Month: August 2019

Film Review: WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE (USA 2019)

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Where'd You Go, Bernadette Poster
Trailer

 

A loving mom becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family. Her leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery.

Director:

Richard Linklater

Writers:

Richard Linklater (screenplay by), Holly Gent (screenplay by) | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Judy Greer, Kristen Wiig

The answer to the question of the film title: WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE? is Antarctica.  Bernadette (Oscar Winner Cate Blanchett) is seen at the film’s start kayaking along in waters with icebergs in the background.  What led to this scene?  The film flashes back the story 5 weeks earlier to explain the series events leading to this.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE is a mystery comedy drama that has two things going for it.  First is the film’s director Richard Linklater (BOYHOOD) who has made quite the name for himself as a filmmaker to be reckoned with.  Second is its star Cate Blanchett who is the main reason to see the movie.  Blanchett is nothing short of excellent, supported by an equally apt Kirsten Wiig playing Audrey her woman-made enemy.

The film is based on the recent bestseller of the same name by Maria Semple – with a few changes.  The novel could be described as unfilmmable as it consists of a series of emails and texts, so to Linklater’s credit, he has done an excellent job with his script.

The book is mostly narrated by Bee who is the daughter of Bernadette but the film makes Bernadette the main character.  Bernadette is an agropbobic architect  who after considerable success winning the prestigious architecture award in L.A. has moved with husband, Elgin (Billy Crudup) and daughter Bee (Emma Nelson) to Seattle where Bernadette never leaves the family home.  Elgin is an important designer at Microsoft.  All of Bernadette’s chores are done through her cell phone via Anjuli.  When Bee convinces both parents to go on an Antarctic cruise, Bernadette tries to come up with any excuse not to go – as she hates people and seldom leaves the house.   There is much more in the plot which should not be disclosed in the review.  But it s safe today that Bernadette runs into a big fight with her neighbour Audrey (Wiig).  When her husband suspects that his wife is having psychological problems, he and assistant, Soo-Lin (Zoe Chao) arrange a meeting to have her committed. This is the Bernadette escapes ending up in Antarctica.

In the book,  Soo-Lin is impregnated by Elgin, but this is not the case in the film.  Bernadette suspects he husband of liking Soo-Lin but that is it and there is no infidelity unless one can argue that it could be implied.  This simplifies the story which is already quite complicated with too many subplots.

The script is a little too heavy on the dialogue.  The voiceover, and dialogue from all the characters appear too perfect for the typical American, though one can argue that one character is an architect and the other a Microsoft genius.  The script sneaks in quite the few world issues like environmental conservation, climate change and feminine presence.  As in recent films such as Alfonso Cuaron’s ROMA and the recent THE KITCHEN where it is said: “we women have to stick together.”, the statement is realized in the segment when the enemy Audrey bonds and ends up aiding Bernadette when her husband plans to commit her.  A woman is also in charge of the Antarctic Station.

Stay for the ending credits where the design of the Antarctic station comes alive in front of he audience’s eyes.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE ends up an over-bloated dysfunctional family drama that is ultimately resolved in a somewhat entertaining film.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em1onUCArxs

Film Review: LIGHT OF MY LIFE (USA 2019)

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Light of My Life Poster
Trailer

Parent and child journey through the outskirts of society a decade after a pandemic has wiped out half the world’s population. As a father struggles to protect his child, their bond, and the character of humanity, is tested.

