Month: November 2016

SNOWDEN Review: Stone Shatters The Surveillance State

Edward Snowden’s leak of classified NSA information is the kind of story that mercurial filmmaker Oliver Stone should be able to sink his teeth into – a young idealist goes up against a monolothic opponent in a story rife with political intrigue and moral ambiguity. (more…)

HELL OR HIGH WATER Review: Desperate Men In A Desperate Land

A rusted out jalopy rumbles down the deserted side streets of a ghost town, past graffiti decrying a government that bails out banks while leaving nothing for its veterans. Two masked men enter a bank and rob it at gunpoint, a small drop of vengeance against an institution that’s wronged countless others. (more…)

TIFF Review: ARRIVAL Cribs From Christopher Nolan’s Playbook

Denis Villeneuve’s carefully constructed alien invasion pic Arrival is as notable for what it does asĀ for what it avoids. It risksĀ that linguistic research and the probing of the human soul can be swapped out for bombastic clashes of military might and still hold an audience’s attention. (more…)