Author Archives: Scott Phillips

Film
Film Review: A Star is Born
A Star is Born, the new film co-written and directed by Bradley Cooper, is a cinematic perfect…
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Film
The Standoff at Sparrow Creek: Fantastic Fest 2018 Film Review
A high-profile crime has been committed.  A group of men gather at a warehouse.  There is a…
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Film
Overlord: Fantastic Fest 2018 Film Review
Overlord, the new film from director Julius Avery (Son of a Gun), is an action-packed thrill ride…
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Film
Burning: Fantastic Fest 2018 Film Review
Jongsu (Ah-in Yoo) is part of a lost generation.  He has a college degree that has resulted in…
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Film
Halloween: Fantastic Fest 2018 Film Review
On Halloween night in 1978, Michael Myers went on a killing spree in Haddonfield, Illinois. …
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Film
The Wind: Fantastic Fest 2018 Film Review
Some places are tainted, cursed.  They are stained by past misdeeds that can’t be scrubbed…
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Film
Film Review: We The Animals
We The Animals begins with a series of battle cries as three young brothers, Jonah, Joel and…
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Film
Film Review: Nico, 1988
Those must have been some of the best days of your life.  In the opening moments of Nico, 1988, a…
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Film
Film Review: Support the Girls
In Support the Girls, Lisa (Regina Hall) manages Double Whammies, a restaurant populated by…
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Film
Film Review: The Miseducation of Cameron Post
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, the new indie feature from writer/director Desiree Akhavan,…
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Review
Film Review: The Cakemaker
We’re almost two months into the summer blockbuster season, a time when theaters are filled with…
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Review
Film Review: Damsel
Many moviegoers like the familiar. The success of the Marvel franchise and the Star Wars universe…
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Review
Film Review: Won’t You Be My Neighbor
When the lights went down at the 2018 True-False Film Festival and the opening title cards for…
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Review
Film Review: Filmworker
Loyalty is in short supply in 2018. Relationships are severed with a single tweet. You can…
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Review
Film Review: The Endless
Some films catch fire in the friendly confines of genre festivals attended by die-hard fans who are…
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Review
Film Review: Revenge
Director Coralie Fargeat Elevates Exploitation Cinema to an Art Form With its saturated colors and…
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Review
Film Review: Sgt. Stubby — An American Hero
Some film genres feel uniquely American. The war epic has been a staple of American cinema since…
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Review
Chattanooga Film Festival Review: Down Range
Down Range, the new film from Ryuhei Kitamure (The Midnight Meat Train), wastes no time getting…
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Review
Chattanooga Film Festival Review: Ghost Stories
What is it about British filmmakers being so damn good at making horror films? Is it growing up in…
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Film
2018 Oscar-Nominated Live Action Short Films
Most Oscar-nominated live action short films are issue driven.  Seriousness wins awards.  As…
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Uncategorized
Film Review: Small Town Crime
One person’s trope is another person’s cliche.  Which side of that dividing line you…
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Film
Film Review: Molly’s Game
Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin loves dissecting business cultures and breaking them down…
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Film
Film Review: Hostiles
In the opening scene of Hostiles, the new film from writer/director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Out…
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Film
Film Review: The Other Side of Hope
The Other Side of Hope, the new film from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki, is a tale of ……
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Film
Film Review: The Breadwinner
Parvana is an 11-year-old girl who lives in Kabul, Afghanistan, with her parents, an older sister…
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Film
Film Review: God’s Own Country
In the opening act of God’s Own County, the feature film debut from writer/director Francis…
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Film
Film Review: The Disaster Artist
“It’s so bad, it’s good.” We’ve heard that phrase countless times,…
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Film
Film Review: Sweet Virginia
In the opening moments of Sweet Virginia, the new indie crime film starring Jon Bernthal (The…
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Film
Film Review: Blade of the Immortal
Blade of the Immortal, the 100th film from Japanese director Takashi Miike, is neither a bad film…
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Film
Film Review: Thank You For Your Service
Thank You For Your Service, the new drama from writer/director Jason Hall, has a title laden with…
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Film
Film Review: 78/52
The shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Is it the best three minutes in the history…
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Film
Film Review: Lucky
One thing always bothers me when I shop for a card for my wedding anniversary — most of them…
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Film
Film Review: Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards
Manolo Blahnik. As a straight middle-aged white dude with limited knowledge of the fashion…
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Film
Film Review: Fantastic Fest 2017 Review Round-Up
I was a first-time attendee at Fantastic Fest when I stepped into the Alamo Drafthouse Theater on …
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Film
Film Review: Super Dark Times
Super Dark Times, the new film from cinematographer-turned-director Kevin Phillips, blends elements…
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Film
Film Review: Salyut-7
What was the last really good movie you saw about space exploration? Not a science fiction film…
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Film
