JULES
What a month aliens are having! If Marc Turtletaub’s Jules had debuted any other time of year, it might not have resonated nearly as loudly. But as it stands, it premiers amongst a swirl of government hearings that may make some believe, more than ever, that we are not alone in the universe. Spielberg wishes he had this kind of publicity for E.T. Jules provides a welcome vision for skeptics and believers alike.
Ben Kingsley stars as Milton Robinson, a melancholy widower going through the motions in a quiet Pennsylvania town. He attends town halls, watches tv, and tends to his garden. The only break in his routine seems to be occasional visits from his daughter, Denise (Zoë Winters). A son is mentioned, but only barely.
Then a UFO crashes in Milton’s backyard.
After unsuccessfully trying to raise the alarm, Milton gets to know his new neighbor, the silent creature (Jade Quon) who is eventually given the titular name. The alien eventually comes to greatly influence Milton, along with two other women who regularly attend the town hall (Harriet Sansom Harris and Jade Quon) Silent and largely immobile, the alien serves as a blank canvas upon which the others broadcast their hopes, questions, and fears.
As compared to our current media environment, Jules’ vision of our interaction with aliens is refreshing delightful, if not a little far-fetched. Nobody seems particularly threatened by the alien, nor the alien by them. In fact, calm would be the best way to sum up reactions on both sides. While there are some darker themes that emerge throughout the film, they are brief. At its core, this is a sweet and thoughtful film.
The performances are universally warm and thoughtful. Kingsley’s Milton is too gruff at first, but quickly reveals layers. He blossoms as his discovery brings new people into his life. Harriet Sansom Harris is a marvel as Sandie, radiating a warmth tinged with sadness. Jane Curtin’s comedic timing continues to age like a fine wine.
Jules is a perfect film for today’s fascination with the idea of aliens. Everyone is looking at the news and asking “What’s out there?”. Jules’ introspective focus answers that big question, but also suggests that it is what’s going on inside us that continues to matter the most.
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*Winner: Audience Award – 2023 Sonoma International Film Festival*
Directed by Marc Turtletaub (Puzzle) Written by Gavin Steckler (“Review”) Starring: Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Schindler’s List), Harriet Sansom Harris (Licorice Pizza), Zoe Winters (“Succession”), Jade Quon (Transformers: The Last Knight) and Jane Curtin (“3rd Rock From the Sun”) Produced by Debbie Liebling, p.g.a., Andy Daly, Michael B. Clark, p.g.a., Alex Turtletaub, p.g.a., and Marc Turtletaub, p.g.a. |
JULES will open in the following Los Angeles theaters next Friday, August 11:
AMC The Americana 18
322 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210
AMC Century City 15
10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90067
AMC Citywalk Stadium 19
100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
AMC The Grove 14
189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Regal Sherman Oaks
15301 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
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Pancho Moler and Neb Chupin deserve your attention. This pairing is a buddy comedy in the making. Orlando Jones has fantastic chemistry with Gigandet. He is effortlessly charming. Cam Gigandet nails the villain role with a deliciously overconfident and definitively slimy aura. The camera loves him. His delivery is chef’s kiss. I would be delighted to watch a spinoff film featuring Jones and Gigandet in a heartbeat. Hell, 
Ser’Darius Blain is elegant as The Groom. His presence is genuinely beguiling. Jason Patric elevates the film with his captivating storytelling. It’s a killer turn. Natalie Burn holds her own against this primarily male cast. Quite literally sticking it to the patriarchy, Burn is tailor-made for this genre. 
Markos Keyto’s production design is phenomenal. The fight choreography is entertaining as hell. The soundtrack is a character all its own. Together they are the perfect marriage of camp and kick ass. Shout out to the practical fx team. There is a brilliant moment with a chainsaw. The editing keeps things interesting, forcing you to pay attention to the story as it unfolds. Comparisons to Mr. and Mrs. Smith are inevitable, but this film has an unexpected nuance from writers Chad Law and Shane Dax Taylor. Besides the runtime feeling a little long, TIL DEATH DO US PART is an undeniably fun action-thriller.
