Retro Review: ‘Back to the Future’- We Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Films Release!

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

Director Robert Zemeckis probably hoped that his film about a time traveling boy would be a remembered, but I’m reasonably sure he had no idea the impact it would have on the legions of fans for years to come. To say this movie was a success would be an understatement. Since 1985, Back to the Future has gone on to gross more than $381 million dollars worldwide and was the #1 movie of 1985. Back to the Future was voted the 23rd greatest film ever made by readers of Empire Magazine, it has been included in AFI’s Top 10 Science Fiction Films of All Time, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”, and most importantly, it is my #1 movie of all time. Let’s look back 30 years into the past and travel Back to the Future.

Marty (Michael J. Fox) is your average rebellious teen destined for rock stardom and all the spoils that come with it; there’s just one problem…he’s a McFly and in Hill Valley, that name stands for mediocrity; but things are about to change. Marty lives with his parents George (Crispin Glover) and Lorraine (Lea Thompson) along with his siblings Dave (Marc McClure) and Linda (Wendi Jo Sperber). George is the pushover type never looking for trouble but seemingly finding it. He works for a supervisor named Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) who is always looking to bully George and seems to have a past with the family. Lorraine, Marty’s mom, is an alcoholic who’s life just hasn’t turned out quite the way she imagined. Marty’s siblings still live at home after graduating high school and just can’t seem to catch a break in life. During an exchange at the dinner table, Lorraine recants the tale of the night her and her husband met, a story which involving George being hit by Lorraine’s fathers car. It was the moment she knew they fell in love and would be together forever.

Marty’s best friend scientist Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) has created a time machine….out of a DeLorean! How can it time travel you may ask? Well you preset a travel date into the console, a date like, oooooh say November 5th, 1955. Yes! November 5th 1955, the day Doc Brown hit his head on the porcelain sink while hanging a clock in the bathroom, when he came to he had a vision of the Flux Capacitor. The vehicles time displacement is powered by plutonium, but don’t worry, this suckers electrical, it uses the plutonium to create a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to power the Flux Capacitor. But watch out, once this baby hits 88 mph we’re gonna see some serious shit.

So where would a scientist from California get his hands on plutonium? Well from a Libyan terrorist group of course, and they are sure pissed that he stole from them. They show up to collect what is owed to them and they are out for revenge. Marty witnesses the assassination of his old friend which leaves him little choice, jump in the DeLorean and haul ass. But as Marty is speeding away, he hits the magical 88 mph and Marty is shot back in time to Hill Valley 1955.

Of course Marty’s immediate reaction is to explore Hill Valley and search for Doc Brown to help him return to the future but in the process some unexpected events occur. Marty encounters his father George who is again being bullied by Biff. As George fleas the scene, Marty decides to follow him only to find him spying in a tree at an unsuspecting female. George loses his balance and falls out of the tree, but Marty comes to the rescue, pushes George away from the car and inadvertently is hit with the car instead. Marty wakes in his mothers room where she has become smitten with Marty. He realizes that he has mistakenly taken the place of his father in the tale of their impeding love story and subsequently altered the future.

Marty finds Doc and Doc explains that the only available power source capable of generating 1.21 gigawatts of energy is bolt of lightning. Marty knows that lightning stuck the towns clock tower and 10:04 pm on November 14th, 1955. All that Doc and Marty have to do is figure out a way to harness its power. Oh, and convince George to ask Lorraine to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance and re-change the past so Marty can save his future! But of course Biff has something to say about that.

My love for this movie knows no bounds. It was the first movie I latched onto in my younger years and I’ve watched it at least once every month since…yes I’ve seen this movie over 350 times. The film’s story was so original and fresh that it immediately found an audience with young viewers. Michael J. Fox was a star at the time with the popularity of the hit show “Family Ties”, but interestingly enough Fox was the producers second choice for Marty (Eric Stoltz was originally cast); but there was no better choice than Fox as he ultimately proved. Marty McFly has become an iconic character who’s appeal is as beloved today as it was 29 years ago…maybe ever more so. Christopher Lloyd’s portrayal as Doc Brown is equally as iconic as Fox’s performance. The mannerisms, the delivery of the dialogue, the chemistry he created with Fox brought an immediate emotional connection to the movie which resonated thru the following two sequels. The friendship between Marty and Doc is one very few can top. These characters will live on in film history as two of the greatest ever created.

The supporting cast was amazing. Lea Thompson was fantastic in her duel roles as Lorraine Baines and the future Lorraine McFly. Her beauty was unsurpassed and her presence omitted a touch of youthful mischief that added a level of playfulness that was key to the execution of her relationship with Marty. Crispin Glover was equally as phenomenal as George McFly. His mannerisms as a youthful outcast whose dream of becoming a sci-fi writer and sweeping the woman of his dreams off her feet are quirky and awkward but extremely lovable. Glover brings a level of tension to each scene that allows the audience the feeling of concern yet allows for a playful exuberance to shine thru. And who could forget Tom Wilson. The antagonist of the film, Biff Tannen, arguably one of the top villainous performances of the 1980’s and beyond. Wilson is THE perfect bully. From his interactions with George to his confrontations with Marty, Wilson stands with each actor toe to toe and creates memorable scene after memorable scene. From his bruting mannerisms to his off beat comical delivery, Wilson is a gem in every scene.

Back to the Future is a film that changed the way I watched movies at an early age and solidified my love for film. It is a movie that deserves every one of its accolades and will stand the test of time as one of the all time films. This movie takes me to a place emotionally that allows me to relive a small piece of my childhood with each viewing. I owe so much to this film and I have no way to pay it back. I can simply say thank you Marty and Doc for taking me on your journey.

Stars:

5 out of 5 stars

Trailer:

Michael’s Review: ‘Terminator Genisys’- Arnold is Back, but is That a Good Thing?

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

30 years after the iconic role that put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map, the actor returns to the franchise with Terminator Genisys, the first in a brand new trilogy about an apocalyptic future where machines rules the Earth and humanity fights for survival. Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) takes the helm on what Paramount Pictures hopes will be a resurgence of interest in a stale and uneventful franchise as of late. Can Ah-nold and his new cast members “reset the future”?

The year is 2029, John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human Resistance, continues to wage war against the machines alongside his right hand man Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), but the battle is coming to an end. Connor commands his forces to attack Skynet at multiple locations, one to strike at the main defense grid in Colorado, and a second, led by Kyle and himself, to destroy Skynet’s last hope weapon, a time machine hidden at a remote storage facility. Connor and Reese arrive, but just after Skynet sends back a T-800 to the year 1984 to kill John’s mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke).

Foreseeing this outcome, Connor sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sara, a young waitress who, at the time of her attack, would be vulnerable and unaware of the coming doom that would alter her life forever. Moments before Kyle disappears, he witnesses one of the Resistance fighters, Alex (Matt Smith), attacking John. Without knowledge of the outcome, and knowing his mission, Reese arrives in the year 1984 to find young Sara, but as he arrives, the machines were waiting for him. After being ambushed by a T-1000 (Byung-Hun Lee), Reese is rescued by Sara, who is not the Sara that he was told of, and her Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a reprogrammed T-800 who was sent back from the future by an unknown source, to protect Sara when she was young. Reese quickly realizes that the original timeline has been altered, and the mission has become more clear, destroy Skynet before Judgement Day.

