‘Wind River’ hurts throughout its spellbinding murder/mystery

“Wind River” – The cold hurts. In the middle of winter – whether one shovels heavy powder off a lengthy driveway, lifts a car’s hood to jumpstart a dead battery or trudges through an enormous shopping mall parking lot on a freezing day while searching for a lost vehicle – the cold hurts. These, however, are extremely minor inconveniences compared to the fate that the cold inflicted on Natalie (Kelsey Asbille), a young woman who froze to death in the snow after running, stumbling and crawling in the bitter, wintertime…

Four fantastic four-star Australian thrillers available on Netflix and/or Amazon

The Australian 80s band Men at Work claims that women from Down Under glow and the men plunder.  Although this is inherently a mix message, there is no denying that Australians routinely and consistently deliver great movies.  Looking back through Art House Film Wire’s recent rolodex, here are four fantastic four-star thrillers that are available on Netflix and/or Amazon right now, and no question, these movies get glowing reviews from Art House Film Wire. “Animal Kingdom” (2010) – The walls of justice begin to close in on a family of bank…

‘Brave New Jersey’ is a charming, almost-alien invasion story

“Brave New Jersey” – “For one night, you can let go of your inhibitions and become someone completely different.” – Peg (Anna Camp) Peg, a schoolteacher who lives in the small, farming community of Lullaby, NJ, harmlessly explains her interpretation of this one night, Halloween, to her students.  Little does she realize that Halloween and its effects will arrive one day early on Oct. 30, 1938. For history buffs, this date owns significant meaning:  Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds”.  Seventy-nine years ago, his famous/infamous retelling…