Director:

Casey Affleck

Writer:

Casey Affleck

Stars:

Anna Pniowsky, Casey Affleck, Tom Bower

LIGHT OF MY LIFE is the love a father (Casey Affleck) has for his daughter, Rag (Anna Pniowsky).  When the film opens, the father (with no name) tells the story of Noah’s Ark, his version with foxes who are cunning enough to save the world.  The story takes close to 15 minutes to be told, the camera all the while on the two figures lying down, about to sleep.  The story is sort of appropriate as it is soon revealed that the world has for some reason never explained cursed with a plague that has removed most of the female population.  For again reasons unexplained, Rag survives.  It is he father’s duty to protect the daughter’s virginity in as early as in films lie Ingmar Bergman’s THE VIRGIN SPRING.  So, the father is living with his daughter in isolation away from possible predators and the rest of the world.  In the mean time, the daughter is growing up.  Mother (Elisabeth Moss in a largely wasted role) is only shown in flashbacks and with a comical rash not he side of her body signifying ‘disease’.

The premise is nothing new as seen in films like last year’s Debra Granik’s LEAVE NO TRACE where A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland and in John Hillcoat’s 2009 THE ROAD where an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world.  LIGHT OF MY LIFE fails to reach any of those heights.

It does not help that the script puts in any silly premise without any explanation to propel the father/daughter relationship. Not only is credibility thrown to the wind but it is difficult to care for characters inserted in an unbelievable made-up situation.  In the case of LIGHT OF MY LIFE, anything can happen.  Strangers can appear out of the blue, as a house that no one dwells in or other probabilities.

LIGHT OF MY LIFE walks the tightrope between intense drama and dystopian sci-fi thriller.  The one film that blended the two genres successfully was the Alfonso Cuaraon’s 2006 CHILDREN OF MEN.  LIGHT OF MY LIFE misses.  One wonders what the purpose is of his effort.

There could be two reasons actor/writer/director Casey Affleck might have made this film about a father protecting his young daughter against male predators in a world largely without females.  One is to redeem himself as a female protector after sexual harassment allegations arose against him.  The other is that most film producers will not touch actors with such a reputation (prime example Oscar Winner Kevin Spacey) which means that his only chance is to make a movie (Woody Allen has a new movie out, Roman Polanski has continued to make movies).  Regardless the reason, LIGHT OF MY LIFE is a terribly boring film that leads nowhere.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoHADU7Oe-g

Film Review: GOOD BOYS (USA 2019) ***

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Good Boys Poster
Trailer

Three sixth grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for a long-awaited party.

Director:

Gene Stupnitsky

Writers:

Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky

Stars:

Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon

Right on the heels of Olivia Wilde’s incredibly smart BOOKSMART arrives the male gendered version of kids trying to be cool while keeping their friendships intact.

The three kids in the film are ironically, never referred to as GOOD BOYS but as BAD BOYS (two other films have already used that title) and other names.  The trouble starts when the three are invited to a kissing party, though they have no idea how to kiss.

The film begins, with 12-year old Max caught watching porn on his lap top in his bedroom by his father.  Instead of being chastised, his dad is proud that Max is coming of age and tells the mother.  It is a funny situation that makes a good start for a pubescent comedy about growing up.

After being invited to his first kissing party, 12-year-old Max (Jacob Tremblay, a Canadian who is also 12 years of age, best known for ROOM) is panicking because he does not know how to kiss.  Eager for some pointers, Max and his best friends, Thor (Brady Noon) and Lucas (Keith L. Williams), decide to use Max’s dad’s drone, which they are forbidden to touch, to spy on a teenage couple who are making out. But when things go ridiculously wrong, the drone is confiscated by two teenage girls.  Desperate to get it back before Max’s dad gets home, the boys skip school and set off an odyssey of epically bad decisions involving some accidentally stolen drugs, frat-house paintball, and running from both the cops and terrifying teenage girls.

GOOD BOYS prides itself as being an adult film about kids.  Thus, as expected, there is quite a lot of swearing, even coming out of the mouths of the 12-year olds.  Director Stupnisky seems desperate to elicit laughs at any cost.

