20th Anniversary Independence Day Screening
Emelie Blu-ray Review
Emelie is a slow-burn thriller that is
extremely efficient in building tension and suspense, keeping me captivated
until the letdown of an uninspired final act. Without the strength of Sarah
Bolger’s convincing performance as the title character, a psychotic young woman
disguised as an average middle-class family’s new babysitter, Emelie would have been far easier to
dismiss before the screenplay’s shortcomings failed the film. Instead, I was so
impressed with the set-up of the narrative, it made the lackluster final reveal
that much more disappointing. It builds wonderfully for more than half the
run-time before reaching a monotone plateau act, ending with a whimper when it
should have been a bang.
Son of Saul Blu-ray Review
Nearly every
year there seems to be a Holocaust film competing (often successfully) for
award-season recognition. Last year it was Poland ’s
Ida that won Best Foreign Language
Film at the Academy Awards, and this year Son
of Saul received the same accommodation for Hungary Hungary
Meet the Hitlers DVD Review
Meet the Hitlers is a seemingly narrow
documentary about people with the name Hitler, and how it has impacted their
lives. Although I found the premise for this documentary intriguing, I was
concerned that there would not be enough material to hold my attention for an
entire feature. This problem is helped a great deal by adding a secondary story
about the investigation into Hitler’s actual bloodline, but the greater
solution comes in the filmmaker’s ability to make this a film about the people
rather than their name, which also seems to align with the overall message
within the narrative.
The Great Hypnotist DVD Review
As I watched The Great Hypnotist, I couldn’t help but
feel that there was something being lost in the translation. There is a
fantastic tradition of dialogue-heavy narratives with two characters verbally
dueling through a series of twists and revelations, and this certainly seems to
be a fitting categorization for this film as well, but it had little success in
captivating my attention. This is why I wondered if it was the subtitle
translation preventing me from becoming gripped by the dialogue, or if it were
merely uninspired writing to blame.
Stealing Cars DVD Review
It would be too
easy to criticize Stealing Cars for
having an unoriginal plot, though that is certainly the case, but it isn’t the
existence of other troubled youth narratives that are the problem. The real
issue comes from the construction of this film, which done well would have
helped excuse the unoriginality in the narrative. Instead, each cloying moment
in a screenplay that feels written by an angst-filled film student is then
indulged without logic or balance by the director.
Only Angels Have Wings Blu-ray Review
Only Angels Have Wings is sandwiched
between two other collaborations with Cary Grant in the filmography of Howard
Hawks, showcasing his range as a director along with the star’s versatility.
1938’s Bringing Up Baby and 1940’s His Girl Friday gave audiences two
different personas for Grant, one meek and bookish with the other cocky and
masculine, but both utilized his comedic abilities within the screwball
sub-genre. While 1939’s Only Angels Have
Wings also made use of the witty repartee and masculinity, it gave
audiences a chance to see Grant in a dramatic role and allowed Hawks to capture
the excitement of aerial action sequences.
Mediterranea DVD Review
Director Jonas
Carpignano’s stylistic approach to Mediterranea
often feels akin to a documentary, limiting the musical score’s encroachment on
the narrative and enough shaky handheld camera work to help the audience feel
each jarring moment with an enhanced level of discomfort. And it is a subject
which both the truthful depiction and uncomfortable realism, one which remains
narrow in its character depiction while simultaneously telling a story with
universally wide relevance. The African immigrants depicted in Mediterranea could very easily be any
number of other immigrants across the globe, and that is why it is important to
also anchor the realistic narrative with a character to empathize with.
The Hateful Eight Blu-ray Review
Combining (and often enhancing) the
social commentary and western setting of Django
Unchained with the simple story structure and collection of violent
character types found in Reservoir Dogs,
The Hateful Eight seems an accurate
composite of Quentin Tarantino’s entire filmography, from beginning to present.
In terms of violence, The Hateful Eight continues
the progression of extreme and exaggerated practical effects, which seems to
have started in the universe of Kill Bill
with spurting blood. At the same time, the amount of violence is often
surprisingly restrained; when your cast of characters is limited by remote
location, each death is that much more significant. It is the simplicity of
this plot, the restraint in storytelling that it demands, which ultimately
allows Tarantino to create one of his greatest cinematic achievements.
Killing Them Safely DVD Review
I can’t say that
I ever put much thought into TASERs beyond an instinctual feeling to avoid
them. I haven’t been in a situation which put me in the line of fire and have
no intentions of ever discovering what it feels like, but the documentary Killing Them Safely gave me facts to
back up my instincts. Even if a majority of those hit with the latest
police-issued weapon are left without permanent damage, I still see no reason
to take the risk of becoming one of the few that don’t survive. And even more
importantly, this is just another piece of evidence in recent scrutiny of
police behavior, and it is the poor discretion of the users which is far more
frightening than the weapon itself.
