When a movie opens with a fish dangling on a hook it’s a safe bet that the audience is meant to be the fish. Such is the case in the Canadian feature “Disappearance at Clifton Hill”, part crime drama, part detective story, part psychological thriller. We even get a splash of neo-noir. It’s fittingly set … Continue reading
First Glance: “Tigertail”
As an unashamed cinephile it’s good to know that even during a global pandemic interesting movies are still coming out. Of course, movie postponements pale in comparison to the true suffering going on due to the COVID-19 virus. But new movies offer a nice diversion and can even spread a little joy. Who couldn’t use … Continue reading
RETRO REVIEW: “Panic Room” (2002)
By the time David Fincher made “Panic Room” he had already earned a name for himself as an audacious filmmaker. He had “Se7en” and “Fight Club” under his belt, both bucking the mainstream in their own grimly unique ways. “Panic Room” saw him working in more conventional thriller territory. But as you would expect from … Continue reading
REVIEW: “The Way Back” (2020)
So to be clear, this isn’t 2010’s “The Way Back”, Peter Weir’s terrific survival adventure starring Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, and Ed Harris. And this isn’t “The Way Way Back”, the 2013 coming-of-age indie and Sam Rockwell showcase. This is in fact 2020’s “The Way Back”, a deeply personal and emotionally intense character study disguised … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Resistance” (2020)
In a gut-churning prologue set in 1938 Nazi Germany a young Jewish girl named Elsbeth asks her loving parents a simple but weighty question, “Why do they hate us?” Her comforting father (Édgar Ramírez) tells her to not worry and that things will soon get better. Within seconds writer- director Jonathan Jakubowicz shatters that optimism … Continue reading
REVIEW: “Amy”
I know this will kill my chances of being the coolest guy in the room, but I couldn’t name you one Amy Winehouse song. That’s not a slight to her. I’m simply not into newer music like I once was. But despite that I certainly knew who Amy Winehouse was. From 2003 through 2011 Winehouse … Continue reading