The Diary Of A Teenage Girl (2015)
Brad's Status (2017)
Carnival (1946)
Rim Of The World (2019)
Dark Light (2019)
What Lies Below (2020)
The Happening (2008)
Frozen River (2008)
Maggie's Plan (2015)
A Stranger In Town (1943)
Tumbledown (2015)
The Giant Mechanical Man (2012) ///
Brad's Status (2017) Insecure Ben Stiller becomes fixated by the material success of old friends and how youthful dreams have washed away as he visits with his son for a future college. Humor is cutting and observant, performances persuasive and narrative resolution unexpectedly moving.
Carnival (1946) Richly textured visuals and distinct sense of place stands out against an episodic tale of Sally Gray's dancer seeking to escape from Edwardian poverty and conformity only to find a loveless, religiously suffocating marriage. Murky melodrama never transcends to tragedy.
Rim Of The World (2019) A garish color scheme and jokey teenage heroics (as well as life lessons) never convince there is real threat from the alien invasion and a mission to save the world. Devoid of cinematic sweep and energy, only Bear McCreary's terrific score unleashes true potential.
Dark Light (2019) A fractured mother returns to her remote childhood home which initially seems haunted but actually turns out to hide life-energy draining monsters beneath the ground who want her daughter. A fractured narrative and predictable visual style doesn't elevate tension.
What Lies Below (2020) A spirited mother and spiky teenage daughter find a ruggedly handsome scientist's intrusion at their lakeside home gets more than just a little weird. A controlled atmosphere never really allows for sci-fi creature scares to break out. Ending is bleakly confounding.
The Happening (2008) Nature takes its revenge as people are driven to kill themselves and each other, and for a solid first half the filmmaking is eerily effective. Once Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel reach the depths of country, however, it rapidly disintegrates with comical self-seriousness.
Frozen River (2008) Deserted mother Melissa Leo and Mohawk widow Misty Upham join forces to illegally drive people across the Canadian border. Powerful, natural performances inhabit a low-key, lived-in environment as bracing as it is moving, treating victims of poverty and racism with humanism.
Maggie's Plan (2015) Uneven, endearing, affectionately spun tale of emotional confusion, carried by its cast despite tonal shifts and bumpy narrative. Greta Gerwig plans a baby, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore fall out and in love. A dysfunctional, extended family comes together.
A Stranger In Town (1943) Weary Supreme Court Judge Frank Morgan intends to vacation but finds himself at the center of small town politics and corruption. Richard Carlson is the idealistic lawyer, Jean Peters the jaundiced city assistant. Breezy, good-natured comedy and romance.
Tumbledown (2015) A bittersweet, compassionate tale of memories, loss and idealism, as reluctant Rebecca Hall accepts eager writer Jason Sudeikis into the world of her late husband, a famous musician. Though the resolution too comfortably conforms to genre, a brittle, astute mix of emotion and humor.
The Giant Mechanical Man (2012) A likeable cast makes the plot familiarity forgivable, as drifting Jenna Fischer and street performer Chris Messina overcome artificial obstacles to discover independence and romance. Gentle laughs and drama, insubstantial and fleetingly enjoyable.
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