Review by Sean Boelman

Coming at a time in which election fraud has seemingly dominated the headlines for months, the documentary United States vs. Reality Winner asks how much the American government actually cares about the issue. And while this does lean towards the flashier side of nonfiction filmmaking, it still manages to be compelling because of its shocking story.

The film tells the story of Reality Winner, a former NSA contractor turned whistleblower who was prosecuted by the U.S. government for leaking information about foreign interference in the election. It’s a fascinating case study that a majority of people have heard of but likely don’t understand the extent to which it has implications on our country. 

First and foremost, this is a work of advocacy to tell Winner’s story in a way that pulls back the curtain on media coverage of her trial. The film poses some interesting questions about the way in which the government, media, and public treat whistleblowers who are acting in the public’s best interest but are designated as criminals.

However, the more fascinating aspect of the film explores on whom the culpability for Winner’s situation falls. Is it a system that punishes those who want there to be transparency for the public? Or is it a bad journalist who failed to protect the anonymity of their source? Audiences are left to decide the answer to that question.

Like in her previous films, director Sonia Kennebeck does a good job of exploring the effects of the subject’s story beyond themself. Much of the film is presented from the perspective of Winner’s family, who was forced to watch as their daughter became an object of public scorn, causing them both great sadness and scorn. This provides a really solid emotional foundation for the film.

On the other hand, the more political aspect of the film is explored by experts in the field and other famous whistleblowers, including Edward Snowden. These interviews work to put Winner’s story into context within the history of whistleblowing in the United States and really shock the audience with how lack of transparency has been an issue in this country for a long time.

There are a lot of techniques used in this film that are intended to make the narrative more entertaining and sensationalized for mass audiences, and even though it is easy to recognize them, they aren’t terribly distracting. For example, narration from Natalia Dyer voicing Reality Winner is used, but not in a way that steals the spotlight from the interviews and archive materials.

United States vs. Reality Winner is an interesting documentary about a story whose importance has received a bit of a resurgence in recent months. Apart from a slight gimmickiness, this is an accomplished and effective political documentary.

United States vs. Reality Winner screened as a part of the online edition of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 16-20.

Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The heist movie is one of the best guilty pleasure genres, as there is an undeniable level of joy in watching thieves execute a convoluted plan to rip off the rich. Jaume Balagueró’s The Vault is a bit overlong, with a lot of dull filler before we get to the actual robbery, but that climactic sequence is pretty fun. 

The film follows a genius engineering student who is recruited by a treasure hunter to recover artifacts from the Bank of Spain’s vault that were confiscated by the Spanish government. It’s a very thin story devised for the purpose of forcing these thieves to come up with a complex plan to break an impressive safe.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the movie is its pacing. Although planning is a necessary element of any heist movie, this film is nearly two hours long, of which more than an hour is the build-up. A mini-heist keeps the excitement going as the movie pushes into the second act, but this easily could have been a ninety minute flick.

What will likely be the main draw of the film is the eponymous chamber, protected by a defense system that threatens to drown anyone who dares to attempt a robbery. It’s a really fascinating feat of engineering, and it’s based on truth, albeit with some dramatic liberties taken, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the movie.

The production design is impressive, as the replicas of the bank are really well-done. Other than that, the film is a mostly standard action flick in terms of execution, with rapid editing, mostly straightforward cinematography, and a few memorable sequences. It’s definitely not among the stylish entries in the genre, but Balagueró’s movie is at least entertaining.

If there is one thing that is significantly missing from the film, it is character development. The protagonist is extremely underwritten, with basically no motivations whatsoever. The female lead is mostly a romantic interest for the hero, but has a few scenes in which she shines. All of the rest of the players are various stock characters.

It can be a little hard to believe Freddie Highmore in this role. He’s just a bit too deadpan in his delivery to be a charming scholar-turned-reluctant-criminal. Sam Riley is a highlight as the more experienced thief, although he is over-the-top. And in the supporting cast, Liam Cunningham and Famke Jannasen are underused as background forces.

The Vault certainly isn’t an exceptional entry into the heist genre, but it’s competent enough to be watchable. It’s one good thirty-minute set piece with a bunch of filler around it, so take that as you will.

The Vault hits VOD on March 26.

Rating: 3/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

Violation premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and played at other festivals including the Sundance Film Festival and the SXSW Film Festival. This is the first feature film from writing and directing duo Madeline Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli. Their feature debut is a disturbing and effective revenge movie with some great performances.
 
Miriam’s marriage to Caleb is falling apart. They both go to visit Miriam’s sister, Greta, and her husband, Dylan. However, after a shocking act, Miriam embarks on an endeavor of revenge, not realizing the repercussions it will have on her own psyche. This comes off as a standard revenge thriller at first, but the movie quickly proves it knows how to add new life to the genre.
 
The writing of Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli is very strong throughout. The dialogue between the characters is compelling and realistic, and they convincingly capture the nuances of these relationships. There are lots of twists and shocking moments that are written very well, and the movie deals with some very serious subject matters that are handled delicately by the writers.
 
The performances in this film are great. Sims-Fewer leads the film as Miriam, and she plays the role impressively well. She effortlessly handles the broad range of emotion for the character. There is one brutal scene in which her quite literal regurgitative reaction was entirely real, and it’s an impressive feat. The supporting cast is also talented, but the one that stands out most is Anna Maguire as Greta. Her relationship with her sister is very complicated over the course of the movie, and she perfectly captures those dynamics.

The movie is told non-linearly, which catches you off guard at first, but the execution of the scenes makes it work brilliantly. It makes the film’s disturbing and shocking moments even more unexpected, and it makes its themes more effective. There are some jaw-dropping moments that only work as well as they do because of how the narrative is uniquely structured.
 
While the film is incredibly brutal, the topic of sexual assault is a sensitive issue that is essential to handle properly. I was impressed by how the film handled that topic throughout, and it didn’t feel exploitative in any way. It maintained its effectiveness without having to exploit the female lead at all. The movie is a revenge film that contains many timely themes and says something unique about the toll revenge can take on somebody.
 
The film is supported by a brilliant classical score and some haunting imagery. The movie can lose a bit of its steam in the end, but it makes up for it with its eerie ambiance and tension. It’s a fantastic debut from Sims-Fewer and Mancinelli, and they have a profound way of telling this unique story in an engaging way.
 
Violation is a unique and shocking revenge film that contains some powerful messages. The writing and directing is superb and the acting from Sims-Fewer is fantastic. While it’s not for the faint of heart, this is a film that must be on your radar.
 
Violation will be released exclusively on Shudder March 25.
 
Rating: 4/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The idea of a rideshare horror movie is something that undeniably would have been intriguing a year ago when it was supposed to debut at the SXSW that never happened, but now it seems like a relic of a distant past. Nevertheless, the supernatural chiller The Toll starts strong with some intriguing world-building, but stumbles when it falls back on more traditional cliches.

The film follows a woman who finds herself mysteriously stranded on a remote road with her awkward and creepy rideshare driver when they discover that they are being stalked by a supernatural presence. It’s a high-concept horror premise that sets up some interesting tension, both between the characters and the ghostly entity and between the characters themselves, but this is largely squandered by a predictable ending.

This is definitely a very nicely-paced horror movie. There are a few scares that are a bit derivative, such as a scene featuring a television monitor that feels like it has been done hundreds of times before. However, there are also some scares that are genuinely interesting in their execution, allowing the film to creep under your skin as a whole. 

On the other hand, Nader isn’t able to find his thematic groove so easily. The things that the movie has to say about trust and paranoia are nothing new to the genre and pay off in a way that is ridiculously anticlimactic. And while the end of the second act suggests that this might go somewhere deeper, it pulls back quickly.

Additionally, the character development in the film isn’t very strong. Granted, it is clearly the intention for the audience to be constantly changing their opinion on the characters, but Nader does it to such an extreme extent that it becomes difficult to connect with either of them on an especially deep level. 

Yet despite being given tremendously ambiguous roles, Max Toplin and Jordan Hayes manage to pull some legitimately good horror performances out of their turns. Toplin in particular is wonderful, oscillating between the charming and intimidating aspects of the character quite effectively. Hayes’s performance is much less extreme, but still effective.

Nader makes the most out of the largely secluded nature of the location to create an eerie atmosphere. It was an interesting choice not to restrict the movie to exclusively being set in and around the car, but it works (and quite well at that). The woods elements are a bit generic, but Nader compensates for this with above average world-building in the script.

The Toll does unfortunately let itself down in the final third, but for the most part, it’s still an enjoyable and mostly well-done horror flick. For those looking for some spooky escapism, this is a good one to scratch that itch.

The Toll hits theaters and VOD on March 26.

Rating: 3.5/5

Review by Sean Boelman

The SXSW Film Festival is known for showcasing some very out there films, even beyond its Midnighters category, and the dark comedy Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break is one of the wackiest movies that was in this year’s lineup. And even though it does take some time to pick up its steam, this offbeat romp is the type of film that seems destined for cult classic status.

The movie follows a lonely man living with his mom who, after failing spectacularly on an audition for his favorite talent show, sets out on a deadly path of revenge against the people who caused him to embarrass himself. It’s a dumb plot, but it sets up some scenarios that are absolute comedic gold.

Admittedly, the film does have a bit of a problematic message. This is clearly meant to be a spin on the revenge thriller, and it’s effective as such, but it is also disappointingly mean-spirited. Ultimately, the message is to be kind to one another, but apparently it takes showing a whole lot of rudeness to get that moral across.

Paul Dood is an absolutely charming lovable goof. Yes, he has a lot of eccentricities that can be a bit much at times, but the unabashed zaniness of the protagonist is honestly what makes the movie work so well. Tom Meeten’s lead performance is wholly committed and surprisingly lived-in, almost as if he was taking a character he had already worked with and expanding it.

The supporting characters in the film aren’t quite as well-written. Everyone except for Paul is a total archetype, with very few distinguishing characteristics. There’s the supportive mother, the jerk co-worker who tries to make the protagonist’s life a living hell, and the arrogant television show personality.

On one hand, it is a little frustrating that it takes about thirty minutes for the movie to get to the eponymous catastrophe, but once it does, it moves along quite well. And the necessity of the first act is obvious, as it provides a needed foundation in characterization, even if there probably was a better way to do the same thing.

There are some really interesting things going on in the film’s execution. The costuming choices for the protagonist are inspired and create an excellent visual gag. Additionally, the use of practical effects during the spree in the second half is really impressive, with some strong and funny visuals.

Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break is an entertaining movie, and while it isn’t as deep as it seems to think it is, it’s more than diverting enough to work. Viewers will be left wanting to see more of Paul Dood, which is a good thing.

Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break screened as a part of the online edition of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which ran March 16-20.

Rating: 3.5/5