We have been lucky enough to have seen a few of the titles already making the rounds. You can catch our reviews for the following films:
Paiffe
THAT’S A WRAP
Award-winning director Marcel Walz’s upcoming horror/thriller THAT’S A WRAP is scheduled to release on digital platforms on August 25th, 2023 from Quiver Distribution. Cerina Vincent (Cabin Fever), Monique T. Parent (Jurassic City), Sarah French (Space Wars: The Quest for Deepstar), Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), and Dave Sheridan (The Devil’s Rejects) star in a film written by Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas.
The cast of a film arrive to a wrap party, but someone has dressed up as the slasher in the film, and begins to stage their own kill scenes. One by one, the cast disappear until the true nature of the evening is revealed.
Joe Knetter, Marcel Walz, and Sarah French produce, with BJ Mezek, Andreas Tremmel, Justus Heinz, Yazid Benfeghoul, Tina Limbeck, Robert L. Lucas, and Kai E. Bogatzki executive producing.
Peppergrass
Chantelle Han
Directed by: Steve Buscemi
THE CURIOUS CASE OF NATALIA GRACE
NIGHT TWO:
Episode 4 highlights Michael Barnett‘s evolution on camera spans years. His earliest interviews from 2019 display a well-spoken man recalling a shocking family nightmare. In the latest interviews from 2022, we see a completely different man whose story changes. He is a man slowly unraveling. It is challenging to decipher if the tears are crocodile or not. Jacob hints at a broader understanding of fault. It puts some of Kristine’s footage of Natalia into question and puts Jacob in a precarious situation, emotionally and legally.
Episode 1 sets up Natalia as a mastermind and sociopath. To say it is unnerving is an understatement. Episode 2 features intriguing audio from phone calls with several Indiana State Mental Hospital staff. Enter legal expert Beth Karas and new details from witnesses that dispute many of Michael Barnett’s storytelling. Now, the audience finds themselves in a tailspin.
Based on Michael Hall‘s articles from 2004, Mineola, Texas, HOW TO CREATE A SEX SCANDAL is a shocking tale of deceit and power. It’s time for some good old fashion pearl-clutching before tearing them off in a rage.
Episode 2:
MOTION DETECTED relies entirely on Natasha Esca‘s performance as Eva. Her descent into madness goes from 75 to 200 very quickly. A moment with wine is, perhaps, a touch over the top. Esca shines brightest when speaking Spanish. It’s her most natural delivery.
The film struggles with picking a storytelling lane. Eva’s PTSD and (*spoiler alert*) the haunted alarm system conflict more than they mesh. The idea that Diablo might manifest your greatest fears to lure you in needs a better narrative anchor in the film’s opening scene. Overall, the notion of tech knowing too much about us at every moment is a solid starting point. We can all relate to using some version of an AI assistant. The meat is on the bone in MOTION DETECTED, but it is a tad undercooked, in my opinion.
Save one or two, a group predominantly of elitist little shits wage war against the weaker for power. To no one’s surprise, these kids could not care less about following the religious aspects of the camp’s intentions, instead actively torturing the child with the darkest skin. Perhaps the saddest part is how the hatred spreads so quickly.
Outside the inner workings of the boys, there is a grander racism playing out beyond the chain link fence of the camp. A hole brings fear that an outsider has infiltrated the grounds. Slowly, we discover the nefarious intentions of the staff, the indoctrination of following orders, and never questioning authority.
The film plays out in two distinct acts. Once in the woods, the fractures widen, and smaller groups become exceedingly hostile. This Lord Of The Flies meets The Village script is exhilarating. My nerves almost could not take it. Performances are extraordinary. The film speaks to a growing global evil in Christofascism, sexual abuse in the church, and the destruction of otherness. A HOLE IN THE FENCE displays toxic masculinity at its core. It is a sick test and focuses on the myth of manhood. It is a microcosm, and we should all be afraid.
Interrogation videos are startling, to put it nicely. The difference in tone and language between the accused and accusers will infuriate you. Victims appear in shock; most of them are taught to respect authority. The victim blaming and shaming will make your blood boil. This systematic problem is the personification of rape culture. Detective Carl Hershman, an incredible former SVU officer, helps us understand the why and how. The force needs more people like him.
