Immigration and legal status of immigrants is a sensitive issue in the U.S. nowadays, and this film illustrates the extraordinary trials such people may have to go through in the application process—and even then it’s not a certainty; multiple snags can occur and the whole plan may fall through anywhere along the way. This is […]
Competitions are generally fun to watch, and Stacey Tenenbaum (writer/director/producer) of Pipe Dreams has created a finely constructed and balanced production of the 2017 Canadian International Oregon Competition in Montreal, Canada, where the first place prize is $100,000. Featured competitors comprise a diverse group, one from China, one from New Zealand, one from Germany, and two from the U.S. Tenenbaum
Making its debut at the Austin Film Festival, Brad Silberling’s latest An Ordinary Man is yet another film spotlighted because of its male lead. While 73-year-old Sir Ben Kingsley isn’t the draw he once was, this feels like a resurgence for the Oscar winner. Silberling (Moonlight Mile, City of Angels) isn’t well regarded as a
What might look like another film about the world of an autistic individual struggling with the everyday norms of life, is actually a love letter to Star Trek fans. Please Stand By (the title is explained within the film) offers Dakota Fanning (American Pastoral) a role reversal from I Am Sam, the film that introduced
Remember that 2008 film Hero Wanted with Cuba Gooding Jr? Yea, me either, but that hasn’t stopped stuntman and occasional director Brian Smrz from delivering yet another forgettable action flick. Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Maudie, Boyhood) is the only element here that even provides this cheap action flick with a chance at a theatrical audience,
Actor turned director Joel David Moore’s film on the topic of legal human euthanasia isn’t the first of 2016 to cover such grounds. I point to Me Before You this past summer and of course the Oscar winning Amour in 2012. Moore (Savages, Avatar) directs the script by newcomer Andrew Eisen in the vein of
Producer Harvey Weinstein knew he had something good back at the 2015 Cannes film festival, where he showed raw footage of Lion to select journalists. When Garth Davis’ directorial debut made its big splash at the Toronto Film Festival in September, macho male journalists even admitted they were moved to tears by the compelling true
The South American perspective of Jackie Kennedy is apparently similar to a horror movie seen through the eyes of director Pablo Larraín. In his first English language film, the 40-year-old surprisingly molds Jackie in the same structure of fellow Chilean director Alejandro Amenábar’s The Others (2001). The vicious editing choices paired with the savage musical
First time director Kelly Fremon Craig’s biggest mistake is assuming every teenager is having a similar experience to her main character. Craig’s script casts Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 2, Barely Lethal) in another bratty role that has quickly become her institution as an actress. The Edge of Seventeen goes for jokes on topics that I am
If you didn’t know anything about Jeff Nichols’ Loving, the first few minutes of the film wouldn’t look any different than the beginning of a 1960’s love story between two people from small town Virginia. In his 5th film, Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter) tackles his first historical story, “an important story”, he says. While Loving