The Fabulous Four is a photocopy of a photocopy. If you think I’ve used that criticism before, it’s because I have. However, the filmmakers behind this contrived Floridian comedy had no problem recycling other material, including their own stuff. So, you know what they say – “when in Key West…”
By: Trevor Chartrand An adaptation of the stage play Pornography (written by Jeff Kober), Lie Exposed explores a series of relationships on the edge of ending, following each couple’s attendance at a controversial art installation. The art in question features tintype photographs of vaginas, which for most of the couples sparks a conversation about their own sex lives as well as the objectification of the female form. Thematically, the film explores the definition of art…
By: Trevor Chartrand In Sorry for Your Loss, a humble everyman with a dead-end job (Justin Bartha), learns of his estranged father’s death shortly after the birth of his own son. In order to claim a sizable inheritance, he’s tasked with spreading his father’s ashes on the playing field of his dad’s favorite football team. The closer Ken (Bartha) gets to the stadium though, the more he learns about his dad and the pathetic legacy…
Before making Kodachrome, filmmaker Mark Raso directed Copenhagen and screenwriter Jonathan Tropper wrote This Is Where I Leave You. Both of those were modest movies with family drama and pleasant dynamics. Kodachrome is more of the same from these two men, which is good for Netflix audiences looking for an easy watch, but slightly disappointing for movie goers expecting more than unchallenging schmaltz.
By: Jessica Goddard Mark Felt – The Man Who Brought Down the White House will work for those already familiar with the Watergate scandal of the 1970s, but Peter Landesman’s film will be less interesting to audiences not well-versed in political history. The screenplay doesn’t offer much exposition and relies on the smarts of its audience to keep up and understand.
By: Trevor Jeffery Truth is a factually interesting docudrama, with the unfortunate side effect of also being a huge downer – how can you chippily walk away from a film if its thesis is essentially “modern journalism is dead”? It’s 2004, just months before the American Presidential election, and Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett) has got a story. And as a producer for CBS’s documentary/news series 60 Minutes, she’s got a platform. She’s uncovered that there…
By: Addison Wylie Veteran actor Bruce Greenwood and budding actress Ella Purnell are two performers who benefit the most from Frank Hall Green’s weak drama Wildlike. Purnell plays fragile teenager Mackenzie who has been taken advantage of, and in turn can’t trust anyone. Greenwood plays heartbroken wanderer Rene who hopes for a future of clarity and eventual happiness. When Purnell and Greenwood are together, their chemistry is suitably akin to oil and water, but they’re both convincing in their own right. Unfortunately, despite reccomending Wildlike’s…