Quickie: I KILLED MY MOTHER (2009)
I Killed My Mother (2009) – **** Quickie Review A teenage gay aesthete butts heads with his conventional bourgeois mother as the two navigate their drifting relationship. This first film by Xavier Dolan has a burgeoning visual bravado that sets the stage for even greater things to come. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s close. And Dolan’s subsequent films Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways prove that he capable of making them. Dolan’s touch here can be both blunt and delicate. When its delicate, he shows a dramatic storytelling ability that is lost on even some of the best working directors today. With outstanding performances by both Dolan and Anne Dorval as the mother. Also starring François Arnaud and Suzanne Clément. I Killed My Mother was screened at the Cleveland Cinematheque, the only movie house in the US to present a...
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ATTACK THE BLOCK quickie review
Attack the Block (2011)–*** Quickie Review A group of British teens in an inner-city London neighborhood must protect their building from an alien attack. This debut feature from British comedian Joe Cornish is a hilarious, expertly paced sci-fi comedy. Anyone who has seen Skins or Misfits on the telly will be unaffected by the pot-smoking, foul-mouthed delinquents. But when you pit these entertaining kids against space invaders, you see shades of classic 80s genre pictures like Goonies and Monster Squad. Attack the Block, in turn, will likely be a cult classic for the ages. Directed by Joe Cornish and starring John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker and Alex Esmail, with Nick Frost as the local drug dealer...
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Quickie: STAKE LAND
Stake Land (2010)–*** Quickie Review A vampire hunter and the young man he rescued trek across a post-apocalyptic America, fighting vamps and religious zealots along the way. This smart, slick horror epic might have been a great movie in another time. Sure, it’s good, but the vision and story that create great scenarios on film are also impeded by the medium. In a world where The Walking Dead exists as a full TV series, you almost feel slighted that Stake Land, which has room for greater depth to its character and their relationships, didn’t get the same treatment. I left the theater wanting more, but that also makes this film worth watching, regardless of its limitations. Starring Connor Paolo, Kelly McGillis, Daniel Hart, Michael Cerveris, and Nick Damici (also co-writer). Directed and co-written by Jim...
Read MoreQuickie: RARE EXPORTS
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale–***1/2 Quickie Review The residents of a small Korvatunturi mountain village learn the truth behind a Christmas fable when a nearby excavation team unearths the real Santa Claus. This Finnish fantasy comedy is a winning throwback to 1980s anti-Christmas classics like Gremlins, Scrooged and Die Hard. In fact, the father/son relationship makes you believe that filmmaker Jalmari Helander grew up on a heavy diet of Spielberg films. Whatever makes Helander tick, his Rare Exports is the rarest of imports, a genuine, out-of-the-box cult classic. Starring Onni Tommila, Jorma Tommila, Tommi Korpela, Rauno Juvonen, Per Christan Ellefsen, and Peter Jakobi. Watch the...
Read MoreQuickie: THE TOWN
The Town (2010)–***1/2 Quickie Review After orchestrating a complex bank heist in Boston’s gentrifying Charlestown neighborhood, a working-class robber—and Town native—falls for the target’s young professional bank manager. An action-packed heist film with a brooding soul, this Boston crime thriller distinguishes itself from the pack thanks to a superb ensemble cast. Jeremy Renner is as electric here as he was in The Hurt Locker, this time playing a violent, unpredictable member of the crew. Other actors are effortlessly great, even when, like Blake Lively as a townie girl, they play against the type. Director and star Ben Affleck didn’t create a masterpiece, but his follow-up to Gone Baby Gone shows once again that he might just have one in him. Also starring Jon Hamm, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite, and Rebecca Hall. The Town is now...
Read MoreQuickie: THE GHOST WRITER
The Ghost Writer (2010)–**** Quickie Review A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a Blair-esque former British prime minister discovers an international conspiracy behind the politician’s career. Atmospheric and genuinely suspensful, this tense, focused geopolitical thriller from Roman Polanski beats with the same heart of darkness that made his Chinatown a classic. Thanks to a subtle but intense lead performance from Ewan McGregor, we enjoy being led through the deceptively low-key mystery–right to the devastating final shot. And yes, it’s easily Polanski’s best film in decades. Also starring Pierce Brosnan, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, and a brilliant Olivia...
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