Out in Theaters: ‘FINDING DORY’

June 16, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Albert Brooks, Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane, Diane Keaton, Dominic West, Ed O’Neill, Ellen DeGeneres, Eugene Levy, Finding Dory, Finding Nemo 2, Idris Elba, Kaitlin Olson, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sigourney Weaver, Ty Burrell 1 Comment

Once upon a time, Pixar was infallible. Of their first 11 films, only one (Cars) was a dud (or at least a letdown) and even then it was one of the studio’s most bankable flicks. Now, take a peek at Pixar’s business model going forward. The animation studio, now infamously paired up with Disney, have pledged to produce an original film every year coupled with a sequel to an existing property that’ll see release every other year. This means Cars 3, The Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 have already begun development. Respectively finishing off a trilogy that adults have responded to with almost as much non-enthusiasm as toy sales the property has generated. Perhaps the most in-demand and long-awaited Pixar sequel to-be. And another capstone to Pixar’s gold standard franchise, which many believe to have already been concluded to near-perfection in 2010. Read More

SIFF ’16 Capsule Review: ‘UNDER THE SHADOW’

June 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Avin Manshadi, Babak Anvari, Narges Rashidi, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016, Under the Shadows 2 Comments

With Under the Shadow, Babak Anvari has his finger on the pulse of what we want, and deserve, from an independent horror movie. A potent location in 1980s missile-wary Tehran, a compelling lead in Narges Rashidi who grapples with cultural and professional oppression in addition to her family being haunted, and an actively restrained director who suckerpunches his audience with powerful scares when they least expect it. Shadows is the latest in a string of politically-charged paranormal exports (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, to name one) from Iran and from the physical traits of the fearsome Djinn, who’ve latched onto daughter Dorsa (Avin Manshadi) for nefarious ends, suspiciously remind one of an anthropomorphized burka, an extension of the societal persecution Rashidi’s Shideh suffers daily. Under the Shadow joins the ranks of recent modern horror greats (Babadook, It Follows) that combine meaningful social commentary in with effective frights. Consider it a must see. (A-)
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SIFF ’16 Capsule Review: ‘MIDDLE MAN’

June 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Jim O’Heir, Lenny Freeman, Middle Man, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016 Leave a comment

Ned Crowley stresses “comedy” in his offbeat desert kill spree comedy of errors Middle Man. A darkly humorous dredge through despair and desperation, Crowley’s film emulates the dark comedy stylings that define greater desert noir the likes of No Country for Old Men with enough tics to call its own to warrant an existence. Parks and Recreation’s Jim O’Heir shines as a bumbling unfunny “comedian” with high aspirations and little talent and his dedicated deadpan gives Middle Man its power. All the viscera Clowery throws O’Heir’s way signals a dark transformation that results in a whopper of a final shot, even if all the detours along the way – much like the world’s biggest ball of yarn – aren’t always entirely worthwhile. (C+)
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Talking with Craig Robinson of ‘MORRIS FROM AMERICA’

June 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews, Uncategorized Tagged Craig Robinson, Interviews, Morris From America, Talking With..., The Office Leave a comment

Funny guy Craig Robinson strikes you as the kind of dude with a beefy laugh and a heart of gold. His appearances in film and television throughout the years were jump-started by his turn as ambitious warehouse manager Daryl Philbin in cult TV classic The Office which in turn resulted in a string of parts in Evan Goldberg comedies including Pineapple Express, This is the End and, most recently, Sausage Party as well as features on other notable comedies as Knocked Up, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Zack and Miri Make a Porno and a starring role in the two Hot Tub Time Machine movies (though we wish we could forget that second one.)
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SIFF ’16 Capsule Review: ‘DON’T THINK TWICE’

June 10, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Don’t Think Twice, Gillian Jacobs, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Birbiglia, Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016 Leave a comment

Improv is about following the germ of an idea until it’s reach its most preposterous conclusion and with emotionally honest and rib-tickling seriocomedy Don’t Think Twice, Mike Birbiglia has, like a great improv thread taken to its most radical extreme, tangentially bloomed into himself as a director. His comedy manifesto has always tilted at harvesting truth over triviality and his framing of lifelong relationships splintering and fraternal bonds fracturing creates a heartrending account of the invoice of self-interest as a group of comic friends/collegaues infight to land a gig on an intellectually-bankrupt SNL-type sketch show. Watching Birbiglia drive a wedge between this collection of funny people who feed off each other’s energy for a living makes for powerful, character-driven work and the cast, including a standout Keegan-Michael Key and Gillian Jacobs, is more than game bringing dramatic gravitas, in addition to comedic jabs aplenty, to the table. (B+)

Out in Theaters: ‘THE CONJURING 2’

June 9, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Benjamin Haigh, Frances O’Connor, Horror, James Wan, Joseph Bishara, Lauren Esposito, Madison Wolfe, Out in Theaters, Patrick McAuley, Patrick Wilson, Reviews, Simon McBurney, The Conjuring 2, Vera Farmiga 1 Comment

