DVD and Music Review: Jobriath A.D.
Published on May 8th, 2015 in: Culture Shock, Current Faves, Documentaries, DVD, DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies, Music, Music Reviews, Retrovirus, Reviews |By Hanna
Jobriath A.D. tells the story of singer and would-be glam rock star Jobriath’s career and personal life. It focuses on the period when he was professionally active between 1968 and his death in 1983. His story is told nearly entirely from interviews with people who were involved in his life and career at the time or people who were influenced professionally by his work. There is some narration (by Henry Rollins, no less) to tie parts of the interviews together, and a series of animations provide visual interest and make up for the fact that there exists very little actual footage of Jobriath.
Movie Review: Gut and Phobia
Published on May 1st, 2015 in: Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies |
When approached with the right mindset, there can be few things better than a low-budget horror film. Limited funding can force creativity and turn a small story into something greater. This is not always the case, as anyone who has been burned by a late-night drunken Netflix choice knows. Cheap computer generated effects can snap a viewer out of a movie like cracking a roasted peanut out of its shell. Unfortunately, that’s the route most filmmakers choose to take.
The guiding hands behind the films Gut and Phobia have chosen the road less traveled by, and their finished products are all the better for it.
Blu-Ray Review: The Weapon
Published on April 3rd, 2015 in: Blu-Ray, Current Faves, DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reissues, Retrovirus, Reviews |
As I’ve been going through the movies that Olive Films has reissued, I’ve been finding some that are truly unique, amazing, and kind of unknown. One of these is called The Weapon.
SXSW Movie Review: Raiders!
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Current Faves, Documentaries, Film Festivals, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
Since childhood, I’ve wanted to make movies. Last night I got to watch a documentary about a group of kids who were determined to make a shot for shot remake of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Raiders! tells the story of this incredible attempt and the resulting admirable success.
SXSW Movie Review: Welcome To Leith
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Culture Shock, Current Faves, Documentaries, Film Festivals, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
If you’re an actual human being with dignity, you already know racism is a terrible thing. Well, if you’re racist against racists then I guess that’s OK. . . or stupid people. Hell, I’m a racist then.
We all know it exists but I think the world is unfamiliar with how bad it is sometimes. The news doesn’t broadcast a lot of these kinds of things. One person I think people are definitely unfamiliar with is Craig Cobb. I’d heard of Cobb before seeing Welcome To Leith, but this film showed me who Cobb really is. A lot of words come to mind trying to describe Cobb, but to put it simply: he’s a fucking racist. A big one.
SXSW Movie Review: One & Two
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Current Faves, Film Festivals, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
One & Two is the best superhero origin movie ever despite the fact that it’s not based on any existing superheroes and is a completely original story. It’s rad as hell.
The story revolves around a brother and sister—Eva (Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka) and Zac (Timothée Chalamet)—who share something special: They are able to do something that no one else can. Their mother has severe seizures and the clock is ticking down to her last remaining days. Their father is an emotional trainwreck from trying to cope with his wife and what he knows his children can do. Eva and Zac spend their nights playing around with their capabilities, but their father forbids it and asks them numerous times to stop. One night something life changing happens to their family and the father kicks Eva out of their home. From then on, it’s up to Eva to make the biggest decision of her life.
SXSW Movie Review: Hangman
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Current Faves, Film Festivals, Found Footage, Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
I’m a huge fan of found footage. I stand behind this method of filmmaking 100 percent. There is a certain aspect that makes it feel like it’s more of a reality than your normal film. Even if a found footage film has ghosts or goblins in it, it can still hold that realism for me. I know it’s not for everyone but I think that’s because we are given a lot of garbage found footage films in addition to all the good ones.
SXSW Movie Review: Unfriended
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Current Faves, Film Festivals, Found Footage, Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews, Science and Technology |
Please Note: This review was written after seeing an unfinished version of the film during SXSW on March 13, 2015.
It seems that computer screen horror is catching on rather quickly and I’m not sure how I feel about it. In the past couple years we’ve had The Den and Open Windows; in both films the actions is presented through a computer screen. The Den worked to an extent and was creative for the most part, but Open Windows didn’t work out because it was so silly. . . well, to me anyway.
Unfriended has the same presentation but it works. Like Open Windows, it runs in real time and that’s one of the main things that works. Our story is told through a Skype chat between five friends who hold a secret. During one of their chats they are introduced to another visitor. They are unsure who this person is and try to get rid of this unknown entity, but remain unsuccessful despite multiple attempts. Soon they realize this person may be someone that they know from their past who is dead set on terrorizing them.
SXSW Movie Review: Night Owls
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Comedy, Current Faves, Film Festivals, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
It seems that more and more independent filmmakers are grasping the concept that if you have a great script, good chemistry between actors, minimal locations, and a somewhat intriguing story you can still make a really great film without anything revolutionary. Night Owls is a prime example of a film that does so much with so very little by grabbing and holding the audience’s attention. It uses a basic idea but with such great execution.
SXSW Movie Review: Pod
Published on March 27th, 2015 in: Action Movies, Film Festivals, Horror, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reviews |
Does every horror film need some originality in order for it to be good? I think half of people surveyed would say yes and the other half would say no. Personally, I’m a “no” because I feel if the film has the right elements, it can be just as good as something completely original. Do we constantly have to be surprised or shown something new each and every time we see a new film? I think as long as the film has a good script, solid acting, good characters, and a decent soundtrack it will be successful to me. This is how I feel about Pod.