THE CONSULTANT -- An Interesting Show That Doesn't Live Up to Its Talent In Front of the Camera2/23/2023 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Several shows have used a Silicon Valley setting to tell the story of the goings on at various startups taking advantage of bustling minds in California. The Consultant, although a fictional tale based on the book by Bentley Little, is a cautionary tale of how creative minds can go array. Mr. Sang was the head of a mobile phone game startup company called Compware in Los Angeles, California. He invites a group of children to tour his office. When one of those children shoots and kills him, this sends the company into turmoil. A man named Regu Patoff (Christoph Waltz) is brought in to oversee the company's daily operations. He lights a fire under a couple of the employees of the game company. Elaine (Brittany O'Grady) and Craig (Nat Wolff) are young creative and ambitious people at the company. One has ideas of being the head of the company someday, and the other has an idea that could be the next big mobile game the world is in love with. It takes a little push for them to get to where they want to go, or fall on their proverbial face instead. Waltz's character helps them get to where they belong, or shows them they aren't made of what they think of. Waltz's character uses some underhanded tactics to push the two to another level. He enlists Wolff's character's wife (Aimee Camerro) to see what he's made of. And he gives O'Grady's character more creative control in the company. One of those ideas goes very badly, but Waltz's character wanted to see what she was really made of. This is the new business style. You either swim or drown.  Once the game Wolf's character creates with the rest of the team at the office finally comes out, things start to change for everybody involved. O'Grady's character starts to get her confidence, and she is seeing herself in a leadership position. Wolff and O'Grady are terrific in the show. Waltz is Waltz, but the real stars are the other two. They bring new energy and creative ability to this series that I was drawn to. I can't wait to see more of them in other films and television shows.
There is a comedic element to this show, but the dramatic stuff was more effective. Waltz can be a funny actor, and his deadpan style is good, but I wasn't a fan of it in this series. I felt like he was in a different show than the others, but in the end, the story came together for the better. The show worked despite him being in a different world from the others. He's so good he can make underwhelming material better. The Consultant is a series with some good ideas and some burgeoning talents like Wolff and O'Grady. The story based on this startup game company was interesting and new to me. Waltz brought his own creative energy, and he even does a cover of "I Did It My Way" from Frank Sinatra to boot. He is his own man, and there aren't many to reach his level. The problem is the material is beneath these terrific actors, and it falls short of a good show. The Consultant streams on Prime Video beginning February 24. Rating: 2.5/5
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Review by Dan Skip Allen  National Geographic has made its share of nature documentaries in its long and storied history. Their films like The Rescue, Free Solo, Fire of Love, and The Territory have all been fantastic films. That being said, the one I have the most vested interest in is their latest film, Path of the Panther, from writer/director Eric Bendick. This movie focuses mainly on nature photographer Carlton Ward Jr. Throughout this documentary, he is shown putting his cameras in swampy land, ranches, and other spots trying to capture footage of the rare and endangered Florida Panther. He interacts with various people including Betty Osceola — a member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida — veterinarian Dr. Laura Cusack, rancher Elton Langford, animal conservationist Brian Kelly, and animal biologist Dr. Jen Korn, who all want to help save this endangered species. As a current citizen of Florida myself, I am a concerned citizen when it comes to trying to save some land in this beautiful state for the wildlife that lives here. We as humans need to try and co-exist with all this wildlife. It's one of the reasons why this state is so great. Its wilderness, forests, beaches, rivers, lakes, and yes, swamps like the Everglades, are important to the wildlife of this state. I want these animals to thrive! There are a few techniques that the writer/director, Bendick, uses to get his point across in this film, including narration from the subjects he's filming, talking heads, stock footage of the state and area the film takes place, and — most impressively — time-lapse photography. There are also many scenes where he focuses his camera on what Ward Jr. captures with his cameras. He uses this footage to show the viewers the "path of the panther" and various animals like bears, alligators, pumas, snakes, and birds. These techniques show a visual style that I loved.  The documentary also takes the viewer to various locations to show the expanse of where these animals live and fend for themselves, such as Braddock Ranch, Tribe of Florida, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, White Oak Conservation Center, Zoo Tampa, Buck Island Ranch, Lime Creek Ranch, and the Caloosahatchee River. These locations were all important in showing the journey of the animals and people within the film.
