From Prada to NadaA predictable but pleasant Mexican-American take on "Sense and Sensibility."Joe Leydon1/28/11 10:28am PT
Perfect SenseBlending apocalyptic elements from "Blindness" and "Children of Men" with a love story that never catches fire, "Perfect Sense" is a perfectly insipid sci-fi romance. Though its attempt to evoke the endtimes in a glancing, impressionistic, budget-restricted manner is admirable in theory, director David Mackenzie's second collaboration with Ewan McGregor (following 2003's "Young Adam") tritely tosses together two indifferently conceived characters against a backdrop of global panic that generates no urgency. IFC acquired U.S. rights at Sundance, where the film's muted reception suggests a foretaste of mass-audience indifference to come.Justin Chang1/28/11 1:56am PT
Septien"Septien" proves the paths of "weird" and "interesting" do not always intersect. Second narrative feature for director Michael Tully, here also thesp and co-writer, is duly offbeat without ever being very compelling in content or aesthetic. Tale of some rural Tennessee men with beaucoup issues was selected as one of five "Direct From the Sundance Film Festival" features for online distribution, and that will likely peak its exposure.Dennis Harvey1/28/11 1:55am PT
The WoodsOne of several Sundance movies this year that illustrate the perils of shooting with little or no script -- presumably hoping structure will magically manifest in the editing room -- "The Woods" has the not-bad idea of letting Gen Y'ers go "Lord of the Flies" on their own after society collapses. But this aimless satire has no narrative shape -- and no compelling character dynamics or sharp perspective to compensate. Distribution is likely to be solely of the DIY download type.Dennis Harvey1/28/11 1:54am PT
Prairie LoveTedious "Prairie Love" extends a thimbleful of undeveloped character and story ideas over 81 minutes of presumed black-comedy drollery as flat as its frozen North Carolina tundra setting. Impressively lensed as that setting is, the stark widescreen look isn't enough to hold interest in a movie whose would-be absurdist snowbound inertia fast induces viewer brain-freeze. Commercial prospects for director/co-writer Dusty Bias' first feature are below zero.Dennis Harvey1/28/11 1:51am PT
We Were HereA frank, no-frills account of the AIDS crisis as seen from ground zero -- San Francisco's gay Castro Street district circa 1980.Peter Debruge1/27/11 11:16pm PT
The InterruptersOverwhelming undertaking profiles a courageous group of Chicago activists who intervene in street fights and then coach the scrappers in conflict resolution.Peter Debruge1/27/11 10:28pm PT
HuskNew U.S. ReleaseLacks originality but serves up its combo plate of genre tropes with above-average flair.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 2:00pm PT
Seconds ApartNew U.S. Release"Seconds Apart" centers on twins who look like Diane Arbus subjects (or "Omen II" Damiens). Dennis Harvey1/27/11 2:00pm PT
Fertile GroundNew U.S. ReleaseA feeble "Amityville Horror" derivation as flat as the surrounding Iowa scenery.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 2:00pm PT
The TaskNew U.S. ReleaseReality-show contestants in a haunted-house scenario get a lot more scared than the viewer will.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 2:00pm PT
ProwlThere's no originality or personality to this clock-punching chiller.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 2:00pm PT
The Mill and the CrossThis visually ravishing, surprisingly beguiling gamble won't fit any standard arthouse niche.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 10:27am PT
Gun Hill RoadReminiscent of last year's "La Mission" in pitting a macho Latino dad against an only child's emerging sexual identity, writer-director Rashaad Ernesto Green's first feature, "Gun Hill Road," is earnest and well cast, but less involving than it should be. Pedestrian execution and TV-familiar leads suggest smallscreen rather than theatrical destinations.Dennis Harvey1/27/11 4:57am PT
Last Fast Ride: The Life, Love and Death of a Punk GoddessSlamdanceFilmmaker Lily Scourtis Ayers' portrait of punk rocker Marian Anderson -- who died of a heroin overdose in 2001 at age 33 -- is a technically proficient collage of interviews with Anderson's intimates, performance tapes and archival footage in a variety of formats. Given the relative obscurity of its subject, however, this sympathetic but downbeat doc is at best an iffy prospect for even limited theatrical play.Joe Leydon1/27/11 4:52am PT
