Film Archives | Page 12 of 19

‘The Fallout’ Premieres on HBO Max (Review)

1Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘The Fallout’ Premieres on HBO Max (Review)

Even with the pandemic shift to online learning in some locations, last year there were 34 school shootings in the United States. In Megan Park's directorial debut, a group of students struggle to cope after a fellow student guns down several of their classmates. While Fran Kranz's recent drama 'Mass' deals with parental grief several years after a school shooting, 'The Fallout' handles the immediate aftermath of survivor's guilt from the student perspective. Jenna Ortega gives a revelatory performance as Vada, a 16-year-old who just happens to be on a hall pass in the restroom when the tragic incident begins. Vada grabs Mia (Maddie Ziegler), another young student who happens to be in the restroom at the time, and they hide in one of the stalls, getting up to stand on the toilet...

Sundance 2022: ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ (Review)

28Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Sundance 2022: ‘Meet Me in the Bathroom’ (Review)

The news first broke in late 2017 that Lizzy Goodman's Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock & Roll in NYC 2001-2011 would be adapted into a four-part docuseries by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, the directorial duo behind the LCD Soundsystem concert documentary 'Shut Up and Play the Hits.' The best-selling book named after a song by The Strokes chronicled the rise of New York City's music scene in the wake of 9/11. By the summer of 2001, I was three years out of college and had become Music Director and on-air DJ at the legendary WOXY-FM (aka "97X...BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll") in southwestern Ohio. Our listeners loved British bands and music from overseas, but this new batch of upstart bands from NYC were a hit on the air and The Strokes were actually our thi...

Sundance 2022: ‘Nothing Compares’ (Review)

25Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Sundance 2022: ‘Nothing Compares’ (Review)

In her documentary feature debut, Irish director Kathryn Ferguson pays tribute to an artist who changed her life. 'Nothing Compares' could have easily been a docuseries and gone into greater depth on the career of Sinead O' Connor, but it focuses mostly on the key years of 1987-1992 when O'Connor experienced an meteoric rise and fall. As O'Connor burst onto the international music scene in 1987 with her ferocious album "The Lion and the Cobra," it was clear that she was a force to be reckoned with. She had already recorded and scrapped the first attempt at making the record, starting over to get things right. The songs on it were the culmination of young life already fraught with internal struggles, doubts, and demons. O'Connor turned it into a surprise hit, with multiple ch...

How to Virtually Attend the Sundance Film Festival 2022

19Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Events, Features, Film

How to Virtually Attend the Sundance Film Festival 2022

Despite a plan that included a full in-person event in Park City, Utah, this year, the Sundance Film Festival 2022 has made the push to go fully virtual in response to rising cases of the Omicron variant. The festival begins tomorrow and will run from January 20-30 online. How can you attend one of the biggest film festivals from the comfort of home? We've got a quick rundown of everything you need to know. Tickets: The full festival package has sold out, but there are still plenty of ways to take part in the action. Single Film Tickets for the Sundance Film Festival 2022 are being sold for $20 each. If you choose a Premiere screening to watch, you must stream it during the specified window of time (generally a three hour span). If you choose anything marked as Seco...

Daniel Craig Says Goodbye to Bond in ‘No Time to Die’ (Review)

14Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Daniel Craig Says Goodbye to Bond in ‘No Time to Die’ (Review)

Daniel Craig's final screen appearance as James Bond was delayed over and over again. Pre-production on the film began back in 2018 with Danny Boyle ('Slumdog Millionaire') hired for the director's chair. He left the project that fall over "creative differences" with the producers and MGM ended up going in a new direction with Cary Joji Fukunaga ('True Detective') taking over. Shooting ended up taking place in mid-2019 with a theatrical release scheduled for fall 2020. Then, of course, COVID-19 derailed things even further and caused an extra bit of havoc with this production wherein the incredible theme song from Billie Eilish actually got released and won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media six months before the film ended up even coming out. After several shuf...

