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

5Jan

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 somebo...

‘The Beta Test’ is a Razor Sharp Satire With No Strings Attached (Review)

6Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘The Beta Test’ is a Razor Sharp Satire With No Strings Attached (Review)

In the opening scene of "The Beta Test," viewers witness the graphic murder of a young woman in a domestic violence incident. It sets a very dark tone for the film and foreshadows some elements of the storyline but shifts directions relatively quickly after the opening credits. We're introduced to Jordan (Jim Cummings, "Thunder Road," "The Wolf of Snow Hollow"), an anxious Hollywood agent battling a stressful job, a painful ulcer, and a fiancée named Caroline (Virginia Newcomb) who he is just weeks away from marrying. A routine visit to the mailbox kicks Jordan's storyline into full gear. He gets a letter in a purple envelope, addressed to him with golden calligraphy and featuring no return address. Inside is an invitation to come to a local hotel room for an anonymous and "no strin...

Creativity, Loss, and Passion Collide in “Bergman Island” (Review)

15Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Creativity, Loss, and Passion Collide in “Bergman Island” (Review)

In her English-language debut, French director Mia Hansen-Løve utilizes the inspiration of Ingmar Bergman to tell two stories in one. Both take place on the Baltic island of Faro, not far off the northern coast of Sweden. Bergman first went there in 1960 while scouting locations for "Through a Glass Darkly." He ended up shooting multiple feature films and two documentaries there and ended up building a house where he lived with Liv Ullmann. Chris (Vicky Krieps) and Tony (Tim Roth) are two American filmmakers who head to Faro on a creative pilgrimage. They are not married, but have a young daughter at home, so they've escaped to work on their separate screenplays and be inspired by the land that Bergman loved dearly. They stay in the home where "Scenes From A Marriage" was filmed...

St. Vincent Checks in to “The Nowhere Inn” (Review)

14Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music, Reviews

St. Vincent Checks in to “The Nowhere Inn” (Review)

The evolution of Annie Clark as a musician has been pretty incredible to watch over the years. From the quieter introspection of her 2007 debut album "Marry Me" to the full-on glam rock persona she has taken on more recently, she has become an award-winning artist recording as St. Vincent. Despite the acclaim and a rabid fan base, she isn't exactly a household name. That's where the fun begins in "The Nowhere Inn," a film that begins with Clark in the back of a limousine. The driver rolls down the window to make sure she knows that he's never heard of her and then calls his son and puts him on speakerphone to make sure it's clear that they don't really believe she's famous because they've never heard of her. Director Bill Benz ("Portlandia") helps bring this wild mockumentary to lif...

Udo Kier Gives An Unforgettable Performance in “Swan Song” (Review)

20Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Udo Kier Gives An Unforgettable Performance in “Swan Song” (Review)

Todd Stephens wrote, produced, and directed this new drama starring legendary German actor Udo Kier that had its world premiere earlier this year at the virtual edition of the SXSW festival. Older members of the LGBTQ+ community are not often given a chance to tell their stories or see themselves represented in popular culture, so it's a real treat to see Kier absolutely eat up every inch of the screen as Pat Pitsenbarger, an aging gay man who is miserably spending his final days trapped in a nursing home facility in Sandusky, Ohio. In a tale that is thankfully not as common now, we learn that Pat's long term partner David had passed away in the 90s due to complications from AIDS. At that time, before queer people could get married, many couples did not have legal protections. He l...

Nicolas Cage Returns To Form in ‘Pig’ (Review)

13Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Nicolas Cage Returns To Form in ‘Pig’ (Review)

The last few decades have been a whirlwind of ups and downs for Nicolas Cage's career. He's gone from headlining blockbuster movies to frequently taking on mostly straight to video titles. Every few years he still manages to come along with a performance that is so outstanding that it defies some of the other work he seems to be taking more for the paycheck. I'm thinking of his brilliant turn in David Gordon Green's 2013 film "Joe" or Panos Cosmatos' insane horror film "Mandy" from 2018. You can safely add "Pig" to this list. In Michael Sarnoski's directorial debut, Cage plays Robin Feld. At one time, he was at the top of the culinary world in Portland, Oregon. After a massive personal loss, the renowned chef walked away from society and became a recluse. As the film begins, Ro...

Sundance Hit ‘How It Ends’ Brings The Apocalypse Home (Review)

13Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Sundance Hit ‘How It Ends’ Brings The Apocalypse Home (Review)

When the end credits began to roll on its brisk 82-minute running time, I said to my partner how much I enjoyed "How It Ends" and that it reminded me of the glory days of American independent film in the 90s. He laughed and noted that the whole time he was thinking about Richard Linklater's 1990 classic, "Slacker." There is a shared cinematic universe between the two - both features offer a meandering "day in the life" scenario giving the viewer a series of characters who float in and out of the film and give us a handful of perfect moments. While "Slacker" showed us a random day in late 1980s Austin, Texas, this literal doomsday comedy has us on the streets of Los Angeles in the 24 hours before a giant meteor makes contact with Earth and kills us all. Zoe Lister-Jones and her hu...