GOOD BOYS contains a few unforgettable segments involving the growing up process like trying to drink one first beer (remember how awful the first taste was?), trying to cope with adult problems like a parent’s divorce and bullying.  Director Stupniksy delivers a very funny ANANBELLE (as in the horror franchise) sequence.  Whenever the three boys are having a bonding moment, one of the younger sisters named Annabelle suddenly appears just as in the ANNABELLE movies to scare them out of their wits and invade their privacy.  Another has a kid character called Atticus (poking fun at TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD).  These two parts got the most laughs out of me.  The comedic set-up of the boys crossing a busy highway is also terrifying hilarious.

The kids parents are also given the token nod and not ignored in the film.  They are, thankfully, not treated as complete idiots as in many kid-oriented films.

GOOD BOYS, though funny enough is inferior, by inevitable comparison to BOOKSMART which contains funnier jokes, more inventive comedic set-ups with more cinematic surprises (the underwater swimming pool sequence).  Still, Stupnisky’s GOOD BOYS contains a few good memories about adolescence.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPXqwAGmX04

Film Review: 47 METRES DOWN: UNCAGED (USA 2019) **

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47 Meters Down: Uncaged Poster
Trailer

Four teen girls diving in a ruined underwater city quickly learn they’ve entered the territory of the deadliest shark species in the claustrophobic labyrinth of submerged caves.

Director:

Johannes Roberts

Writers:

Ernest Riera, Johannes Roberts

Stars:

Sistine Rose Stallone, Nia Long, Corinne Foxx

Back in 2017, a low budget survival horror film that cost only $5 million to make earned a whopping $62 million worldwide at the box-office despite mixed reviews. The plot followed two sisters who are invited to cage dive while on holiday in Mexico.  When the winch system holding the cage broke and the cage plummets to the ocean floor with the two girls trapped inside, they must find a way to escape, with their air supplies running low and great white sharks stalking nearby.

A new survival horror sequel arrives this week with a similar title 47 METRES DOWN: UNCAGED.  The first part of the title 47 METRES DOWN will tend to be confusing but the uncaged signifies that the film is also about sharks, and this time about girls attacked by sharks unprotected by a cage.  The film was supposedly to be set in Brazil but moved to Yucaton, Mexico.  Principal photography for the film took place in the Dominican Republic, Pinewood Studios, Dominican Republic, The Underwater Studio in Basildon and Pinewood Studios, UK.

Four teenage girls scuba diving in a ruined underwater city quickly find themselves in a watery hell as their adventure turns to horror when they learn they are not alone in the submerged caves.  As they swim deeper into the claustrophobic labyrinth of caves, they enter the territory of the deadliest shark species in the ocean.  The species is supposed to have developed heightened senses for the silly reason that these sharks need to survive in deep underwater without sight, as there is no light in the far depths of the ocean.  Yet, the sharks keep missing their prey.

Mia (Sophe Nelisse) and Sasha (Corinne Foxx) are two half sisters who do not get along- till of course they bond after their encounter with the sharks – no surprise here.  They are led by Alexa (Brianne Tju), followed by troublemaker Nicole (Sistine Stallone), the latter take risks at the expense of others to satisfy her curiosity.  Needless to say, she is the first one to go.  The cast is eclectic enough with a white, a black and an asian forming three of the girls.  Surprising for a film set in Mexico, there is hardly a Mexican to be seen on the screen.

Nothing much happens for the first third of the film, where director Roberts takes his time to establish the relationship between the sisters, Mia and her schoolmates that eventually lead nowhere.  The action and mishaps are all too predictable.  When all the thrills appear exhausted, the sharks suddenly appear – not one but many. The underwater photography is impressive.

The music is a hash of old hits including the Carpenters’ song “We’ve Only Just Begun”, which is an odd choice for the movie.

The film is obviously a cash grab banging not the success of the original 2017 movie, providing much more of the same which in other words, ends up quite the bore, even at 90 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhOJXUmvLQ8

Film Review: THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT (USA 2019)

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The Red Sea Diving Resort Poster
Trailer

Israel’s Mossad agents attempt to rescue Ethiopian Jewish refugees in Sudan in 1979.