Where this movie truly hits home for me, and I'm sure for many others, is when progress and nature take over. One of my personal pet peeves is how developers keep building homes and subdivisions all over the state. With all these new buildings to get to, roads aren't cheap, and so toll roads are the way to pay for all this construction. The problem is that people want these roads to go through wilderness and wetlands designated areas of protected land for wildlife. That is a no-go for me and the people involved in this film. All through the documentary, there is a beautiful score from Kevin Matley playing over everything. It co-exists perfectly with everything else going on in the movie. I absolutely loved the score, and it fit perfectly with the whole concept of what the filmmakers were trying to do. This is why music is so important to this industry as a whole. Path of the Panther is a remarkable film that shows how important our wildlife is to this state and the world in general. The Florida Panther is the main focus of these men and women who made and were featured in this movie, so that's what is important in the context of everything. Bendick and Ward Jr., along with everybody else, have made a stunning documentary that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. The narrative is one of the most important things to me as a Floridian, and should be important to others in the state, around the country, and worldwide. The main thing I took away from this film was how impressive these animals truly are, and why this fight to save them is so necessary. Path of the Panther hits theaters on February 24. Rating: 5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  (l-r.) Hattie Hook stars as Ebony, Thom Green as Adam and Elias Anton as Kol in director Goran Stolevski’s OF AN AGE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Ben King / © Of An Age Films Pty Ltd. Of An Age is an Australian LGBTQIA+ romance by writer/director Goran Stolevski from Focus Features and Roadshow Entertainment. This film had a lot of potential, but unfortunately fell short of high expectations, brought about by solid early buzz. Ebony (Hattie Hook) is stranded on a beach and doesn't know where she is. She calls for help from her friend Kol (Elias Anton), who — in turn — enlists help from her brother Adam (Thom Green). As they both go for a ride to find Ebony, Kol and Adam get to know each other on the road trip. This would kick off a whirlwind of unexpected self-discovery. This film is basically a two-hander that focuses mainly on the friendship between Kol and Adam. It's love at first sight for these two guys from different backgrounds. One is from Czechoslovakia, and the other is originally from Australia. Anton's character doesn't feel comfortable in his skin as a gay man, but Green's seems much more at home with his sexuality — perhaps because of their age difference. The movie splits the narrative into two segments. One is the whole story around Hook's character from 1999, and the other is again centered around Hook's character, as the two main characters reunite at her wedding in 2010. They meet at the airport, and they both go to the wedding and have fun dancing and drinking. However, a revelation may irrevocably change their relationship forever.  Elias Anton stars as Kol and Thom Green as Adam in director Goran Stolevski’s OF AN AGE, a Focus Features release. Credit: Thuy Vy / © Of An Age Films Pty Ltd. The writer/director of this film, Goran Stolevski, creates a burgeoning romance that is difficult to get your head around as a viewer. At one point, he makes it obvious these two love each other, but then he has this moment when they can't be together. The movie gives mixed signals about these two characters that obviously love each other. I say make up your mind as a filmmaker. Don't make it so hard on them as characters or the people watching.
