Review by Sean Boelman
A lot of indie filmmakers like to take high-concept ideas like the end of the world and turn them into low-concept dramas. Mylissa Fitzsimmons’s Everything in the End resulted from such a process, and the result is a touching, if occasionally overwritten film meditation on human interactions.
The movie follows a young man who is stranded in an Icelandic village in the days leading up to the destruction of Earth, connecting with people he meets along the way. It’s really just a series of conversations that the protagonist has with a series of interesting characters, but it’s an interesting exercise in exploring what makes us human. At only seventy-four minutes in length, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome. The way that the movie is structured is nice, moving through the landscape and people as the threat of the end looms over. Yet unlike a lot of films that build to the apocalypse, this feels relaxed rather than urgent, taking joy in the opportunities of connection as opposed to panicking over the things being lost. There are various bits of wisdom sprinkled throughout the many conversations that the characters have, but the movie really seems to want the viewer to slow down and take in the beauty of the world and people around them. And in a world in which we have been separated from our fellow man for what feels like an eternity, this message rings particularly true.
Admittedly, the film does have some weaknesses with its character development. The protagonist is compelling, but his arc is extremely conventional, wrapping up with an ending that ties everything into a bow a little too nicely. However, there is a moment in the movie featuring a mother and son duo that is absolutely wonderful thanks to the way in which they are written.
Lead actor Hugo de Sousa does a lot of work in carrying this film, and he is phenomenal. It’s a performance that is somehow both active and reactionary, bringing emotion to the character in a way that is consistently effective. There are also some great players in the supporting cast, but they all serve to accent de Sousa’s performance. This is a breathtaking movie that takes full advantage of the Icelandic scenery. That said, perhaps the most impressive thing about the film is that the foreign language portions are not subtitled. It’s an ambitious choice that probably won’t last long (when this gets distribution, it will likely be forced to include the translation) that really emphasizes the tone and emotion of these moments. Everything in the End is a lovely little movie, and while it does (somewhat ironically) blow up a bit at the ending, it’s a mostly powerful watch. This is the type of art house gem that film festival audiences love to see. Everything in the End is now streaming online as a part of the 2021 Florida Film Festival, which runs April 8-22 in Orlando, FL. Rating: 4/5
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Review by Sean Boelman
Kelly Walker’s directorial debut My Fiona is a movie that is very difficult to watch, sometimes for the right reasons but occasionally for the wrong ones. Wavering between painfully personal and conventionally melodramatic, this is yet another example of an indie film with its heart in the right place, but not necessarily the means to pull it off.
The movie tells the story of a woman who forms an unexpected connection with her best friend’s wife after her best friend unexpectedly commits suicide. The thing that Walker settles on most is settling on a tone. There are some very heavy, meditative moments, but others resemble a warmer romance. Perhaps there is something here about how grief manifests in different ways, but it isn’t consistent enough to work. There is a mental health angle to be taken to this film, but unfortunately, this is largely ignored. Thankfully, the movie doesn’t linger on the suicide aspect, even making a point of saying that it is futile to attempt to justify things that happened in the past. However, the film really only explores their loved ones’ mental health through exposition and affirmations that they need to talk to someone. Below all of the fluff, there is a timely message that people need to find help when they are in need. But Walker seems more interested in exploring the toxic behavior that the characters begin to exhibit when they are acting out on their unrestrained emotions. This definitely has an element of realism to it, even if the sappy romance threatens to undermine its authenticity.
One of the biggest sources of unused potential in the movie is the young son of the character who committed suicide. For much of the first half of the film, he rightfully serves as the force pushing much of the conflict forward, only for the second act to shift the characters towards becoming more self-centered.
The acting is definitely one of the strong suits in the movie, with strong leading turns from Jeanette Maus and Corbin Reid. Maus, in particular, is very tender in her role, selling the emotion in the film even when it becomes a bit more artificial in the final third. In the supporting cast, Ryan W. Garcia and April Lang are both good, although this is mostly a showcase for Maus and Reid. Walker also brings a subtly beautiful hand to directing the movie. The opening scene is not the best-executed, but that is a tricky thing to pull off in a way that balances shocking and heartbreaking, especially with an indie budget. Otherwise, the film is shot in a way that is calm and aesthetically-pleasing. My Fiona means well, and it’s surprisingly well-made for an independent feature, but the script leans too heavily into its melodrama to be as moving as it hopes to be. It’s a solid attempt at juggling these weighty themes, and it sometimes succeeds. My Fiona is now streaming online as a part of the 2021 Florida Film Festival, which runs April 8-22 in Orlando, FL. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
At this point, it feels as if HBO has at least one limited series every season that is tailor-built to win the network awards. The Kate Winslet vehicle Mare of Easttown certainly falls into that category, overcoming its busy plotting with some strong direction from Craig Zobel and genuinely great performances all-around.
