2016 movies

Movie Review: UNCANNY VALLEY (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERUNCANNY VALLEY, 9min, Argentina, Sci-Fi/Experimental
Directed by Federico Heller

In the slums of the future, VR junkies satisfy their violent impulses in online entertainment. An expert player discovers that the line between games and reality is starting to fade away.

Shown at the September 2016 Sci-Fi/Fantasy FEEDBACK Film Festival

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

 Uncanny Valley an Argentinian film directed by Federico Heller is utterly exceptional. Very few films hit so many themes, keep such intensive pace, tell such compelling story, create such engaging characters, all while spinning a well balanced allegory.

Uncanny Valley has beautiful and stunning production quality, rivalling any feature film.

The story, a documentary-style account of aggressive virtual-reality addicts, living in the slum-like conditions. The film follows the details the daily life of a VR addict while under the influence of hyper-realistic gaming.

Put into a hypnotic state and kept alive by government funded assistance, these gamers waste their lives away shooting and destroying enemies in a virtual war. The enemy, like the tip of any science-fiction iceberg, is always bigger than at thought at first sight.

Grippingly real from the very first frame and air-tight in regards to plot and story, what makes this cinematic piece so overwhelming is its chilling plausibility. The audience reels from the idea that this seemingly fantastical world may only exist five minutes into the future of the present day.

There are themes in this piece of human consumerism, government conspiracy, the value of human life and a very real Orson Wells “Big Brother” vibe. The jaw-drawing twist at the end of the film will leave the audiences’ spine tingling, even those who do not claim to adore the science-fiction genre.

Bravo, Federico Heller. You have ensnared us.

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Movie Review: RED ROVER (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERRED ROVER, 15min, Australia/USA, Fantasy/Action
Directed by Brooke Goldfinch

Two teenagers from a remote religious community travel to town in search of shelter after being told by their Evangelical parents that an asteroid will soon destroy the earth.

Shown at the September 2016 Sci-Fi/Fantasy FEEDBACK Film Festival

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

 A refreshingly different approach to an encroaching apocalypse film, Red Rover, an American film directed by Brooke Goldfinch, straddles the genres of science fiction, romance and drama. As the end of the world approaches, two teenagers escape their religious community to seek shelter and potential survival. The piece is founded in tragedy when the teens realize that they have nothing left to loose except each other.

Unlike many apocalypse films, this piece does not rely on heavy pandemonium- huge riots, teeming masses of terrified people, big explosions- instead it focuses on the last death throws of a society that has already accepted its’ end. The streets are vacant. The shops deserted. The last remains of society exist in debauchery inhabited abandoned hotel rooms. Red Rover’s focus on realism in this way may be disturbing to some, a refreshingly honest to others.

The theme of this film, however, will pull the heart strings of any romantic. As the world approaches its violent end our heroes must re-evaluate what it means to have lived and been alive. Is a life that is short, yet full of love, wonder and joy, any less lived? Red Rover seeks to ponder that question. To find the answer, you’ll have to watch it and see.

 

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Movie Review: A SHADOW OF DARA (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERA SHADOW OF DARA, 14min., Bulgaria, Sci-Fi
Directed by Kirill Proskura

A leader of a rebellion risks everything to find a powerful commander of an alien world who’s been captured by enemies and put into a fabricated reality for the extraction of valuable information.

Shown at the September 2016 Sci-Fi/Fantasy FEEDBACK Film Festival

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Science Fiction lovers are a tough crowd. Pleasing them requires so many things; a knock-out, often high-concept story, with an unbeatable twist, compelling and thematic world building and epic stakes. This is on top of the already compulsory requirements of good production value, solid performances and strong story elements.

Enter A Shadow Of Dara, directed by Kirill Proskura, an edge of your seat science fiction that boasts intensity, polish and turns to keep you guessing until the every last frame. Quickly paced and excellently performed, this is the tale of the chosen leader of an alien world who must fight against being trapped in an artificial reality, in order to not reveal important information to his enemies. Once he is able to break free from his false-reality changes, however, he must team up with members of another planet (coming to him from the future) to avoid loosing both worlds as they know it.

If there is any flaw to be had in this otherwise very well composed piece of sci-fi cinema, it is that it’s highly condensed manner can muddle the details and make it hard to follow. Conversely, the piece is strong enough to warrant a second watch. Full of details and gripping good versus evil, the piece has multiple twists and turns. The final moment in the film provides a great ending, and leaves the audience wanting more.

Hailing from Bulgaria, A Shadow Of Dara could be a proof on concept for an excellent feature, where its’ themes will make nods to well loved films like Inception and the entire evil-alien genre. Regardless anyone with an appetite for a good science fiction film would enjoy this film. It will keep you wanting more.

