Streaming Reviews

Reviews of 5 films currently available on VOD

VOD REVIEWS: Philip Gelatt’s THEY REMAIN takes you for a terror-filled hallucinatory trip into the woods

By admin 8 years ago

Combined with Kirby’s imagery, that Lovecraft feel is more than complete – it makes us really, really uncomfortable. They Remain leans heavily on such classic audiovisual tropes which can evoke everything from Universal Monsters to the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, but bent towards that Dunwich Horror sort of ethos. Which is to say – there’s nothing cartoonish or “safe” about the film’s horror.

VOD REVIEWS: Cullen Hoback's WHAT LIES UPSTREAM will make you question every bottle of water you take a drink from. Mmmmm, refreshing!

By Miguel Cima 8 years ago

In terms of film style, What Lies Upstream is almost sneaky. Hoback has a knack for ingratiating himself with people and gaining trust. It doesn’t matter that he’s a California liberal. He masterfully parlays his few childhood memories from visiting relatives in West Virginia into full acceptance by the vocally anti-regulation, anti-Obama residents who are struggling to get answers from the water authority, health officials and even Senator Joe Manchin.

VOD REVIEWS: Dorie Barton’s GIRL FLU is a gem of a young girl’s coming-of-age story centered around the crisis of her first period and a mom that needs more adult guidance than she does

By Jennifer McCann 8 years ago

Given the subject matter this could have been trite and tacky fodder for an afternoon special but Barton keeps it low key and very real. The solid friends who help us navigate our world, the humor among friends and sarcastic families, people who get so wrapped up in what could-have-been that they don’t see what’s right in front of them; she never takes the easy way out nor the over the top reaction.

VOD REVIEWS: Chad Hartigan's MORRIS FROM AMERICA has great performances from Craig Robinson and Markees Christmas, a lot of heart, and deserves a first or second look on VOD

By Danielle Antinozzi 8 years ago

The most endearing thing in this film is the relationship between Morris and his father, Curtis. The connection they have with one another is refreshing and intriguing, hooking in the viewer even from the opening sequence where they playfully banter about which one has better taste in hip hop. Curtis is patient with Morris as he fumbles through the many life transitions he is facing. They grow and learn together, both facing a different set of issues after their recent move.

VOD REVIEWS: Nathan Morlando ’s MEAN DREAMS offers up a classic story of star-crossed young lovers with a swan song performance by Bill Paxton

By admin 9 years ago

MEAN DREAMS not only isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, it revels in the trappings of its poor, farm country setting, story tropes, and the familiar character archetypes it puts forward. The film banks on the romantic dynamic between the two leads (Sophie Nelisse, and Josh Wiggins), as well as the villain role embodied by Paxton..

VOD REVIEWS: Justin Kurzel's THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS is an under appreciated horror masterpiece waiting to be re-discovered on VOD

By Miguel Cima 9 years ago

The reek of degradation is so impactful, it’s hard to wash away from the mind. And therein lies the true horror the film offers as well as its cinematic triumph. The murders take a back seat to the explorations of the utter raping of the psyche of a teenager we are subjected to. No amount of gore could make an audience more uneasy, seeking the exits than what The Snowtown Murders has conjured.

VOD REVIEWS: Martin Koolhoven ’s BRIMSTONE delivers a brutal, bloody western with three old school star turns by Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, and Kit Harrington

By admin 9 years ago

Yes, it is unforgivingly violent, and frequently – literally perverse, and twisted, but ultimately the strength of the film falls on the two leads, Fanning and Pearce, as well as a supporting turn by “Game of Thrones” star, Kit Harrington, as a gunslinger who becomes an ally to Liz, during an earlier chapter of her life.