Under the Tree
Under the Tree is made up of fine stories that have a difficult time coming together under the direction of Icelandic filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.
Reviews
Eighth Grade
By: Jessica Goddard A film as heartbreaking as it is necessary, Bo Burnham’s feature directorial debut Eighth Grade earnestly tackles the varied intricacies of growing up in the age of smartphones, YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram.
Broken Star
The central character in Dave Schwep’s Broken Star is a young actress fallen from grace: a drug-addicted, manipulative monster. Markey Marlowe (Crazy, Stupid, Love’s Analeigh Tipton) – a character and name that sounds like it’s come right out of a 1940s film noir – is placed on house arrest, with her only company being reclusive landlord Daryl (Tyler Labine of Mountain Men), whose grandmother has recently passed away. Over time, Marlowe manipulates Daryl into attacking those…
Filmworker
Stanley Kubrick was a peculiar anomaly. He was a world famous filmmaker with a classic catalogue, yet he lived an elusive life. Allegedly, it was rare to be granted access into Kubrick’s personal life, and it was more rare to find someone who would be willing to put themselves that close to him considering Kubrick’s infamous reputation.
7 Splinters in Time
7 Splinters in Time advances from a well-timed reveal. It’s a wordy spiel of exposition delivered by the dependable and always admirable character actor Austin Pendleton, but it’s a scene that justifies the film’s frenetic style and narrative; turning incomprehensible details into awesome creativity.
Whitney
By: Jessica Goddard A film that could’ve been a standard biographical piece turns unexpectedly investigative in Whitney, a new documentary from Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, Life in a Day) about the life and legend of superstar Whitney Houston. This is the first and only Whitney Houston documentary to be authorized by the family, and their participation and exclusive footage adds credibility.
The King
Eugene Jarecki takes to the road in Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce in The King. The documentary’s narrative itself is like Jarecki’s luggage – crammed-full and seeping out of the zippers. However, this stuffed film is interesting in ways thought-provoking open discussions can be.
The Death (and Life) of Carl Naardlinger
Television writer Katherine Schlemmer makes her first splash as a filmmaker with The Death (and Life) of Carl Naardlinger. And if you think that name is even remotely funny, then Katherine is happy you bought a ticket for her film. If you don’t, you best mosey into the next theatre.
Three Identical Strangers
Three Identical Strangers is a one-of-a-kind story, which I suppose is ironic considering it’s about a set of triplets. However, the movie is comparable to another documentary.
Sorry to Bother You
By: Trevor Chartrand Boots Riley’s directorial debut is undoubtedly a memorable satiric comedy, despite being uneven in some places. Sorry to Bother You is a tad ambitious – with plenty of high-concept ideas crammed into its runtime, the overall pacing and consistency of the film suffers a bit as a result. But then again, it’s nice to see a film with too much to say, rather than something so vapid that it says nothing.