I’ve been hard on Illumination in the past, but for a good reason. Universal’s animation company always seemed to be borrowing from other brands, from copycat plots to specific character designs. This makes the studio’s version of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch a bit of an anomaly. It’s an existing, well known property that could’ve been another clone but, instead, Illumination has provided a new take on the popular Dr. Seuss curmudgeon, which also includes luscious animation…
Into Invisible Light would have had better compatibility on stage than how it currently plays in its cinematic scope. As it is, the movie’s fine – decent even. But by projecting itself to fill a larger space, Shelagh Carter’s modest dialogue-driven drama calls attention to its barebones aesthetics when really these details should be, well, invisible.
A Breath Away emerges in the midst of a growing number of films dedicated to portraying the horrors of environmental disaster. Timely as it is horrifying, A Breath Away is an emotionally-charged thriller that broadly follows the algorithmic pattern set by previous disaster films, and has little to say ideologically about its central issues.
The Image Book is nonsense that gives experimental cinema a bad name. If a comedy had to spoof an “artsy” movie that’s “a little bit out there”, the filmmakers would try and emulate the ludicrous decisions Jean-Luc Godard makes in his latest “movie”. They might as well play portions of The Image Book instead of writing anything.
Beautiful Boy is a touching film that will break your heart. Based on the memoirs of David and Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy chronicles the inconsistent dynamic between a coping father (Steve Carell) and his distraught son (Timothée Chalamet). The film leaps back-and-forth throughout their lives; capturing spirited memories, personal bonds, and the rift they currently face caused by Nic’s serious drug addiction.
By: Trevor Chartrand Director Mani Nasry has made a very personal film with We, and it’s certainly commendable, brave even, to see how transparent this young director has been in making the film – I suspect we’re getting a deep look into his mind, his personal philosophies and hardships. Nasry and his crew deserve a lot of respect for what their film is trying to do – however the finished product is far from flawless.
Hale County This Morning, This Evening is an unconventional documentary of sorts, but it makes sense for photographer RaMell Ross to make his feature-length filmmaking debut with this project. After all, it’s essentially an assortment of photographs that have come to life. The film captures fragmented life in Hale County, Alabama; creating a fly-on-the-wall visit for audiences who observe the community during routines and conversations. Only a few subjects are interviewed on camera, but they speak openly…
By: Jessica Goddard Touching, sincere, and surprisingly universal, Jon S. Baird’s Stan & Ollie is a sensitive look into the last tour of legendary comedy act Laurel and Hardy. Built on wonderful performances from Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Laurel and Hardy respectively, the biopic has wonderful range – from the tender or vicious exchanges to the subtle but magnetic moments when the pair perform on stage as a duo.
