Author Derek Deskins

Derek was the only engineer at Northeastern University taking a class on German film and turning a sociology research paper into an examination of Scorsese’s work. Still living in Boston, MA, he blatantly abuses his Netflix account, but can never seem to get his Instant Queue below 200. He continues to fight the stigma that being good at math means you are not any no good at writing. I good write, very much.

Reviews the wolfpack 1
7.5
1

The Wolfpack grabs your attention right out of the gate. Its premise is the type that leaves you scratching your head in confusion and looking on in wonder. How could you have an apartment in New York City and never venture outside? What could scare a father so much that he would…

Reviews sunshine superman 1
7.2
0

In 2008, James Marsh’s Man on Wire, a recounting of Philippe Petit’s 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, was one of the most talked about documentaries. At first glance, the film was merely a historical account of Petit’s quest and success, but it ended up being so much more. It…

Reviews the connection 1
8.1
1

Let’s get the first question you are undoubtedly having out of the way. No, The Connection is not a French remake of The French Connection. In actuality, the title is a bit misleading. Outside of the time period and the titular heroine connection, these are two completely…

IFFBoston 2015 slow west 1
9.5
1

There was a time when the western genre was king. It created stars in John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, and then America just kind of got over it. Maybe it’s like Toy Story 2 asserts, that the emergence of space travel heralded the end of the cowboy. But this was a genre that made up so much of our cinematic history. Other genres have gone through similar ebbs and flows, perhaps the…

IFFBoston 2015 7 chinese brothers 1
5.6
0

I don’t care how charming Jason Schwartzman may be, he cannot be your entire film.

There have been plenty of films built almost entirely on the backs of their lead characters. However, it should never be the practice to have that be the film’s only clear reason for existing. Hell, even Ferris Bueller’s Day Off had the good grace to have some semblance of…

IFFBoston 2015 welcome to leith 1
9.0
0

I used to be utterly terrified of Freddy Krueger. I had never seen Nightmare on Elm Street (and to this day, I still haven’t) but I vividly remember the poster that hung in my local video store; that clawed hand creeping over the head of teenager. I can…

IFFBoston 2015 gtfo 1
6.4
1

For all the good that the internet provides us, it brings a whole lot of crap along with it. While most of us take the internet for its informational qualities, Googling every little thing that we may not know, one of its founding principles is that of connection. The internet is about bringing…

IFFBoston 2015 the great alone 1
8.4
0

The Iditarod is not only a challenging word to spell but a wholly incredible race. An over 1,000-mile long dog sled race across treacherous and freezing landscapes, where the racer has to rely only on himself, his dogs, and the kindness of strangers. While the clothing and equipment may improve, the value system and the beguiling simplicity of the race’s description remains constant. Lance…

IFFBoston 2015 lost conquest 1
7.8
0

I’m going to go out a limb here and say that most of us don’t know a thing about Viking culture. Our understanding of the Vikings, at least pre-History’s Vikings, consisted of bearded guys with horned helmets. They like boats and violence, or something like that. Vikings are a…

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