The series follows a small-town detective whose life begins to unravel as she investigates the tragic murder of a young girl. Written by Brad Ingelsby (The Way Back), the story itself is a relatively standard mystery/melodrama hybrid, but the A-list talent involved is able to hold the audience’s interest nevertheless. Perhaps the biggest issue with the series is that it seems too involved in its subplots. Despite what the title would suggest, this show is less about Winslet’s eponymous detective and more about the residents of the town as a whole. While these threads may all come together in the final two episodes, it’s still an overwhelming amount of moving parts. The strongest storyline of the series is certainly the protagonist’s, making one wonder why they felt the need to include all of these other players. The intention seems to be to throw off the audience with a series of red herrings before making the big reveal in the final episodes, but viewers will likely be more invested in the human aspects of the story than the twists and turns.
This overstuffed writing also comes at the expense of depth. There are some really interesting things in the main storyline about grief, but this theme is largely explored through exposition. As a result, it ends up feeling more like a tropey cop with a troubled past arc than a legitimate mourning arc.
Without a doubt, the strongest aspect of the series is its performances. Winslet is at her best in years as the weathered detective who has been broken down over the years. Her turn is equal parts intimidating and intimate, and it’s thoroughly impressive to watch. The supporting cast is filled with great appearances from Evan Peters, Angourie Rice, and Cailee Spaeny, among others. There isn’t a whole lot of investment in visual style or atmosphere here, but the series is shot very competently and does a good job of building suspense. Zobel recognizes that the strength of this show is in the performances, and as such, he emphasizes their contribution, not distracting the audience with an overly pulpy flair. Mare of Easttown is a mostly strong series that will hook audiences and leave them wanting to see more every week. Viewers shouldn’t be surprised to see this pop up in conversations about some of the best performances of the television season. Mare of Easttown debuts on HBO on April 18 at 10pm ET/PT with subsequent episodes airing on Sundays at the same time. Five out of seven episodes reviewed. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
The tragic true story behind Reefa is one that deserves to be seen by audiences on a large scale, but the way in which filmmaker Jessica Kavana Dornbusch presents it is somewhat questionable. Occasionally moving but more frequently contrived, this attempt to explore topical themes instead feels like a paint-by-numbers biopic.
The film tells the story of Colombian immigrant and artist Israel “Reefa” Hernandez, as his pursuit of artistic expression leads him down paths of love and danger. There is no denying the importance of Hernandez’s story, but the first hour of the movie is spent slowly building to the third act, which is what demands to be seen. Perhaps the biggest issue with this film is that it doesn’t seem to trust the audience enough to sympathize with the characters. Because Dornbusch’s script tries to cram an entire coming-of-age arc into an hour of runtime, the movie not only feels rushed, it also feels artificial despite being based on a true story. There are also some interesting decisions made in the film in regards to perspective. The choice to position Hernandez’s white girlfriend as one of the main characters as opposed to his immigrant family and friends is an odd one. Thankfully, a major course correction happens before the movie gets into the hard-hitting material, but by that point, audiences should have already recognized the pandering.
This story has the potential to have such a strong message about racism, police brutality, and xenophobia, but Dornbusch pulls way too many of her punches. Perhaps in an attempt to remain respectful, the filmmaker seems unwilling to get too political with her script, opting for little more than fleeting references to the relevant issues.
Tyler Dean Flores gives an exceptional performance in his leading role. In fact, the subtlety and humanity that he is able to bring to the character almost feels out-of-place in a film that otherwise deals pretty heavily in sentimentality. The supporting turns aren’t as strong, but Flores is surprisingly able to carry the movie on his own. The film is much better-made than a majority of independent biopics, largely thanks to the focus that it has on Hernandez’s art. There are some moments that are a bit heavy-handed with the score and execution, but Dornbusch manages to maintain an overall feeling of tastefulness to her movie, even in the more difficult moments. Reefa works a lot better than one would expect it to, but the idea of making a film like this out of such a story is still problematic. If nothing else, the movie serves to introduce us to Tyler Dean Flores, who is a star waiting to happen. Reefa is now in theaters and on VOD. Rating: 3/5 Reviewed by Adam Donato Director Ben Wheatley, most notable for his films Kill List and Free Fire, makes a limited theatrical release in the form of In The Earth. This newest entry in Wheatley’s film catalogue stars Joel Fry as a scientist who is chaperoned by a park scout, played by Ellora Torchia, as they venture off into the forest. Rounding out the supporting cast is Reece Shearsmith and Hayley Squires who are later found in the woods. This wannabe A24 horror film may surprise you based on the marketing as it is very different from the traditional horror dart. The pandemic that arose from the COVID-19 disease just might have changed movies forever (says an article that is being written just over 12 months since the pandemic started). Movies stopped going to theaters as people were locked into their homes. Ben Wheatley is not included in people, for he went out in the woods and made a movie. This movie seems to be heavily inspired by real-world occurrences. There’s a deadly virus going around and people are wearing masks. That being said, this movie is relevant, but is it good? Just like the pandemic, the movie is uncomfortable and people are annoying. The trailer makes it out to be this big supernatural romp through the woods, but the majority of the conflict arises from the crazy people they find in the woods. Major injuries will have the weak stomached audience members feeling queasy. The strobe lighting and intentionally unbearable noises that are made succeed in being displeasing to watch. Is it scary? Not really, more thrilling than anything else. It’s less wanting the main characters to succeed and more wanting the bad guys to fail. Talking about the editing in a horror movie is odd because sometimes it’s off putting, but to give the benefit of the doubt to the filmmaker seems like a stretch. This movie has so many cuts that feel rough. It’s noticeably awkward throughout the movie where there’s a cut that feels like it doesn’t belong. This is usually during the more calm moments in the film, whereas the horror scenes are much more effective. There’s so many times where things are flashing on the scream and one feels like there’s hidden images that leave the viewer feeling overwhelmed.
The performances are enjoyable. Fry and Torchia are more reactionary, in contrast to Shearsmith and Squires who get a lot more opportunity to shine. As stated previously, the scares come much less from the supernatural elements involved and more so from the human forces. There are cruel acts performed and some decision making that is down right baffling. It really is a mystery whether or not anyone involved will survive in this scenario. The tension is brought out by the characters, which is a nice change of pace from standard horror fodder that would rather jump scare its audience. Overall, In The Earth is hard to peg when it comes to rating. It really feels like personal preference when it’s something so niche like this. For example, it would not be good to recommend for non-horror fans, but also unwise to give a blanket recommendation to horror fans. It’s upscale horror, but if one sees this as pretentious then that’s totally applicable. Regardless, there’s clear effort and craftsmanship present and anyone familiar with the filmmaker should have an enjoyable time. To the horror fan that loves something like Hereditary, this is the lite version of that, which is certainly no insult. In the Earth hits theaters on April 16. Rating: 2/5
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Movies about assassins aren't anything new these days. There are a lot of films with variations on the assassin tropes. The lonely man or woman lives off of the grid until he or she is brought back into which fictional or nonfictional agency he or she may work for. Trigger Point follows a lot of these tropes but is entertaining nonetheless.
Barry Pepper plays an assassin who lives off of the grid in a sleepy town until a man comes looking for him. He gets brought back into a world of guns for hire and espionage. He doesn't know who to trust — if anybody. This film treads very familiar ground in this genre, but it still does a good job of being an enjoyable film to watch. Barry Pepper, like a lot of other actors who have portrayed lone gunmen such as this, is a very proud and private man. He has a similar routine every day: wake up, go to a little diner and get some tea and talk up the waitress, and then go across the street to a little book shop and get a book from the shopkeeper (who may or may not be his handler). A lot of James Bond-type stuff just in America instead of jolly old England. Assassins have a lot of baggage from their pasts that still haunt them each day. The one in this film is no different. This allows the viewer to get back the story on the lead character while not interrupting the flow of the film and the story within. The memories he is trying to unpack might help him figure out what is going on in the present day. And this works for the overall plot of the film in the end.
Besides Pepper, there are some good performances from the waitress in the diner (Nazneen Contractor), an old contact in his agency (Colm Feore), his daughter (Eve Harlow), and the book store owner (Jane Eastwood). They all add a semblance of reality to this fictional tale of assassins, special ops teams, and secret agencies. Every film needs a good supporting cast of characters to help it glow better.
The Ontario location is a beautiful one as well. The cinematographer, Brett Van Dyke, captures all the vistas in this area of the country perfectly. From farms houses in the middle of fields to little downtown streets. Even a shot or two of the ocean, adding a nice small town comfort to a film that has extraordinary events taking place in and around it. Brad Turner, the director, does a solid job bringing this tried and true world of assassins and hitmen to life. He sets it in a nice sleepy town off of the coast of the United States which gives it a realistic feeling. Solid work from Pepper and the company makes for an entertaining film. Even though this genre has been done to death this film can still be an enjoyable entry. Trigger Point hits theaters and VOD on April 16. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts tells the story of a Black artist with whose work a majority of viewers probably aren’t familiar. And while the film offers an interesting glimpse into the history of African-American art, it gets a bit too caught up in congratulation to be as revelatory as it had the potential to be.
The movie tells the story of the eponymous artist who, after being freed from slavery, produced a prolific body of art as a homeless man in Montgomery. Even though Traylor’s art is a bit of an acquired taste, there is no doubt that the life he lived is extraordinary and this secondhand account of his tale is pretty fascinating. Filmmaker Jeffrey Wolf’s biggest success is in making the audience feel like Traylor’s story is one that already should have been known. Within the art world, Traylor’s recognition is relatively recent, and so Wolf wisely chooses to present this documentary as the audience discovering this artist, as a majority of viewers likely will be doing so. Some of the more fascinating portions of the film deal with the historical context of Traylor’s work. Analysis of his drawings is presented as to how his images reflect the society of the time, from slavery through the era of segregation. These are portions of history that are often discussed, but rarely from this perspective, and it’s quite interesting to see.
On the other hand, the portions of the movie exploring Traylor’s artistic contributions aren’t as effective. The film features plenty of his work, but focuses more on analyzing what it means than what makes it artistically interesting. A brief discussion of how he experimented with unique mediums is compelling, but in this regard, Wolf’s art documentary leaves something to be desired.
A majority of the interviews in the movie are from contemporary artists, scholars, and critics, and while they are somewhat informational, they also seem to adulate Traylor’s work. It’s understandable for documentaries like this to contain a lot of praise, but there isn’t enough evidence given outside of the historical argument to warrant this level of on-screen commendation. Wolf keeps his film short, at a mere seventy-five minutes, but this is one of those cases where shorter did not equal better. Often, art documentaries feel like they can be made more concise, but in this case, there are a lot of missing elements despite having all this extra time to spare. Wolf could (and should) have gone into more depth on some of his arguments. Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts makes an argument for the eponymous artist as an underappreciated master to mixed success. The historical angle here is excellent, but audiences will be left wanting more from it as an art documentary. Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts hits virtual cinemas on April 16. A list of participating locations can be found here. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Chinese action films are an entirely different breed of action filmmaking compared to their American counterparts, and sometimes they don’t translate well to a Western audience. Although The Rookies has some fun moments, the attempts to Westernize its sensibilities are distracting at best and laughable at worst.
The movie tells the story of an extreme sports fan who, along with his amateur scientist friend and a police officer, is recruited by an international secret agent to stop an illegal trade. It’s clear that this is supposed to be a parody of the espionage genre, but a lot of the comedy is lost in translation, causing this to become little more than a B-movie with a few cool action sequences. For much of the first hour, the film is all over the place. It can’t decide whether it wants to be a globe-trotting adventure, a broad comedy, or a gritty crime thriller. When it settles into its rhythm during the second act, basically becoming a knock-off Mission: Impossible, it becomes much more enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, the central battle between good and evil here is very generic, and is the totality of the movie’s substance. There are some interesting threads about corruption in the police, but perhaps in an attempt to satisfy government censors, the punches are very lightweight and the dirty cops characters are instead presented as mere goofs.
Perhaps the film’s biggest issue is the selection of its protagonist. The extreme sports junkie who becomes the central action hero has a far less compelling arc than the good cop fighting for what’s right when the institution abandons its morals. But again, this was likely too confrontational of an arc to serve as the crux of an international production such as this.
The star power in the movie for American audiences comes from Milla Jovovich, who has a prominent supporting role. She gets to kick ass in a couple of scenes, but for the most part, she is relegated to the sidelines as the coach for the Chinese stars to take center stage. And Talu Wang and Sandrine Pinna do a solid job of carrying the film. Of course, as is the case with a lot of live action movies making their way to American audiences, this film is presented in a truly atrocious English dub. The voice acting feels out-of-place and isn’t even mixed in very well. It’s a shame, because this distracts from what are some legitimately entertaining set pieces. The Rookies is entertaining enough, but it’s almost guaranteed that it would have been a lot more fun to watch in its unadulterated, subtitled version. Hopefully if this would-be franchise gets off the ground, audiences will be given more options than an abysmal dub. The Rookies hits theaters and VOD on April 16. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Film is definitely an artistic medium, but there are some instances in which audiences aren’t looking for anything more than mindless entertainment. George Gallo’s Vanquish should be one of those cases, but because of the director’s horrible sense of overambition, this action flick that wants to be an art house picture is nearly unwatchable.
