8 years ago
All posts by Sean Burns
“Playing It Cool”
Pity the poor romantic comedy, a genre trashed by so much forgettable multiplex fodder that nobody even tries to make one anymore without air-quotes. Such is the dilemma of director Justin Reardon’s Playing It Cool, which assembles an enormously appealing cast...
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“Cas & Dylan”
You can probably imagine my disappointment upon realizing that despite the misleading title, this feature directorial debut of Beverly Hills 90210 star Jason Priestley has nothing whatsoever to do with the further adventures of Luke Perry’s Dylan McKay. Sad to...
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“The Water Diviner”
A brawny historical melodrama with a twinge of magic realism amongst the oft-conflicting tones, Russell Crowe’s directorial debut The Water Diviner is an odd-duck curiosity about as commercially minded as that title would lead you to believe. It’s full of rook...
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A Critic Behind the Camera: David Chen & “The Primary Instinct”
I first met David Chen several years ago at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Then, as now, he was hosting the hugely popular SlashFilmcast, and at the time had just launched The Tobolowsky Files – a podcast featuring veteran character actor Stephen Tobolo...
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“Misery Loves Comedy”
Have you heard the one about how stand-up comics are pathologically needy folks who crave attention and affection from strangers? Oh, okay. Well, how about the one where they tend to have dysfunctional relationships and can only really relate to other comedian...
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“Danny Collins”
“When have I ever let you down?” asks Al Pacino as the title character at a crucial moment late in Danny Collins. It’s the biggest laugh I’ve had at a movie in quite some time, and one that brought the house down the way I haven’t seen in ages. The line itself...
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“Cut Bank”
Whoever said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery probably didn’t go to the movies very often.
Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement. We all know that the history of cinema is made up, at least in part, of great filmmakers being inspired by one anothe...
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“Serena”
Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence may be responsible for most of the money earned at the North American box office in 2014, but I bet you didn’t know they’re starring in a new movie this weekend. Well, sorta new. Shot shortly after Silver Linings Playbook ...
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“The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq”
A most curious film, The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq riffs on a mysterious week back in 2011 when the controversial French writer missed several appearances during a book tour, causing speculation that the widely despised raconteur had been kidnapped by I...
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“Merchants of Doubt”
Nobody has ever won a game of Three Card Monte, magician Jamy Ian Swiss says at the outset of Merchants of Doubt. What made the game such a cornerstone of the street economy in the New York City of my youth were the shills - upstanding-looking folks hired by t...
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