KRAMPUS Review — You Better Watch Out
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson In Alpine folklore Krampus is a half-human half-demon figure with ram-like horns growing out from under his red and white stocking cap. According to traditional tales swirling around the legend, Krampus punishes children during the Christmas season who have misbehaved, in contrast to Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved ones with gifts.…
TRUMBO – Fashion Fling with Hedda Hopper Heavenly Hats
by Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston in the title role, follows the life and strife of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Though it’s faithfully based on the biography by Bruce Alexander Cook, the touches of humor and heart are no doubt due to director Jay Roach, who is best-known for his comedies.…
BY THE SEA Review — Something's Fishy
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson The first words spoken in By The Sea are, “I smell fish.” This incredibly astute observation is made by vapid ex-dancer Vanessa (Angelina Jolie-Pitt) to her handsome hubby Roland (Brad Pitt), the moment they step out of their glorious gun metal gray Citröen DS convertible and onto the cobble streets…
BLEEDING HEART Review — Good Movie, Bad Title
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Bleeding Heart is the story of two women who are, as the tagline says, “Tied by blood, and bound by lies.” May (Jessica Biel) is a yoga instructor who runs a business with her subtly controlling boyfriend, Peter (Exie Booker). Shiva (Zosia Mamet) is a prostitute whose overtly controlling boyfriend,…
CRIMSON PEAK Review — Gorgeous Shades
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Crimson Peak, the new film from visual stylist Gulliermo del Toro, is an affectionate throwback to the slow-burn Gothic horror movies of the late 30s and 1940s. It reminded me of silvery black and white classics like House on Haunted Hill, Gaslight, Rebecca, Dragonwyck, Wuthering Heights, et al – except…
SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Review
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Young actor Tye Sheridan made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick’s beautiful, profound experimental drama The Tree of Life in 2011, and the following year saw his first leading role in the coming-of-age adventure, Mud. His other credits include the critically acclaimed Joe, and The Stanford Prison Experiment. And…
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY – THE GHOST DIMENSION Review
By Staci Wilson Wilson @StaciWilson Looking for a good horror movie to watch this Halloween? Check out Crimson Peak. Looking for any old horror movie? Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension has a few jump scares and a couple of creepy moments. What began in 2009 as a simple, spooky story about a house haunted by…
TALES OF HALLOWEEN Review — Trick or Treat?
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Just in time for trick or treat season comes Tales of Halloween, a 10-story horror-comedy anthology. Made by “The October Society” – a (mostly) California clique of film directors and genre actors – it’s one of the most cohesive anthologies I’ve seen in some time. While other recent omnibus style…
THE VISIT Review: New Day for M. Night Shyamalan?
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson Fifteen-year-old Rebecca Jamison (Olivia De Jonge) is making a movie about her family. Dad is out of the picture, but there’s Mom (Kathryn Hahn) and Becca’s precocious little brother Tyler (Ed Oxenbould). Plus there’s Grandma (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop-Pop (Peter McRobbie), the out-of-state elderly grandparents no one has seen since…
HELL AND BACK Review — A Little Slice of…Well…
By Staci Layne Wilson @StaciWilson It goes without saying that cartoons aren’t just for kids anymore – actually, that’s been the case since Eveready Harton was made in the late 1920s (and of course there’s everything from Fritz the Cat to Team America: World Police, et cetera). Dirty moving pictures are everywhere, from primetime TV…