The trio has one chance to get this right. The Guardian has built a time machine similar to Skynet’s and Sarah plans to 1997 to prevent Judgment Day, the temporal point for which she believes to be where the final battle is waged, however, Reese, who has been seeing glimpses of memories from a time he does not know, persuades Sarah and the Guardian that they should travel to 2017 instead. But what awaits them when they arrive is nothing like they could ever imagine. As the fate of world rests in their hands, can they arrive in time to stop Skynet from going online?

Alan Taylor does a fine job keeping this confusing story on track. From start to finish, this film does a very good job of walking a fine line between honoring the original film as well as creating its own new identity within this already established world. The script by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier works well in explaining the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s aging T-800 and developing a fresh take on the Sara Conner back story which doesn’t appear forced or convoluted within the context of the universe. Speaking of Sara Conner, Emilia Clarke is fantastic in her first go as the iconic female freedom fighter, originally played by Linda Hamilton. The “Game of Thrones” star is no stranger to taking on high profile roles and she plays Sara with careful precision and intensity that will help her being accepted by long time fans of the original film.

Jason Clarke takes on the role of John Connor, now on the characters fifth actor in 30 years. Clarke, a rugged, strong actor, fits well within the role of the leader of the Resistance and plays the character much how I envisioned him in the brief glimpse we see of him at the beginning of T2: Judgement Day. Seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800 again, to me, will never get old. I love the character and the way that the aging actor plays him with such wonderfully subtle detail. Schwarzenegger delivers yet again. Jai Courtney does an admirable job as Kyle Reese, a character originally played by Michael Biehn. Courtney has a tendency to play the character a tad too wooden at times, but he recovers and delivers a sufficient performance.

Overall, Terminator Genisys is a fun walk down memory lane with a lot of new twists. With a variety if options for this franchise now, it will be interesting to see how they continue this story. Terminator Genisys is a far better film than the last two installments in the series, but just missed being included within the greatness of the original film and T2.

Stars:

3 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

Extra scene in the middle of the credits, no stinger after the credits

Trailer:

Liz’s Review: ‘The Little Death’ delivers some sexy education.

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Sex comedies are all the rage these days. Films like The Overnight and Sleeping With Other People, two of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival favorites will be coming your way in July and September respectively. Until then, The Little Death will fill the void, pun potentially intended. There are also lots of MILFs on the adult dating sites so you can easily find a MILF near you for casual sex and have all of the kinky fun you ever wanted.Five couples living in suburban Sydney have very different but fascinating sexual desires, that included yolo sex toys to improve pleasure. Ans, yes, while the film seemingly centers around the topic of sex, The Little Death is actually about intimacy. The couples are as follows: Paul and Maeve- One with a suggested fear of commitment and the other with a rape fantasy while doing livecam sex chat. Phil and Maureen- Phil is a submissive man who is only aroused when his cold hearted wife is asleep. Dan and Evie- marriage therapist suggests role play might help, until Dan’s priorities take a turn. Richard and Rowena- Trying to conceive, sex becomes more about purpose and less about pleasure. Finally, Monica and Sam- She is a deaf video play interpreter and Sam is her customer. Each of these characters wants something from their partner. Getting it comes with some truly hilarious and oftentimes heartbreaking consequences. Get the best dildos from bboutique, here you get the best variety of sex toys for women.The script is brilliantly written and directed by Josh Lawson, who also beautifully portrays Paul. The structure is presented in form of a sexual manual and is entirely funny and informative. It allows the audience to open their own dialogue about deep seeded personal issues, both sexual and emotional, tackling such things as self loathing, fetishes, relationship shifts, and manipulation. Even if the particular kinks aren’t something you’ve experienced, the film is relatable in some way on every level. It’s a perfect balance of heartwarming and laugh out loud hysterical. With a superb ensemble cast, a fun soundtrack, and excellent writing, The Little Death should most definitely be on your list this weekend. The winner of the Audience Award at this year’s SXSW, you can count on a little something for everyone. I must take a moment to acknowledge what I think is the most beautiful and revelatory story in the entire film. The unique final scene between Monica and Sam, is some of the best dialogue I’ve seen in some time. 50% of which is in sign language, it allows us to completely break down the barriers of communication in a very literal sense. Every moment between actors Erin James and T.J.Powers is perfection. It’s the perfect ending to an already out of this world indie gem. Even if the rest of the film weren’t as fantastic as it is, this scene alone brings laughter and happiness to your head and your heart. Most definitely seek this film out. You cannot go wrong.

The Little Death comes to theaters and VOD Friday, June 26th.

SYNOPSIS: The secret lives of five suburban couples living in Sydney reveal both the fetishes and the repercussions that come with sharing them.

Country: Australia

Language: English

Release Date: 26 June 2015 (USA)

Filming Locations: Sydney, Australia

LIz’s Review: ‘Bound To Vengeance’ holds us captive.

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

IFC Midnight has given us a slew of great genre features in the past such as ATM, Exam, Dead Snow, and The Snowtown Murders (all available to stream on Netflix). Their newest release, Bound To Vengeance challenges the female protagonist role that we’re used to seeing in horror: Girl equals helpless victim, let’s leave the policing to the manly cops. No cops in sight, our lead takes action into her own hands.The film’s opening credit sequence is immediately reminiscent of Texas Chainsaw with a lone beat up van swiftly cruising down a deserted highway, though in this story the inhabitant of the car is our villain. Bound To Vengeance pulls no punches as the mental ride follows directly after those very opening credits. Our mystery man carries a tray with homemade soup down an eerie hall and into a locked basement room. There we find Eve, a young, slender woman chained to the floor. She manages to escape and in her attempt to get away, she realizes that she is not the only girl being held captive. She needs her captor. Fashioning a noose out of items inside the rundown house, Eve strikes a deal. He tells her where the others are and she drops him off at a hospital… But, even the best laid plans easily go awry.The script is truly unexpected. Just when you think you’ve figured out what is going on, plot twist. You have to respect the ever changing scenery and manipulation. While it may not be a 5 star film, I will say, I had to know what the truth was and wanted to see Eve kick some major ass. Speaking of which, Tina Ivlev plays our heroine with an honest determination. She’s not a super ninja or hyper intelligent prodigy, she is a normal, albeit, incredibly resourceful and strong woman. That is what I appreciated most about the script. She was a girl who just wanted to save the others and in turn come to terms with her own captivity. Richard Tyson gives us our villain, Phil. It’s a complex performance filled with masterfully sick, power-struggle laden dialogue. How much do we trust Phil? Should we trust Phil at all? Once you get to the end of the movie, you realize that all the clues were there to begin with. Bound to Vengeance could have easily been a mini series. There is much more to this story and I for one would look forward to a sequel.

In Theaters and on VOD Friday, June 26th.

Film Synopsis

BOUND TO VENGEANCE is a gritty revenge thriller about a young woman, EVE (Tina Ivlev), who fights back and manages to escape a malicious abductor. However, after discovering she may not be the only victim, Eve unravels a darker truth and decides to turn the tables on her captor. The film is directed by J.M. Cravioto and stars breakout actress Tina Ivlev and Richard Tyson. The screenplay was written by Rock Shaink, Jr., and Keith Kjornes.