As far as the romantic nature of this movie and the two main characters, it was hard for me to stay engaged watching them. It seems all they do is stare at one another most of the time. There are two sex scenes between them, but one comes so late in the story it doesn't register as that important. Maybe this film should have been longer, so these two characters and their relationship could have been explored in more depth. I did care about them, but what I got wasn't enough for my liking. Recently, there have been many gay and LGBT stories. Some of them have been good, and others like Of an Age lack the depth between the characters and the romance it needed to be effective in truly showing the love these two men have for one another. Maybe the writer/director should have chosen one or the other to focus on instead of both. The narrative suffered because of this. All in all, it was an okay film, but it could have been great if some changes were made to the production. Of an Age hits theaters on February 17. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  I've seen many films about power struggles and control of land and countries. Pacifiction is one of the strangest films about this subject I've ever seen. The length of it is almost an instant turn-off for me, but I give every film a chance before I condemn them. Albert Serra needed a little self-control with his camera and an editor for this self-indulgent script. High Commissioner De Roller (Benoit Magimel) is a French politician who controls French Polynesia. He goes to a nightclub and hotel at night, while trying to be a go-between for the locals and the French government during the day. When word gets out that French leaders want to test nuclear bombs off the coast of these beautiful islands, the people start to worry that their way of life may be over. De Roller keeps his ears and eyes open by having others watch out for his beliefs and what he stands for. Among them is Shannah, a transvestite who works at the nightclub, but also is a valet when she is needed in that capacity. She's like his right-hand woman. Some enigmatic men want to take control of the island and get in the heads of the locals. The goal is to make them try to stand up for themselves. These island politics cause trouble for the High Commissioner. An Admiral who comes onto the island with his men and the adjunct leader of the island's people adds a little intrigue to the script, but this script needed to be edited down a lot. This film was way too long, and the director is to blame for this, because he also helped write the script with Baptiste Pinteaux, who wrote the dialogue. The two-hour and forty-minute runtime is way too long for a film of this ilk. This would have been a great hour-and-a-half to a two-hour film.  It's an over-long plodding movie with characters standing around looking off in the distance, whether they're standing in the nightclub or outside looking at a sunset. People just stand around doing nothing for more time than I care to elaborate on. This film was so boring, I had to stop watching it just so I had enough of a break to finish it. I created my own intermission.
One subplot involves a massive storm that hits the island. Some scenes in the movie had the main character overseeing a dance team at the nightclub to show visitors who and what the Indigenous people on the island truly are. Also, the so-called bomb testing was a major part of the plot. This film didn't know what it wanted to focus on the most. I feel the main character was in a cat-and-mouse game with the people on the island who wanted to take control away from him and the French government. There were also too many subplots that made the film way too long. The main story wasn't that bad if somebody could have had a little self-control. The length was ridiculous for this type of story. I hate to say this, but the director was wrong in many of his decisions in this movie. The one he wasn't wrong about was casting the lead. He was fantastic in this role. I just wish he had a better film to shine in. Unfortunately, Pacifiction wasn't it for him or the viewers watching. Pacifiction hits theaters on February 17. Rating: 2/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  The Integrity of Joseph Chambers is Robert Machoian's latest film after The Killing of Two Lovers, which was a Sundance hit a few years ago. Machoian once again works with Clayne Crawford, the star of his previous film. Machoian likes to get at the heart of who these men are and why they do what they do. His films dissect what it is to be a man in today's society, which is fascinating given how the idea of masculinity has evolved in today's society. A family man, Joseph Chambers (Clayne Crawford), desires to go hunting, despite his wife Tess (Jordana Brewster) insisting he not go. He just has it in his mind to do this, even though he hasn't been properly trained to hunt on his own. He's an insurance agent, not a hunter. Before he goes, he says goodbye to his son (Colt Crawford). He's also a baseball fan and pretends to be a pitcher when he's alone walking along. He even tries to convince his friend, who borrows his rifle, to go with him. When he accidentally shoots a man, he has a tough decision on his hands. Machoian uses some interesting tricks to create tension and a sense of dread in this film. The music composed by William Ryan Fritch is overlaid with the scenes of Crawford's character running in the woods or just walking along, which is something new to me. It's not necessarily a score per se. It's just random sounds that are important to show how the various scenes are filled with pressure and anxiety. The music is a key aspect of the movie. With one primary antagonist, he also gets a lot of mileage out of focusing on close-up shots of the title character played by Crawford. These shots show his distress and the turmoil he's in. The film asks an important question for all of us. What would we do if we were in a situation like this man? How would we react if we did something like this? It's not an easy place to be in. This man isn't who he wants to be, but he's trying to be better for his family and himself. The decision he chooses isn't necessarily one we'd choose, but who knows? We are not in this situation. Crawford plays this role completely different from his other role in a Machoian film. He was more of a tough guy in that film. Here, he has a lot of anguish about who he is as a man and what he did to this vagrant in the woods.  The movie was shot in America and the scenery, like in his last film, is beautiful. The cinematographer, Oscar Ignacio Jimenez, captures the wilderness in vivid realism. The hills and streams are gorgeous to look at. The fall is always a beautiful time of year, and the foliage is one of the best parts of the fall season. The leaves on the trees turn all kinds of colors: orange, yellow, and red. I miss that part of living up north in New England when I was a kid.