Director:

Gideon Raff

Writer:

Gideon Raff

Stars:

Mbulelo Grootboom, Sizo Mahlangu, Michael Kenneth Williams

A Netflix original movie inspired by remarkable true life rescue missions,  THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT is the incredible story of a group of Mossad agents and brave Ethiopians who in the early 80s used a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of refugees to Israel. 

It all sounds good on paper and the fit looks like it might be another Netflix hit.  But what looks good on paper or based on a true story need not necessarily translate into an excellent film. Unfortunately, this is the case for Israeli born  Gideon Raff’s effort.  To give him a bit of credit, there is nothing really original one can do with the material but follow the story.

The undercover team carrying out this mission is led by the charismatic Ari Kidron (Chris Evans from CAPTAIN AMERICA) and courageous local Kabede Bimro (Michael Kenneth Williams) with a host of others that generally complain about a lot of things least of all Ari’s attitude.

The film begins with one successful mission, a close call which the audience is led to believe is true.  The operations are to be closed down owing to excessive risk to the people involved till Ari has an idea – to lease an abandoned diving resort, and set it up as as the smuggling front.

The resort unexpectedly attracts tourists that show up unexpectedly for a diving holiday.  Ari and friends have to accommodate them to keep the front.  Director Raff is unable to milk any humour from the incident except to elicit more incredibility,  The audience is led to believe that the tourists are fooled by aerobic classes, diving lessons and  tour guiding.  Really?  Where did all the equipment come from?

The Ari character is more annoying with him taking risks at the expense of others.  His only defence is that it is his nature and when he gets an idea he goes all out for it and gets everyone in trouble.  The questionable thing is why his crew keep  working with him and encouraging this unacceptable behaviour.  Chris Evans does not put that much into his role, while being hardly recognizable with facial hair throughout the film.  What is not understandable is the reason of hiring a famous super action hero star and then make him look totally unrecognizable in the role.  On would only wish perhaps Ari’s good friend the doctor would die and perhaps he learn a lesson o two about putting people close to him at risk.  His wife had already left him.  But no such luck.

Most of the suspense created in the film has been seen in other movies before.  There are lots of false alarms as well.  The climatic scene where the refugees barely escape in the nick of time is nothing exciting.

For a real life rescue mission with lots of risks and danger involved, THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT is an incredibly cliched and frustrating film that leads nowhere and offers little insight to the refugee problem.  A truly Netflix unoriginal. 

THE RED SEA DIVING RESORT is currently playing on Netflix.

Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls025720609/videoplayer/vi4008950553?ref_=tt_vd_ce_sc_i_1

Film Review: Cold Case Hammarskjöld (Denmark/Norway/Sweden/Belgium 219)

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Cold Case Hammarskjöld Poster
Trailer

Danish director Mads Brügger and Swedish private investigator Göran Björkdahl are trying to solve the mysterious death of Dag Hammarskjöld. As their investigation closes in, they discover a… See full summary »

Director:

Mads Brügger

Writer:

Mads Brügger

Stars:

Mads Brügger, Göran Björkdahl, Dag Hammarskjöld

At Sundance 2019, the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award went to Mads Brügger’s Cold Case Hammarskjöld.  The doc traces the murder of the then Secretary of the United Nations in 1961, Dag Hammarskjöld, through supposedly a plane crash.  Did this actually happen or is this part of a conspiracy theory?  The doc plays like a whodunit with lots of clues (actually too many that the story becomes confusing and long).

The doc does not open too impressively.  Within the first 10 minutes, the doc jumps through half a dozen diverse places and times.  The director Mads Brügger (THE RED CHAPEL, THE AMBASSADOR) is dressed in white apparel while in a hotel room dictating to his black secretary.  The members of a clandestine organization SAIMR all dress in white.  There is absolutely no reason for Mads Brügger to wear white except to step into character.  But the fact emphasizes the director’s attention to detail, which is the sort of thing delivers of conspiracy theories get into.

Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger and his Swedish sidekick Göran Björkdahl investigate the mysterious 1961 plane crash that killed United Nations secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld.  As their search closes in, they discover a crime darker than they could have imagined.  Hammarskjöld had sympathized with African nations that were forging independent identities – a stance that made him a lot of enemies among old colonial powers.  When his plane went down in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Hammarskjöld was en route to cease-fire negotiations during the Congo Crisis.  His body was found with the ace of spades
(the Death Card) tucked in his collar.  For decades rumours have swirled around the cause of the crash.  Was it murder?  If so, who would benefit?

  Brügger and Björkdahl spent six years travelling all over Europe and Africa, conducting interviews and roaming through archives.  Their path led to stories of Belgian mercenaries, tales of evil men who dressed in white and rumours about a secret African society.  Just as Brügger is
wondering if the film will have an ending, a brutal secret emerges, which thankfully enlivens the story which is beginning to descend into depths of boredom.

It is fascinating to watch how one man Brügger can go all out to search for clues like a sleuth in heat.  Armed with two shovels and a metal detector, he and Björkdahl dig up the remains of the crashed plane.  They also interview old people dug up from the archives who might have slight knowledge to contribute.  They do not seem to get tired though the findings may be slow and meagre.  This is a case where the search for the truth is more interesting that the truth itself.

The film is shot in many different languages – in English, French Bemba, Danish and Swedish.  One cannot complain about the film’s attention to detail except for the fact that it become a little too much at times.

Trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9352780/videoplayer/vi2838281241?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_1

Film Review: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT (UK 2019)

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Blinded by the Light Poster
Trailer

In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.

Director:

Gurinder Chadha

Writers:

Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra

BLINDED BY THE LGHT is inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor and his love of the works of Bruce Springsteen.  Manzoor co-wrote the script with director Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges.  It is based on Manzoor’s acclaimed memoir Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll.  In real life, Springsteen told Manzoor he loved the memoir which inspired Manzoor to move forward to eventually have the film made.

The story is set in the town of Luton in 1987 Thatcher’s Britain.  Javed (an impressive first performance by youthful Viveik Kalra) is a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager whose life is troubled.  His father has just been laid off and his family has to cope with expenses.  Being Pakistani, he and his family are subject to racism.  His quest to become a writer, however is encouraged by his English teacher but discouraged by his father.   He yearns for a girlfriend.  It is at this point his life where he discovers the music of Springsteen.

African born British Asian Gurinder Chadha has got two commercial hits under her belt – 1993’s BHANJI ON THE BEACH  (Indian women on an excursion to Blackpool) and BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (female talented soccer player within a close knitted Indian family), which is likely the reason BLINDED BY THE LIGHT got made.  She championed the cause of the film being made based on the memoir her friend Sarfraz Manzoor gave her to read. 

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT had initial troubles in funding but after being made and premiering at Sundance this January, earned a standing ovation as well as a $15 million sale to Want Bros. who is releasing this film.

Like BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, BLINDED BY THE LIGHT is a manipulative crowd pleaser set in Britain in this case the town of Luton in 1987 where unemployment and racism was present in Thatcher’s Britain.  Ironically during one racial riot scene, a poster of Thatcher “Britain Unified’ can be seen in the background.

The film is heavily laden with Pakistani stereotypes from the rebellious son to the patriarch father to the quiet all-knowing mother.  The young immigrant faces formidable obstacles in his quest to become a writer as well as a romance with a white Brit.  The father is down on the son before reconciliation.  All this have been seen before, as most recent as in Danny Boyle’s YESTERDAY.

There are certain difficulties with translating the story into film.  Foremost is to show how the lyrics of Springsteen’s songs affect Javed.  This director Chadha accomplishes by having the lyrics done as subtitles appearing on the screen as Javed listens to the songs.