Bicycle Thieves Blu-ray Review
The approach to
cinema as an art form has been divisive from the very beginning, as the Lumiére
brother made films ground in documentary-style realism while George Méliès
would trail blaze the formalist approach shortly after. Another such moment of
stylistic crossroads in film history came with the formalism of Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941) followed by the Italian
neorealist approach taken by Vittorio De Sica in Bicycle Thieves (1948). With non-professional actors, natural
lighting, and the use of real locations in post-WWII Italy
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Blu-ray Review
Despite the
massive success of The Hunger Games franchise, I have been highly skeptical of
the young adult book adaptations since the original 2012 release. The first
film gave me pause due to a remarkable number of similarities the PG-13 film
shared with a far edgier R-rated Japanese film from 2000. But despite what
seemed like blatant borrowing, The Hunger Games was engaging enough to draw my
curiosity to the sequel. I somehow assumed that the continuation of “The Hunger
Games” in the title ensured the film would finish with another climactic
sequence within the games, and was extremely letdown to discover the film
utilized a ‘deus ex machine’ moment to remove all significant characters from
the action before the Hunger Games completed. This would be like releasing a
film called Batman v Superman where the film ends just before they are about to
fight. I felt cheated by the title and annoyed at the convenient removal of the
only interesting dilemma in the franchise. My frustration was only carried over
into the second sequel, which had no Hunger Games and no worthwhile action or
plot.
Brooklyn Blu-ray Review
I love films in
the romance genre, though it often takes a willingness to forgive the
predictable contrivances of the genre. Often the goal only appears to be
satiating the audience’s desired outcome, which leads to cheesy and unbelievable
results involving beautiful actors, manipulated emotions through sentimental
soundtracks. Rarely is there a romance film containing characters resembling
real people, with actual choices to make and difficult outcomes because of
these choices. Brooklyn
is one of these rare films, demanding more from its audience while also paying
off with far more intelligent rewards due to the excellence in filmmaking. In
other words, Brooklyn
doesn’t sacrifice logic and character development for the sake of its romantic
moments, and this makes them feel earned.
Victor Frankenstein Blu-ray Review
This
re-imagining of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic novel from Twentieth Century Fox
is not a complete waste of time, but it is a bad enough that I am sure the
failure has Universal Studios concerned. The iconic horror studio has long been
planning a “Monsters Universe” franchise to mimic the success the comic book
universes, but the last thing that they want is audience’s to think of
unsuccessful attempts such as this. Fortunately, The Mummy is the first endeavor in the open-world of Universal
horror, and hopefully audiences will have time to forget this film before they
re-imagine Frankenstein one more time.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip DVD Review
I don’t know if
it was Fox or Regency, but someone certainly seems to be losing faith in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, and
it is apparent in the slapdash manner with which The Road Chip was constructed. I’m not saying that these CGI
incarnations of the 1980s cartoon characters deserved much better treatment in
the third theatrical sequel to the mediocre 2007 film, but the entire
production feels like a straight-to-video movie. You know the kind; so poorly
made that parents will gladly let play on the television in the other room, but
would dread sitting through it in a theater.
Turn: Washington’s Spies: The Complete Second Season DVD Review
Doing its best
to toe the line between historical accuracy and escapist entertainment, this
AMC Revolutionary War series does its best to provide something for all
viewers. Loosely based on the book, “Washington Long Island
town, Abraham is an unlikely suspect, though his disdain for the behavior of
the British army camped in the area leads him to take action for the opposing
side. Despite initially hoping to refrain from involvement in the war, a few
coincidental childhood connections with rebels leads Abraham to take on a
crucial role in the formation of America
The Spoils of Babylon DVD Review
First it was the
invention of the DVD and then the popularization of online streaming services,
but whatever the reasons behind it, television binge-watching is a phenomenon
new to the entertainment industry. Some programming has taken full advantage of
the change in how people watch TV, making possible shows like “24” or “Lost,”
which require dedicated viewers. And original programming on Netflix or other
streaming services seem to lend themselves to these impulsive viewing
tendencies, but not all shows are enhanced by binge-watching. In the case of
the IFC spoof mini-series, “Eric Jonrosh’s The Spoils of Babylon,” less is
more.
Brave Miss World Blu-ray Review
Though most attention went to the lack of
diversity among the nominees during the 2016 Academy Awards ceremony, for many
it was a performance by Lady Gaga which had a lasting emotional impact. The pop
star was joined onstage during her performance of the Oscar nominated song from
The Hunting Ground by dozens of rape
victims. My initial instinct was to refer to them as former rape victims, but
that is about as accurate as referring to someone who has been to war as a
former veteran. This was made clear by the bravery of those onstage at the
Academy Awards, but even more so in the strength shown within Cecilia Peck’s
documentary, Brave Miss World.
Sisters Blu-ray Review
The chemistry
between these two “Saturday Night Live” alumni is undeniable, even if this is
only the second feature they have starred in together. Often it is their
ability to play off of each other so effortlessly which allows us to believe
they are sisters, far more than the actresses’ ability to look like each other,
and it is also what saves Sisters
from an unfocused screenplay. If you ever thought that a “SNL” skit was funny
until it repeated the same joke way past its welcome, you will have an idea of
the type of approach Paula Pell takes in writing Sisters, with half of a lengthy 2-hour comedy centered on the joke
that is middle-aged people partying like they are teenagers again.
Coming Home Blu-ray Review
Coming Home carries on the wonderful
tradition of melodrama in Chinese cinema, certainly reminiscent of director
Zhang Yimou’s early work (Raise the Red
Lantern, The Road Home), but even
more so of the quiet family dramas made by the legendary Yasujirô Ozu. There
are not many surprises within the narrative of Coming Home, but it is a film instead content to the dedication
examination of a simple premise. Even while there is a clear representation of
a difficult political time in Chinese history, Yimou wisely makes this a film
about the personal impact on individuals rather than the larger issues
surrounding them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)