Synopsis: An insurance agent is looking for a way to jump-start his business, reunite with his estranged wife, and escape the dismal midwestern weather. This self-proclaimed master of duplicity believes that salesmanship is all about selling a story—all he needs is a sucker willing to buy it. He hits pay dirt with a lonely retired farmer, who is sitting on something much bigger than an insurance commission: a rare violin collecting dust in the corner of the farmhouse. His attempt to con the old man spins out of control, however, trapping him in a web of deceit and moral ambiguity. The A-team of the Sprecher sisters—director Jill and cowriter Karen—know how to transform a tall tale into cinematic magic convincingly. The outstanding cast creates a collection of oddball characters that are as charming as they are calculating. What seems simple turns complicated, and The Convincer develops into a thoroughly satisfying romp. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Institute]
YEAH! Are you ready for some Cage's Festival of Wigs (TM)??? A wig made of FIRE perhaps? That is right, people. Nicolas Cage is BACK as that motorcycle madman from hell (nope this is not "Drive Angry 2") as the GHOST RIDER in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." And that's...
Read More »“Thin Ice” premiered at 2011’s Sundance Film Festival under the name “The Convincer.” The Greg Kinnear/Billy Crudup-starrer got some good reviews at the time, but the less kind notices called it the “poor man’s ‘Fargo,’” which sounds about ...
Read More »While the first two months of the year may be the critical dumping ground for some of the major studios, it’s a time when many smaller films finally fulfill their year-long path to distribution. We looked through the Criticwire responses for this week’s releases to see what recommendations we could ...
Read More »When the screenwriters of “Thin Ice” finally play their hand and reveal their film’s obvious twist ending, that dumb plot point almost eclipses all the other lousy things that came before it. But make no mistake, “Thin Ice” is nothing if not consistently lousy. Set in f...
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