Review by Camden Ferrell
The Racer is the newest film from director Kieron J. Walsh. The film was an official selection of the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. The film is an interesting look at real-life events in the cycling world, but it sometimes feels monotonous and unengaging.
This film is a fictionalized account of the 1998 Tour de France (aka Tour du Dopage). Dominique is a domestique, a cyclist who works for the benefit of his team rather than trying to win the race. He is part of a cycling team during the Irish stages of the race, but he is surrounded by a culture of doping. This is an interesting historical event that many viewers may not know about, and it’s an interesting premise on which to tell this story. The script, written by Walsh and Ciaran Cassidy, isn’t objectionable but isn’t impressive either. A lot of the dialogue feels clunky and unnatural. It doesn’t confused viewers with unnecessary jargon, but it doesn’t do a through enough job of informing the viewer about the many intricacies of cycling. It’s a script that is decent for the most part, but it lacks a strong character or personality to drive the film. Most of the actors in this movie give fairly forgettable performances. Louis Talpe plays Dominique, and he leads this movie gracefully through its more exciting moments but struggles to find footing when dealing with slower and more tender exchanges. The characters are really engaging when they are in the world of cycling, but in between races, there’s something to be desired. The film creates some realistic stakes, but it ultimately feels hollow. It doesn’t allow you to get invested in the characters fully especially when they are doping in order to win races. While the characters aren’t meant to be honorable, the movie still makes it difficult to fully invest in their story. Walsh does a great job directing the cycling scenes. They are often very energetic, and they make great use of camera movement and composition. It’s exciting, and it’s an aspect of the movie that is severely underutilized. The movie falters during the filler scenes, and this is due to some uninspired execution that make the scenes feel more lethargic than they actually are. Despite all of its flaws, this is still a movie that benefits from its historical basis and exciting cycling scenes. It doesn’t ever find consistency in its tone or pace, but it does show promise for the director and leading actor. The Racer is a sports drama that may not be for everyone. Cycling enthusiasts will most likely enjoy this fictional retelling of history, but the muddled drama will most likely be a slight turn off for some viewers. The Racer is available on VOD September 18. Rating: 3/5
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Review by Camden Ferrell
H is for Happiness is another one of those movies that try to recapture the optimism and joy of childhood and adolescence. From director John Sheedy, this family dramedy feels familiar but still overwhelms with an abundance of heart.
Candice Phee is a 12-year-old girl living in the small Australian town of Albany. She is a well-read protagonist with an abnormally large vocabulary, surprising emotional maturity, and unbounded optimism. This movie follows her attempt to reconnect her broken family after she makes friends with a new kid at school. This is a coming-of-age film with a fun premise even if it feels like its been done countless times before. The script, written by Lisa Hoppe, is charming and has some sweet and quirky moments throughout. It tackles the concept of grief and contextualizes it fairly well for the film’s younger audience. Despite how well it addresses complex themes, there are still moments that feel repetitive and derivative, and they can often make the movie drag a bit. Despite this, they wrote the character of Candice in a clever way that makes her a role model of optimism for the impressionable demographic of the film. The performances in this movie are fairly decent throughout. Daisy Axon leads the film as Candice in what is easily the film’s strongest performance. She portrays the childlike wonder of Candice and blends it very well with the character’s intellectual maturity. Emma Booth gives a performance as Candice’s mom that is quite emotional at times. The film also features another enjoyable performance from Wesley Patten who plays Candice’s new friend.
The film’s use of color is pretty beautiful and consistent throughout. It’s a vibrancy that reflects the spirit of our protagonist, and it gives the film a very upbeat vibe throughout. The film also knows how to manipulate color in its more dramatic and emotional moments without feeling cheap.
The main problem with the film is that all of the characters feel like archetypes that have been overdone. While Candice is an enjoyable character, she is just another take on the abnormally gifted and wise child. This leads to many interactions and storylines feeling predictable and too formulaic. Despite this flaw, there is still plenty of heart in this film. It will resonate with plenty of families everywhere who may be suffering similar problems. It’s a film that tries to simplify the more nuanced complexities of grief and closure, and this is both a blessing and a curse for the film. It allows the movie to be accessible, but it doesn’t allow the film to truly explore the depth of its themes. H is for Happiness is a cute and family-friendly film that is sufficiently entertaining. It isn’t anything special, and it is too formulaic throughout. However, it is a visually pleasing film with plenty of heart, soul, and (you guessed it) happiness. H is for Happiness is available on VOD September 18. Rating: 3/5
Review by Camden Ferrell
In My Name is Pedro, director Lillian LaSalle sets out to make a movie about public educator, Pedro Santana. However, there is more to the story that meets the eye, and LaSalle attempts to fully explore who Santana was. Despite some slow and meandering moments, this is a documentary that is timely and very heartfelt.
Santana was an influential public educator in the Bronx, and he had such a profound impact on the school system as well as the community. Through this documentary we learn about what education means to Santana, and the film also reveals what Santana meant to education in the Bronx. He is a fascinating subject, and the backdrop of the public-school system gives the film much social relevance. LaSalle takes an intimate approach to telling Santana’s story. The film features a lot of interviews with Santana as well as footage from many school board meetings in which he participated. She gives us an inside look into his persona, his backstory, and his methods of success. The film has a lot of great material with which to work, and it’s mostly entertaining and informative, but there are times where the film meanders despite its sufficient material. Santana has a fascinating screen presence, and his is effortlessly charismatic. He is the perfect person to tell his own story, and he does it with a unique flair that prevents the movie from feeling dull. The movie has a wide range of people giving their personal testimonies about their experience with Santana, and while they pale in comparison to the personality of Santana himself, they are still mostly engaging.
The film ultimately tells an uplifting story about how one man can make such a profound difference in the lives of many students. We see his story as he starts as a teacher and works his way up to becoming an assistant superintendent. He is the model of what educators and administration should be, and it’s extremely heartwarming to see his pursuit of serving children. It’s rather beautiful at times, but at the same time, it can be a wake-up call to those who understand how public education isn’t achieving its full potential.
LaSalle also uses this film to exemplify why representation matters. In a district that consists mostly of people of color, it’s important to have educators like Santana at the forefront. It’s hard to justify having a school board that doesn’t properly represent their constituents. It’s enraging to see the lack of representation and accommodations that are made to minority communities, but it’s also empowering to see leaders like Santana paving the way for more diversity. Throughout the movie, we feel Santana’s spirit, and we get to see firsthand through some great footage how much influence he had on the community and the immense respect they had for him. Even if the movie can drag a bit in the beginning, this is still a vital story about public education that will speak volumes to students and parents alike. My Name is Pedro may not be a perfect documentary, but it’s an important story that should be seen. It’s a testament to Santana’s legacy and the true power of public education. My Name is Pedro is currently available in virtual cinemas. A list of participating theaters can be found here. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
J Blakeson’s darkly comedic thriller I Care a Lot seems at first glance like one of those true stories that’s so crazy it couldn’t be true, but in this case, it isn’t. Offering plenty of wacky fun and some interesting satire, but missing the authenticity that would have made it click emotionally, it’s a slightly overlong but still mostly entertaining watch.
The film follows a woman who, working as a state-appointed legal guardian for those retirees without family and who are unable to care for themselves, exploits her wards, soon catching the ire of a gangster with an interest in one of her elderly clients. It’s a unique story packed with unexpected twists and turns, allowing it to fulfill even the most demanding of genre fans. There is definitely an initial level of intrigue thanks to the bizarre premise, but this wears out as viewers become more and more comfortable within this world. And there’s some absolutely bonkers stuff happening in the final act. But that stretch of about twenty to thirty minutes that comes in the middle feels a lot slower than the rest. Additionally, the movie doesn’t deal in subtlety. There are some really interesting ideas here about the way in which America’s healthcare system is flawed, the way in which the laws intended to help the most vulnerable of the population actually hurt them, and how greed can destroy oneself, but all of these themes, particularly the latter, are explored front-and-center. That said, the film still largely works thanks to the unique character development. The lines between protagonist and antagonist are blurred as the movie really questions who it is with which the audience is supposed to identify. And though narration from the scheming guardian does firmly establish that it is her story to tell, this is really the only area in the film in which any ambiguity could be found. Rosamund Pike’s performance here is excellent, showing that she is a talented actress as long as she is given challenging material and not awards-bait biopics. She wonderfully captures the darkly humorous aspects of the storyline. And in the supporting cast, Peter Dinklage and Chris Messina are both hilarious as some of the personalities with which Pike’s character clashes along the way. There’s a lot of flashiness to the movie, and this stylized nature is a big part of what makes it so much fun, not just to watch, but to look at. The costumes are particularly memorable, which is a pleasant surprise, the splashes of color in the clothing going a long way to lend the film an infectious sense of energy. Although there are a few weak moments, I Care a Lot is quite an enjoyable movie, with notable efforts all-around from the cast and crew. It could have been even better had writer-director J Blakeson taken things to a greater extreme, but it’s still very good nonetheless. I Care a Lot screened as a part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival which runs September 10-19 and offers a blend of in-person and virtual (geoblocked to Canada) screenings. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
There are some films that are clearly made with the best of intentions yet come from such an inauthentic perspective that any positive benefit they would have is lost in a sea of misguidedness. Unfortunately, such is the case with Reinaldo Marcus Green’s sophomore feature Good Joe Bell, which shows that the talented filmmaker is more apt to tell gritty and personal stories rather than trite and crowd-pleasing ones.
