Sci-Fi London 2013 Review: MARS ET AVRIL Deserves Greater Attention
Oh, what a wonderful, rich, glorious treat of a film Mars et Avril is. A sci-fi steam-punk romance with a terrific score, it is a delight to the senses. Visually stunning, melodramatic in its storytelling, and unafraid to delve into deep... More »
  

Jeonju 2013 Review: The Ethereal DEAR DOLPHIN Explores Grief and Guilt
The most anticipated film of the Jeonju International Film Festival's Korean Competition this year, Kang Ji-na's feature Dear Dolphin, was also the most polished. With its themes of love, loss and loneliness, as well as its vibrant colors, strong mise-en-scene... More »
  

NYIFF 2013 Review: OONGA Is A Little Boy's Dream Made Real
No matter where you come from, children are all the same. Mischief is their main motivator, and it is everything for them to feel a part of something. When a young boy, Oonga, in a remote rural village discovers that... More »
By J Hurtado   
  

Sci-Fi London 2013 Review: VESSEL Thoughtfully Depicts The Dark Side Of Psychic Powers
The world premiere screening of Vessel did not begin well. Out-of-synch sound forced the projectionist to stop film about 10 minutes in, and delay for half an hour while a back-up copy was found (I'm used to technical problems, so... More »
  

Review: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Boldly Goes Not Very Far
Star Trek Into Darkness begins with a thrilling chase sequence on a distant planet; a scene of immediacy and big budget spectacle. The film continues in this manner for most of its run time, punctuated by scenes that are less... More »
  

Review: ABDUCTEE Sees Yamaguchi Thinking Outside the Box
Japanese director Yamaguchi Yudai shows signs of creative growth and maturity in this taut, well-directed chamber piece that takes place entirely within the confines of a shipping container. When middle-aged security guard Chiba awakes to find himself bound and gagged... More »
  

Tribeca 2013 Review: THE TRIALS OF MUHAMMAD ALI Lacks Novelty And The Figurative Punch, But Provides Plenty of The Literal Kind

Muhammad Ali, aka Cassius Clay, is one of the most famous boxers in history, and one of the more recognizable names in all of sports. His legendary strength, speed, power, and his incredible brashness and pride set him apart from... More »
  

MSPIFF 2013 Review: THE DEEP Is A Modest, Well-Made Adventure
Baltasar Kormakur's The Deep is one of those rare examples of a fictionalized true story that doesn't ooze with exaggerated melodrama for false effect. Kormakur (101 Reykjavík, the excellent Jar City, and Reykjavík-Rotterdam remake Contraband) crafts a plainspoken tale of... More »
  

Sci-Fi London 2013 Review: DEAD WEIGHT
Two things can/have happened with the greater ease of making an indepedent film: One is that newbie filmmakers take no time or care with writing a good story and then take even less time to plan how they will film... More »
  

Review: DOCTOR WHO S7E12, THE CRIMSON HORROR (Or, A Trip To Victorian Yorkshire Results In A Steampunk Adventure That Is As Exciting As It Is Fun)
"The Crimson Horror" is a fantastic example of just how much fun Doctor Who can be when it really keeps its story focussed and aims to deliver as an exciting adventure that's full of intrigue and laughs. This is easily... More »
  

NYIFF 2013 Review: AATMA Gives Even Its Villains A Little Bit Of Soul
Suparn Verma's latest film, Aatma, is one that's been on my radar for quite some time. I was more than a little bit disappointed when it didn't open stateside as expected, but I'm happy to see it get its moment... More »
By J Hurtado   
  

Review: SHOOTOUT AT WADALA Is All Slo-Mo Aviators, Mustaches, And Blood.

It may have happened around the time of the second item number, I'm not quite sure. We'd just come back from the intermission when, seemingly out of nowhere, Priyanka Chopra appeared in an LED-lit bodysuit shaking her tail feathers like... More »
By J Hurtado   
  

Tribeca 2013 Review: RAZE, A Bloody and Brutal Female-Centered Action Spectacle Headlined by Stuntwoman Turned Thespian Zoe Bell
If you're the type of person who ever thought, "Man, I wish there was a movie filled with attractive women beating the shit out of each other," well, Raze has come along to answer your prayers. A brutal, relentless machine... More »
  

Hot Docs 2013 Review: THE EXPEDITION TO THE END OF THE WORLD Asks Big Questions in Wide Open Spaces
Specifically, the eponymous End of the World is a place: The northern shores of Greenland that have been inaccessible due to ice-locked waterways, which now, due to changing climes, are open for a mere few weeks a year to such... More »
  

MSPIFF 2013 Review: THE FIFTH SEASON's Apocalypse Hits Freakishly Close To Home
There is no denying that contemporary audiences are obsessed with the on-screen fantasy of all-out social breakdown. And with the exception of the poor humanoids being innocently victimized by interplanetary sadists, most cases involve our own maligned inventions retaliating and... More »
  

Review: HENTAI KAMEN Delivers A Face Full Of Crotch
There's an all too common formula for trailers for domestic titles in Japanese theatres: shots of a high school age daughter, a jovial old rascal, a man running through the streets, and a lot of crying. So the HK: Hentai... More »
  

Review: SOMETHING IN THE AIR Inspires Youthful Passion And Energy
At the outset, Olivier Assayas's Something in the Air is a biographical nostalgia piece about growing up in the aftermath of the May '68 events in France. But what it really is, is a social experiment in which 18-19 year... More »
  

MSPIFF 2013 Review: THESE BIRDS WALK Delivers Emotional Behind-The-Scenes Realism
Striking a poetic cord, These Birds Walk finds a symbiotic naturalism between those filming, newcomers Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq, and those being filmed, the unwanted children of Pakistan. Pakistan, more than any other country, feels like an innocent bystander... More »
  

Review: THE SOURCE FAMILY - Spiritual Utopia Or Exploitive Cult?
There are those in The Source Family, a film exploring a radical, Utopian community in the 70's, who still claim that they experienced unexplainable miracles while living under the guidance of spiritual leader Father Yod. Stillborn babies were seemingly magically... More »
  

Review: POST TENEBRAS LUX Brings The Devil Home
As I review more and more films out of festivals, I'm beginning to notice a pattern: I'm much more forgiving and enthusiastic about films that shoot for the moon and fall somewhere short than with serviceable movies trodding well-worn territory... More »
  
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MIKE'S JOURNAL. MAY 13. MORNINGI wake up sometime around five AM. My flight to France doesn't leave until five PM. I should be there for security check in sometime around 3PM. There is no reason for me to be up this early but I'm feeling anxious. I have an itch... More »

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CHAPTER ONE: THE BIGGER THE SIDEBURNS, THE BIGGER THE ASSHOLE. I've hit the big time now. I've finally made it. I'm in like Flint from here on out. I'm boarding a plane to France where I'll be attending the Cannes Film Festival for the first time.No more unpaid blogging from... More »

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