Sketchy Details » film review

Movie 43 Review (Film, 2013)

Robert — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:45:45 +0000

Movie 43 is an anthology comedy film with an odd framing device. A man walks into a film studio and demands to have his pitch for a new film heard. The studio executive agrees, becoming more and more disgusted and…

Amour Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:18:15 +0000

How far would you go to provide comfort and care for the person you love most in the world? Would you sacrifice your own independence to take care of them full time? Would you go against the will of your…

Mama Review (Film, 2013)

Robert — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:11:43 +0000

Mama is hard to describe because the film itself doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it a horror story about a ghostly presence taking over a young couple’s lives or a fantasy about defining family? Is it a…

A Haunted House Review (Film, 2013)

Robert — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 14:05:59 +0000

For better or worse, the Paranormal Activity series helped launch a new wave of found footage and home haunting horror films. This is in spite of extremely low production values, poor acting, and narratives that don’t actually arrive until the…

The Impossible Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 21:19:30 +0000

I feel like I owe a lot of people an apology right now. For years, I have fought as hard as I could against the term “torture porn.” I have written screeds all over the Internet explaining why this was…

God Bless America Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:31:07 +0000

There is no easy way to go about discussing God Bless America in light of recent tragedies in America. The film was already out of movie theaters by the time the Aurora Theater shooting occurred and forever changed the context…

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:57:01 +0000

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is the cinematic equivalent of freestyling at the club and dropping the mic when the beat drops out. Lorene Scafaria’s debut directorial effort (she previously wrote the charming screen adaptation of…

Zero Dark Thirty Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 01:50:18 +0000

You can’t ignore context when evaluating a film. But what happens when context itself is the substance of the film rather than the film itself? Zero Dark Thirty is the story of how one C.I.A. officer’s tireless search for Osama…

Django Unchained Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 17:40:55 +0000

A spaghetti western/revenge flick about slavery in the deep south should be a total disaster. It is just such a shocking concept that would require a deft hand, lots of planning, and a rock solid screenplay to even avoid being…

Lincoln Review (Film, 2012)

Robert — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:52:21 +0000

My glib, sarcastic response to Lincoln is “How much suspense can you really get out of whether or not congress voted for the 13th Amendment?” I had that thought before and after the film, but it was honestly the furthest…