All posts by DystopianHero

Jon would say that as a writer, he is a self-proclaimed film snob and a pop culture junkie. He always gives his honest, critical, and maybe a little bit snarky opinion on everything. He's very detail-oriented and loves anything involving creativity and innovation. So beware and get ready to be entertained. You can stay in contact with him by following him on twitter @DystopianHero. (Also, he doesn't always refer to himself in the third person, but sometimes he just has to).
Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “The Water Diviner” Digs Its Own Watery Grave

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Excerpt: The story might be about war, but the true battle pits Russell Crowe “the actor” against Russell Crowe “the director”. Russell Crowe, the actor, we know too well. He is always a powerful presence and delivers a strong, scene-stealing performance, even if he is forced to sing (not in this film though). Crowe, the actor, is one of the few assets The Water Diviner, and it uses his tender/tough guy persona and signature pensive-stare-into-oblivion gaze. Russell Crowe the director is new to the scene, but you can tell he has picked up some cinematic tricks from his acting alter ego. Unfortunately, all of the techniques he employed have been overused–even in films he’s starred in, but some techniques were just completely misused.

RATING: ★★★★(4/10 stars)

Read my full review at The Young Folks!

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “True Story” Could Have Used Some Fiction

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Excerpt: The only reason that I can attribute this film’s cinematic failure to is that perhaps it was a little too true for it’s own good. Normally I would applaud this, but sticking to the exact sequence of events was a great detriment to this film. The potentially great performances by the cast remained untapped because the story’s narrative never rose to the emotional heights that the subject matter demanded. Usually, when murder (especially multiple child murders) is involved in court cases, people are the opposite of placid. The mostly even-tempered nature of the characters seemed out of place for everyone except Franco, whose character called for it, being a sociopath and all.

RATING: ★★★(3/10 stars)

Read my full review at The Young Folks!

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: You’ll Want to Disconnect Everything After “Unfriended”

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Excerpt: Unfriended uses its subtle development of suspense to create genuine, well-earned scares, even if there are only a few. As a byproduct, this film serves as an effective anti-bullying PSA and as a means to connect with most of the audience through the use of all of the popular social media outlets. All except Twitter, but that is probably because ghosts aren’t fond of the 140 character limit.

RATING: ★★★★★★(6/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

 

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “Clouds of Sils Maria” Floats Above Itself

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Excerpt: We don’t always notice the specific changes we go through, whether they’re physical, emotional, or even metaphysical. Cloud of Sils Maria takes a look at all of the past stages of Maria’s life, like ghosts coming back to haunt her on the eve of her transition. This metatheater film uses beautiful, natural scenery to parallel how natural change is, even if you try to rage against it. With inspired performances for three powerhouse females, this film shows us that no matter at what age, a great performance is timeless.

RATING: ★★★★★★★★★(9/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

https://youtu.be/5L-9rcEhGm4

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “Kill Me Three Times” is Tedious Overkill

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Excerpt: This film is full of missed opportunities, regrets, and bad decisions, and I’m not just talking about the characters in this half-cocked story. The story suffers from a conflux of narratives, each unstably stacking on top of each other until you get a tiered wreck. The entire cast is squandered as they endeavor to go through the motions and make it through this banal calamity. Even the genres seemed muddled, trying to be a mystery and suspense film, by being too predictable to keep up with any intrigue or uncertainty. The odd part is that this film feels like it’s courting comedy, but never really lands any punchlines. Which is a shame really, because if the film had gone all out assassin spoof, it would have faired better, especially where some of the cast is concerned.

RATING: ★★(2/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “Desert Dancer” Is Rythmic, But Predictable

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Excerpt: Desert Dancer has beauty and truth in it, but it lies exclusively in the chemistry between the two leads and the stylized dancing. That said, these instances were too few in a film that could have greatly benefited from being an entire interpretative dance performance. The story of freedom from oppression and freedom of expression in Iran is a somber and ruthless one, but you’d never know the true extent of it by seeing this film.

RATING: ★★★★(4/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: “White God” Has Both Bark and Bite

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Excerpt: White God has all the moralistic themes and allegorical elements to make the film evergreen when applied to almost any social, political or socio-economic conflict. The quality of the canine choreography and acting is beyond reproach, even when compared to the skillful performances on the human side. An added side effect of this film is that you will want to go immediately home and give that special pet in your life a big treat. Maybe even invest in a jugular guard or two.

RATING: ★★★★★★★★★(9/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

Feature, Film, Film Reviews

Review: To Write Love On Her Arms

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Excerpt: To Write Love On Her Arms is a symphonious specimen of the melding of dazzling visuals, masterful musical scoring, and remarkable performances (especially by Kat Dennings). This film was one of the casualties of the Sony leak last year, and even though more than a handful of you may have already seen it (via illegally downloaded), it is well worth buying or at least renting. A portion of the sales go towards the organization.

RATING: ★★★★★★★★(8/10 stars)

To read my full review, go to The Young Folks

Feature, Film, Film Features, Film News

The Oscars: Winners, Snubs and More!

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Excerpt: The Oscars have come and gone again this year. The only difference is that they went out with bang instead of a whimper like past years. Neil Patrick Harris has really become a pro at hosting awards shows, and this year’s Oscars was easily the most entertaining in recent history. The competition was fierce and possibly the closest it’s been in a while. Here are the winners of the most popular categories, along with who I thought should have won.

To read the rest of the article, go to Pop Junk.