With the film mainly focused on Crawford's character, there aren't many other actors in the movie, besides the ones I mentioned. Jeffery Dean Morgan plays the town Police Chief. He's probably the biggest star in the film. How he handles his scenes is very good. He is very subtle with his dialogue and uses his scenes as moments of solace and remorse for Crawford's character and what happened. In smaller roles, everybody is exceptional. Machoian is good at picking actors for his films. They bring out the humanity he's looking for in his characters. Writer/Director Robert Machoian likes to leave his films with a little ambiguity. He wants the viewer to determine what the end of the story should actually be. I like that part about his movies. This particular main character played by Crawford has a moral compass about him, which makes him have some anguish about what he did, but he also knows that what he did was an accident. These types of films are the ones I like. They put characters in a difficult situation, and we as the viewer have to decide if what they did was right or wrong. Besides the story and acting, the music and cinematography in The Integrity of Joseph Chambers were very good, and they added elements that made the film better in the end. Machoian is a filmmaker to watch for in the future. The Integrity of Joseph Chambers hits VOD on February 17. Rating: 4/5 MARLOWE -- Liam Neeson Becomes the Iconic Detective and Brings This Neo-Noir World to Life2/13/2023 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Philip Marlowe has been brought to life more than a few times on the big screen. The Big Sleep, which stars Humphrey Bogart as the titular detective, is my favorite among many films with this iconic literary character. Based on The Black Eyed Blonde by author John Banville, Marlowe — the latest film about this famous literary detective — is coming out soon in theaters, stars the Taken star himself, Liam Neeson. It's been a while since one of these films has come out, so why not put another one out now? Detective Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) is going about his day when he is approached by a beautiful blonde woman, Clare Cavendish (Diane Kruger). She hires him to investigate the disappearance of her husband, Niko Peterson (Francois Arnaud). Marlowe comes across many men and women in his search for this man who poses a key to a larger scheme that has larger implications in Bay City, California, Hollywood, and abroad. This film has a lot of twists and turns before it gets to the ending that nobody sees coming. The myriad of characters in the movie all have different motivations and backgrounds that play into why they do and say the things they do. It's a giant puzzle that needs to be put together by the main man Philip Marlowe. He has many obstacles to get over, but we all know Liam Neeson always gets his man — even if it's in a period piece set in 1939. I'm a big fan of neo-noir and detective films set in the '30s-'60s. They just bring an element that is so enjoyable to me. Films like Chinatown and The Maltese Falcon are among the best in this genre. Marlowe takes this genre and runs with it, and it's fantastic. There are so many characters and subplots that it's hard to keep track of them all, but it's fun following breadcrumbs to see where they lead. That's what makes these kinds of films entertaining to watch.  Liam Neeson has made a name for himself as an action star in the last decade. Even though he's up there at age 70 and counting, he continues to take roles that put him into these situations where he must do a lot of running, jumping, and fighting scenes. In this film, he has a few action set pieces, but none to the extent of his other movies in the last fifteen or so years. He is more reserved in the character of Detective Philip Marlowe. He has more dialogue and is less of an intimidating force, and more of a nice older man looking for this suspect. People tend to take him for granted, and Neeson plays up these aspects of the character nicely.