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Film Review: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (USA 2016) ***

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the_girl_on_the_train_poster.jpgTHE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (USA 2016) ***
Directed by Tate Taylor

Starring: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, Luke Evans, Justin Theroux, Edgar Martinez

Review by Gilbert Seah

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is based on the best selling novel of the same name by British author Paula Hawkins. The suspense mystery revolves around Rachel’s daily trip on the train to work in London. The film is adapted to a setting in the U.S. with the train now travelling along the Hudson.

The film and book is divided three chapters – Rachel, Meghan and Anna in that order. It makes sense in the novel as the story is told from the three points of view of the three women. In the film, however, it is not and while unfolding totally from Rachel’s (Emily Blunt) point of view, it is told in non-chronological order, flipping back and forth from the present to 6 months ago, to 4 months ago to 2 months ago again back to the present. The titles appear, which is really redundant and confusing. One title of 6 months ago should suffice, with all the events now occurring in chronological order. The film’s mystery is heightened artificially by these antics coupled with blurry images of Rachel’s memory.

The film opens with Rachel Watson travelling on the train. It is revealed that Rachel is an alcoholic (reason not given except perhaps to make her a sad and pitiful protagonist) who divorced her husband Tom (Justin Theroux) after she caught him cheating on her. During her daily journey, she sees through the train window and fantasizes about the relationship of her neighbours, Scott (Luke Evans) and Megan Hipwell (last seen in THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN). That all changes when she witnesses something from the train window and Megan goes missing and is presumed dead.

One can see the attraction of the story. It is also one of redemption – the redemption of the sad, alcoholic Rachel. She goes to the detective (Allison Janney) with her story of what she had seen, hoping to do some good. This of course backfires. The story, full credit to the book, is very intriguing where truths and secrets are hidden and images are lies. For those who like a good yarn, THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN will not disappoint. But director Taylor is unable to prevent unintentional laughs (as observed in the promo screening) during a few of the film’s key scenes.

The film is aided by excellent performances, the best of which is provided by Blunt in the lead role. Janney is also outstanding as the disbelieving detective.
But the film is totally geared towards a female target audience (i.e. film is a chick flick to put it crudely). All the female characters are strong like the detective and those who are not, finally get it together at the end as in the characters of Rachel and Anna. The men are all male idiots who cannot keep their dicks (the doctor, Tom and Scott) in their pants. The actors playing them all have great bodies. No female should complain about the eye candy. The only male who has a good character is a fellow passenger on the train who ends up saving Rachel from two thugs when she passes out. Even then, he is also told to “fuck off” when Rachel comes to. Enough said about a film with main female characters in a female novel written by a female with a script adapted by a female. (The director of one of my outlets has already told me I have female issues).

The film does have a few good sinister moments. The best is the one where a victim (not to be revealed in the review) is about to be murdered. She is half-conscious and being pushed under the vegetation in the woods. It is an excellent scene as she looks at her killer, knowing that she is about to die and unable to do anything.
Apart from a few over melodramatic segments, THE GIRL ONTHE TRAIN is a satisfying mystery with a credible solution with the bonus of the sad heroine’s redemption.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkoEE1i0CX8

 

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Film Review: DENIAL (UK/USA 2016) ***

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denial_poster.jpgDENIAL (UK/USA 2016) ***
Directed by Mick Jackson

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall

Review by Gilbert Seah

DENIAL refers to the denial of the existence of the holocaust. The film is a courtroom drama that contests the case.

After historian Deborah Lipstadt (Oscar Winner Rachel Weisz, THE DEEP BLUE SEA) publishes her book on the Holocaust, she is challenged by David Irving (Timothy Spall), a once well-regarded historian. Irving began citing the pseudoscientific Leuchter report as proof that the Holocaust was a hoax. Lipstadt explicitly labelled him a denier in her 1993 book Denying the Holocaust, and he sued her for libel. But since the burden of proof in English libel law lies with the accused (a point very clearly stated in the film as a difference between American and British law), it bizarrely fell to Lipstadt and her legal team to demonstrate that one of the defining events of the century did indeed transpire.

There are a few reasons to see this film. Besides extraordinary performances from the top three in the cast (See photo inset), the script is written by director and famous British playwright David Hare (THE READER and THE HOURS) which he adapted from the book by Deborah E. Lipstadt “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier”.

The villain of the piece is Irving played with evil relish by Spall epitomizing the banality of evil while gloating in all the publicity he receives. The film also shows the amount of preparation that goes into a case, and even more for an important a case as this one. An important fact too is the fact that a client’s trust in her solicitor is key to the winning of the case. DENIAL is one of the rare courtroom film that shows more of the goings-on behind the scenes.

