May 2016

Reviews

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising

The laughs in Seth Rogen’s first live-action sequel Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising are every bit a part of the movie’s rollicking Revenge of the Nerds pastiche.  The film is driven by the dubious actions and deceptive prank wars between two scrambling teams, which amount to amusing, frenzied chaos.

Reviews

Mr. Right

It’s usually a treat when a film holds a mirror up to itself and cackles.  In this case, Mr. Right flies out of the gates with flippancy towards action films, buddy comedies, and farfetched rom-coms.

Festival Coverage

Inside Out 2016: ‘Other People’

There are different ways for a writer to tell a story while tapping into their own personal catharsis. Chris Kelly (co-writer of Saturday Night Live and Broad City making his feature filmmaking debut) has found a vessel in Other People to tell his own semi-autobiographical story by re-capturing snapshots of his ailing mother’s final months.

Reviews

Hevn

When the title is translated from its origin language, Klersti Steinsbø’s Norwegian/Canadian co-production Hevn appears too on the nose – it’s a story of revenge called Revenge.

Festival Coverage

Inside Out 2016: ‘Paris 05:59: Theo & Hugo’

Unsimulated sex and its utilization in film is a continuing debate between movie aficionados on whether the uncensored acts add to a story or the general moviegoing experience.  French filmmakers Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau create a controversial – yet very convincing – argument towards the issue in their minimalist drama Paris 05:59: Theo & Hugo.

Reviews

À La Vie

To onlookers enjoying a day on the beach, Rose, Lili, and Hélène appear to be close girlfriends.  Underneath their contentment is a turbulent past also experienced by other Jewish people who were fortunate to escape Auschwitz.

Reviews

TimeLock

TimeLock is a finicky flick that waffles an awful lot, much like its wishy-washy main character Mark (John C. Gilmour).  Fortunately, David Griffith’s micro budget thriller is easy to endear.