Lucy (written and directed by Luc Besson) may seem comparable to the 2011 movie, Limitless, but their only comparison is the concept of utilizing brain capacity via a drug. In Limitless, Eddie (Bradley Cooper) was a down-on-his luck writer with low motivation who suddenly gets his hands on a drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain capacity, thus making him instantly successful and popular. In Lucy, the title character (Scarlett Johansson) is a college student who is kidnapped to become a drug mule to a new drug when it burst inside of her. As Lucy’s brain capacity increases and the plot seemingly moves forward…oh, I’m not going to give it away. The point is, the action goes downhill. Read More →
Category Archives: Reviews
Jeremy Goes to the Indy Film Fest: Lance Edmands’ Grand Jury & American Spectrum Prize Winner ‘Bluebird’ a Well-Deserving Winner
Having gone to my fair share of film festivals, it is rare that I agree with the juries who award the prizes for “best of the fest.” They often see far more in films that I dismiss and frequently don’t give enough credence to those that I love, because as anyone knows my opinion is always correct (wink, wink). The one time I attended a fest that got it 100% was the 2004 Chicago International Film Festival when Nimrod Antal‘s mesmerizing Kontroll took home the Gold Hugo. Now, while I didn’t see every film at this year’s Indy Film Fest, Lance Edmands’ Bluebird was far and away my favorite of those that I saw and certainly worthy of the Grand Jury Prize, tops of the fest, as well as the American Spectrum Prize for the best film made by an American director (the Audience Award has yet to be awarded). So, bravo to the jury! Read More →
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The Immigrant – Now Streaming on Netflix!
Joaquin Phoenix was a busy man during last year’s NYFF51. Following up HER, his second film,The Immigrant, is a story of a young polish immigrant named Ewa (Marion Cotillard). Landing at Ellis Island in 1921, Ewa is at her wits end when her sister is put into quarantine and she is about to be sent back home due to false reports that she is a loose woman. In swoops Joaquin’s character, Bruno. He promises to take her in and make sure she has a job to make enough money to get her sister released from the island. Once inside Bruno’s clutches, he emotionally manipulates her into working in his burlesque show. When the burlesque show doesn’t make enough money, she coerced into prostitution. Enter, Orlando, Bruno’s dashing stage magician cousin. He is sincere in his efforts to woo Ewa and invites her to travel as his assistant. Bruno will have none of this, as his passion for Ewa grows exponentially. They struggle with each other for loyalty and to survive. Read More →
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Michael’s Review: ‘The Damned’ Don’t You Leave Your Kid in the Basement..They’ll git cha!
Peter Facinelli (The Twilight Saga) stars in this supernatural horror film directed by genre veteran, Víctor García. Written by Richard D’Ovidio (The Call), the story follows David Reynold (Facinelli), a man widowed from his Colombia-born wife, whose teenage daughter Jill (Nathalia Ramos) decides to spend her summer in Bogota with her aunt Gina (Carolina Guerra). After finding new love and deciding on marrying again, David flies to Bogota with his new fiancée (Sophia Myles) to bring his daughter back to the states to attend his wedding.
After arriving and reuniting with his daughter, David finds that bringing his daughter home will be a little harder than he anticipated. Accompanied by Jill’s Colombian boyfriend Ramon (Sebastian Martínez), David and company travel to retrieve some of Jill’s belongings, but the group has a car accident in the mountains of Bogota which leaves them stranded. As the group search for shelter to ride out a torrential rain storm, they come across a rundown inn whose proprietor, Felipe (Gustavo Angarita), is a tad bit reluctant to take in the group of travelers. After Jill and Ramon discover the old innkeeper has locked a young girl in the basement, they make a decision to set her free. But what they unleash is more than they could have possibly imagined. Read More →
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Christmas in July: Liz’s Favorite Holiday Flicks
Christmas is only 5 months away. You’re welcome. Did I just stress you out? Doesn’t change the fact that you should start buying gifts like a boss, now. If you need a break from said gift purchasing and you want to beat the heat, here is a list of my favorite Holiday flicks (in no particular order).
PS- I’m a big fan of shiny things.
Black Christmas
Crazy killer on the loose after a house full of sorority girls? Happy Holidays, Ladies. Weird Fact: The film is based a a string of actual murders in Canada around Christmas. Yikes.
Gremlins
Always pay attention to directions when caring for a gift.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Classic Chevy Chase.