Film Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer
When it comes to my thoughts on The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the newest film from writer/director…
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Film
Film Review: The Death of Stalin
It’s not every comedy that ends with an execution. But in writer/director Armando…
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Film
Film Review: Thelma
Thelma, the latest film from writer/director Joachim Trier (Louder Than Bombs), feels like a…
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Film
Film Review: Revenge
With its saturated colors and vivid splashes of blood, Revenge, the new action thriller from…
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Film
Film Review: Gerald’s Game
Mike Flanagan, the writer/director behind Oculus (2013) Hush (2016) and Ouija: Origin of Evil…
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Film
Film Review: Brawl in Cell Block 99
Brawl in Cell Block 99, the new film from writer/director S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk),is a big…
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Film
Film Review: Firstborn
In the early moments of Firstborn, the new thriller from writer/director Aik Karapetian, a man and…
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Film
Film Review: Darkland
Darkland, the new film from writer/director Fenar Ahmad, is built from plot beats we’ve seen…
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Film
Film Review: Wheelman
If you didn’t know any better, you’d think the life of a getaway driver was…
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Film
Film Review: Thoroughbreds
Thoroughbreds, the debut film from writer/director Cory Finley, is a master class in tone. It…
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Film
Film Review: 3 Feet Ball & Souls
3 Feet Ball & Souls, the science fiction-flavored drama from Japanese director Etsuo Kato,…
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Film
Film Review: Columbus
In Columbus, the debut film from writer/director Kogonada, architecture looms over the characters…
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Film
Film Review: School Life
School Life is a documentary that chronicles an entire academic term at Headfort School, the only…
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Film
Film Review: Wind River
Taylor Sheridan, the screenwriter behind Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016), has been on…
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Film
Film Review: Death Note
Rabid fanboys and Twitter trolls are the worst. They ripped into Adam Wingard’s new film,…
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Film
Film Review: Letters From Baghdad
Letters From Baghdad is a new documentary based on the life of Gertrude Bell who was often referred…
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Film
Film Review: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
Music has always been about stealing, appropriating the ideas of other bands and songwriters into…
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Film
Whose Streets? – 2017 – Film Review – Film Dispenser
Whose Streets?, a film by first-time documentarians Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, is clearly a…
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Film
Person To Person – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Audiences have been watching neurotic New Yorkers behaving eccentrically on the big and small…
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Film
Landline – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Landline, the comedy-drama from director Gillian Robespierre (Obvious Child), is a well-made,…
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Film
Moka – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
There can be a fine line separating a film that is a “slow burn” from a film that is…
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Film
I Called Him Morgan – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Lee Morgan was nothing short of a trumpet virtuoso. As a teenager, he was holding his own on stage…
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Film
The Journey – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
In The Journey, the new character drama from director Nick Hamm, two mortal enemies find themselves…
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Film
Baby Driver – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
The summer of 2017 has been an ugly one. Baywatch, The Mummy, Transformers: The Last Knight,…
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Film
Wakefield – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Howard Wakefield (Bryan Cranston) is a downtown New York litigator. He spends his days commuting…
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Film
It Comes at Night – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Many critics are referring to It Comes at Night from writer/director Trey Edward Shults as the…
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Film
I, Daniel Blake – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
On May 28th, Ruben Ostlund’s film The Square won the 2017 Palme D’or at the 70th…
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Film
Wonder Woman – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Wonder Woman, the new comic book film set in the DC Universe, has charm to burn. That’s not a…
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Film
Obit – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
I must confess up front that I’m a junkie for films about the world of newspaper journalism.…
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Film
Alien: Covenant – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Sometimes it ain’t easy being a legendary filmmaker. Case in point:  Ridley…
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Film
Graduation – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
In the opening moments of Graduation, the latest drama from Romanian writer/director Cristian…
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Film
The Commune – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Love in its many forms is explored in The Commune, the latest character drama from director Thomas…
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Film
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City – 2017 – Film Review – Film Dispenser
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City was an interesting viewing experience. That’s not intended…
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Film
Sleight – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Sleight, the debut thriller from writer/director J.D. Dillard, showcases a lot of talent onscreen…
