Shyamalan Does Apocalyptic Thriller as Morality Test in ‘KNOCK AT THE CABIN’

February 1, 2023 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Abby Quinn, Ben Aldridge, Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Knock at the Cabin, Kristen Cui, M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Sherman, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Reviews, Rupert Grint, Steve Desmond Leave a comment

In M. Night Shyamalan’s latest science-fiction thriller Knock at the Cabin, the apocalypse is here. Or so says Leonard (Dave Bautista), and his companions Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adriane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint). They claim that in the next two days, a number of plagues will be unleashed upon the Earth. Floods, fires, and mass technological breakdowns will decimate all human life and cover the world in eternal darkness. It’s all very Old Testament; fire and brimstone and mass judgement from on high. Not unlike – what one character astutely points out – the scrawled prophecies of doomsday preachers on any city street corner in America. Read More

Talking With Gillian Robespierre, Elisabeth Holm, Abby Quinn of ‘LANDLINE’

August 7, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Abby Quinn, Elisabeth Holm, Gillian Robespierre, Interviews, Landline, Talking With... Leave a comment

Gillian Robespierre took the independent film world by storm in 2014 with her breakout hit Obvious Child. A story about millennial maturity told through an abortion comedy, Obvious Child‘s blatant irreverancy was all the rage, making her an overnight name in many in-the-know film appreciation circles. Robespierre’s follow-up, a 90s set comedy about a family dealing with two separate instances of infidelity, may not have accrued the same cult following, nor is it likely to pock as many end of year favorites lists, but the dramedy has tonal and directorial elements similar of a budding Noah Baumbach, who has since gone on to great acclaim. Read More

SIFF ’17 Capsule Review: ‘LANDLINE’

May 24, 2017 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Abby Quinn, Gillian Robespierre, Jay Duplass, Jenny Slate, John Turturro 7 Comments

Landline reunites Obvious Child star Jenny Slate and director Gillian Robespierre for a mid-90s NYC dramedy about a deteriorating family. Slate’s Dana and sister Ali (Abby Quinn) discover their otherwise tame Dad (John Turturro) is having a heated affair. The rub is that Dana has also just turned up the heat on her own extramarital interactions, unbeknownst to fiancé Ben (Jay Duplass). Landline manages cackle-worthy ribbings inside some really introspective examinations of monogamy and family, revealing a picture that is soul-bearingly honest when it’s not brutally funny. As the ratio of laughs to drama shift in the later half, matters grow admittedly grave and the film less fun but the final product – like any family that sticks together – is well worth the emotional tumult along the way. (B-)