Tag: Indie

Movie Review: Jodorowsky’s Dune

IMDB, Jodorowsky's Dune“Jodorowsky’s Dune” on IMDB

Documentary, 90 Minutes, 2013

Back in the early 1970’s director Alejandro Jodorowsky [IMDB] decided that he was going to adapt Frank Herbert’s watershed 1965 sci-fi novel Dune into a movie. By all accounts, an utterly bat-shit insane movie. This documentary is the story of how that movie was never made.

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Movie Review: The Wild Hunt

IMDB, The Wild Hunt“The Wild Hunt” on IMDB

Drama/Thriller, 96 Minutes, 2009

This movie is about LARPing. If you don’t know what this is, think “grown-up dress-up party with rubber swords”. If you do know what that is you’re probably really pissed-off that I just called it a “grown-up dress-up party with rubber swords”. Don’t be mad – no offense intended – just trying to reach a middle ground.

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Movie Review: Happy Christmas

IMDB, Happy Christmas“Happy Christmas” on IMDB

Comedy/Drama, 84 Minutes, 2014

This is one of those super-cheap, mostly ad-libbed, slice-of-life art films that tend to be fatally dull and terminally uninteresting. Only very rarely does the formula result in something worthwhile. Although this has some problems getting up to speed and staying there, happily it’s one of those.

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Movie Review: Black Limousine

IMDB, Black Limousine“Black Limousine” on IMDB

Drama, 101 Minutes, 2010

I had no idea what to expect from this. Literally none at all. David Arquette [IMDB] failed to set the world on fire, but he’s likable and fell into some really fun roles. Also, the only synopsis of the movie available was, “A ghost story set in the city of dreams.” and that intrigued me.

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Movie Review: The Box Trolls

IMDB, The Boxtrolls“The Box Trolls” on IMDB

Animation/Family, 96 Minutes, 2014

LAIKA, the studio behind the classics “Coraline” [IMDB] and “ParaNorman” [My Review at MoreBrains.com], continues its mostly thankless efforts to elevate the quality family cinema. Lighter than their previous offerings, this still provides the intelligence and depth that we’ve come to expect from them.

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Movie Review: Tusk

IMDB, Tusk“Tusk” on IMDB

Comedy/Horror, 102 Minutes, 2014

Apparently the idea for this movie was the result of an extended discussion on writer/director Kevin Smith’s [IMDB] podcast. How about a guy, the joke went, that captures people and tries to turn them into walruses? The gag picked up steam, Smith got excited and made a movie.

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Movie Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

IMDB, The Grand Budapest Hotel“The Grand Budapest Hotel” on IMDB

Comedy, 100 Minutes, 2014

You know those annoying fanboys that believe that their favorite director can do no wrong? They’ll talk about them endlessly, insist other people pay attention to them and challenge anybody that says the least critical thing about them. They make fools of themselves as they ignore obvious issues and rationalize away every shortcoming.

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Movie Review: House Hunting

IMDB, House Hunting“House Hunting” on IMDB

Horror/Thriller, 102 Minutes, 2013

Marc Singer’s [IMDB] looking for a new house along with his bitchy girlfriend and his annoying daughter (who hates his bitchy girlfriend). When approached by a stranger who suggests that he check out a house just left of the ass-end of nowhere, he decides, “why not?” On the way up they meet another family, headed by the versatile Art LaFleur [IMDB], looking for the same house.

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Movie Review: Revelations

Revelations“Revelations” on IMDB

Horror, 13 Minutes, 2014

“Revelations” is the first of five short films for a planned anthology, “The Forces of Horror Anthology Series Volume I”. According to the production’s FaceBook page, the four remaining segments will be completed in the next few months. Each story will explore a different sub-genre of horror, but using the same location and actors.

[Full, but dull, disclosure: this review was the result of a request from the writer/director of the movie.]

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Movie Review: Black Rock

IMDB, Black Rock“Black Rock” on IMDB

Horror/Thirller, 83 Minutes, 2012

With several movies under the belts of each, Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton are shaping up to be the quite indie power couple. Acting, writing and directing their way into an impressive catalog of smart, quirky genre-benders. This isn’t one of them.

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