Despite being a male dominated story, Chad infuses the strength of the female in the Pakistani family.   She shows the father crying at his failure at one point.  In another scene, the mother makes a distinct influence on the fathers decision by telling him that she would never forgive him if Javed leaves the family.  Yet anther shows Javed’s sister also having a good time partying and is therefore also an individual voice in the family.

Despite director Chadha and the film’s good intentions, the film bows to white commercialism stereotyping minorities, providing no insight to the problems but dishing put easy feel good set-ups like the unbearable ending speech Javed delivers at his graduation ceremonies.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YFA_J5JBU

Film Review: THE KITCHEN (USA 2019)

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The Kitchen Poster
Trailer

The wives of New York gangsters in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s continue to operate their husbands’ rackets after they’re locked up in prison.

Director:

Andrea Berloff

Writers:

Ollie Masters (comic book series), Ming Doyle (comic book series) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss

THE KITCHEN follows the premise of last year’s Steve McQueen’s WIDOWS where three women take control of their lives after their husbands are put away.  One succeeds and the other doesn’t.  In WIDOWS, the husbands are dead gone while in THE KITCHEN the husbands are put away in prison.  In the WIDOWS, the widows take on a  robbery while in THE KITCHEN the abused wives take  on being mobsters, collecting protection money and protecting businesses for their money.

THE KITCHEN is directed by Andrea Berloff who rose to fame with his STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON where he won the Oscar for Best original screenplay.  The trouble with THE KITCHEN is that it is based on a comic book series which means that it should not be taken too seriously, which it does.  Both Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish are dead serious establishing the fact that they can be credible mobsters.  Are both scary?  Would one pay protection money to these two?  Would other mobster heads give in to these two?  Hardly.  This is the prime reason the film fails.  If the script was to that the material more lightly, then the audience would forgive the credibility factor.  Fortunately the Elisabeth Moss character is more concerned with her lover (Domhnall Gleeson) than anything else.

The story is set in the late 70’s in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen, and hence the film’s title.  It is not a very inviting title – and Sylvester Stallone had to rename his movie PARADISE ALLEY instead of HELL’s KITCHEN in his first non-ROCKY movie.   The three 1978 Hell’s Kitchen housewives have mobster husbands are sent to prison by the FBI.  Left with little but a sharp ax to grind, the ladies take the Irish mafia’s matters into their own hands—proving unexpectedly adept at everything from running the rackets to taking out the competition…literally.

THE KITCHEN is clearly a female oriented movie.  From the very start of the movie, the theme is obvious as the song “It’s a man’s world is heard on the soundtrack.  As in Alfonso Cuaron’s ROMA and the upcoming AFTER THE WEDDING in which the words :  “We women have to stick together”, the words: “They f*** us up every time..” are uttered.  The male roles in THE KITCHEN are written so that they become second-class citizens to their female counterparts.   These are too obvious to be credible.  The film contains too many scenes where the males are speechless at a loss in front of women.  But if taken lightly, it can turn into good fun.

Berloff’s film plays as if it is based on true events.  This is how serious his film gets.  By comparison, McQueen’s WIDOWS knows when to be serious but mainly knows when it need to be fun.

It is good to see McCarthy venture out of comedy with her more serious roles as in this flea and the recent  CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? and likewise for Tiffany Haddish.  Elisabeth Moss succeeds more comfortably in her role having playing similar roles as in THE SQUARE and THE HANDMAID’S TALE.

Could have been better, THE KITCHEN ends up a missed opportunity.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlcyEDZVYkw

Film Review: SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK (USA 2019) ***

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Poster
Trailer

A group of teens face their fears in order to save their lives.

