The trick in making a film where the outcome is well known is to make what leads up to that outcome as suspenseful as a surprise ending would have been. PRESSURE is a sterling example of how that is done. Based on a true story, it is a lesser-known story of D-Day in which we… Read More »
IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS
IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS is a melancholy study of the futility of violence. Set in the war-torn Northern Ireland of 1974, it features a performance by Liam Neeson that is considered, measured, and infinitely eloquent for its silences in a story that eschews politics as it finely observes the consequences of choices,… Read More »
NIGHT SWIM
What a stunningly dull excuse for a horror film. NIGHT SWIM, based on a short film of the same name, demonstrates that not every promising short can successfully be expanded into a feature-length opus by the original filmmakers. It’s so narratively lackadaisical that whatever premise held the promise of more-is-better is completely lost. What we… Read More »