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NERVE, the best bad movie in a long time

The PokemonGo craze couldn't be more timely
Dave Franco, Emma Roberts and Emily Meade
Directed by Ari Schulman and Henry Joost

The best thing about “Nerve” is that it doesn’t care what you think of it. While it’s not a crazy surreal soup like “The Lobster,” it’s been awhile since I’ve seen a film that feels quite so free in its own skin. The new Emma Roberts film starts like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and ends like “The Warriors” or “Escape from New York.| Its’ “The Hunger Games” as told by John Carpenter. “Nerve” is a ... more >

ashby_screencomment

ASHBY | In her first semi-serious role Sarah Silverman gives a great performance

Mickey Rourke as a former CIA assassin ...
Mickey Rourke, Nat Wolff and Emma Roberts
Directed by Tony McNamara

One of the great things about smaller independent films is that the freedom they explore in not getting pigeon-holed into one specific genre. As the recently-passed Tribeca Festival caters to the independents it follows that they reap the benefits of this formula. Case in point is one of the festival’s better selections this year ASHBY which combines drama, comedy (or dark comedy) sprinkled with a ... more >

Palo Alto

Politics in teenage land
James Franco and Emma Roberts
Directed by Gia Coppola

"Disillusioned youths groping for self-worth in the teenage wastelands of California." This could be the long-form title of newcomer Gia Coppola's film, adapted from a collection of short stories by James Franco. In a prescient moment of lucidity Franco had earlier said that he only wanted a woman to direct the adaptation of his novel. In this directorial debut Coppola transformed the violent ... more >

The art of getting by

Directed by Gavin Wiesen. Starring Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts. ... more >