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Film
A Quiet Passion – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
In the opening scene of A Quiet Passion, the new historical drama from British writer/director…
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Film
Truman – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Julien is dying. He has decided to abandon his cancer treatments and live his remaining days free…
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Film
Review: Another Evil – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
Another Evil from writer/director Carson Mell shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s a…
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Film
Review: The Void – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
It’s a non-sequiteur to point out that modern horror films (The Guest, It Follows, Evolution…
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Film
Review: Mayhem – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
Mayhem, the new action thriller from director Joe Lynch (Everly, Wrong Turn 2), is the kind of…
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Film
Review: Happy Hunting – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
I really wanted to like Happy Hunting, the new horror film from director Joe Dietsch. It was the…
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Film
Review: A Dark Song – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
A Dark Song, an occult thriller from writer/director Liam Gavin, is a perfect horror film for the…
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Film
Review: Lake Bodom – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
In 1960, four teenagers were stabbed to death while on a camping trip in Finland. The murderer was…
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Film
Review: S is For Stanley – Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 – Film Dispenser
When I have interviewed documentary filmmakers, almost all of them tell me that they don’t go…
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Film
After the Storm – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
“Why envy the future?” a character muses in After the Storm, the latest character drama…
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Film
Frantz – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
In the opening moments of Frantz, the latest film from writer/director Francois Ozon (In the House,…
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Film
My Life as a Zucchini – Film Review – 2017 – Film Dispenser
Call me simple-minded, but I like animation to look like animation. Yes, the life-like renderings…
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Film
I Am Not Your Negro – Film Review (2017) – Film Dispenser
James Baldwin, the African-American novelist and essayist, was at the forefront of chronicling the…
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Film
Manchester by the Sea – Film Review (2016) – Film Dispenser
Manchester by the Sea, the third film from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me,…
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Film
Evolution – Film Review (2016) – Film Dispenser
My thoughts on Evolution, the new film from writer/director Lucile Hadzihalilovic…
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Film
Loving – 2016 – Film Review – Film Dispenser
Loving is the quietly powerful new film from writer/director Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud).…
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Film
The Lovers and the Despot – 2016 – Film Review – Film Dispenser
Kim Jong-il, the former dictator of North Korea, was a film buff.  He had a screening room in each…
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Film
In Order of Disappearance – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
The label “Nordic Noir” has become something of a seal of approval when it comes to…
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Film
Louder Than Bombs – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Films about suicide and depression tend to be maudlin affairs. Everything is bleak. Everything is…
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Film
Miles Ahead – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Miles Davis was bored. By the early 1960s, he had recorded the definitive versions of nearly every…
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Film
VOD Review- Mr. Right – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Scott takes a look at the new action comedy Mr. Right, starring Sam Rockwell, Ann Kendrick and Tim…
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Film
Midnight Special – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Jeff Nichols has created a body of work steeped in the humanity of rural America. There is a…
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Film
Review: Demon – Chattanooga Film Festival 2016 – Film Dispenser
Chattanooga Film Festival Read all of our coverage of CFF here Some films have all the right…
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Film
Review: Krisha – Chattanooga Film Festival 2016 – Film Dispenser
Chattanooga Film Festival Read all of our coverage of CFF here Substance abuse causes collateral…
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Film
Review: The Invitation – Chattanooga Film Festival 2016 – Film Dispenser
Chattanooga Film Festival Read all of our coverage of CFF here Your marriage was shattered by a…
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Film
Review: Too Late – Chattanooga Film Festival 2016 – Film Dispenser
Chattanooga Film Festival Review Read all of our coverage of CFF here At face value, Too Late, the…
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Film
The Lobster – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
The Lobster, the newest film from writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth) takes some time to…
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Film
The Witch – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Thank God for passion projects. A filmmaker spends years chasing funding and developing an idea…
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Film
Triple 9 – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
For me, there’s always been a distinction between action movies (Die Hard, Lethal Weapon)…
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Film
Son of Saul – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
The first act of director Laszlo Nemes’ new film, Son of Saul, is nothing short of a descent…
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Film
45 Years – Movie Review – 2016 – Film Dispenser
Miles Davis has been credited as saying that it’s the notes you don’t play that matter…
