Out in Theaters: SELF/LESS

July 9, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Antonio Pinto, Ben Kingsley, Brendan Galvin, Dudu Aram, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ryan Reynolds, Self/Less, Tarsem Singh Leave a comment

Tarsem Singh is an tough cookie to crack. On the one hand, he’s hailed as a visionary director; a masterful craftsman of colorful aesthetics and esoteric tone. And yet, his catalog of works is filled with laudable, though often graceless, misfires. From 2000’s J Lo-starrer The Cell to sword ‘n’ sandals CGI-fest Immortals (which seemed little more than 300-lite) and onward to his recent Snow White comedy Mirror Mirror, Singh hardly has one entry in his portfolio to unequivocally celebrate. Nor has he really delivered a true stinker. That trend continues in 2015 with a thinking man’s actioner that forgot the thinking man aspect with Self/Less.

Out in Theaters: TESTAMENT OF YOUTH

July 9, 2015 by Drew Powell Posted in Out in Theaters, Reviews Tagged Alicia Vikander, James Kent, Kit Harrington, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Taron Egerton, Testament of Youth Leave a comment

At the beginning of James Kent’s Testament of Youth the Armistice has been signed and World War I is ending. Though our protagonist, Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander) isn’t celebrating. As she makes her way through crowded London streets, she looks beaten down and dazed. By this point, the war has taken everything from her. In real life, Brittain became a Pacifist after experiencing the horrors of The Great War first-hand. Based on her memoir of the same name, Testament of Youth carries a strong anti-war message that Kent handles with subtlety and compassion. He slowly easing into Brittain’s tale, instead of starting with suffering right away. Keeping the focus squarely on Vera and her evolution as a character, he crafts a delicate and understanding biopic worthy of mild celebration. Read More

Out in Theaters: THE GALLOWS

July 8, 2015 by Drew Powell Posted in Grades, Out in Theaters, Reviews Tagged Cassidy Spilker, Chris Lofing, Found Footage, Out in Theaters, Pfeifer Brown, Reese Mishler, Reviews, The Gallows, Travis Cluff Leave a comment

The horror film genre is so full of dumb teenagers making bad decisions one could all but populate a second planet (or country) with their low-grade stock. However The Gallows — yet another entry into the extensive found footage feature collection– may contain the dumbest teens of any horror movie. They’re massively dumb, completely unlikable and thin as tracing paper. They may as well be wearing big, bright neon signs that read: “Here I am! Kill me now!” Although, the movie itself—written and directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing—isn’t much smarter. Read More

Documentary Dossier: AMY

July 8, 2015 by Jill Landon Posted in Documentaries, Out in Theaters Tagged Amy, Amy Winehouse, Asif Kapadia, Documentary, Out in Theaters, Reviews Leave a comment

Early on in the documentary Amy, Nick Shymansky, friend and one-time manager of the titular soul singer, reflects upon a time before her fame when she was very nearly forced into rehab. There’s a sorrowful, what if tone to his recollection, as he imagines that just maybe if she had been treated for alcoholism before fame took hold of her life, things could have been different. Read More

Out in Theaters: THE SUICIDE THEORY

July 6, 2015 by Brittany Cullen Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Dru Brown, Leon Cane, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Steve Mouzakis, The Suicide Theory Leave a comment

A well-written and excellently executed script can buoy an isolated cliché. As The Suicide Theory embodies neither of these traits, it hits an iceberg early on with multiple turns of the phrase “Do you believe in fate?” and manages to sink rather rapidly. Read More

Out in Theaters: TERMINATOR: GENISYS

June 30, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alan Taylor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, emilia clarke, Jai Courney, Jason Clarke, JK Simmons, Laeta Kalogridis, Out in Theaters, Patrick Lussier, Reviews, Terminator: Genisys 5 Comments

Terminator: Genisys, or How to Waste 170 Million Dollars, is a righteously obsolete sequel; a feckless manure cache more dedicated to nostalgia as computer animated gimmick, patchy, gravity-ignorant FX and slinky-esque “gotcha!” twists than little things like plot, internal consistency and character development. To call Terminator: Not a Word a failure would be to acknowledge that it even tried to succeed in the first place. And let’s be honest here, Terminator 5 tried not. Read More

Out in Theaters: MAGIC MIKE XXL

June 29, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Amber Heard, Channing Tatum, Gregory Jacobs, Jada Smith, Joe Manganiello, Magic Mike, Magic Mike XXL, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Steven Soderbergh 1 Comment

In 2012, Steven Soderbergh accomplished the impossible by making audiences – made up of various chromosome compositions – fall in love with a ragtag scrap of male strippers. Magic Mike not only dominated the box office – netting north of 113 million dollars domestically on a 7 million dollar production budget – but won the hearts and minds of critics, who rewarded the film with a 80% Rotten Tomato score. All signs pointed swiftly towards the birth of a new franchise centered around denuding men with real world issues. Women (and some men) rejoiced; ’twas raining men. Read More

Out in Theaters: TED 2

June 26, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Amanda Seyfried, Jessica Barth, Mark Wahlberg, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Ted 2, Worst Movies of 2015

Prepare for weed jokes, hairy sight gags, unbridled misogyny, celebrity cameos, unchecked homophobia, Goose Island product placement, wiener jokes, sperm jokes, boob jokes, period jokes, Bud Lite product placement, lame-brained pop culture references, more weed jokes, mean-spirited black people jokes, more Goose Island product placement, slut shaming, nerd lampooning, Boston jokes, ASU jokes, and a near gleeful amount of hate because Ted 2, the somehow anticipated sequel to 2011’s near awful foul-mouthed CG teddy bear buddy comedy, is finally here. It is also, without a doubt, the worst film of the year. Read More

Out in Theaters: CREEP

June 26, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Creep, Mark Duplass, Out in Theaters, Patrick Brice, Reviews 3 Comments

Mark Duplass has had quite a run in the fledgling stages of his career. From small roles in the likes of Oscar baity films, such as Zero Dark Thirty and, le sigh, Parkland, to larger roles in unsung indie hits Humpday and Safety Not Guaranteed, and simply as the reliably affable straight man, Pete, on The League, it’s easy to admit that Duplass has got range. He dips his toes in the pools of all different genres and mediums, working as an accomplished dramatic actor and solid comedian to boot. It’s then such a surprise that perhaps the greatest work he’s done is in a found little footage horror movie called Creep. Read More

Documentary Dossier: FRESH DRESSED

June 25, 2015 by Brittany Cullen Posted in Documentaries, Out in Theaters Tagged Dapper Dan, Fresh Dressed, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sacha Jenkins Leave a comment

Sacha Jenkins’ directorial debut examines fashion in hip hop as a means of freedom of individual expression and aspiration, as well as a mechanism of mass social control. It gives some insight into why a song that incessantly chants “Versace” for four minutes can clock over 12 million views on Vevo, when really (to quote Dr. Kanye West) “you not affording Versace”. None of us are. Read More