Out In Theaters: LUCKY STIFF

July 26, 2015 by J Simpson Posted in Out in Theaters, Reviews Tagged Christopher Ashley, Dark Comedy, Dominic Marsh, Jason Alexander, Lucky Stiff, Musicals, Nikki M. James, Out in Theaters, Pamela Shaw 1 Comment

Lucky Stiff, from director Christopher Ashley, is a hard sell. It’s a dark comedic adaptation of an off-off broadway musical, from the creative team who would go on to create Ragtime. The musical numbers and between scene animations derail the normal slice-of-life grittiness that carries a lot of dark comedies, however, while the musical numbers are not intricate or tuneful enough to eradicate the criticisms usually leveled at musical theater. Critics of either dark comedies or musical theater should turn their attention elsewhere for an evening’s entertainment, as Lucky Stiff is unlikely to create new converts. But it is not without its charms. Read More

Talking with Harry Lloyd of BIG SIGNIFICANT THINGS

July 24, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Interviews Tagged Big Significant Things, Bryan Reisberg, Game of Thrones, Harry Lloyd 1 Comment

Harry Lloyd has developed a fan base through a number of television roles, including a two-episode arc on Doctor Who and, more recently, as Viserys Targaryen on Game of Thrones, as well as parts on the stage and the big screen. Viewers familiar with his work may be surprised to see the English actor playing the Jersey-native protagonist of Big Significant Things, which premiered at SXSW. With its theatrical run opening this weekend, we spoke with Lloyd about independent filmmaking, the American south, and chewing tobacco. Read More

Out in Theaters: BIG SIGNIFICANT THINGS

July 24, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Big Significant Things, Bryan Reisberg, Harry Lloyd, Out in Theaters, Reviews 1 Comment

Big Significant Things opens on what seems to be a big, significant thing: the “World’s Largest Cedar Bucket.” We first meet our protagonist as he gazes at the bucket with an expression of quiet awe, though already we can see a hint of desperation in the wideness of his eyes and his attempts to engage a local about the bucket’s history. Craig is a twenty-something guy in a serious relationship with Allison, who is in San Francisco picking out the home they plan to buy together; we come to find out that Craig is on his cross-country, “world’s largest”-sightings trip alone, though Allison believes he’s traveling for work. As we come to find out, he’s not just looking for the best American landmarks; he’s on a journey of last-chance freedom and self-discovery before settling down with his “perfect” girl.
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Out in Theaters: PAPER TOWNS

July 23, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Austin Abrams, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Jake Schreier, John Green, Justice Smith, Nat Wolff, Paper Towns 1 Comment

Paper Towns is as infantile as it is pointless; a sloppily rendered, paint-by-numbers filmic blunder that celebrates femininity and the free spirit without understanding either. It’s a glossy venture through teenagedom (emphasis on “dumb”) that both takes itself too seriously and is too fantastical and inconsequential to be taken seriously. As such, it simply fails to grasp anything of value, though its fingers remain greedily extended. Though acted with suitable gusto by its young cast, Paper Towns is the movie equivalent of a rambling troglodyte, spouting words and ideas without having much to say at all. Read More

Talking with Kris Swanberg of UNEXPECTED

July 23, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Interviews Tagged Cobie Smulders, Interviews, Joe Swanberg, Kris Swanberg, Unexpected 1 Comment

Kris Swanberg rightfully fancies herself as far more than the wife of illustrious mumblecore director Joe Swanberg. She is a filmmaker in her own right. Though she may still be perfecting her craft. With her third film, Unexpected, the female Swanberg sought to thoughtfully divorce “pregnancy films” from the comedic context that it’s been hedged into time and again. Instead, she intended to make some earnest, genuine and from the perspective of an actual woman going through these actual motions. And for the most part, she has succeeded. Read More

Out in Theaters: UNEXPECTED

July 23, 2015 by Lillian Angelle Posted in Out in Theaters, Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged Anders Holm, Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Kris Swanberg, Kris Williams, Megan Mercier, Unexpected Leave a comment

