Laggies

Review by Pamela Zoslov

Unbound from the corsets and lace that have been her accustomed dress in myriad period dramas, Keira Knightley emerges in Lynn Shelton's LAGGIES as a teenager — albeit one in the body of a 28-year-old woman.

Deploying a more than acceptable American accent, the dark-haired British actress plays Megan, the type of young woman very familiar in indie filmdom — a social misfit who's at a crossroads in life, troubled in romance and career. Though she attended graduate school in psychology, Megan has been unable and unwilling to find a career other than twirling an advertising sign at roadside for her accountant dad (Jeff Garlin). Boyishly lissome in a white t-shirt and white jeans, she twirls most charmingly. We can understand why her dad loves everything she does, even while her mom nags her to get career counseling.

Better Living Through Chemistry (opens in Clevelnad March 14th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre)

[BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY opens in Cleveland on Friday March 14th exclusively at the Cedar Lee Theatre.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

Doug Varney (Sam Rockwell) is your classic nebbish protagonist. His cycling nut wife Kara (Michelle Monaghan) looks at him with contempt, his overweight son Ethan (Harrison Holzer) paints the windows in his room black and is in trouble at school for smearing poop on lockers, and even though his father-in-law (Ken Howard) is passing the family pharmacy business on to him, he won't let Doug change the name. At least Doug likes his job, even if he winds up staying late to finish deliveries because his employee decides to leave early for a Widespread Panic concert at the last minute.

Lucky for Doug, as it turns out.

Seven Psychopaths

Review by Pete Roche

It’s not always easy distinguishing eccentrics from alcoholics, or spotting the difference between sycophants and psychopaths.  Sometimes the lines are blurry.  Frequently, the symptoms overlap. 

Irish playwright Martin McDonagh toyed with these archetypes a couple years back with the marvelous IN BRUGES, wherein all hell breaks loose after Colin Farrell’s penitent assassin goes into hiding.

Farrell is back for McDonagh’s follow-up, SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS—but now he’s first among equals, playing alongside Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell in a shoot ‘em up study of love, loyalty, violence, and sanity.