Month: February 2015

St. Vincent Review

St. Vincent (2014)

Dir: Theodore Melfi

Bill Murray’s place as an American Treasure is undeniable at this point. That status is bolstered not only by a legendary television and film career (which began with SNL and hit 80’s comedies followed by a transition into more dramatic work), but also by his mysterious and cantankerous persona (he’s only reachable by a 1-800 number, he’ll crash random parties, he’ll even approach random strangers on the street and state “No one will ever believe you”). With Murray, you’re never sure what you’re going to get, but at least it’ll be interesting. (more…)

Dumb and Dumber To Review

Dumb and Dumber To (2014)

Dirs: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Remember those halcyon days before 2008’s Indiana-Jones-Movie-Which-Shall-Not-Be-Named when we all thought another adventure with the world’s best archaeologist would be a rollicking good time? Or how excited every card-carrying fanboy was to see Darth Vader’s origin story prior to 1999’s The Phantom Menace? (more…)

2015 Oscars Preview & Predictions

The Oscars are a time for revelry and merriment. The chosen few of Hollywood (our modern Babylon or maybe Sodom and Gomorrah) are given exultant praise while the rest of us sit at home, getting increasingly drunk and yelling at the TV. Grousing about the Oscars is a national pastime at this point, a sport comprised of poking holes at an overlong, self-congratulatory pageant that’s meant to celebrate artistic merit but more often than not simply rewards those who campaign hardest or appeal most to the Academy’s often middle-of-the-road tastes.  (more…)

Kingsman: The Secret Service Review

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Dir: Matthew Vaughn

Matthew Vaughn seems to be impatient. After just missing the opportunity to direct Daniel Craig in the James Bond reboot Casino Royale, he’s gone ahead and created his own coterie of distinctly British secret agents in Kingsman: The Secret Service. (more…)

Tainted Love: The Best Venereal Horror Movies

Horror movies prey upon our fears, whether directly (being chased by an axe-wielding maniac) or indirectly (like The Shining‘s representation of alcoholism and obsession). David Cronenberg said, “I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation,” and as the Godfather of Body Horror he knows a thing or two about slimy, icky messes that can turn your stomach. (more…)

Wetlands Review

Wetlands (2014)

Dir: David Wnendt

For those who used to (or still do) endlessly pick at scabs and are fascinating by their own body’s weirdness, Wetlands is a perverse romantic comedy. For germaphobes and others who fear the squickiness of bodily functions and for those who carefully lay paper down on a public toilet seat, hover, or opt to wait until home, Wetlands is a horror film of the highest degree.  (more…)

A Most Violent Year Review

A Most Violent Year (2014)

Dir: J.C. Chandor

What’s in a title? The slow-burning procedural A Most Violent Year is a misnomer on par with Naked Lunch (especially in light of some people’s literal interpretation), although it does evoke a particular unease that is sustained throughout. Writer-director J.C. Chandor’s third feature film takes place during the winter of the most violent year on record in New York City, 1981, and traces the Horatio Alger-like birth of The American Dream for one enterprising couple. (more…)