Jaden Smith flies solo on a dangerous mission on a dangerous planet called Earth.
Indie Weekend: ‘Frances Ha,’ ‘Dead Man’s Burden,’ ‘Love is All You Need,’ ‘What Maisie Knew’
Four new indie releases compete for your attention this long holiday weekend, May 24-27: Frances Ha. Noah Baumbach directs a comedy about a would-be dancer (Greta Gerwig) who finds herself adrift in Manhattan. Recommended. Reviewed here. (Angelika Dallas) Baumbach will participate in a Q&A via Skype following the 8:30 p.m. screening on Friday, May 24.... Continue Reading →
Indie Weekend: ‘Sightseers,’ ‘The Iceman,’ ‘Scatter My Ashes,’ ‘Black Rock,’ ‘Koch,’ ‘Erased’
Half a dozen new indie releases compete for attention this weekend, May 17-19: Sightseers. A black comedy about an English couple who take a trip to the countryside that turns murderous. I think so highly of Ben Wheatley's first two films, Down Terrace and Kill List, that I believe a blind recommendation is warranted. Not... Continue Reading →
Indie Weekend: ‘No Place on Earth,’ ‘Midnight’s Children,’ ‘Source Family,’ ‘Star Trek II’
New indie releases and special screenings of note this weekend: No Place on Earth documents "the untold story of thirty-eight Ukrainian Jews who survived World War II by living in cold, damp caves for eighteen months." (Angelika Dallas) Midnight's Children. Salman Rushdie adapted his own novel and narrates "a lushly visual epic about two boys who... Continue Reading →
Review: ‘The Great Gatsby’ Delivers a Scintillating Experience
Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan star in Baz Luhrmann's new screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel. Nothing can possibly go wrong, right?
Steven Spielberg Will Direct ‘American Sniper’ With Bradley Cooper As Chris Kyle
The life story of Texas' own Chris Kyle will head to the big screen under the direction of Steven Spielberg, America's favorite director.
Indie Weekend: ‘Reality,’ ‘Renoir,’ ‘Reluctant Fundamentalist,’ ‘Kon-Tiki’
New indie releases and special screenings of note this weekend: Reality. Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone turns his perceptive lens from organized crime (Gomorrah) to reality television in his latest effort, described as a darkly comic piece. In Italian with English subtitles. (Angelika Dallas) Renoir. In 1915, the great painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his son, filmmaker... Continue Reading →
Indie Weekend: ‘Mud,’ ‘Days of Heaven,’ ‘Starbuck,’ USA Film Festival
The 43rd annual USA Film Festival kicked off this past Wednesday night and continues through the weekend at Angelika Dallas. Visit the official site to download the complete program. (I'm hoping to see John Carpenter's They Live and Soi Cheang's Motorway -- review for the latter at my sister site A Better Tomorrow.) Other new... Continue Reading →
Review: ‘Pain And Gain’ Warns Against the Abuse of Drugs and Too Much Style
Michael Bay explores a real-life story about Miami bodybuilders, circa the mid-1990s, with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson on board. Does this tale of stupid criminals ring true?
Indie Weekend: ‘Upstream Color,’ ‘From Up on Poppy Hill,’ ‘Chasing Ice,’ ‘To the Wonder’
Shane Carruth, Studio Ghibli, an environmental doc, and Terence Malick battle it out on the indie front.
Dallas Film Weekly 