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Review by Sean Boelman
Even though his lyrics would imply otherwise, rockstar Shannon Hoon lived a life that was anything but plain. But despite unprecedented access to Hoon’s personal perspective and a wealth of interesting life events to pull from, All I Can Say is a shockingly dull and uninspired music documentary.
Assembled from Hoon’s personal video diaries, the documentary takes a look at the life of the late Blind Melon frontman, exploring both his on-stage and off-stage antics. And though one would expect a film about someone who once got into massive trouble for peeing on a stage to be interesting, the movie gets too caught up in the mundanities of Hoon’s life to be entertaining. It becomes pretty clear early on that the purpose here is to humanize Hoon and make him feel more approachable. As he says in “No Rain” (the song which inspired the title of the film), “All I can say is that my life is pretty plain.” And yet, since the audience will know this to not be the case, something is left to be desired. The best moments of the movie are those which show Hoon as the charming and playful person that he was. These moments allow a greater personal connection with the character than anything involving his music (the repetition of rehearsal footage does become overwhelming at a certain point). 
That said, there is also a giant elephant in the room here, and that is Hoon’s death from an accidental overdose. Fans will know that Hoon faced a lot of demons in his life, and while capturing his positive essence is important, it is arguably more essential that audiences learn from the mistakes he made.
Perhaps the single biggest issue here, though, is the lack of structure. The film presents a bunch of clips in a seemingly random order. There’s very little sense of time here apart from the occasional timestamp on the footage. Even a basic thematic connection would have been enough to make the movie feel more cohesive. Still, the archive footage here is admittedly pretty phenomenal, and it is reason enough to make the film a worthy watch for fans of the singer. Hoon obviously liked to play around with the camera, and the result is an aesthetic experiment. The soundtrack is also very unorthodox, as it isn’t entirely rooted in the sounds of Blind Melon. There are some really interesting things about All I Can Say, but sadly, much of it doesn’t work out in a satisfying way. More often than not, this is a movie made primarily for diehard Blind Melon fans. All I Can Say is now screening online in partnership with indie theaters. A list of participating locations can be found here. Rating: 2.5/5
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Review by Sean Boelman
Perhaps in an attempt to recapture the lighting in a bottle that was The Blair Witch Project, filmmaker Daniel Myrick (without the help of co-director Eduardo Sanchez) returns to mockumentary territory with the UFO picture Skyman. Unfortunately, lacking in any real conflict and emotion, this movie is mostly a bore.
The film follows a man who, after experiencing an alien encounter when he was ten years old, dedicates himself to proving the existence of extraterrestrial beings, hoping to reconnect with the same UFO at the same location. This isn’t the first time a found footage movie (or the like) has centered around aliens, nor will it be the last, but one almost wishes that filmmakers would give up on the dying gimmick. Myrick structures the film as if it is a documentary following the protagonist as if he was a real person. But since so many movies have since tried to replicate the success of The Blair Witch Project, this device no longer lends as much authenticity to a story as it once would. And though Myrick was the person to popularize it, this film would have worked so much better without these conventions holding it back. There are some really interesting character arcs here, but they are largely left underdeveloped. Instead, the imposed perspective of this faux filmmaker almost gives a tone of mocking disbelief. It always feels like we aren’t meant to take the protagonist seriously, sometimes even to the point where the movie almost seems to be making fun of him. 
Michael Selle, in his feature debut, gives a solid performance, bringing a lot of humanity to a role that is otherwise a caricature. And unlike most other found footage movies, there aren’t any scares (or attempts thereof) to fall back on. It is completely reliant on Selle’s performance to ground the film, and even then, it barely works.
Fans of the genre will be used to the slow-burn pacing here, but this movie does too little to excite in the interim, and the ending is even more obvious than usual. Perhaps the biggest issue of all is that the film is lacking in bite. The movie seems so afraid of doing anything that would be even the least bit edgy or provocative. Obviously, Myrick has an understanding of how to tell a story in this way, so everything about the film looks fine. That said, one expects a movie about the extraterrestrial to do something more. There should, at the least, be a sense of wonder. That feeling is largely missing here, which keeps it from having as much of an effect as it should. Skyman is a very disappointing film in many ways, especially given the talent of its filmmaker. This seems destined to get lost in a genre full of mediocre movies all of which owe themselves to the work of its director. Skyman opens in drive-in theaters on June 30 and hits VOD on July 7. Rating: 2/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Although now might seem like an ill-advised time to release a cop-centric action flick, Michael Polish’s new B-movie Force of Nature almost works in showing how inept the law enforcement is at actually protecting and serving the public. Yet with a story about as ridiculous they come, any merit it has is sadly lost on an overwritten mess.
The film follows a cop and his partner as they try to evacuate the residents of an apartment building during a severe hurricane, only to discover that the building is the site of a heist planned by a gang of thieves. And while heist movies are notoriously fun, even at their most mindless, Cory Miller’s script is too self-serious for it to be particularly enjoyable. Major plot points in the film revolve around precious art and exotic pets, yet Miller and Polish aren’t able to make anything remotely interesting out of this absurdity. The idea of being trapped in a storm has been an anxiety-inducing premise of movies for years, but here, it’s used as little more than an excuse to get all of these characters in the same place. Furthermore, the film is largely lacking in legitimate action. There are a couple of cool scenes, but for the most part, the tension rests on people carrying big guns and pulling the trigger every once in a while. The stakes aren’t high enough, and even when they are, the audience is given very little reason to care. 
