Now in its eighth year, the Method Fest (named for the Stanislavsky approach to acting) continues to hold to its goal of celebrating actors and their craft. That emphasis on performances instead of celebrity power or flashy filmmaking means a host of secondary bonuses for the viewer: films populated with bodies that bulge or sag like those of mere mortals; the occasional discovery of an offbeat cinematic voice that rings with unforced idiosyncrasy. But it also means too many films that are lazily executed in terms of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, etc., and which risk turning the festival’s mission statement into a loophole for mediocrity. Into this camp fall many of the films made available for preview this year. In director... More >>>