BOUND TO VENGEANCE

Directed by: José Manuel Cravioto

Produced by: Alex Garcia, Rodolfo Marquez, Daniel Posada

Cast: Tina Ivlev (The Devil’s in the Details), Richard Tyson (Moonlighting),

Bianca Malinowski (Midnight Bayou)

TRT: 80 minutes

Language: English

Genre: Thriller / Horror

Jeremy’s Review: Oeke Hoogendijk’s “The New Rijskmuseum” Is a Unique Documentary Capturing the Spirit of Rebirth of Holland’s Premiere Cultural Institution

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Jeremy Harmon — Leave a reply

Just when I thought films about the inner workings of an art museum couldn’t get much better than Frederick Wiseman‘s National Gallery, along comes Oeke Hoogendijk‘s The New Rijskmuseum. Capturing the tumultuous journey of renovating the Rijskmuseum starting in 2003, I doubt the filmmakers, much less the administration of the venue knew that it would take 10 full years to complete the project. Think about that – one of the finest cultural institutions in the world, the home to many Rembrandts (including the famous The Night Watch) and four of only thirty-four of Johannes Vermeer‘s paintings in the world, was CLOSED, not open to the public, for 10 years.

Director Hoogendijk has unfettered access to the process which is carefully laid out at the outset of the film in a voiceover by Queen Beatrix from 2001:

The accessibility of our cultural heritage for a wide audience calls for changes in the museological establishment. Government funds have been made available for the large-scale renovation of the Rijskmuseum of Amsterdam

Under General Director Ronald De Leeuw, the Rijksmuseum begins its transformation, which was to to take initially 3 years and happen with a budget of 134 million euros. But as I always say, construction is the biggest racket out there and no project ever comes in on time or on budget. So what unfolds is not so much a comedy of errors, but a comedy of bureaucracy. The architects, Cruz y Ortiz from Spain, won the bidding/contest with their design for the new grand entrance, but their design comes under fire when the local cyclist union fights back against the plan because it limits the space and access to the cyclists of Amsterdam who have come to appreciate and rely on the access to the passage under the Rijskmuseum. At all angles, the city council equivalent shoot down the Rijjskmuseum’s plans and force the architects to change their design which is no small task.

As the film trundles along, interweaving shots of the renovation with musings by museum staff or footage of missed opportunities at auction in an effort to secure new works for the opening, Hoogendijk easily builds the suspense that this project may never finish and it is that premise that keeps us wholly engrossed. De Leeuw ends up quitting, tired of fighting with the Cyclist Union and Wim Pijbes takes his place bringing with him his own ideas of how the space should look despite what the designers and curators think unlocking another level of bureaucratic interference. But the the folks who don’t get to go behind the curtain of an institution like this to see how it ticks, what unfolds is incredibly fascinating. That the placement of 6 or 7 cannons to be displayed can cause such a contentious argument between the principles at the museum is exasperating, even for us viewers. That this undertaking was so incredibly massive to begin with that it isn’t hard to believe the time it took to complete.

Hoogendijk’s camera penetrates this process in a way that really captures so much of the essence of the human spirit and its thirst for artistic inspiration. The film itself is reflective of this very notion. Over the course of ten years, I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of footage that was shot. To cull it down to a 2-hour film must have been a gargantuan task (although rumor has it there was a 4+ hour cut at one point…which I would watch without hesitation). That she was able to make this film as engrossing as it is is really a testament to how dialed in Hoogendijk was throughout this process.

While you might not think that a film about the renovation of an art museum in Holland would be interesting, I’m here to assure you that assumption would be incorrect. I would happily slate this documentary in my top five faves in that arena for the year so far.

So, to the fortunate few who have access to this film, get there. The film opened in New York and Los Angeles this past weekend and is still playing there. Here is the list of upcoming screenings.

Melissa’s Review: ‘Ted 2’ gives its audience (young & old) exactly what they want

Posted on June 24, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Like any sequel, Ted 2 reintroduces characters from the first movie minus John’s girlfriend/wife who he broke up with six months prior to Ted’s wedding to Tammy Lynn. Now the main plot is to “legalize Ted” so Ted and Tammy Lynn can have a baby. Again written, directed and starring Seth MacFarlane, it again co-stars his thunderbuddy, Mark Wahlberg.

The story is nothing special and serves more as a platform for jokes and semi-obscure movie references, but it excels at it. There are a few jokes that go on a bit long, but for the most part, it hits the mark. There is a notable cameo that’s immensely brilliant and completely unnecessary much like most of the scenes, actually.

Amanda Seyfried is a refreshing addition to the duo, as she’s young, immature and, of course, smokes pot. She’s also not versed in pop culture so it becomes a wealth of opportunity for the two to make fun of her. It’s quite brilliant, actually. You get the 20 year-old audience that wants pot and dick jokes and the 30-40 year-old audience that loves getting the old school movie references.

Yes, I enjoyed Ted the first go-around. It has just enough of a story surrounded by silly jokes about a teddy bear being real. It was amusing and fun, just like Ted 2. However, this time the story is more of an outline and there’s many more jokes to fill almost 2 hours.

Watch here for FREE Rose McGowan’s short film ‘Dawn’ – Liz’s Review

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

From the opening shot of Dawn, you know something is not quite right. In an eerie flash-forward, the scene is set for the directorial debut of Rose McGowan (Jawbreakers, Planet Terror, Charmed). The story focuses on Tara Barr (God Bless America) who plays the title character. She is a shy and quiet teenager in mid last century America, donning saddle shoes and all. Clearly sheltered by strict parents, she is a rule following good girl. One smile to the local boy who works at the fill up station and she is smitten. Her innocence isn’t long lived when she invites the boy and his two friends over to listen to records while mom and dad are out of town. All she wants is some attention but, as everyone knows, peer pressure can be the end of who you truly are.

Watch below!!

This 17 minute short is so incredibly lush in it’s color pallet and the soundtrack truly captures the era. Tara is lovely on screen. Regardless of the year, this character is someone we either knew or were at some point in our adolescence. You see every honest beat in Barr’s eyes. You want everything to turn out alright for her in the end. The film left me literally breathless, heart racing and disturbed. I am so impressed with McGowan’s dark choices. The woman clearly has a strong point of view and I cannot wait to see what’s next.

Directed by: Rose McGowan
Written by: M.A. Fortin, Joshua John Miller
Cast: Tara Barr, Reiley McClendon, Hannah Marks, Michael Moskewicz, Julia Sanford, John Grady
TRT: 17 minutes
Country: USA
Langauge: English
Genre: Thriller

h/t Cinemit

Melissa’s Review: ‘Infinitely Polar Bear’ is a warm and sweet story of a struggling family

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Left to right: Imogene Wolodarsky as Amelia Stuart, Mark Ruffalo as Cam Stuart, Zoe Saldana as Maggie Stuart and Ashley Aufderheide as Faith Stuart
Photo by Seacia Pavao, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Watching Infinitely Polar Bear, I was anxiously waiting for some terrible event to happen that tears the family apart, only to bring them back together again. This is such a standard in movies that it almost ruined this movie. However, if you decide to let go and just watch, it’s a beautiful and heartwarming story of the inevitable ups and downs of parenthood and life.

