Cursed first published by Movie Gazette, 20 April 2005 On LA’s Mulholland Drive on the night of the full moon, Ellie (Christina Ricci) and her younger brother Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) collide with another car when they swerve to avoid an animal. The siblings are scratched, and the other driver (Shannon Elizabeth) is torn apart, by…
Vivarium first published by VODzilla.co “That’s nature – that’s just the way things are,” says primary school teacher Gemma (Imogen Poots) to her young pupil Molly (Molly McCann), explaining the brood parasitism through which cuckoos take over the nests – and kill the young – of other birds. “I don’t like the way things are,…
Adventureland first published by EyeforFilm Adventureland begins at a transitional point in its protagonist’s life. At a student party in 1987, 22-year-old James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) is celebrating his graduation, and is in the process of being dumped by his girlfriend – but at the same time he is looking forward to a ‘transformative’ summer…
Review first published by Little White Lies The year 2009 introduces a new law of cinema: if a film stars Jesse Eisenberg and features the word ‘land’ in the end of its title, it will infinitely surpass your expectations. The trailer for Adventureland promised dumbed-down gross-out antics – but delivered a tender comedy of coming-of-age awkwardness filled…
Night Moves first published by EyeForFilm After watching an amateur film on the damage humanity is wreaking on the environment, Dena (Dakota Fanning) asks the filmmaker Jackie (Clara Mamet), “I’m curious what you think it is exactly that we’re supposed to do. Do you have some sort of big plan?” “I’m not focused on big plans,”…
Review first published by Little White Lies A man slumbers on a train. This opening image from The Double might just be all that is strictly real in this uncanny, oneiric trip through an individual’s divided psyche – but that hardly means we should not follow Simon James (Jesse Eisenberg) all the way to the…