FEATURED
Film Reviews
Film Review – The Lake on Clinton Road
Tell me if you’ve heard this one before. A group of young people, drunk on sex and alcohol, make their way to a remote cabin in the middle of the woods. What was supposed to be a fun party quickly turns deadly when a mysterious…
READ MORE
Film Review – Digging For Fire
Naturalism is a deterrent for some moviegoers. Mispronunciations, reeling improvisation and spontaneous laughter are mostly reserved for gag reels. Writer/director/sometimes actor Joe Swanberg (You’re Next, Happy Christmas), shining knight of the mumblecore movement, revels in these types of moments. One of the liveliest movie-related arguments…
READ MORE
Film Review – Sinister 2
The storyline of the original Sinister back in 2012 revolved around an alcoholic writer and family man longing to reclaim the fame brought on by his first novel. His main competition is the dark entity existing in the family’s new home, which was the site…
READ MORE
Film Review – American Ultra
The pairing of Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg again in American Ultra will no doubt remind one of the Greg Mottola’s Adventureland. While Adventureland is a coming-of-age dramedy, it should not be confused in any way with American Ultra. First, it is not an indie…
READ MORE
Film Review – Hitman: Agent 47
One of the great joys of being a cineaste is discovering something that truly moves you. Sometimes, you come across a film that strikes such an emotional chord that it borders on a religious experience. It opens your mind to different people and cultures, transporting…
READ MORE
Film Review – Ricki and the Flash
Thank you, Jonathan Demme, for making Tom Petty’s “American Girl” a harbinger of doom for the woman who sings it in one of his movies. In Ricki and the Flash, that doom comes with the realization that as a woman, you can dream of a…
READ MORE
SIFF Film Review – Guidance
Ah, the idiot man-child: comedy staple or sad, overused trope? Both actually. I won’t deny I occasionally enjoy watching a dysfunctional dude implode before learning a valuable lesson; Happy Gilmore and School of Rock come to mind as very funny comedies about men who have…
READ MORE
Film Review – The Wanted 18
The Wanted 18 is a well-meaning tale to show the unfairness of the Israelis in their treatment of the Palestinians but it lacks any form of a hook to grab our attention. Directors Paul Cowan and Amer Shomali try a different method of telling the story of Israeli occupation…
READ MORE