Hot Docs 2012: ‘The World Before Her’ is essential viewing at this year’s festival

Posted on April 24, 2012 By Dave Robson

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'The Iceman' boasts a solid ensemble, but a weak, rushed script: ‘The Iceman’ boasts a solid ensemble, but a weak, rushed script

Josh Spiegel

The Iceman exists in a strange kind of cinematic purgatory, in which reside those movies that are both too rushed and too slow. With actors like Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, and Winona Ryder among the key players, this period piece about a… Read More
'Something in the Air' an evocative, keenly felt tale of youthful rebellion and romance: ‘Something in the Air’ an evocative, keenly felt tale of youthful rebellion and romance

Josh Spiegel

Such a quality is ever-present in Olivier Assaysas’ new film Something in the Air (titled Apres Mai in France), set in the early 1970s and centered around some college-age rebels who try to make a difference in the world, to assert their pe… Read More
‘Frances Ha’ finds Gerwig and Baumbach at their most ebullient and winning: ‘Frances Ha’ finds Gerwig and Baumbach at their most ebullient and winning

Simon Howell

The Greta Gerwig Charm Offensive continues unabated. Following her star turn in Whit Stillman's agreeably eccentric Damsels In Distress, Gerwig once again toplines a quirky, affectionate comedy, this time sharing a writing credit with her d… Read More
The Iceman is a Decent Crime Film that Fails to Live up to its Premise: The Iceman is a Decent Crime Film that Fails to Live up to its Premise

Thomas O'Connor

The Iceman Directed by Ariel Vromen Written by Ariel Vromen and Morgan Land USA, 2013 It's kind of baffling that it's taken this long to make a movie about Richard Kuklinski. Quiet family man is secretly a prolific murderer work… Read More
'Baby Doll' - one of the sexiest films ever made: ‘Baby Doll’ – one of the sexiest films ever made

Ricky da Conceição

Baby Doll Directed by Elia Kazan Written by Tennessee Williams 1956, USA Two of Tennessee Williams' one-act plays - Twenty-Seven Wagons Full of Cotton and The Long Stay Cut Short - are the basis for Elia Kazan's Baby Doll. The film st… Read More
'Aftershock' a textbook serving of lowbrow entertainment: ‘Aftershock’ a textbook serving of lowbrow entertainment

Ricky da Conceição

Slightly mimicking the plot of Hostel, Aftershock follows a group of party-goers who carouse their way through small Chilean towns until a major earthquake ravages the city and stops them dead in their tracks Read More
'Sightseers' is Britain at its most hilariously creepy: ‘Sightseers’ is Britain at its most hilariously creepy

Mark Young

Fans of Ben Wheatley's brutally tense thriller Kill List may be a bit surprised by his new film, Sightseers. It is a film without tension and without terror. It's just a charming little comedy about life, love, and serial murder. Read More
'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' a political thriller that avoids being complex, staying above the surface: ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ a political thriller that avoids being complex, staying above the sur…

Josh Spiegel

The Reluctant Fundamentalist Directed by Mira Nair Written by Mohsin Hamid, Ami Boghani, and William Wheeler USA, 2013 At this point, it’s fairly trite if accurate to acknowledge how drastically the world has shifted since the t… Read More
“Sightseers” will tow you right into the dark heart of love: “Sightseers” will tow you right into the dark heart of love

Tope

Sightseers Directed by Ben Wheatley Written by Steve Oram, Alice Lowe & Ben Wheatley (with additional material from Amy Jump) 2012, UK Either Ben Wheatley is a boiling pot of pent-up rage, or he is the complete opposite and th… Read More
'At Any Price' sure to become a favorite amongst audiences: ‘At Any Price’ sure to become a favorite amongst audiences

Trish Ferris

Director Ramin Bahrani, whose previous films include Man Push Cart (2005), Chop Chop (2007) and Goodbye Solo (2008), tends to push his characters to their very limits. Read More
'Star Trek Into Darkness' is somewhat underwhelming and heavily reliant on mimicry: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ is somewhat underwhelming and heavily reliant on mimicry

Josh Slater-Williams

The closing moments of the 2009 reboot of Star Trek saw a revival of its source material’s famous slogan regarding the ongoing mission of the Enterprise: Read More
'The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh' lays bare the landscape of loss: ‘The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh’ lays bare the landscape of loss

David Fiore

The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh Directed & Written by Rodrigo Gudiño Canada, 2012 There are, broadly speaking, two types of haunted house stories: those in which some more or less innocent stranger gets caught in the mi… Read More
‘The Iceman’ spellbinds with chilling focus and calculated brutality: ‘The Iceman’ spellbinds with chilling focus and calculated brutality