The movie is about a former cop who forces a retired drug courier to take out a series of gangsters by kidnapping her daughter. It’s really thin plotting whose only purpose is to catapult the protagonist into a series of altercations with progressively quirkier villains. The influences from Asian cinema here are clear, but Gallo seems to fundamentally misunderstand what makes the genre tick, aping the style without any of the edginess or originality. Gallo should be given props for actually trying to do something with this straight-to-VOD action film, unlike a lot of other similar movies which settle for rapid editing in an attempt to create excitement. Still, his colorful and gimmicky approach doesn’t fare much better, frequently distracting from the choreography that should have been the star of the show. For better or worse, once the action gets going, it never really lets up. It’s a high-octane ninety minutes, but none of it is memorable for the right reasons. What should be yet another example of forgettable action schlock is instead a laughably bad attempt at making something more out of a wholly underdeveloped script.
Perhaps the biggest issue with the film (although there are many) is the fact that none of the character motivations make much sense. There is some expositional dialogue meant to explain why these characters are doing what they are doing, but it’s hard to really sympathize with any of these shallow archetypes that are meant to be characters.
The movie couldn’t even bother to give the audience any enjoyable villains. Apart from one scene towards the end that might briefly pique the viewer’s interest, the opponents that the protagonist faces are merely a series of goons and bosses. At a certain point, the only thing that distinguishes one scene from the last is how Gallo changes the look. It’s genuinely sad that Ruby Rose continues to get lackluster projects like this, because she is an action star waiting to happen. Her talent with the choreography is obvious in this and other films she has appeared in recently, but they are so dull as a whole that she can’t manage to break out of this dollar bin void. Vanquish might have been enjoyable if it wasn’t trying to be something that it’s not. However, since filmmaker George Gallo felt the need to try to give this an upscale flair, it’s hard to enjoy any of the fight sequences it might have had to offer. Vanquish hits theaters on April 16 and VOD on April 20. Rating: 1/5
Review by Camden Ferrell
Jakob’s Wife had its premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. This horror film is the sophomore feature from writer/director Travis Stevens. Even though it’s a fun and campy film, the movie is dragged down by its uneven pace and unconventional execution.
Anne is a woman who is married to Jakob, a local preacher. Throughout her marriage, she has felt herself being minimized and overlooked. After a chance encounter with a mysterious entity, she develops a violent and troubling appetite. Now, Jakob must fight for his marriage and his wife. It’s an interesting premise that is ripe for campy horror fun. The script by Mark Steensland, Kathy Charles, and Stevens, is rather uneven throughout. The dialogue can be bland and derivative at times. However, the movie doesn’t indulge too heavily in exposition, and the script does a decent job of trusting its audience especially with the more supernatural elements of the film. The acting in the film is enjoyable even if it can seem silly at times. The film is led by Barbara Crampton, who plays Anne, and Larry Fessenden, who plays Jakob. Crampton, a horror veteran, feels right at home in this movie. She does a decent job at handling the non-horror elements, but she excels in all of her horror scenes. Fessenden does a great job at playing off of Crampton, but on his own, he lacks the same infectious energy as Crampton.
One of the surprising features of the film is how it tackles marriage dynamics. It tackles some pretty complex ideas of the troubles that stem from marriage and the personal inadequacies one might feel as a result. Unfortunately, once the movie makes strides in exploring this theme, it stops short of anything revelatory.
The film will most likely please genre enthusiasts due to its campy nature. There are plenty of bloody and gory moments throughout that lack a certain earnestness that one might expect from other horror films. This makes it somewhat unconventional, and it may alienate novices to the genre. Stevens’ execution of his scenes is works sporadically, but it lacks conviction at times throughout. The pacing is also all over the place in the movie. The movie steadily builds up in the first half only for the second half to be tonally inconsistent and off-putting as a result. It’s not bad by any means, but it also doesn’t reach its full potential due to the shortcomings of various elements in the film. Jakob’s Wife is an enjoyable horror film at times that shows promise for Stevens as a horror director, but it doesn’t do much to subvert expectations. It will most likely appeal to horror fans while the average viewer may have a hard time getting behind it. Jakob’s Wife is in select theaters and on VOD April 16. Rating: 3/5 |
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