The character development here is pretty lackluster. The protagonist isn’t particularly heroic, and (as always) it takes an attractive female co-star to will him into action. There’s also a subplot about the protagonist’s partner trying to impress a retired cop to get a recommendation, offering the most emotional moments of the movie, if only they didn’t feel like an afterthought to get a once-reliable draw attached to the project.
Emile Hirsch carries much of the film, and while he’s clearly a very talented actor, it’s also obvious that his heart isn’t all here. Perhaps because the script is so bland, Hirsch doesn’t seem to connect with the character, and the result is a mildly charming version of any other cop movie protagonist with a dark side. On a technical level, the film shows its low budget and B-movie stature. Everything about the movie feels extremely staged and choreographed, but not in an appealing way. Rather, the audience will almost certainly be drawn out of the film by the overwhelmingly artificial feel that it has. Force of Nature takes what could be a fun premise and makes a generic B-movie dirge out of it. It’s a shame — there’s some really compelling talent on display here, but it simply doesn’t pay off in an entertaining way. Force of Nature hits VOD on June 30. Rating: 2/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Dealing with a multitude of issues that affect modern society, Tom Shepard’s documentary Unsettled is emotional in more ways than one. Exploring an issue in the LGBTQ community that some may not have even recognized as being so urgent, this doc can serve as an eye-opening discussion-starter.
The film tells the story of a group of refugees from Africa and the Middle East who fled to America in search of political refuge, hoping to escape the persecution they face because of their sexual orientation. It’s not an easy watch, but a riveting one at that because of the heft and importance of the material. There are three main storylines in the movie, and one of Shepard’s greatest successes here is that he is able to balance them surprisingly equally. By letting these people tell their own story rather than inundating the audience with facts and figures about refugees, Shepard has created an authentic and human portrait of the issue. Much of the film takes the form of interviews and fly-on-the-wall footage featuring these four subjects (two individuals and a couple), and it’s an effective way of telling this story. It is important for the audience to hear the power and hurt of their stories from their own mouths, as it makes the movie feel all the more honest. 
At under an hour and a half long, Shepard obviously isn’t able to talk about all of the implications that this crisis has on the global LGBTQ community, but by examining these case studies, he calls attention to what are some of the most pressing problems to which they are tied.
It’s disappointing to think that we live in a world where someone’s sexual orientation can be persecuted, much less criminalized, but that is the sad truth. In a month that is typically dedicated to celebrating the (relatively newfound) freedoms of the community in America, it is also important to discuss how others who don’t have that ability can achieve that themselves. The message of the film here is one of compassion and empathy. This movie is aimed at a target audience of people who are not likely affected directly by these issues. And yet, by recognizing the problem, Americans have the potential to make a legitimate positive change in the world that has impact beyond that. Unsettled offers a new perspective on pressing issues, promising to take the discussion in a new (and heartbreaking) direction. Hopefully more voices such as the ones showcased in the film will get a chance to speak up about their experiences. Unsettled makes its broadcast debut on June 28 on WORLD Channel (via local PBS stations), with a streaming run to follow from June 28-July 12 on WORLD Channel and PBS.org. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Not to be confused with the recently-released (but very different) Netflix documentary of the same name, Michael Bentham’s feature directorial debut Disclosure is a talky thriller with a lot on its mind. But thanks to some brilliant dialogue, the film manages to be impactful in a thought-provoking way.
The film follows two couples as they argue over an allegation made by one of their daughters against the other’s son. Although the script does go a bit off the rail at times, veering into melodramatic territory, more often than not, it is a grounded exploration of the ethical issues at its core. This isn’t an easy movie to think about — many audience members, like an argument that is made in the film, would probably like for this issue to go away — but unfortunately, things like this do happen in the real world. And while Bentham doesn’t offer an easy solution here, the point seems to be that there is no good way to fix this issue. One of the more interesting things that Bentham did with his script was to present these events entirely from the perspective of the children’s parents. This allows Bentham to go all-in on his themes of believing victims, as the audience is left to believe what they are told without witnessing it firsthand (as is so often the way that situations like this occur). 
Perhaps the biggest thing working in the film’s favor is its razor-sharp dialogue. The script shares a lot more in common with a stage play than an average screenplay in that the pacing is largely dictated by the rhythm of the words rather than that of the camera, but the film is still entirely effective nevertheless.
Of course, credit also needs to be given to the actors whose performances go a long way in selling the authenticity of the film. Tom Wren and Geraldine Hakewill and Mark Leonard Winter and Matilda Ridgway are great as the two couples, respectively, especially in communicating the gradual escalation of tension. Bentham does a good job of taking advantage of the limited setting in which the film takes place, with a sense of spatial geography that is quite welcome, but there are a few artistic choices that are somewhat ineffective. The chief of these is the use of unnecessary slow motion in the climax of the film. There are some really good things happening in Disclosure, making it one of the most exciting debuts of the year thus far. By no means is this a particularly pleasant film, but it is an essential watch. Disclosure premieres online on June 26 at 8pm ET here before releasing on VOD on June 30. Rating: 4/5 |