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Reviews

Excision

In the world of indie horror film, there is weird, and then there is very weird.  Richard Bates Jr. shatters all previous records with Excision, a coming-of-age tale that ultimately works thanks to a killer performance from AnnaLynne McCord of TV's 90210 fame.

John Dies at the End

A new drug has hit the streets.  Referred to as “soy sauce”, the pill promises an out-of-body experience as its users travel across time and dimension.  Those who come back aren't always in the same state.  It appears that an alien invasion is silently gaining force, and the world doesn't even appear to notice.  Enter John and David, a pair of college dropouts who now hold the future of mankind in the palm of their hands.  Could we ever be more screwed?

My Best Day

It's the Fourth of July, and Karen is mad that she has to work her receptionist gig at a refrigerator repair shop.  In another part of town, Megan is struck deciding between the stability of her longtime girlfriend and the excitement that comes with a new love.  When Karen's long-lost father calls in for a repair, the girls are sent out on a wild adventure that will force them both to confront their decisions head on.

Room 237

Loved and hated by an equal number, Kubrick's film is a hot topic of controversy.  Many fans have considered it a benchmark for the genre.  Others see it an unfitting entry by one of Hollywood's most prolific directors.  But Room 237 dives into the area between those two extremes: the conspiracy theories that detail-oriented fans have convinced themselves they have deciphered.

Sleepwalk With Me

Based on the popular one-man show, Sleepwalk With Me introduces the world to Mike Birbiglia, comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker, as he investigates the hardships that come with a stalled career, a struggling relationship, and an extreme problem with sleepwalking—all of which he choses to ignore.

The Pact

The film starts when Annie returns home to attend the funeral of a mother she lost admiration for years ago.  The trip is a favor to her older sister, who is interestingly nowhere to be found come her arrival.  While sleeping in her old bedroom, Annie begins to sense that something is off, ultimately enlisting the help of a local cop and clairvoyant to uncover the truth behind her mother's death.

Compliance

On a day when they are expecting a secret shopper and a freezer malfunction leaves them low on bacon, store manager Sandra is scrambling to make things work.  But her day is put on immediate hold when a police officer calls accusing one of her employees, Becky, of stealing money out of a customer's purse.  Becky adamantly denies the allegation. but Sandra opts to comply with the officer's request to detain the suspect.  That choice leads both women down a road that will tragically blur the lines between obedience and reason.

Elena

While a great premise keeps expectations high, director Andrei Zvyagintsev is unable to deliver on any of his promises.  Elena proves to be devilishly flat and as mundane as the relationship it chronicles.  The final ten minutes breathed a minute amount of life into the story, but I still couldn't wait to escape the death grip of this supposed thriller.

Bachelorette

We all knew it was going to happen.  After Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy shocked audiences with their raunchy, grossed-out tale of wedding horror in last year's surprise hit Bridesmaids, there was bound to be countless mimics.  What I never expected was for the initial copycat to be so damn funny!

Lay the Favorite

When you quit your job as a private dancer to move to Vegas and become a cocktail waitress it's hard to justify the logic ... or the move up.  But that is the path that Beth Raymer has chosen for herself.  With her dog by her side she sets out to the Sin City in hopes of making it big.  But her dreams take a detour when she is introduced to Dink, a sports gambler who takes a chance on the small town princess by giving her a job with his company.

Smashed

Drinking is fun … for some people. For others, drinking is a slippery slope that leads them down a path of destruction. In James Ponsoldt’s Smashed, teacher Kate is a member of the latter category.

Arbitrage

In Arbitrage Gere plays Robert Miller, a man who wholesomely represents the portrait of success.  But on the night of his sixtieth birthday we witness Robert go to astronomical levels to sell his business before the extend of his fraud is uncovered.  But a late night drive will quickly challenge his perception as he struggles to comprehend just what things in his life are worth.

