REVIEWS
Sundance 2012 Video Blog: Awesome New Horror Anthology 'V/H/S'
The found footage "genre" has become trend in Hollywood, with new Paranormal Activity's replacing the Saw films every year, and many more to come. When it comes to horror found footage films, Sundance has a strong history, with Blair Witch Project premiering back in 1999. Jump ahead 13 years to 2012 and here we are with another genre reinvention, this time refreshing the horror anthology idea with a found-footage film titled V/H/S, about VHS footage, produced by Brad Miska of Bloody-Disgusting. It's an awesome collection of six freaky, fantastic horror films rolled into one and we've got our first video blog about it to watch below.
› Posted January 26 in Reviews, Sundance 12, Video Blogs | 8 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' is Phenomenal Cinema
This is it. This is the discovery of Sundance 2012. The film that everyone is going to be talking about after the fest. And it lives up to the hype. But forget about all of that, go see this without knowing anything about it, just that it's phenomenal, and you'll experience it the way all of us did. Beasts of the Southern Wild, directed by Benh Zeitlin and created by the collective Court 13, is an utterly phenomenal piece cinema, an astounding, mesmerizing, heartbreaking, wonderful adventure taking us to another world, a world set in wet southern Louisiana known as the "Bathtub". This is a film that reminds me why I love cinema so much.
› Posted January 25 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 13 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'The Imposter' an Incredible Must-See-To-Believe Doc
Some might've heard this story before, about a 13-year-old boy named Nicholas Barclay who went missing in Texas in 1994, then was "discovered" years later in Spain. He was returned to the family, they believed it was him, an older, entirely different teen who spoke with an accent. But then they found out it wasn't him, it was a French man named Frédéric Bourdin who poses as kids, "to be loved". Or so that's what he claims in this doc. The Imposter, made by UK filmmaker Bart Layton, tells the story from both the family and Bourdin's perspective and it's incredible, one of those unbelievable true stories you just must see to believe.
› Posted January 25 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 5 Comments
Sundance 2012: Mike Birbiglia's 'Sleepwalk with Me' is a True Delight
Having stand-up comedians bring their act to television or the big screen always results in a mixed bag of quality. Television has the most failure, but often when a comedian brings their brand of comedy to film as well, it's a difficult transition. However, as a fan of comedian Mike Birbiglia (you can watch one of his stand-up specials on Netflix Instant), I was anxious to see how his directorial debut and first leading role in Sleepwalk with Me turned out. Thankfully, the comedian has made an adorable film about a struggling comedian with uncertain romance and a humorous sleeping disorder, all crafted from his personal stories.
› Posted January 25 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 5 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Liberal Arts' is Smartly Funny, Not Exactly Profound
Last year "How I Met Your Mother" star Josh Radnor made his directorial debut with the fluffy, feel-good film HappyThankYouMorePlease, and while it pleased the audience, it wasn't exactly a home run with the critics. This time around, Radnor brings the same charm with Liberal Arts, but in a more mature package complete with witty writing and a perfect presentation of the struggles one endures in college as they begin to become an adult and also in their later years as they desperately try to hold on to their younger days. However, the film isn't completely a winner as it snobbishly attempts to be wiser than the audience.
› Posted January 24 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 4 Comments
Sundance 2012: Colin Trevorrow's Awesome 'Safety Not Guaranteed'
"WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This not a joke. Must bring your own weapons." It all began with a classified ad, one actually placed in real life years ago, now it's a movie. Not just any movie, but a low budget indie that premiered at Sundance. It's called Safety Not Guaranteed (which is also the last line in the ad). But is there any actual time travel? Is it all just a hoax? Three magazine writers go to find out the truth and that's where things get really crazy. This wacky, fun, indie comedy starring talented actors Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson and Mark Duplass, while a bit slow moving, is amusing and awesome.
› Posted January 23 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 2 Comments
Sundance 2012: Nicholas Jarecki's 'Arbitrage' is Compelling, Thrilling
When it comes to thrillers involving Wall Street billionaires, they've got to have a unique edge, something deep with the main character, to prevent them from following into the "First World Problems" (and "Rich People Problems") trap. Nicholas Jarecki's Arbitrage deals with one of those billionaires, a Wall Street hedge fund investor and business owner, who ends up in somewhat of a downward spiral after one crazy incident, and it's the people around him, those he involves and doesn't involve, that are affected. It's a taut, riveting dramatic thriller that had me nervously on the edge of my seat up until the very end. A great film.