Sundance Hit ‘Mass’ is a Tragic Tale of Loss (Review)

11Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Sundance Hit ‘Mass’ is a Tragic Tale of Loss (Review)

For most of us, it's hard to imagine the pain that would come from the loss of a child. I don't know how many people ever would also stop to think about the pain for those whose children take the lives of other kids. That's at the heart of the directorial debut feature film from actor Fran Kranz. In 'Mass,' two sets of parents entangled in a lawsuit meet up for a private conversation in a neutral zone. In a utility room at a church where none of them attend, the four adults finally sit down face to face with each other. Martha Plimpton and Jason Isaacs star as Gail and Jay. They lost their teenage son in a school shooting. Ann Dowd and Reed Birney star as Richard and Linda. Their son, who was also a student at the same school, pulled the trigger. As they all sit do...

Clooney Fails to Connect With ‘The Tender Bar’ (Review)

4Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Clooney Fails to Connect With ‘The Tender Bar’ (Review)

With his eighth feature film as a director, George Clooney has taken on J.R. Moehringer's acclaimed memoir of the same name. Unfortunately, as with his last several films in the director's chair, 'The Tender Bar' is inherently quite watchable, but failed to connect with me on almost any genuine level. For the film, J.R. is played by talented newcomer Daniel Ranieri as a young boy raised by his single mother (Lily Rabe) who really never gets to know his father, a disc jockey who exists in his life almost exclusively as a voice on the radio dial. They end up moving in with his grandparents (Sondra James, who gets almost no dialogue, and Christopher Lloyd, who does little else except for grunt and fart) on Long Island. J.R. falls under the spell of his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck), a ...

28Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

The 10 Best Films of 2021

For as long as I have been breathing, there have been people complaining that it was not a good year for film. In the wake of a global pandemic and with the methods that most people use to consume movies changing all the time, there feels like there has been more of that than usual. There is an awful lot of Chicken-littleing across the internet, especially on 'Film Twitter.' One thing is certain: COVID accelerated the ever-shortening theatrical window. Not only do we see a lot more 'day and date' releases available to rent on video on demand or streaming providers, but even moderately successful titles have foregone a staggered theatrical release in favor of premium VOD rental access after 17 days of release. It will be hard to put that genie back in the bottle and, one might argue...

‘The Novice’ is a Tightly Wound Tale of Obsession (Review)

21Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘The Novice’ is a Tightly Wound Tale of Obsession (Review)

Sometimes you watch a directorial debut and you find it hard to believe it was created by a first time filmmaker. Lauren Hadaway's thrilling debut feature is a shining example of this. It probably helps to craft a story that is inspired by your own life. Hadaway was a competitive collegiate rower and "The Novice" tells the story of Alex ("Orphan" star Isabelle Fuhrman), a college freshman who joins the rowing team and becomes obsessed with rising up the ranks. It's highly unusual for a freshman to be anywhere near the varsity team, but Alex's determination and laser-sharp focus finds her sidelining friends, classes, and romantic relationships in order to succeed against upperclassman competition. Fuhrman's performance is striking and borderline terrifying. We've all known someb...

‘The Lost Daughter’ is a Harrowing Debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal (Review)

17Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘The Lost Daughter’ is a Harrowing Debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal (Review)

There are countless films about happy families and the joys of motherhood. The debut feature from award-winning actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is not one of them. Adapted from the novel by Elena Ferrante, it tells the story of Leda (Olivia Colman), a college professor who has gone off to Greece on holiday by herself. Italian literature is her forte and she has decided to hit the beach for some relaxation while working on some translations. The island choice appears idyllic, at least momentarily, but is soon invaded by a large vacationing family who take away all of her peace and quiet. Leda becomes drawn to a young mother named Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter, who suddenly disappears one afternoon and sends every person in the vicinity off into the outskirts of the beach to searc...