feelings. Instead, we have the sobering realism of a Mike Leigh film illustrated through interactions between father and son, husband and wife, son and mother...

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HIPSTERS

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:01:30 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! The movie doesn’t kowtow to a Western audience. It expects you to dive right in and keep up...

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CENTURION

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:01:28 +0000

2010 LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! If you liked “300”, the running parts of “The Two Towers” and HBO’s “Rome” series, you still may not like “Centurion”, but you will definitely recognize the elements that went into creating it...

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TURTLE: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 04:01:52 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! “Turtle: The Incredible Journey” is basically a spin-off of “Finding Nemo” starring the surfer turtle. Only cuter and more intense...

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JONAH HEX

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:01:14 +0000

“Jonah Hex” is only OK, but it probably could have been kind of good if only they’d dwelled a little more on the supernatural elements. Jonah came back from the dead and all he got was the power of corpse interrogation...

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THE BOOK OF ELI

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:10:26 +0000

The whole movie feels a bit like a squandered opportunity. We didn’t really need another post-apocalyptic story, but if you’re going to do it, and get Gary Oldman to play the bad guy, you could try and be a little more creative...

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AIR DOLL

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:01:11 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! It really drives home (no pun intended) the notion of how much of the fun of sex is in the consent...

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BASS ACKWARDS

Jessica Baxter — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:01:27 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! It’s a beautiful film, taking a lot of cues from “Easy Rider” in terms of showcasing the American road and the many characters that live along it. But it’s a more realistic film and, as sad as many of the characters are, more optimistic...

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THE FREEBIE

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:01:29 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Like all Mumblecore, “The Freebie” is about thinking people’s problems... Annie and Darren think they’ve solved their marital problems through careful reasoning but all they probably really need to do is have sex with each other...

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SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 04:04:32 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! There are some good ideas here. Let’s just say some parts are better than others. But I definitely liked it better when it was called “Me and You and Everyone We Know”...

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SPLICE

Jessica Baxter — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:01:15 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! Being a new parent is hard... of course, since the child in question is a freakish, fowl-legged, amphibious mutant, the youthful rebellion gets bloody...

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GEORGE A. ROMERO’S SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD

Jessica Baxter — Sat, 29 May 2010 04:01:02 +0000

The man who invented the modern zombie is officially senile. Someone really needs to take away Grandpa’s typewriter...

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SKELETONS

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:01:30 +0000

2010 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! The cinematography, with lengthy wide shots of fields and forests, is beautiful and the jaunty music keeps the beat. Maybe it’s all the mustaches, but the whole thing feels very French...

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CHE: CRITERION COLLECTION (DVD)

Jessica Baxter — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:01:30 +0000

There’s very little back-story, romance, and certainly no cheesy revelatory moments that spoon-feed the uninitiated as to how Ernesto “Che” Guevara came to be a face on dorm room walls...

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A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 04:05:10 +0000

It almost feels like a fan film, or, at best, a Sy-Fy Original Movie. Haley, talented as he is, just can’t nail the role. No one can, because it already belongs to Englund...

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“UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US”: INTERVIEW WITH AUDREY EWELL & AARON AITES

Jessica Baxter — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:01:34 +0000

To get an insider’s look at the truth behind the scene, Ewell and Aites moved to Norway for two years and completely immersed themselves in Black Metal. The result is a film as raw and gritty as the music that inspired it. Film Threat’s Jessica Baxter spoke with the pair about their inspirations, the arduous process of documentary filmmaking, and just what those Norwegians are so pissed off about...

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SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:13:50 +0000

Along the way, John and Virgil encounter a number of wacky characters that read like ideas scrawled onto a diner napkin at three in the morning...It would be much easier to accept these characters in short paragraphs. Spending a whole vignette with them is too much...

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ME AND ORSON WELLES

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:10:01 +0000

In some ways, Richard Linklater struck gold when he found Christian McKay...He’s like walking Cliff’s Notes for the legendary genius and charming egomaniac. Unfortunately for the rest of the film, he’s easily the most memorable thing about it...

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YOUTH IN REVOLT

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:05:01 +0000

Nash’s script serves as not only excellent shorthand for the novel but also an entertaining and, in terms of its cinematic peers, original comedy film...

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UB40: FOOD FOR THOUGHT (DVD)

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:47:35 +0000

One man’s auditory honey is the most annoying sound in the world to someone else. In the mid-eighties, I thought I hated UB40. I cringed whenever they came on the radio. That said, sometimes a band, known primarily for their album of covers, can surprise you...

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BROOKLYN FORCE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:35:08 +0000

What’s the point of a light reference when you can make nearly all your dialogue into a paraphrase of “Star Wars”?

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SHUTTLE

Jessica Baxter — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:27:20 +0000

You might not take much away from this film, but it’s an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. And maybe it will give you pause the next time you need a ride somewhere...

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THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON