Atypical is a coming of age story from the point-of-view of Sam (played by Keir Gilchrist), an 18-year-old on the autistic spectrum searching for love and independence. While Sam is on his funny and emotional journey of self-discovery, the rest of his family must grapple with change in their own lives while exploring the question: what does it really mean to be “normal”? Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Sam’s mother, Elsa, who is on a life-changing path as her son gains more independence. Michael Rapaport plays Sam’s father, Doug, who desires to better connect with and understand his son. Brigette Lundy-Paine plays Sam’s scrappy sister, Casey, and Amy Okuda plays his therapist, Julia.
With eight, half-hour episodes filmed in Los Angeles, Atypical was created and written by Robia Rashid and Academy-Award winning producer Seth Gordon. Together, Rashid and Gordon serve as executive producers alongside Mary Rohlich, with Jennifer Jason Leigh as producer. Michelle Dean, who received her PhD from UCLA and worked at the UCLA Center for Autism and Research and Treatment before joining the faculty of CSU Channel Island, was also brought into the production to help guide an accurate depiction of autism spectrum disorder. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.
I had very high hopes based upon the set up of The Honor Farm. It took the typical 30ish minutes to get to what seemed like the ramping up of a really great plot. Everyone is tripping on shrooms and walks into an abandoned prison farm, super cool, right? Rumor has it, two girls died there! Also intriguing, yes, yes, give me more. It’s dark, spooky, and covered in weird suggestive graffiti, this is looking like a blast. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. While the shrooms do provide for some magical visual moments, the follow through was a letdown. There were several plotlines writer/director Karen Skloss could have expounded upon; satanic ritual, haunted location, séance, but not one of these was ever fully realized. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful, there’s no arguing that point. Unfortunately, the fear factor left me feeling unsatisfied. Even our leading lady expresses in the film, “I was hoping something real was going to happen to me tonight.” Me too, girlfriend, me too.
KILLING GROUND marks the debut feature of writer/director Damien Power and stars Australian actors Aaron Pedersen (ABC’s “Jack Irish”), Ian Meadows (Network Ten’s “The Wrong Girl”), Harriet Dyer (Nine Network’s “Love Child”) and Aaron Glenane (Truth).
As a kid, I was an avid camper. After seeing Killing Ground, I may never go again. As a mother, thanks to this film, I’ll never, ever bring my children with me to a remote location where I am more than shouting distance away from lots and lots of other campers… with weapons. Killing Ground is a slow burn of menace that keeps you feeling uneasy and queasy it’s entire 93 min runtime. With a multiple narrative style, you already know something horrible is coming but you’re forced to sit through the time jumps just to get to certain doom. Anything with balls enough to put children in true, murderous harm’s way will get me every time now that I’m a parent. But you don’t have to have kids of your own to be deeply affected by the horrors on screen, you just have to have an ounce more heart than the film’s villains. While last week’s SOLD OUT screening at Fantasia Fest may have left many in the lurch, fear not. Killing Ground actually gets its theatrical and VOD release this week, July 21st. Check out the trailer below.
Footnotes comes at a perfect time in cinema history where the movie musical is once more appreciated and praised. This sweet and relatable story of Julie having to choose between love and loyalty has all the whimsy of a great French musical from the 60’s. From the costumes to the Fosse-esque choreography, Footnotes brings a smile to your face at each turn. It is very reminiscent of The Pajama Game but set this time in a shoe factory. Lead, Pauline Etienne is as charming and awkward as the role of Julie requires. Her airy voice suits the role and is a lovely foil to the gaggle of surprising factory women. With a wonderful, never over the top message of respect in the workplace and equal pay, this gem of a film will have your feet tapping and heart singing, no doubt about it. You can listen to the soundtrack right now on Spotify (link below) but first, check out the trailer. You can catch Footnotes in theaters today!
Raised in southern Missouri, aka the Ozarks, I was looking for something recognizable in the new trailer for the Jason Bateman/Laura Linney series, Ozark. There’s some footage of a lake, ok, but nothing specific. A clip starts with a couple standing outside their house. Then I heard it. The sound of bugs that’s all-encompassing. It’s something I almost miss. Almost. Oh, and the series looks good too.
The film features an all-star ensemble cast including 
Once Upon A Time In Venice is one quirky piece of hilarity. While I was not prepared to see Bruce Willis buck naked on a skateboard, I was not mad about it. The film is a bit all over the place but wildly entertaining. In practically every new scene there is a crazy celebrity cameo, aside from the major ensemble cast to begin with. Willis and Goodman are charming as ever. Momoa is almost unrecognizable and Middleditch is genuinely adorable. Everyone is stellar and the script has some huge laugh out loud moments. 
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