Do you all remember that split screen in 500 Days of Summer where we see the main character’s expectations vs. reality? Well my screening of Ain’t Them Bodies Saints was very much like what the main character went through. In my mind, Aint Them Bodies Saints was a thrilling yet poetic film that would put Malick to shame with a lot of meat for gifted actors to chew on. However, in reality, it was a plodding, dimly lit slog of a film that was more style than substance. Read more on SUNDANCE: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (**½)…
Categories: Blog, Festivals, Film Reviews
Tags: Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Film, film reviews, Nate Parker, reviews, Rooney Mara, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson
Tags: Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Film, film reviews, Nate Parker, reviews, Rooney Mara, Sundance Film Festival, Terence Johnson
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Episode 6 is in the books! In this episode we attempt to unravel the complexities of Shane Carruth’s newest film Upstream Color, describe our feelings towards The Spectacular Now (Joey loved it), Pit Stop (I loved it) and The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman (it was average). We also get a bit into the Sundance acquisitions and talk about issue with critics walking out of screenings before the movie is up. Enjoy! 
Stoker is a delightfully demented film that derives its pleasures from uncomfortable situations, shocking violence and magnetic characters. Chan-wook Park bring his trademark visual style to deliver a feast for the eyes. And yet despite this and some fabulous performances from Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman, the plot never lets you embrace the film as fully as you might want. It’s an incredible film, albeit one that keeps you a bit at arms length when it should be wrapping you up in a creepy embrace.
Stories We Tell, the sterling documentary from Sarah Polley, is a delicately assembled exploration of a family and how the stories they tell weave together a complicated tapestry. Sarah Polley starts the film nimbly enough presenting all of the subjects, her family members and close family friends. But what starts out as a simple exploration of memory quickly blossoms into an examination of secrets, memory and the human condition. It’s mesmerizing filmmaking, a combination of acted archival footage, interviews and voice recording sessions that congeal together quite well. 
