What to See, What to Skip: New Reviews This Week | Filmmakers ...

Guy Maddin's "Keyhole" monterey media

The week's big release is "American Reunion," the sequel that, um, surely a lot of people must have been demanding.? Also opening this week: "A Fan's Hope," Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con documentary; "Damsels In Distress," Whit Stillman's first movie in 14 years; and Guy Maddin's latest, "Keyhole."

Click through below for all the reviews for this week's new releases from the Indiewire network.

"American Reunion"

The Playlist: C
Afilm that?s a bit more of a shaggy dog than the earlier efforts, its plot strands slack and unsatisfying, it?s deadweight notably visible.

"The Assault (L'assaut)"

The Playlist: C
There may be plenty of propulsive action in "The Assault," but there is little humanity.

"ATM"

The Playlist: D-
Poorly-scripted, hilariously implausible and downright risible ?ATM,? is a film that veers very close to embarrassing.

"Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope"

Indiewire: B
Removing himself from the picture, Spurlock reveals his documentary technique to have little distinguishable from the usual talking heads/verite approach.

The Playlist: C
Perhaps the biggest problem with the documentary -- there?s not a lot of consequential meat or weight to much of it.

"Damsels In Distress"

Leonard Maltin
It may earn a niche as the year?s most original and unusual comedy

The Playlist: B
Whit Stillman is just as enjoyable as when we last met him those many years ago and "Damsels In Distress" finds the director with lots (and lots and lots) left to say.

Press Play
Despite its many clever bits and terrific cast, including mumblecore siren Greta Gerwig, this film sounds a wan echo of Stillman?s earlier work.

"Keyhole"

Indiewire: B-
"Keyhole" never comes together, but that's part of Maddin's creed.

The Playlist: D+
"Keyhole" is both too much and too little, a crowded smorgasbord of genre picture tropes and haunted house tricks that leaves your eyes and brain distended with both far too much to absorb and far too little to sustain.

"We Have a Pope"

Indiewire: C+
Intermittently amusing, the movie never digs deep enough to justify its philosophical connotations, and lacks enough comic inspiration to sustain its lighter ingredients.

The Playlist: B
The key stroke to the success of Moretti's film is that the thematic push-and-pull rides under the surface of what is a very often funny film.

"We the Party"

The Playlist: D
"We the Party" (which becomes a "Yes we can"-type mantra before the movie is over) is infuriating and exhausting, the kind of grating, cloying nonsense that thinks it's adding something profound to an inherently frivolous genre.

"Your Brother. Remember?"

Indiewire: A-
Beneath its ridiculous exterior, Oberzan's highly personal video essay struggles with the connection between entertainment and life, grasping for the conclusion that they're ultimately indistinguishable.

The Playlist: B+
At its core, ?Your Brother. Remember?? walks a fine line. Maybe it?s too personal for outsiders to care.

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