TGE:
Each year Sundance highlights a handful of the most exciting independent films – movies like The Hurt Locker and Winter’s Bone that often take bold narrative and formal risks to create more unique and memorable films – and this year was no exception. Emerging from the pack (amid the season’s early Oscar speculation) is Martha Marcy May Marlene. After months of mounting an aggressive online marketing campaign to promote it, the film finally hit theaters. It didn’t disappoint. Martha Marcy May Marlene paints a deeply unsettling, terrifyingly disturbing, and richly atmospheric portrait of a disturbed young woman struggling to maintain her own identity.
Chris of Laser Lemming Writes "Halloween is this Thursday, and many television stations will air lame specials while cable stations try to jam silly schlock down your throats. Spend your Halloween wisely by watching these excellent films. We are not loading for the most scary, but we are aiming to add really great films to your Halloween ammunition. This list will consist of modern films made over the last decade. Let’s begin"
Trendy Gamers: It’s an indie flick, so of course it’s got a weird name. The last review I did for a highly lauded independent film left me cynical and bitter, with a certain resistance towards diving back into another low-budget, atmosphere-heavy, psychological thriller. However, this time I came away fascinated and validated. First time writer/director Sean Durkin’s dark and fascinating meditation on the damaged psyche of an escaped cult member plays out with intricate nuance and deep gravitas, that warrants it a second viewing and a rightful spot in my Blu-ray collection when it hits retail outlets.
The Movie Pool tries to join the cultish fanbase of Martha Marcy May Marlene—to mixed results.