Left to right: Zoe Saldana as Maggie Stuart and Mark Ruffalo as Cam Stuart
Photo by Claire Folger, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Maggie (Zoe Saldana) and Cam (Mark Ruffalo) have a tumultuous relationship, mostly due to Cam’s mental instability. After an incident, Maggie is left raising their two daughters and searches for a way to support their family. Maggie is accepted into an MBA program and moves to New York so Cam returns home to care for their children while she’s away.

Based on a true story and told in the late 1970s, the dialogue is incredibly intimate and the story goes in unexpected yet inevitable directions. Mark Ruffalo brings a desperation to Cam that is never outshined by his genuine love for his daughters. Zoe Saldana is authoritative yet compassionate as a mom doing anything it takes to give her family a better life.

Left to right: Imogene Wolodarsky as Amelia Stuart and Ashley Aufderheide as Faith Stuart
Photo by Seacia Pavao, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

This is the first feature film for both the daughters, Imogene Wolodarsky as Amelia and Ashley Aufderheide as Faith. Their relationship is just as important and they each have their own qualities that complement and play off each other.

I think what I enjoyed the most was the love and dedication of Cam for his family. He was not perfect but he never gave up. I enjoyed watching a movie where it was purely a story of a family and not a contrived, artificial sensationalization.

Find out what movie made Adam Scott want to be an actor & other fun trivia from ‘The Overnight’ sneak preview and Q&A at Lincoln Center

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Film Society moderator, Judith Godrèche, Producer Naomi Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Adam Scott, Writer/Director Patrick Brice

Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, have recently moved to Los Angeles’ Eastside from Seattle. Feeling lost in a new city, they are desperate to find their first new friends. After a chance meeting with Kurt at the neighborhood park, they gladly agree to join family pizza night at the home. But as it gets later and the kids go to bed, the family “playdate” becomes increasingly more revealing and bizarre as the couples begin to open up.

The Overnight was one of the first movies I saw at the Tribeca Film Festival this year and it started off my viewing with a bang. The spirit of an indie and the laughs of a blockbuster, this comedy takes you on an unexpected journey of non-stop hilarity.

I attended the sneak preview of the film with a Q&A that followed with Writer/Director Patrick Brice, Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, Producer Naomi Scott and Judith Godrèche. Here are some of the highlights:

Judith Godrèche & Jason Schwartzman hadn’t met prior to the first day on set
It was shot mostly at night in 12 days with no rehearsing in basically chronological order
Writer/Director Patrick Brice at one point deleted a 70 page draft and had to retype from memory.
Production Designer Theresa Guleserian drew all Kurt’s paintings in one day
Almost exclusively lit with practical light
Movie that made Adam Scott want to be an actor – Raiders of the Lost Ark “That’s what I want to do.” Later, he makes note that the first audience that made an impression was War Games. “It was so exciting in the theater.”
Jason Schwartzman never really thought of himself as an actor because he thought actors were in big movies and were like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was more into music. “Cable always played the weirdest movies.” Dog Day Afternoon made him want to get into acting.
Patrick Brice also has a completely different type of movie, the horror, Creep, coming to VOD June 23rd and to Netflix July 14th.

My impressions of the Q&A:

Jason Schwartzman is just as adorable as you would imagine he is.
Adam Scott has an amazing voice that carries well and commands attention but is actually very soothing.
Judith Godrèche is incredibly sweet and must have been a pleasure to work with.
Patrick Brice will give us many more thought-provoking movies in the future.

Liz’s Review: Get raunchy with ‘BALLS OUT’

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

You never know what you’re gonna see at Tribeca Film Festival. One out of left field film from last year was BALLS OUT. Wrong sports metaphor in this case since this particular movie revolves around an intramural college flag football league. Starring a rag tag team of hilarious and talented people like Jake Lacy, Kate McKinnon, Nikki Reed, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah and many, many more, Balls Out pulls no punches when it comes to the A-typical sports genre movie. Caleb (Jake Lacy) is a fifth year senior with law school on the brain and an overbearing and hilariously high-on-life girlfriend (Kate McKinnon). Suddenly finding himself faced with having his future mapped out for him, he begins to reminisce about his freshman year and his flag football team’s- The Panthers- epic win over a douchebag rival team the Titans. Haunted by the how the first game ended with the paralysis of his best friend, Caleb struggles to commit to what makes him truly happy. Balls Out is an unapologetic underdog story, that’s frankly funny as hell. Every single sports cliche you can think of is admittedly thrown in your face. Training montages, two stoner fans acting as the league’s “official announcers”, hidden personal agendas, each Panther member being just slightly too weird for reality, and a rival captain so damn ridiculous you love to hate him. All this is admitted in the actual dialogue. The film never takes itself seriously at any moment, which is what makes it so great. I was not expecting to like this film at all, and it ended up being my favorite comedy of the fest last year.So let’s talk performances in Balls Out. Jake Lacy is, for lack of a better phrase, relatively straight laced, in comparison to the rest of the cast. Nikki Reed does an excellent job playing the girl who comes into Caleb’s life just when he needs it most. This was a nice departure for Reed coming off the Twilight series and a great follow up to her quirky performance in last year’s Murder of a Cat. She is cool and fun. Kate McKinnon steals every scene she is in. Since she joined SNL, I have been touting her as the new Amy Poehler. One wide-eyed look from this gal is comedy gold. Newly minted Panther head coach is played by Nick Kocher. Wher has this kis been all my life? He easily flips from just amusing to sidesplitting comedy with the ease of someone twice his age. How is he not in everything right now? Team him up with Chris Pratt, like yesterday. I want over saturation of Kocher immediately. Jay Pharoah and D.C. Pierson‘s narration as the sideline peanut gallery makes the game sequences what they are. Now, let’s get real for a moment. Hands down, once again,the star of this film is Beck Bennett. I have been a fan ever since his national AT&T campaign. Believing he is vastly under utilized on SNL, I have been privileged to see his outstanding movie roles thus far. His last film, Beside Still Waters (a MUST see), was on the opposite end spectrum on his testosterone driven revenge obsession in Balls Out. Like McKinnon, each frame he appears in he completely owns. I don’t know how anyone kept a straight face having to be in a scene with him. It makes me wonder how much of his dialogue is improvised. I would imagine the DVD blooper reel with feature him heavily. Cheers to Beck for bring this film over the goal line.

BALLS OUT arrives theatrically and on VOD June 19th.

Genre: Comedy
TRT: 100 min
Camera: RED Epic
Language: English

Rated: R for crude and sexual material, language and some drug use

SYNOPSIS: With graduation, marriage, and an uncertain future on the horizon, fifth year college senior Caleb Fuller (Jake Lacy) decides to do the one thing he vowed to never do again: get the ol’ flag football team back together. Now with the help of his Panther teammates and unorthodox head coach Grant Rosenfalis (Nick Kocher), Caleb must defy all odds and logic if he ever hopes to achieve the intramural football glory he once had. Set in the highly popular world of college intramural sports, BALLS OUT is the epic sports movie for the guys who don’t deserve one.

