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Reviews
Sundance Review: "Blue Ruin"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Wednesday, 29 January 2014 16:35
- Written by Matt Oakes
"Blue Ruin"
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Starring Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack, David W. Thompson, Brent Werner, Sidne Anderson
Thriller
92 Mins
R
Enveloped in a scent of Coen Bros, Blue Ruin is a masterclass in indie reinvention - reinvention of genre, of character, even of plot subversion. But no matter how familiar the elements we know to comprise revenge flicks, we never exactly know where Blue Ruin is going to turn next. It's a quiet tirade of doomed duty with explosive showdowns and tactful character arcs that adds up to a hell of a good movie.
Sundance Review: "Dinosaur 13"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 28 January 2014 16:32
- Written by Matt Oakes
"Dinosaur 13"
Directed by Todd Douglas Miller
Documentary
U.S.A.
105 Mins
The first documentary I saw at Sundance has weighed heavily on my mind. At once about dinosaurs, humans and the failings of the justice system, Dinosaur 13 has singled out a mind-boggling small town event that slipped under the national radar. While the story itself is every bit worthy of our attention and empathy, in telling this infinitely gasp-inducing story, Todd Douglas Miller digs up a bevy of first time-level fumbles that robs some of its meteoric impact.
Sundance Review: "Calvary"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Sunday, 26 January 2014 16:28
- Written by Matt Oakes
"Calvary"
Directed by John Michael McDonagh
Starring Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Marie-Josée Croze
Ireland/United Kingdom
100 Mins
A preist struggling with his faith and desperate for purpose in the murk of fog-blanketed, 21st century Ireland receives a death threat from an abused alter boy from his past. He has one week and then will be gunned down at the beach, he is told, so he's got just enough time to get his affairs in order. Although Brendan Gleeson's Father James Lavelle may have never touched a fly, much less an alter boy, that's exactly why this abusee wants to strike out at him, "I want to hurt someone good. Someone who has never hurt anyone." With exact knowledge of who this man is, Father James chooses not to turn him in, instead he'll try to change the man. While this selfless choice might inevitably lead to his demise, it's the only righteous path that his Catholic worldview and personal pathos allow for.
Sundance Review: "Life After Beth"
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Saturday, 25 January 2014 16:29
- Written by Matt Oakes
"Life After Beth"
Directed by Jeff Baena
Starring Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser
U.S.A.
91 Mins
The scales may tip all over the place on this zom-rom-com but even with all its tonal inconsistency, we're dumped in a place of smirky satisfaction and forgiving admiration of intent. Life After Beth is narrowly shoddy, but still an easy crowd-pleaser and an affable experiment in reckless absurdity.
