Among the six-member crew are a few recognizable faces who nonetheless disappear into their roles, including Elysium villain Sharlto Copley and Dragon Tattoo trilogy star Michael Nyqvist. Unfortunately, as with the case of so many found-footage films, there’s not much of a story here. It’s all build-up to a final image that leaves audiences asking, […]
review
Posted inArts & Culture
In the House
High school literature teacher Germain (Fabrice Luchini, Ozon’s Potiche) is fed up with the student body at large, but impressed with the quality of writing by 16-year-old Claude (Ernst Umhauer, The Monk). For an early assignment, the student turns in a rather voyeuristic, true story about visiting the home of his awkward classmate, Rapha (newcomer […]
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The Kings of Summer
Socially awkward and undersized classmate Biaggio (Moises Arias, TV’s Hannah Montana) comes along just for something to do, but the machete he brings along sure does come in handy. Although he indulges in shots of super-slow-motion too often, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts (TV’s Funny or Die Presents …) ably recaptures that feeling of when summer […]
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Behind the Candelabra
It’s a role I never would’ve expected him to play, either — at least not the Douglas who defined the American Man of the 1980s and early 1990s: the triumphant philanderer of Fatal Attraction, the greedy banker of Wall Street, the onscreen sex addict of Basic Instinct, the real-life sex addict. The dude definitely had […]
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Power Pyramid — The God Drums
The album’s searing, swirling guitar riffs lay pinned to defiant bass grooves and drum loops, moving from pretty, tempered aggression (opener “Diving Lessons,” “Holland”) to more edgy, snarling anthems (“Runner,” “Stop Your Pulse”). Early on, Power Pyramid establishes a formula that it refuses to deviate far from, but like Beach House smothered in cigarette smoke, […]
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Know your Django
Thanks to Quentin Tarantino, we all know the “D” is silent. But if his is the only Django you know … well, friend, you don’t know Django. For one thing, he’s not African-American, but Italian. He’s not a slave, but a Civil War vet. He’s now 47 years old and drags a coffin behind him […]
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Rush
Instead, it’s a rather drab biopic about 1970s-era Formula One jerks that compete against each other in a high-speed pissing contest that totally leaves the audience out of the argument. In capable hands, this might have been an exciting, daring look inside this world, with the competitive nature of the drivers giving the viewer an […]
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Kings of Leon — Mechanical Bull
Contrasting the band’s first two albums (Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak) with their last two (Only by the Night and Come Around Sundown) is like comparing the Rolling Stones to One Direction. Where there used to be cunning bite, there is now mawkish arena rock, and not even the good kind. The “Southern […]
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Grand theft bravado
Reluctantly, Nathan Williams — the leader of indie rock outfit Wavves — is growing up, and pretty fast, too. Sure, the notorious stoner might have spent a good chunk of this month plopped on the couch, under the influence, playing Grand Theft Auto V, but consider it the reward for a good amount of work […]
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Prince of Darkness / Halloween: 35th Anniversary Edition
Well, in so many words. The important part is that the prof thinks that’s a swell idea. For the job, he selects Jameson Parker (TV’s Simon & Simon), Lisa Blount (An Officer and a Gentleman), Dennis Dun (also from Little China) and a host of random, more expendable character actors to monitor the evil force. […]