DIVERGENT Tests Our Tolerance For Dullness
Divergent (2014) — *½ Maybe Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games had it right all along. The adaptations of those three young adult series were difficult to enter for non-fans. The minutia of those universes, the psychology of their characters and the storylines in general relied heavily on knowledge of the text. People criticized them for it. But here we are, looking at another major young adult adaptation in Divergent and I was begging to be confused. At least then, I would have been busy trying to grasp at something instead of being bored. Neil Burger’s big screen treatment of Veronica Roth’s uber-popular book series is as flat as a movie can be without simply being background noise. There’s no urgency. No drama. It’s like waiting for the mailman to deliver a bundle of credit card offers. The...
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#SXSW Quickie: JOE
Joe — **** SXSW Quickie Review An ex-con with serious anger issues befriends a young homeless kid whose alcoholic father endangers the lives of the whole family. This Southern Gothic drama starring Nicolas Cage in the title role is a return to form for director David Gordon Green, who as of late hasn’t created anything at the level of his early works George Washington, All the Real Girls and Undertow. Thankfully, this movie is as good as, and maybe even better than, anything David Gordon Green made at the dawn of his directing career. Because of that, Joe isn’t the easiest film to watch and has shocking moments of male aggression that can make even the most unaffected audience member skittish. It sits somewhere in between Mud and Killer Joe on the spectrum of dark tales from the south....
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The VERONICA MARS Movie Will Delight Fans & Newbies Alike
Veronica Mars (2014) — *** Okay, marshmallows. Here’s the deal. The Veronica Mars movie is everything we hoped it would be. There are nods to our favorite moments from the show. There’s that turbulent Logan love story. And of course, there’s that oh-so-snappy Rob Thomas dialogue that made the show a fan favorite. The question here isn’t whether Veronica Mars is just a movie for us fans who donated their dollars to the Kickstarter campaign that funded it in the first place, though. The real test is whether Veronica Mars could succeed where so many other TV series to film adaptations have failed. It does. Veronica Mars is a solid, snappy mystery that could earn the former teenage detective as many new fans as she already has old ones. Why? For pretty much the same reason the show was a success...
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#SXSW Quickie: WETLANDS
Wetlands (2014) — ** Quickie Review While recovering in hospital from an anal fissure caused by a shaving accident, 18-year-old Helen reflects on her sexual escapades, recreational drug usage and dysfunctional family. This adaptation of Charlotte Roche’s autobiographical novel seems strong at the start until you slowly learn just how conventional the whole thing—both the filmmaking and the story—really are. The taboos touched upon aren’t all that taboo for anyone with Internet access. And while I wanted the film to have the subversive energy of John Waters or David Wain, all I got was a dramedy that, by the end, takes all the fun out of anal bleeding. Directed by David Wnendt and starring Carla Juri as...
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