The Playlist

Review: 'Black Rock' A Back-To-The-Wilds Slasher With Brains & Bonding To Go With The Blood

By James Rocchi
|
May 14, 2013 5:10 PM
|
5 Comments

Black Rock, Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth

Reviews

There is, ultimately, something to be said for the pleasures of a simple, sleek and well-shot run-or-kill-or-die thriller. The sort of film where the heroes are trapped in the middle of nowhere and find themselves threatened by hostile locals, and must then strike back to survive. That's what "Black Rock," the second directorial effort from Katie Aselton, is at heart, no more, no less. If you're hoping for a transcendent reinvention of the form, keep moving. If you're looking for a film like Aselton's erotic, neurotic and superbly acted "The Freebie," pass along. If you're looking for a well-executed example of a sub-genre with a Y-chromosome inflected plot and script, not as good as "Deliverance," but far better than a host of similarly-constructed films with bigger budgets and smaller IQs, you'll probably appreciate what "Black Rock" offers.

More:

Review: 'Little Birds' Has All The Insight Of An After-School Special

By Gabe Toro
|
August 29, 2012 6:29 PM
|
1 Comment

Reviews

There's a misconception about some films that utilize a specific location by gussying it up to be a paradise on camera. Often, the results are "Little Birds," which was shot on location at the Salton Sea of California, a formative place for impetuous Lily (Juno Temple) and Alison (Kay Panabaker). The two teenage girls, both the result of trailer park lifestyles, spend their days visiting the saltine beach, admiring the view and dreaming of boys, handsome dark types who will whisk them away to what can be considered the "big city." They appreciate the picturesque landscape, as does the camera. Does the filmmaker?

More:

First Look Photos: Juno Temple, Leslie Mann & Kate Bosworth In 'Little Birds'

By Simon Dang
|
May 23, 2012 10:20 AM
|
1 Comment

News

We've talked about Elgin James' colorful past on numerous occasions but we're now finally on the brink of seeing what he can offer with his debut film "Little Birds." Born out of the Sundance Labs, the film premiered to a warm reception at Park City last year but -- possibly due to a recent incarceration -- won't see a theatrical release until this summer.

More:

Tribeca Review: 'While We Were Here' Delivers The Sensuality Of The Sun-Kissed Shores Of Naples

By Gabe Toro
|
April 22, 2012 3:57 PM
|
0 Comments

Reviews

Harkening back to Italian neo-realism, the romance of Naples is alive in "While We Were Here," the latest film from writer-director Kat Coiro. Considerably more watchable than her pratfall-driven debut "L!fe Happens," the picture is significantly more sober-minded, concerning the marriage of pretty blond Jane (Kate Bosworth) and taciturn, mature Leonard (Iddo Goldberg). They arrive in the city and, almost as if protocol, consume each other in bed. As she retreats to the lavatory, she gazes in the mirror and wraps her arm around her stomach mournfully. It's not hard to see that, while young, Jane has lost something.

More:

Review: 'L!fe Happens' One Tiresome Subplot At A Time, None Of Them Worthwhile

By Gabe Toro
|
April 11, 2012 3:55 PM
|
0 Comments

Reviews

In a recent New York Times profile by Margy Rochlin, Krysten Ritter, ex-model and co-writer/star of “L!fe Happens,” talks about the film as her labor of love. She flinches when mixed reviews are mentioned, claiming the film “shouldn’t be reviewed” and “All that anybody should say about this film is ‘Good for you, girls, go get ‘em.’ -- and that it’s adorable.”

More:

New First Look Photos: Juno Temple In 'Jack & Diane,' Kate Bosworth In 'While We Were Here' & Val Kilmer In Harmony Korine's 'Fourth Dimension'

By Edward Davis
|
March 6, 2012 3:15 PM
|
4 Comments

News

If you were paying attention a couple of hours ago, you'll know that the Tribeca Film Festival has announced its preliminary slate beyond the opening night film, "The Five-Year Engagement." And it's a pretty good one so far, with highlights including "Jack And Diane," Bradley Rust Gray's long-awaited follow-up to the 2009's "The Exploding Girl," the Mexico-set drama "The Girl," starring Abbie Cornish, and much more.

More:

'The Girl' With Abbie Cornish, 'Jack And Diane,' Harmony Korine's Short 'The Fourth Dimension' & More Head To Tribeca

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
March 6, 2012 12:08 PM
|
0 Comments

Festivals

SXSW kicks off later this week, but once you're done slurping the BBQ sauce off your fingers, pack your backs and head north to Manhattan, as the Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up to unspool in April. To whet cinephile appetites, organizers have dropped the lineup for the World Narrative Feature Competition, World Documentary Feature Competition and Viewpoints categories, and there are plenty of titles to take note of.

More:

Watch: Sofia Coppola Directed Ad For H&M Starring Imogen Poots

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
February 5, 2012 9:24 AM
|
1 Comment

News

While television is now seen as fertile creative ground for filmmakers who can't find an opening in the franchise-heavy studio system, the commercial world is also an opportunity for a helmer to keep those movie making skills honed. And while we wait for Sofia Coppola to get her next feature film mounted -- which may be about the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch -- her latest venture into advertising will tide us over for now.

More:

Sundance: Katie Aselton & Kate Bosworth Talk Realism Vs. Horror In 'Black Rock'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
January 24, 2012 2:03 PM
|
0 Comments

News

While the subject of women in peril is about as old as the horror/thriller genre itself, director Katie Aselton, who also stars alongside Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell, is hoping to change the equation a bit with "Black Rock." The movie, which premiered over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, presents a trio of women who retreat to an island for a weekend, only to wind up fighting for their lives. As our review of the film notes, unlike standard movies in the genre, which give little substance to the women who are the victims of the tale, in "Black Rock" we get much more characterization, which in turn makes the audience far more invested in their plight.

More: