To recount the experiences of a group of gay men in 1950s Europe, director Stefan Haupt has melded narrative and documentary, resulting in more dramatic potential than on-screen power. Sure, a couple decades ago, that mix was standard for cheapo “re-creation” crime shows – exceptional films like The Imposter have not only legitimized the practice, […]
Author: Norm Schrager
Ida
When done well, the sparest of films can be almost mesmerizing. Moments of stasis and solitude command attention, pulling in the audience like some meditative medium. When done exceptionally well, a tonally quiet film offers substance that’s every bit equal to its style – Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida does just that, standing as a nearly flawless […]
Devil’s Knot
Few murder cases have attracted as much attention over the last half-century – and remained in the public eye so long – as the trial of three young men accused of killing three grade-school kids in West Memphis, Arkansas. Thanks to documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, we know an awful lot about the […]
Proxy
Any great thriller earns that definition by keeping its audience off-balance. We crave control in the real world, but not when it comes to the movies – if we have a grasp of what’s to come, we chide a film or filmmaker for being too predictable. Zack Parker has a firm understanding of this basic […]
Ernest & Celestine
On the list of 2014 Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, there was a perfectly wonderful film you probably hadn’t heard of. Beyond the sisters of Frozen, the minions of Despicable Me 2, and the rudest of the Croods, there was Ernest & Celestine, two unlikely French friends at the center of the sweetest and […]
The Square
As Egypt’s internal political struggle continues yielding violent acts and revolutionary actions, a film that chronicles its historic evolution is playing everywhere and receiving awards. Nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar, The Square is an important record that starts in the streets with its subjects, steadfast individuals who wonder if the decades-long reign of Hosni […]
Sound City
Dave Grohl is full of surprises. When he came from behind the Nirvana drum set to form the band Foo Fighters, not many expected his songwriting prowess. Few could predict the Foo Fighters’ consistency and longevity. And perhaps fewer still could envision Grohl in his roles for Sound City: Movie director, producer, and rock-solid documentarian. […]
The Attack
When a single act of violence is central to a film’s plot, the event almost always shows up on the screen. It’s like some implicit promise to the audience, as if seeing carnage were requisite to understanding the film’s sorrow, fear or revenge. Not so in The Attack. The suicide bombing of the title is […]
Museum Hours
If you were to name common institutions designed to inspire calm and quiet, art museums would have to be at the top of the list. Even when housing the most fiery or controversial work, museums convey a static, peaceful solitude, like open air and still waters. Museum Hours, which uses Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Art Museum as […]
Wish You Were Here
Four Australian travelers vacation to Cambodia. Three come back, one goes missing. Sounds like the plot of another unfortunate Turistas-style horror shocker but Wish You Were Here is, thankfully, far from it. The directorial debut from Aussie character actor Kieran Darcy-Smith is a stinging relationship drama framed as a sharp thriller, edited like a superb […]
2013 Independent Film Festival Boston Recap and Reviews
As the 11th year of Independent Film Festival Boston kicked off on the night of April 24, the city of Boston was still reflecting on a quiet act of renewal from earlier in the day. That morning, the city’s famed Boylston Street officially reopened, nine days after terrorist bombs tore through the avenue, killing and […]
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It’s a Disaster
Any filmmaker looking to create a couples-driven comedy ensemble should consider the perils that would make a saner person rethink the attempt. You have to develop six to eight characters, have their interplay seem familiar and unforced, and have the right actors across the board get the job done. And where the hell do you […]
Lincoln
It’s difficult to determine whether Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln plays as earnest historical drama or straight-up Oscar bait. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Lincoln is the type of big-budget film that has “epic” written all over it, filled with an overabundance of speaking roles, period set design, and dramatic conflict — satisfying all […]