Rush (A-)
Rush is a movie that seemed to enjoy universal love from everyone I talked to. I don’t remember anyone not speaking quite highly of it.
Rush is a fantastically layered story of two opposing sides that clash, neither one hero or villain, simply two human characters that must learn to fight their natural human instincts.
Can a Song Save Your Life? (D+)
Can a Song Save Your Life? was one of the more divisive films of the fest, but even those that say they enjoyed it that I talked to recognized everything I hated about it. For them, however, they were able to take enjoyment out of the moments I disliked. Good on ’em.
Can a Song Save Your Life? is a soap opera-level melodrama that takes everything good writer/director John Carney achieved with Once seven years ago and flushes it down the toilet.
Philomena (A)
Here’s another one that enjoyed universal love from the masses and I think a lot of that comes as a result of lowered expectations walking in. Sure, you may think it’s going to be a good little film, but when it stands up as a film to be recognized above just being quaint and mediocre people tend to take notice.
Guided by powerful performances and superb screenplay, Philomena is an uplifting, moving, funny and heartfelt story of two people that will capture your heart and a story you won’t soon forget.
Dom Hemingway (B+)
Beyond the comparison to Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson, I think I nailed my description of this film when I wrote: “Imagine the characters in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch each getting their own ‘day in the life’ movie.”
Dom Hemingway is something of a second cousin to Nicolas Winding-Refn’s Bronson, in that it’s a film about guy that’s violent, vulgar and coked out of his mind. Sign me up.
Devil’s Knot (D)
I can’t temper your expectations for this one enough. Wow, it was bad and one that challenges The Fifth Estate for worst film of the festival of the 27 I saw.
Half courtroom drama, half melodrama, entirely worthless… this sums up Devil’s Knot in one sentence.
August: Osage County (B+)
August: Osage County divided critics, but I was happy to come out on the side that really liked it. Sure, it’s mean-spirited and biting, but in the end I think it has a great character arc that it follows without pandering to the audience.
If it weren’t for a couple of narrative hang-ups, August: Osage County would have been a film I’d quickly call one of the year’s best. Nevertheless, I loved almost every minute of the snarling and nasty dialogue with performances from the likes of Streep, Roberts, Martindale, Nicholson and Cooper that actually are some of the year’s best.
Afflicted (C-)
Afflicted thinks it’s operating on such a higher level than it actually is. Snip about 5 minutes from the first act and end it about 25 minutes later and you have yourself a decent little short film. I know everyone wants to be a feature film maker, but you need a feature length story to do that.
Afflicted is a low concept, found footage thriller that would have been best served rolling credits 30 minutes in, but they went for another hour and everything goes off the rails.
