2017

THE TRIP TO SPAIN: Coogan And Brydon Still Reign Supreme
THE TRIP TO SPAIN: Coogan & Brydon’s Finest Trip Yet

Coogan and Brydon bare their truest selves in The Trip To Spain, resulting in an emotional and bitingly honest chord that rings mellifluous with the viewer.

Lightningface
LIGHTNINGFACE: The Internet’s Boyfriend Strikes Again

Lightningface is a 20 minute short film starring Oscar Isaac as his life changes drastically after being struck by lightning.

THE LAYOVER: A Comedy With Commitment Issues

The Layover has its moments of humor, but it is bogged down by an unfocused script and overly clichéd characters.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY: An Uneven Attempt To Fill Orphan Black’s Shoes
WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY: An Uneven Attempt To Fill Orphan Black’s Shoes

While full of plot holes and shakes characters, What Happened to Monday is still a weird, yet perfect movie for a night in.

BUSHWICK: Too Bland And Boring To Be The Real Brooklyn
BUSHWICK: Too Bland & Boring To Be The Real Brooklyn

With its timely statement about diversity in America, the bland and boring Bushwick fails to meet expectations.

PERSON TO PERSON: The New York Comedy Revisited
PERSON TO PERSON: The New York Comedy Revisited

Some of the lines in Person to Person may ring with a certain cliched timbre, but perhaps that should only be expected from a film that trades in tired New York stereotypes that are by their very nature familiar and inviting.

ALL THE RAGE: A Mind-Opening Doc About Healing Pain
ALL THE RAGE: A Mind-Opening Doc About Healing Pain

A dual character study, All The Rage benefits from its celebrity testimonies, candid interviews with Dr. Sarno, and Galinsky’s efficiency of substantiation.

DEATH NOTE: Stylish, Gory and Joyously Silly
DEATH NOTE: Stylish, Gory & Joyously Silly

Death Note has plenty of faults, but watched with the brain firmly in the “off” position, it becomes easy to enjoy – especially as it manages to feel more cartoonish than the anime it’s based on.

FINAL PORTRAIT: A Perfect Perspicacity Into The Life Of Alberto Giacometti
FINAL PORTRAIT: A Perfect Perspicacity Into The Life Of Alberto Giacometti

Final Portrait is filled with acute vigor, seamlessly-interwoven humor, impeccable historical accuracy, and superb acting that combine for another Tucci gem.

ICARUS: Top-Level Cheaters

Icarus is a somewhat messy if also interesting look at the doping practices in Russian sports, with a director who gets in over his head.

GOOD TIME: Welcome To The Robert Pattinson Era
GOOD TIME: Welcome To The Robert Pattinson Era

Good Time is a fast-paced, oscillation of raw emotion and manic suspense that plays directly to Pattinson’s continually emerging thespian strengths.

LADY MACBETH: Sex, Murder, Lies
LADY MACBETH: Sex, Murder, Lies

Lady Macbeth pokes at the romanticized perspective of Victorian-set films, becoming more akin to a macabre neo-noir.

Melbourne International Film Festival 2017 Week 3
Melbourne International Film Festival 2017 Week 3

Alex Lines describes his final week at the Melbourne International Film Festival, in which he saw films ranging from sci-fi to quirky dramas.

THE GLASS CASTLE: Tidiness Undermines Impact
THE GLASS CASTLE: Tidiness Undermines Impact

Despite a talented cast and crew, The Glass Castle ultimately fails as an adaptation of the famous memoir due to some questionable decisions.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE: Tonally Contrasted And Tiredly Contrived
ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE: Tonally Contrasted & Tiredly Contrived

Once Upon A Time In Venice is clearly a film made by cinephiles, but the scattered subplots and underdeveloped characters combine for an overall misfire.