Based on a true story, the movie follows a man who sets out on a walk across the country to educate youth about the dangers of bullying and promote a message of compassion. Joe Bell’s story was pretty newsworthy at the time it happened, and while a lot of viewers have probably already forgotten it, the fact that it’s been turned into something uplifting and inspirational is not making the most out of this story’s potential, but that’s the least of its issues. Perhaps the biggest issue with the film is that it is heavily based in stereotypes. As the title implies, this is the story of Joe Bell, not his son Jadin, and Jadin’s coming out only serves as a device to stimulate growth in his father’s arc. Arguably more frustrating is that, after Jadin comes out, the only activities shown to suggest him embracing his identity are joining the cheerleading team and singing “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. Reid Miller gives a very solid performance as Jadin Bell, if only the script allowed him a more substantial part instead of focusing almost exclusively on his father. Mark Wahlberg has solid chemistry with Miller, but his performance feels very out-of-place. It’s too big in a movie that demands subtlety, and feels apologetic for Wahlberg’s past. And then there are the cheesy moments that feel thrown in out of narrative obligation rather than to legitimately build the story. It’s a little shocking to think that these writers are Academy Award winners, because this script feels so conventional and inauthentic. Yes, it will satisfy those who are looking for nothing more than a good message and shallow ideas, but anyone looking for something of substance will be sorely disappointed. The core message of the film is one of acceptance. We shouldn’t have to learn to accept anyone, but it’s the sad truth that some people somehow still need this education, and providing that was Joe Bell’s mission. That said, a redemption arc is simply not the most effective way of accomplishing his goals. There are also some questionable artistic choices made in the movie, and this likely boils down to a disconnect between the writers’ intention and the director’s vision. It’s shot in a wide aspect ratio that is generally reserved for flashier pictures when this is clearly more intimate. The result is disorienting and distracting. Good Joe Bell sounds like it has a lot of potential on paper, but unfortunately, it comes from a place that makes it mostly ineffective. Hopefully the obviously talented Reid Miller can recover his career from this supposed breakout, because it feels like something that could easily be a stain on his resumé. Good Joe Bell screened as a part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival which runs September 10-19 and offers a blend of in-person and virtual (geoblocked to Canada) screenings. Rating: 2.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Sean Durkin’s feature debut Martha Marcy May Marlene was released in 2011 and signaled the arrival of an exciting voice on the indie scene. And while it took nine years for his follow-up — the domestic drama The Nest — to be released, it was worth the wait as this is a phenomenal acting showcase for its two wonderful stars.
The film follows a family who moves to England after its patriarch decides to embark on a new financial endeavor, causing long-buried tensions to surface after their professional and personal lives begin to fall apart. And like Durkin’s acclaimed debut, this movie deals in subtle melodrama, taking a story that could have easily been big and soapy and stripping it down to its bare emotions. There is definitely a greater sense of reality to what Durkin depicts here than most portraits of families in turmoil. There are big moments, but these bursts of anger and violence are interspersed between stretches of mundanity, which is how things often proceed in the real world. It crawls under the viewer’s skin in a way that is deeply discomforting. If Durkin’s script does come short in one area, it’s that the things that it has to say aren’t particularly interesting or unique. Marriages are about trust, and movies about marriages are about said trust being broken. It’s a tad disappointing that Durkin wasn’t able to do more, because he had all the pieces to deliver something exceptional, but it’s really solid for what it is.
Granted, the film still works because Durkin invests the audience in this relationship. On an individual level, the characters wouldn’t work, but the way in which they feed off of each other is quite compelling. Ultimately, the marriage is given much more of an emphasis than the relationship between them and their young children, and that feels like an opportunity lost.
But Jude Law and Carrie Coon each have such a commanding screen presence that it’s understandable why they took the focus of the movie. Coon is arguably the more impressive of the two, having the more nuanced role, but Law turns in another phenomenal performance as the man trying to hold onto the world with every bit of his might. The film also has an air of elegant simplicity about its style. The cinematography is beautiful in a very low-key way, with some gorgeous shots of the English countryside, but not in a way as to be overly flashy or distracting. And the score is very good but definitely serves more as an accompaniment than a factor in its own right. The Nest doesn’t crackle with as much originality as one would hope, but brilliant performances and able direction make the quiet yet straightforward script into something engrossing. Sean Durkin certainly hasn’t lost it, so he needs to hurry up and make another flick. The Nest hits theaters on September 18. Rating: 4/5
Review by Sean Boelman
The survival thriller is not a new genre, and John Hyam’s Alone doesn’t seem to recognize it, treating every beat as if it is something fresh and unique. Thanks to some amazing sound design and decent performances, the film isn’t a total waste, although it fails to accomplish even the most basic level of tension.