Lane Scarberry

Chronicling the complicated balance between work and family that prolific real life contract killer Richard Kuklinski carried on for decades, The Iceman paralyzes the audience purely with Michael Shannon’s unrelentingly intense performance. Read More
Hot Docs 2013: Award Winners and More Esoteric Recommendations: Hot Docs 2013: Award Winners and More Esoteric Recommendations

David Fiore

Well, the festival is over and the docs are flying south (and west, and east – and maybe even north) for the summer – hopefully to a cinema near you. Read More
You'll definitely want to find out 'What Maisie Knew': You’ll definitely want to find out ‘What Maisie Knew’

Mark Young

What Maisie Knew USA, 2013 Written by Nancy Doyne and Carroll Cartwright Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel What does it mean, to "enjoy" a film like Scott McGehee and David Siegel's What Maisie Knew? How does one gain pleas… Read More
'Mud' is a smart, earnest and intense reflection on the trials of love: ‘Mud’ is a smart, earnest and intense reflection on the trials of love

Lane Scarberry

Mud Directed by Jeff Nichols Written by Jeff Nichols 2013, USA With beguiling Southern charm and an exacting sense of dread, the riveting Mud is a surprisingly sweet third film from writer/director Jeff Nichols. Like his previous wor… Read More
Hot Docs 2013: 'Teenage' strikes a blow for demography: Hot Docs 2013: ‘Teenage’ strikes a blow for demography

David Fiore

Teenage Directed by Matt Wolf Written by Matt Wolf & John Savage USA, 2013 Adolescence was the greatest demographic discovery and invention of the mid-20th century. Armed with adult-sized interests and freed by a child’s leisurely s… Read More
'Post Tenebras Lux' confuses and delights from one scene to the next: ‘Post Tenebras Lux’ confuses and delights from one scene to the next

Edgar Chaput

Reygadas returns yet again to Mexico in Post Tenebras Lux, and once more audiences are transported to the countryside, although this time it is to observe the trials and tribulations of a family that originally comes from the city. Juan (Ad… Read More
'Iron Man 3' a welcome return to form for Robert Downey, Jr. and Tony Stark: ‘Iron Man 3′ a welcome return to form for Robert Downey, Jr. and Tony Stark

Josh Spiegel

Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Written by Drew Pearce & Shane Black USA, 2013 Fun has become a slightly forgotten commodity in the summer blockbuster, with many studios and filmmakers now inspired by the efforts of direc… Read More
Hot Docs 2013: 'The Last Black Sea Pirates' drops anchor in the uncharted waters between hope and despair: Hot Docs 2013: ‘The Last Black Sea Pirates’ drops anchor in the uncharted waters between hope and de…

David Fiore

The Last Black Sea Pirates Directed by Svetoslav Stoyanov Written by Vanya Rainova Bulgaria, 2013 The sea has always provided the last refuge (or final resting place) for those who can see no future for themselves on dry land. Always… Read More
Hot Docs 2013: 'Blackfish' plunges into the abyss of marine mammal exploitation: Hot Docs 2013: ‘Blackfish’ plunges into the abyss of marine mammal exploitation

David Fiore

Blackfish Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite USA, 2013 Forty-nine years ago, agents of the Vancouver Aquarium harpooned a 15-foot long orca (later dubbed "Moby Doll") and dragged the suffering animal back to a public display pen at the B… Read More
Rock Star: The True Story of the Vasquez Rocks: Rock Star: The True Story of the Vasquez Rocks

Thomas O'Connor

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Hot Docs 2013: 'The Punk Singer' presents an intimate and insightful take on Kathleen Hanna: Hot Docs 2013: ‘The Punk Singer’ presents an intimate and insightful take on Kathleen Hanna

David Fiore

The Punk Singer Directed by Sini Anderson USA, 2013 One of the most energetic and iconoclastic aesthetic/political movements in the history of popular expression, 1970s punk nevertheless left many long-entrenched attitudes virtually undi… Read More
Zoe Bell is a good action hero, but 'Raze' isn't sure what sort of action movie it is: Zoe Bell is a good action hero, but ‘Raze’ isn’t sure what sort of action movie it is

Mark Young

As far back as Enter the Dragon - in other words, for as long as American movie studios have been making martial-arts films - the concept of the tournament has been an important one. It has become even more important in the last decade, as… Read More
Hot Docs 2013: 'The Ghosts in Our Machine' uses the power of the camera to put the horse before Descartes: Hot Docs 2013: ‘The Ghosts in Our Machine’ uses the power of the camera to put the horse before Desc…

David Fiore

Modern Western philosophical patriarch René Descartes is probably best known for his pithy dictum: cogito ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am") - a formulation which led him step by step to a "dualistic" vision of existence, with a radical d… Read More

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