Reviews

I went it to see Elgin James' Little Birds by accident.  The film I was in line for sold out before I got a ticket, and the only other options was this coming of age tale about two adolescent females who want anything other than the life they have been dealt.  Little do they know, big city life comes complete with decisions and consequences, neither of which they are ready for.

As an insurance agent, Cedar Rapids peaked my interest when I heard it was playing at the Sundance Film Festival.  Did I expect it to be brilliant?  No.  Was I hoping for some clever insurance jokes that I could use on my future clients?  Not so much.  Did I walk away with a few laughs and countless quotable lines?  Yes.

Back in July, I read an advertisement on YouTube asking for everyone to videotape something on July 24th and post it back online. Now that the film has finally been completed, I was more than excited to see the results. It turns out that Life In A Day is nothing special whatsoever. I’d even go as far to call it a failed project.

Most of us have heard all kinds of information concerning the media’s involvement in the development of females. This news isn’t new, but it is nonetheless very real. Miss Representation informs and enlightens its audience about the subjection of women and what we can do to stop it.

Everybody at one time or another feels lonely. But when you realize that somehow life works out, it’s a most amazing feeling. The Off Hours is a film that captures that entire experience in 93 minutes.

When the train rolls into its final stop, a weary-eyed man jumps off with dreams of a new start.  But he soon realizes that his new home is nothing more than an urbanized version of hell.  Run by crooked cops and a maniac monster known only as 'The Drake,' the town is the perfect version of hell on Earth.

The art of sexuality has alway been a interesting topic, especially at film festivals.  Sundance 2011 is no different, and my journey with it starts with Gregg Araki'sKaboom.

I usually enjoy films that are witty, stylistically funny and a bit quirky.  For that reason alone, I enjoyed Richard Ayoade's Submarine.  However, I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to, mostly due to the quick moving story and dialogue, both of which were fun at the beginning, but became quite tiresome as the ninety minutes length wore on.

We all have a past.  Most of us want to forget much of what we have done, where we have gone and who we have met.  We want to start over, with no ties and no responsibilities.  In Calvin Lee Reeder's The Oregonian, the protagonist feels the same way.

All Your Dead Ones opens with the discovery of dead bodies in a man’s cornfield.  The premise is incredibly intriguing, but the film regrettably squanders the great opportunity that comes with such a setup.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you that the ending of Martha Marcy May Marlene made the movie. I’m not sure I can say that the film grabbed me from the beginning because it was a slow story that relied heavily on buildup. But, in the end, all that matters is that I didn’t leave disappointed.