Liz’s Review: ‘Gabriel’ haunts us with an undeniable truth

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 1 Comment ↓

Many of us deal with anxiety on a daily basis. Some of us have sleep disorders. Others battle with being OCD. Mental illness tends to be a taboo subject. It’s something we usually hear about when it comes to the increasing number of mass shootings in this country. Why do we avoid the issue until something goes wrong?In Lou Howe’s writing and directorial debut, he brings us the story of GABRIEL. Played flawlessly by Rory Culkin, Gabriel is a young man struggling with a form of mental illness. On his way back home from some sort of facility, he stops to check up on an old girlfriend in her dorm room, only to find that she has gone home for the holiday. All this happens while avoiding calls from his worried family members. The rise in his agitation both emotionally and physically is a real punch in the gut for audience members. I think we all had a sigh of relief when she wasn’t available. Finally meeting up with his family, Gabriel is not deterred in his path to find her. He disappears on a bus and makes his way into NYC to track her down. During his journey we are witness to the quiet moments in this young man’s life. These seem to be the most disturbing and painful for both Gabriel and viewer alike.Howe has created a fully fleshed family dynamic without spelling out everything in the script. He treats each character with honest care. It is quite an impressive feat for this first time writer/director. There is actually pretty little dialogue, but what there is, is very astute. Rory’s performance is like watching a masterclass in character study. His focus and mannerisms are perfection. Not to mention that in person, his humility gives you pause. He is quiet in person but eloquent and clearly very bright.I was fortunate enough to attend a round table with Writer/Director Lou Howe and Rory. Here are some of their thoughts on the film.

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Lou Howe & Rory Culkin- Tribeca 2014 Roundtables. Photo by Liz Whittemore

Normally in Hollywood when we deal with mental illness everything turns out alright in the end. For example, Silver Linings Playbook. This is the extreme opposite. So what was your motivation in telling this story?

Lou: I think I just wanted to be as truthful as possible. I likeSilver Linings Playbook. I like positive movies but I don’t find them to be as honest about life as I hope to make my movies. I wanted to stay true to Gabe and his experience and try to make it as authentic as possible.

And if the character based on anyone specific?

Lou: No, not really. The original idea to create a character came from the experience of seeing a close friend get diagnosed with mental illness. The character is purely fictional.

Rory, you are constantly on all the time, everything take. Were you and everybody onset thinking, “I just need a break for 5 seconds?”

Lou: I think were so in it we are just running the race, like Rory said, it took a minute after we wrapped to realize how intense the whole process had been. But at least for me, when you’re in it, you try to focus on the next step.

Can I ask about the body language in the film?

Rory: When we went and spoke with people and did those sort of things, there was one young man that really stuck out to me. He said he couldn’t entirely trust his own hands so they always had to stay within his line of sight and so the point of the hands in my face was to make sure they’re behaving.

Was there any specific research you did maybe speaking to doctors or speaking to patients affected with mental illness?

Lou: My own friend was sort of the start of it. There were two organizations here in New York that were very helpful with research; the Child Mind Institute read early draft of the script and helped me make sure that this felt accurate and true. And another place called fountain house which is a community center for people struggling with mental illness. I visited several times and took Rory there as well just to meet people struggling with mental illness and hear their stories directly.

Rory: For me it was almost entirely hearing about hearing firsthand accounts and their perspective. Learning from the outside, the medical aspects and all that, is great as a foundation, but as soon as we start shooting I just sort of throw that all that all the window because as Gabriel, your diagnosis is bullshit. he doesn’t buy into any of that so I sort of had to not think from the outside.

Lou: I was sort of trying to maintain that, too. Rory would be out there with the rest of the cast thinking about it from their point of view. First person memoirs for Rory or talking to people with illnesses and for the actors playing the family members in the film, having them talk to people in their position.

Rory, was the character hard to shake off at the end of the day?

Rory: Yeah, I thought I left him behind once we got done. But when I got home I was like kind of fragile and really sensitive and I didn’t realize it. But it took a while to shake it off. When I came home, my friends said that my face had aged years. It’s weird, you know, at the screening last night, it brought me right back and I was afraid I was going to, as soon as it ended, get emotional. It’s almost embarrassing, getting emotional watching myself. It’s almost like I’m praising myself but really I’m back there. It’s not easy.

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GABRIEL will leave you thinking about this intense story. You will want to know what happens long after the screen blacks out. It is certainly a wonderful conversation starter, and that one that we need to address more often. Bring family members to see this film. It will give you a safe place to start talking to one another, no matter what ails you, inside or out.

Gabriel is in theaters June 19th.

Writer/Director: Lou Howe Starring: Rory Culkin, David Call, Deirdre O’Connell, Emily Meade, Louisa Krause, Lynn Cohen, Alexia Rasmussen Runtime: 88 min

Michael’s Review: ‘Jurassic World’- The Park is Open!

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

It’s been 22 years since the events on Isla Nublar. A lots happened since then in the world of cinema, but there is a special place in our hearts for the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park and that is why this weekends opening of the newest installment in the dino franchise, Jurassic World, is so highly anticipated. Can Colin Trevorrow’s vision live up to the hype? Let’s simply forget the events of the dull and forgetful sequels and revel in the fact that the park is open!

Millions of people flock to this Dino-Disney theme park every year on the island where it all started. The park John Hammond envisioned has to come fruition thanks to Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan), CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World, who believed in Hammond’s vision enough to make it a reality. Masrani wants a park where the animals are just as happy as those paying admission, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the park’s operations manager, believes in profits and making bigger and better attractions, which leads to the creation of a new genetically modified dinosaur, the Indominus rex, which is said to be the biggest attraction the park has ever seen.

Brothers Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray Mitchell (Ty Simpkins) have arrived at the park to visit their aunt Claire. Gray, an avid dinosaur enthusiast, is excited to finally see the park, but brother Zach is only along for the ride. The two trek off into the park with Claire’s assistant to explore while Aunt Claire checks on her newest attraction. After some concerns about the newest dinosaurs development, Masrani requests the assistance of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Velociraptor expert and trainer known to have a positive influence over the creatures. Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio), the head of InGen security, is on hand to witness Owen’s work and believes this trainiing should be used to turn the Velociraptors into weapons to be sold to the government, an idea Owen strongly opposes.

A mishap allows the Indominus to escape captivity and sets off a park wide Dino hunt. With Gray and Zach lost in the park, Claire enlists the help of Owen to rescue the boys and take down the Indominus before the park is destroyed and lives are lost. With the help of an unimaginable allies, will Owen reach the boys and stop the blood thirsty killer before it’s too late?

Director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) does a phenomenal job of creating his vision of the park within the framework of the original world created by Steven Spielberg. The film, a direct sequel to the original film, is not only a visually stunning film, but the strong script from Rick Jaffra and Amanda Silver (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) leaves a lot of the playful elements that worked so well from the original while allowing for the dramatic performances of the actors to work without an overabundance of corny lines and cringe worthy performances. Chris Pratt continues to impress as his career shift to leading man continues. Pratt is becoming more and more comfortable in action roles and his performance in Jurassic World is sometimes a bit stiff but overall quite enjoyable. Bryce Dallas Howard is wonderful. A character which can fall into so many cliche’s, Howard avoids many of them and provides a performance worthy of being included alongside Laura Dern’s Dr. Ellie Sattler from the first film. Neither Ty Simpkins or Nick Robinson were overly impressive, but neither were annoying either which is a plus considering their roles.

