Film-Forward

Thriller

Backcountry

Written and Directed by Adam MacDonald Produced by Thomas Michael Released by IFC Midnight Canada. 91 min. Not rated With Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop, Eric Balfour, and Nicholas Campbell Based on a true story, the feature film debut of actor and director Adam MacDonald follows Jenn (Missy Peregrym) and Alex (Jeff Roop, executive producer) as […]

Sundance Film Festival 2015

The 2015 edition of the Sundance Film Festival wasn’t exactly a record-setting year for acquisitions in Park City, as some outlets reported about the Grand Jury and Audience Award?winning dramedy Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and its would-be $12 million offers from distributors. Regardless, business was up from years past. And the quality […]

Black Sea

Directed by Kevin Macdonald Produced by Charles Steel and Macdonald Written by Dennis Kelly Released by Focus Features UK/USA/Russia. 115 min. Rated R With Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Sergey Puskepalis, Michael Smiley, Grigory Dobrygin, Sergey Veksler, Sergey Kolesnikov, Bobby Schofield, Jodie Whittaker, and Tobias Menzies Who knew the world […]

Dying of the Light

Written and Directed by Paul Schrader Produced by Jason Gandhi Released by Lionsgate USA. 94 min. Rated R With Nicolas Cage, Anton Yelchin, Alexander Karim, Irène Jacob, Aymen Hamdouchi, Claudius Peters, and Adetomiwa Edun I almost wish I didn’t know the circumstances surrounding the post-production and release of Dying of the Light, which is advertised […]

Bad Turn Worse

Directed by Zeke Hawkins and Simon Hawkins Produced by Justin X. Duprie and Brian Udovich Written by Dutch Southern Released by Starz Digital USA. 91 min. Not rated With Jeremy Allen White, Logan Huffman, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Pellegrino, William Devane, and Jon Gries Bad Turn Worse begins with an act of great hubris when a […]

Fishing Without Nets

Directed by Cutter Hodierne Somali, with English subtitles Released by Vice Films USA/Kenya/Somalia. 110 min. Rated R Fishing Without Nets is a beautifully shot, intelligent, and engaging, if somewhat clichéd and obvious, story about a group of Somali pirates who capture a cargo ship. It’s kind of a reverse mirror of Captain Phillips. Or Captain […]

Stephen King’s A Good Marriage

Directed by Peter Askin Written by Stephen King, adapted from his short story “A Good Marriage” from the collection Full Dark, No Stars Released by Screen Media FIlms USA. 103 min. Not rated With Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, Kristen Connolly, and Stephen Lang If you were to pick up a book by Stephen King, chances […]

The Drop

Directed by Michael R. Roskam Written by Dennis Lehane, based on his short story “Animal Rescue” Produced by Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures USA. 106 min. Rated R. With Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz, and Ann Dowd Anyone interested in recent crime fiction is probably […]

The Maid’s Room

Written and Directed by Michael Walker Produced by Dolly Hall Released by Paladin USA. 98 min Rated R Year With Paula Garcés, Bill Camp, Annabella Sciorra, Philip Ettinger, Herman Chavez, and Remy Auberjonois Writer/director Michael Walker’s class-conscious thriller The Maid’s Room is simultaneously a study of almost and too much. The film examines the day-to-day […]