In the woods, no one can hear you scream…
The truth is, I liked more things about The Strangers than I didn't. If I were one of those people who made pro/con lists, the pro side would easily be longer. But that's the problem with a pro/con list, especially here. At a certain point, it's got to be quality over quantity, and the things I didn't like about The Strangers level…

This June 10 DVD release is a shot by shot remake of a 1997 German language film from the same director.
The biggest debate surrounding the 2007 release of Funny Games in the US is whether someone should bother to watch this remake if they have seen the original German language version. Originally released in 1997, the first version (from the same director, Michael Haneke) became popular in the US following the announcement of the English language…

Despite the Internet hype, Cloverfield is short on plot, fear, and terror.
With an aggressive marketing campaign, Cloverfield was poised to make a splash on the theatrical scene. Like The Blair Witch Project and Snakes On A Plane before it, the buzz started in earnest on the Internet. For awhile, the film was simply known as 1-18-08 in cyberspace; clues, theories, and plot points were showing up on web sites and being…

Victoria Wood drops the comedy for a serious role in Housewife, 49 with excellent results
In 1937, journalist Charles Madge and filmmaker Humphrey Jennings were joined by anthropologist Tom Harrisson to form a group called Mass Observation. The group placed an advertisement in newspapers all over Britain asking for people from all walks of life to write down their thoughts and lives in a diary. The diaries would be compiled and the…

In which I see the film I was most looking forward to at the fest.
(In case you were wondering what happened to Day 8, it was a day of rest so that I wouldn’t grow to hate movies and everything they stand for.) Son of Rambow was my most anticipated film of the fest. After hearing the film's geektastic premise – two boys decide to remake First Blood – and the accompanying Sundance love, I was hooked. It…

A special about water conservation airs on April 15 at 9 PM on the Sundance Channel.
Water is the new oil. Tell me that a half an hour ago, I would have said you are mad. Water isn't nearly as big as an issue as oil.But it is.Every Tuesday at 9 PM, the Sundance Channel airs a show called Big Ideas for A Small Planet, with each episode highlighting a different issue involving the world — power, food, recycling, and so on. This…

A great story brought down by poor performances and a dreadful script.
Although Stuart Heisler’s The Burning Hills has a fantastic story with interesting characters, poor acting and an abysmal script bring it down. Not even the wonderful Natalie Wood can bring this script to life.The film starts out with a man getting shot in the back on a ranch and his horses being stolen. The man is the brother of Trace Jordan…

Amazingly bad production cannot cover the bad story contained within.
Wow. If you want to see a bad movie, this will fit the bill. No, I am not talking about a "so bad it's good" movie, I mean straight-up, claw out your eyes bad — that is, if you can retain consciousness long enough to make it to the end. I swear it took me three attempts to get through this thing. This is a movie that is beyond bad….

Should have been better. Character drama held back by lack of character.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Smart People. Based on the trailers I was hoping for a smartly written tale of characters who are intelligent, but still have a lot to learn. That sounds good, but it's not entirely accurate, I think I was more interested in seeing Ellen Page in her first outing since her Oscar-nominated…