Film Reviews · Backpex

Title	Overview		Toggle columns Title Overview
Greetings from Tim Buckley	A young Jeff Buckley (Penn Badgley) struggles to make peace with his late father Tim's legacy while preparing to perform at a tribute concert to the late singer-songwriter, in this stirring drama about the prelude to the tragically short-lived singer's creation of his monumental album Grace.
Suddenly	The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow Ellen Benson, a pacifist who can't abide guns and those who use them. But violence descends on Ellen's household willy-nilly when the U.S. President passes through town... and slightly psycho hired assassin John Baron finds the Benson home ideal for an ambush.
I'll Take Sweden	Bob Holcomb will do anything to stop his daughter JoJo from tying the knot with her lazy boyfriend, even move her all the way to Sweden! But once they're "safely" out of the country, JoJo falls for a sly Swedish playboy.
The Astronaut's Wife	When astronaut Spencer Armacost returns to Earth after a mission that nearly cost him his life, he decides to take a desk job in order to see his beautiful wife, Jillian, more often. Gradually, Jillian notices that Spencer's personality seems to have changed, but her concerns fade when she discovers that she's pregnant. As Jillian grows closer to becoming a mother, her suspicions about Spencer return. Why does it seem as if he's a different person?
Ridicule	To get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles.
Love, Money, Love	David, a recently fired scrapyard worker and Marie, a prostitute, both about 20 years old, meet on New Year's Eve in Berlin and decide to run away together. As David's arm is plastered from an accident Marie continues to prostitute herself to finance their restless journey through the Ruhr area. Their love and their will to survive guide them though all problems.
Swinging with the Finkels	A suburban couple decide to spice up their lives by swinging with another couple.
Light It Up	On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.
2LDK	Nozomi and Lana share an apartment in Tokyo. They have both auditioned for the same role in a movie, and know that the shortlist has been cut down to just the two of them. As they wait the night before finding out who will get the role, their personality clashes erupt into an all-out battle.
Blonde Ice	A golddigging femme fatale leaves a trail of men behind her, rich and poor, alive and dead.
A High Wind in Jamaica	In 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling, but their ship is taken over by pirates, who become fond of the kids.
Blood, Sweat and Fear	Police believe that a respectable industrialist is actually the head of drug smuggling ring in Milan.
Fall from Grace	The shocking story of Rev. Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church, those who oppose it, and those who chose to leave it all behind. The first feature-length documentary to explore the hate-filled world of Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. Since the mid-90s, this group has participated in nearly 25,000 anti-homosexual demonstrations around the world. With signs that say things like "God hates fags," "You're going to Hell," "Thank God for 9/11," "God hates your tears," "Thank God for dead soldiers," the small congregation of 75 members has garnered international attention, especially now that they have targeted military funerals as a venue for their picketing. 'Fall From Grace' features interviews with Rev. Phelps, other members of the church, many of its dissenters, and two members that left the church and their family behind. Written by KRJ
The Terminal Man	As the result of a head injury, brilliant computer scientist Harry Benson begins to experience violent seizures. In an attempt to control the seizures, Benson undergoes a new surgical procedure in which a microcomputer is inserted into his brain. The procedure is not entirely successful.
Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market	Noboru Tanaka returned to direct the third of Nikkatsu's pinku eiga melodramas examining prostitution in various Japanese cities. This one focuses on modern-day Osaka, and although it is still a softcore film, is the most outrageous of the lot. The casting is almost demented, with classical ballerina and staunch feminist Genshu Hanayagi smoking a cigarette with her privates, poet Sakumi Hagiwara blowing up some gangsters by suicidally detonating a gas-filled love doll, and similarly peculiar appearances from notorious druggie Meika Seri and genre icon Junko Miyashita. Highly recommended for pinku eiga aficionados, this one must be seen to be believed.

