José Manuel Cravioto’s “Bound to Vengeance” is exploitation in its ugliest form. I’d love to be one of the many to decry the film as misogynist, but exploitation is by nature misogynist. Truth be told, “Bound to Vengeance” is unpleasant but it’s also not the worst movie I’ve seen all year. In its rare moments it’s a fine revenge thriller about a woman getting her vengeance on her kidnapper. In its worst moments, it’s unpleasant and kind of stupid.
What’s the difference between kiddy porn and art?
The Lighting.
One of Larry Clark’s many infamous “Kids are Evil Monsters” movies, “Kids” is one of those films I’m proud to admit I despise with every inch of my being. And to this day I’m still trying to forget I ever saw it. In 1995, Larry Clark made the scene of indie and art house film by showing the world, the ecosystem of kids and what they do when adults aren’t looking. And while he was somewhat accurate in that regard concerning their penchant for sex and drinking, he forgot to include one crucial film detail: A narrative.
When Dwayne McDuffie died he left behind a strong and powerful community of loyal “Static Shock” fans, many of whom have kept the character alive long after the series ended. “Electrogenesis” isn’t the best of the fan films about Static Shock, but it’s certainly the most dramatic, and I appreciated its ambition most of all.
Nash Edgerton’s “Spider” has a cruel sense of humor to it, but one that I loved. It’s definitely reliant on a simple formula, but also very dependent on a chain effect that garners disastrous results in the very end. I was cringing, I was in disbelief, and by the very end I was laughing awkwardly for all the wrong reasons.
Director April Schroer’s “Sky’s the Limit” is a film that could use at least ten more minutes to help us identify with our characters. If there’s any complaint I can lobby at her film is that it’s much too short to really understand our characters. That said, “Sky’s the Limit” is a fun and entertaining short film about a dad who is looking for a direction in life after his wife left him widowed and a single father.
“Christian Mingle” and its main character Gwyneth in a nutshell: “I’m a successful and ambitious woman, a quality that completely turns men off. So to attract someone I’m going to lie about everything that I am and submit myself to subservience and relinquish everything I worked for! That’ll get me a guy!”
Granted, Lacey Chabert is adorable, but she’s just so much better than what this propaganda fest entails.
It’s remarkable how Pixar continues to top themselves in the arena of family entertainment that’s artistic, pleasing, and so multifaceted. “Inside Out” is that rare family film that demonstrates originality by appealing to its audience and tries to understand the experience of being a child in the modern age, rather than condescend or berate. “Inside Out” is one of Pixar’s greatest films to date; its complex, it’s heartbreaking, it’s sweet, and damn it, it should go down in the annals of animated Disney masterpieces.