Cannes 2013 Review: ONLY GOD FORGIVES and the Art of Violence

Nicolas Winding Refn may have burst onto the Hollywood scene with his slow burn but relatively straightforward actioner Drive, but before that film, Refn made a name for himself with considerably more abstract narratives such as Valhalla Rising. Refn... More »
  

Cannes 2013 First Impression: ONLY GOD FORGIVES Is A Hyper-Violent Feast For The Senses

Few films are as anticipated around Twitch as Nicolas Winding Refn's follow-up to Drive and re-teaming with Ryan Gosling, Only God Forgives. The film has had its premier at Cannes and boy is it going to be divisive. More... More »
  

Cannes 2013 Review: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Plays A Familiar Tune

It's become somewhat common for HBO to premiere their bigger movies at notable festivals and Cannes makes perfect sense for Steven Soderbergh's so-called final film, Behind the Candelabra. It also makes sense that the Matt Damon and Michael Douglas... More »
  

Cannes 2013 First Impression: INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Makes the Bad Times Fun

The Coen Brothers return with the 1960s-set Inside Llewyn Davis, a delightful tragicomedy about a musician just trying to get a break. Oscar Isaac plays the titular Llewyn and this is very much his show from beginning to end.... More »
  

Cannes 2013 Review: BLUE RUIN Or, Revenge Is A Pain In The Ass

Besides the fact that I doubt we'll see a more deft, thrilling genre film this year, I'm very pleased that Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin addresses a number of issues that revenge films have been overlooking for decades. For example, after... More »
  

Review: HANNIBAL S1E08, FROMAGE (Or, Everyone's Getting Friend-Zoned And Are None Too Pleased About It)

This week's gruesome discovery is the body of an orchestra member left at center stage. His throat and neck have been cut open, the neck of a cello has been stuffed into his mouth, and his vocal chords have been... More »
  

Cannes 2013 Review: THE BLING RING Pawns Character for Coolness

It's difficult to talk much about Sofia Coppola's latest The Bling Ring without addressing this year's other cute-teens-as-criminals film Spring Breakers -- so let's just get the comparisons out of the way right off the bat. While both films... More »
  

Review: HANNIBAL S1E07, SORBET (Or, Hannibal Prepares Quite The Feast And You're The Main Course!)

I'm burning the candle at both ends this week, putting in 60+ at the day job and watching my hockey teams of choice get eliminated from the playoffs one by one (I held off watching this week's episode for a... More »
  

Sci-Fi London 2013 Review: MARS ET AVRIL Deserves Greater Attention

Oh, what a wonderful, rich, glorious treat of a film Mars et Avril is. A sci-fi steam-punk romance with a terrific score, it is a delight to the senses. Visually stunning, melodramatic in its storytelling, and unafraid to delve into deep... More »
  

Review: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Boldly Goes Not Very Far

Star Trek Into Darkness begins with a thrilling chase sequence on a distant planet; a scene of immediacy and big budget spectacle. The film continues in this manner for most of its run time, punctuated by scenes that are less... More »
  

Tribeca 2013 Review: THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI Lacks Novelty And The Figurative Punch, But Provides Plenty of The Literal Kind

Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay, is one of the most famous boxers in history, and one of the more recognizable names in all of sports. His legendary strength, speed, power, and his incredible brashness and pride set him apart from... More »
  

Sci-Fi London 2013 Review: DEAD WEIGHT

Two things can/have happened with the greater ease of making an indepedent film: One is that newbie filmmakers take no time or care with writing a good story and then take even less time to plan how they will film... More »
  

Tribeca 2013 Review: RAZE, A Bloody and Brutal Female-Centered Action Spectacle Headlined by Stuntwoman Turned Thespian Zoe Bell

If you're the type of person who ever thought, "Man, I wish there was a movie filled with attractive women beating the shit out of each other," well, Raze has come along to answer your prayers. A brutal, relentless machine... More »
  

Review: THE SOURCE FAMILY - Spiritual Utopia Or Exploitive Cult?

There are those in The Source Family, a film exploring a radical, Utopian community in the 70's, who still claim that they experienced unexplainable miracles while living under the guidance of spiritual leader Father Yod. Stillborn babies were seemingly magically... More »
  

Melbourne Cinematheque Review: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM Lingers

Welcome back to my ongoing coverage of the Melbourne Cinematheque's fantastic program for 2013. Here I will be reviewing the first film per season (month). This month I took a look at The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), from... More »
  

Hot Docs 2013 Review: WILLIAM AND THE WINDMILL Subverts the Expected TEDtalk Narrative

What exactly is William and The Windmill about?  Is it the story of a resourceful and ingenious young Malawi boy who builds a windmill from available detritus using diagrams in a book so his parents have a way to... More »
  

Hot Docs 2013 Review: THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF DORIS PAYNE is Glamorous and Mundane

It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to walk into a jewelry store and pull a pure short-con swindle. Doris Payne, now in her early eighties, remains as wiry and razor sharp as she ever was, pulling one jewel... More »
  

Review: HANNIBAL Recap Thus Far And S01E05 - These Are Not Your Sunday School Angels

At the bequest of some of our readers we will continue to look at Bryan Fuller's Hannibal. So we have a bit of catching up to do as we let two episodes slide by without as much as a squeak.... More »
  

Tribeca 2013 Review: THE PRETTY ONE, With a Great Performance by Zoe Kazan In an Uneven Film

Actress Zoe Kazan (The Exploding Girl, Ruby Sparks) shines in a dual role as twin sisters in Jenée LaMarque's debut feature The Pretty One, receiving its world premiere at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. Unfortunately, the film Kazan is in... More »
  

Review: IRON MAN 3 Has Wit But Lacks Brains

Shane Black adds humour and verve to Marvel's most successful screen superhero, ensuring Iron Man 3 sees Tony Stark more acerbic and witty than ever. But while Robert Downey Jr. brings the laughs and Black supplies the thrills, the film... More »
  
 
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