CineFranco at a Glance
We take a look at three of the features playing at the CineFranco festival starting today. One of them is pretty decent. The other two have some problems.
The Hunger Games Review
Transcending its young adult novel source, The Hunger Games rises above its modest trappings to become a truly great film. Well, that’s not entirely true, but much like some of the film’s characters would say, it’s close enough to spin it into something.
This Week in DVD: 3/20/12
Between Tinker Tailor Marilyn Muppets and a Girl With a Dragon Tattoo there's a lot to cover this week in DVD.
The Nic Cage Project: Snake Eyes
To celebrate TIFF’s ongoing Bangkok Dangerous: The Cinema Of Nicolas Cage series, Alan Jones has resurrected his retrospective of the actor’s work entitled The Nic Cage Project. In this edition, Jones takes a look at Brian De Palma’s Hitchcockian opus Snake Eyes – playing tonight at the Lightbox.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home Review
We've all known people like the titular character of the Jay and Mark Duplass' Jeff, Who Lives at Home . Nice guys who mean well, but for whatever reason are going nowhere fast. The film suffers from a few of the same maladies that afflict its main character. At times the film feels like an aimless collection of circumstances and encounters because, well, it is precisely that. It's a meandering tale that doesn't really accomplish much in the telling.
Corman’s World Review
While definitely more of a straight regurgitation of facts than anything substantial, film buffs will get a real kick out of Corman's World .
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye Review
No matter what one's personal thoughts are on the industrial and art rock music scenes - and particularly the works of Genesis P-Orridge - you've never seen a love story quite like this one.
Being Flynn Review
Paul Weitz’s Being Flynn is a tonally muddled and confused little movie, but ultimately an interesting one. It wants to be a dark and morally ambiguous slice of urban misery with a redemptive core, yet it never quite achieves that somewhat counterintuitive mash up. However, there are enough interesting ideas and a handful of solid performances (including a long awaited return to form for Robert DeNiro) that make it a hard movie to dislike.
King of Devil’s Island Review
King of Devil’s Island , depicting a harsh Norwegian juvenile detention centre, isn't too different from other juvie based films, but it's an undeniably affecting and gut-wrenching addition to the subgenre.
Being Elmo Review
Touching and insightful for fans of the world's most beloved red Muppet, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey will tickle the fancy of anyone wanting to know more about the title character, but the the documentary maddeningly hints at darker material unsuitable for such a lightweight production.
Casa de mi Padre Review
Even if it’s impossible to name check specific titles that Casa de mi Padre is mocking, this lovingly hilarious tribute to bad filmmaking is custom designed for movie geeks.
21 Jump Street Review
Based on the laughably implausible and cheesy late 1980s Fox television drama, 21 Jump Street fires perfectly on all cylinders to create an experience that will appeal wonderfully to fans of Hot Fuzz and the Bad Boys films.
This Week in DVD: 3/13/12
It's another big week of DVD/Blu-ray releases. This week Phil Brown takes a look at Steven Spielberg's big-screen adaptation of The Adventures Of Tintin , Lars Von Trier's crushing end of the world tale Melancholia , Jason Reitman's dark comedy Young Adult , HBO's Game of Thrones Season One box set, and more!
Friends With Kids Review
In her first directorial effort and her third screenplay, actress Jennifer Westfeldt has crafted a film that has the look and feel of a modern, feminist Woody Allen film. Friends With Kids balances observational laughs and pathos quite deftly amongst a band of well-to-do New Yorkers with the help of a stellar cast. It shows the growing pains of a talent trying something new, but the strengths greatly outweigh the minuses brought on as a result of a misguided ending.
A Thousand Words Review
Oh Eddie Murphy, what the hell happened?
