By: Shannon Page There is a saying that maintains that there are two sides to every story. At its most basic, surface level, Cartel Land is an examination of the homegrown militia movements that have sprung up on both sides of the U.S.A./Mexico border in response to the presence of organized crime and drug cartel-related violence. In Arizona, an American veteran leads a paramilitary group called Arizona Border Recon that aims to stop the violence…
By: Trevor Jeffery The Yes Men Are Revolting is something like reality prank drama meets comedic character documentary, with social justice slathered through out. Back for their third documentary, cultural activist conmen Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno (stage names for Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos, respectively) stick it to the man by pretending to be the man and raising awareness through fake press conferences and publicity stunts. The Yes Men hit climate change hard, and…
By: Anthony King GOING IN: There are a lot of films out there that help us escape our lives and live out a fantasy. For men in particular, some want to be an international spy who always gets the lady, an astronaut exploring the galaxy, a mobster in a fancy suit tossing out the kiss of death left and right… or some of us just want to be able to discard our gross bodies and be…
By: Addison Wylie Jay and Mark Duplass hopped on board Sean Baker’s Tangerine to lend their support as executive producers. The mumblecore founders are always keeping their eyes peeled for innovation in independent cinema, and Tangerine – a film shot entirely on the iPhone 5S – was their calling. Tangerine reminded me of Christos Sourligas’ Happy Slapping, a film that followed hopeless teens via handheld footage shot on earlier generation smartphones. Happy Slapping may have more interesting things to…
By: Addison Wylie Ambiguity can be a beautiful thing – especially for the horror genre. Filmmakers can inject an idea, and then trust the viewers to fill in the blanks. It does, however, take a certain skill and direction to utilize ambiguity to its fullest degree. A skill that David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows is missing although the film is confident it has. It Follows goes heavy on creepy nuances, which benefits the experience. Nothing…
Addison Wylie We’re halfway through the year, and I’m confident movies are “back on track”. 2014 had some admirable features, but it seemed like everyone collectively decided to focus on technical achievements. As far as award darlings are concerned, our minds have yet to be blown by this year’s selections. However, 2015 has given movie goers wonderful experiences. Killers made me feel queasy, but in a good way. Its story about two serial murderers was…
By: Addison Wylie Movie goers will recognize Alex Winter as Bill S. Preston, Esq. from the time traveling cult classic Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and its sequel Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. I was one of those people, but then I was exposed to Winter’s directorial efforts. Now, I’m someone who instantly recognizes the actor-turn-filmmaker as one of the best documentarians working today. Downloaded, Winter’s chronicling of the rise and fall of Napster, was sensational. It…
By: Addison Wylie Mary Dore’s She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry is a solid film, and joins the ranks of other docs that remind us of how unbalanced the past was through. The documentation stuns and embarrasses, but Dore sticks with professionalism and avoids turning her film into a shame project. Dore reinforces the power of communication in critical times. Before feminism was taken seriously, women who felt discriminated were often ignored. A female character type was established…
By: Addison Wylie The vaguely titled Assassin has the ability to be cool, but instead settles on being “cool”. There are cool shots of hitman Jamie (played by Danny Dyer) on his motorcycle as he zips to a hired job and zooms off to collect his earnings, and I quite like what filmmaker J.K. Amalou can do with the correct lighting. Then, there are those “cool” moments where popular songs ineffectively crash into a scene while…
By: Shannon Page Adam Scott has been around for a while and his latest project, the indie sex-comedy The Overnight, is certainly not his first attempt at acting or producing. Though he is probably best known for his work as Ben Wyatt on the television sitcom Parks and Recreation, Scott has also appeared in movies such as Step Brothers, The Aviator and Our Idiot Brother. The Overnight stars Scott as Alex and Taylor Schilling (of…