Film Reviews – Page 3 – MaryEWinstead.net

Tons of New Faults Interviews and Reviews

on March 12, 2014March 13, 2014 by Jessica Comments Off

I’ve rounded up quite a few new interviews Mary has taken part in and reviews for her new film Faults. Hit each link to read them in their entirety and check out the rest after the jump. Also, check the gallery for new pics taken with some of the interviewers.

THR review:

But Faults is not what it seems. Though a black-comic atmosphere persists, the debut feature is serious about manipulation and brainwashing, and a quietly commanding performance by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (the director’s wife) helps establish that seriousness once the main plot — in which the failed expert is enlisted to deprogram a couple’s daughter — gets underway. Sure to turn heads at fests, the picture should find enough support to justify an arthouse run. Winstead has plenty of emotional ground to navigate in the ensuing action, pointing viewers down some false paths in our assessment of her state of mind and relationship to those around her.

The Film Stage:

Winstead provides great innocence and an equal curiosity; she quickly flips between being childlike and being strong-willed without it feeling obvious. But the real standout is the calm demeanor Orser has throughout and the way we slowly find kinks in his armor.

Final Grade–B

Interview with CineSnob:

Mary, in your performance, you get to show a lot of sides and a lot of different emotions. What was it like playing a character where you could change from scene to scene?

MEW: It was really great. It was simultaneously really exciting for me and really scary for me because I just didn’t know if I would get it right or not when we were working on it. It seemed really daunting to me to get all that right without going into some sort of culty territory. I was really afraid of it coming across as spacey or cliché. But as soon as everything came together and the cast came together and the costumes and the sets…as soon as I walked into that environment I was like, “Oh. This is just what it’s supposed to be.” And the rest of it was so stress free and fun. I enjoyed every moment of it and got to revel in this character. It was one of the best set experiences, acting experiences that I’ve ever had.

Continue reading Tons of New Faults Interviews and Reviews

Faults Film Reviews

More Faults Reviews

on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by Jessica Comments Off

Bloody Disgusting got the chance to check out Faults at SXSW and here’s part of their review:

Faults is a modern cult thriller cut from a slightly different cloth than contemporaries like Martha Marcy May Marlene and Sound Of My Voice (though it more than earns its place alongside those films). It shares their menacing undercurrents but also manages to be laugh out loud funny in a manner that doesn’t even come close to undercutting its central objective. That’s all you should know going in (even though the movie is certainly strong enough to withstand all kinds of spoilers, there’s no reason not to blindly give yourself over to it at least once).

It also doesn’t hurt that Stearns has a stellar cast at his disposal. Leland Orser (Seven, The Guest) is at turns hilarious, despairing and achingly wounded as Ansel, something of a cult deprogrammer. Mary Elizabeth Winstead continues to reveal new layers of command over the craft she displayed in 2012’s Smashed. Though the film is largely centered around these two, it’s buoyed by unexpected turns from Beth Grant, Chris Ellis, Lance Reddick and John Gries. All of these people click together in completely unexpected ways as the film goes about its business with remarkable clarity and specificity.

The site gave the film 4.5/5 skull heads.

The Playlist also gave their take on the film:

Anyone familiar with writer/director Riley Stearns’ short films (his most recent, “The Cub,” being a personal favorite) will be happy to hear that his first feature, “Faults,” maintains his droll sense of humor and unnerving use of framing while telling a rather different tale of parents trying to retrieve their daughter from would-be custodians. The laughs are fewer and farther between once Ansel and Claire are confined to a non-descript hotel room, but for the sake of the first act, those countless humiliations are vital to empathizing with an otherwise petty, insecure has-been of a protagonist, one constantly assaulted in Coen-esque fashion when not pocketing just about anything free for the taking.

Winstead (“Smashed,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”), gives yet another fragile, commanding performance as a young woman caught between oppressive parents, a well-meaning captor and her own brainwashed persona. Claire (who doesn’t care for that name anymore) points out that Faults takes its own name from seismic and psychic pressures alike, and after being steeped in Ansel’s unyielding stress, it’s not hard to recognize the appeal of such a self-actualizing mentality. Their quicksilver dynamic together isn’t just the focus of the film; it’s reason enough to see it.

“Faults” is a strangely funny, often eerie accomplishment, and it’s a testament to why people like us tend to call first features like this “promising.” [B+]

Faults Film Reviews Movies

First Reviews for Faults

on March 9, 2014 by Jessica Comments Off

Tonight marked the premiere of Mary’s new film Faults which debuted at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX. Lots of people took to their Twitter accounts and loved it! While I will post some of those reactions, first up is a review from Indiewire. Click on the link to read the full review:

Much of the odd comedic formula emerges from a pair of carefully orchestrated lead performances: Character actor Leland Orser delivers a fascinatingly offbeat turn as downtrodden author Ansel Roth, an expert in deprogramming brainwashed cult members, while Stearns’ wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays the young woman he’s hired to deprogram. Delivering an icy, cryptic performance that ranks among her best — and exists a world apart from her role as a messy alcoholic in “Smashed — Winstead’s frequently inscrutable expression epitomizes this unique movie’s enigmatic appeal.

Twitter reactions:

Scott Menzel

If you are at #SXSW, do yourself a favor and see #faults. The film is really something special and different. @RileyStearns@M_E_Winstead

Peter S. Hall
FAULTS is real good. Leland Orser and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are stellar. Riley Stearns has a real command of tone and dark human delights.

DanielRester

@M_E_Winstead@LelandOrser Great work in #faults. One of the best at #SXSW so far. @WeLiveFilm

This is just the beginning, so keep checking back for more reviews and updates!

Film Reviews Movies The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now Makes Complex Magazine’s 25 Most Anticipated Indie Movies of 2013

on May 6, 2013 by Jessica Comments Off

James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now has landed at #2 in Complex Magazine‘s 25 Most Anticipated Indie Movies of Summer 2013. Their mini-review is as follows:

At first glance, The Spectacular Now seems like your typical coming-of-age flick: a booze-guzzling and uninspired high school senior meets a sweet girl who makes him change his ways. But the film adaptation of the popular Tim Tharp young adult novel isn’t as predictable as it seems. Anchored by affecting performances from Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, winners of Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting, The Spectacular Now is a moving and thoughtful glimpse into the inherently complicated life of a kid struggling to resolve his inner demons, and the girl who helps him face them. Much like The Breakfast Club and Say Anything, count on the movie to be a staple in the movie collections of teens everywhere.

Out August 2, TSN will also star Miles Tellar, Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson.

A.C.O.D. Film Reviews Movies

First Reviews for A.C.O.D. Are In

on January 25, 2013 by Jessica Comments Off

The first reviews for director Stu Zicherman’s film ACOD (Adult Children Of Divorce) are in. The reviews mostly talk about Adam Scott’s performance in the film and say Mary’s role as his girlfriend are good, but nevertheless, the reviews for the film are good. First is from EW:

A.C.O.D. is a bubbly-smart romantic comedy with a new subject: the generation of kids who grew up with divorced parents, and therefore found no stigma in that situation, but who had to do so much precocious, faux-parental managing that it did a mind-game number on their emotional lives.A.C.O.D. is like some wild and woolly French family drama that hums along in fast motion. The film sprawls, at times a bit too much, but it gives Adam Scott his punchiest big-screen role yet.

FirstShowing:

What easily could have been the formula for a run of the mill romantic comedy is heightened and finely tuned by a smart script that has clearly been helped by nine years of rewrites since the screenplay was first conceived as “Divorce Comedy” in 2003. The ensemble of characters are all handled with care and add something substantial to the story. This includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the girlfriend who isn’t just spectating the madness, Amy Poehler as a b****y step-mother and Jane Lynch as a fame and accolade hungry faux therapist (or rather researcher) desperate to write a follow-up book to her original studies about Carter and other children living with divorce (hence the film’s title).

A.C.O.D. is the best comedy at Sundance this year, and will likely be one of the best comedies of 2013. With an all-star cast bringing and polished script to life for our entertainment, this is just a delight. The film is full of energy, hearty laughter, witty banter and transcends the romantic comedy subgenre. Stu Zicherman is a fresh new filmmaker who will hopefully bring more great comedy in the years to come, and A.C.O.D. is more than a fine directorial debut; it’s a remarkable comedy full of heart and will leave you with a big goofy smile on your face.

Slashfilm:

Co-written by Zicherman and Ben Karlin, the script for A.C.O.D. is a Swiss watch. Everything is economical, hilarious, perfectly-paced and never in-your-face obvious. There are loads of big laughs wrapped around unexpected plot points, resonant emotion and great character development. The cast all bring such vigorous life to the film that it almost makes a sad and touchy subject, divorce, into something to be envious of.

A.C.O.D. is a special, miraculous film and the exact reason why you come to the Sundance Film Festival. It’ll leave you happy and high on the power of comedic cinema.

Continue reading First Reviews for A.C.O.D. Are In

Film Reviews Interviews Movies The Spectacular Now

New Video of Mary Attending The Spectacular Now Premiere; New Review

on January 25, 2013 by Jessica Comments Off

Vibe Magazine caught up with the cast of The Spectacular Now during their Sundance premiere and talked about how the film is similar to teen movies from the 80s.

