2017 movies

Film Review: GOING IN STYLE (USA 2017)

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

going_in_style.jpgDirector: Zach Braff
Writers: Theodore Melfi (screenplay), Edward Cannon (based on the 1979 story by)
Stars: Joey King, Morgan Freeman, Ann-Margret

Review by Gilbert Seah

GOING IN STYLE is an updated remake of the 1979 caper movie of the same name that starred Oscar winners George Burns, Art Carney and Acting Coach Lee Strasberg . The main difference is that in the 1979 original, two of the three old cronies actually die in the film, making the title more appropriate. No one dies in the remake.

The three seniors in director Zach Braff’s 2017 version, are Joe (Michael Caine), Albert (Alan Arkin) and Willie (Morgan Freeman). The story is told primarily from Joe’s point of view. When the company they had worked for is bought out, their pensions become a casualty of the restructuring. When Joe meets up with the bank manager regarding the foreclosure on his house, he is inspired by a bank robbery that takes place during his visit. The three seniors decide to take back what is rightfully owed to them by the bank holding the company’s pension funds.

The script by Theodore Melfi gives each character their place in the story, Willie needs the money to visit his family more than once a year. Albert develops a love interest with Annie (Ann-Margaret). Joe has his separated daughter and granddaughter , Brooklyn (Joey King) live with him, so he cannot lose his house to the bank. FBI agent Hamer (Matt Dillon) pursues the trio with the clues he gets from the CCT. The three get caught in the original GOING IN STYLE, but the three here might just get away (no spoiler in this review.) They wear Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies J. (sorry, Peter Lawford) masks as compared to the Groucho Brother masks in the original during the heist.

The film works better in the first third with a looser plot. Director Braff, who has more acting than directing in his resume (he was the main actor in GARDEN STATE; GOING IN STYLE is his directorial debut) proves himself more apt at comedy and getting the most out of his cast. The robbery scene is done more for comedy that suspense, which is clearly lacking during a typical robbery scene. Good thing too, is that sentimentality is kept to a minimum.

GOING IN STYLE is the typical inoffensive comedy (except for a bit of swearing thrown in clearly for good measure) with old people for old people. It is also good to watch these 3 Oscar Winners (Freeman, Caine and Arkin) together for the first time. Ann-Margaret still looks as stunning as ever and BACK TO THE FUTURE’s Christopher Lloyd is sufficiently funny as a forgetful senior. John Ortiz deserves mention as the dodgy character who helps the trio plan the robbery.

Though Michael Caine almost succeeds in pulling the film off, the film suffers from a weak narrative with the story going into three directions resulting in too many distractions. The film succeeds in delivering a few laughs. Another good thing is that no one can remember the original which was only a mediocre movie, so the 2017 movie should not disappoint many, especially when the target audience are seniors. (If the last statement is offensive to any senior, it should be noted that this film reviewer will be a senior pretty soon. Maybe I should start planning my own bank robbery.)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcdTN5soeQw

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: SONG TO SONG (USA 2017)

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review , , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

song_to_songDirector: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrence Malick
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman

Review by Gilbert Seah

 Terrence Malick’s films have been accessible to some and highly inaccessible to others. The best example is Malick’s TREE OF LIFE that the Toronto Film Critics association awarded Best Film of the year that most of the public hated. Malick’s last film was his indulgent ode to the Universe which he made though the man is neither a scientist of physicist. That was a complete mess.

His latest indulgent film SONG TO SONG begins at a concert of some sort where the crowd is wild and violent. It is an energetic scene that provides some promise of an exciting film that never comes to fruition. As the film unfolds, it is revealed that SONG TO SONG is supposedly a film about life that is led from song to song or from kiss to kiss.

SONG TO SONG is a love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene, with two entangled couples — struggling songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling), and music mogul Cook (Michael Fassbender) and the waitress whom he ensnares, Rhonda (Natalie Portman) — chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal. The betrayal involves Faye who hides her affair with Cook from BV. BV has a fling with Amanda (Cate Blanchett) while Faye also experiments with same sex with Rhonda. The film intercuts frequently among the couples, without any meaning or direction.
The film contains a lot of voiceover, particularly from Rooney Mara at the beginning of the film.

SONG TO SONG is stunningly shot by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki with credit also going to Malick. The best spectacular scenes are the ones with the rooftops, the crystal clear waters, the beaches including interior scenes like the gorgeous decorated and furnished apartments.

It is difficult to judge performances when a film has no narrative or direction. But Malick, has assembled, besides the main stars mentioned above, other famous names in his cast like Val Kilmer, Iggy Pop, Tom Sturridge, Holly Hunter and Lykke Li.

The film’s first cut was 8 hours and shortened to two hours with huge snips that included singer Patti Smith totally removed from the film. Even Fassbender thought he would have been totally cut out of the film leaving only his voiceover.

In SONG TO SONG, Malick delves into romantic relationships in an experimental type film where narrative is thrown into the wind. The film is often all over the place. incoherent and senseless.

The critical response to the film has been pretty bad so far with only a few praises. It currently stands, at the point of writing, at just the 50% mark on meteoritic and rotten tomatoes. SONG TO SONG is also one of the lowest rated Malick films.

As in almost every Terrence Malick film, SONG TO SONG is undeniably, a visual treat. But that is all that can be said about the film. It also runs too long at 129 minutes.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Yo2e8AzgA
 

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Full Review: I CALLED HIM MORGAN (Sweden/USA 2016) ***

festreviews 2017 movies, Movie Review , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

i_called_him_morganDirector: Kasper Collin
Writer: Kasper Collin
Stars: Lee Morgan, Helen Morgan, Wayne Shorter

Review by Gilbert Seah

The film begins with the voice of a radio dj, describing the weather of the fateful stormy night in February of 1972, when the talented and much celebrated jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan was shot dead by his wife Helen during a gig at a club in New York City. The murder sent shockwaves through the music community, and the memory of the event still haunts those who knew the Morgans.

This documentary by Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin (MY ANME IS ALBERT AYLER) is a love letter to two unique personalities and the music that brought them together. The film title implies that it is a twin story of two people – Lee Morgan and the woman, Helen who utters the sentence “I called him Morgan”. The film is about love, jazz (lots of memorable jazz tunes performed here) and America, with cinematography by Bradford Young and the clever editing by Dino Jonsäter, Hanna Lejonqvist, Eva Hillström and director Kasper Collin.

The dj at the start ends up a lecturer at the university that Helen takes a philosophy course with. The professor tells his class about his love for jazz. When Helen tells him that he is the wife of Morgan, the professor immediately knows her to be the wife of Lee Morgan and asks to interview her at some point. She grants the interview which enables a large portion of the film to achieve its greatest effect – a candid tale about Lee and Helen Morgan rendered by Helen herself.

The documentary traces all the events that lead up to this sad state of affairs. Helen was interviewed after her release from prison, just a month before she passed away, The film succeeds on several levels – as a jazz history on talented trumpeter Lee Morgan – his fight against drugs; the crime of the shooting as well as Helen’s redemption serving the Christian church. Others interviewed, who put a perspective to the proceedings are drummer Albert Heath, saxophonist Billy Harper, and legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter.

Director Collin does not shy away from describing the individual characters of his two subjects. He shows Helen to be a great cook, a wonderful talker who can make friend easily while Lee to be a classy dresser and big spender who enjoys the riches of his jazz talent. Helen’s background is also under scrutiny, with her poverty and being a mother at a very early age even before being her teen years. Her son is also interviewed. The background gives the audience insight of her behaviour. The jazz atmosphere is also captured on film with performances by Lee and his jazz band.

There is much to appreciate in this documentary – whether it being the love for jazz or the love of watching family drama with murder thrown in for good measure. There also are many lessons in life on display. The climax of the film is the detailed description of the murder as well as Helen’s redemption.

I CALLED HIM MORGAN is also an absorbing and fascinating documentary on life – how strange life can turn out to be – and how one can learn to control life or let bad things just happen.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/209778666

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

CLOUDBOY (Belgium/Sweden/Netherlands 2016)

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

cloudboyCLOUDBOY (Belgium/Sweden/Netherlands 2016) **
Directed by Meikeminne Clinckspoor

Starring: Geert Van Rampelberg, Sara Sommerfeld, Mikkel Gaup

Review by Gilbert Seah

CLOUDBOY is a coming-of-age story of a 12-year old boy who learns to appreciate the love of his separated mother and his other siblings.
Though CLOUDBOY tells the story of 12-year old Niilas, it is not told from his point of view but from the outside, letting the audience form their own opinion on the boy and on the incidents that occur. When the film opens, the audience sees the relationship between Niilas and his father. His father is playful yet stern when Niilas gets out of hand. They have spent all the years together in Sweden and it is now time for the boy to visit the mother who live up north in Swedish Lapland (hence the title CLOUDBOY).

