Reviews and coverage from major film festivals including Sundance, SXSW, SIFF, TIFF, and Cannes— the best and the rest of festival cinema.
“Last I Heard” Directed by Dave Rodriguez Starring Paul Sorvino, Renee Props, Michael Rapaport, Andrea Nittoli, Lev Gorn, Steven Bauer, Chazz PalminteriDrama, Comedy For a film whose focus is character, Last I Heard is pretty inept at characterization. Leading man Paul Sorvino does the best he can with his ex-mobster character Mr. Joe but he...
“Wish You Were Here”Directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith Starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Price, Teresa Palmer, Antony Starr Drama, Mystery 89 MinsR Cautionary tale and psychological thriller, Wish You Were Here is the worst of vacation nightmares realized. Veering around chronological storytelling, director Kieran Darcy-Smith twists an introspective journey into a taut thriller. With silence that feels...
“V/H/S 2”Directed by Simon Barrett, Jason Eisener, Gareth Evans, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sánchez, Timo Tjahjanto, Adam WingardStarring Kelsy Abbott, Devon Brookshire, Samantha Gracie, Hannah Hughes, Kevin Hunt, Lawrence Michael Levine, Carly Robell, Mindy Robinson, Adam Wingard and John T. Woods Horror 96 Mins R V/H/S 2 is completely tone deaf to any semblance of mood...
“Much Ado About Nothing” Directed by Joss Whedon Starring Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Reed Diamond, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, Spencer Treat Clark, Riki Lindhome, Ashley Johnson Comedy/Drama/Romance 107 Mins PG-13 Every time any sane person starts watching a Shakespeare adaptation, there’s that initial shock of the compacted and complex language – a bucket of cold...
“The Kings of Summer” Directed by Jordan Vogt-RobertsStarring Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Marc Evan Jackson, Craig Cackowski and Erin Moriarty Comedy 93 Mins R Jordan Vogt-Roberts has cast his net into a summer overflowing with coming-of-age stories with The Kings of Summer, a film just strange and fantastical enough...
“The East”Directed by Zal BatmanglijStarring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Toby Kebbell, Shiloh Fernandez, Aldis Hodge, Patricia ClarksonThriller, Drama, Mystery116 MinsR The East is neither the first movie about an undercover mole infiltrating an enemy organization, learning the universal worth of their dogma and falling for their leader nor will it be the last. Nonetheless, it’s...
“Populaire” Directed by Régis Roinsard Starring Déborah François, Romain Duris, Bérénice Bejo and Shaun Benson Foreign, Comedy 111 Mins R Filmed in the whimsy stylings of French New Wave, Populaire jars the bay window open and lets the breezy charm waft in and take the helm. Tackling the inconspicuous topic of typing competitions in...
“Frances Ha” Directed by Noah Baumbach Starring Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen and Patrick Heusinger Comedy 86 Mins R Noah Baumbach is at his least caustic with Frances Ha, an idiosyncratic and delightful black-and-white mumblecore film about a New York City girl coming to terms with herself in the haze of her...
“Mistaken for Stranger”Directed by Tom BerningerStarring Tom Berninger, Matt Berninger Documenary, Comedy, Music 80 minNot Yet Rated Mistaken for Strangers is a bizarre rock doc because it’s not really a rock doc at all. Tom Berninger, brother to The National‘s frontman Matt Berninger, has instead made something else entirely – a film that uniquely attempts...
‘What Maisie Knew’ Directed by Scott McGehee and David SiegelStarring Onata Aprile, Julianne Moore, Steve Coogan, Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna VanderhamDrama99 Mins R What Maisie Knew is an emotional powerhouse of a film led by an adorably funny-faced young actress functioning on a purely natural level, allowing the “performance” underneath to disappear entirely. It strikes...