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Tribeca 2012: ‘Rat King’ artfully distorts reality amidst a video-game nightmare

Rat King Written by Petri Kotwica Directed by Petri Kotwice Finland, 2012 Juri (Max Ovaska), the central character of Rat King, prefers the virtual excitement of video games to the everyday drudgery of real life.  As a result, his interpersonal relationships have started to suffer.  His girlfriend has tired of his neglect, and his single …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Trishna’ a clever modernization of Thomas Hardy’s classic

Trishna Written by Michael Winterbottom Directed by Michael Winterbottom UK, 2011 Almost any great story possesses two qualities that define it as a classic; those are timelessness and universality. Michael Winterbottom renews the relevance of classic Victorian novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles by transplanting its heroine into modern day India and renaming her Trishna, who …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Nancy, Please’ disguises its potent psychodrama as graduate ennui

Nancy, Please Written by Andrew Semans and Will Heinrich Directed by Andrew Semans USA, 2011 No subject is more over-represented in American indies than graduate (or post-graduate) stasis, so it’s only natural to approach Andrew Semans’s feature directorial debut, Nancy, Please, with extreme cynicism. Thankfully, despite the fact that it revolves around a graduate student’s …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Jackpot’ is sick, twisted, and hilarious

Jackpot Written by Magnus Martens Directed by Magnus Martens Norway, 2011 Perhaps the cold in Norway brings something ugly out of people, or perhaps the ugliness was always there and the cold is merely a coincidence. The new Norwegian comedy Jackpot doesn’t take an opinion either way, but instead simply drops the ugliness on a …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Death of a Superhero’ earnest, charming and well-acted

Death of a Superhero Written by Anthony McCarten Directed by Ian Fitzgibbon Ireland/Germany, 2011 Why is it when we see the word “death” in a movie’s title, we still hold our collective breath, cross our fingers, and hope for a happy ending, knowing upfront the story will most likely deny us that possibility?  There’s a …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Deadfall’ exploits an ace cast and director to liven up a weak script

Deadfall Directed by Stefan Ruzowitsky Written by Zach Dean USA, 2012 After winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008 with The Counterfeiters, director Stefan Ruziowitsky’s first American effort is the noir-ish thriller Deadfall. Although it seems that his script could have used at least one more revision, Ruzowitsky’s Oscar-winning pedigree attracted …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Revenge for Jolly!’ unpolished but undeniably entertaining

Revenge for Jolly! Written by Brian Pestos Directed by Chadd Harbold USA, 2012 Revenge for Jolly! carries with it the promise of a clever premise. It involves the gruesome rampage of two homicidal young people out to avenge the unjust murder of an innocent loved one. The twist here: the innocent loved one is a …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘The Revisionaries’ a bracing, detailed look at educational reform in Texas

The Revisionaries Written by Scott Thurman and Jawad Metni Directed by Scott Thurman USA, 2012 Social-issue docs, even the effective ones, tend to be subject to certain pitfalls. Sometimes, in their haste to exude hope, they tack on sunny post-scripts that undercut their effectiveness as agents for change (this is particularly true of many eco-docs). …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Chicken With Plums’ returns Marjane Satrapi’s work to the big screen

Chicken With Plums (Poulet aux Prunes) Written by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud Directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud France, 2011 The last time she adapted her own graphic novel into a film, Marjane Satrapi deftly translated her memoir Persepolis into an animated feature that struck a careful balance between poignant coming-of-age realizations and …

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Tribeca 2012: ‘Headshot’ is a disjointed collection of great ideas

Headshot Written by Pen-ek Ratanaruang Directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang France/Thailand, 2011 At the outset of Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s thriller Headshot, hitman Tul (Nopachai Jayanama) dresses as a Buddhist monk in order to do a job. In the process of executing that hit, he is shot in the head, and upon awakening he sees the entire world …

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