Film-Forward

Crime

Calvary

Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh Produced by Chris Clark, Flora Fernandez Marengo and James Flynn Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures Ireland/UK. 104 Min. Rated R With Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen, Dylan Moran, Isaach De Bankolé, M. Emmet Walsh, Marie-Josée Croze, Domhnall Gleeson, David Wilmot, Mícheál Óg Lane, Killian Scott, […]

The Dog

Produced and Directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren Directed by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren Released by Drafthouse Films USA. 110 min. Not rated In August 1972, John Wojtowicz robbed a bank in Brooklyn, taking hostages and enduring a 13-hour standoff with the police. The unsuccessful heist granted Wojtowicz 15 minutes of fame, which […]

Child of God

Directed by James Franco Produced by Miles Levy, Jolivette, and Caroline Aragon Written by Franco and Vince Jolivette, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy Released by Well Go USA Entertainment USA. 104 min. Rated R With Scott Haze, Tim Blake Nelson, Jim Parrack and James Franco James Franco is a talented actor who more […]

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

Directed by Joe Berlinger Produced by Berlinger and Caroline Suh Released by Magnolia Pictures USA. 107 min. Not Rated Have movies that glorify hit men getting away with murder inured us to the victims, their families, and the thwarted justice system? Let alone when real cases inspire notable films? Martin Scorsese’s The Departed (2006) was […]

Heli

Directed by Amat Escalante Written by Escalante and Gabriel Reyes Produced by Jaime Romandia, Matarraya and Tres Tunas Released by Outsider Pictures. Spanish with English subtitles Mexico/Netherlands/Germany/France. 105 min. Not rated With Armando Espitia, Andrea Vergara, Linda González, Juan Eduardo Palacios and Rámon Álvarez Despite its narrative shortcomings, Heli, the latest feature from Mexican director […]

Best First Films | Cannes 2014

One of the top films at Cannes this year—and one of the most shocking and brutal—was The Tribe, from the Ukraine. It was also the most ambitious, dangerous, and accomplished by a debut filmmaker. No subtitles were necessary. It has no spoken dialogue and no translation of any kind; it’s all told through sign language. […]

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear

Written and Directed by Denis Côté Produced by Sylvain Corbeil Released by KimStim French with English subtitles Canada. 95 min. Not rated With Pierrette Robitaille, Romane Bohringer, Marc-André Grondin,  Marie Brassard, and Georges Molnar The reimagined feminist fairy tale is widespread in Hollywood, evident this past month by the success of Maleficent. Vic + Flo […]

God’s Pocket

Written by Slattery and Alex Metcalf, based on the novel by Pete Dexter Produced by Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kelman Bisbee, Lance Acord, Slattery, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Ziff Released by IFC Films USA. 88 min. Rated R With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro, Caleb Landry Jones, Domenick Lombardozzi, Joyce Van […]

Whitewash

Directed by Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais Written by Hoss-Desmarais and Marc Tulin Released by Oscilloscope Laboratories Canada. 86 min Not rated With Thomas Haden Church, Marc Labreche, Anie Pascale and Vincent Hoss-Desmarais There are some great movies where man takes on the wilderness and alternately himself. (Into the Wild and Rescue Dawn come to mind). Whitewash is […]