Matthew Roe

It’s a ballet of personalities, where the efforts of those attempting to be the most domineering end up directly leading to the sharpest and most tragic of downfalls. But there isn’t any righteousness or catharsis in these descents — everyone is a mangled menagerie of pieces, and they’re all just trying to get themselves through life.

There is still life behind the eyes of each weary face and still deep-felt reasons to strive for a better tomorrow, even in the wake of such destruction and desolation.

Lord of Misrule might just be the most effective outing for the director yet. It possesses an earnestness and polish that affords audiences a morbidly fun and familiar film yet still manages to turn a few expectations on their ears precisely when they need it.

There is an earnestness within how the story is told and an attention to detail that is increasingly lost in the world of high-definition digital filmmaking. The movie may have its rough edges and shortfalls, but it effectively captures the underbelly of a generation.

Itsy Bitsy has some fantastic human moments inside its bland monster facade and is the only real reason I can recommend the film – however, for some it won’t be enough to redeem the played-out and wonky elements.

The Child Remains strives to be a unique amalgamation of horror themes, however, it ultimately results in a confounded muddling through mismatched generic set pieces.

Wolf’s directorial command when selecting material to showcase and contextualize the anecdotes spun throughout the film further affirms his mission to paint the most compendious picture possible, and he succeeds quite admirably.

There isn’t much in the way of original content to recommend in this experience beyond the film’s obvious use as easy fodder. The earnestness in which The Church was made ensures its status as an endearing failure, though sadly not as much else.

Ultimately, Trading Paint doesn’t amount to much more than an easy way to mindlessly kill eighty-nine minutes.

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts is simple at a glance, nuanced under scrutiny, and is a damn fine time at the movies.