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Welcome, one and all, to the Festival of Films blog! Here, we strive not just to review films but to discuss how the art of film reflects society and the broader human condition. Comments and spirited discussion are always strongly encouraged. Just remember to keep it respectful, of course. Here's lookin' at you, readers!
Author Archives: Jeremy Kibler
How do you even begin to explain a film as unconventional as Upstream Color that defies categorization, description, and total understanding? Let’s start here: Shane Carruth, an engineer turned self-taught, multi-hyphenate filmmaker, only had a $7,000 budget when he first made … Continue reading
Posted in Drama, Features, Independent Films, Indie Features, Sci Fi
Tagged Amy Seimetz, Andrew Sensenig, Jeremy Kibler, Primer, Shane Carruth, Upstream Color
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F. Scott Fitzgerald probably had no idea his 1925 “Great American Novel” would receive three more film adaptations after 1926′s silent version. If any director could bring Gatsby’s rich, decadent, and grandiose lifestyle to the screen, it would thought to … Continue reading
At this point, any film presented, written or directed by “Splat Pack” horror guru Eli Roth (2006′s Hostel and 2007′s Hostel: Part II) prevents us from wanting to vacation to another continent ever. Aftershock, his latest independently funded project—which he co-wrote, produced, … Continue reading
Posted in Features, Thriller
Tagged Aftershock, Andrea Osvart, Eli Roth, Hostel, Jeremy Kibler, Lorenza Izzo, Nicolas Lopez
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Fervent readers of author Lee Child’s popular series may have trouble with the discrepancy of title character Jack Reacher being 6’5″ and built like a 250-pound brick shithouse and the casting of the 5’7″ Tom Cruise. But so what if … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Comedy, Features
Tagged David Oyelowo, Jack Reacher, Jeremy Kibler, Lee Child, Richard Jenkins, Rosamund Pike, Tom Cruise, Werner Herzog
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There must be some unwritten rule in Hollywood that the summer tentpole season begins the first weekend in May. The third and allegedly final Big Event in the man-and-machine franchise, Iron Man 3 officially kicks off the summer. Looking back, 2008′s Iron … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Comedy, Features
Tagged Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow, Iron Man 3, Jeremy Kibler, Marvel, Rebecca Hall, Robert Downey Jr., Shane Black, The Avengers
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What connects all of the characters in Disconnect is their overreliance on technology. What makes the film such a piercing, sobering, and compelling cautionary tale of paranoia and impersonal communication is that this is the world we’re living in now. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
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Since Matthew McConaughey has stopped straining to be likable (but came off smug and smarmy) with a renissance of dark, slippery roles in Bernie, Magic Mike, Killer Joe, and The Paperboy, he has really formed into a star with genuine acting … Continue reading
Posted in Drama, Features, Thriller
Tagged Jacob Lofland, Jeff Nichols, Jeremy Kibler, Matthew McConaughey, Mud, Ray McKinnon, Reese Witherspoon, Take Shelter, Tye Sheridan
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Michael Bay isn’t exactly the poster boy for highbrow thinking fare, what with the mean-spirited, joylessly dumb-as-a-rock Bad Boys II and the increasingly brain-numbing Transformers franchise. With up to $200 million at his disposal, only to waste that large sum on pyrotechnics and … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Comedy, Crime, Features
Tagged Anthony Mackie, Dwayne Johnson, Jeremy Kibler, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Bay, Pain & Gain, Rebel Wilson, Tony Shalhoub
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With Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain seeing its release this Friday, I thought I’d take a look back at some of the director’s worsts. The director recently apologized for Armageddon, but Bad Boys II and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen take the cake. I promise … Continue reading
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