Also, EW named TSN a “lovely and original teen movie”:

The Spectacular Now was adapted from a novel by Tim Tharp, and that’s part of what accounts for its rich and exploratory psychological texture, but it’s also not afraid of being an all-out teen movie. There are hookups and dates, beer and sex, caustic discussions of divorce, a romantic triangle, and a senior prom. That said, The Spectacular Now is one of the rare truly soulful and authentic teen movies, like last year’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower or the classic one from 24 years ago that this one most reminded me of: Say Anything. Like them, it’s a movie about the experience of being caught on the cusp and truly not knowing which way you’ll land.

The Spectacular Now, like Flight or Steve Buscemi’s Trees Lounge, is the story of a very functional drinker, but it’s no case study. The movie has a deep, touching nostalgia for the romance of teenage life, and that, in a way, is Sutter’s whole problem: He doesn’t want to let go of that. It would mean doing what every drinker, clinging to his adult baby bottle, doesn’t want to do: grow up.

A.C.O.D. Film Reviews Interviews Movies The Spectacular Now

New Vanity Fair Interview; More Spectacular Now Reviews

on January 21, 2013 by Jessica Comments Off

Vanity Fair West coast editor Krista Smith recently caught up with Mary Elizabeth at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to talk to Mary about her new films The Spectacular Now and A.C.O.D. Click here to watch the interview.

Also, a couple more reviews about The Spectacular Now have been released. First one is via Slashfilm:

The Spectacular Now is everything I hope a Sundance movie to be. It has heart, many laughs, story twists that will jolt you from your seat, and most importantly, the film speaks to a deep truth. It is an honest coming of age film about growing up and facing the great unknown that comes after high school, something we can all remember and relate to. But it tells that story without the forced nostalgia of other Hollywood films.

The entire supporting cast is great in the few scenes they appear, including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bob Odenkirk and Kyle Chandler. /Film Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Variety:

The scars and blemishes on the faces of the high-school lovers in “The Spectacular Now” are beautifully emblematic of director James Ponsoldt’s bid to bring the American teen movie back to some semblance of reality, a bid that pays off spectacularly indeed. Skillfully adapted from Tim Tharp’s novel, evocatively lensed in the working-class neighborhoods of Athens, Ga., and tenderly acted by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, this bittersweet ode to the moment of childhood’s end builds quietly to a pitch-perfect finale. Warts-and-all authenticity can be a tough sell, but Ponsoldt’s bracing youth pic seems bound to graduate with honors.

Woodley thoroughly fulfills the promise of her smaller role as the teenage daughter in “The Descendants,” locating the precise point at which Aimee’s infatuation with Sutter turns to self-protection. Equally impressive is Teller, who makes his character’s adolescent bravado appear intoxicating and then more than a little scary. The film’s supporting players are uniformly superb.

Geek Tyrant also loved the film:

Continue reading New Vanity Fair Interview; More Spectacular Now Reviews

Film Reviews Movies The Spectacular Now

First Reviews for The Spectacular Now

on January 19, 2013January 19, 2013 by Jessica Comments Off

As the headline reads, the first reviews for James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now have already come online, and they’re all positive. While they mostly focus on Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller’s performances, they’re great nonetheless. Hopefully it won’t be long until it’s picked up by a studio. I’ll keep you guys posted but in the meantime, here are some reviews. As always, click on the links to read them in full. First one is from FirstShowing:

Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now is a deeply layered, indie romantic comedy, coming-of-age alcoholism story all wrapped up in one. It’s sweet, it’s endearing, it’s charming, it’s emotional, it’s moving, it’s honest, it’s brilliant, it’s thoughtful. It’s about so much more than what it shows on the surface, and is just as complex as the characters are, evolving as it progress just as they do. It never resorts to cliches, it never takes the easy way out, and it has a momentum that keeps pushing the story forward at a smooth rate, never too fast or too slow. While I still love Smashed, Ponsoldt shows that he matures as a filmmaker each film, which is why I can’t wait to follow his career from here. But for now, it’s all about being in the “Spectacular Now.”

Collider:

“Live in the moment” is a nice platitude and a crappy life philosophy. Vivacity is all well and good. We should appreciate the present, but we can’t live only for the present. We have to think about tomorrow because we’re probably going to be there. In his wonderful new film The Spectacular Now, director James Ponsoldt explore the live-for-the-moment mentality with an authentic and earnest look at high school emotions, anxiety about the future, and first love. Led by extraordinary performances from stars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now is a thoroughly charming and surprisingly powerful coming-of-age story about the fear of looking ahead and the seductive safety of living in the present.

