Author Archives: Zac Petrillo

Scoring Beasts of the Southern Wild

While I wasn’t as gaga over Beasts of the Southern Wild as some, I did respect the film a great deal. It’s impressive for multiple reasons, not least of which is the fact that it actually got made at all. … Continue reading

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REVIEW: Killing Them Softly

Nowhere in the overwhelming political commentary that plays through every scene in Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly do we hear the words “choice” or “mistake.” Two constructs that have become favorites for politicians, the notion of freedom to choose and … Continue reading

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A Bond Newbie’s Thoughts on 007: Licence to Kill

Short Take: Dark, simplified, and bloody, Licence to Kill is a fresh take on James Bond that doesn’ t fully follow-through on its noir promise. Where The Living Daylights trapped Timothy Dalton, a dour though compelling Bond, into a plot … Continue reading

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Homeland, Ep. 210: Broken Hearts

Between all the drama of Carrie and Brody or the CIA’s plot to find terrorists or Dana Brody’s meltdown, it might have been easy to miss that this entire series, in one way or another, has been building to one … Continue reading

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Best Feature Documentary Oscar Shortlist

This would have been an excellent list of nonfiction selections had The Central Park Five not been inexplicably left out. I guess it wouldn’t be the Documentary Oscar category without a few egregious snubs (see: Steve James). I need to … Continue reading

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REVIEW: The Imposter

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS It’s nothing new for a documentary or another form of nonfiction to play on an observer’s perception of truth as way to increase the engagement of a complex story. In some ways, every piece of supposed … Continue reading

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Bryce Dallas Howard Short Film Amongst 11 Picked for Oscar

Ron Howard produced and his daughter directod a short film, when you find me, that will compete for the Academy Award. Last year, well known director Terry George won for his short, The Shore. When there’s a big name in … Continue reading

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Academy Awards Name Visual Effects Shortlist

Minus a few more “grounded” efforts – namely Looper, Flight, and The Impossible – this has been a inventive year for major blockbuster efforts in the realm of visual effects. Giving no love to smaller pictures, the Academy unveiled its … Continue reading

Posted in 007, Films, James Bond, Life of Pi, Movies, Oscar Talk, Skyfall, The Avengers, The Life of Pi, Uncategorized, Visual Effects | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Intense New Zero Dark Thirty Clip

The only knock I’ve heard so far about Zero Dark Thirty is that it’s cold, emotionless, and machine-like. Those qualities – whether accurately described or not – are precisely what I’ve learned to admire so much about Kathryn Bigelow’s previous … Continue reading

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REVIEW: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

In recent years, namely in Pina and Exit Through the Gift Shop, artists have proven compelling subjects for documentary filmmakers to explore. In many ways, the very nature of the nonfiction form mirrors the elusive quality of investigative or interactive … Continue reading

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