Burt’s Buzz (Shapiro, 2013)
The film strives so hard to model its subject that its practically not there.
Category: Disclosure
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Manuscripts Don’t Burn (Rasoulof, 2013)
The setting of Manuscripts Don't Burn may be painstakingly specific, but its themes are broad, perhaps even universal. How much are we willing to risk, to sacrifice, for freedom of speech? Why does one act of violence seemingly begin a never ending chain?
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22 Jump Street (Lord & Miller, 2014)
For now, I'll will just say that my defense of 22 Jump Street is nearly identical to my defense of Moms' Night Out. You can make a list as long as my arm of things wrong with the movie, and I won't disagree. But I laughed.
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Kids’ Rights: The Business of Adoption (Dudko and Rudnieva, 2014)
A new documentary claims that there are over 132 million orphans in state custody. In a given year, less than 1 in 500 of them will be adopted. Are restrictions against perspective parents too rigorous? Why are those willing to parent being turned away?
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Frank vs. God (Schill, 2014)
Frank vs. God is one of my favorite films thus far into the movie year, and it is without a doubt one of the better "religious" films of those recently released.
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No God, No Master (Green, 2012)
Nobody in No God, No Master actually utters the phrase "those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it," but that sentiment is the subtext of nearly line of dialogue in this historical drama about the Palmer Raids.
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Locke (Knight, 2014)
It is a good movie, certainly, and it is not writer/director Steven Knight's fault that we live in an age that appears only to recognize two critical verdicts: awesome or awful. There is less room in the conversation for the good, modest movie.
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An Affair of the Heart (Caminer, 2012)
Somewhere in my list of cinephile pet peeves is the notion, loosely held, that direction doesn't matter much in documentaries--that a filmmaker need only find an interesting subject and turn on the camera. Direction does matter.
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Bright Days Ahead (Vernoux, 2013)
Bright Days Ahead is a notch better than both Le Week-end and The Face of Love.
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Art Recession (Lai, 2011)
Ming Lai's Art Recession is comprised of a series of testimonials, relentless in their focus. The thesis? Art education is devalued (and hence vulnerable) in our culture despite helping students excel in other disciplines and improving the quality of life for society as a whole.