Review: ‘GALVESTON’ impresses with its story and star, Ben Foster.

SYNOPSIS: Roy (Foster) is a heavy-drinking criminal enforcer and mob hit man whose boss set him up in a double-cross scheme. After killing his would-be assassins before they could kill him, Roy discovers Rocky (Fanning), a young woman being held captive, and reluctantly takes her with him on his escape. Determined to find safety and sanctuary in Galveston, Roy must find a way to stop his boss from pursuing them while trying to outrun the demons from his and Rocky’s pasts.

Just when I think Ben Foster can’t get better, well, I should know better by now. His fearless choices in roles continue in the new film Galveston. A man double-crossed and doing a good deed for a captive young girl (played spectacularly by Elle Tanning), Foster once again transforms voice, physicality, and persona to become a hero. His powerful on-screen presence is undeniable and one day, sooner rather than later, we will see him with a much deserved Oscar in his hands. His chemistry with Fanning is delicate and honest as the reality of their dilemma unfolds. The film is a tour de force of intensity from the get-go. It only becomes darker as the story rolls on. Galveston is as heartbreaking as it is triumphant.

RLJE Films will release the thriller / drama GALVESTON in theaters and On Demand / Digital HD on October 19, 2018.

Based on the novel by the creator of “True Detective,” GALVESTON stars Ben Foster (Hell or High Water), Elle Fanning (The Beguiled), Beau Bridges (The Mountain Between Us), Lili Reinhart (“Riverdale”), and Robert Aramayo (Nocturnal Animals). The film made its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival and was directed by Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) from a script by Jim Hammett.

 

Review: The subtle & unexpected ‘By the Sea’ from Writer/Director Angelina Jolie Pitt

By the Sea poster

Let’s watch the trailer:

There are three different ways I can describe By the Sea, written, directed and starring Angelina Jolie Pitt opposite husband, Brad Pitt.

  1. Roland and Vanessa (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt) are a seasoned couple beginning a vacation at a beautiful hotel in the south of France in the 1970s. When a young newlywed couple moves in next door, it brings out a new side of Roland and Vanessa that might just save their marriage.
  2. Three sets of couples, in different stages of life, interact while on holiday in 1970s.
  3. A portrait of a couple trying to avoid the painful memories of their past.

Full disclosure, I love dramas. The American, with George Clooney, is one of my recent favorites. It’s slow and purposeful with beautiful cinematography. Not unlike By the Sea, that reveals slowly with a bit of mystery centering around Vanessa.

Jolie Pitt’s performance as Vanessa is cold, rigid and stoic. One of the only problems I had with the story is why the young, full of life, Lea (Melanie Laurent) would seek out her friendship.

What I particularly enjoyed was the lack of formula, leaving it completely without prediction, yet all actions were plausible. Angelina Jolie Pitt wrote and directed the film before she started directing, so she had no intention of starring in it or for it to be a commercial film. Most of the scenes take place in the hotel, and you really get the sense that there is a beautiful world waiting just outside. While many will be drawn to it because of the couple, this is not the picture of a perfect marriage.

Brad Pitt‘s character, Roland, is full of despair over being with the woman he loves, but not actually BEING with her. He has such painfully anguished expressions and empathy is clearly with him. The feeling of despair reminds me of another really good movie, Sunlight, with Naomi Watts and Matt Dillon which was oddly more uplifting.

The pace was very smooth and at 2 hours, it keeps you guessing so much that you forget the time. I very much enjoyed the journey and wouldn’t have a second thought to revisit. It’s in select theaters now and more to come.

By the Sea

Tribeca Film Festival review: Jennifer Connelly & Cillian Murphy as Mother & Son in ‘Aloft’

Cillian Murphy as Ivan Photo by Allen Fraser, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Cillian Murphy as Ivan
Photo by Allen Fraser, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

A woman, in search for a cure for her youngest son, discovers her own ability to heal others. However, a tragic accident prevents her from curing him and threatens to break up her family.

Mélanie Laurent as Ressmore Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Mélanie Laurent as Ressmore
Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Jennifer Connelly is cold and rigid as the young mother, but Cillian Murphy is bold and emotional as her oldest son in the bleak Aloft. Told through flashbacks mixed with present time, director and Academy Award®–nominee Claudia Llosa tells a complex story through the eyes of Ivan (Murphy), who travels with Jannia (Mélanie Laurent).

Left to right: Winta McGrath as Gully and Jennifer Connelly as Nana Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Left to right: Winta McGrath as Gully and Jennifer Connelly as Nana
Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Jennifer Connelly as Nana Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Jennifer Connelly as Nana
Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Left to right: Wiliam Shimell as Newman and Zen McGrath as Young Ivan Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Left to right: Wiliam Shimell as Newman and Zen McGrath as Young Ivan
Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

The ice and snow provide a perfect backdrop to the chilling tale of how small decisions can have the largest impact. As the story progresses, it only gets colder and it can be hard to tell who you should be rooting for, but Ivan is the most heard. A heart-wrenching story of mother and child, you may have an opinion, but no one knows until it happens to them.

Releasing May 22nd in select theaters, one screening left at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Left to right: Jennifer Connelly and Director Claudia Llosa Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Left to right: Jennifer Connelly and Director Claudia Llosa
Photo by Jose Haro, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics