Christopher Llewellyn Reed's Blog, page 61
April 29, 2016
Gory “Green Room” Is At Least No Bore
Green Room (Jeremy Saulnier, 2015) If you like horror films that embrace their gore with viscous close-ups, yet also long for the blood to flow from a well-scripted set-up where consequences follow initial actions, then Green Room is the film for you. From director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin) – formerly a cinematographer (Putty Hill, Septien) – the movie is meticulously shot […]
April 25, 2016
“Hammer to Nail” & “Bmoreart” Reviews of Last Week: “Everybody Wants Some!!,” “Searchdog” and “Wedding Doll”
In the last week, I had three reviews published on the two usual other sites where I post: Bmoreart and Hammer to Nail. Those reviews were of Everybody Wants Some!!, Searchdog and Wedding Doll. Check them out!
April 22, 2016
“Miles Ahead” Reveals the Artist That Is Cheadle
I saw this film at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival. The review, below, is an amalgam and expansion of two separate capsule reviews I have previously published: one on my blog, and one for Bmoreart. Miles Ahead (Don Cheadle, 2015) In his directorial debut, actor Don Cheadle (Traitor) mostly avoids the clichés of the biographical picture […]
“Elvis & Nixon” Is As Mixed a Mashup of Genres As Its Premise Suggests, but Not Without Charm
Elvis & Nixon (Liza Johnson, 2016) Michael Shannon, like him or not, is an actor who brings an almost violent intensity to every performance. Roiling emotions vibrate from within, his large frame barely able to control a bubbling rage. I, for one, have generally found him a bit much, his manic posturing spoiling films like Premium Rush and Man of Steel (which, to be fair, didn’t […]
April 15, 2016
“City of Gold” Cultivates an Appreciation for the Extraordinary Ordinary Art of Food
City of Gold (Laura Gabbert, 2015) Jonathan Gold prowls the streets of Los Angeles and environs in search of culinary delights, leaving a trail of well-chewed crumbs in his wake. As the food critic for The Los Angeles Times – and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in criticism – he has a better excuse than most […]
Disney’s New and Improved “The Jungle Book” Serves up a Zesty, if Recycled, Version of Itself
The Jungle Book (Jon Favreau, 2016) Here’s a question for you: would you be as excited – if excited you are – for the new live-action (so called) version of Disney’s 1967 animated classic, The Jungle Book, if that previous movie did not exist? Were this but an adaptation of the stories of Rudyard Kipling – as […]
April 12, 2016
SXSW2016, Part 7: The Final Post (Last Few “Hammer to Nail” Reviews and Interviews, plus “Roughly Speaking”)
Here are my final reviews and interviews from the 2016 SXSW Festival, published on Hammer to Nail: Gleason review In Pursuit of Silence interview Operator interview The Seer review Be sure to read my first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth posts on SXSW2016, as well! I also did a general festival wrap-up on Dan Rodricks’ Roughly Speaking podcast for The Baltimore Sun, where we played clips from my […]
April 8, 2016
In “Demolition,” Gyllenhaal & Company Shine Through a Strained Metaphor
Demolition (Jean-Marc Vallée, 2016) The last few years have been good to Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée, with Dallas Buyers Club, in 2013 (nominated for 6 Oscars and winner of 3), and Wild, in 2014 (nominated for 2 Oscars, though winner of none), both bringing him well-deserved acclaim. Though each a little heavy in their respective melodramas, they feature […]
“Hardcore Henry” Is a Bloody Mess
Hardcore Henry (Ilya Naishuller, 2015) I saw Hardcore Henry at the recent 2016 SXSW Festival, and my initial reaction to the film has not mellowed in the weeks since. If you like first-person point-of-view video games, then it may be just your ticket. On the other hand, if you do enjoy such experiences, then you may perhaps feel frustrated […]
March 30, 2016
SXSW2016, Part 6: The Penultimate Post (with Still More “Hammer to Nail” Reviews and Interviews, plus “Bmoreart”)
Just when you thought we were done with my reviews and interviews from the 2016 SXSW Festival, I have still more Hammer to Nail pieces to share. Six more, to be exact (and there will be one final post after this): Claire in Motion interview Hired Gun review Jean of the Joneses interview Ovarian Psycos interview Starving the Beast review […]