Kris Swanberg gives a somewhat too conventional glimpse into unplanned pregnancy in Unexpected, co-written with Megan Mercier and Kris Williams. This marks Swanberg’s third feature film, and notably her first film with known actors and a budget that’s actually workable. While Swanberg said she wanted Unexpected to be a more realistic film, stripped of the usual comedy around unplanned pregnancy and the heightened melodrama of the environment of low income schools, the lack of both elements makes for a charming film of realism indeed, but one that’s too dramatically scarce. Read More

Out in Theaters: SOUTHPAW

July 23, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Antoine Fuqua, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Horner, Kurt Sutter, Oona Laurence, Out in Theaters, Rachel McAdams, Reviews, Southpaw Leave a comment

It’s been since 2001’s Training Day that Antoine Fuqua has delivered a true knockout. Southpaw is no exception. The Pittsburg-born director has faced no challenges scraping together talent; amassing casts and crews that regularly featured A-listers at the top of their game, screenwriters on the fast track to success, composers in highest demand. He also hasn’t been treated to a movie falling on the fresh side of the spectrum since 2001. Sure, The Equalizer eeked by on Denzel Washington’s cool, collected killing spree antics but critics (and audiences) knew that Fuqua’s product was less than perfect. And this gets us to Southpaw, a film that’s definitively less than perfect. Read More

Gratuitous Trailer Breakdown: GOOSEBUMPS and the Challenge of Capitalizing on Nostalgia

July 22, 2015 by Harrison Foster Posted in Trailers, Uncategorized Tagged Goosebumps, Gratuitous Trailer Breakdown, Jack Black, R.L. Stine, Tim Jacobus, Trailers Leave a comment

Ok, you’ve had some time to geek out over the nostalgia-gasm that is the new trailer for Goosebumps, right? You’ve splooshed and boi-oi-oinged to the barrage of imagery straight from the pages of R.L. Stine‘s landmark, commercially record-breaking, critically-null epic chronicle of that which lurks beneath the sink and the seemingly mundane life of every kid born between 1983 and 1988 (my apologies to the precocious and the held-back). Read More

The Deepest Cuts: SOCIETY (1989)

July 22, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Retrospectives Tagged Brian Yuzna, Screaming Mad George, Society, The Deepest Cuts Leave a comment

The Deepest Cuts is a weekly invitation into some of the sleaziest, goriest, most under-explored corners of horror and cult film online. Every title will be streamable and totally NSFW. Whether it’s a 1960s grindhouse masterpiece, something schlocky from the 90s, or hardcore horror from around the world, these films are guaranteed to shock, disturb, tickle, or generally blow your mind.

We all know that the members of high society are different from us hoi polloi – they drive fancier cars, they wear designer clothes, their hair is always perfect. But these are just aspects of the shiny spectacle of wealth and good breeding that they present to the public, and while shows like Keeping up with Kardashians give us a so-called inside look, we all know that there’s a fair degree of editing and staging involved. What does high society really do behind closed gates, hidden from the masses’ view, free to revel in their own advantages? Society reveals just that – and be warned: it is sick and oh-so-twisted.

Bond Returns in Style for SPECTRE Trailer

July 22, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged 007, Daniel Craig, James Bond, Sam Mendes, Spectre, Trailers Leave a comment

Sam Mendes turned heads with 2012’s Skyfall, crafting a new fan favorite while resetting the clock on some of 007’s most iconic characters. After experiencing some production drama under the auspices of Sony’s indelicate hand – reportedly going over-budget and taking a cut from the Mexican film commission to shoot the film’s iconic opening set piece – Spectre looks to take the man in the tux back to his roots, pitting him against the shadow organization SPECTRE. This is the first time since 1971’s Diamonds are Forever that SPECTRE has played a part in the film’s plotting. Read More