9 years ago
Reviews (10 posts found)
“Kelly & Cal” A Cozy Indie That Should’ve Been Pricklier
For those of us who came of age in the early 90s watching Juliette Lewis’ wackadoo wild-child performances --from Cape Fear to Natural Born Killers and beyond– it’s pretty much impossible to imagine her as somebody’s mom. The amusing central conceit of Kelly &...
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“Wetlands” A Spectacularly Septic Laugh- and Cringefest
Finally a film that addresses the age-old, burning, itching question: Can romance exist in the wake of an anal fissure? Opening in U.S. cities this month like a fresh, gaping wound is Wetlands, a spectacularly septic coming-of-age story from Germany that revel...
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The Elmore Leonard Adaptation “Life of Crime” Fails to Impress
Back when I was moving to the Big City, the first movie I unpacked was Jackie Brown. I escaped the towers of boxes, piles of bags, and unassembled IKEA furniture to get lost in the darkly funny and surprisingly human caper based on the Elmore Leonard novel Rum...
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“As Above, So Below” Will Make You Wish You Were In Hell
The great worth of horror cinema lies in the lessons it teaches us: don’t have underage sex, don’t have casual sex, don’t have casual underage sex, and don’t go wandering around in dark, forbidding places. Ever. This last one feels especially important because...
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“Canopy” A Minimalist, Tense Debut Feature
Aaron Wilson's debut feature film, Canopy, begins with a splendid but ominous shot of the lush forests of Singapore. From a place beyond several shades of densely packed greenery, thick clouds of smoke slowly rise to the sky. A caption informs us of the date: ...
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“A Letter to Momo” Aims Right For The Feels
Mom's out all day, and the house is haunted by goblins; guess that means we're learning valuable lessons about family and loss. That's A Letter to Momo in a nutshell, a bit of light lifting that wraps a morality tale up in all the ghostly accoutrements of supe...
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If Only The “Game” Was This Easy
What starts as an intriguing exploration of national disillusionment quickly turns simple and sappy.
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“Love is Strange” Review
Love is patient, love is kind, and in Love is Strange, it’s put through the test of distance, family, and bigotry. Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) are finally getting married after more than two decades of living together. But glad tidings are br...
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“If I Stay” An All-Too-Familiar Entry in the YA Genre
There must be a written rule somewhere that all film adaptations of YA novels have to start with voiceover with muttered wise musings on life by way of introducing the female protagonist to the audience. Wasn’t it just a couple of months ago that another YA no...
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“Jealousy” Starts Strong, But Never Delivers On Its Promise
Philippe Garrel’s Jealousy (La Jalousie) opens with a static medium shot of Clothilde (Rebecca Convenant). The young, blond woman’s lips begin to tremble and tears gradually stream down her face. It’s a stunning composition and one that instantly throws us in ...
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