As someone who isn’t too fond of Wes Anderson’s feature films, I was pleasantly surprised by Castello Cavalcanti, an eight-minute short commissioned by Prada that stars Jason Schwartzman as a 1950s race car driver who has an unfortunate crash in a small Italian town. Though certainly stylish, it’s a little subtler than Anderson’s usual efforts, and…
Critic enjoys quiet charm of ‘All the Real Girls’
It’s very easy to dismiss David Gordon Green as a frivolous filmmaker, considering that his two biggest releases, Pineapple Express and Your Highness, fall into the stoner comedy genre. However, a deeper look into his filmography reveals a different, more nuanced side of his directorial style. For an example, one need look no further than All the Real…
Short film round-up
Fans of stand-up comedy will love Omid Singh’s Subway, in which the comedian and filmmaker recounts the tale of an unfortunate public transportation experience. The three-minute short combines shots of Singh telling his story with a dramatization of the event, doubling the humor and delivering maximum impact in a brief amount of time. A winner at…
‘Satellite of Love’ weakened by stilted screenplay
Satellite of Love would probably be a great movie, if it didn’t have some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing. Directed by Will James Moore, it’s gorgeously shot, beautifully acted, and abysmally written, making for a profoundly disappointing experience.
Short film round-up
For a sweetly melancholic treat, take a look at Reflections, a five-minute animated short from Bosmat Agayoff & Alon Ziv. It’s a sad little coming-of-age story that’s told through the eyes of a man named “Barnie,” whose desire to stay young is illustrated by the childish reflection that taunts him from various reflective surfaces. The sharp 2D…
Short film round-up
One of the highlights of this year’s No Budget Film Festival was Andrew Crabtree’s Planning Ahead, which won the festival’s Critic’s Choice Award. A sweetly acerbic little tale, it stars Emma Fasler and Bill Daddario as an engaged couple struggling to plan their wedding without losing their minds. In a mere seven minutes, Crabtree sends his…
Critic unimpressed by festival film ‘Ex-Girlfriends’
Ex-Girlfriends is not a very good movie. It’s also not a very original movie, borrowing a little too heavily from the likes of Woody Allen and Whit Stillman to feel like a film of its own. Nevertheless, it’s a mildly entertaining little diversion that strikes a few honest chords. Written and directed by Alexander Poe,…
Critic perplexed by classic animated film
I’m not entirely sure why I enjoyed The Last Unicorn so much as a child. Then again, I can’t really say I dislike it now. What I can say, however, is that it is one of the strangest animated films I’ve ever seen. Released in 1982 and adapted from Peter S. Beagle’s 1968 novel of…
Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ brings new life to classic play
Shakespeare purists may not be too fond of Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing. It’s not that it’s unfaithful to the original text, per se – on the contrary, the integrity of the script itself is well maintained, save for a few minor changes – it’s just that the presentation of said text is quite a bit more relaxed than is often the case with such elevated, archaic language. For the open-minded, however, the film is an undeniable triumph.
Critic applauds ‘Iron Man 3’ for its depth
Perhaps the best thing about Marvel’s recent lineup of Avengers films is that they’re not afraid to go dark. Iron Man 3 is no exception. Directed by Shane Black, it’s a slick, sharp, quirky movie that packs an exhilarating punch. The film finds “Tony Stark” (Robert Downey Jr.) in the midst of what seems like…
Critic moved by modern classic ‘Once’
Once is a classic example of a “little movie that could”: a tiny, micro-budget film that somehow managed to rocket to classic status in an instant. It’s even been adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, which isn’t so much an indication of its quality as it is a sign of its incredible popularity. Thankfully, though, it more than lives up to the hype.
‘Drinking Buddies’ fails to finish strong despite promising start
There’s something particularly disappointing about a film that dares to make an unexpected turn but doesn’t follow through. ‘Drinking Buddies’ fits that description. A sweet little indie film with moments of startling bite, it seems to have lofty aspirations but quickly abandons them in favor of a tidy, crowd-pleasing wrap-up.
Critic delights in classic Woody Allen film ‘Bananas’
It seems that the farther back you go in Woody Allen’s body of work, the sillier his films become. Such is definitely the case with 1971’s Bananas, Allen’s fourth directorial effort. Though it relies more heavily on slapstick sight gags than his later work, it still has that signature neurotic charm that makes Allen’s movies so delightful.
Film critic pleasantly surprised by new Howard blockbuster ‘Rush’
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic While Ron Howard is certainly a consistently excellent filmmaker, he’s hardly what one would call an auteur. While he has skill and talent behind the camera, he lacks a defining style that gives his work a distinct feel. With Rush, he might have just found his niche. A tight, intimate…
Critic finds fault with classic ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic Holly Golightly is the quintessential manic pixie dream girl. Think about it: she’s cute, she’s quirky, and, most importantly, she’s just damaged enough to be interesting. It seems that in adapting Truman Capote’s novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s into the 1961 film of the same name, director Blake Edwards created something…
Bizarre, sloppy editing ruins ‘The Grandmaster’ for critic
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic The Grandmaster is probably a wonderful movie, but I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see it. Instead, I saw a brutally butchered version of Wong Kar Wai’s action masterpiece. For its U.S. release, 22 minutes were cut, scenes were rearranged, and unnecessary details were added to adjust the film for American…
Characters make coming of age film enjoyable for critic
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic The characters in Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan are quite possibly the most profoundly irritating bunch of post-adolescent brats I’ve ever seen onscreen. They’re spoiled, selfish, and snotty, with chips on their shoulders and fluff in their brains. By rights, the film should be too grating to sit through. There’s something about…
The Great Gatsby fails to impress critic
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic The best parts of The Great Gatsby happen when Baz Luhrmann goes full Luhrmann. If you’re familiar with his previous work (Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, for example) you know what I mean by “full Luhrmann”: flashy, campy, and with absolutely no regard for realism or historical context. Unfortunately,…
Critic finds classic Vietnam film painfully honest
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic Full Metal Jacket hurts. It is physically painful to watch. And yet, for the full 116 minutes of its runtime, I couldn’t look away from the screen. By turns coldly horrifying, sickly funny, and deeply tragic, it’s a vicious gut-punch of a movie that more than deserves its iconic status….
Before Midnight takes audience on an emotional journey
By Amanda Ack, Film Critic Only a truly brave filmmaker can put unlikeable characters onscreen and get away with it. Luckily, Richard Linklater is just such a filmmaker, and his Before Midnight benefits greatly from it. With help from co-writers and stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, he creates a film that is by turns…
Critic finds If I Were You falters under plot’s weight
There’s nothing quite as painful as a film that tries to be all things to all audiences. Such is the case with If I Were You. Written and directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin with a truly infuriating lack of focus, it’s a muddled mess that aims to make us laugh and cry but only warrants a halfhearted shrug.
Newest Bond film misses the mark, says critic
When all a franchise can do is pay homage to its own history, it’s probably time to let it die.
