— by RON WILKINSON — Known as “The Savage Mountain,” K2 is a mountain of contradictions. Although it is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, the times humans have successfully climbed it number only about 10 percent those of Everest. The area is so remote and th[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: Inuk
— by BEV QUESTAD with ARDELLE ANDERSON — This is a film about loss and the road to recovery in a frozen land where the harsh environment serves as a keen metaphor to life’s challenges. It is also about the power of human relationships – and how, like the icy hand of the frozen north,[...]
Review: Machete Kills
— by JAMES SHAW — Machete is a spoof character from the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature movie “Grindhouse” and the character was not only given its own movie, but, unfortunately, a sequel as well. Danny Trejo returns as the title character in “Machete Kills” and[...]
Review: About Time
— by ADAM DALE — An expert at the rom-com formula, Richard Curtis is back with an all-new film. Curtis wrote and directed “About Time,” which tells the story of privileged man named Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) who gets told a secret on his 21st birthday by his father (Bill Nighy). Ti[...]
Review: A Touch of Sin
— by RON WILKINSON — The winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes (2013), Zhangke Jia’s mean streets drama “A Touch of Sin” (aka “Tian zhu ding”) is a condemnation of Western values and celebration of Western life, at the same time. This is four stories taken [...]
Review: The Secret Lives of Dorks
— by RON WILKINSON — “The Secret Lives of Dorks” should be praised for its honesty at the same time that it is condemned for its lack of originality. It is exactly what one would expect and is, therefore, completely absent originality. On the other hand, anybody who watches it has no[...]
Review: Gideon’s Army
— by BEV QUESTAD — “If you are trying to rescue people from hell you have to kinda go to hell to do it,” Jonathan Rapping, Georgia law professor, patiently explains to Brandy, a warrior in America’s shaky battle in the criminal justice system. She’s been a public defender for thr[...]
Review: Morning
— by RON WILKINSON — From the very beginning of this film, five days in the lives of a severely grief stricken couple, you know the going will not be easy. Sure enough, for the first hour there is not much variety in the grief presented. Unfortunately, this first hour tells the story of [...]
Review: Runner Runner
— by JAMES SHAW — “Is your life worth the gamble?” Brad Furman’s “Runner Runner” is an exaggerated film that seeks to expose the seedy world of online gambling. Online gambling brings in a lot of revenue for owners, but can you really trust them? Richie Furst (played by Justin [...]
Review: Salma
— by BEV QUESTAD — Salma was 13 when she was locked up in a room with one window. For nine years, she stayed there without friends, schooling or a walk outside. The custom in her southern Indian village is to lock up all girls once they reach puberty. To limit the internment the girls [&[...]
Review: Gravity
— by ADAM DALE — “Gravity” opens with a 20-minute single shot that is just the beginning of what is one of the most beautiful, majestic and moving films I have ever seen. This behemoth of a project has been a passion project of writer-director Alfonso Cuarón’s for years and I’m [...]
Review: Inequality for All
— by BEV QUESTAD with MICHAEL FUNG — Economic inequality, above all else, is the defining issue of our time. A healthy economy is the prime precedent for a healthy world. But can a doc on a subject like that bring in an audience? “Inequality for All” reflects how things are going rig[...]
Review: Baggage Claim
— by JAMES SHAW — “Girl, open your eyes” is the best statement I can use to describe “Baggage Claim,” a film about a flight attendant, Barbie type named Montana Moore (Paula Patton), who travels over 30,000 miles to reignite old flames as she is pressured into marriage by her mot[...]