BNFF10 REVIEW: Christina [2010]

“To the end of Berlin and the beginning of America” After some ill-received thrillers and a misfire with the script of Halloween: Resurrection, I’m not exactly sure why Larry Brand gravitated to writing and directing a very small, three character piece dealing with emotional turmoil at the end of WWII. I can only assume that this has been a passion project of his for some time and I applaud the newly formed Michigan-based 8180 Films for supplying the money to get this expertly acted and shot piece into theatres. Reminiscent…

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REVIEW: Death and the Maiden [1994]

“A midnight knock at the door” Roman Polanski has always appeared to me as director who utilizes large casts and set pieces. Not quite a crafter of epics, but big pictures nonetheless. Sure his first film, Knife in the Water, was on a small scale—it was his debut. I was thinking more of The Ninth Gate, The Pianist, and Oliver Twist. Interestingly, right before that trio of large productions, he brought us Death and the Maiden, an Ariel Dorfman play using only three characters to tell its story of revenge,…

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REVIEW: Edmond [2005]

“No, that’s too much” We have here a night of debauchery, violence, anger, and hate which could only be delivered by David Mamet’s lyrical prose and the horror background of director Stuart Gordon. Think Scorsese’s After Hours, but dead serious and shrouded in pitch black darkness. Much like Mamet’s Oleanna, also based on his own play, Edmond features a tour de force performance from lead actor and real life friend William H. Macy. His character awakens to the mundane existence he has been a part of for 47 years and…

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Top 15 Films of 1994

(short and sweet and to the point; culled from watching 40 releases. constantly updated as i catch up to those i missed. click poster for review if applicable) #15: Bullets Over Broadway directed by Woody Allen #14: Oleanna directed by David Mamet #13: Reality Bites directed by Ben Stiller #12: Heavenly Creatures directed by Peter Jackson.. #11: Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford.. #10: The AdventuresOf Priscilla,Queen Of The Desert directed by Stephan Elliott #09: Stargate directed by Roland Emmerich. #08: Interview withthe Vampire directed by Neil Jordan #07: The…

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