Way late review: The Ides of March

George Clooney’s The Ides of March is a political thriller that attempts to thrill with the revelation that human beings are not inherently good. Not much of a revelation and not much of a thriller. Ides of March attempts to make grandiose gestures set to menacing music and shadowy backdrops but ultimately ends up being …

True/False Film Fest 2012: Sunday

All good things come to an end and I ended my three days at True/False 2012 in Columbia, MO intentionally early. The docs I was most interested in seeing were later in the afternoon and most of them I believe I’ll be able to catch later this year as they either have distribution or soon …

True/False Film Fest 2012: Friday

Last year I heard about the True False Film Festival in Columbia, MO. The timing wasn’t right for me so I didn’t attend. I was determined to make it this year. I’ve never attended a film festival before now. The location is close enough, the price is fair and the films are all documentaries which …

Way late review: Floored

After watching Floored, a documentary about old-school traders on Chicago’s exchange floors, I wonder (once again) if there is much difference between gambling and trading commodities. One can’t help but notice the subjects of the film, struggling to adapt to the new ways of doing business (computer vs. in-person trades), resemble professional poker players. They …

Way late review: Higher Ground

Daring to tackle a subject that seems to be ever harder for even a small Hollywood film to cover as each day passes, Higher Ground paints a heartfelt and honest picture of one woman’s journey in and through and eventually out of the Christian faith. Corinne (Vera Farmiga) is a young girl at what appears …

Way late review: Beauty Day

Before Youtube and before Johnny Knoxville and his crew there was Ralph Zavadil, aka Cap’n Video. A local access cable show in St. Catharines, Ontario, Cap’n Video existed in obscurity until Zavadil’s alter ego attempted one too many dangerous stunts. And it is that stunt, a botched plunge into a covered pool off a shaky …

Way late review: Contagion

Sterile. That is the first word that comes to mind when describing Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, which is strange considering the film centers on a killer disease that threatens to finish off all of mankind. Maybe the paradox of a cold and calculated film about a disgusting and deadly disease is intentional. Outbreak it is not. …

Way late review: Meek’s Cutoff

If Meek’s Cutoff is close at all to portraying the life of those braving the conditions of the Oregon Trail in 1845 then it was incredibly brutal and, at the same time, a little boring to observe. Of course, no one was observing it. That’s what those of us in this century get to do …