SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘EIGHTH GRADE’

May 16, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged A24, Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade, Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, SIFF 2018 1 Comment

A bighearted DM of awkwardness and warmth, Bo Burnham’s transportive comedic-drama debut Eighth Grade will return audiences to those pimple-pocked middle years; when being cool was synonymous with having no personality and anxiety over self-identity dominated every waking thought. The drama from A24 marries a tender coming-of-age saga with perfectly-layered cringe-comedy in a universal story of finding oneself in the digital age. Compelling use of musical cues and spirited, raw performances from Elsie Fisher and Josh Hamilton characterize this sweet, memorable story about the soul-crushing horror-show that is middle school. (A-) Read More

SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘BLUE MY MIND’

May 11, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Blue My Mind, Horror, Lisa Brühlmann, Luna Wedler, SIFF 2018, Yael Meier, Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen Leave a comment

A maybe-mermaid metamorphosis, MDMA, and mean girls combine to make Blue My Mind an unforgettably queasy coming-of-age body horror fantasy. Lisa Brühlmann’s Kafkaesque sexual awakening exists somewhere between Raw, Girlhood and The Fly – a Cronenbergian exploration of feminine maturation that deals in earnest themes of friendship and acceptance, tackling the challenges of life’s transitions through a unique, sexually-charged, and often dangerous lens. This Swiss import boasts the distinction of complicated performances (Luna Wedler’s fire) and a supercharged young talent in Brühlmann, who, mind-blowingly, submitted this as her film-school thesis. Bravo. (B+) Read More

SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘REVENGE’

May 10, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Coralie Fargeat, Horror, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Revenge, SIFF 2018 Leave a comment

Vengeance is a dish served gory in this stylish, brutish bloodbath that updates 70s rape-revenge fantasy exploitation films to the #MeToo era. The bare bones plot leaves Jen (a hypnotic Matilda Lutz) pitted against three male assailants/trophy hunters, stranded in the middle of nowhere with an axe to grind. Hallucinatory camerawork and a throbbing soundscape bring artsy flair to this otherwise stripped-down final girl kill-fest that pops with cringetastic, French New Extremity levels of blood geysers. At nearly 2 hours, the feminist horror crowd-pleaser drags in spots but deeply satisfies nonetheless. (B+) Read More

SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘FIRST REFORMED’

May 9, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Amanda Seyfried, Ethan Hawke, First Reformed, Paul Schrader, SIFF 2018 1 Comment

What is it to have faith, Paul Schrader’s haunting, meditative drama asks, luring audiences into a dreamlike spiritual journey in avant-garde exploration of the disharmony between modern religion and biblical teachings. This artful collision of good intentions turned awry and infectious melancholia pulsates with themes of despair, environmentalism, ailment and self-loathing, lead by a naked knockout of a performance from Ethan Hawke. Reminiscent of Taxi Driver (which Schrader wrote), First Reformed is an arthouse miracle of filmmaking and one of the most impactful, poignant, thought-provoking movies about faith ever made. (A) Read More

SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?’

May 8, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Documentaries, Morgan Neville, Mr Rogers, SIFF 2018, Won't You Be My Neighbor 1 Comment

A potpourri of warmth and goodheartedness, ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ explores Mr. Rogers’ overwhelming generosity of spirit and his well-concealed demons through the lens of his radically unfussy television program that ran from 1963 until 2001. Putting the unlikely star back in the spotlight, this heartwarming and tear-duct-attacking documentary from Morgan Neville dazzlingly teaches that we probably never deserved this low-spoken, child-whispering icon and yet his benevolent lessons on acceptance and kindness are more necessary today than ever. A good-natured salve for the soul and inspiring portrait of blinding decency. (A-) Read More

SIFF ’18 Capsule Review: ‘AMERICAN ANIMALS’

May 7, 2018 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged American Animals, Barry Keoghan, Barry Layton, Evan Peters, SIFF 2018 1 Comment

Bart Layton’s audacious feature debut uniquely tacks together documentary and narrative styles to tell the stranger than fiction tale of a notorious art heist gone horribly wrong. Barry Keoghan and Evan Peters are strong as apathetic, bored college students who fall victim to glamorized fables of the perfect crime in Layton’s white-knuckle exploration of young white male entitlement and the dubious nature of truth and memory. This slick caper boasts a unique storytelling approach and gripping moments of high tension but struggles with pacing and periphery character development. (B) Read More