Out in Theaters: ‘THE INCREDIBLES 2’
‘Incredibles 2’ offers so much to love - a charming voice cast, dazzling and inventive set pieces, a keen sense of wit, and charitable cultural commentary - that it’s relative…
REVIEW
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘OCEAN’S 8’
Entertainingly fluffy but problematic when you dig beneath the surface, Gary Ross’ ‘Ocean’s 8’ puts an all-women spin on the upscale heist series but misses the mark of genuine feminist…
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT’
Recovery is a marathon not a sprint, not that the snarky wheelchair-bound protagonist of Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry would be able to stand for either. Telling the true story of celebrated, irreverent Portland cartoonist John Callahan, from his reckless drinking days to his untimely paralysis to his long tenure at AA, Van Sant’s latest...
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘HEREDITARY’
Ranking up their with the great contemporary horror movies of our time, 'Hereditary' delivers the scares of 'The Conjuring' with the atmospherics of 'The Shining' all matched to a jaw-droppingly…
REVIEW
Out in Theaters: ‘HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES’
‘How to Talk to Girls at Parties’ doesn’t have the cult appeal of John Cameron Mitchell’s ‘Hedwig’ but this experimental genre-bender is a wildly off-center punk-rock-tinged sci-fi-romantic romp, despite being…
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘HEARTS BEAT LOUD’
Nick Offerman plays a hipster record shop owner/has-been musician/doting father to the talented and driven Sam (Kiersey Clemons in a vibrant coming out party of a performance) as the two start an unlikely band in Brett Haley’s lovely indie musical Hearts Beat Loud. The pair share wonderful screen chemistry – Offerman has never been better...
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID’
Not even children are spared in this gritty Mexican fantasy-thriller from writer/director Issa López. Both grounded in dark realities and anchored by larger-than-life fantastical elements, Tigers Are Not Afraid shares DNA with Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language horrors movies (think Devil’s Backbone), which smuggle pervasive social commentary in with spooky, mythic thrills. A 10-year old girl...
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS’
Eddy Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran had their lives turned upside down with the discovery that the three 19-year olds were long-lost triplets. Overnight media sensations, the long-separated trio discover a nefarious plot to settle the argument on nature vs. nurture in this stranger-than-fiction type documentary from Tim Wardle. Equally compelling and fascinating, Three...
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘RUIN ME’
This concept horror from Preston DeFrancis tries to combine the shlocky guesswork of a whodunnit in with the craze of Escape Rooms to middling effect. When ex-addict Alexandra (Marcienne Dwyer) accompanies boyfriend Nathan on Slasher Sleepout, the orchestrated haunt becomes menacingly real and the pair must fight for survival. Some of the narrative twists work...
FESTIVAL
SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘LEAVE NO TRACE’
Following 2010’s Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik continues to peer into the grungy sideshow of backcountry American life in the delicately told Leave No Trace. About a father and daughter who attempt to live off the land, Granik’s third feature film tackles heavy themes with a soft touch, allowing Ben Foster and Thomas Harcourt McKenzie’s soulful...