Director Courtney Hunt’s thriller stars Keanu Reeves as a defense attorney for a high school senior accused of murdering his father. Although the courtroom drama feels like an extended version of a Law and Order episode, the performances and twisty script keep you in 93-minute-long suspense. (BKP: 4/5) Review by Managing Editor Brigid K. Presecky… Continue reading THE WHOLE TRUTH
Tag: Brigid Presecky
GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)
Why is Ghostbusters 2016 so important? Thoughts from Peier Tracy Shen There are of course more important reasons to watch GB16. And that’s kind of the elephant in the room, especially with the recent news about Leslie Jones, who was subjected to twitter abuses. The Internet trolling (rampant, in fact, ever since the movie was announced) only reflects… Continue reading GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)
JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE
Filmmaker Amy Berg (an FF2 Media favorite) releases her fourth film of the year, Janis: A Little Girl Blue, telling the personal story of music legend Janis Joplin. Using historical footage, family interviews and Joplin’s personalized letters, Berg tells a masterful story of a young girl whose passion drove her to enormous success … and… Continue reading JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE
RETURN TO SENDER
On the heels of her infamous role in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, Rosamund Pike steps back into a similar character – a vengeful, mentally-unstable woman who is grappling with trauma. The majority of the film is equal parts engrossing and disturbing, ultimately unraveling in Act Three. Nonetheless, screenwriters Patricia Beauchamp and Joe Gossett grasp your… Continue reading RETURN TO SENDER
UNCERTAIN TERMS
The tension-filled drama, centering on a home for pregnant teenagers, spends more time focusing on the marital woes of their 30-year-old handyman. Director Nathan Silver makes the story feel intimate – sometimes eerie – and beautifully brings the screenplay by Chloe Domont and Cody Stokes to life. But despite the setting and mood, there are… Continue reading UNCERTAIN TERMS
SEEDS OF TIME
Director Sandy McLeod packs a great deal of information in the 77-minute documentary about seed conservation. The film focuses on agricultural trailblazer Cary Fowler and highlights the impending dangers of climate change. Despite a few lulls, McLeod’s documentary is constructive, personal and extremely informative. (BKP: 4/5) Review by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Seeds of Time… Continue reading SEEDS OF TIME
SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
Marah Strauch’s documentary debut tells the story of adventurous Carl Boenish and his team of adrenaline-seeking BASE jumpers. Beautiful, thrilling archival footage and detailed narrations string together a story about a man who lived life from one exhilarating moment to the next. (BKP: 4.5/5) Review by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky “One of my mottos… Continue reading SUNSHINE SUPERMAN
KNOW HOW
Review of Know How by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Director Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza–collaborating with co-screenwriters Deshawn Brown, Niquana Clark, Michael Dew, Gabrielle Garcia, Gilbert Howard, Claribelle Pagan, and Ebonee Simpson–creates a hybrid of documentary and fiction, having young men and women reenact true, horrific events during their life in the foster care system.… Continue reading KNOW HOW
PITCH PERFECT 2
Review of Pitch Perfect 2 by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky New song numbers and endearing new characters balance whatever charm is lost in the much-anticipated a cappella follow-up. Writer Kay Cannon and Director Elizabeth Banks bring the Bellas back to the big screen in a fun, if slightly less focused, sequel of the 2012… Continue reading PITCH PERFECT 2
HOT PURSUIT
Review of Hot Pursuit by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara are both capable of turning good material into great material. Unfortunately, neither of them could save Hot Pursuit. With a weak plot and unoriginal dialogue, the script by David Feeney and John Quaintance is nothing we haven’t seen before. (BKP:… Continue reading HOT PURSUIT
CAS & DYLAN
Review of Cas & Dylan by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Tatiana Maslany and Richard Dreyfuss bring their talent, charm and chemistry to the heartfelt road trip film Cas & Dylan. Director Jason Priestley and screenwriter Jessie Gabe take the audience on the journey as two very different characters share a bond of friendship and… Continue reading CAS & DYLAN
HOMBRES A LA CARTA
Review of Hombres A La Carta by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Screenwriter Solanny Valdelamar Correa tells the story of a 36-year-old woman in a race with her ticking biological clock. Bordering between relatable and implausible, Hombres A La Carta (“Men on Demand”) follows “Cecilia” (Chichila Navia) and her contemporary ways of finding a husband… Continue reading HOMBRES A LA CARTA
ADULT BEGINNERS
BONUS POST: 2 Reviews from 2 Points-of-View! Nick Kroll and Rose Byrne star in a film about a washed-up man living with his sister’s family, a well-intentioned project that relies on its talented cast to carry a middle-of-the-road plot. Directed by Ross Katz and co-written by Jeff Cox and Liz Flahive, Adult Beginners has just enough heart… Continue reading ADULT BEGINNERS
IT HAPPENED HERE
Review of It Happened Here by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Lisa F. Jackson’s timely documentary It Happened Here follows five young women as they share their testimonies of surviving sexual assault. Through intimate interviews, the film documents harrowing first-hand accounts of rape on America’s college campuses. (BKP: 5/5) ************************************ Angie Epifano. Kylie Angell. Sarah O’Brien. Carolyn… Continue reading IT HAPPENED HERE
THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT
Review of The Sisterhood of the Night by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Caryn Waechter’s witch-hunt drama ventures outside of Salem and into a modern American high school. The bizarre film, based on Steven Millhauser’s short story Sisterhood, follows goth-like “Mary Warren” (Georgie Henley) as she unplugs from social media and discretely takes her posse take… Continue reading THE SISTERHOOD OF NIGHT
Subscribe, Comment and Like: Documenting the real-girls of YouTube
By Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Aside from crime-fighting heroines in dystopian worlds or century-old Disney princesses – strong, relatable girl characters are almost nonexistent in the multiplex. Young girls are looking elsewhere for relatable entertainment: their phones, their tablets, and their laptops. YouTube has more than one billion users. Every minute, 300 hours of video… Continue reading Subscribe, Comment and Like: Documenting the real-girls of YouTube
THE HAND THAT FEEDS
Review of The Hand That Feeds by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky The inspiring documentary by Rachel Lears takes us inside a world that many people interact with on a daily basis and hardly ever stop to notice. The Hand That Feeds tells the story of New York City sandwich-maker Mahoma Lopez as he unites… Continue reading THE HAND THAT FEEDS
SHE’S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE’S ANGRY
Review of She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry by Associate Editor Brigid K. Presecky Mary Dore’s timely documentary feels like a textbook come to life, following the story of the Women’s Rights Movement from its conception to today’s ongoing battle. Filled with an abundance of video clips, pictures and engaging interviews, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry… Continue reading SHE’S BEAUTIFUL WHEN SHE’S ANGRY
VERY GOOD GIRLS
Wonderful film. Terrible title. Dakota Fanning does a brilliant job of bringing the main character – a teenage girl named Lilly – to vivid life on screen. (JLH: 4/5) Review by FF2 Managing Editor Jan Lisa Huttner (with two cents from both Associate Editor Brigid Presecky & Contributing Editor Jessica Perry added at the very… Continue reading VERY GOOD GIRLS
SEX TAPE
“Jay” (Jason Segal) & “Annie” (Cameron Diaz) send their kids to grandma one night, then record themselves working their way thru all the moves in THE JOY OF SEX… only to realize in the morning that they have inadvertently uploaded their tape into cyberspace. Rich only saw the crude in this, but Jan thought she detected… Continue reading SEX TAPE