As is our Friday tradition, we've gone ahead and reviewed this week's new film releases to help you make your weekend viewing plans. Read the latest edition of our weekly Film Roundup to get reviews of Gravity and the other new films premiering this week, then head over to our Recently Reviewed section for even more new film releases.
Acclaimed Mexican film directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón are often collectively known as 'The Three Amigos of Cinema.' The inspiration these three friends constantly draw from each other has led them to make some of the most groundbreaking films of the past decade, such as del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Iñárritu's Babel and Cuarón's sci-fi thriller Gravity, which sees its worldwide theatrical premiere this week. The film, which references Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, features spectacular visual effects that Exclaim! reviewer Robert Bell describes as "tailor-made for cinema history."
Though it managed to somehow secure the involvement of the always-busy figures of Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, Runner Runner at times feels like too generic a film. Elsewhere, the Greg Camalier-directed documentary Muscle Shoals traces the history of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, making it an essential watch for music buffs.
Originally shown in 2006 on the festival circuit, Jonathan Levine's horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane finally sees a proper wide release this week. Having previously been scrapped due to the failure of films like Grindhouse, the Weinstein Company has apparently decided that this pseudo-intellectual horror flick was worthy of a second chance. Read the review to see if our critic agrees.
Finally, the Haifaa Al-Mansour-directed film Wadjda represents not only the first feature film to be shot within the borders of Saudi Arabia, but also the first film to be directed by a Saudi woman. Though the film raises some issues concerning the subjugation of women in Saudi Arabia, it often does so only in a cursory manner.
There are many more film reviews where these ones came from; click over to our Recently Reviewed section for additional reviews.
Acclaimed Mexican film directors Alejandro González Iñárritu, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón are often collectively known as 'The Three Amigos of Cinema.' The inspiration these three friends constantly draw from each other has led them to make some of the most groundbreaking films of the past decade, such as del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, Iñárritu's Babel and Cuarón's sci-fi thriller Gravity, which sees its worldwide theatrical premiere this week. The film, which references Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, features spectacular visual effects that Exclaim! reviewer Robert Bell describes as "tailor-made for cinema history."
Though it managed to somehow secure the involvement of the always-busy figures of Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, Runner Runner at times feels like too generic a film. Elsewhere, the Greg Camalier-directed documentary Muscle Shoals traces the history of the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, making it an essential watch for music buffs.
Originally shown in 2006 on the festival circuit, Jonathan Levine's horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane finally sees a proper wide release this week. Having previously been scrapped due to the failure of films like Grindhouse, the Weinstein Company has apparently decided that this pseudo-intellectual horror flick was worthy of a second chance. Read the review to see if our critic agrees.
Finally, the Haifaa Al-Mansour-directed film Wadjda represents not only the first feature film to be shot within the borders of Saudi Arabia, but also the first film to be directed by a Saudi woman. Though the film raises some issues concerning the subjugation of women in Saudi Arabia, it often does so only in a cursory manner.
There are many more film reviews where these ones came from; click over to our Recently Reviewed section for additional reviews.
