BLU-RAY REVIEW - THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
by Brian Orndorf |
| "“House of the Devil” is a throwback horror film that actually makes an effort to look and sound like a bygone era. Granted, 1980’s genre nostalgia is nothing cinematically revolutionary, perhaps even tiresome cliché at this point, but writer/director Ti West keeps to the task at hand. Forgoing irony or vile retro winks, “Devil” plays it straight. While that doesn’t generate the most riveting suspense piece of the year, it does deliver a hugely satisfying chiller that’s effectively minimal and marvelously made." (more) |
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BLU-RAY REVIEW - AMELIA
by Brian Orndorf |
| "There’s a power of mimicry and lavish flight photography that keeps the bio-pic “Amelia” in the air. This is not a strong motion picture, nor a particularly informative one. Instead, it’s a finely polished soap opera from a wonderful director starring fantastic actors, and nobody can quite connect the ambition of the piece with the execution. Moments of midair ecstasy hold it together and without those peaceful pauses of expression, “Amelia” is simply mawkish entertainment, stable and worthwhile for the uncommitted moviewatcher, but it never finds a comfortable altitude." (more) |
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BLU-RAY REVIEW - WHIP IT
by Brian Orndorf |
| "I’ll give director Drew Barrymore this: she made Ellen Page appealing. “Whip It” takes the tart-tongued “Juno” star to the crashin’, smashin’ world of roller derby for a coming-of-age dramedy that bites off a little more than it can chew. Energetically woven by Barrymore, the film suffers from an acute case of the adaptation blues, trying to cram in as many plot points as possible to fill its belly with caloric melodrama. It’s a diluted journey of feminine self-realization, better with bruises and teamwork than it is with pliable matters of the heart." (more) |
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A DEAD RAT IN A LUCITE BLOCK: "CRUISING" 30 YEARS LATER
by Rob Gonsalves |
| ""Hell isn't hot. It's cold," begins an issue of Frank Miller's celebrated run on the "Daredevil" comic book. And so it is with William Friedkin's "Cruising," a movie so spat-upon during its release, and so decorated with crinkly-browed reappraisals years later, that to read the disparate reactions to the film is to risk whiplash. Homophobic! Incompetent! Revolutionary! Experimental! Since the movie turns 30 today, maybe now's a good time to enter the darkness with gun and flashlight and see what sense, if any, can be made of this polarizing ... thing." (more) |
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THE 10TH ANNUAL EFILMCRITIC OSCAR PICK 'EM (WIN 50 DVDS!)
by Erik Childress |
| "In a world…..where all Oscar contests appear the same and there aren’t enough prizes to go around…..ONE Oscar contest stands out above the rest. For years now at eFilmCritic, you have experienced the ultimate in Oscar promotions – one which celebrates the past and gives you a taste of some of the best films the softies in the Academy continually overlook - even in a year with ten nominees. In 2010, it returns. We’re still working on adding prizes, but the top prize remains the same. And that’s what you really care about, right? But you can show your support by telling your friends and letting the studios know that you want more!" (more) |
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VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL INTERVIEW - "DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY" DIRECTOR PATRICIA CHICA
by Jason Whyte |
| "“Day Before Yesterday presents the intriguing story of a woman who is found unconscious in the middle of a seedy backstreet in Montreal's downtown area. She doesn't remember who she is and where she comes from until an unexpected man calls the police to tell her story. Is she the person that the man used to know? Is he who he pretends to be? A short story about memory loss and identity.” Director Patricia Chica on the film “Day Before Yesterday” which screens as part of the CONVERGE program at the Victoria Film Festival." (more) |
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VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL INTERVIEW - "TRIMPIN': THE SOUND OF INVENTION" DIRECTOR PETER ESMONDE
by Jason Whyte |
| "The following is a reposting of an interview I did with Peter Esmonde at the 2009 Vancouver International Film Festival. This film screens at the Victoria Film Festival on February 5th.
“An amusing journey through the sonic universe of a creative genius! TRIMPIN: THE SOUND OF INVENTION will delight anyone interested in the mysteries, pitfalls, and sheer joys of creative experiment. Artist/ inventor/ engineer/ composer Trimpin builds a tower of 700+ automated electric guitars, instructs the Kronos Quartet on how to play toy instruments, creates a percussion ensemble out of Dutch wooden clogs, invents a perpetual motion machine -- and that’s only for starters. This film is a cheerful earful . . . Just open your ears and your mind will follow.” Director Peter Esmonde on the film “Trimpin: The Sound of Invention” which screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival." (more) |
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VICTORIA FILM FESTIVAL INTERVIEW - "(UNTITLED)" DIRECTOR JONATHAN PARKER
by Jason Whyte |
| "“(Untitled) is a comedy about love and the creative process. A brooding composer, whose music calls for breaking glass and crumpling paper, falls for a beautiful New York art gallerist who shows artists that break glass and crumple paper.” Director Jonathan Parker on the film “(Untitled)” which screens at this year’s Victoria Film Festival." (more) |
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