John Michael McDonagh’s film Calvary is a deeply emotional and moral character study that asks a lot of the audience. McDonagh, through the central character Father James (played by Brendan Gleeson), asks how (and why) would you continue to help others if, ultimately, they can be no help to you, especially in time of need. Beyond that, Father James learns, in a confessional booth no less, that his life is about to expire. His end will not be the cause of old age, or poor health, but murder. He even knows who will pull the trigger in a week’s time and so the film tells the story of the things he…
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G-S-T Review…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Hard to believe that a ludicrous sounding concept like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would have worked as a comic, ever. Yet, after a quarter of a century (wrap your head around that all you children of the ’80s), the green machine is still kicking. In that time we’ve seen multiple cartoon series, four feature films, an incomprehensible amount of merchandise and now, after nearly 30 years, a reboot. Well, you know what they say about the life expectancy of a turtle right? The release of the updated TMNT film comes nearly in tandem with another highly unlikely concept turned feature film as Guardians of the Galaxy (our review) has made an incredible…
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G-S-T Review…Guardians of the Galaxy
There’s an idea that in order to have a good time at the cinema you need to check your brain. That’s not entirely the case when it comes to James Gunn. The surprise hit of the Summer (well coming from Marvel and Gunn success is probably not a surprise) Guardians of the Galaxy is highly entertaining and works as both a film and a comic book movie; it’s just a great time at the cinema. Some have claimed, mostly because of the marketing department, that this could be the next Star Wars. Even at the time this review is being written, in the midst of the white-hot hype surrounding the…
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G-S-T Review…I Origins
What if you were living your life entirely unaware that a whole other world existed in tandem with your own? It’s not The Matrix but it’s an equally heady concept and very thought provoking question like that which Mike Cahill (writer/director Another Earth) asks of the audience. Yet that’s just the beginning of the topics he questions and tires to answer while taking the audience along on his intellectual quest. I Origins, to put it simply, is a sly sci-fi picture that is as fascinating as it is simplistic. Yet it is the multiple rabbit holes and subjects broached which makes the concept of the film so thought provoking. A…
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G-S-T Review…Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
In 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes was an unexpected hit, that’s for sure. Rupert Wyatt made a film more about the human connection than the Apes and therefore was able to showcase sympathy and compassion ultimately downplaying the gruesome fall of man. It was a great film and now, in 2014, Matt Reeves puts his stamp on the series with an equally impressive follow up. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes perfectly compliments Wyatt’s efforts with a story that is a contrast in many ways but he continues in an equally engaging and fulfilling way. It’s an astounding film which this time focuses less on humans…
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G-S-T Review…Snowpiercer
Joon-ho Bong’s Snowpiercer is a grimy and dismal vision of the future. There’s nothing cheery about a post-apocalyptic future, and if living has more in common with being a prisoner of war (cramped conditions, no windows, questionably non-descript food) it might not be worth struggling for survival. But it’s not all doom and gloom. True, this is about preserving the last souls on Earth, but it’s not without a handful of wacky Korean conventions that few aside from Joon-ho Bong can provide with such style and balance. Even as the last hope for humanity speeds its way through our now frozen planet, there’s still time for humor peppering a multitude…
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G-S-T Review…Drafthouse Films’ Nothing Bad Can Happen
Faith is a powerful motivator. Provided it is guided and fueled with the right intent and passion it can affect all those around you. But people of faith might be so focused that they are easily manipulated and that, on the surface, is what Katrin Gebbe sets to show us with her debut feature. From the very first frame, even considering the title of the film, it’s an absolute certainty that this affair will end in misery but what makes the events depicted even more gruesome is that they actually happened. Gebbe’s film is based on true events and once you start this ride, well, a quote from Lena Headey in…
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G-S-T Review…Coherence
Our lives are filled with endless possibilities – paths taken and not taken – and there are limitless ways our day might play out should we chose, or chose not to do something. But what if, somehow, we got to see how each of the decisions we make, however small they may be, can affect and set up the events to follow? Pretty bold concept but it’s one that up and coming writer/director James Ward Byrkit sets to show us on a very small stage. Granted it’s impossible to show every possibility but Byrkit, omitting the more mundane and trivial ones, makes Coherence a very intimate and at times rather…
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G-S-T Review…How To Train Your Dragon 2
Four years doesn’t seem like that long ago but DreamWorks Animation has grown by leaps and bounds since their massive 2010 hit and this sequel is an improvement in every sense of the word. How to Train Your Dragon 2 soars past Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders’ film with a second installment that features exquisite animation and an even more exciting and adventurous story – one that colorfully expands on the endearing elements that made the first film such a wild success. In this sequel we get to see Hiccup, Toothless, and the entire village of Berk shown thriving in their dragon-friendly utopia. The Vikings have not only come to…
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G-S-T Review…The Fault In Our Stars
Whether on not you’re a fan of John Green’s work, young adult novels, or just appreciate a good story, The Fault in Our Stars is probably the most unexpectedly delightful film you’ll see this season. Based on Green’s immensely popular novel of the same name it’s an account of three kids dealing with cancer and hard life issues at a young age. It’s about kids with the disease but it’s not about the disease. They, despite their condition, are just as normal as you can expect and still full of life and hope in light of their disease. But the story doesn’t paint a happy-go-lucky picture, just an honest one. Stripped of…
