Rating: 4/5
In Mail Order—a short film from Rule of Three (2008) director, Eric Shapiro, and based on the short story by Jack Ketchum—we get a glimpse of a man with an unhealthy obsession and how it effects his life and the lives of others. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 2/5
After Schindler’s List (1993) and Inglourious Basterds (2009) is there really a need for another WWII movie about the Nazis’ persecution of the Jews? It can be argued that each country and/or group of people has their own story to tell about the war, but if that’s the case, they need to know what makes their story unique and how to tell it. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 2/5
Beyond the Border (original title: Gränsen) boasts in interesting rescue/revenge story, but falls short with too many dull moments between the action and lack of fleshed out characters. Read the rest of this entry »
If I told you I was making a black and white film that included the murder of old men, a lead like Russell Brand, and a Bible verse about a prophet summoning bears to devour youths for making fun of his bald head (all recorded in glorious HD), you may question my sanity, but the gamble has paid off for director Alan Butterworth, whose debut film, The Drummond Will, is burning up the festival circuit with its unforgettable characters and witty dialogue. With the upcoming release of The Drummond Will on video, I asked Alan a few probing questions about the film and filmmaking in general. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 4/5
The Drummond Will is a black comedy torn from the pages of the Coen Brothers. While this film may not boast the tightness of the Coen Brother’s 1984 début, Blood Simple, director Alan Butterworth is off to a good start. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 2/5
I’m not a big fan of comic book super heroes, nor the films based upon such heroes, and although a few good ones have slipped through, most fall under the category of Sunday afternoon fodder. Captain America: The First Avenger, I’m afraid, falls under the latter. It’s not that Captain American does anything wrong, it’s that it does everything right, textbook right. It’s a boring film and is the most generic super hero film I’ve ever seen. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 5/5
My Dog Tulip is a vivid account—taken from the pages of J.R. Ackerley’s memoir—of the 15 years spent with his “ideal friend”, Tulip, an Alsatian (commonly known as a German Shepherd) he rescued from an abusive and neglectful home when she was 18 months old. Dog owners will be moved, possibly to tears, by this story of love and companionship between a man in his autumn years and his loving, energetic, and often unruly, dog. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating: 5/5
I prefer to go into films blind—knowing as little about the film as possible before viewing it—I want to take in the experience as the director intended. Often, trailers—and sometimes reviews—reveal too much about the film and dull the experience. Thankfully, the trailer for Midnight in Paris gives away nothing so I had no idea what I was in for, which made for a richer film-going experience. If you want the full surprise of Midnight in Paris, see it without any further information. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer’s here and women are outside wearing short-shorts and bikinis while I’m inside watching a documentary about a guy who plays with dolls. Well, that’s the life of the critic and I welcome it. After all, there are plenty of nude ladies in the movies, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on too much. I have a few good movies to share with you this month as well as a few duds (a couple of which are worth watching regardless), so grab a slice of cold pizza—and that lukewarm beer you’ve been nursing—and sit back as I do my best to convince you to stay indoors this summer. Read the rest of this entry »
Coming up quickly in the ranks of the cinema, Rhoda Jordan is more than a pretty face from music videos and horror B movies. With credits including: actress, writer, producer, teacher, singer, and ghostwriter, Rhoda Jordan has covered a lot of ground in a relatively short amount of time. I recently had the opportunity to ask Jordan a few questions about her career as well as her collaboration with husband, writer/director Eric Shapiro, that resulted in the indie thriller, Rule of Three. Read the rest of this entry »
