The Guest (Adam Winguard, 2014) – The genre-loving writer/director team of Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard have gradually been easing themselves into the status of the best horror filmmakers of their generation. The Guest only confirms that title, while also pushing their style into other genres. Their partnership started with the brutal serial killer move […]
Appropriate Behavior Review
The bittersweet indie comedy Appropriate Behavior heralds the arrival of a major triple threat in the form or writer, director, and star Desiree Akhavan.
Star Wars #1 Review
We've got a good feeling about this. Star Wars #1 kicks off a new, ongoing series that sees a galaxy far, far away back under the Marvel Comics banner.
Last Days in Vietnam Review
Last Days in Vietnam is a harrowing and balanced look at the waning days of losing a war.
Two Days, One Night Review
Marion Cotillard and the Dardennes deliver an emotionally wrenching and truthful modern commentary with Two Days, One Night, a drama that moves like a thriller.
American Sniper Review
While Clint Eastwood never chooses a moral side, the uneven American Sniper gets a lot of mileage thanks to a transformative leading performance from Bradley Cooper.
Blackhat Review
Blackhat feels like a Michael Mann Greatest Hits album. And not in a good way.
Paddington Review
Don't believe an ounce of the unfounded pre-release negativity. Paddington is so excellent it could restore faith in humanity to the hardest of cynics.
The Wedding Ringer Review
The Wedding Ringer is the kind of bland comedy that could only come out in the month of January.
Escobar: Paradise Lost Review
Despite its distracted story, Escobar: Paradise Lost offers some some good moments of tension and decent performances.
Housebound Review
The New Zealand import Housebound makes it safe for horror audiences to laugh and be scared again at the same time.
Home Entertainment Review: Men, Women, and Children
Men, Women, and Children (Jason Reitman, 2014) – Jason Reitman is a tough director to pin down. He clearly wants to be taken seriously and often attempts to dive into dark subject matter. Yet, he’s also a crowd-pleaser who tugs on emotions manipulatively and craves populist response/box office. So that leads to muddled movies from […]
Home Entertainment Review: Boyhood
Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014) – Boyhood has received a lot of free marketing and curiosity from its central stunt of filming a single actor over the course of 12 years to capture an entire childhood in a single feature. However, Richard Linklater’s latest is far from a parlor trick. It feels like a culminating, career-capping […]
Home Entertainment Review: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (Bill Condon, 1995) – After the explosion of rubbery VHS horror in the 1980s, the 90s was a rough decade for the genre. The slasher icons were worn out, the biggest horror trend was adding a sense of irony that diluted genuine scares, and the direct-to-video market crossed the line […]
Home Entertainment Review: Supernova
Supernova (“Thomas Lee”, 2000) – Shout Factory have taken it upon themselves to become the new leaders in Blu-Ray genre film releases. Since launching the Scream Factory label, they’ve dug up cult classics and overlooked oddities from the genre movie vaults that are stacked with special features and fueled by fan service. Yet, in Supernova […]