Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 58
July 13, 2016
In “The Infiltrator,” Competence Is Its Own Reward
The Infiltrator (Brad Furman, 2016) Following his delightful 2011 thriller The Lincoln Lawyer – which helped launch the Matthew McConaissance – director Brad Furman decidedly did not return to form with his 2013 follow-up, Runner Runner. Where the former was taut and masterfully paced, the latter mistook baroque intrigue for meaningful drama, losing itself in the murky depths of what passed for […]
July 9, 2016
And Now … 6 Nails for One Hammer: Films at AFI DOCS (Part 2) + “The Witness”
Since my last post about the recent AFI DOCS festival, Hammer to Nail has published five more pieces of mine from the fest – 2 reviews and 3 interviews – plus a review of a film that just opened in theaters, The Witness. Here are links to all of those: Interview with director Michael Collins about Almost Sunrise Review of […]
July 8, 2016
“Reel Talk” – with Chris Reed and Chris Kaltenbach – on “Finding Dory,” “The BFG” and “The Neon Demon”
Welcome to the sixth (and final) episode of the 2015-2016 season of Dragon Digital Media‘s Reel Talk with Christopher Llewellyn Reed . My guest this time was Chris Kaltenbach, arts and entertainment reporter for The Baltimore Sun. We reviewed three films: Finding Dory, The BFG and The Neon Demon. In Howard County, Maryland, you can watch the show on Channel 41 (if you’re a Verizon customer) or […]
June 30, 2016
An Interview with Noted Baltimore-Based Documentarian Ramona Diaz
Check out my latest filmmaker interview on Bmoreart, with the great documentary filmmaker Ramona Diaz, who just happens to live in Baltimore. Enjoy!
The DI (Dull Inertia) of “The BFG”
The BFG (Steven Spielberg, 2016) Director Steven Spielberg has long been a purveyor of magical fantasies for the silver screen, a joyful fabulist who also ventures into darker, more adult, dramas, as well. From E.T. to Schindler’s List, his work truly runs the gamut of cinematic genres. Most recently, last October, he gave us Bridge of Spies, a finely crafted […]
7 Nails for One Hammer: Films at AFI DOCS (Part 1) + “Misconception” and Criterion’s Blu-Ray of “Clouds of Sils Maria”
Over the past two weeks, Hammer to Nail published five reviews I wrote about films at the recent AFI DOCS festival, plus a review of Misconception, which was released in select theaters on June 24, and a review of the recent Criterion Collection release of Clouds of Sils Maria on Blu-ray. Here are links to those seven […]
June 24, 2016
“The Neon Demon” is Beautiful, Bloody and Utterly Vacuous
The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2016) O beauty! O torpor! O glory! O pain! Has the world ever seen such an example of positive qualities co-existing with their opposite? Is pulchritude but an illusion that decays upon inspection? More importantly, can an aesthetic designed to replicate the sins of the milieu it portrays be any more […]
June 20, 2016
From Hammer to Nail: “As I AM: the Life and Time$ of DJ AM,” “Land and Shade,” “Off the Rails” and “Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made”
Over the past two weeks, I once more wrote reviews for 4 films currently out in some kind of distribution, all published on Hammer to Nail. Check them out: As I AM: the Life and Time$ of DJ AM Land and Shade Off the Rails Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
June 17, 2016
In Powerful “Dheepan,” the Past Is Always with Us
Dheepan (Jacques Audiard, 2015) Dheepan is a man out of place and out of time, adrift in a world not his own. Like a gunfighter in a classic Hollywood Western – Shane comes to mind, most obviously – he does his best to fit in to his new and alien surroundings, but there’s always the […]
June 16, 2016
“Central Intelligence” Is Smart About Its Dumb Comedy
Central Intelligence (Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2016) Dwayne Johnson – the former pro wrestler once known as “The Rock” – has, since his film debut, demonstrated a compelling screen presence, which should come as no surprise, given that the world of wrestling is as much about performance as musculature. Not only does he always hold our […]