The psychological damage is unfathomable. Trust me when I say there are more sexual assault survivors than you are comfortable comprehending. VICTIM/SUSPECT uses police officers’ own words against them. The blatant lies and heinous tactics to have these victims recant will blow you away. Your head will spin when you discover their training includes using “ruse” in questioning. The lack of actual investigation is staggering. Journalists like De Leon are quite literally saving lives. Nancy Schwartzman and Netflix are doing an essential service to victims with VICTIM/SUSPECT. It can only lead to justice.
The script is equally as brutal as the first film. You have to respect it. WRATH takes us a step further into the depths of Nazi incels. The timely nature of the plot is brilliant and terrifying. Having Becky break the fourth wall is beyond satisfying. The mystery from the original begs for an extended storyline and a larger franchise. 
Sean William Scott takes a page from his performance in 
Becky represents every woman who is sick of your shit. This feminist horror icon, because that is precisely what she is to me, lets me live out my daily fantasies of earned rage. THE WRATH OF BECKY is a “fuck yeah” of a film. I implore Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote to keep this franchise alive and kicking (ass).
Experiencing Fanny’s songs for the first time, I immediately recognized the impact made on so many other artists. So how is Fanny not in my musical catalog? Jean, June, Alice, Brie, Patti, Cam, and Nickey were trailblazers who worked three times as hard as men and cranked out thought-provoking lyrics ahead of the times. Fanny was a feminist rock group with sharp wit and zero fear. The documentary utilizes sit-down interviews, studio sessions past and present, and live performances on stage and on television. The archival photography from Linda Wolf is extraordinary.
Fanny broke up due to a deadly combination of things; misogyny, societal times, no one big bop to make money, and having a studio that pushed them to their limits. As members came and went throughout the years, the sound morphed but always retained that iconic grit.
All Man:
Matt Bomer‘s narration adds a brilliant touch of nostalgia in a way that is hard to describe until you experience it for yourself. The film uses archival footage and photography, sit-down interviews, and creative transitional animation. The catalog was bright, smart, and sexy, and gave men something to aspire to be. It challenged the idea of masculinity with its European-inspired fashion and copy, written by Gene. He was meticulous in his work ethic, taking customer feedback and recognizing that 75% of their shoppers were women. Watching the images from the catalogs made me want to order (almost) every single article of clothing for my husband. Gene clearly understood the broad appeal. If International Male existed today, I’d be begging them to take my money. 
Everything shifted for International Male once the AIDS epidemic touched the employees and the world. Gene sold the catalog, and the new creative directors were more hesitant to hire queer staff, in fact, firing a huge percentage of them. In the 90s, the positive changes came in the form of more models of color. But with the loss of gay buyers and department stores filled with men’s retail, International Male was no longer a cash cow. But it’s easy to see how the catalog catapulted our current influencers in pop culture with the freedom to express themselves on a gender spectrum now celebrated across the globe. So, thank you, International Male. You made a difference while allowing us to drool.
Shazad Latif, as Kaz, has a quiet confidence that draws you in from the beginning. He possesses something special that makes the audience feel safe around him. Anyone would be lucky to have Kaz as a member of their family. Lily James plays Zoe with ambition, smarts, and girl-next-door sass. This character’s depth, flaws, and strengths equally embraced make the film thoroughly relatable. Dating is complicated, especially now. James embodies the modern-day woman and brings an elegance to Zoe that captures the audience immediately. Latif and James have a chemistry that feels earned.
Michael Neelsen‘s newest documentary, BEYOND HUMAN NATURE, tells the story of the heinous death of Tom Monfils and how it leads to chaos in a small town paper mill. This homicide investigation will upend people’s lives for decades. It is one hell of a mystery. 
What sets it apart is the case itself. The deliberate and malicious acts by the Green Bay Police Department set off a whirlwind of betrayal and death. Serious questions remain all these years later. If you think you know how this story ends, think again. The twists and turns are endless. 
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