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Television
Vinyl – TV Review (2016) – Film Dispenser
It’s 1973.  The United States is withdrawing from Vietnam.  Nixon tells the nation…
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Television
Longmire: The Best Crime Show You’re Not Watching
I already know what you’re thinking, so let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.…
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Film
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – Movie Review – 2015 – Film Dispenser
[I have gone on record numerous times in my Film Dispenser columns and podcasts saying that there…
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Film
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones — Movie Review — 2015 – Film Dispenser
[I have gone on record numerous times in my Film Dispenser columns and podcasts saying that there…
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Film
Star Wars: Episode I -The Phantom Menace – Movie Review – 2015 – Film Dispenser
[I have gone on record numerous times in my Film Dispenser columns and podcasts saying that there…
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Film
Creep — 2015 — Movie Review – Film Dispenser
Creep, a film from writer/director Patrick Brice (The Overnight), has a premise ripped straight…
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Film
Survivor – 2015 – Movie Review – Film Dispenser
Survivor, a new espionage thriller starring Pierce Brosnan, has many flaws. The most pronounced one…
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Film
Deep Web – 2015 Film Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
I always assumed that the Dark Net or Dark Web was a fictional construct made…
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Film
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – 2015 Movie Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
Kumiko is clinically depressed. The audience is never expressly told this, but it’s readily…
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Film
Slow West – 2015 Movie Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
It’s the late 19th-century in the unsettled, and unsettling, American West. Jay Cavendish…
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Film
Scammerhead – 2015 Movie Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
There are some interesting ideas trapped somewhere in the tonal mess of Scammerhead, the newest…
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Film
The Keeping Room – 2015 Movie Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
It’s 1865, the waning days of the Civil War. The South has been defeated, and Sherman is…
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Film
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead – 2015 Movie Review – Chattanooga Film Festival – Film Dispenser
Zombies are the new vampires.  After the Twilight series (films and books), True Blood, and the…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Bloodline (2015) – Film Dispenser
Bloodline, the newest streaming series from Netflix, is, at its heart, a ghost story. It…
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Film
The Wrecking Crew – Film Review – 2015 – Film Dispenser
Tommy Tedesco.  Hal Blaine.  Plas Johnson.  Carol Kaye.  Earl Palmer.  If those names…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Bosch Amazon Review – Film Dispenser
In the best examples of crime fiction (on the printed page and the big/small screen), the setting…
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Film
A Most Violent Year- Film Review – 2015 – Film Dispenser
In the opening moments of A Most Violent Year, we see Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) running through…
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Film
Blackhat — Film Review — 2015 – Film Dispenser
Don’t grow old in Hollywood, not even as a filmmaker. Ridley Scott churns out a Bible epic in…
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Film
Pass the Remote: 12 Monkeys – Film Dispenser
[Over the past eighteen months, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of…
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Film
Fury – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Fury, the new release from director David Ayer (End of Watch), is a film from another era.…
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Film
Gone Girl – Film Review (2014) – Film Dispenser
Woe be unto the critic who criticizes filmmaker David Fincher in 2014.  From the time his name was…
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Television
Pass the Remote: How to Get Away with Murder – Film Dispenser
The pilot episode of How to Get Away with Murder is the worst 42 minutes of television I’ve…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Gotham Pilot Episode Review – Film Dispenser
Prequels are tricky.  How do you generate any genuine suspense when the target audience for your…
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Film
The Drop – Film Review (2014) – Film Dispenser
Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini starring in a motion picture based on a short story by Dennis Lehane…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Boardwalk Empire – Film Dispenser
Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth written analysis of television…
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Film
The Giver – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
The Giver, the novel by Lois Lowry was published in 1993. It sold over ten million copies and won…
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Television
The Killing Season 4 Finale Review and Series Lookback – Film Dispenser
[Spoiler Warning: This column assumes that you have seen every episode of The Killing. The…
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Television
Pass The Remote: Extant – Film Dispenser
Major networks always seem to struggle with science fiction dramas. They offer audiences slick,…
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Film
Life Itself – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
It’s a daunting task to review a film about the most famous film critic on Earth. My prose will…
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Film
Deliver Us From Evil – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
On paper or at a pitch meeting, Deliver Us From Evil probably looked like a “can’t miss”…
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Television
Pass the Remote: The Last Ship – Film Dispenser
The Last Ship, one of the new summer series premiering on TNT, feels like a show stitched together…
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Film
They Came Together – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Joel (Paul Rudd) and Molly (Amy Poehler) are enjoying dinner with a pair of friends when a familiar…
