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

Out in Theaters: A LITTLE CHAOS

June 25, 2015 by Drew Powell Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alan Rickman, Hope Hancock, Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Out in Theaters, Paula Paul, Reviews, Stanley Tucci 1 Comment

True to its title, not much in the way of chaos occurs in Alan Rickman’s sophomore directorial effort. In fact, most of the time affairs are the exact opposite of chaotic. Instead it’s a modest well-mannered period piece, taking part in the action of Versailles, France, 1628. It’s technically proficient – as most period pieces are – and the performances are solid across the board, though nothing outstanding. Rickman directs with competence but on the whole A Little Chaos is instantly forgettable—marked by a feeling of slightness and opting to pursue the safest routes for predictable romantic dramas. Read More

Out in Theaters: MAX

June 25, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Boaz Yakin, Josh Wiggins, Max, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Robbie Amell, Thomas Haden Church Leave a comment

Obviously Max, the Air Bud of Middle ‘Murica ethics, is no good. A fly-over state moral play coached in Christian values and wartime oorah, Boaz Yakin’s family-friendly wag of the tail falters connecting with non-faith audience members but, worse still, fails to coalesce into a meaningful, cogent piece of cinema in its own right. Character motivations are thinner than a newspaper page with the stumbling centerpiece performances coming off as nothing short of tacky. That being the case, the titular dog Max gave one might performance; ’twas the most convincing one of the film. Read More

Out in Theaters: REVERSAL

June 25, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged José Manuel Cravioto, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Richard Tyson, Rock Shaink Jr., Sundance 2015, Tina Ivlev Leave a comment

*This is a reprint of our Sundance 2015 review.

There’s a flicker of hope early on in Reversal. A scuzzy captive batters her captor, gaining the upper hand and chaining him in the very binds she was kept in for who knows how long. She scours the house for car keys, stumbling upon a folder filled with Polaroids of similarly imprisoned females. She rages downstairs, pistol cocked, face splattered with blood from their recent altercation. Tensions run high and the stage for a decent horror flick is set. And then she opens her mouth. Read More

Out in Theaters: THE STRONGEST MAN

June 25, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Ashley Burch, Freddie Wong, Kenny Riches, Out in Theaters, Paul Chamberlain, Reviews, Robert Lorie, Sundance 2015, The Strongest Man Leave a comment

Socially awkward black comedy with occasionally explosive moments of understated humor, The Strongest Man is Kenny Riches’ follow-up to Must Come Down and his first big festival debut. His surgically shrewd examination of two nobodies stewing in the melting pot of Miami presents a deep and thoughtful metaphysical exploration of life as alien experience with the stonerish tendencies of Jared Hess and the outlandish atmospheres of a dedicated daydreamer.The Napoleon Dynamite similarities don’t stop here as Riches’ two middling heroes are one dance session away from the buddy-buddy comedy stylings of Hess’ bizarre seminal work. From sharing a bike to snorting unknown substances on the beachfront, Beef (newcomer Robert Lorie) and Conan (Paul Chamberlain) are an odd couple; as physically and mentally ill-matched as Pinkie and the Brain and yet palpably, enormously close to one another.Their journey through Riches’ story – one that tells of Beef’s slip-and-slide into love, a stolen BMX bike, anxiety monsters and spirit animals – is one of stunted stuntmen. Early on in the film, Beef charges through a series of cement walls for no rhyme or reason. Most likely just to prove to himself that he could.

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

TRUE DETECTIVE Season 2 Episode 1 Review “The Western Book of the Dead”

June 24, 2015 by Eric Brown Posted in TV Reviews 6 Comments

True Detective season two has the same visage and DNA of the first, but it needs to speak up for us to hear. The intro’s graphical sleepy and haunting imagery and auditory sensations are there, only Californiacated. So is the symbolism, with the overhead shots of vapid intersecting freeways that look like rigid arteries interconnecting a vile heart of darkness with the industrial landscape fingered together like a cold computer processor. All of it I’m hoping with throttle forward with the novelty of the first series–but only time is the measure of all things truly divine.

Director Face/Off: Wes Anderson Vs. Richard Linklater (Part Three – Music)

June 23, 2015 by Lillian Angelle Posted in Retrospectives 3 Comments

Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater –prominent writer/directors, Texas natives (both have roots in Houston) and coincidentally my two favorite humans. Their latest films were nominated for Best Motion Picture this year and, delving further, their careers have evolved at very similar rates, humbly paving the quaint dirt road that was the indie film scene in the ‘90s with Slacker and Bottle Rocket. Onward, they transitioned to tastemakers, acquiring cult followings with Dazed and Confused and The Royal Tenenbaums. With each film Anderson and Linklater make, their toolbox gets a little bigger without compromising their eclectic and pridefully offbeat styles, one vastly different from the other, yet hauntingly similar. Which leads to the question, who does it better?

For Anderson and Linklater, a film’s soundtrack seems to be equally as important as cinematography or plot. Anderson uses music to form a specifically cultured aesthetic shaped from a balance of scores by Mark Mothersbaugh and rock ‘n’ roll. Linklater uses era-defining music as a sort of bookmark for time, shaping his stories around cultural happenings as defined by what was playing on the radio.

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.