With neo-noir films also comes the femme fatale, a female character with a darker side to her, rather than a soft feminine side like most people would expect. Diane Kruger plays the femme fatale in Marlowe, and she sends Neeson's detective in all kinds of different directions. She has more to her than meets the eye, but the title character can't figure out her true angle. She keeps most of her true motivations close to the vest. She has a lot to hide. Her mother, played by Jessica Lange, tries to help Marlowe by creating him away from her, but he doesn't listen. He is a man of his word, and he is a bulldog in his search for her disappeared husband. He may be barking up the wrong tree. Marlowe is a fantastic trip down memory lane for me. I grew up watching Humphrey Bogart films as a kid, and this reminded me of a few of them, especially since Bogart played Detective Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. Neeson takes after Bogart as this character perfectly; he's aloof and standoffish, but also dogged in his nature to get to the bottom of this mysterious disappearance. Kruger is very good as the femme fatale, and the rest of the cast is stellar in all their roles, including Jessica Lange. Marlowe weaves together a fantastic story and good direction keeping all the subplots in order. I love this period in films, and all the clothes, cars, and production designs were on point. This is a fun film for fans of this genre and classic film fans in general. Marlowe hits theaters on February 15. Rating: 4/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Trae Patton/Paramount+. Star Trek: Picard has been a reunion of sorts for Star Trek: The Next Generation and its many cast members, including its title character. The previous two seasons of the show introduced characters and brought back some popular villains from the past, The Borg Queen (Annie Werching) and Q (John Delancie). Season three sees the return of some familiar faces, but the villains are entirely new ones. Or are they that is what this story is about? It has many twists and turns. When season 3 kicks off, we pick up with Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), who is being attacked by unknown assailants. She sends a distress message to Admiral Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). He meets with Captain William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) at a bar and tells him what is going on. He agrees to help him. They hatch a scheme to get aboard a Federation ship, the Titan, with help from first officer Seven of Nine/Annika Hansen (Jerri Ryan). They go to the edge of Federation space to rescue Beverly Crusher and her son Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers, Downton Abbey), who are under attack from a massive heavily armed ship, the Shriek, near a space anomaly, which is a nebula. The Captain of the USS Titan Ryan's character is the first officer of Captain Shaw (Todd Stashwick), and he is not sympathetic to Picard, Riker, or Crusher's Son. While all that is going on far across the galaxy, Rafi Masiker (Michelle Hurd) is investigating a terrorist attack and a mystery of her own. She gets help from a mystery man she doesn't know until he reveals himself as Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), a Klingon Officer. He was her secret agent handler and had her as his agent in a secure section of the Federation. How these two storylines tie in together is what makes season three of Picard that much more interesting. This story is the Star Trek I've been waiting for three decades. It's the best Star Trek I've seen in years, including recent new Star Trek shows. This season has a secret that elevates the show to a new level of Star Trek. Fans of the popular sci-fi franchise have speculated for years about this secret. The writers even throw in for good measure the daughter of another popular Next Generation character, the blind Engineer Geordi La Forge, Ensign Alandra Le Forge (Mica Burton, who is actually Levar Burton's real-life daughter). This season of Picard is full of all kinds of secrets and entertaining exploits.  Jeri Ryan as Seven, Patrick Stewart as Picard, and Jonathan Frakes as Riker of the Paramount+ original series STAR TREK: PICARD. Photo Credit: Nicole Wilder/Paramount+. As in the Next Generation show, which aired around thirty years ago, Picard gives all its characters their own unique storylines — some from episode to episode, but mostly each character arc is season long. They intertwine with the overarching story that runs the entire season. Because the series is called Picard, Patrick Stewart is the main character, but writers share the spotlight very judiciously. All the supporting characters like Seven of Nine, William Riker, Beverly Crusher, Jack Crusher, Rafi, and Worf all have their own individual stories that fit nicely into the greater storyline. It helps make the show different within the context of the main storyline the series focuses on.