By investing in his characters and giving the actors room to flesh out their characters, Ponsoldt stops his movie from being a cautionary tale. Obviously, “living like there’s no tomorrow” isn’t a good life strategy, but it’s an understandable escape. It’s undoubtedly entertaining to watch Sutter flee from his responsibilities and neglect plans for life beyond high school. But The Spectacular Now never lets its protagonist off the hook. The movie doesn’t lecture and it doesn’t scold; it simply lets the present play out to an uncertain and ultimately more rewarding future.

Continue reading First Reviews for The Spectacular Now

Film Reviews Movies Smashed

Badass Digest Names Smashed a Favorite Film of 2012; New Review

on December 27, 2012December 27, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

FilmCritHulk from Badass Digest named Smashed one of his favorite films of 2012, coming in at #10 which was tied with Cloud Atlas. Below is his review:

10. CLOUD ATLAS / SMASHED (TIE)

OKAY HULK COULDN’T EVEN GO ONE ENTRY WITHOUT CHEATING. BUT HULK COULDN’T NOT INCLUDE EITHER ONE OF THESE FILMS. AND QUITE FRANKLY, THIS UNLIKELY PAIR SAYS SO MUCH ABOUT THE RANGE OF WHAT CINEMA CAN BE. ON ONE HAND, SMASHED APPROACHES EARNESTNESS FROM A WHOLLY INTIMATE SETTING WITH STRICTLY REALISTIC INTENTION. IN DOING SO IT IS PERHAPS THE VERY DEFINITION OF A “SMALL MOVIE,” BUT GLORIOUSLY SO. IT’S ALL SUBTLETY AND GRACE, OFTEN RESTING ON THE SHOULDERS OF AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE FROM MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD. IT ESCHEWS MORALITY, REFRAINS FROM DIDACTICISM AND SIMPLY SEEKS TO ESTABLISH THE JOYS OF SELF-TRUTH. AND IN DOING SO, IT IS, AS IT IS INTENDED TO BE, SOBERING. AS FOR THE OTHER FILM? CLOUD ATLAS IS PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT OPPOSITE. IT’S THE “BIGGEST” FILM IMAGINABLE AND SCREAMS ITS MESSAGE FROM THE MOUNTAINTOPS, DRILLING IT INTO OUR PSYCHES; THAT MESSAGE BEING THE INESCAPABLE NEED AND CRITICAL FUNCTION OF HUMANITIES’ BASIC, RUDIMENTARY GOODNESS. AT ONCE DISMISSIBLE AS A “KINDERGARTEN LESSON” IT INSTEAD DEFINES ITSELF PROUDLY BY THAT CHARACTERIZATION. IT WAS ONCE REJECTED BY A FELLOW CRITIC WHO CALLED IT “SIX B MOVIES THAT SUPPOSEDLY ADD UP TO SOMETHING MORE SIGNIFICANT,” BUT IF YOU ASK HULK, YOU CAN TAKE OUT THE “SUPPOSEDLY.” THESE ARE TWO FILMS THAT ARE ACTUALLY ABOUT ONE HUMAN TRUTH, AND HULK ADORES THE WAY THEY ARRIVE THERE FROM STUNNINGLY DIFFERENT APPROACHES.

Also, amestrib.com writes that Mary “gives the performance of her career” in the film:

It doesn’t reinvent the alcoholism drama, it just gives it youth and heartbreak. Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives the performance of her career as a young teacher who struggles to grow up, get sober and start over. Standing in her way? Her adoring husband (Aaron Paul), the love of her life, but her co-dependent enabler. This is what the downward spiral is like, and this is how rough recovery can be.

Film Reviews Movies Smashed

First Showing Names Smashed one of the Top Favorites of 2012

on December 24, 2012 by Jessica Comments Off

One of the FirstShowing editors chose Smashed as one of his favorite films of 2012 largely in part due to Mary’s performance. Here’s what he had to say:

Winstead, a great actress with a very hit-or-miss filmography, found a fantastic script to showcase another of her excellent performances with James Ponsoldt’s Smashed, in which she plays an alcoholic named Kate who tries to get her life back on track. Like the film itself, Winstead is raw and unflinching here, unafraid to imbue her performance with real devastating emotion instead of hinging on cliche and melodrama to get the job done. Kate is damaged goods, and the normally-cheery Winstead disappears into the character, giving her a powerful sense of intensity that shines whenever she’s on screen.