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Secret in Their Eyes

November 20, 2015Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Mark Barber Billy Ray’s Secret in Their Eyes, an American remake of Juan José Campanella’s 2009 film of the same name, is eerily reminiscent, both thematically and atmospherically, of Denis Villeneuve’s thriller Prisoners, but without going “full-blown Hollywood” in the last act.  In other words, Secret in Their Eyes succeeds where Prisoners didn’t, and in ways that highlight the moral ambiguity of its political context.  Much like how Prisoners worked as a moderately effective…

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Drone

November 19, 2015Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie Drone looks at the controversy attached to the airborne warfare from all angles;  including the conception of the device (including some neat trivial facts about how drones were first intended for fishermen searching for tuna), the budding utilization introduced by the Bush administration, and the ongoing decisive back-and-forth over whether it’s an effective tactic or just creating war crimes. Considering the subject matter and the high risk surrounding drones, it’s to no surprise…

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Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict

November 18, 2015Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie Lisa Immordino Vreeland continues to merge filmmaking with her love for fashion in Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict after debuting on the film scene with Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel in 2012. A newfound artifact serves as bedrock in Vreeland’s doc as the audience listens to the last interview given by world renowned art collector Peggy Guggenheim.  The interview remains conversational between her and biographer Jacqueline Bogard Weld, which allows Guggenheim…

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The Trick with the Gun

November 18, 2015Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie The Trick with the Gun has a lighthearted voice, but the film shouldn’t be discounted.  Michael McNamara’s documentary is one of the most enjoyable and exhilarating films I’ve seen this year.  Though the film is easy for us in the audience, the same can’t be said for the film’s subjects who face a deadly task. Scott Hammel is a valiant magician whose illusions and motivational speaking have helped inspire young audiences.  He…

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Do You Believe?

November 17, 2015Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie I believe the saying goes: everybody gets one.  Screenwriters Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon got theirs last year with the highly successful faith-based picture God’s Not Dead.  I was indifferent towards the film featuring an Atheist professor and his devout student debating God’s existence because I genuinely felt the screenwriters didn’t know any better.  I even shrugged off the tasteless ending where the film flips the ultimate bird towards non-believers. A year later, I’m…

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Man Vs.

November 14, 2015Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Adam Massey’s broiling small-scale thriller Man Vs. follows reality television show host Doug Woods (a Les Stroud clone played by The Three Stooges’ Chris Diamantopoulos) on his latest survival adventure.  Woods gears up for a five-day retreat in Northern Ontario while his production crew camps out far enough away for Doug to fully seclude himself in nature.  As these wilderness shows often hammer in, fire and shelter is critical – Doug builds both using the…

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The Games Maker

November 13, 2015Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie Sneaking in under the radar during this year’s final quarter is an uplifting family film called The Games Maker.  For those who take a chance on it, they’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when Juan Pablo Buscarini’s film pulled me into a wonderful world of old-fashioned strategy. I say “pleasantly surprised” because the marketing for The Games Maker drives home its whimsy and fantastical elements a little too hard;  so much…

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The Reflektor Tapes

November 13, 2015Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Addison Wylie Kahlil Joseph’s Arcade Fire docu-mishmash titled The Reflektor Tapes is like a fever dream with great music that has gotten too carried away with itself.  I imagine if I listened to the band’s discography and then crashed after a hard day’s work, I would start to visualize this film’s lurid activity. The Reflektor Tapes is one of these examples where you can’t stop fans from flocking to this thing, and newcomers will…

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Mavis!

November 12, 2015Addison Wylie1 Comment

By: Addison Wylie The music in Mavis! wins us over in a flash.  I wouldn’t be surprised if filmmaker Jessica Edwards was actually tempted early on to make a straight concert film instead of a biographical documentary.  Mavis! is much more than the gospel music that enraptured listeners; including musicians Bonnie Raitt, Chuck D, Bob Dylan, and recent collaborator Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco).  The film is about Mavis Staples, the legendary singer behind a voice that…

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Kilo Two Bravo

November 12, 2015Addison Wylie0 Comments

By: Shahbaz Khayambashi Kilo Two Bravo may have surprised me, but Paul Katis’ film would have ultimately been better if it ditched the first and third acts. There is nothing new about the setup of this film: it is yet another bit of neo-white man’s burden propaganda which shows the importance of war while almost completely erasing the local victims of the aggression.  It is only in the second act that the film finds its bearings – turning…

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