Month: January 2015
Sundance Film Review: The Black Panthers: The Vanguard of the...
With the heightened sense of racism that has been projected in the media in the last 12 months (not that it didn’t exist without all the publicity), director Stanley Nelson’s recollection of the fight for civil rights with The Black Panthers on the front lines seems highly appropriate at this juncture. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Dark Horse
Who doesn’t love a rags-to-riches story, especially when that unbelievable tale didn’t come out of the mind of some writer in Hollywood but was, in fact, true? Such is the case with barmaid Jan Voxes and her wild idea to convince a group of locals, to invest in breeding a championship racing horse. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Bronze
With dialogue that would make a sailor blush and a sex scene that will burn hysterically disturbing imagery in your mind for life, you will never look at the sport of gymnastics in the same light ever again. … read more
Sundance Film Review: In Football We Trust
There are only 128,000 Polynesians in the United States, yet they are the largest ethnic group to play for the NFL. It’s unbearable to witness the pressure placed upon these teenagers’ shoulders as their families have their hopes set sky high with NFL dollar signs in their eyes. This is an emotional story of family, redemption, forgiveness, maturity, religion, and sports and it all fuses together for a feel-good experience. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Witch
Robert Eggers pulls no punches and makes no apologies in this film. The Witch’s scenes are steeped in primal dread, and each actor makes the audience feel the seams come apart as paranoia and mistrust begin to take their toll. The performances are explosive, the tension is gut-wrenching, and the settings are nightmarish. … read more
Sundance Film Review: The Overnight
While The Overnight has a few flaws in its execution, the chemistry among the principal actors comes close to making up for them. It’s not a perfect film, but it offers a unique and funny story about what people are willing to do in order to strengthen a marriage. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Most Likely To Succeed
After witnessing his daughter’s frustrations with 4th grade and overhearing her teacher’s rant about building character for the future, director Greg Whiteley decided to explore the current status of America’s educational system and what he uncovered is quite unnerving. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Listen To Me Marlon
Marlon Brando passed away 11 years ago but with the use of never-before-heard audio recording, rare film footage and vintage photographs, director Stevan Riley has compiled an all-encompassing jigsaw puzzle of Brando’s life that explores the actor’s thoughts on acting, family, sex, love, and the ravenous business of filmmaking. … read more
Sundance Film Review: Christmas, Again
While there is value in creating cinema that captures the everyday human experience, Christmas, Again overshoots that mark by being so real that it’s boring. At the very least, films should tell stories about interesting characters. … read more
Sundance Film Review: I Am Michael
Audiences are first introduced to Michael Glatze as he chastises a young gay teenager and declares moral individuals choose heterosexuality and God. However, this was not always the case with him. Director Justin Kelly effectively leads audiences though the life of a confused individual who abandons one life for another while outsiders both ridicule and praise his challenging choice.
… read more