Marking his first stab at the Western after years in the horror trenches, director Ti West’s “In A Valley of Violence” uses every second to display its reverence for the genre. Like the Coens’ “True Grit” before it, the film is a classic revenge tale with a smirk — the type of Western where haggard men trade quips during gunfights, and Ethan Hawke is called upon to deliver his best vengeful gunslinger of few words.

Continue reading ‘In A Valley Of Violence’ Is An Enjoyably Splattery, Throwback Western [Review] at The Playlist.

A director who burst onto the horror scene with 2013’s gory remake of “The Evil Dead,” Fede Alvarez tightens his claustrophobic approach with “Don’t Breathe,” a thriller-horror hybrid unveiled at SXSW under near complete secrecy. It turns out a brutal, Blumhouse-produced tweak of 1967’s “Wait Until Dark” lies in store, replacing Audrey Hepburn with a blind Gulf War vet (Stephen Lang) armed with sadistic methods, who faces off against a trio of amateur criminals out to loot his home.

Continue reading ‘Don’t Breathe’ Is A Well Crafted, But Hollow Genre Exercise [Review] at The Playlist.

This is a reprint of our review from the 2016 SXSW Film Festival.

Bun Sex. Revenge Douche. Bath Salts. If “Sausage Party” doesn’t win Strangest IMDB Keywords of 2016, surely the film that beats it won’t feature a CG-animated cast of talking supermarket items. From a story by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and with an incredible voice cast including Rogen, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, Edward Norton, and Salma Hayek, it’s a film so outrageous, it took the producing might of Megan Ellison to finally get it made.

Continue reading Half-Baked ‘Sausage Party’ Isn’t The Surreal Pixar Riff It Could’ve Been [Review] at The Playlist.

On stages at Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, iO, and more, writers and performers hone the art of comedy improv, chasing funny ideas into the unknown with the hope of arriving somewhere worthwhile. For some the goal is to create their own improv group; for others, the form is just the road to movies and TV. However, failure is also a very real outcome, and it’s a reality superbly captured in comedian Mike Birbiglia’s sophomore directorial effort, “Don’t Think Twice.” Following six New York performers on the cusp of breaking out, played by Birbiglia, Gillian Jacobs, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher, Kate Micucci, and Keegan-Michael Key, it fashions an entertaining, thoughtful portrait of friends in crisis when success is near.

Continue reading Mike Birbiglia’s ‘Don’t Think Twice’ Is A Sharp, Funny Look At Friendship, Ego & Sacrifice [Review] at The Playlist.

Co-directors Alex and Benjamin Brewer’s heist drama “The Trust” earns its keep from its choice of mismatched cop protagonists. The odd pairing of Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood reflects the film’s off-kilter vibe, with the pair playing two crooked Las Vegas officers who team up to rob a secret basement vault. Their dynamic is the chief thrill of the film, which, aside from a streak of dark humor that succeeds better than most, proceeds with the usual elements of retro music, nihilistic touches, and snappy dialogue that make up the modern crime thriller.

Continue reading Review: Darkly Funny ‘The Trust’ Starring Nicolas Cage & Elijah Wood at The Playlist.

While his obsession with time remains intact, for his latest film, “Everybody Wants Some!!,” director Richard Linklater strips loss and melancholy from the framework and lets the consummate entertainer within take over. Fixed in a freewheeling state with this “spiritual sequel” to “Dazed and Confused,” the filmmaker only allows hints to peek through of a reality where people might fall in and out of love, or a mother might watch her son with pride and sadness as he grows up and heads to college.

Continue reading Review: Richard Linklater’s Hugely Enjoyable ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ at The Playlist.

SXSW Review: Fede Alvarez’s Thriller ‘Don't Breathe’ Starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto & Stephen Lang

Continue reading SXSW Review: Fede Alvarez’s Thriller ‘Don’t Breathe’ Starring Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto & Stephen Lang at The Playlist.