Director:

André Øvredal

Writers:

Dan Hageman (screenplay by), Kevin Hageman (screenplay by) | 4 more credits »

Stars:

Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK is based on the series of three horror books for children written by Alvin Schwartz, the first of which bears the film’s title.  The three books each feature numerous short stories in the horror genre where author Schwartz draws heavily from folklore and urban legends as the topic of his stories, researching extensively and spending more than a year on writing each book.  The film comes with the praise of being a Guillermo del Toro production.  At best it is an excellent ghost story made up of other little ghost stories and at its worst slides into slasher type horror with the monster chasing a victim.

The film has the benefit of being set in the late 60’s.  The year is never explicitly stated but one can tell by the Richard Nixon election landslide as seen on a television set during the film. The setting is also reminiscent of the anthology ghost stories that were common in the 60’s and 70’s.

The film begins as a male film with the story concentrating on the boys going out on Halloween.  The boys and a girl take revenge on some bullies before the tide changes.  It is the girl in the group that survives and has to figure out what is happening and how to reverse the spell of the ghost.  The ghost is also female who had made an important discovery in the past and forced to keep silent against her will.

SCARY STORIES is an old fashioned ghost story where a ghost is stuck in the present.  This ghost is Sarah Bellows (Kathleen Pollard) who was locked in a room in the house way back when.  The protagonist of the film is young Stella Nicholls (Zoe Margaret Colletti), who together with two male friends Auggie (Gabriel Rush), Chuck (Austin Zajur) and a new Mexican stranger in town, Ramon (Michael Garza) venture into a haunted house.  They discover the hidden room as well as a book that has a reputation.  Whoever reads a story from the book will die.  As it goes, the kids steal the book and unleashes the fury of the ghost as one by one is killed off.

The film has  a few impressive scary set-ups based on urban legends that many North Americans are familiar with.  There is the spider bite that grows and bursts leading to dozens of little baby spiders emerging from the bump.  This is a bit overdone but enough to make ones skin crawl.  Another is the scary scarecrow.  These set-ups are good enough without resorting to senseless violence.

The film squeezes a few issues into the story like bullying, environment pollution and father/daughter relationships.

But as the main characters are the kids with the film aimed at teens and younger adults.  Director Øvredal (TROLL HUNTER) does fairly good job at scaring the audience given the limited material.  

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgzwt0DQujw

Interview with Festival Director Harlan Whatley (WEST TEXAS FILM FESTIVAL)

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The purpose of the West Texas Film Festival is to screen diverse films from both directors and producers that would not normally be featured in West Texas as well as regional media makers. We seek short films, documentaries, features, animation and student films as well as screenplays from all over the world that have the pioneer spirit of filmmaking. We are a registered nonprofit organization in the State of Texas.

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Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers?

Harlan Whatley: We bring regional filmmakers together in West Texas so they can share ideas with filmmakers from other areas such as New York City.

2) What would you expect to experience if you attend your upcoming festival?

A good mix of films about Texas, international films, students films and documentaries. We don’t have bands and a lot of parties as we are focused on the films.

3) What are the qualifications for the selected films?

5 minutes minimum in length, English or English subtitles, and all films should be completed after January 1, 2018.

4) Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?

Yes, for a number of reasons. Maybe the selection committee was biased in some way, the time slot for a screening. Things like that.

5) What motivates you and your team to do this festival?

The Permian Basin is known for oil and gas production. Other than movie theaters, we are one of the few film outlets in the area.

6) How has your FilmFreeway submission process been?

Excellent. They provide so many tools for our film festival managers and staff that make the process run very smoothly.

7) Where do you see the festival by 2023?

Hopefully, it will be larger and include both Odessa and Midland and have more funding and sponsorship.

8) What film have you seen the most times in your life?

The Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie (1972) by Luis Bunuel. I discovered it in college and have seen it a dozen times or so.

9) In one sentence, what makes a great film?

The ability to capture and audience’s attention and keep them entertained all the way to the end.

10) How is the film scene in your city?

Most people here are watching mainstream, family-oriented films at the theatre or on Netflix.