IFFBoston Archives - The Playlist

IFFBoston Review: ‘The Whistleblower’ Plays More Like A Whisper

The Playlist Staff — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:44:35 +0000

IFFBoston Review: 'The Whistleblower' Plays More Like A Whisper

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IFFBoston Review: ‘Terri’ Follows An Odd Budding Bromance

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 04 May 2011 05:59:01 +0000

IFFBoston Review: 'Terri' Follows An Odd Budding Bromance

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IFFBoston Review: ‘Bellflower’ Is A Homespun Work Of Love

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:06:01 +0000

IFFBoston Review: 'Bellflower' Is A Homespun Work Of Love

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Tristan Patterson Talks Form of ‘Dragonslayer’ And Creating An Authentic Experience

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 02 May 2011 07:21:02 +0000

Tristan Patterson Talks Form of 'Dragonslayer' And Creating An Authentic Experience

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IFFBoston Review: ‘Dragonslayer’ A Fantastic Portrayal Of Modern Skateboarding Man

The Playlist Staff — Sun, 01 May 2011 08:24:05 +0000

IFFBoston Review: 'Dragonslayer' A Fantastic Portrayal Of Modern Skateboarding Man

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IFFBoston 2011 Review: ‘On the Ice’ Falls Through the Cracks

The Playlist Staff — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 06:14:47 +0000

IFFBoston 2011 Review: 'On the Ice' Falls Through the Cracks

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IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Cracks’ Is A Dreamy, Sumptuous Teen Tale

Jon Davies — Thu, 06 May 2010 22:31:00 +0000

When a child of an established filmmaker begins making films themselves, it can often bring mixed results. It can breed talent (Jason Reitman) or relative obscurity (Jennifer Chambers Lynch), but it always begs the question as to whether talent runs in the family or if privilege reigns above all. Ridley Scott’s daughter Jordan Scott clearly presents a strong debut feature film in “Cracks,” the story of a diving team at an all girls boarding school in 1934 England.

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IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Tiny Furniture’ Is A Verbose Mess

Jon Davies — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:34:00 +0000

You don’t often see “big” films made by directors under the age of 30, let alone 25. The demographic of contemporary filmmakers might suggest that to turn in a mature effort, one needs experience in both life and filmmaking to get a film right. Twenty-three-year-old Lena Dunham’s SXSW hit “Tiny Furniture” may damn well be testament to this theory. While we certainly looked forward to catching this at IFFBoston, we couldn’t help but be confused at all the positive buzz it has garnered.

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IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Searching for Elliott Smith’ Never Finds Much

Jon Davies — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:28:00 +0000

Producing a documentary on a deceased subject can be a tricky thing. Unless you’re a filmmaker covering some huge cultural icon featured in a wealth of undiscovered archival footage, it can be tough to construct a profile on someone who you can’t actually meet, interview, and film. So for TV producer-turned-documentary filmmaker Gil Reyes, Elliott Smith, no matter how interesting he and his music may have been, seems like a tough subject to cover. In his new documentary “Searching For Elliott Smith,” Reyes attempts to outline Smith’s life entirely through interviews with friends and colleagues but never quite reaches a point of interest or insight.

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IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Freebie’ Is A Surprisingly Honest, Charming Debut

Jon Davies — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:39:00 +0000

The Independent Film Festival of Boston has been almost a home to the so-called mumblecore movement of the past decade, showing or premiering key films from filmmakers such as Andrew Bujalski or the Duplass Brothers. Actress-turned-filmmaker Katie Aselton (now Mark Duplass’ wife) has acted in several of these films (including this year’s not-so-mumblecore effort from the Duplasses,”Cyrus”) and has now turned in her first directorial effort with “The Freebie.” A lot more polished than her lo-fi roots may suggest, ‘Freebie’ shows a confidence not displayed by many other first-time directors, with its concise execution of a simple story concept.

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IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Killer Inside Me’ Is Intriguing, Occasionally Scattered Neo Noir

Jon Davies — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:55:00 +0000

Darkness comes in many flavors. If you’ve heard anything about Michael Winterbottom’s “The Killer Inside Me,” it’s inevitable that you’ve read at least something about its supposed darkness and brutal violence. The Casey Affleck starring neonoir certainly does deliver in darkness of several types as well as many other moods. While Winterbottom’s ‘Killer’ can be rough around the edges at times, he has made a film that, like it or not, will certainly stick with you for days after you see it.

Continue reading IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘The Killer Inside Me’ Is Intriguing, Occasionally Scattered Neo Noir at The Playlist.

IFFBoston ’10 Review: ‘Winter’s Bone’ Is A Solemn, Strong Character Tale

Jon Davies — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Debra Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” is not exactly unfamiliar territory for a Sundance winner. ‘Bone’ included, the last three films to win Sundance’s Grand Jury prize for a dramatic film (“Precious” and “Frozen River”) have focused on defiant female leads from at least somewhat marginalized backgrounds. Is the festival unfairly picking a favorite type or do these films truly deserve the praise they receive? In the case of ‘Bone,’ Granik presents what is clearly a strong effort on all fronts without ever managing to feel like a truly special achievement.

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IFFBoston Reviews: The Animated Shorts Program

Grace Brodie Cruz — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:07:00 +0000

We caught the Animated Shorts program at IFFBoston film fest last weekend and our faith in strong, simple storytelling was renewed by these 6 brilliant animators. There wasn’t one we didn’t like; each is aesthetically unique and offer entertaining, often thought-provoking themes not frequently seen in films.

“Kanizsa Hill” by Evelyn Lee
After being shot, a man’s head lives independently from his body. As the headless body wanders in search of itself, the lost head suffers a series of illusions.

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IFFB Review: ‘Herb and Dorothy’: An Eldery NY Couple With An Art Or Nothing Mentality

Grace Brodie Cruz — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:20:00 +0000

“Herb and Dorothy” is an inspiration; a shining example of passion and hard work to get what you want out of life.

First time director, Megumi Sasaki’s award wining documentary follows Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a couple who married in the ’60s and shared a passion for art. They went from being wannabe artists who hung their own art on their walls to slowly becoming two of the most important private collectors of minimalist and conceptual art.

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IFFBoston Documentary Shorts Reviews, ‘The Archive’ Documents The Owner Of The World’s Largest Record Collection

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:23:00 +0000

We were at the Independent Film Festival of Boston this weekend and had a pretty excellent time. The festival was well curated. An awesome little line-up, the Documentary Shorts 3 program featured four, economic and concise statements of each subject. Ranging from about 4 minutes to about 40, each film knew exactly how much time their subject needed and none overstayed their welcome. One in particular that struck us was Brooklyn director Sean Dunne’s “The Archive,” about Paul Mawhinney, a man you may have heard about recently as he’s the owner of the world’s biggest record collection.

Continue reading IFFBoston Documentary Shorts Reviews, ‘The Archive’ Documents The Owner Of The World’s Largest Record Collection at The Playlist.