Nothing to DeclareThe worst nightmare of a tyrannical, virulently Francophobic Belgian customs officer comes true when the Schengen agreement, which erases intra-European borders, is announced in the Dany Boon intercomedy, "Nothing to Declare."Boyd van Hoeij1/27/11 4:44am PT
Lord ByronBuilt around unreliable narrators, delusional southerners, incongruous music and outright lies, experimental pic's sense of transgressive mischief eventually seems more like juvenile delinquency. Pic will be a hard sell in any format.John Anderson1/27/11 4:31am PT
Page One: A Year Inside the New York TimesAn efficient primer on a year's worth of stories and setbacks at America's paper of record.Justin Chang1/27/11 12:28am PT
CircumstanceCertain to be discussed more for its daring depiction of a lesbian relationship in present-day Tehran than for its artistic merits.Robert Koehler1/27/11 12:21am PT
The ConvincerPic is distinguished throughout by the sharp contributions of a high-caliber cast and crew.Rob Nelson1/26/11 10:52pm PT
The Son of No OneWriter-director Dito Montiel shoots mostly blanks in the hokey cop meller "The Son of No One." Rob Nelson1/26/11 5:08pm PT
TroubadoursAn infectiously fond look at a mellow moment in rock history.Dennis Harvey1/26/11 3:16pm PT
The Cinema Hold UpAn immensely likable if overly lengthy film steeped in Mexican youth culture.Andrew Barker1/26/11 5:40am PT
Mad BastardsRichly informed by the real struggles of Western Australians to overcome legacies of male violence.Rob Nelson1/26/11 5:39am PT
Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same"Sweet, funny, clever comedy seeks crossover" would be the Craigslist come-on for "Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same," and it may well come true via Madeleine Olnek's wry homage to '50s sci-fi, urban dating and interspecies romance. "Codependent" could pass as a family film, given the right family. But small arthouse and huge DVD/VOD seem more likely.John Anderson1/26/11 5:37am PT
Ticket to ParadiseA heartbreaking collision of joyous, reckless youth, abject despair and cosmic disharmony.John Anderson1/26/11 4:34am PT
Another EarthSuggests an extended "Twilight Zone" episode by way of a grief-therapy two-hander.Justin Chang1/26/11 12:44am PT
WhatsoeverlyBerlinItaly's current political scandals are a double-edged sword for "Whatsoeverly," the bigscreen version of Antonio Albanese's popular TV satire about a venal and vulgar Italian politico.Jay Weissberg1/26/11 12:04am PT
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation FrontA gimlet-eyed glimpse into the roots of terrorism and the politics behind its prosecution.John Anderson1/26/11 12:03am PT
Life in a DayAn emotional and problematically assembled feature-length compilation.Robert Koehler1/26/11 12:00am PT
Bobby Fischer Against the WorldIt's hard to believe that 40 years ago, with Vietnam, Watergate and other lasting headlines vying for attention, people around the globe stood in thrall to chess.Dennis Harvey1/26/11 12:00am PT
Shut Up Little Man!: An Audio MisadventureAlternately hilarious and discomfiting, and finally rather poignant, pic stands a decent chance of snagging niche theatrical deals before hitting home formats.Dennis Harvey1/25/11 6:31pm PT
ReaganThe strengths and weaknesses of the late "Great Communicator" are well articulated in "Reagan."Rob Nelson1/25/11 5:17pm PT
Hell and Back AgainPhotojournalist-turned-filmmaker Danfung Dennis' "Hell and Back Again" vigorously embraces a grunt's eye view of war and its aftereffects.Robert Koehler1/25/11 5:03pm PT
The RiteNew U.S. ReleaseViewers might be pleasantly surprised by restraint of helmer Mikael Hafstrom's atmospheric thriller.Joe Leydon1/25/11 3:00pm PT
The MechanicNew U.S. ReleaseAdapted from 1972 Charles Bronson pic, "The Mechanic" has been dusted off and retooled as a vehicle for Jason Statham.Brian Lowry1/25/11 2:26pm PT
Little BirdsMarks the arrival of promising new helmer Elgin James.Peter Debruge1/25/11 1:26pm PT
The SalesmanSebastien Pilote's quiet character study might be a decades-later sequel to such '70s Canadian classics as "Goin Down the Road" and "Paperback Hero."Dennis Harvey1/25/11 10:07am PT
Silver TonguesSlamdanceDefinitely offbeat, if distasteful in its focus on cruel mind games played for the hell of it.Dennis Harvey1/25/11 3:29am PT
Take ShelterA hallucinatory thriller anchored by a deeply resonant sense of unease.Justin Chang1/25/11 2:52am PT