Reviews

[Review] Simon & the Oaks

A tale about family, its many definitions and its discovery through the prism of an unstable time, Marianne Fredriksson's international bestseller Simon och eka...

[NYFF Review] Not Fade Away

In an ironic way, Not Fade Away is perhaps most interesting when it's explicitly referencing the small-screen roots of its writer-director, Sopranos honcho Davi...

[Review] Taken 2

Opening next week, Seven Psychopaths contains a scene that sums up the MacGuffin driving Taken 2 – Sam Rockwell ponders the a validity of “an eye for an eye," c...

[Review] Butter

Butter, directed by Jim Field Smith, begins brave and strong, like so many pieces of satire. And while it does form into a pleasantly light, sweet-hearted exami...

[Review] The Oranges

The Oranges, the feature directorial debut of Julian Farino (producer of HBO’s Entourage), operates within a setting so brutally common within the world of the ...

[NYFF Review] Life of Pi

Life of Pi, Ang Lee's gallant, visually overwhelming adaptation of Yann Martel's bestseller, takes a little while to get going. The animals-are-precious opening...

[Review] Solomon Kane

A suitably grim atmosphere, an invested lead and a lack of a knowing wink are what Solomon Kane has going for it. That may scare people away from this sword-and...

[Fantastic Fest Review] Wake In Fright

When watching a film made more than four decades ago, there is a tendency to think that some of the atmosphere and intensity might be lost. After all, horror fi...

[Fantastic Fest Review] Pusher

Closely resembling the Danish original, the UK version of Pusher is an impressive creation that has similarly engaging characters and taut, frenetic action. Bas...

[Review] Pitch Perfect

Anything trying to capitalize on the now-waning Glee craze and Step Up's surprising staying power probably should be dismissed sight unseen. How could a film de...