The movie follows a woman who, after being kidnapped by a cold-blooded killer, escapes into the woods and must fight against the elements and her captor in an attempt to survive. It’s a very basic set-up, but writer Mattias Olsson’s fatal sin is that he doesn’t do anything with it, resulting in a game of cat-and-mouse without much of a game. One of the big issues here is that the film drags significantly. It takes too long for the protagonist to get kidnapped, and after that, it takes too long for her to escape. By the time exciting things start to happen in the final act, viewers will have already checked out due to the lack of suspense in the first two-thirds. And then there is the fact that the movie feels very shallow. A message at the end of “you get what’s coming to you” feels tacked on and obvious, with the characterization leading up to that point contradicting the finale. Ultimately, it’s the type of material that would have fared much better with a woman filmmaker at the helm.
Much of the first twenty minutes are spent trying to develop the protagonist, and while she is sympathetic to an extent, the film also falls back on cliché way too often. For the most part, she’s a damsel in distress without anyone to rescue her. She’s running to find someone rather than fighting back, and it’s simply not a very compelling or unique story.
Jules Willcox gives a good enough performance in the leading role, but she isn’t given much to do. Marc Mencacha is fittingly menacing in his role, delivering the dialogue in a way that is on-the-nose but effective. That said, the dynamic between the two isn’t believable. There’s not enough tension between the two of them. Visually, the movie is pretty average, stylistically similar to almost any other woodsy horror-thriller. But it is the sound of the film that stands out. The way in which the ambience is used to draw us into this world, and then create unease is wonderful. If only the script were as intensely-written as the soundscape. Alone isn’t a poorly-made thriller, but it’s a largely unexceptional one. Minus some great use of sound — hinting that Hyams knows what he’s doing in the genre should he be given a better script — it’s likely one to skip. Alone hits theaters and VOD on September 18. Rating: 3/5
Review by Sean Boelman
From filmmaker Miranda de Pencier, The Grizzlies is an uplifting new sports drama packed with heart and emotion. And even though the script is heavily based around conventions of the genre, the movie takes an interesting enough perspective that it manages to be thoroughly moving.
Based on a true story, the film follows a well-meaning teacher in Canada who inspires his discouraged students to become better students by introducing them to the sport of lacrosse. At its core, the story is a relatively standard underdog arc, but the subplots are well-developed enough to give the film a fresh and unique angle. The main subplot of the movie involves mental health and the fact that the town in which the film takes place has one of the highest suicide rates in all of North America. It isn’t often that a movie explores tough-hitting subject matter like this in a way that is both insightful and feels like an entirely natural part of the storyline. It does take a solid amount of time for the film to get moving as the inciting incident doesn’t come until about twenty minutes in, but after that point, the movie becomes much more entertaining. The alternatingly somber and inspirational tone might be jarring for some, but it works given the weighty themes of the film.
One area in which the movie could’ve used some additional work is its character development. While the protagonist, the teacher, is certainly very compelling, it would’ve been nice to spend more time with his students on an individual level. The group dynamic is great, but individually, they all feel disappointingly archetypal.
Ben Schnetzer plays the film’s lead, and he’s very charismatic in the role. Although he won’t quite join the ranks of great movie mentors, he's surprisingly well-fit for the role. In the supporting cast, highlights include Booboo Stewart, Ricky Marty-Pahtaykan, and Will Sasso, although they aren’t all fully used. On a technical level, the movie is mostly fine if unspectacular. The sports sequences are undoubtedly the most exciting portion of the film, with some solid cinematography. However, as a whole, the movie feels rather muted and grey. For the most part, the strengths of this film lie more in its script than its execution The Grizzlies is an underdog story, but thankfully, the subplots keep it from being an entirely conventional one. It’s a crowd-pleasing movie that also has plenty of sincerity and substance, which is a welcome change in an overstuffed genre. The Grizzlies is now available on VOD. Rating: 3.5/5
Review by Sean Boelman
Actress Noomi Rapace made her big break with the modern classic revenge thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so it is a welcome treat to see her return to the genre with Yuval Adler’s The Secrets We Keep. And while there are a few pacing issues with the film, its unique twist on familiar tropes makes it an entertaining watch.
