THE EAST

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION! There are several storylines early on that have huge potential only to be sort of cast aside for the admittedly more exciting high drama and personal conflict in the film. As a result the film feels oddly long even though there was rarely a moment I wasn’t engaged…

Posted on March 16, 2013 in Reviews by

DON JON

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! On the surface, it’s a funny comedy about becoming a man while faced with all the issues surrounding people from New Jersey (at least, as we’re lead to believe from the media). But also what young people face due to our current media. Porn has never been more free and accessible and, as a country, we value money, winning and looks over intelligence, hard work and humbleness…

Posted on March 12, 2013 in Reviews by

MUD

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! To follow such an ambitious (and acclaimed) film as “Take Shelter” with what’s essentially a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of a doe-eyed adolescent is ultimately a bold move in and of itself, even if it doesn’t represent as large a step forward as it could have…

Posted on March 10, 2013 in Reviews by

#POSTMODEM

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM SELECTION! “#PostModem” covers much ground in its investigation of eternal life and salvation through technology. And while it seems to hop around with slightly more restraint than someone might operate their TV remote, it still all works to paint an entertaining, intriguing and often bewildering, picture.

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Reviews by

BLACK METAL

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILM SELECTION! A moody and entrancing tone piece with a complex argument at its core, Kat Candler’s “Black Metal” succeeds in personalizing an often theoretical discussion about violence and art…

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Reviews by

PRINCE AVALANCHE

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! While not a perfect film (it tends to drag in places which is odd considering it’s short run time) I really enjoyed “Prince Avalanche.” And again, it’s not a total return to form for Green, but it’s close…

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Reviews by

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! There are many films in which a couple’s chemistry makes their on-screen relationship easy to believe but few where the characters have felt this completely three-dimensional, as if they have existed for the nine years since the last movie and will go on after these credits roll…

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Reviews by

A TEACHER

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! The movie itself doesn’t take enough risks. It’s too reluctant to push into ugly territory in order to unearth any substantial revelations…

Posted on March 8, 2013 in Reviews by

UPSTREAM COLOR

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL SELECTION! I loved the film and it’s grown on me exponentially since first seeing it, but I cannot tell you why I love it…

Posted on March 7, 2013 in Reviews by

SOUND CITY

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL EVENT SELECTION! This isn’t a case of a musical gearhead talking over an audience, or someone trying to gain more exposure via a vanity project; you can sense Grohl’s fascination with all things Sound City, and reverence not just for the studio but for the musicians who recorded there. In that way, Grohl isn’t some detached rock star we can’t relate to, he’s a music fan standing in for us and getting stories and history he’s uniquely able to coax out of people. His appreciation is infectious, and you can’t help but get caught up in it…

Posted on March 7, 2013 in Reviews by

V/H/S/2

2013 SXSW FILM FESTIVAL MIDNIGHTERS SELECTION! The scares in “V/H/S/2” are totally different and more jump oriented than the eerie, slow builds in the original. And again, I can’t wait for this film to hit the streets so horror fans worldwide can experience “Safe Haven.” Meet me back here when it happens and we can discuss…

Posted on March 7, 2013 in Reviews by

STOKER

Don’t compare it to the more dramatically satisfying previous works from Park Chan-wook and don’t consider what could have been instead with a bit more screenwriting complexity. As an exercise in style, “Stoker” works, for whatever that’s worth…

Posted on March 2, 2013 in Reviews by

VERY GOOD GIRLS

2013 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERES SELECTION! The most hellbound sin that is in any way associated with the film is not lying or having sex before marriage, but wasting such a promising cast…

Posted on February 18, 2013 in Reviews by

LOVELACE

2013 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL PREMIERES SELECTION! While Epstein & Friedman appear to be smoothing over the harsher elements of Linda’s life at the time, midway through the film shifts to retrace what we have come to witness to offer a different perspective. It’s an interesting approach that breaks down the alluded fantasy of fame over infamy and paves the way for Linda’s liberation through talk show appearances and a tell-all book…

Posted on February 17, 2013 in Reviews by

BYOD: BRING YOUR OWN DOC – EPISODE 73: SUNDANCE 2013 SPECIAL PT. 3: “WHEN I WALK,” “RUNNING FROM CRAZY” AND “AFTER TILLER”

Three doc films are featured from their Sundance debuts, showing the wild scope of the fest…

Posted on February 14, 2013 in Bring Your Own Doc, Features by

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