— by ADAM POYNTER — It’s a late summer evening; cast, crew, press and friends have gathered at FOX Studios in Hollywood for a private screening of “Death and Cremation,” a new dark and dramatic thriller from the mind of writer and director Justin Steele. The red carpet is done and [...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Under Review: ‘Departures’ (aka ‘Okuribito’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — Bring out your Kleenex, not for sadness or maudlin nostalgia, but for poignant acknowledgment. It’s not loss that will bring tears, but what the significance of death can teach us. “Departures” recognizes the essential power inherent in witnessing the passing to [...]
Under Review: ‘Takers’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Watching “Takers” — which is directed by John Luessenhop — must be the only experience that’s worse than being castrated with a soup ladle. Its presence is a clear-cut representation of everything noxious in this generation: Chris Brown, who is [...]
Under Review: ‘Unthinkable’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — What lengths should we, as civil human beings, be allowed to take in order to insure justice? Should torture be justified if it meant shutting down a potential threat or if it revealed information that would further us as a society? Interesting question; personal[...]
Under Review: ‘Animal Kingdom’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — As humans, we are prone to certain animalistic behavior. This can include an inborn want to protect our children and need for certain control – whether it be sexual or just dominance over the household, family values, etc. That being said, we’re “trained”[...]
Under Review: ‘Flipped’
— by ADAM POYNTER — In a summer filled with action movies, superheroes, adaptations and sequels, Rob Reiner’s new romantic/drama/comedy “Flipped” is a breeze of fresh air. Based on a popular adult novel by Wendelin Van Draanen, Reiner took the story and moved it from present[...]
Under Review: ‘Vampires Suck’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — There are four major parties concerning the wildly-popular “Twilight” series: the beloved fans which would endure hailstorms in order to get their regular dosage of the hunky Jacob or the glistening Edward; the haters who, although never having seen a single [...]
Under Review: ‘Centurion’
— by ADAM POYNTER — Neil Marshall burst onto the scene years ago with his debut of “Dog Soldiers.” The movie was liked by most and he went on to direct “The Decent,” “Doomsday” and now “Centurion.” If you have seen any of these films, you know Marshall’s visual style an[...]
Under Review: ‘White Wedding’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — Director Jann Turner’s film, “White Wedding,” definitely has some intense aspirations. Turner wants the film to become a defining piece of South African cinema that relinquishes all past prejudices and brings all audiences together while still exerting a fe[...]
Under Review: ‘Piranha 3D’
— by MARIUSZ ZUBROWSKI — I think that I would be able the make the next great B-movie, but that’s just me, but before I start writing up a script, let me ask my lovely readers their opinion on my would-be debut, which I would direct, write and, of course, produce (because doing all thr[...]
Under Review: ‘The Switch’
— by ADAM POYNTER — I will start off by saying the concept for “The Switch” seemed a bit formulaic at first. With recent romantic comedies failing at the box office and also in the movie-goers’ eyes to impress on any level of originality or authenticity, the directing team of J[...]
Toronto After Dark Film Festival: ‘The Last Exorcism’
— by H.G. WATSON — In Peter Biskind’s excellent book “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls,” Biskind documents the rise of the great directors of the ’70s, including: Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, Coppola, De Palma and William Friedkin. In a chapter dedicated to Friedkin’s seminal horro[...]
Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Japanxploitation
— by H.G. WATSON — Exploitation films are, for me, in many ways often the most difficult films to review. They are, obviously, exploitative of whatever subject matter the filmmaker has chosen. Keeping that in mind, it’s pretty hard to come down on a film for being sexist, racist, or ju[...]
Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Zombie Appreciation Night
— by H.G. WATSON — You know you’re at a unique film festival when the festival director kicks things off by having the audience chant: What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? NOW! But that’s just a regular Saturday night at Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Saturday night was [...]