› Posted January 23 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 1 Comment
Review: 'Awakening' Takes 'Underworld' Exactly Where It Needs to Go
Maybe Kate Beckinsale knew Måns Mårlind & Björn Stein's Underworld: Awakening wouldn't be boring. Granted, that's not the best complement you can give a movie, but, when it pertains to something like the Underworld series, that's all you really need to know as far as how successful it is. It might not be the best of these films. 2003's Underworld rode a nice line between seriousness and wall-to-wall action. It may have taken itself too serious, and that's where the Underworld franchise slipped. Thankfully, it's not only back on track, it's taken a new track. The track of something like Punisher: War Zone or Bad Boys II.
› Posted January 23 in Reviews | 16 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Red Hook Summer' Does Not 'Do the Right Thing'
Following the premiere of Red Hook Summer, director Spike Lee quite adamantly proclaimed that his first Sundance film is "not a motherf**kin' sequel to Do the Right Thing." Yes, the filmmaker intermittently reprises his role as Mookie, the character from the aforementioned 1989 film. Yes, it has the same colorful palette and visual style in hot Brooklyn. Yes, the story structure is eerily similar and culminates in surprising third act chaos driven this time by religious controversy and wrongs as opposed to racial tension. But despite all those things, Red Hook Summer is somehow not a sequel to Do the Right Thing? No way.
› Posted January 22 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 24 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'Celeste & Jesse Forever' is Heartbreaking, Hilarious
In the long line of romance on the big screen, films usually tend to veer in one of two directions: straight-up romantic comedies, or dramatic, sometimes tragic, love stories. But every now and then a film comes along that takes the best of both worlds and delivers a story that brings tears to your eyes both in laughter and in heart-wrenching pain. Celeste and Jesse Forever is one of those films, essentially a mix of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Blue Valentine, which features two somewhat unlikely romantic leads in the form of Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones (who also co-wrote the film) each shine in their own way. Read on!
› Posted January 22 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 4 Comments
Sundance 2012: Jake Schreier's 'Robot & Frank' a Brilliant Robo-Heist
I'm a big sucker for anything science fiction, especially when it's very well-done indie sci-fi, and Sundance usually only programs a few of these kind of films every year. The one this year, that deserves a very worthy comparison to Duncan Jones' Moon (Sundance '09), is Jake Schreier's Robot & Frank, set in the "near future" about an aging thief played by Frank Langella who is given a humanoid helper robot. A completely original and unlike-anything-you've-seen before film, Robot & Frank is not only brilliant in its story and concept, but heartwarming and often times charming, while also occasionally thrilling and entertaining.
› Posted January 22 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 8 Comments
Sundance 2012 Video Blog: 'Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie' Is Nuts
"My Dad told me this was the coolest mall ever. You think you know more than my Dad? Don't f**kin' come then!" For the first Midnight at Park City screening here at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, Adult Swim stars Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim returned to the festival (after debuting their strange short The Terrys last year) with Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. Our titular characters try to earn a billion dollars to pay back the money they wasted on a big movie, and myself and Germain Lussier from SlashFilm recorded a video blog reviewing the film and letting people know whether it's just for the fans.
› Posted January 21 in Reviews, Sundance 12, To Watch, Video Blogs | 10 Comments
Sundance 2012: 'I Am Not a Hipster' is a Fantastic Indie Music Indie
When it comes to a film titled I Am Not a Hipster, it's hard to know what to expect. Is it about hipsters or not? Will it even be any good? In fact, it's about an incredible indie musician from San Diego named Brook and his family, and it's fantastic. While comparisons to former Sundance delight Once can certainly be made, this film is a unique, sometimes even quirky, low-budget indie made by director Destin Cretton's real friends and family (his sister was the costume designer). Not only was the music performed excellent, but it's actually beautiful story about a struggling family, filled with fascinating and often amusing characters.
› Posted January 21 in Reviews, Sundance 12 | 13 Comments
Review: George Lucas' 'Red Tails' Poorly Commemorates Real Heroes
It's easy to see what was being attempted with Red Tails. Executive producer George Lucas has been developing the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American fighter pilots who took to the skies during World War II, for more than 20 years. Lucas, a fan of the serials of the 1930s and 1940s as well as an admirer of comic books dealing with fighter pilots, wanted to fuse the tone of those with the very real story of these men. With Lucas' affection for aerial fighting as well as the digital achievements from ILM on full display in the Star Wars films, you would have thought Red Tails would've been an absolute thrill. Read on!
› Posted January 20 in Reviews | 75 Comments
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