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July 2015

Reviews

Tangerine

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…

Reviews

It Follows

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…

Movie Lists

Wylie Writes’ 2015 Mid-Year Report

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…

One-on-Ones

Wylie Writes’ One-On-One with Alex Winter

  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…

Reviews

She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry

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…