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Film
Jersey Boys – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Jersey Boys, the stage musical, was a thrilling combination of electrifying musical numbers, clever…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Murder in the First – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Movie Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Sequels, by definition, are motivated by commercial gain. If the original film tanked at the box…
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Film
Willow Creek – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
It’s hard to understand how some films get as much festival love as they sometimes do. Perhaps…
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Film
Edge of Tomorrow – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Does your cinematic journey require a satisfying ending? Do you think an enigmatic and mysterious…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Penny Dreadful – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Film
Neighbors – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Modern comedies have become a lot like the week after Spring Break when you were in high school.…
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Television
Pass the Remote- 24: Live Another Day – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Film
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
When I was 12-years-old, I would sit on the floor of my bedroom with the latest issues of X-Men,…
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Television
Pass the Remote – Fargo – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Television
Pass the Remote: Hannibal – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Film
Oculus – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Kaylie and Tim Russell experienced a childhood trauma that left Kaylie in the foster care system…
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Film
Draft Day – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
What is it with Kevin Costner and sports films? He’s given us the real life absurdity of minor…
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Film
The Sacrament – Chattanooga Film Festival Review – Film Dispenser
Film Dispenser had the privilege of attending the First Annual Chattanooga Film…
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Film
Coherence – Chattanooga Film Festival Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Coherence, the new film from writer/director James Ward Byrkit, is a smart, intricate puzzle of a…
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Film
Le Week-End – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
When Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg (Lindsay Duncan) married thirty years ago, their whole lives were…
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Film
Sabotage – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
If you prefer an action movie to have a sense of humor mixed into the mayhem, or you need a central…
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Film
Blood Ties – Film Review – 2014 VOD – Film Dispenser
Blood Ties, the new crime film from writer/director Guillaume Canet (Tell No One) is a well-written…
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Film
Veronica Mars – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
My Uncle Stevie introduced me to the Veronica Mars television show. That’s the moniker that…
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Film
Dark House – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
Nick Di Santo, the protagonist of the new horror film Dark House, has a unique ability. He is well…
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Television
Pass The Remote – Believe Pilot Review – Film Dispenser
[Over the past year, Film Dispenser has provided recurring in-depth analysis of television series…
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Television
True Detective Review: Episode 7 – Film Dispenser
[Spoiler Alert: This column is a discussion and analysis of the latest episodes of HBO’s True…
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Television
The Red Road Pilot Review – Sundance Channel – Film Dispenser
The culture and politics of Native Americans have served as background settings and plot points for…
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Television
True Detective Review: Episode 5 & 6 – Film Dispenser
[Spoiler Alert: This column is a discussion and analysis of the latest episodes of HBO’s True…
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Film
3 Days to Kill Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
“3 Days to Kill” is a Joyless Cinematic Mess 3 Days to Kill, the new film starring Kevin…
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Television
True Detective Review: Episode 3 & 4 – Film Dispenser
True Detective” Continues to Amaze It’s been three weeks and two episodes since I’ve…
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Film
Grand Piano Film Review – 2014 VOD – Film Dispenser
If you can suspend your disbelief for ninety minutes to enjoy a clever, though implausible,…
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Film
The Monuments Men – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
“Monuments Men” Squanders All-Star Cast with Bland Storytelling The Monuments Men, the new…
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Television
True Detective Review: Episode 1 & 2 – Film Dispenser
“True Detective” Lives Up to the Hype True Detective is a really, really slow burn of a…
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Film
Lone Survivor Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
“Lone Survivor” Provides an Intense Look at Modern Warfare Lone Survivor is a war movie. …
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Film
Nebraska Movie Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Dern’s Performance and a Script with a Sense of Humor Make “Nebraska” One of the Best Films…
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Film
The Broken Circle Breakdown Movie Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Grief and Sadness Overwhelm the Romance of “The Broken Circle Breakdown” The Broken Circle…
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Film
The Book Thief Movie Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
“The Book Thief” Makes For an Enjoyable Trip To the Theater 2013 has seen endless…
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Film
Oldboy Movie Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
“Oldboy” Proves To Be Dull, Sadistic Remake The Film Dispenser team selected me to…
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Film
