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Review: Blame It On RIO 2

Oleh

Review: Blame It On RIO 2

Review: Blame It On RIO 2

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 10:01 PM PDT

If kids entertainment in the 90's taught us anything, it's that recycling is an essential aspect of environmentalism. So I suppose we should be applauding Blue Sky Studios in their success at recycling so impressively many of that era's tropes in Rio 2. If only this this 3D computer animated sequel weren't so bland and irritating, I'd almost feel bad in telling them that Ernest Goes to Camp beat them to the down-with-the-bulldozers!/save-the-trees ending by a mere twenty-seven years. Unlike 2011's Rio, an accomplished if forgettable adventure comedy with effective across-the-board appeal (which I genuinely enjoyed), Rio 2 cannot be considered as anything beyond a children's film, and the worst kind at that. Not only does Rio 2 boast a worn out environmentalist message, it's also...

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Review: DRAFT DAY Fumbles, Repeatedly

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:00 PM PDT

A lethargic version of Moneyball that has been licked clean by the official approval of the National Football League, Ivan Reitman's Draft Day is a kitten desperately pretending to be a lion. The film plays like a 109-minute commercial, advertising the upcoming television broadcast of the professional (American) football draft, which drags on for many hours over two -- or is it three? -- days and has been known to drive grown men (me! me! me!) to drink after a single round. For those involved, of course, it's a tense, nerve-wracking time that affects their careers -- or whether they'll even have a career. Fanatical observers derive enjoyment as well, as they compare their picks with those in the managerial ranks, and professional analysts share...

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LET US PREY: Check The Pulse Pounding Teaser For New Irish Horror

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 03:05 PM PDT

Well now, you do have to love a teaser that knows how to get in, make an impression, and get out again leaving everybody wanting more, and that's exactly what this exclusive first teaser for Brian O'Malley's Let Us Prey does. Rachel, a rookie cop, is about to begin her first nightshift in a neglected police station in a backwater town.   The kind of place where the tide has gone out and stranded a motley bunch of the aimless, the forgotten, the bitter-and-twisted who all think that, really, they deserve to be somewhere else.  They all think they're there by accident and that, with a little luck, life is going to get better.   Wrong, on both counts.  Six is about to arrive - and All...

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Review: THE RAILWAY MAN, Confused And Emotionless

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 12:00 PM PDT

Japan's involvement and subsequent denial in its atrocities of World War II has always been a difficult point to convey. The Railway Man, which is based on the incredible true account of soldier Eric Lomax, attempts to tell this story and honour his book and memory. Unfortunately the results are so middling and inadequate compared to the book, and so emotionless compared to the phenomenal searing tones of director Jonathan Teplitzky's previous work Burning Man, that it lets the complex story down considerably. The setting could be any time and place, given the lack of period detail, but it is in fact years after the war. Teplitzky's eye for vivid and emotional colour certainly does not go astray and from dreary England to exotic jungle,...

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Review: ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE Brings A Cosmopolitan Maturity To The Ailing Vampire Genre

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 11:00 AM PDT

Detroit is the new Transylvania in Jim Jarmusch's delightfully detached vampire reverie Only Lovers Left Alive. The film manages to build significantly upon and outdo Neil Jordan's recent Byzantium in terms of clawing back the genre from its more recent sparkly teen focus. The mature tone is pregnant with the kind of disaffected slow gaze that would probably result from a century or three on this imperfect earth with its revolving social cycles. It achieves a modern-Gothic romanticism better than pop culture's own aging vampire-queen Anne Rice ever managed in novel form or when adapted to celluloid. It evokes the people exodus and urban decay of Motor City in such a transcendent fashion that it nearly renders Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Detropia redundant. Undoubtedly,...

