Dubbing Hell Baby as a funnier version of A Haunted House or any entry in the reprehensible (and apparently endless) Scary Movie franchise feels like a serious kick in the pants to The State and Reno 911! veterans Robert Ben Garant’s and Thomas Lennon’s dryly funny exorcism farce. That’s sour news for the film, especially since many critics might end up making the exact same comparison, but on the bright side of things, Hell Baby happens to be a legit comedy; it’s funny on its own terms, and not just as a superior – if slightly uneven – alternative to the recklessly terrible and laughter-challenged garbage that passes as parody in the mainstream.…
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G-S-T Review…Drinking Buddies
Drinking Buddies offers a refreshingly candid look at relationships from the perspective of the romantic comedy genre. While the film explores similar themes and questions around relationships and monogamy that we’ve seen from director Joe Swanberg’s films in the past, Drinking Buddies is something special. Arguably his best film yet, he accomplishes something rarely found in feature films today, that perfect mix of indie Art House feel and mass appeal. It’s not so obscure that it alienates the general audience, but it also avoids being formulaic. It’s the culmination of Swanberg’s mumblecore roots combined with a narrative structure (or lack there of) that works to create a story utterly authentic…
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G-S-T Review…Riddick
Vin Diesel has never seemed more comfortable in a role than he is playing the intergalactic space criminal known as Riddick. His latest in the trilogy, simply titled Riddick, is an effectively dumb and fun film that plays to its strengths and doesn’t get lost in chasing rabbits. There are the familiar tropes throughout, but rarely can I remember three films that feel so different yet similar. I know that last sentence doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but neither does the way the films flow into each other. Pitch Black was effectively a fantasy thriller that put Vin Diesel on the cinematic map before he exploded in The…
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G-S-T TV: Low Winter Sun (S1, Ep 4: Catacombs)
Those somewhat invested in AMC’s Low Winter Sun might find it deflating that the creators have set this new series to cruise control so early in the season. In episode 4 Frank has traveled to Windsor, Ontario in hopes of finding Katia (Mickey Summer) while Joe makes sure home fires continue to burn and keeps IA at bay with the resulting smokescreen. When Frank comes home with nothing but a goose egg for his troubles it appears that he is losing his grip on things.His quest for Katia has him so focused that he’s actually starting to lose clarity of other things, or just lose it in general. When he makes a statement…
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G-S-T Review…Drafthouse Films’ I Declare War
Nearly a century ago J.M. Barrie wrote “Nothing that happens after we are twelve matters very much”. Further, Peter Pan was the literary embodiment of the idea that we all want to stay young. And why wouldn’t we? Being a kid allowed us to do things and live lives free of the pressures, strains, and dangers of the real world. All we had to do was be ourselves…yet the ironic thing was that being ourselves had us imagining what it would be like to be doing grown up things. How naive we were. But what Barrie really hit on was that our imaginations could be our greatest strength – a…
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G-S-T TV: Low Winter Sun (S1, Ep 3: No Rounds)
In the third episode of AMC’s Low Winter Sun, Frank (Mark Strong) and Joe (Lennie James) continue their attempts to cover up the evidence in McCann’s murder. Elsewhere in the city Damon and his crew do everything they can to prepare for the opening of The Blind Pig – a seedy strip club and cover for gang related under-the-table dealings. This episode put a little more focus on Joe to show more of who he is. Over the course of the show, while at work mostly, Joe appears to be above having a conscience. Yet in scenes with his mother and especially the great opening segment, we find he’s not as…
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G-S-T Review…Sparrows Dance
Sparrow’s Dance is an unexpected love story about an agoraphobic and former stage actress (Marin Ireland) who hasn’t left her apartment in over a year – nor has she had face-to-face contact with anyone from the outside world – and spends her days eating, sleeping and alternating between riding her exercise bike and watching television, until she is finally forced to face her fears when her toilet overflows. Ireland’s unnamed female protagonist first tries to acquire a plumber’s advice over the phone, but to no avail. When a plumber named Wes (Paul Sparks, “Boardwalk Empire”) does show up at her door, he’s a surprisingly handsome, endearing sort of guy, who…
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G-S-T Review…Ain’t Them Bodies Saints
Writer/director David Lowery’s Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is a simple enough story that speaks volumes. Further, it carries a lot of weight even if nothing particularly dramatic seems to be going on. And that’s the point. It’s part art piece, part love story, and though Lowery’s narrative is understated, it is simply stunning. From the cast, to the story, to the gorgeously simplistic visuals, nothing about this down home picture doesn’t just sing. You may not know the name David Lowery outside the Texas film community, but 2013 has been a big year for both him and his wonderfully crafted throwback film. From Dallas, to Sundance, to Cannes, Saints has made…
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G-S-T Review…You're Next
There’s a pivotal moment in Adam Wingard’s You’re Next where the film upends viewer expectations entirely, not with witty meta twists (though those are valuable), but with the simple plunge of a kitchen knife. Normally, we flock to horror films to observe the wanton butchering of the cast by a brutal, unidentifiable psychopath; in nearly any other movie , the blade would be in the murderer’s hands. Here, though, it’s actually swung by Erin (Sharni Vinson), You’re Next‘s final girl, which comes as almost as much of a surprise to us as to her would-be attacker. Apparently, home invasion victims aren’t as helpless as they used to be. Truthfully, people designated as…
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G-S-T Review…The World’s End
There are buddy movies, and then there are Edgar Wright’s buddy movies. Full stop. Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright are household names. But if they somehow don’t ring any bells, then you best stop reading now, get to know a brilliant little British show called Spaced, and get back to us. We’ll wait. The above mentioned trio of premier elbow ticklers have been making us laugh, heartily and repeatedly, for more than a decade…and it has all been leating up to this. The team that gave us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (and Spaced!) reunite to finish off their “Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy”, and they do so…
