Author Archive: Calhoun Kersten
Calhoun Kersten is a recent transplant to the whimsical world of LA. Equal parts disarmingly charming and stunningly good looking, he enjoys horror films, nachos, and sharks. If you're interested in more of his depravity, please check out one of his many blogs.
Foreign Letters
Foreign Letters is Israeli-American director Ela Thier’s autobiographical love letter to adolescence and the power of friendship in a foreign land. While there are some issues with the execution, Foreign letters is unquestionably one of the most sincere filmic efforts in recent years. More than that, it is one of the most promising I’ve seen [...]
LOL
It’s hard to tell where a movie like LOL goes wrong. Adapted from a French film by the same name, the movie meanders aimlessly through the ridiculous problems of bourgie Lola (Miley Cyrus) and her “painfully hip” mom, Anne (Demi Moore), who just doesn’t get what it’s like to be a teen anymore. Director Lisa [...]
ATM
I remember the first time I saw the trailer for ATM. The premise of three people trapped in an ATM while a deranged madman tortured them? Well, it seemed a little ludicrous. Then I saw that the writer of Buried was attached to the project. I’d seen bottle movies go wrong, like Devil but as [...]
Scalene
Scalene is the latest directorial feat from Zack Parker. If the name sounds unfamiliar to you… well, you’re not alone. This is the first of Parker’s features that I’ve seen and I do this for a living. Sadly, for most, Scalene will be yet another Zack Parker film that will go unnoticed. Not because it [...]
The Jodi Picoult Collection
Being a film critic has its perks. I talk to some of my favorite actors and directors. I see movies for free. In short, I get to do what I love. Every so often, though, something comes along that makes me question why I do what I do. That distinct honor belongs to the Jodi [...]
Step Up
Step Up belongs to that rare teen movie craze of beautiful people dancing together for no other reason than to look pretty together. Seriously, I tried to find a reason for this movie existing and all I came up with is, Channing Tatum isn’t bad to look at and neither is Jenna Dewan, our respective [...]
The Mystery of the 13th Guest
I’ve always been a sucker for old time-y crime capers. Seriously, this is the same guy who owns every cinematic incarnation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as well as over 15 gigabytes of “Suspense Radio Theater.” So when I heard that MGM was giving the DVD treatment to one of their older [...]
Shark Divers
Ever since I saw Jaws as a kid, I’ve been simultaneously fearful and fascinated by sharks. I imagine my story isn’t too uncommon, with the ever-increasing popularity of Discovery’s Shark Week. So when Mill Creek Entertainment stepped up to the plate, with their newest release Shark Divers, I was a little nervous. What was I [...]
Thin Ice
Thin Ice, the latest from director Jill Sprecher, is a difficult movie to describe. At first glance, it is a con movie. Upon further examination, it becomes clear that Thin Ice is merely masquerading as a crime comedy. At heart, it is a dramedy about an insurance man’s mid-life crisis that flirts with the ideas [...]
Act of Valor
Act of Valor is a propaganda film, make no mistake about that. Albeit it is a stunningly filmed and marvelously choreographed propaganda film, but it is a film with an agenda nevertheless. Given that the film has proudly declared its use of “Active Duty Navy Seals” and was co-financed by the Navy Seals themselves, this [...]
Connect