Elf
Man-child and comic genius, Will Ferrell. “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?”
Edward Scissor Hands
Tim Burton at his Burton-y best. Johnny Depp plays an oddball like nobody’s business.
The Family Stone
Hands down, one of my all time faves, period. You’ll laugh, cry, and contemplate life.
Miracle on 34th Street
This film is all about believing. If you haven’t seen this, for shame.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Danny Elfman‘s voice is now burned into my memory. A great holiday meets holiday twist. This needs to be turned into a Broadway musical, already! Can someone get on that?
Scrooged
Bill Murray. That is all.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Who doesn’t love the Muppets? And can we get a what, what for Michael Caine?
8 Crazy Nights
A little Hanukka love for you all. You can keep pretending you don’t like Adam Sandler if you want to, but we all know you watch Billy Madison when it comes on TV… every weekend.
Love Actually
Another brilliant cast. “To Me, You Are Perfect”
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Ultimate “What If” movie. Jimmy Stewart is a talent like no other.
Home Alone
I feel like it’s your duty to watch this every year. “Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal.”
A Christmas Story
We all have a bit of Ralphie in us. Do you remember the first time you said “Fuuuuuuudge”? I do.
We wanna know what films are on your list??
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Jeremy’s Review: ‘Video Games: The Movie’ Is an Endearing Documentary on the History and Evolution of Video Games and Their Culture
Perhaps I’m dating myself here, but I can easily recall when Pong, the original video game sensation, became a hit, and the Atari 2600 shortly thereafter. And on and on and on. For modern-day excitement, explore 카지노사이트 for a thrilling experience that continues the legacy of gaming fun. You can also check out slot online for exciting rewards and prizes! If you’re interested in casino games, then you might want to visit online casino sites like 크레이지 파친코 to enjoy an exciting casino experience from the comfort of your own home. I am a member of the first video game generation and plenty of my life (up to the end college at least) has been consumed by playing, a pastime I have since passed along to my two sons, ages 7 and 9 much to the chagrin of my wife who never played them and fails to see their point. But one can’t deny how pervasive that video games have become in our culture and that’s where a film like writer-director Jeremy Snead‘s fantastic documentary Video Games: The Movie helps show how and why this all came about. Read More →
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Michael’s Review: ‘Aftermath’- How Would You Spend Your Final Days?
What would you do if the country, as you know it, was thrown into chaos after a nuclear attack and how would you live out your remaining days? That’s the questions posed to us in this apocalyptic drama by director Peter Engert. Aftermath explores the results of a government-less United States after detonation and how general population would react during and after the blast. It’s a film not entirely too original, but one albeit that attempts to offer a more human dynamic than many previous incarnations of this horror subgenre. Read More →
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10 Movies From My Childhood That Made Me Cry (and still do) Like A Little Baby
Being an avid movie watcher since early childhood has given me a whole lot of perspective on life; like, how NOT to be a good parent. My dad thought it appropriate to show me Poltergeist at age 2. He’s not my dad anymore. But seriously, here is a list of the Top 10 Movies that traumatized me back then… and still cause me to grab the tissue box today… because I am a wimp… and I have a soul!
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Jeremy’s Review of ‘Mutual Friends’, a Rom-Com Fit for NYC
In a city the size of New York, with so many different personalities and the possibility for literally any situation to arise, it’s no wonder it is the setting for so many romantic comedies. Matthew Watts‘ Mutual Friends hits a lot of familiar rom-com notes, but its mumblecore-like narrative without adhering to the tenets of mumblecore (i.e. meandering pseudo-plot with simple, often improvised mundane dialogue) help sets it apart from the many others like it out there commenting on the nature of romance in today’s world. Read More →
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Michael’s Review: ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’- And the Apes Shall Inherit the Earth!