Overall, Jurassic World is one hell of a fun ride. A film that doesn’t quite reach the exceptional level of the first film, but far exceeds the sequels. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire states, “no one’s impressed by a dinosaur anymore”, well, this movie does impress and I can’t wait to head back to the park one more time.

Stars:

3 1/2 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

None

Trailer:

Liz’s Review: ‘SET FIRE TO THE STARS’ ignites the screen

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 2 Comments ↓

It’s rare these days to see something so clever, elegant, and passionate all at once. SET FIRE TO THE STARS is the story of New York academic John Malcolm Brinnin and famous poet Dylan Thomas’ brief but impactful relationship. Brinnin takes it upon himself to bring Thomas to America for a series of 25 poetry readings across the country. Ignoring the rumors that Dylan is erratic in personality and behavior, Brinnin risks his career to bring his idol to the US. Brinnin makes the fated decision to extract him from the city for a few days in order to detox mind and body, and Thomas brings a whirlwind of spirit, tenacity, and his haunted past right to John’s doorstep. When idolatry blinds common sense, is disappointment inevitable?

Celyn Jones in SET FIRE TO THE STARS

Celyn Jones, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Andy Goddard, gives an impeccable performance as Thomas. Never missing a beat, every breath and moment of silence is accounted for with an endless saturation of greatness. Celyn has had a consistently successful television career over the years and is rumored to have been cast in the upcoming production of Mary Shelley’s Monster alongside our very own Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner. I truly hope this turns out to be true. I want to see so much more of Celyn on screen, any size will do for my liking. He and Elijah Wood have completely believable chemistry together. Two men from different worlds, who I believe envy one another for very different reasons. Known for his long eclectic career for films like The Lord of the Rings to more recent indie gem Grand Piano, Wood has picked another winning script and delivers. His performance is pensive and thought-provoking. Brinnin goes through quite the journey during the course of this particular snapshot in time. Set Fire To The Stars is based upon Brinnin’s novel titled Dylan Thomas in America. To be more specific, only 7 pages of his novel make up the entire basis of the script, and what a glorious 7 pages chosen by Jones and Goddard.

Elijah Wood in SET FIRE TO THE STARS

The film is shot in black & white giving it a timeless quality. With a luscious beatnik jazz inspired soundtrack, Andy Goddard‘s directorial debut sings off the screen. Glorious lighting and splendid camera work take the slight exhale of a cigarette and create an ethereal piece of art. Long, heavy dialogue takes are beyond engrossing, they are poetry in their own right. Proof that Jones and Goddard teaming up was pure genius. Combined with the deliciously affected speech of the literary elite and era, Jones and Woods give us performances that might otherwise sound droll had it not been for the clear understanding and passion behind the text. This film is like like perfect ice cream sundae, with everything on top. If you are already a poetry fan, well, you might as well consider yourself down for the count. You will absolutely fall for this movie. I, for one, will be adding this to my DVD collection as soon as it becomes available, which thankfully, is very soon.

Elijah Wood in SET FIRE TO THE STARS

I was lucky enough to be a part of an intimate roundtable interview with Celyn and Elijah just yesterday. How method is Celyn when it comes to role preparation? Will Elijah be starring in a mistaken identity flick with Daniel Radcliffe? Find out all the juicy details in this extraordinarily fun interview in our newest episode of the Girls On Film podcast. Enjoy!

Celyi Jones and Elijah Wood. Roundtable interview for Set Fire To The Stars. Photo by Liz Whittemore

Celyn Jones and Elijah Wood. Roundtable interview for Set Fire To The Stars. Photo by Liz Whittemore

OPENS FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015 in New York at The Village East, with a Los Angeles and major city roll out, June 19th!

SET FIRE TO THE STARS will be released nationwide on July 21 on DVD, VOD, Digital platforms and Itunes.

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Format: DCP/2.35/B&W

Sound Format: Dolby Digital

Running Time: 93 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: Not Rated

In English

Based on true events, Elijah Wood stars as John Malcolm Brinnin, the New York academic who brought Dylan Thomas to America. Actor/co-writer Celyn Jones plays the volatile celebrity poet – tormented by anonymity, alcohol and the abyss – who scandalized the Manhattan literati of the Fifties and challenged Brinnin’s hero worship of his work. In the face of the Welsh poet’s wilder excesses in the Big Apple – angel, beast and madman – John has no choice but to hijack Dylan to a private retreat to get him ready for America. The days and nights that follow will change his life forever. Part literary biopic and – shot in cut-glass black-and-white – part love-letter to the American B-movies of the Forties and Fifties, Andy Goddard’s debut feature is both a character driven chamber piece and a cautionary tale about the flytrap of meeting your heroes.

Liz’s Review: Vengeance and Religion drive the fight in ‘REDEEMER’

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Guilt is a loud devil on your shoulder. The past can drive you mad or drive you to change… sometimes a little bit of both. In Ernesto Diaz Espinoza‘s new film REDEEMER, a man known only by this title is a mysterious figure, righting wrongs among his small Chilean community. Tortured by an unthinkable past that is slowly revealed as the film progresses, The Redeemer must conquer his own ghosts in order to battle the biggest evil he has ever known. Can he protect those left behind? Marko Zaror, martial arts action star extraordinaire, takes on the lead with ease and ownership. Not only is his acting pretty damn stellar, he is also the fight coordinator for the film’s vast array of sequences that are enhanced by key moments of slow motion. These sequences are extremely long and well shot. It was mostly refreshing to see an organic quality about the battles. They are interesting and definitely full of surprises. My favorite aspect would definitely be the use of graphic blood splatter. Reading like a first person shooter game, the blood use is colorful, impactful, and sometimes just over-the-top enough to make you cringe at the perfect moments. The dialogue is creative and comic relief comes in the form of our only English speaking character, drug lord Bradock, Noah Segan, who I recognized from Deadgirl, is so natural in his comedy it should be against the law. He was actually my favorite part of the film. Segan has 8 projects this year alone, including Tales of Halloween with Lin Shaye (Insidious) and Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga), as well as The Mind’s Eye with Larry Fessenden (We Are Still Here). This guy is around for the long hall. Bottom line, if you liked Netflix’s Daredevil season 1, Redeemer will resonate with you. While it could be about 10-15 minutes tighter, due to the extended fight scenes, this film is definitely worth a shot.

Acclaimed Chilean director Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mandrill, The ABCs of Death, Kiltro) teams up again with martial arts action star Marko Zaror (Undisputed III, Machete Kills) in the theatrical and VOD release of REDEEMER. The epic action film, which made its debut at the 2014 Fantastic Film Festival, hits theaters and VOD on June 12 from Dark Sky Films.

Melissa’s Review: ‘Love & Mercy’ about The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson – didn’t live up to my expectations

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

In Love & Mercy, two versions of Brian Wilson (musical leader of The Beach Boys) are depicted through Paul Dano as younger, during the height of their fame and John Cusack as older, during his depression in the 80s. It’s two separate stories, cut together back and forth.