One of the things I have always loved about sci-fi shows and series is the visual effects within the show or series. Some of these shows and series don't have much of a budget, but this season of Picard is visually stunning. Some visual effects show characters I can't spoil in this review, but look very cool. All the space stuff, nebula, meteor shower, and space anomaly all look great. And of course, there are many things on the various ships brought to life impeccably by the team behind this season of Picard. They don't spare a dime on the production value or the cinematography or visual effects of this series, and I for one am glad about that. Applause also goes to Paramount+ for coughing up the money to do this show right. Akiva Goldman, Alex Kurtzman, and Terry Matelas are the showrunners and writers. They have a combined skill and ability that helps create a new era of Star Trek that is exciting and adventurous for the fans of the show and Star Trek in general. With this show, they give this cast of mostly returning actors from the Next Generation a more personal feel. The legacy of these characters is in good hands, and those fans, I count myself among them, will be happy with where this series goes in season three. Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard is as good, if not better, than the previous two seasons. It introduces new characters and brings back previous characters from the first two seasons of the show. The main thing I love is that the writers know how to weave in the classic characters from the Next Generation cast, which is the Star Trek I grew up with. These characters all have good story arcs, and I enjoyed seeing them in action once again. This series is and has been a success, and I would like to see more seasons. I could watch these characters over and over again and not get sick of them. This is some of the best Star Trek ever created. Gene Roddenberry would be proud of everyone involved in this series. Star Trek: Picard streams on Paramount+ beginning February 16. Rating: 5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Films about exorcisms or demon positions aren't anything new, but they can be pretty inconsistent in quality. In the right hands, this can be a great subgenre of horror. Gabriel Bier Gislasonbut's Attachment wasn't to the standard of others films in this genre. It left me with a lot to be desired. Maja (Josephine Park) is a woman who dresses up as an elf and goes to libraries and schools and reads to children. She is also an established author of a children's book. When she has an encounter on the way to one of her engagements with another woman Leah (Ellie Kendrick), it's love at first sight. The two women visit Leah's mother, Chana (Sofie Gabrol), in London, and things get a little weird. With the help of a local Jewish bookstore owner, Lev (David Dancik), Sofie hopes to come to the bottom of what's going on with her girlfriend. Like many horror movies, Attachment relies on little things that make the film very suspenseful and cause some sort of scare. One of the main characters has seizures and is starting to act very oddly with body movements that aren't the ordinary way the body should move. The family and friends of the character try to do what they can to help her, but it's not a normal situation for anybody to be in. Some of the behavior is starting to become very dangerous for the character. Part of what makes the main character strange is she starts transforming into something akin to a beast within a person, like a demon or something is taking her over. The Jewish religion calls it a Dybbuk, where a demonic entity is attached to a host. In many films, there have been exorcisms to rid demons or entities from characters, whether the stories are based on truth or not. The film sets this all up very nicely. There is even makeup to go along with the character that is being taken over.  These actors do a very good job playing these characters. It's a Danish film, so some of the dialogue is in Dutch subtitles, but other parts are spoken in English because part of the film takes place in London. Josephine Park is very emotional, and her eyes are very expressive. They show a lot of what she's going through as a character. The others are very in their roles as well — especially Ellie Kendrick. The film has a good cast of solid character actors and newer actors alike.