The movie follows an immigrant in post-WWII America who, while trying to build a suburban life with her American husband, discovers that her neighbor may be the man that caused her trauma during the war. Built around a blend of kidnapping and revenge tropes, the film ultimately works better as a character drama than a thriller because of its more human approach to storytelling. Like most movies about a protagonist seeking revenge, the film is about trauma and what it takes to heal from the wounds inflicted on a person, both physically and emotionally. There are some occasional moments of brutality, and while they do have an impact, they feel like they are done out of obligation rather than in service of the story and its themes. There is a clear attempt at forming a mystery here, but the movie doesn’t quite succeed in translating its ambiguity into suspense. The film’s focus is on trust and who it is that can be believed. The issues with this messaging are a whole different conversation, but the movie does not take full advantage of this attempt at an unreliable narrator.
That said, the character work on display here is very interesting. The film takes these characters that the audience thinks they know and have seen before and puts a spin on them, casting a cloud of doubt over the movie. Seeing the tables turned is nothing new, but the film builds a dynamic between the characters that is quite intriguing.
Of course, some of the movie’s success in this regard is owed to the strong performances from Rapace and her co-star Joel Kinnaman. They feed off of each other’s energy in a way that creates the feeling of tension that the script is lacking. Chris Messina is also a standout in his supporting role, having some of the best scenes in the film. Visually, the movie is solid if mostly safe. The film has a very old-school vibe to it, and this is going to help it appeal to its core older audience. Adler’s style meshes really well with the 1950s suburban setting in which the movie takes place, although it would have been nice had he done a bit more with these ideas. The Secrets We Keep is a more compelling drama than it is a revenge thriller, so it would have been nice had it focused on those strengths. Still, an excellent ensemble keeps this film moving quite well, so it’s definitely worth a watch. The Secrets We Keep hits theaters on September 16 and VOD on October 16. Rating: 3/5
Review by Camden Ferrell
Summerland is the debut film of the directing duo, Lankyboy, which consists of directors Kurtis David Harder and Noah Kentis. This is a quirky take on the young adult road trip genre, but this movie ultimately suffers from its occasionally bland humor and unfulfilling narrative.
Bray, Oliver, and Stacey are friends who decide to embark on a journey to the titular music festival. Bray has plans to meet with a boy he met on an online dating site because he believes this boy might be questioning his sexuality. The problem is that Bray has been catfishing this boy by pretending to be Stacey. It’s teen movie with an interesting twist that is unorthodox if nothing else, but the movie doesn’t make the most of its premise. The script, written by Chris Ball, Dylan Griffiths, Harder, and Kentis, is decent in some spots, but it’s very inconsistent. There are occasionally really sweet and authentic moments between the main characters, but it is typically undermined by some out of place humor that feels too cheesy to make sense within the context of the movie. It’s not a bad script, but it doesn’t provide a strong foundation on which the rest of the movie is to be built. The acting in this movie is fairly decent throughout. Ball, in addition to his writing credit, plays Bray, and he is a somewhat decent lead, but there are scenes in which he doesn’t feel the most natural, and it stands out. Alongside Ball, Rory J. Saper and Maddie Phillips play Oliver and Stacey. Saper is a decent supporting actor that plays well off of Ball, but Phillips gives a great performance that stands out as the film’s best. She has great timing and a screen presence that is distinct amongst the cast.
The film tackles concepts of sexuality and human connection, but it’s surface level at best. It doesn’t do much to explore the mindset of Bray and his dilemma, but it treats the situation without much depth. It’s a unique take that isn’t fully explored or expounded upon much. While it’s nice to see underrepresented characters, there isn’t much nuance in its exploration of sexuality.
It’s yet another road trip movie that doesn’t do much to feel super original in the end. It squanders an interesting premise but follows a pretty formulaic narrative that is too similar to many other coming of age films. It has its sweet moments, but the stakes are never made out to be anything substantial. While it’s interesting to see how Bray addresses his problem, it’s not entirely satisfying. More than anything, this movie has charm but leaves you feeling unfulfilled. Its extremely brief runtime doesn’t allow for a proper conclusion, and a lot of it feels rushed. It’s a film that will appeal to the young adult demographic, but it won’t have much success with other age groups. It’s a decent film, but it’s a little too shallow for me. Summerland has the charm, and it has the fun premise, but it doesn’t amount to much. It’s a nice showcase for Phillips, but it’s a half-enjoyable film that’s over quickly and might be forgotten just as soon. Younger audiences might enjoy this coming of age film, but it may not appeal to others. Summerland is currently available on VOD. Rating: 3/5 |
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