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Interview: Gareth Evans Talks THE RAID 2

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 10:00 AM PDT

We had an excellent transcontinental conversation with The Raid 2 (orig. title:The Raid 2: Berandal) director Gareth Evans, starting at the New York red carpet premiere of his explosive, bombastic, butt-kicking sequel, and ending moments before a Q&A in the film's hometown of Jakarta.Be warned: Spoilers abound!The Lady Miz Diva:  What were some of the challenges of making THE RAID 2 bigger and better than the first film? Gareth Evans:  Some of the challenges were down to the idea that there's a certain level of expectation now.  And also we don't have the surprise element that we did on the first one.  Nobody knew what we were doing, nobody knew who we were.  Then all of a sudden - boom! - act two; now everyone...

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Behold The Asylum's ASIAN SCHOOL GIRLS

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:30 AM PDT

It seems inevitable that this would happen, really. Having witnessed export oriented cult film imprints such as Sushi Typhoon cater to western audiences hungry for fetishized versions of 'Asian' culture with their deliberately cult offerings the madmen at The Asylum - purveyors of such giant animal versus giant weather films such as Sharknado - have gotten into the act, creating an American fetishization of the Japanese fetishization of the American fondness for 'Asian' splatter film. And it clearly doesn't matter one lick where in Asia we're talking about as the title of Asian School Girls makes clear.Kidnapped by a Los Angeles crime syndicate, a group of schoolgirls must fight and seduce their way to vengeance, teaching the criminals a lesson in kicking butt and taking...

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Review: OCULUS, Mirror, Mirror, Dark And Twisted

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Of all the things remarkable about Oculus, and there are many, it's that this is a slow burn film with a deliciously creepy mood, yet at the same time it remains exhilarating throughout. The fact that a "creepy mirror" film proved to be one of the highlights of last year's (or, frankly, any previous) Midnight Madness slate at the Toronto International Film Festival is a testament to one key fact: This isn't just a great Midnight Madness film, this is a great film, period. (For those who may be unaware, the Midnight Madness slate usually has a few rules - keep things snappy, keep them gory, and you'll do well to keep the denizens of the dark with you for a running time that stretches...

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Review: JOE Paints A Searing Portrait Of Rural Torment

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT

Nicolas Cage has enjoyed a varied career, to say the least. From big budget blockbusters to notable indies, many would call his decision making curious, if not downright bizarre. In a lot of ways, this echoes the directing choices of David Gordon Green, who started his career with well-respected artistic indies before moving on to pot-smoker comedies. In the drama Joe, these two iconoclasts come together to tell a searing story of a rural man just trying to do good. It's a brilliant film and a decision both men should be applauded for making. The story opens with a young boy Gary (played by Mud's Tye Sheridan) giving a dressing down to his drunk drifter father over the man's irresponsibility. This obviously dysfunctional relationship makes...

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Complete Udine Far East Film Festival Lineup Announced

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 07:30 AM PDT

A great favorite here at Twitch HQ thanks to their always stellar programming, beautiful cinema and amazing hospitality - I've attended once and have kicked myself (hard) every year since when other obligations have prevented my return - the Udine Far East Film Festival have announced their complete lineup for the 2014 edition. And, true to form, it's a quality selection of popular cinema from all across the region. Here's the complete lineup: Competition Section   CHINA (6) Beijing Love Story, CHEN Sicheng, romance, China 2014, International Festival Premiere Black Coal, Thin Ice, DIAO Yi'nan, noir, China 2014, Italian Premiere Einstein and Einstein, CAO Baoping, contemporary drama, China 2013, Italian Premiere Personal Tailor, FENG Xiaogang, moral comedy, China 2013, International Festival Premiere Tiny Times 1,...

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Review: CUBAN FURY Shakes Some Good Moves, But Falls A Bit Flat

Posted: 10 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT

Romantic comedies have hit a bit of a slump in recent years, at least ones from big Hollywood and UK studios. The same patterns, cliched images, characters, and formulas have become predictable and dull. And in many ways, Cuban Fury doesn't escape this trap: a guy wants a girl who is out of his league, so must find a hook with which to compete with an obvious jerk in order to win the girl's heart. It's somewhat redeemed by good performances, a few scenes of witty banter and a non-traditional conclusion, but ultimately falls a bit flat. Bruce (Nick Frost) is a former teenage salsa champion who let a bad encounter ruin his childhood dream. Twenty-five years later, he falls for his new boss Julia...

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