Out in Theaters: ADVANTAGEOUS

June 25, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Advantageous, Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang, Ken Jeong, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Samantha Kim Leave a comment

*This is a reprint of our Sundance 2015 review.

Metaphysical bodysnatching from the POV of the snatcher, Advantageous is a soft sci-fi-drama centered around a cool idea but repeatedly undone by shoddy execution, unconvincing performances and dreadful FX. Commendable though Jennifer Phang‘s mother-daughter relationship study might be in the context of Sundance’s overabundance of father-son sagas, Phang is able to capitalize on the maternal bonds between ejector and ejected but has no idea which direction to take it in after it’s been established. Instead, it’s bagged up, zip-tied and casually thrown into an ebb of “does it really matter?” Read More

Out in Theaters: THE OVERNIGHT

June 23, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters 2 Comments

*This is a reprint of our Sundance 2015 review.

Last year, Patrick Brice showed up to SXSW with Creep. Devilishly crafty and expertly focused, it fell in with the usual suspects of found footage horror, even though it was so much more than just another point and shoot, “gotcha!” scare effort. The natural tension that Brice was able to tease out of a scene – the inherent discomfort and overarching ambiguity of character relations – made for a plucky and generously bewitching offering of horror comedy.

Out in Theaters: INSIDE OUT

June 18, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Amy Poehler, Best of 2015, Bill Hader, Inside Out, Lewis Black, Out in Theaters, Pete Docter, Phyllis Smith, Pixar, Reviews, Richard Kind 3 Comments

It’s been five long years and three mediocre products since Pixar unleashed the beloved Toy Story 3, and years of bated breathe have contribution to the hot anticipation of their first original effort since 2012’s problematic Brave. The titanic mummer of Pixar’s throbbing heartbeat has been notably muted and palpably chunky over the last half-decade – the result of Disney dollars hierarchized above lush originality and narrative fervor. But with Inside Out, the Docter is in. Stethoscopes have been administered, a double bypass has been performed, the blockage has been loosened. In one fell blow, Pete Docter has served up a whopping Pixar masterpiece and restored the animation studio’s name to its former glory. All hail the king. All hail the Docter.

Out in Theaters: DOPE

June 17, 2015 by Jill Landon Posted in Out in Theaters 1 Comment

Forest Whitaker’s steely voiceover quickly informs viewers that Malcolm (Shameik Moore), the high top sporting protagonist of Dope, is a geek. Despite what Whitaker’s barely present narration may say, however, the truth about Malcolm is something much more complicated than that.

Documentary Dossier: THE WOLFPACK

June 17, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Documentaries, Out in Theaters Tagged Crystal Moselle, Out in Theaters, Reviews, The Wolfpack 1 Comment

New York City has nearly 8.5 million residents, and though it often feels like one is sharing a rush hour subway with a large percentage of them, the truth is that we know so few of our fellow citizens. High rises and condo buildings are cropping up every day; glancing at these ever-present walls of windows, one can’t help but wonder: who’s in there? The assumption being that you could, at any moment, find out, when the inhabitants step out for work or to pick up a carton of milk at the corner deli. The Wolfpack introduces us to one NYC family where just such an encounter was unlikely to happen – until very recently.

Out in Theaters: ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

June 16, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Connie Britton, Earl and the Dying Girl, Katherine C. Hughes, Me, Olivia Cooke, R.J. Cyler, Thomas Mann 2 Comments

At this year’s Sundance, I skipped Me and Earl and the Dying Girl because, let’s be honest, it’s not a great title. I took in Noah Baumbach’s ruthlessly silly Mistress America instead with Earl playing just a screen over. Had I known it would go on to a standing ovation and stealing US Grand Jury and Dramatic Audience Awards at the fest, I probably would have hung around. Since its premiere, M+E+DG has gone on to become an audience favorite and critical darling throughout the territories its played, holding onto its 100% Rotten Tomato score. Having said that, I still wouldn’t suggest plopping “Dying Girl” into any future movie titles. Still a major turnoff.

Out in Theaters: THE FACE OF AN ANGEL

June 15, 2015 by Jill Landon Posted in Out in Theaters Leave a comment

At the halfway point of Michael Winterbottom’s The Face of an Angel, Thomas Lang, a film director in the process of adapting a book about a high-profile murder case, is sitting at lunch with his collaborators on the project. The murder case involves Jessica Fuller, an American student accused of killing her study-abroad roommate in Italy, which the viewer will recognize as a story based on the real-life Amanda Knox case, which made headlines in 2007. When prompted to speak about his angle for the story, Thomas says: “The story is that there’s no such thing as real truth or justice. It’s just a popularity contest.”

Out in Theaters: SPY

June 11, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Allison Janney, Bobby Cannavale, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Melissa McCarthy, Out in Theaters, Paul Feig, Reviews, Rose Byrne, Spy Leave a comment

Like Funyuns, Melissa McCarthy is an acquired taste. In her least delicate projects, she vaults around the frame, sharting and cursing to the apparent delight of squealing audiences that I just don’t relate to. Even in Paul Feig‘s Spy – a film that affords her at least an attempt at a three-dimensional character – a wide margin of the comedy is rooted in McCarthy’s heft and just how riotous it is to see a fat lady try to do normal lady things. Tee-hee. Read More

Out in Theaters: INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 3

June 11, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Brian Pearson, Dermot Mulroney, Insidious: Chapter 3, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Stefanie Scott 1 Comment

The first tick box I’ll address on this lengthy list of movie sins is that Insidious: Chapter 3 is misnamed. A more accurate title would be Insidious: The First Chapter or Insidious: The End of the Beginning. or Insidious: Unbelievably, The Shittiest One Yet. Chapter 3 implies the continuation of a story that began in chapters one and two. People who’ve read chapter books likely already know this fact. Unfortunately, it appears that the creators of this film weren’t privy to the vestige of knowledge contained within chapter books. Because outside of setting up a character whose appearance in the first Insidious movie also suspiciously marked its drastic dip in quality, this third chapter has absolutely nothing in common with the two that hit theaters before it. It’s like reading “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and then “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and then “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”. Except Rowling intended for you to read it in that order. Read More

Out in Theaters: JURASSIC WORLD

June 10, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters 2 Comments

Jurassic Park has holds on my pubescent nostalgia that few other films can claim. And though I found myself enrapt with Lost World, eating burgers and chocolate shakes at a “dinner and a movie” joint with my dad (who was frankly all too shaken by the velociraptor attacks), let’s not kid ourselves into believing that the two ensuing follow-ups were in the least bit satisfactory. (Perfunctory seems the apt nomenclature there.) If the 1993 original is a perfect marriage of family friendly adventure and spotless behind-the-scenes work, 2015’s Jurassic World is a suitably bigger, louder, dumber, toothier offspring. So basically, it’s been 2015’ed.