Big Boys gone Bananas!*

The film is centered around Bananas!*, a documentary that debuted in 2009 amid both controversy and scotch tape.  The documentary in question told the story of a group of farm workers who successfully sued Doll Food Company for inhumane work environments.  The trial had occurred, a verdict reached.  Yet somehow the power of one company was able to shun the film into losing much of its support, credibility and distribution.

Keep the Lights On

Keep the Lights On tells the story of two men who meet through a casual encounter and then embark on a decade long journey that has them battling the confines of love, addition, betrayal and friendship.  In the end you can't help but be exhausted as both men vulnerably put their hearts on the line in an effort to fully understand the meaning behind their courtship.

Simon Killer

The film tells the story of a recent college grad, played beautiful by Brady Corbet ofMartha Marcy May Marlene, who opts to travel to Paris after his girlfriend of five years breaks off their courtship.  Unable to shake his loss he quickly falls in love with a prostitute.  Simon works out a plan to turn her devilish ways into something darker, ultimately shining a small light on his own secretive past.

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie

It is 11:30 at night and I am sitting in a theater surrounded by drunk 20-somethings and 50-year-old women who have no idea what they are about to see. At promptly 11:45 the film begins and for the next 92 minutes, the audience is barraged with dead-pan stares, shit-eating grins, stupid songs, poop jokes, and awkward father/son moments.

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

While both experimental and beautiful, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty failed to achieve what it set out to do in telling the true tale of a young man, Terrance, and his unrequited love for a girl, Namik.  Despite their emotional connection and their intimacy, Namik’s feelings for Terrence never quite reach the potential he hopes for.

Liberal Arts

Having started college as an opera major and ending it in the English department, this film resonated with me. Josh Radnor brings to life a wonderful mixture of literature, music, and heavy conversation in Liberal Arts, his second Sundance break-out hit.

Me at the Zoo

Me at the Zoo is the title of the first video ever posted on YouTube. It was uploaded by one of its founders, and has subsequently spawned a social phenomenon that will forever be ingrained in the fabric of our lives. Nowadays all you need is a million hits and you can be a celebrity.  Viral videos can take anyone from nobody to international superstar overnight.  This is exactly what happened in the case of Chris Crocker.

Robot and Frank

Set in the near future, Robot and Frank is a story about Frank, (Langella) an elderly ex-jewel thief who lives alone in upstate New York.  His memory is failing, and his children are not sure what to do with him since he refuses to recognize his limitations.  His son Hunter (Marsden) comes to visit one day, bringing a robot to assist his father with chores around the house.

The Atomic States of America

The Atomic States of America is about exactly what you think: nuclear power.  To be more specific, the film details just how nuclear power is bad for the United States.  (At least that is the opinion of Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, the film’s directors.)

The Imposter

A boy named Nicholas disappears from San Antonio, Texas. Three years and four months later he “resurfaces” in Spain. The family gets a phone call from the American Embassy saying the Spanish police have Nick and he needs to be picked up. The audience watches, horrified, thinking that his sister will certainly recognize him. Sadly it doesn’t happen. He fools everyone for months—it’s disgusting and terrifying.

This Must Be the Place

This Must Be the Place centers around a Robert Smith-like character named Cheyenne (Penn) who is having trouble functioning in the real world. His wife (McDormand) supports and loves him every step of the way, but realizes he is a bit stunted when it comes to maturity. When his father dies, he is forced to leave Dublin, a place he hasn’t left in twenty years, to return to New York and help his family with some loose ends.

V/H/S

V/H/S chronicles the lives of several jackasses who film things like grabbing woman and forcing them to show their breasts. They decide to break into an old man’s house, looking for a specific tape to use against him for blackmail. When they get to the house they find the old man dead, watching several static-y televisions.

5 Broken Cameras

5 Broken Cameras is the chronicle of the filmmaker's life in a small Palestinian village. The director, over the course of several years, documents the demonstrations of the village against Israeli construction and military forces threatening their way of life.