Film Review
Beyond the Black Rainbow is the uncompromised vision of first-time director, Panos Cosmatos. Like the bastard child of a 3-way between Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker and Solaris, with bits of other vaguely familiar elements from other favorite cult films, like (Blade Runner, THX-1138) peppered in, the film firmly establishes itself as a retro-futuristic curiosity for psychedelic head trip fans everywhere. →

Film Review
In viewing Kill List recently I couldn’t help but have high expectations going in. After seeing the snazzy trailer, and being subjected to a bit of the hype machine that is currently surrounding it I thought I was in for a real rare bird – a film that somehow transcended the pitfalls of genre-bending and muddled narrative. But despite what you might hear from many other sources, this one does not live up to the hype. I found fleeting glimpses of quality throughout this murky, slowly paced misfire. →

An Insider’s Guide to the SBIFF 2012 Sponsored by UGG Australia)
“The Arlington Theater is one of the most beautiful movie theaters in the entire world”. This statement was uttered, not only from the mouth of one of the guest moderators at the Virtuosos Awards Event, but from audience members and festival volunteers alike. The Arlington Theater is nothing short of breathtaking – quite simply a film lover’s dream come true and the main hub of events for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

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UGG Australia Proudly Presents The 27th Annual SBIFF!
The Arlington Factory – Santa Barbara, CA
2/5/12

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is widely considered one of the finest annual festival events in Southern California and this year is no exception. Currently nearing the end of its two week run the festival has been a host to many high profile events honoring the likes of 2012 Oscar nominee Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino among others. There is also still time to catch some screenings of world-class international cinema before the closing night this Sunday, February 5th. →

MELANCHOLIA, Lars Von Trier’s new film, is a complex work from a controversial director with a lot on his mind. It’s a genre-bending, allegorical narrative about the end of the world rooted in melodrama and shrouded in mystery at every turn.

If you are familiar with Von Trier’s past work and especially his major works like Dogville, Antichrist and Breaking the Waves you already know that with each successive film he intends to provoke some sort of extreme reaction from the viewer and Melancholia is no exception. If you are new to Von Trier this film may be one of his most accessible. It’s certainly is one of the most visually ravishing and multi-layered of his career. →

As presented by the Cinefamily, in a free sneak preview that was packed to capacity, Todd Solondz’ new film Life During Wartime is both boldly contemporary and transcendent in its exploration of redemption and forgiveness. The film explores with caustic satire and keen awareness, our collective human condition, warts and all, in a way only Solondz knows how. →

Genre Hound
FIlm Opinion

It is rare that a film can surprise a viewer with the simple yet very effective observational approach of just shooting “fly on the wall” documentary style. In the case of the documentary Where Are You Taking Me?, an uplifting contemporary portrait of Uganda, which recently screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival, this is its raison d’être. →

Film Review
Directed by: Kevin Asch

It’s always refreshing to see a new spin on a familiar genre, especially when it relates to a true story about Hasidic Jews from Brooklyn involved in international drug smuggling. The story almost sounds hard to believe but then that’s the best part of this film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, which premiered last Friday, May 21, in select theaters. →

Genre Hound
Film Opinion

Love him or hate him, Lars Von Trier knows how to push people’s buttons. He also knows a thing or two about making films. Whether the average filmgoer is aware of it or not, Von Trier has been responsible for some of the major trends that have influenced independent cinema over the last decade. →

Genre Hound
Film Opinion

The story of an Asian American family living in Diablo Valley of Northern California and struggling to keep from falling apart despite the continuous threat of apocalypse in various forms — environmental, emotional, psychological, spiritual — in a film described by the Hollywood Reporter as such “an imaginative and deeply effecting effort” that even the fabric of reality seems to be subject to disintegration.

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