The Blackcoat’s Daughter Review
Oz Perkins’ The Blackcoat’s Daughter – formerly known as February to festival fanatics – actually predates his 2016 Netflix release I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House. While the latter...
View ArticleExclusive Interview: Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer And Ben Wheatley Talk Free...
When attending South by Southwest every year, there’s at least one press junket that goes above-and-beyond. Food, activities – the works. This year, it was for Free Fire – Ben Wheatley’s feature-length...
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Rotten Tomatoes: Enemy Of Cinema, Or Scapegoat By Circumstance?
Another day, another attack against movie-review-mecca Rotten Tomatoes. “The death of cinema and film criticism,” some say. Those who believe such doomsday speak view the website as judge, jury and...
View ArticleGifted Review
Ever since Sony cut Marc Webb’s Spider-Man trilogy short, he’s silently focused on television producing (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, anyone?). Despite the time away, Gifted – his feature “comeback” of sorts –...
View ArticleAftermath Review
Elliott Lester’s Aftermath deals with one of cinema’s most popular themes: grief. Why is something so morose utilized so often? Because it makes for inherent drama, as an on-screen character is forced...
View ArticleWin It All Review
Win It All fluctuates the highs and lows of Joe Swanberg’s cinematic lyricism (indie and simplistic), but smartly pushes all-in at the right moments. Dramatic beats are so in-tune with the gambler’s...
View ArticleThe Fate Of The Furious Review
Throughout Universal’s engine-revving Fast And Furious franchise, Dominic Toretto’s crew has preached constant themes – family, respect and buckets of iced Coronas. So why does F. Gary Gray’s The Fate...
View ArticleSand Castle Review
Fernando Coimbra’s Sand Castle is an Iraq war story that takes aim at US involvement. Chris Roessner’s screenplay accidentally destroys a small town’s water supply, then sends Army infantrymen in to...
View ArticleUnforgettable Review
For how long must misguided romantic thrillers extinguish perverse genre passions? The Boy Next Door set a recent bar for camp-tastic obsessing and killing in the name of love, one that movies like...
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The Endless Review [Tribeca 2017]
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s The Endless is an assertion of talents in the most curious, explorative way. Minds are unlocked, souls are bared and fears are shared. The duo’s feature debut –...
View ArticleSleight Review
J.D. Dillard’s Sleight is an anomaly for many reasons – least of which involves a body-hacking Iron Boy. How about perennial goofball Dulé Hill passing for a drug kingpin (which he does)? Or Jacob...
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Tilt Review [Tribeca 2017]
As some films have gained new meaning under the Donald Trump regime (Always Shine, for example), Kasra Farahani’s Tilt was fully realized to be a knee-jerk reaction. No subtlety, all retaliation. They...
View ArticleThe Trip To Spain Review [Tribeca 2017]
Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip To Spain expands his foodie-humor franchise into a three-course experience. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon first jested their way through northern England, then conquered...
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Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 Review
Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow: you know these names as superheroes who comprise a team – the Avengers. Star-Lord, Drax The Destroyer, Gamora: these are also superheroes who make up a team –...
View ArticleRupture Review
Steven Shainberg’s Rupture begins with an image of something I hate – a spider – and ends with another image of something I also hate – another spider. Is there any correlation between my hatred of...
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Super Dark Times Review [Tribeca 2017]
Super Dark Times? How about Super Fuckin’ Dark Kick-Your-Teeth-In Stressful No Good Very Bad Times. Writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski construct a backyard crime drama – like if Brick followed a...
View ArticleTake Me Review
Pat Healy’s Take Me is a wild card – but what else would you expect from a man whose performances are just as unpredictable? It’s a nifty little whodunnit that’s loads of fun, given how every action...
View ArticleThe Wall Review
Doug Liman’s The Wall faces the same problem as Netflix’s Sand Castle – is there anything left unsaid about an already mass-criticized Iraq invasion? We’ve heard it all. Government debriefings,...
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Alien: Covenant Review
With Alien: Covenant – a movie about the evolution of species – Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise evolves (or devolves, depending on opinion) into a different cinematic beast. What was once a deep-space...
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King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword Review
Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword brings cockney swagger to British folklore, but in a very “Guy Ritchie” way that doesn’t jive with medieval hooliganism. Despite how those Monty Python...
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