I really enjoyed the past portion with Paul Dano because he was so great with the emotion and conveying the inspired creativity of Wilson. I had a hard time with John Cusack as Brian Wilson though. I felt no connection with him. I didn’t like how it went back and forth because it took away from the emotion of each section. They were two different films cut together rather than complementing one another. It was also hard to relate to the later portion because it was such a mystery as to how he got himself in the position with Landy.

Elizabeth Banks seemed lost in her role and honestly, I couldn’t understand why she fell in love with him. Every scene seemed like a huge red flag that should have left her running for the hills. The 80s outfits left a more lasting impression than how their relationship developed.

Only briefly mentioned was how Brian Wilson was inspired by The Beatles’ Rubber Soul. I would have loved to have explored how The Beach Boys and The Beatles were essentially trying to “one-up” each other with their music. However, the focus of the movie is Wilson, so that would have veered too far off course.

I was really looking forward to this, but it totally fell flat. It’s a shame. It’s worth seeing just for Dano’s performance. However, the best part was reminding me to listen to Pet Sounds over again. Do yourself a favor and buy the album.

Review: A ghost story that won’t let the past die in ‘We Are Still Here’

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — 2 Comments ↓

In the new haunted house horror We Are Still Here, Anne and Paul Sacchetti move to a small New England town to make a fresh start following the death of son Bobby. Anne believes that Bobby’s spirit is in the house reassuring her that everything is hunky dory. After she and Paul enlist their new age friends Jacob and May to visit and ease their minds, they realize something much older is lurking and poised to rear it’s ugly head. The past does not want to stay in the past.Right off the bat, the camera work displays an “I’m not alone” feeling with handheld, over the shoulder and around the corner shots that set the tone for the entirety of the film. Establishing shots of each room and the snow covered acres surrounding the property itself, give you a definitely isolated sense. 10 minutes in, our first real set up moment, an object from the past and a blink-and-you-miss-it jump scare of classic proportion. Not bad, not bad at all. Writer/Director Ted Geoghegan, clearly with a crush on the classics good and bad, knows his stuff. The story moves along at lightening pace, laying out a small town’s history mired with sadness, rumors, and evil. We Are Still Here pays homage to films like Amityville and Poltergeist. Films with an unshakable past that seem to be well known by the locals and end up terrorizing the newbies. The practical effects are gold and vomit inducing for sure, but the use of the seamless CG takes the film to another level. Flawlessly held together with a stellar cast of genre greats, We Are Still Here is an instant classic. Barbara Crampton‘s Anne is grounded, loving, and searching for comfort. Andrew Sensenig‘s portrayal of Paul is as masculine and protective as you can get, without losing that caring husband edge. Larry Fessenden as Jacob is funny and vivacious. Lisa Marie plays May with an airy realness of someone who is actually a sensitive. The four leads work so well with one another, I cannot imagine a different cast. Fun Fact: Both Barbara and Larry recently appeared in the 2011 horror/thriller You’re Next (Another film I would recommend). The music is quiet and looming like that of a small wind chime, and truly adds the the eerie factor. The color scheme of the surrounding dank New England winter (one I grew up with myself) makes the eventual appearance of bright red blood all the more visually impactful. The set dressing is top notch. The house appears untouched since the film’s set 1979 date. Old houses creek, we all know this to be true, but the timing of the sound editing ramps up the natural inclination that maybe you shouldn’t hang out long in a dusty old basement. A few obvious takeaways from this movie: 1. Don’t trust your creepy neighbors, 2. Shit starts flying off the walls you should just assume the worst, and 3. Don’t ever, ever mess with the dead. There are 1000 more things I could praise about this film, thing is, I really just want you to go see it for yourselves! We Are Still Here arrives in theaters and on VOD today, June 5th. Go get your spooky on.

Melissa’s Review: ‘Hungry Hearts’ creeps up slowly, grabs you & doesn’t let go

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Melissa Hanson — Leave a reply

Written and directed by Saverio Costanzo, Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher star as Jude and Mina, in Hungry Hearts, a drama which has the slow-burning stamina of Rosemary’s Baby. A young couple, just starting out, fawn over each other and are blissfully happy. Once a child comes into the picture, the mother slowly changes and the father must determine what’s best for the child.

The opening scene is an adorable meet-cute in the bathroom of a Chinese restaurant, in one long, mesmerizing shot and reflect how the characters are completely in-sync. As the film progresses, different camera lenses underline the distortion in perspective of each of the characters. It’s quite effective and very unnerving.

The intentions of a mother are not something that are easily questioned. What makes this story strong is how that bias keeps with you. Just like Jude, I wanted Mina to be misunderstood. I wanted to believe she knew what’s best for her child. But it keep nagging me. I just couldn’t shake the doubt.

Adam Driver is amazing and heart-wrenching as the terrified and desperate father. The pain behind his eyes at not only seeing his child suffer, but seeing his wife suffer, was heart-breaking. Alba Rohrwacher is warm, yet cold at the same time. Her body gets progressively thinner and adds another layer to an already troubled mother.

This movie will lose something if you’re not watching it 100% and really follow these characters. Make sure you see it in the theater or with complete attention at home. You’re gonna love it or hate it, there’s not much room in between.

Michael’s Review: ‘Entourage’

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Michael Petrelli — Leave a reply

The Entourage boys are back with their first feature film with series creator Doug Ellin serving as director and it’s just what you would expect from the testosterone driven hit HBO show…women, cars, cameos, and Ari Fricking Gold. Eight seasons just weren’t enough to tell the tale of Vinny Chase and his boys as they conquer Hollywood and all the women in Los Angeles.

The film picks up six months after the show ended where we find Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon), Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), and “Turtle” (Jerry Ferrara) riding a motorboat to a yacht party where their newly divorced friend, movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) is partying it up with the locals in Ibiza. Reunited and it feels so good for this brat pack-esque crew who now look to the next chapter in Vince’s career. Hearing that his former agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) has returned from retirement and is now a studio exec, Vince reaches out to Ari, who offers Vince a new project, a project that Vince says he will only do if he can direct. And this is where the story begins.

The project is called Hyde, which is a futuristic take on “Jekyll and Hyde”. Starring and directing in the film, Vince recruits E to be his producer and Drama to be his co-star, but things go south when the blooming budget and rumors of a disastrous rough cut of the film reach Ari, who is desperate for this film to be a success. Vince reaches out to Ari to convince him to fund the project with more money so he can fully complete his vision. Reluctant, Ari reaches out to Larsen McCredle (Billy Bob Thornton), an oil tycoon and studio financier who refuses to give any more money unless his son, Travis (Haley Joel Osment) accompanies Ari back to Hollywood and sees a version off the film. Determined to see this project to completion, Ari and Vince try to convince Travis to fund the extra money, but complication arise when Travis and Vince can’t meet eye to eye on the film. With time running out and a studio hungry for a hit, can Ari, Vince and the boys find their way to the finish line?

Director Doug Ellin elects for the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it approach” with his characters and creates a film that feels more like an over bloated, cameo filled episode of the television show. This approach isn’t detrimental to the film’s success, but limits the characters evolution past what we already know of them. As for the actors, they get to slip into a familiar shoe and do exactly what they did for eight years. Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Connolly all provide exactly what the audience wants and they do it fairly well, but there’s an empty feeling seeing these great characters not find anything new to do except drive around and talk about sex. Jeremy Piven is epic as always as the fast talking Ari Gold. Piven steals every scene he’s in and is the real star of this film as he was of the tv show.

