Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead work in such a specific, sui generis key and style, producing such exciting results on a small scale, that it’s genuinely shocking they haven’t been swooped up by the Tentpole Industrial Complex and asked to feed their gifts into the content machine. The conglomerates’ loss is our gain; their latest fusion of science fiction, character drama, dark comedy, and overwhelming paranoia, “Something in the Dirt,” feels like their most personal film – and not just because they wear so many hats, directing and writing and producing and editing and starring.

Continue reading ‘Something In The Dirt’ Review: Benson & Moorhead Land A Darkly Funny Sci-Fi Gem About Galaxy-Brained Paranoia & Conspiracies [Sundance] at The Playlist.

James Ponsoldt is having the kind of career that future students of the business of film may study with some confusion. He made his name by turning out three indie dramas in four years – “Smashed,” “The Spectacular Now,” and “The End of the Tour” – all well-received, all running the Sundance-premiere-to-boutique-distributor pipeline. But he fumbled on the next step, an adaptation of Dave Eggers’ “The Circle” starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, and he’s spent the past five years directing for television.

Continue reading ‘Summering’ Review: James Ponsoldt Makes A Pleasant But Lightweight Coming-Of-Age Tale Return [Sundance] at The Playlist.