DENIAL besides being a film about the truth triumphing over lies, is also one that reveals a lot about the individuals involved in a fight. DENIAL is all an entertaining well-shot period drama.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7ktvUWaYo

 

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Film Review: LONG WAY NORTH (Tout en haut du monde)(France/Denmark 2015) ****

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long_way_north_posterLONG WAY NORTH (Tout en haut du monde)(France/Denmark 2015) ****
Directed by Remi Chaye

Starring: Christa Théret, Féodor Atkine, Antony Hickling

Review by Gilbert Seah

LONG WAY NORTH is a French (screened in Toronto in the English dubbed version) 2D animated feature from screenwriters Patricia Valeix and Claire Paoletti and director Rémi Chayé (THE SECRET OF KELLS).

For what LONG WAY NORTH lacks in modern animation – it cannot be compared to the lush expensive modern animation of Pixar and Disney Studios – it more than compensates in story and charm. The proof is in its win of the Audience Award at the 2015 International Annecy Animation Festival where it premiered.

The film’s setting is 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia centring on an aristocratic family. Sasha, a young Russian aristocrat, has always been fascinated by her grandfather’s life as an adventurer. A renowned explorer, he designed a magnificent Arctic ship, but he hasn’t returned from his last expedition to the North Pole. To save her family’s honour, Sasha runs away. Headed towards the Great North, she follows her grandfather’s trail in search of his famous ship.

The young female protagonist Sacha is as winning and charming as the story. She loves her grandfather who has told her wonderful stories of the cold Arctic. So, when his ship the Davia disappears, Sacha uncovers a route map which leads her to believe that the search expedition has looked in the wrong location. Armed only with her determination, she takes a ship to the North Pole in search for her beloved grandfather. Who will not root for such a lovely lass?

Being a fully animated film, the film avoids all the problems of having to film a voyage under extreme Arctic conditions. Imagine having to shoot ice avalanches, a polar bear attack, the ship breaking ice and finally coming down under an avalanche. Chaye’s animation captures both the danger and beauty of unchartered territory. Even animated, the sight of a drawn ship tracking through the ice and water of the Arctic is stunning.

LONG WAY NORTH reminds me of the little seen excellent Dutch 1993 mockumentary THE FORBIDDEN QUEST written and directed by Peter Delpeut. The film interviews a fictional J.C. Sullivan, the carpenter on that ill-fated voyage and is the last known surviving crew member of the Hollandia. Though THE FORBIDDEN QUEST was an amazing film, LONG WAY NORTH is able to show more hardship because it is animated.

Chaye never forgets the importance of the human elements in a story. From the old woman at the sailor’s bar who takes Sacha in thus saving her to the young boy who forms a bond with Sacha, LONG WAY NORTH is full of heart.

Though the story is quite an improbable one demanding the audience’s belief that a little girl can achieve so much, the treatment of the story like a Russian fairy tale allows one to forgive the implausibility of many events.

The film will be released either in French with a voice cast including Christa Theret as Sasha, Féodor Atkine as Oloukine and others or in English with an English voice cast led by Chloé Dunn as Sasha with Vivienne Vermes.

(French) Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW7JDw2Qimo

 

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Movie Review: GHOSTBOY (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERGHOSTBOY, 9min., UK, Animation/Comedy
Directed by Jonathan Brooks

An exciting tale of mystery, mayhem and friendship, ‘Ghostboy’ teaches the very important lesson to not judge a book by it’s cover…

Seen at the August 2016 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Coming to use courtesy of Jonathan Brooks and Foolhardy films, Ghostboy reminds us that not all ghosts are here to haunt us. Charmingly designed with exquisite musical composition and engaging visual motifs, Ghostboy invites us to take a look at life for a few moments through the eyes of a child.

Whimsical, bright, and full of colorful imagery, this film takes us on the adventures of Alfie, a reluctant young boy moving into a new home with his unassuming grandmother and his perpetually upbeat mother.

Of course, he soon finds that his new home is already occupied by an evil hostage-taking spider, a creepy doll and most distressingly, a ghost-child. Not all ghosts are bad though, as Alfie soon discovers.

This short is one of those brilliant films that fires the imaginations and delights the senses of child and adult alike. With kid-friendly humor and just enough tension to keep the plot engaging from moment to moment, Ghostboy offers a pleasant mixture of fun and games that is enjoyable for the whole family.

The soundtrack and music design is beautifully constructed, the animation is delightful and visually lush and story is delightfully fun.

Enjoy the show!

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Movie Review: LUCY (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERLUCY, 16min, Greece, Family/Drama
Directed by Stamatis Giannoulis

Myrto and Kimonas, an elderly childless couple have just lost their pet dog Lucy of natural causes. The events that will unfold the day they take their beloved pet to the vet will make them reconsider their relations and give them the opportunity to realise that nothing can substitute their love which, they now put to the test for whatever they have left…

Seen at the August 2016 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This story of a childless elderly couple who loses their family pet may seem like a simple concept, but the beauty in this piece is how much more in communicates than losing the family dog. From writer and director pair Stamatis and Alex Giannoulis, Lucy begins with our elderly couple discussing taking the pet into the vet.