Movies dealing with this type of subject matter can be exciting and very interesting, but they also can be a bit monotonous. There aren't many places they can go with these stories. They have to have some conclusion, which this one does, but it's not very satisfying. As a viewer watching this, I was disappointed by how it ended. The script let what could have been a very good film down. There should have been a better way to end this than the way it did end. Attachment was a good idea and, most of the time, a good movie. It just had a letdown of an ending that didn't solve the problem the film was trying to deal with. The suspense and creepy feel of the film had me interested until the end, which was a letdown. The cast's performances were good, especially the two leads, Josephine Park and Ellie Kendrick. They were exceptional in their roles. The setup was very good but seemed to be a bit slow-paced, but once the story got along, it was good, except for the ending. I wished this had a better payoff. Attachment streams on Shudder beginning February 9. Rating: 3/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Journeys of self-discovery are a common motif in film. Sometimes they are comedic road trips in a car, like National Lampoon's Vacation, or they may be dramatic boat journeys a la Apocalypse Now. Godland has a journey with a different, more spiritual vibe, making it feel much more like a film like Silence by director Martin Scorsese. The film takes place in the early 19th century, following a Danish priest, Lukas (Elliott Crosset Hove), tasked with building a church in a northern part of Iceland. However, the further he and his company travel, the more he loses his sense of who he is, his mission, and his duty as a priest. It's a very arduous journey that takes its toll on everyone involved. Also, he doesn't get along with his tour guide Ragnar (Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson), which proves to be a major problem for him on the journey. The film has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 which cuts off the sides of the movie but doesn't take anything away from the cinematography at all. Every landscape that the company of men travels on in the film is captured perfectly. The beauty of this country is second to none, from the beaches to the mountains, from fiery volcanoes to the green rolling hills. The colors jump off the screen, and that is part of what makes this movie so interesting. The contrast in landscapes and the weather go against each other at points in the film, as the frigid and unforgiving weather clashes with the natural beauty of the locations.  The main journey of the movie is that of the priest. He takes photos everywhere he goes and of everyone he encounters. A tragedy happens halfway through the film, which adversely affects him for the rest of the journey. When the company of men finally gets to where they're going, the man there asks why they travel by boat, and the priest says he wanted to experience the country to its fullest by riding a horse across it. The whole journey was not a pleasant one for him, and it messed with his mind. Once he got to where they were building the church, he wasn't welcomed much either.
This story was a hard one to follow because of the subtitles. The characters were speaking both Danish and Icelandic, and it was hard to keep up with the story. The confusion kept getting worse because the character motivations were underwritten. Even the one man's daughter started to fall in love with him, and the man said not to get involved with the priest. The way it is presented is confusingly shallow. Like Silence, Godland has a character that wants to share his religion with a new group of people. These people are much more susceptible to wanting to embrace the new faith the priest is trying to share with them. Godland is a film that asks the viewer to answer a lot of questions on their own. It tries to give people watching all the pieces but doesn't put them together for the viewer. That's the hardest part to take away from this movie. I wanted to like it and the main character, but I ended up more confused about the different languages spoken and the subtitles. The visuals were stunning, and the aspect ratio didn't bother me. I feel there are other films of this ilk, like Silence, that are much more accessible to the viewer. Unfortunately, this movie didn't work for me as well as I hoped it would. Godland is now playing in theaters. Rating: 2.5/5 Review by Dan Skip Allen  Rita Moreno plays Maura, Jane Fonda plays Trish, Lily Tomlin plays Lou and Sally Field plays Betty in 80 For Brady from Paramount Pictures. It's no secret that I am a huge New England Patriots fan and, as such, a huge Tom Brady fan. So when I heard about a film starring four legends on the screen that went to the Super Bowl because they were huge fans of Tom Brady, I was already in on this film. Even with that anticipation, I didn't expect to love 80 for Brady as much as I did. It's a sweet, loveable ode to the power of never giving up and putting your faith in someone you admire. Lou (Lily Tomlin) is a woman who watches her favorite player Tom Brady