Reviews
1964
in total
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Small Engine Repair
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-09-09
Small Engine Repair is a real American horror story, skillfully shot, perfectly cast and acted, and carrying a sorrowful message that resonates with brutal truth.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
We Need to Do Something
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-09-02
The cramped environs and the paranoiac thrum that runs throughout the film like a main circuit cable straight to hell are almost outmatched by a third-act explosion of horrifyingly excellent practical gore effects.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Colony
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-08-26
Certainly lead adult actor Arnezeder has panache to spare, as does Bousinna, but the muddled storyline defeats them time and time again, no matter how perfectly angry/hopeful their lines are.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Joe Bell
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-07-22
For all its hot button, au courant moral messaging, Joe Bell is preaching to the converted and unlikely to draw in the type of audience that actually needs to hear its pleas for kindness in a mean and wild world.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
F9
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-06-22
It's overstuffed with all the actors wasting both the viewers’ and the movie’s running time by actually speaking dialogue when we all know that what audiences really want to see is outrageous vehicular slamslaughter.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-06-17
Ultimately, Truman & Tennessee is a fascinating but melancholy mash note to the enduring friendship of two genius misfits who, despite constant self doubt barely masked by a raconteur’s seeming insouciance, rocked the literary (and cinematic, despite their mutual distaste for filmic adaptations) world at, in hindsight, just the right time.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Gaia
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-06-17
Everything about Gaia works in tandem to create a steadily escalating mood of Blastomycotic body-horror distress (including Pierre-Henri Wicomb’s anxiety-inducing score). Fans of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy and its Annihilation adaptation, and lovers of the defiantly feminine and vengeful natural world will find plenty to chew on in Gaia.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Holler
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-06-10
Character-driven movies this brutally honest about life below the poverty line are few and far between, but the ensemble cast and Riegel’s skills not only behind the camera but also – judging from her lean and mean script – behind the keyboard help Holler rise above expectations and overcome cliche.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Duty Free
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-05-05
Duty Free is for the most part free of gooey sentiment and clingy regrets. Regis (who eventually funded the on-and-off-again production of the film via Kickstarter) captures a remarkable portrait of a woman on the verge of … anything other than a nervous breakdown, mater triumphantes.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Outside Story
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-04-29
It’s a slight film, really a seriocomic tone poem about the absurdities and obstacles we can create for ourselves even when our intentions are for the best, but it brims with ordinary everyday good cheer and feels like just the right movie at just the right time.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Vanquish
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-04-14
The plot mechanics, action set pieces, and characters arcs – or lack thereof – are all dreadfully overfamiliar, resulting in a cream puff of a thriller. It’s a shiny, pretty thing and probably a decent filler flick while the world waits for Mr. Wick’s return.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
The Marksman
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-01-14
This is a more hardscrabble, beaten down version of Neeson’s iconic revengers than most of his action roles, with Hanson coming across as sympathetically appealing despite the cliched storyline.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Beautiful Something Left Behind
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2021-01-07
Through it all Philps keeps her camera low the better to represent the children’s as-yet-unformed POV, both literally and emotionallyRead entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Jiu Jitsu
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-11-19
Less a Nic Cage movie than a movie with an extended cameo by Nic Cage in a “finely crafted” paper hat (!), this Greek/Cypriot co-production mixes mediocre martial artistry with a sci-fi spin and ends up a puzzlement to both genres.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Mortal
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-11-12
Mortal plods along for most of its running time with the occasional helicopter chase scene and plenty of CGI fulminology: But ultimately Ovredal’s not-so-deep-dive into Norwegian mythos is a too-obvious let down.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Possessor Uncut
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-10-01
Possessor is queasy-smart near-masterpiece of psychotronic slippage. Like its protagonist’s risky psychogenic recollections, it’ll stick with you whether you’d like it to or not.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Shortcut
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-09-24
At least this excursion into mediocrity is relatively brief, although, as mentioned, a vastly shorter cut would be much preferred.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-07-23
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets is as real as it gets, a snapshot stolen from the very year everything turned to sh-t. It’s a masterpiece.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Hill of Freedom
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-06-10
Ultimately Hill of Freedom is surprisingly satisfying in its sheer — albeit abjectly disjointed – fish-out-of-water ordinariness.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle -
Onward
A review by Marc Savlov for Austin Chronicle2020-03-04
Onward is neither terrible nor great; it simply is.Read entire review on Austin Chronicle
