The Shawshank Redemption

A Few Brief Moments of Hope

Film essay by: Witney Seibold

Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” opened in September of 1994, and immediately tanked.

Defiance (2008)

Defiance (2008)

Film review by: Witney Seibold

In Belarus, during the war, many Jews hid from the Nazis (and Russian militias) by hiding out in the woods. They foraged for food, built their own shelters, and amassed weapons to fight off any intruders. This is the first movie I can think of (with the exception of Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”) which shows Jews very openly enacting revenge fantasies against the Germans. “Defiance” has the advantage over “Basterds,” though, in the regard that it’s a true story.

Hamburger: The Motion Picture

Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986)

Film review by: Witney Seibold

I’m not sure if I can really review a film like “Hamburger: The Motion Picture.” It’s a very, very, very odd affair, involving a premise that is not the least bit anchored in any reality. It seems to follow certain comedy tropes of the 1980s (a cast of various eccentrics working toward a common goal, á la “Police Academy”), but the common goal is so strange, and the process so unbelievable, that I’m not sure if I can say if it worked or not. I suppose I laughed, but that’s not necessarily an indicator that the film is funny.

Retribution (1987)

Retribution (1987)

Film review by: Witney Seibold

Here’s one you probably haven’t seen: “Retribution.” A horror film from 1987, “Retribution,” directed by Guy Magar (“Stepfather III,” Children of the Corn VII”), and starring the Henry-Gibson-esque Dennis Lipscomb, is about a suicidal nebbish who discovers his body is being used against his will by a vengeful spirit. Despite having a complicated setup, wonderfully preposterous animated special effects, pointedly dated fashions, and buckets of gore (more than usual for 1987), “Retribution” is too polished to be cheesy fun. Indeed, I might go so far as to call it… pretty good. Can I call a film like this charming?

Derby (1971)

Derby (1971)

Film review by: Witney Seibold

“Derby” is ostensibly about the nascent American roller derby craze of the late 1970s, but the film very quickly evolves into a kitchen-sink, David Gordon Green-esque meditation on the lives of the undeniably white trash Snell family.

Devil Times Five (1974)

Devil Times Five (1974)

a.k.a. Peopletoys

a.k.a. The Horrible House on the Hill

Film review by: Witney Seibold

“Devil Times Five,” directed by Sean MacGregor and David Sheldon, is a delightfully wicked little obscurity. It has some nice kills, some good performances, a stultifyingly easy setup, some gloriously over-the-top cinematic gestures, and, since it was made in America in the 1970s, an incongruously bleak and nihilistic ending, which I thought to be daring and fun.

Big Fan

Big Fan

Film review by: Witney Seibold

In “The Wrestler,” screenwriter Robert Siegel gave us a portrait of a little boy’s masculine fantasy brought mercilessly down to earth; the titular wrestler had fallen far since his glory days, but was relatively happy living in squalor in a trailer, and working in a grocery store in between low-rent wrestling matches.

The Series Project: Hellraiser

The Series Project: Hellraiser

Film article by: Witney Seibold

Like most long series of films, this is the tale of a gradual weakening.

9

9

Film review by: Witney Seibold

“9” is a film about living dolls made of cloth and metal, who roam about a deserted, post-war ruin, trying to escape a still-operational war machine that is bent on destroying all forms of life. And that’s pretty much it.

Still Walking

Still Walking

Film review by: Witney Seibold

Hirokazu Kore-eda made one of the best films of the ‘90s with his film “After Life.” As a filmmaker, he is only maturing, having now made a quietly devastating, Ozu-esque masterpiece called “Still Walking.”