Wednesday, October 8, 2014

2014 Tacoma Film Festival - TwoOhSix Picks


Hey, everyone! This will be my first trip to the Tacoma Film Festival and, while my time there will be brief, I am hoping to maximize the experience as much as possible. Meanwhile, I've got a few highlights featured below of the movies you will want most likely to check out. A couple that I've seen and a couple I'm looking forward to checking out real soon!


Laggies, directed by up and coming local product Lynn Shelton, features Chloë Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Sam Rockwell in a uniquely oddball coming of age comedy. The is the official opening night selection and is sure to be a festival favorite.



The Two Faces of January stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac in an international thriller filled with twists, turns, and some other cool stuff. You want to see this movie because of the actors involved and each of them delivers the goods. Unfortunately, the movie felt way longer than it's modest 96 minute run time. The pacing is very deliberate and slows to a screeching half on more than one occasion. The idea of the movie is very intriguing and worth a look although I feel like it could have been so much better.



The only reason I wanted to see Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is because Rinko Kikuchi is in it. While she delivers a standout performance, the movie itself doesn't quite match her expertise. Confusing at times and just plain lost at others, it never lives up the promise of turning an urban legend into the fantastic fiction it tries to be. Worst of all is a soundtrack that wavers between distracting and annoying. The saving grace? You will fall in love with Bunzo!


I am very much looking forward to checking out Zero Motivation during the festival. This zany Israeli comedy looks like very smart and snappy and I'm hoping the story is good enough to turn this into a really fun ride. Check out the trailer below. You will find it hard to argue that this could be one of this year's festival show stoppers.


Aside from my picks, there are many more features as well as several short film programs that all look very good. The one and only Leonard Maltin will also be joining the festival for a couple of truly special events that you won't want to miss. Check out the official 2014 Tacoma Film Festival website to see the full lineup and for ticket information.




 


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