Chris says: “This documentary from venerable magicians/entertainers/smartasses Penn and Teller initially asks whether it’s possible to recreate a Vermeer painting; by the film’s end, that question turns into why anyone would want to do so. I don’t mean that to
Jason says: “TIME LAPSE is a standout even for one of the best sci-fi years I can remember Fantasia having, and while those are rankings that may not mean much to non-attendees, it is meant as high praise. There’s always
Jason says: “Before Josephine Decker’s THOU WAST MILD AND LOVELY starts to be a weird, creepy sort of movie in a way that has real certainty and direction, it’s got two scenes that kind of warn the audience what it’s
Tiger Tail in Blue (USA; 80 min.) directed by: Frank V. Rossstarring: Rebecca Spence; Frank V. Ross; Megan Mercier; Allison Latta; Anthony J. Baker Jason says: “Give the latest wave of young independent filmmakers this: They seem to recognize that
Thermae Romae II (Japan; 112 min.) directed by: Hideki Takeuchi starring: Hiroshi Abe; Aya Ueto; Masachika Ichimura; Kazuki Kitamura; Ivan Kostadinov Jason says: “2012’s THERMAE ROMAE adapted a manga with a delightfully high-concept premise – an architect of Roman bath
Jason says: “Stephen Hawking’s life story is extraordinary, but not necessarily cinematic – its milestones are often losing the ability to do things, and his accomplishments can be difficult for laymen to understand. So what do you do? In this
Jason says: “By the time TEN is over, it has maybe managed to beat its story into making some kind of sense, or at least into the kind of nonsense that the audience can sort of work with. That’s probably
Jason says: “You can tell from the opening moments of THAT DEMON WITHIN that it’s not going to be your standard cops ‘n robbers movie, and it’s sure not going to stand out for how grounded and realistic it is.
Jason says: “Though Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement from directing animated features with THE WIND RISES deserved all the attention it got last year, there is somewhat less noise being made about Isao Takahata’s swan song, THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA, though
Jason says: “For a while, I found George Takei’s twenty-first century career little more than tacky, an old man who was one a minor part of a pop culture phenomenon becoming a parody of himself in an effort to hang