Horror sequels have an unfortunate tendency to exude contempt for their audience. More often than not, the same formula is conscripted, wrangling selfsame plot lines (often in a new location or with new characters) that encompass similar beats and familiar frights. 9 Nightmare on Elm Street movies, 10 Halloween films and 12 Friday the 13th flicks can speak to the process. Rinse, repeat, rank in the cash. And while there’s nothing distinctively different to James Wan’s approach this second time around the Conjuring fairgrounds (save for a somewhat unnecessary additional 20 minutes pumped into the runtime), The Conjuring 2 remains a massively effective instrument for scaring the living shit out of oneself. Read More

SIFF ’16 Capsule Review: ‘LIFE, ANIMATED’

June 9, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Documentaries, Festival Reviews Tagged Animated, Life, Mac Guff, Owen Suskind, Roger Ross William, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016 Leave a comment

There’s no debating the value of Roger Ross William‘s accomplishment. In Life, Animated – a touching documentary centered on late-onset autism “victim” Owen Suskind and how he remarkably rediscovers language through animated Disney films – he has given voice to the voiceless (technical ingenuity had him pioneer a groundbreaking method to illicit confessionals from Owen). In Owen’s journey, we discover universal truisms that extent far beyond the realm of the autistic; bone-clattering truths about life, love, loss and suffering. Original animation from Mac Guff helps fill in the documentarian voids and provides stirring and visually resplendent representations of Owen’s young years and the self-penned stories he would escape into. Framing Owen’s relationships – with family members, his girlfriend Emily and some very special friends – in such a way that rejuvenates our collective faith in humanity, William’s picture is an objective triumph, one that shines a light on a misunderstood population, that weaves triumph from tragedy and crafts a moving portrait of perseverance. It’s a tribute to an uncommon hero and is truly something special. (A) Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘WARCRAFT’

June 8, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ben Foster, Ben Schnetzer, Charles Leavitt, Chris Metzen, Daniel Wu, Dominic Cooper, Duncan Jones, Out in Theaters, Paula Patton, Ramin Djawadi, Reviews, Toby Kebbell, Travis Fimmel, Warcraft, Worst of 2016 4 Comments

Warcraft, the uber-geeky, crazy-spendy passion project/live-action shart from director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) attempts to capitalize on a prodigious worldwide fandom by kowtowing to the nerdy needs of message board trolls and Mountain Dew guzzlers. In bending the knee, the once-great auteur has log-jammed his feature with a waterfall of meaningless (at least to non-World-of-Warcraft-gamers) exposition, allowing for a marble-mouthed plot that’s so dense, so busy and so blundering, one can only shudder at the thought of the echo chamber of dorks responsible for letting this 160-million dollar turkey come to fruition. But their foul cinematic foal has come home to roost in all its Avian-diseased glory and the symphony of ill-timed laughs and exasperated sighs shall serve as unbiased representation of what is in store for Warcraft viewers. Reckless fan servicing, harebrained plot devices and dramatically empty characterization all mash their meaty skulls to render a film that’s entirely inaccessible and subsequently snoozy as all hell for anyone without extreme existing affinity for the source material, making Warcraft, in effect, the world’s most expensive sleep aid. Read More

Talking with Greg Kwedar of ‘TRANSPECOS’

June 7, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Greg Kwedar, Interviews, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016, SXSW, Talking With..., Transpecos Leave a comment

First-time writer and director Greg Kwedar describes the six-year process of creating Transpecos like a proud, but deservingly exhausted, father. The Texas-set border thriller is as much character study as it is a certifiable nail-biter; a politically-minded meditation with a throbbing pace and tightrope tension. Kwedar’s preternatural ability to blend high drama with explosive pressure cooking won him and his film the Audience Award for Narrative Competition at this year’s SXSW Film Festival and, arguably more importantly, near universal praise. Read More

SIFF ’16 Capsule Review: ‘THE LURE’

June 4, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Poland, Reviews, Seattle International Film Festival 2016, SIFF 2016, The Lure Leave a comment

As dark and psychosexual a rock opera about mermaids that could be imagined, Poland’s The Lure is a melodramatic fairytale plumped with melodic house music, chilling surrealism and dripping monster fangs. Two all-singing, all-stripping sea-born sisters populate seedy dance-halls and sudsy clubs with their the croon of their siren lullabies, flirting with the idea of first love and eating the clientele. Big, bold and weird, The Lure is a Freudian nightmare of BDSM Grimm Brother woes that engagingly pairs its wacky siren songs to the fairly basic narrative arc at play. This technically impressive 80s-Tim-Burton-creation-that-never-was is a grungy, grimy, punky protest maritime song splattered with boobs, blood and peculiarly catchy ballads. (B-)