Delivery Man Movie Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Run From This “Delivery Man” Delivery Man, the newest comedy starring Vince Vaughn,…
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Film
Film Review: Ender’s Game – 2013 – Film Dispenser
A Sci-Fi Exercise in “Been There, Done That” Ender’s Game,the motion picture based on…
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Film
Film Review: Muscle Shoals – 2013 VOD – Film Dispenser
Documentary Focuses on the Astonishing Musical Story Behind “Muscle Shoals” Whenever I hear…
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Film
Film Review: The Counselor – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Talent in Front of the Camera and Behind It Can’t Save “The Counselor” With a screenplay from…
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Film
Mr. Nobody Movie Review – 2013 VOD – Film Dispenser
“Mr. Nobody” Falls Short of Its Story-Telling Ambitions In the early moments of Mr. Nobody, a…
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Film
Enough Said – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Romantic comedy is a genre label that can be very limiting. It implies cute young couples meeting,…
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Film
Prisoners – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
I’ve always drawn a distinction between a “crime film” and a “thriller”. To me, a…
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Film
Riddick – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Vin Diesel is the Sly Stallone of the 21st century. He is a persona, not an actual actor. If his…
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Film
Closed Circuit – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
In the opening moments of Closed Circuit, a new thriller from screenwriter Steven Knight (Eastern…
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Film
Paranoia – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Beware the Ides of August. Yes, I realize that Caesar was betrayed and murdered in March. But, when…
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Film
The Butler – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Films that have racial themes almost always seem to fall in one of two categories. You have the…
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Film
Elysium – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Does anyone remember the sense of anticipation that science fiction fans felt back in April? A new…
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Television
BBC America Dazzles with “Broadchurch” – Film Dispenser
The lifeless body of a young boy is found on a beach in a coastal town in England. It is the type…
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Film
Fruitvale Station – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
2013 is proving itself to be the Year of the Writer/Director. Shane Carruth gave us his sophomore…
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Film
The Conjuring – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
I think I may be in love with James Wan. It’s a platonic, cinematic love, but love nonetheless.…
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Film
A Hijacking – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
What is a human life worth? Monetarily, that is. More specifically, what is the seven-man crew of a…
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Film
Unfinished Song – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Some movies can coast on sheer star power alone. Give a couple of veteran actors a decent script,…
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Film
The Attack – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman) is a respected Arab surgeon living in a Jewish country. He has earned a…
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Film
The East – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
How far would you go to further a political or social agenda? Is violence ever justifiable as an…
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Film
White House Down – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
There are men screaming in the hallways of the White House, shooting unsuspecting security guards.…
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Film
Maniac – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Finding a good horror movie is a lot like panning for gold in the American West in the 1840s. You…
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Film
World War Z – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Critics are supposed to be unbiased, impartial, a blank slate. However, we see trailers of films.…
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Film
The Purge – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Although it is being marketed as a horror film (“From the Producer of Paranormal Activity and…
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Film
After Earth – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
When I was a pre-teen, I discovered written science fiction. I devoured “Rocket Ship Galileo”,…
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Film
The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Film Review – 2014 – Film Dispenser
I will omit any introduction to this review. I will avoid burying the lead. The Reluctant…
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Film
The Great Gatsby – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Although The Great Gatsby is considered by many critics to be one of the Great American Novels, I…
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Film
Upstream Color – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
You awaken in your car parked on the median of a highway and have no idea how you got there. Your…
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Film
Iron Man 3 – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
I have to admit that I went into Iron Man 3 with a bit of trepidation. The concluding film of a…
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Film
Room 237 – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Does a place absorb the evil that has been committed within its confines? Can a location be tainted…
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Film
Pain and Gain – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
Is it possible to combine reprehensible characters, depraved violence and humor into a single…
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Film
Oblivion – Scott’s Review – Film Dispenser
Science fiction has always been a genre that needs “scope”. It is storytelling on a grand…
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Film
42 – Film Review – 2013 – Film Dispenser
I believe that reviewers should disclose any bias they may have before they offer an opinion to…
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