The conversation seems tense, as though the couple have a history of not seeing eye-to-eye. Yet the husband rushes to his wife’s’ side when she breaks down over the animal. Of course, the pet has passed away, and it marks far more to the two of them than simply losing an animal.

Later, as the couple walks home, they pass a puppy in a local shop window, which bewitches the heart of the elderly woman. Good short films leave the audience with a sense that they are feeling something deeper, greater and larger than the sum of the films’ parts. In this case, the last scene in Lucy ties everything together, when we realize the couple’s’ pet of 18 years represented the children they could never conceive.

This animal was the focus in their lives and belonged to the world they built together. Lucy may take some viewers a little while to get into, but it is more than a story about losing a pet- it is a story about the capacity human beings have to love. A beautiful piece about the human heart and what keeps it beating.

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Movie Review: 101 CUPCAKES (2016)

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MOVIE POSTER101 CUPCAKES, 13min, Australia, Family/Drama
Directed by Jane Eakin

Healing comes in many flavours. An uplifting story about love, death and the healing power of cooking.

Seen at the August 2016 FAMILY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Grief is by far one the most complex and compelling emotions of the human experience. 101 Cupcakes, written and directed by Jane Eakin, dissects the emotion with an expertly spun tale combining the raw sorrow and comforting simplicity. Grieving daughter Amy, while cleaning out her late mother’s’ home, discovers evidence that her mother knew long before her death that she was ill and did not seek treatment. Amy spins quickly through several stages of grief (such as disbelief and anger) before stumbling across her mother’s cupcake recipe.

One of the wonderful things about this film is how efficiently it distills the themes of grief, loss, love and memory. Beyond the themes of the show, it is wonderfully edited and a special nod must be given to the Director of Photography. The memories, based flash backs, have a unique brightness and subtly that establishes the compassion and human connection Amy shares with her deceased mother.

This piece has a tear-worthy ending, and it comes from a place of honesty and compassion, not cliché. It has strong, human, layered characters and a wonderful sense of community. It is story that is simple, and yet rich. It is about the memories we keep, the lives we build, and the sweetness in even the most bitter moments of life.

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Film Review: MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

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miss_peregrine_posterMISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (UK/USA 2016) **
Directed by Tim Burton

Starring: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Allison Janney, Terence Stamp, Chris O’Dowd

Review by Gilbert Seah

Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs, the film has a few similarities with the HARRY POTTER films which is likely the reason the rights of the book were quickly picked up for a film adaptation. Like Harry Potter, the boy with hidden powers, the hero of the story is a young 16-year old, Jake Portman (Asa Butterfield) who might or might not possess hidden powers. The orphanage home is a sorry replacement of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts. But Jake also stumbles across a home with magic as well as evil forces.in the background. The story here is so-so and can nowhere be compared to the depth and imagination of J.K. Rowlings. The film, however has the benefit of being directed by Tim Burton and it is no surprise then that the film has a NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS dark look.

If one is a Tim Burton fan, there is a lot of Tim Burton to enjoy in the film, a part of it even feeling like ALICE IN WONDERLAND but do no expect anything new. Burton trudges along his storytelling in this film, with special effects, just going through the motions with his past methods. The film is also overly long at over 2 hours.

The film begins with the death of Jake’s grandfather (Terence Stamp). 16-year-old Jacob “Jake” Portman is forced to travel to a mysterious island in order to discover the truth of what really happened. The film jumps frequently from the U.S. to England so often that it becomes confusing. One has to remember for example that when the pier is seen, it is Blackpool and no longer the Tampa Bay area.

Jake stumbles into what seems to be a different world. Jake is introduced to the extraordinary Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) and her peculiar children at Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. But when what seems to be a fairytale takes a horrific turn, Jake is forced to make a life altering decision in order to protect the ones he loves from the monsters of his grandfather’s past, the creepy Hollows and the dangerous Wights led by the terrifying Mr. Barron (Samuel L. Jackson).
The parts of the story in the film also feels unrelated and dumped together. These include among other curiosities unexplained in existence: World War II destroying the orphanage; the connection between Jake’s father and the monsters; Miss Pedegrine’s loops and her ability to change into a bird.

Bright moments are provided by Samuel L Jackson as Mr. Barron who as expected delivers another over the top performance. His under-his-breath curses each time Jake evades him are priceless. This is also one film Jackson does not get to utter his famous ‘mf’ phrase. He does, utter, however,”What the f…” under his breath.

MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is rightly released just before Halloween to draw a family audience with the film getting a boost once the 31st of October comes around. It should do ok box-office numbers.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_IhWE4LP0

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