Year: 2014
Sundance Film Review: Happy Valley
If you haven’t heard about the sexual abuse scandal erupting from the Penn State University football program, then that rock you live under must be mighty hefty. Director Amir Bar-Lev embedded himself within a town that was once revered as a wholesome community until tragedy stuck due to the multiple sexual molestation charges brought up against the Penn State University’s Assistant Coach, Jerry Sandusky. Bar-Lev lightly touches on Sandusky’s case and verdict, but the primary focus is set upon the head coach, Joe Paterno. Records indicate Paterno was made aware of an incident with Sandusky and a minor and emailed his superiors, but nothing ever came of his report. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Life Itself
If you were a film critic or essentially anyone in the film industry on April 4, 2013, you took a minute to pause and respect the memory of film critic, Roger Ebert. I know I did. As the first film critic to ever win a Pulitzer, Roger Ebert became the face of movie criticism, but his smiling demeanor had a history of mesmerizing tales, personal anguish and laughable escapades. Director Steve James was granted access by Ebert himself to capture what would be the last five months of the icon’s life. … read more
Thunder and Doom: Grand Magus Triumphs with Power
Striding forward with their own breed of doom-filled heavy metal, Grand Magus have proven that they are still dedicated disciples of the riff with the release of Triumph and Power. This most recent offering from the trio of hard-rocking Swedes shows a surprising level of focus and maturity in their sound, and shows just how much this band has grown in the last 15 years. … read more
Sundance Film Review: To Kill A Man
Opening with a promising still shot of a forest scene and aggressive baritone horn music as the lead character Jorge (Daniel Candia) appears in the light, To Kill a Man is a unique and artistic addition to the revenge movie catalog. … read more
Sundance Film Reviews: The Overnighters
Due to the process of fracking in the Bakken Shale region of Western North Dakota, oil drilling has exploded and garnered the attention of desperate men across the country looking to find work in an economy that is not offering much. In the small town city of Williston, North Dakota, Pastor Jay Reinke of the Concordia Lutheran Church has opened the doors to his facility to new arrivals that have nowhere to sleep with “The Overnighters” program. While this act of kindness appears to be the methods of his religion, he did so without the approval of his congregation or community, and not everyone is pleased with the results. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Drunktown’s Finest
In Gallup, New Mexico, aka Drunktown USA, three Navajo protagonists battle alcoholism, peer rejection and the whitewashing of their Native roots. Although Drunktown’s Finest has moments of believability, most of the acting falls flat, and the direction feels clunky and forced. This is a film with heart and it tells a sympathetic story, but it lacks the quality that separates an engrossing film from a valiant attempt. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: The Sublime and Beautiful
I once took a writing class where the teacher told us that the best way to get readers to care about your characters is to make terrible things happen to those characters, forcing some type of reaction. The Sublime and Beautiful is the greatest example of this that I’ve ever seen.
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Sundance Film Review: Blue Ruin
Refn and Tarantino can fuck off now that Jeremy Saulnier has joined their ranks with his genre-defying revenge flick. Saulnier manages to keep the audience on the edge of their seats throughout with a main character who remains expressionless and silent for nearly the entire film—yet draws us in better than Ryan Gosling’s pretty pout ever did. This is top-notch cult classic material. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Listen Up Phillip
I haven’t laughed as consistently through an entire film as I did with Listen Up Philip. Alex Ross Perry uses a fast-paced vérité approach, narration, a cool jazz soundtrack and super-witty, literary dialogue to examine the meaninglessness of a cliché young, misunderstood writer’s life. Every line from every character is perfect and the acting is flawlessly believable—this is one of the best narrative features I’ve seen at Sundance, or anywhere, for that matter. … read more
Slamdance Film Review: La Bare
In his directorial debut, Joe Manganiello (HBO’s True Blood, Magic Mike) offers an inside look at La Bare, an all male revue club in Dallas, TX that’s been in operation since 1978.
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