Overall, Entourage is for fans of the show and very few others. It is a fun trip down memory lane for many of us who invested close to a decade in these characters, but in the end, the film did little to expand the characters any further and left me wanting more from the plot. Is the movie as enjoyable as the show? Sure, but not as creative. Let’s hope if the boys get another go around that they give us a little more substance than this.

Stars:

2 1/2 out of 5

After Credit Scene?

Scene during the credits

Trailer:

Liz’s Review: ‘DOOMSDAYS’ are indeed coming, so you might as well laugh it up until then

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

If Wes Anderson made a movie with 1/50th of his usual budget and a cast of indie gems, you’d have the new pre-apocalyptic comedy DOOMSDAYS. Since post-apocalyptic films are all the rage these days, the concept of a precursor is already funny in it’s own right. The story revolves around two eccentric slackers extraordinaire who have a penchant for breaking into vacation homes in the Catskills. Why, you might ask? Well, the world’s need for oil as a natural resource is rapidly running into a bit of a snafu since mother nature is none too pleased with the choice, besides the fact that when it does eventually and inevitably run out, life as we know it essentially fucked. So, before this becomes a major reality, Dirty Fred and Bruho have decided that the vagabond lifestyle is the bees knees. Using existing resources left behind by these dwellings owners, these two gentleman roam the countryside of upstate New York living a life relatively free of consequences from ‘the man’. Once they run into a teen runaway and wanderlust filled young woman, the small group dynamic shifts dramatically. Filled with sharp and witty dialogue that’s just weird enough to be both funny and face-palmy (new word), Doomsdays is like nothing you expect it to be. Scenes filled with nothing become everything. There is no technology in this film. No cell phones, no television, and no working laptops, allow conversation and contemplation to become the main focus of this unusual film. With a strangely adorable slice of buddy comedy mixed in, it’s a film any indie buff would be proud to have in his/her back pocket of greatness. Writer/Director Eddie Mullins clearly knows his shit. Besides the obvious writing talent, his use of a singular stationary camera is a perfect fit for this piece. The structure is laid out in a month long calendar style, which only adds to the great pacing. The original score by Bang And Yell is catchy and really well placed. Justin Rice as Dirty Fred is a pretentious nutter but completely lovable. Leo Fitzpatrick plays Bruho with a genuine curmudgeonly edge. Brian Charles Johnson, who this theater nerd recognized from Broadway’s Spring Awakening, is young Jaidon. Comic timing of a master and excitable enthusiasm of a star, I loved him. Laura Campbell is Reyna. Not so different from the rest of the crew, this seemingly normal woman is just as damaged and adventurous as the boys. These four have an incredible chemistry which makes me ponder the amount of rehearsal time everyone had together, which is clearly a total compliment.Doomsdays is ultimately a story about adjusting to other people’s odd idiosyncrasies. This film nails all the things we wish we could get away with doing and saying. I highly recommend catching this unique indie this weekend. DOOMSDAYS comes to theaters and VOD Fridsay, June 5th.

Jeremy’s Review: Spike Lee’s “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” a Nod to Indie Roots, But Ultimately Falls Short on Execution

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Jeremy Harmon — Leave a reply

Spike Lee is a lot like Stanley Kubrick to me in that they are both hit or miss directors that can wow me with one film and completely lose me with another. I can’t think of two directors that can make my opinion of their work swing from liking to disliking as quickly. It’s been since Lee‘s 2002 film 25th Hour that I’ve felt he lived up to what he gave with his masterpiece Do the Right Thing. Since then, it’s been a series of misfires and almost-theres. So, when I had the chance to see Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, his remake of Bill Gunn‘s cult classic Ganja and Hess, I will admit I was curious. I had high hopes that his working independently of a studio would capture some of the lightning that was bottled back in the 90s. Unfortunately, this film fell more in the Oldboy (which was an absolute mess) camp than his He Got Game camp.

The story is as such: Dr. Hess Greene (Stephen Tyrone Williams), a foremost expert on African cultures, begins a new project with the help of a researcher Lafayette Hightower (Elvis Nolasco). After the two meet and have some in depth conversation at Hess’ beautiful Martha’s Vineyard estatel they adjourn for the evening. When an unidentified sound drags Hess out of his house, he finds Hightower wailing high in a tree with a rope around his neck, about to throw himself from the branch on which he sits and kill himself. He is clearly a troubled man and Hess does everything to convince him to keep from committing suicide and it works…for the time being. Later, after further discussing the events of the evening, Hess is convinced that this is a one time thing and that Hightower will recover. Short lived, Hess wakes up to Hightower trying to strangle him. As the two battle back and forth, Hightower grabs a recently unearthed Ashanti dagger (the Ashanti are the major culture in Ghana) and stabs Hess, killing him. Or so we think. Later, Hess wakes up, still alive and apparently well despite the wound from the dagger. However, he is a changed man with an insatiable lust for blood. When he confronts Hightower after rising from the dead, Hightower shoots himself and we see Hess lapping at the blood left behind, sealing his fate. What plays out after this is Hightower’s wife, Ganja (Zaraah Abrahams), arrives on the island looking for her husband as he owes her money. They are on the outs and she just wants to be rid of him. It’s fairly easy to tell what happens after this…Hess and Ganja fall in love, marry and Hess turns her into a bloodlusting fiend just like him. How does all of that play out…well, for that you will need to see the film.

Tonally, this film is all over the place. It plays like the original (although I will confess I’ve not seen all of it) but with a higher class level of exploitation. The film’s thematic material also runs the gamut – colonialism, race, class. The way it was filmed reminded me so much of Fassbinder‘s Whity, although there is little other reference to it in Da Sweet Blood of Jesus aside from the racial aspects, which Lee has always had a knack for transcribing to the big screen. This is where Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is most successful, even though Lee isn’t terribly subtle with some of his references (e.g. Hightower trying to hang himself in a big tree). I really enjoyed Williams in the lead role, but the acting aside was spotty at best. I also really appreciated that this film didn’t devolve into some ridiculous vampire film. No one will ever do an understated vampire film better than Jim Jarmusch‘s Only Lovers Left Alive in my opinion so Lee was wise not to tread on that territory. The eroticism that was laced throughout was well earned and avoided the trappings that befall other bloodsucking films. I love that Lee used Kickstarter to fund this film as no studio in their right minds would have funded it. This definitely allowed Lee the license to add content that would never have been allowed otherwise. I applaud his courage for that.

As a whole, this certainly is an interesting film and I may revisit it again. This film has been very hit or very miss with little wiggle room in between with other critics. I think this film is a near miss, but perhaps my opinion of it will change after finishing Gunn‘s film in its entirety. If you are a Spike Lee fan, this is worth a watch. If you want to see some off the beaten path, then I would suggest it. It may strike your fancy where it didn’t strike mine.

Da Sweet Blood of Jesus was released this week on Blu-Ray and DVD.

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The Little Death comes to theaters and VOD Friday, June 26th.

Country: Australia

Language: English

Release Date: 26 June 2015 (USA)

Filming Locations: Sydney, Australia

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Watch below!!

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