For all the summer blockbuster busts that 2014 has produced, it’s refreshing when a film like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is released. Set a decade after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn takes us further into the backstory of how the human race succumbed to the apes and ultimately lost the planet. Director Matt Reeves takes over the franchise and creates a smart, visually stunning, spectacle that revolves more around the apes as the central characters than the humans. Andy Serkis returns to the motion capture suit to again play the role of Caesar, the leader of the apes, whose history has lead him to both respect and fear the human race. Will Dawn be the smash hit Fox is hoping for and pave a fresh new path for further sequels in this storied franchise? Read More →
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Liz’s ‘Life Itself’ Review: Two Thumbs Way Up
As someone who has been on a whirlwind adventure in writing exclusively about film for the past year, it was sincerely my pleasure and honor to see Life Itself this afternoon. Director Steve James brings a touching documentary to the audiences who grew up watching Robert Ebert tell them which movies were worth spending their time and hard earned money on. We are privy to passages directly from Ebert’s memoir of the same name, intimate interviews both on camera and via private emails between Steve and Roger, as well as sit down, one on ones with some of the people closest to this critical giant, including his wife, Chaz, director, Martin Scorsese, and Marlene Iglitzen, wife of his industry other half, Gene Siskel. Read More →
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Liz’s ‘Thanksgiving’ Review: Let’s Talk Turkey and Truth
Over the holiday weekend, I went to a typical NYC rooftop party. The company was comprised mostly of young lawyers and investment bankers in their mid to late twenties. When one girl complained about the Lower East Side becoming irrelevant, I was perplexed. ” Why?” (an audible Freudian slip). She explained, “Every five feet, they’re are strollers and children! It’s so obnoxious!” I have to say I was genuinely offended. At 34 and kids on the brain, I was angry. Was I ever like this at parties?! Truth is, I probably was. Cue the ashamed shoulder slump and face palm. Read More →
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Liz’s ‘Boyhood’ New York City Press Junket Coverage
Monday, I had the pleasure of participating in the New York press junket for BOYHOOD. In attendance were writer/director Richard Linklater, breakout star, Ellar Coltrane, and industry strongholds Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. With the film’s highly anticipated release, everyone in the theater was eager to get some deeper insight into this innovative new film. Below you will find some of my favorite highlights from the afternoon.
This movie is about growing up. Can you tell us what you remember about your first kiss? Read More →
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Liz’s Review: ‘Boyhood’ – A Cinephile’s Dream
How do you keep track of your life? With technology these days, it seems that we experience less and less and take digital snapshots of everything we eat, see, hear, and feel. Time is being recorded in short snippets each day. But do all these moments resonate to anyone but ourselves? We cannot forget how we got here. Life and time is not something that can be repeated. We need to pay more attention.
In Richard Linklater’s newest film, BOYHOOD, we are privy to 12 years of not just snapshots but real life moments in time. We not only follow Mason, but his mother, Olivia, father, Mason Sr. and sister, Samantha. 12 entire years of filming one family (and the same actors) through the eyes of a young boy of just 5, into his 18th year. These are the formative years that shape who we are. How we view our mother, father, and siblings forever impacts the choices we make in the future. In Boyhood we are along for moments like family outings, bike rides, first kisses, school, jobs, fights, marriages, both good and bad. These seemingly mundane moments are weaved into a brilliant narrative unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a film until now. Read More →
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Melissa’s Review: Forget ‘Transformers’ – See ‘Snowpiercer’
“Unrelenting in the best possible way.” That was the phrase that immediately came to mind as I walked out of Snowpiercer. At 2 hours and 6 minutes, the masterpiece by Boon Joon-ho, never loses momentum, just like the train that sets the stage for this post-apocalyptic thrill ride. Chris Evans, or Captain America as you may know him, stars alongside the entertaining Tilda Swinton, the eager Jamie Bell, and the wise John Hurt.
In this future, the world is frozen and the remainder of human existence (or planetary life) is aboard a train? Wait, what? Ok, so I’m not going to explain it because the movie does a far better job than I ever could. The director picked up a comic in a store and didn’t put it down until he read the whole thing. So, yeah, it’s captivating. Read More →
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Melissa’s Review: ‘Trust Me’ With Clark Gregg As Another Kind of Agent
You probably know Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson from Iron Man, The Avengers and NBC Marvel’s Agents of Shield, but in Trust Me, he’s Hollywood Agent, Howard Holloway. He stars, as well as writes and directs Trust Me, his second feature to direct, the first being Choke, the Chuck Palahniuk book-adapted film starring Sam Rockwell.
I saw this movie at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and to be honest, I hated it. However, I decided to watch again for it’s release and my reaction completely changed. Why?
Well, this is a story about a struggling Hollywood agent who lies, cheats, deceives and all without batting an eye. What’s more is that it’s completely acceptable in his profession. It was for this reason that I didn’t like the movie the first time around, but after a re-watch, I saw more. I saw fantastic acting and a clever script. Read More →
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