Out in Theaters: ‘CHRISTINE’

November 1, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Antonio Campos, Christine, Maria Dizzia, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Tracy Letts Leave a comment

Almost 7% of the American population has been diagnosed as suffering from depression. That’s roughly 15 million people today. In 1974, though depression was recognized as a serious mental disorder, it wasn’t regarded with the same weight that it is today. After all, the mental disease didn’t enter the DSM III until 1980. Christine, from Simon Killer director Antonio Campos, takes a look at infamous Sarasota reporter Christine Chubbuck and her struggle with depression in sad, sanguine, cinematic streaks. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘THE BIRTH OF A NATION’

October 7, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Nate Parker, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, The Birth of a Nation Leave a comment

Nate Parker‘s The Birth of a Nation is an urgent primal scream from American history’s darkest hour. Parker produces, writes, directs and stars in this much needed telling of the trials and tribulations of slave-turned-revolutionary Nat Turner. The relatively well-to-do preacher’s eyes are open to a new interpretation of the good book when his master shops out his sermons, profiteering off Turner’s calming demeanor to quell rebellion amongst more brutalized slaves. He’s soon in high demand from the most vicious slave owners across the land, all who want less sass and more backbreaking for their neglected and enslaved laborers. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘GOAT’

September 21, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Andrew Neel, Ben Schnetzer, David Gordon Green, Goat, James Franco, Nick Jonas, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Sundance 2016 1 Comment

Goat harrowingly explores the hypocrisy of fraternal brotherhood, bearing witness to the ugly rights of passage that men must submit to into order to earn their badge of masculinity. In Andrew Neel‘s testosterone-fueled melodrama, ideas of modern masculinity are examined through the lens of the Phi Sigma Mu fraternity of the fictitious Brookman University as new arriving “goats” (that’s pledges to those who don’t speak frat) are victim to a brutal “hell week”. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘OTHER PEOPLE’

September 7, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Bradley Whitford, Chris Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Other People, Reviews, Sundance 2016 Leave a comment

Other People sets expectations firmly in place early on for its uneven mix of tragedy and comedy. A family huddles in a dark bedroom, some whimpering, some crying out, others silent, all grasping hands, all seeking tendrils of connection, all weeping over a recently departed body. In the midst of this disruptively bleak opening, the landline erupts, echoing through the empty halls. It rings a number of times, awkwardly interrupting the mourning at hand, before clipping to voicemail. Broadcast through the house, a perky female says something to the effect of, “I heard you’re, like, really sick,” and then goes on to sloppily order tacos and Coke at a drive through. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE’

July 6, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Best of 2016, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Julian Dennison, Out in Theaters, Rachel House, Reviews, Rima Te Wiata, Sam Neill, Sundance 2016, Taika Waititi Leave a comment

Taika Waititi‘s oddball Hunt for the Wilderpeople continues the Kiwi director’s aggressive expansion into the mainstream while still maintaining his goofy, grinning, soft-centered tendencies. Coming off the roaring critical success of vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, Wilderpeople is a more grounded venture (but then again, what isn’t?) that maintains Waititi’s ironic and largely innocent sense of humor while injecting a fair measure of heart into the affair. Read More

Out in Theaters: ‘GREEN ROOM’

April 21, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Alia Shawkat, Anton Yelchin, Callum Turner, Green Room, Imogen Poots, Jeremy Saulnier, Joe Cole, Mark Webber, Patrick Stewart, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews 2 Comments

Hot from the critical heralding of Blue Ruin, Jeremy Saulnier returns to the world of white trash and movies with colors in their title with Green Room. An ultraviolet fantasy of viscus and vengeance, Green Room is as unapologetic as a Misfits album, as dead-serious as a KKK rally and as boastfully savage as a scalping. Characters find themselves torn to kibble by attack dogs, slashed to crimson ropes by box cutters and blasted in the face at point blank range with shotguns. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘THE BIRTH OF A NATION’

January 27, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Nate Parker, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, The Birth of a Nation 1 Comment

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘COMPLETE UNKNOWN’

January 26, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Azita Ghanizada, Complete Unknown, Joshua Marston, Kathy Bate, Michael Chernus, Michael Shannon, Rachel Weisz, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews Leave a comment

An old flame forks her way back into the life of a married man in Joshua Marston‘s mysterious and somewhat satisfying Complete Unknown. Marston struck a chord with debut Maria Full of Grace, which played Sundance 12 years ago, giving a drug mule a face in performer Catalina Sandino Moreno. With Complete Unknown, the Californian director harnesses a selfsame ability to craft complex female leads but allows the narrative to come to tatters as it crests its many tonal shifts. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘MANCHESTER BY THE SEA’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews, Most Popular Tagged Casey Affleck, Kenneth Lonergan, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews 3 Comments

After debuting on Saturday night, Manchester by the Sea quickly became the buzziest film at Sundance. When Amazon made an unprecedented $10 million dollar deal to sweep up distributing rights, the echo chamber only got louder. On the one hand, writer/director Kenneth Lonergan must welcome the fat paycheck with open arms. And yet, such a lofty price tag sets a certain sky-high expectation for the film before its even had a chance to digest in anyone’s tummies or see the light of day for most viewers. All finances aside, Manchester by the Sea is a emotionally resonant tearjerker/masterful character study with Casey Affleck stepping up to the plate to claim some majorly overdue attention. Read More

Sundance ’16 Review: ‘LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD’

January 25, 2016 by Matt Oakes Posted in Festival Reviews Tagged Documentaries, Leonard Kleinrock, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, Reviews, Sundance 2016, Sundance Reviews, Werner Herzog Leave a comment

Werner Herzog‘s dulcet tones ripple from the screen, warming the audience with his distinctive Herzogian accent and lolling cadence. His latest topic of interest: the internet. As can be expected of the revered German filmmaker and documentarian, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World is a thoughtful study of the past, present and future of this thing we call the internet; how it originated, how it binds us, and how it could lead to the end of times. Read More