SLOIFF Review: “This Tempting Madness”
Shock, Surprise, Confusion, Fragility Director Jennifer E. Montgomery’s film This Tempting Madness opens with ominous music, a voiceover on the fragility of the mind, and scenes of a woman falling…
“Sirāt” Is a Wonderful, Disturbing Film
Director and screenwriter Óliver Laxe opens his latest film, Sirāt ("path" in Arabic), with closeups of rave dancers moving in Shaker style to loud drumming sounds. The ravers look punk…
Cambria Film Fest: “Burt”
What begins as an often-told tale of one character bilking another develops into a sweet story of how one man’s kindness changes the direction of the life of another. In…
“Fackham Hall” Is a Lot of Laughs
Fackham Hall, featuring the aristocratic Davenport family, is a spoof on period films and series like Downton Abby and Upstairs/Downstairs. Directed by Jim O’Hanlon, it’s a vehicle for a variety…
Downtown Cinemas First in Line for Dolby Systems
Bruce Sanborn, the owner of Downtown Centre Cinemas in San Luis Obispo, is following a pattern set by his grandfather and father: bringing the most up-to-date film technologies to the…
“Sentimental Value” Provides Skilled Performances
Danish-Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s most recent work, Sentimental Value, opens with aerial views of Oslo, Norway, and detailed scans of a handsome, richly finished, but aged Victorian home. This house…
“Jay Kelly” Mixes a Little Comedy, a Lot of Drama
Photo courtesy of Netflix Can a good film be based on an empty character? The answer can be found in Jay Kelly, a new movie written by Noah Baumbach…
Hawke Gives Heart to Hart in “Blue Moon”
In the film Blue Moon, director Richard Linklater has given actor Ethan Hawke a play-like stage for his performance as the musing musical lyricist Lorenz (Larry) Hart. Hart was the…
Why Is “The Roses” Just “Almost”?
The opening credits of The Roses, directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, bill the movie as a love story. The initial loving relationship of Ivy (Olivia…
“Honey Don’t!” Lives Up to Coen Name
Ethan Coen and his brother Joel, when working together, are known for their quirky, genre-bending films, off-of-center characters, and skewed movie themes and styles. Ethan, now directing on his own,…