Backcountry — The Suffocating Wilderness
Backcountry is a well-acted film with a familiar premise that pits the ignorance of man and woman against nature. This time around, couple-seemingly-on-the-verge-of-implosion, Jenn (Missy…
Dustin Freeley
Foxcatcher — Privilege and Attainment
Foxcatcher chronicles the tragic partnership of multi-millionaire John Du Pont (Steve Carell) and brothers Dave (Mark Ruffalo) and Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), Olympic medalist in…
Maleficent — Another Disney Film Debunking True Love
Hell hath no fury like a fairy whose wings have been forcibly amputated. Veering from the well-known Disney interpretation of the Sleeping Beauty tale, Maleficent…
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night — Vampirism and Black and White
From director Ana Lily Amirpour comes A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, perhaps the first Spaghetti Western meets vampire movie mashup. Filmed in black…
The Babadook — What We Hold Dear
As The Babadook begins, we are caught in Amelia’s (Essie Davis) nightmare, tossed about helpless, surrounded by shattered glass, and the inevitable impact that’s coming….
Birdman — Insanity and Craft
Alejandro G. Inarritu’s new film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Innocence) is unrestricted, taking aim at the rash of superhero films that have been…
The Skeleton Twins — Resolution Will Not be Televised
Darkly comical and sardonic, The Skeleton Twins is a poignant study in loneliness. A warning to those about to watch the film: there is no…
Wild — An Escape from Life and Plot
Orgasm-tinged breathing opens the film, as the camera sets our gaze from a mountaintop over an open valley. This devolves to a visceral scene that…
The Sheik — When Professional Wrestling was Real
Anyone who watched the then-WWF’s professional wrestling as a child in the 80’s and 70’s will undoubtedly be familiar with the camel clutch, the pre-Hogan…
The Theory of Everything — Interaction and Survival
Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones’s powerfully understated performances drive James Marsh’s new film, The Theory of Everything, a film based on the relationship between world-renowned…