In the Australian thriller by director Julian Gilbey (the dreadful Doghouse), five bikers (two couples and one fifth wheel), tummies full of smoked-mackerel-and-egg sandwiches, have just embarked on their high adventure when one hears a muffled cry for help. It’s coming from a pipe poking out of the ground. Digging into the earth, the hikers […]
A Horrible Way to Die
Posted inArts & Culture
The Myth of the American Sleepover
“The Myth of The American Sleepover” seems so genuine, so honest, so middle-America, there literally were parts that I thought had to be filmed in my neighborhood, at my high school. (Instead, it’s suburban Detroit.) The actors portraying the kids do so well because they’re kids themselves, precious few with any acting credits before or […]
Posted inArts & Culture
A Horrible Way to Die
And yet, this one has something most mumblecore does not: an actual story. The loose structure of mumblecore feels like on-the-fly moviemaking: continual bobbing of the handheld camera, zooming without worrying about pulling focus, unobstructed views of Swanberg’s penis. Here, director Adam Wingard (“Pop Skull”) sacrifices shots of full-frontal Swanberg. In its place: in-your-face Swanberg […]