Category Archives: Reviews

REVIEW: The Imposter

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

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 →

Posted in Documentary, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged A Million Little Pieces, Bart Layton, cinema, David Mamet, documentary, Errol Morris, Exit Through the Gift Shop, F for Fake, Fargo, Films, Frederic Bourdin, House of Games, Movies, Nonfiction, San Antonio, The Imposter, The Thin Blue Line | 3 Comments

REVIEW: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

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 →

Posted in Documentary, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged Academy Awards, David Blaine, documentary, E. Donna Shepherd, Films, HBO, Jeff Dupree, Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present, Maro Chermayeff, Mathew Akers, Movies, Nonfiction, oscars, review | 1 Comment

Homeland, Ep. 209: Two Hats

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Homeland’s “Two Hats” furthers a trend that the show has embarked upon in the past few episodes. Anticipation for an event fills out much of the running time before the dominoes come crashing down in a robust moment of action. … Continue reading →

Posted in Homeland, Reviews, Television, Uncategorized | Tagged 209, Brody, Carrie, cinema, Claire Daines, Damien Lewis, Emmys, Films, Homeland, Movies, Reviews, Saul, Showtime, television, Two Hats | 6 Comments

REVIEW: Silver Linings Playbook

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Unfairly and even detrimentally identified as a rebellious artist and one of the pioneers of New Hollywood, David O. Russell carries the unearned burdened of being a director to connect cinephilia to the masses. To my mind, Russell is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Movies, Reviews, Silver Linings Playbook, Uncategorized | Tagged Bradley Cooper, Chris Tucker, cinema, David O. Russell, Films, Jacki Weaver, jennifer lawrence, Movies, New Hollywood, Reviews, Robert De, Silver Linings Playbook | 4 Comments

REVIEW: Lincoln

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

“A compass will point you true north… If you don’t avoid the swamps, what’s the use of knowing true north?” – Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln Simultaneously broad and pointed, as its title would suggest, Lincoln approaches a man of historically influential … Continue reading →

Posted in Films, Lincoln, Movies, Reviews | Tagged Abraham, cinema, Daniel Day-Lewis, Films, James Earle Haley, James Spader, janusz kaminski, john hawkes, joseph gordon-levitt, Lincoln, Movies, oscars, Raviews, Sally Field, steven spielberg, Tommy Lee Jones | 1 Comment

A Bond Newbie’s Thoughts on 007: The Living Daylights

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Short Take: Timothy Dalton’s take on Bond has the reptilian darkness to allude to something more interesting, but caricature villains and bombastic plot lines move in contradiction with the dour lead. You’ve probably heard about Timothy Dalton’s Bond being an … Continue reading →

Posted in 007, Films, James Bond, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged 007, 1987, 50, Films, James Bond, John Glen, Movies, Pierce Brosnan, Reviews, The Living Daylights, Tomothy Dalton | 3 Comments

REVIEW: Anna Karenina

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Leave it to director Joe Wright to turn a work of timelessness into a bravura exercise of over-the-top theatricality. An intoxicating film of vision and ambition, in Wright’s hands Anna Karenina looks like an impressionist painting that pays homage to … Continue reading →

Posted in Anna Karenina, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged Anna Karenina, Atonement, cinema, Cinemtagraphy, Costumes, Films, Georges Seurat, Hanna, Impressionist, Joe Wright, Mary Cassatt, Max Ophuls, Movies, oscars, Reviews, Seamus McGarvey, Wang Kar-Wai | 8 Comments

Homeland, Ep. 207: The Clearing

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

As if slowly letting the helium out of a balloon, “The Clearing” diffuses the tension that made the past three episodes high points of the series and replaces them with divergent subplots that, for the moment, have little immediate pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Homeland, Reviews, Television, Uncategorized | Tagged Brody, Calire Danes, Carrie, cinema, Damien Lewis, Emmys, Films, Homeland, Movies, Reviews, Saul, Showtime, television | Leave a comment

REVIEW: West of Memphis

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Amy Berg’s West of Memphis sets out to be the definitive account of a case that has lingered in the public psyche for close to a quarter of a century. An introduction by Peter Jackson (the film’s producer and major … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Park Five, Documentary, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized, West of Memphis | Tagged Amy Berg, cinema, Damien Echols, documentary, Eddie Vedder, Films, Henry Rollins, Jason Baldwin, Jeffrey Misskelley, Ken Burns, Nonfiction, oscars, Paradise Lost, Peter Jackson, The Central Park Five, West of Memphis | 4 Comments

A Bond Newbie’s Thoughts on 007: Skyfall

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

I initially planned to wait until after I had seen all the Bond movies before writing about Skyfall. But I’m not nearly as far along in my Bond movie marathon as I had hoped, Skyfall’s fresh in my mind, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 007, Films, James Bond, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged 007, cinema, Daniel Craig, Films, James Bond, Movies, Roger Deakins, Sam Mendes, Skyfall | 3 Comments