Film-Forward

American

A Merry Friggin’ Christmas

Directed by Tristam Shapeero Produced by Tom Rice and Ben Nearn Written by Michael Brown Released by eOne Entertainment USA. 87 min. Rated PG-13 With Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke, Oliver Platt, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tim Heidecker, Candice Bergen and Robin Williams One has hope that when a Christmas movie comes out, it can be […]

Dear White People

Written and Directed by Justin Simien Produced by Mr. Simien, Effie Brown, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Ann Le and Lena Waithe Released by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions USA. 108 min. Rated R With Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Teyonah Parris, Brandon Bell, Dennis Haysbert, Brittany Curran, Peter Syvertsen, Marque Richardson and Malcolm Barrett […]

The Heart Machine

Written and Directed by Zachary Wigon Released by FilmBuff USA. 85 min. Not rated With John Gallagher Jr. and Kate Lyn Sheil It is inarguable that we have become increasingly fixated with technology. After endless hours of liking, commenting, tweeting, and texting, we must regularly remind ourselves that our interactions are more than just the […]

White Bird in a Blizzard

Written and Directed by Gregg Araki, based on the novel by Laura Kasischke Produced by Araki, Pascal Caucheteux, Sébastien K. Lemercier and Alix Madigan-Yorkin Released by Magnolia Pictures USA. 90 min. Rated R With Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, Shiloh Fernandez, Gabourey Sidibe, Thomas Jane, Dale Dickey, Mark Indelicato, Sheryl Lee and Angela Bassett […]

Camp X-Ray

Written and Directed by Peter Sattler Produced by Gina Kwon Released by IFC Films USA. 117 min. Not rated With Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, Joseph Julian Soria, Ser’Darius Blain, Cory Michael Smith, Julia Duffy, and John Carroll Lynch Private First Class Officer Cole (Kristen Stewart) remarks about halfway through Camp X-Ray that it’s […]

Listen Up Philip

Written and Directed by Alex Ross Perry Produced by Katie Stern, David Lowery, James M. Johnston, Toby Halbrooks and Joshua Blum Released by Tribeca Film USA. 109 min. Not rated With Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Jonathan Pryce, Krysten Ritter, Samantha Jacober, Joséphine de La Baum, and Eric Bogosian The image of the tortured writer in […]

New York Film Festival 2014

  Without a doubt, the 52nd New York film festival largely fulfills its mission (as stated on its website) to “introduce audiences to the most exciting, innovative and accomplished works of world cinema.” This holds true thanks to an impressive collection of films in its lineup, many of which caught programmers’ attention at Cannes and […]

Toronto Highs & Lows | TIFF

After more than a week seeing 41 movies (in addition to the 21 seen earlier), I found few obvious outstanding discoveries at the Toronto International Film Festival compared with last year, whose standouts included the beautifully made Ida, the raucous We Are the Best!, and a stronger sampling of art films. Overall, the best selections […]

The Skeleton Twins

Directed by Craig Johnson Produced by Stephanie Langhoff, Jennifer Lee and Jacob Pechenik Written by Johnson and Mark Heyman Released by Roadside Attractions USA. 92 min. Rated R With Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook and Joanna Gleason Actors Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader have habitually epitomized the lofty standards of […]