play football each week with her three best friends, Trish (Jane Fonda), Betty (Sally Field), and Muara (Rita Moreno). This has been their tradition since Lou was on chemotherapy and Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe in a game sixteen years prior. Watching football was what motivated her to recover from her cancer. After the Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship in 2017, they decide to go to the Super Bowl to see their hero up close and personal. This becomes the adventure of a lifetime for the four women in their golden years. This film has a few contrivances that get the women into the actual game, but it doesn't matter how they get into the Super Bowl. All that matters is what happens when they get in and how it reflects on their hero, Tom Brady, who plays himself throughout the film. Super Bowl LI is considered the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. This story was embellished a little for the big screen, but I didn't care. I was on board from the beginning. There were so many references I was laughing at, and I couldn't help but be completely enthralled by this movie. Each of the four women has their own arc in the film. They all have their reasons for wanting to be there at that game to support Tom Brady and the Patriots. One of them wants to get away from her husband, another is hiding a secret about why they are there in the first place, one develops a relationship with an older man who used to be a player in his own right (played by Harry Hamlin), and the fourth wants to prove she's not over the hill yet and has a lot of life to live still. This film has some great messages for anybody, let alone senior citizens. The thing about this movie that really resonates with me is where I was at this time in my life. I was at my friend's house during Super Bowl LI, and I was not in a good mood when my team, the Patriots, was losing 28-3 in the third quarter of the game. I, of course, never lost hope for my boy Tommy but it was a dismal circumstance he and the Pats found themselves in. The film uses archival footage of the game to depict the incredible comeback. The editing around the four women and their continued adventure once they got in the stadium and how that revolved around the game itself was pretty cool. They weaved that together very nicely.  Rita Moreno plays Maura, Jane Fonda plays Trish, Sally Field plays Betty, and Lily Tomlin plays Lou in 80 For Brady from Paramount Pictures. With all the football talk and Tom Brady love, I almost forgot the performances of these four legendary actresses. These ladies are all Academy Awards-nominated actresses, and three of the four won Oscars in their careers. They could have easily phoned in their performances, but they didn't. I felt genuinely connected to their various subplots and the central theme the film was trying to convey: not giving up. All their subplots gave them room to be their characters and space to have fun in their roles while also playing a bigger part in the overall story the movie was trying to tell. There is a reason these four ladies are so legendary, and this film shows that in full effect.
One of the best aspects of the movie is how, even though it has some serious subject matter, it doesn't take itself too seriously. There are plenty of humorous moments in the movie you just can't help but laugh at, such as the tradition the women have before every kickoff. One lady is reading a magazine in the dining room, another is changing a lightbulb on a ladder, one spills a bowl of chips, and the fourth is just sitting on the couch changing channels and lands on the game in question. Last but not least is the song sung by Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Gloria Estefan, and Cindy Lauper. It's the credits song, written by 14-time Academy Award nominee Diane Warren. She got four other legends of the music world to see the song and the song is so catchy I found myself listening to it nonstop. This will finally win Diane Warren an Academy Award. Mark it down — you heard it here first. 80 for Brady is an inspiring story about never giving up no matter how old or sick or in many cares people struggling in various ways. The performances from the four legendary actresses — Tomlin, Fonda, Moreno, and Field — are exceptional. Even though it's a tongue-in-cheek type of performance, they take the roles and themes the movie is trying to convey seriously. The humor is a bonus, and the fish-out-of-water nature of these four older women entering this whole new world is mostly hilarious. Sure, some contrivances are required for the story to unfold, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. The film is filled with cameos of celebrities and character actors in various roles, but the actual New England Patriots playing themselves was like the icing on top of the cake. Even Brady got me emotional at various times in the movie. He is, after all, a very inspiring human being and a true leader. This film should resonate with many people, whether you're a Patriots fan, a football fan, or just a fan of a good funny movie. 80 for Brady hits theaters on February 3. Rating: 4/5 |