Greetings from Tim Buckley

A young Jeff Buckley (Penn Badgley) struggles to make peace with his late father Tim's legacy while preparing to perform at a tribute concert to the late singer-songwriter, in this stirring drama about the prelude to the tragically short-lived singer's creation of his monumental album Grace.

Suddenly

The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow Ellen Benson, a pacifist who can't abide guns and those who use them. But violence descends on Ellen's household willy-nilly when the U.S. President passes through town... and slightly psycho hired assassin John Baron finds the Benson home ideal for an ambush.

I'll Take Sweden

Bob Holcomb will do anything to stop his daughter JoJo from tying the knot with her lazy boyfriend, even move her all the way to Sweden! But once they're "safely" out of the country, JoJo falls for a sly Swedish playboy.

The Astronaut's Wife

When astronaut Spencer Armacost returns to Earth after a mission that nearly cost him his life, he decides to take a desk job in order to see his beautiful wife, Jillian, more often. Gradually, Jillian notices that Spencer's personality seems to have changed, but her concerns fade when she discovers that she's pregnant. As Jillian grows closer to becoming a mother, her suspicions about Spencer return. Why does it seem as if he's a different person?

Ridicule

To get royal backing on a needed drainage project, a poor French lord must learn to play the delicate games of wit at court at Versailles.

Love, Money, Love

David, a recently fired scrapyard worker and Marie, a prostitute, both about 20 years old, meet on New Year's Eve in Berlin and decide to run away together. As David's arm is plastered from an accident Marie continues to prostitute herself to finance their restless journey through the Ruhr area. Their love and their will to survive guide them though all problems.

Swinging with the Finkels

A suburban couple decide to spice up their lives by swinging with another couple.

Light It Up

On a winter day in a southside Queens high school, events collide and six students are suddenly in an armed standoff with the NYPD. At the school, classrooms freeze, teachers come and go, resources are scant.

2LDK

Nozomi and Lana share an apartment in Tokyo. They have both auditioned for the same role in a movie, and know that the shortlist has been cut down to just the two of them. As they wait the night before finding out who will get the role, their personality clashes erupt into an all-out battle.

Blonde Ice

A golddigging femme fatale leaves a trail of men behind her, rich and poor, alive and dead.

A High Wind in Jamaica

In 1870, a Jamaican colonial family sends its children to Britain for proper schooling, but their ship is taken over by pirates, who become fond of the kids.

Blood, Sweat and Fear

Police believe that a respectable industrialist is actually the head of drug smuggling ring in Milan.

Fall from Grace

The shocking story of Rev. Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church, those who oppose it, and those who chose to leave it all behind. The first feature-length documentary to explore the hate-filled world of Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS. Since the mid-90s, this group has participated in nearly 25,000 anti-homosexual demonstrations around the world. With signs that say things like "God hates fags," "You're going to Hell," "Thank God for 9/11," "God hates your tears," "Thank God for dead soldiers," the small congregation of 75 members has garnered international attention, especially now that they have targeted military funerals as a venue for their picketing. 'Fall From Grace' features interviews with Rev. Phelps, other members of the church, many of its dissenters, and two members that left the church and their family behind. Written by KRJ

The Terminal Man

As the result of a head injury, brilliant computer scientist Harry Benson begins to experience violent seizures. In an attempt to control the seizures, Benson undergoes a new surgical procedure in which a microcomputer is inserted into his brain. The procedure is not entirely successful.

Secret Chronicle: She Beast Market

Noboru Tanaka returned to direct the third of Nikkatsu's pinku eiga melodramas examining prostitution in various Japanese cities. This one focuses on modern-day Osaka, and although it is still a softcore film, is the most outrageous of the lot. The casting is almost demented, with classical ballerina and staunch feminist Genshu Hanayagi smoking a cigarette with her privates, poet Sakumi Hagiwara blowing up some gangsters by suicidally detonating a gas-filled love doll, and similarly peculiar appearances from notorious druggie Meika Seri and genre icon Junko Miyashita. Highly recommended for pinku eiga aficionados, this one must be seen to be believed.