Blacksta (Neville Misati) assures his friend Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) that she will make a good wife. But if the manner in which she eyeballs Ziki (Sheila Munyiva) dancing across the street is any indication, heterosexual marriage is the furthest thing from Kena’s mind. Kena and Ziki are the daughters of …
Pit anywhere from 5 to 15 thugs against one lone tough and instead of a dogpile, the bad guys line up like they’re in a bakery waiting for their numbers to be called. (Don’t any of these maroons pack a firearm, and more importantly, haven’t they seen Billy Jack?) This …
Not unlike their idols, George and Steve, whose Raiders of the Lost Ark stemmed from misty-eyed memories of the lumbering Republic Serials they grew up on, childhood (and childish) xerographers Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, and Jayson Lamb were weaned on crap. Why else would the trio devote eight summers of …
Respectable torture porn. Decades after the end of World War II, a former British POW tracks down and squares off against his Japanese tormenter. With Oscar®-winner Colin Firth and Oscar®-winner Nicole Kidman occupying prime real estate on the poster, one would automatically expect them to carry this petrified revenge drama. …
The real war right inside your own multiplex door continues. Instead of the interminable set-up, a simple title card, reminiscent of a ‘30s serial, would have set the scene nicely: “Following the kidnapping of his niece by a gang of drug-dealing Mexican rapists (some of whom we assume are good …
Why is there an offscreen narrator reading aloud the comic panel dialogue boxes that open the show? Perhaps because, after two decades spent lending valuable support to brash teen comedies, Comic-Con staple Jay Baruchel (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, She's Out of My League) —here acting for …
This year’s award for the “How Dumb Must a Character Be?” ending goes to Harper Sykes (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), a chameleonic nature photographer on assignment in the meth-infested backwoods of Virginia’s fictional Watchatoomy Valley. Hospitalized and mummified in gauze, Sykes recounts to a doubting cop a nightmare flashback that begins with …
She may look like a sparrow going dressed as Woody Allen for Halloween, but when Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks, she has the power to change the world. Currently the only serving female Supreme Court justice, her accomplishments are too abundant for one feature, perhaps especially this one. Once looked upon …
Technicolor is the warmest color in Bruno Barreto’s (Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands) euphoric return to ‘50s style CinemaScope melodrama. Filmed in the manner of Minnelli (the father, not Liza), this romantic tragedy — adapted from a novel by Carmen L. Oliveira — is based on the lives of …
Not. Before Grace (Samara Weaving) can get on with her honeymoon, the foster child who has just married into a family that made its millions off board games must first engage in a ritualistic game night. At the stroke of midnight, the mansion is put on lockdown and each of …
A promoter and his estranged son bond through robot boxing matches. Motion capture reaches new levels of sophistication, but when it comes to narrative refinement, Real Steel remains a product of cinema’s dark ages. The initial effects are enough to hold your attention, but all bets are off when the …
This is the true story of several strangers who found out what happened when a group of ordinary, ecocide-fearing British citizens stopped being polite and started getting real with Rebellion, a movement committed to non-violent civil disobedience. It took some time for the group to gain momentum. When Sam originally …
A talking heads documentary about the 1980’s hardcore punk rock music scene that would play just as well on vinyl. Considering how radical the period was, it’s discouraging to see co-writer and director Jason Blackmore’s efficiently unnuanced presentation. Uncomplicated questions — “What was the first record your purchased?”, “What’s your …
Red Dawn — the enjoyable 1984 kiddie Cold War thriller from John Milius that forms the basis for this rancid, unnecessary reboot - opens with the memorable (and chilling) image of a group of helpless high school students looking on as invading paratroopers gently touch down outside their classroom window. …