THE KINGS OF SUMMER
...the cinematography is gorgeous; the close-up slo-mo, sun-kissed style makes each moment tangibly magical. The movie captures the dusty rays of suburban summers and the vital brightness of adventure in a way I’ve never seen before. And what’s so much better is that these are seriously beautiful shots that mostly convey something so real and spirited and at the same time, hilarious. The comedy of the script does not get lost in the cinematography, rather the two work together to form a perfect union of heightened reality – one that serves to show us the truth, just simply in better, clearer detail than the naked eye can catch in real life."
-THE BLEMISH REVIEW
"...cinematographer Ross Riege, who captures the awe, the mystery and the enveloping serenity of the woods in luminous images. The loving detail of his frequent closeups of flora and fauna almost suggest a playful tip of the hat to Terrence Malick, within a movie that pays affectionate homage to Stand By Me."
-HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW
"It’s rare for such a funny film to be so, well, nice to look at. To its immense credit, Kings is not a straightforward Hollywood comedy that eschews cinematographic complexity in order to focus on cheap laughs and gross-out humor. Indeed, Kings has a clearly-articulated cinematic point of view: as Joe, Patrick, and Biaggio move into their ramshackle home in the woods, the camera sees them as they see themselves–as bigger than life. There are shots of Joe and Patrick sitting on the edge of a cliff, masters of their kingdom, or idyllic shots of Joe lying in tall grass, lit by warm sunlight. The boys see themselves as “real men” now, and the camera asserts this opinion–bathing them in the light of a warm sun, at times making them seem like mammoth shadows. Nature is the boys’ new home, and they are free– a point illustrated by dappled-sunlit shots of the natural landscape and lens flares that suggest the joy and warmth the boys feel at being their own rulers. There are also a few mesmerizing slow motion shots that emphasize the beauty of the natural world and the sheer joy of being a young boy in the woods. For just a while, at least, the film lets us see them as they see themselves. As the realities of running away–and its growing pains–descend, the world becomes, of course, fraught with trauma and danger."
-FILMORIA UK REVIEW
"Emotionally engaging, beautifully shot and laugh-out-loud funny, The Kings of Summer is a hugely entertaining coming-of-age drama... The film looks utterly gorgeous throughout, courtesy of Ross Riege's idyllic cinematography; he also proves himself a dab-hand with a slow-motion montage sequence... It's also one of the best films of the year. Unmissable."
-THE VIEW LONDON REVIEW
"The duo have created a world that’s fantastic but grounded in authentic emotions (aided in no small part by gorgeous cinematography by Ross Riege). Vogt-Roberts said he wanted to make a comedy that was beautiful and dark and also funny; we’d say he succeeded wildly."
-INDIEWIRE REVIEW