The film being shot in Sweden and Belgium offers the younger audience a good education of what it is like to live in different countries.

So, against his will, Niilas spends his summer vacation with his mother and her new family (two siblings) in rural northern Sweden, where they live among the indigenous Sami people as reindeer herders. Having spent most of his 12 years with his father in Belgium, Niilas barely knows his mother and has yet to meet his stepfather and new siblings. Uncomfortable around the reindeer and his family, Niilas retreats inwards. His negligence following an argument with his half-brother causes a reindeer to go missing. Feeling responsible for the animal’s safety — and for causing his family distress — he takes on the search.

Niilas is portrayed as a spoilt kid who can do damage when he does not get what he wants. His mother, stepfather and two step siblings are just too nice to him to be believable. Niilas let loose all the reindeer that the family have taken 5 weeks to round up. He mistreats his siblings. H spurns the love of the mother and stepfather. Niilas basically does what he wants. Yet everything turns out right and everyone still cares for him. Chuck the spoilt kid into the river, is what I would say.

The film is predictable to the very end.

Despite the director’s good intentions, the film feels flat. But younger audiences might be able to appreciate the film a bit better.

The film is shot in many languages – Swedish. Sami and Flemish.

The film is suitable for family though there is one instance of slapping and shoving.

CLOUDBOY will be screened at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival with a total of 5 separate screenings. In addition there will be an introduction and Q&A with director, Meikeminne Clinckspoor on April 18, April 20 and April 22.

Trailer: https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t-903&p=trailer+cloudboy#id=1&vid=42b782605e0dfd69251b3603fe5ec608&action=click

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Movie Review: PERSONAL SHOPPER (France 2016) ***

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

personal_shopper.jpgDirector: Olivier Assayas
Writers: Olivier Assayas (dialogue), Olivier Assayas (screenplay)
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaz

Review by Gilbert Seah

 After the modest box-office success of CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, director Oliver Assayas (IRMA VEP, CLEAN) and actress Kristen Stewart reunite with a moody ghost story called PERSONAL SHOPPER. The title character, Maureen is as the title implies, a personal shopper for a wealthy German model and designer, Kyra (Nora Von Waltstätten). Maureen also has a ghostly encounter from her recently dead brother who she was quite close with.
The closeness is explained in two reasons – necessary to convince the audience why she is so determined to have a spiritual encounter with him. One is that he is her twin. Second is that the both suffer from the same health issue, though someone could live till a hundred with it. What happened to the brother is explained by the doctor as a rarity. But Maureen cannot indulge in any excessive physical activity.

Within the first 15 minutes of the film’s running time, the only thing established is that Stewart plays a personal shopper and that she has had one ghost encounter. The audience is obvious primed for a slow haul of a movie. Not much has happened except that Stewart has been walking around, mucking around and just looking at dresses for Kyra. The dresses are very glamorous, for those who like to look at dresses. Maureen is forbidden to wear the dresses. But she does, even masturbating in one of the sexier ones.

PERSONAL SHOPPER works off Maureen’s character with a few side incidents. Maureen rides along on a scooter, has a few ghostly encounters (though not fully explained who the apparitions are), runs errands and has an uncomfortable encounter with a stalker on her mobile phone. The film contains a loose narrative but a strong presence in Kristen Stewart’s character. Assayas is in playful mood here milking the most out of his actress.

One side incident involving a murder is done Hitchcock style. Maureen discovers a brutal murder just as in the scene in Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS when the first attack of the birds was discovered.

As a ghost story, the ghost appears as an apparition similar to old ghost films with dust stirred up with blurred figures. The seance scene also looks typical of those in early ghost stories.

In the end, one eventually asks whether this light hearted ghost story is any fun. Well it might be for director Assayas and his star, but it might be too much of a slow and long haul for others. Assayas leaves his film with an open ending that might have some audiences dissatisfied. But on the same hand, PERSONAL SHOPPER is not a film that lends to a Hollywood ending. Having one would have destroyed the entire atmosphere of the film Assayas had so carefully created.

The film is shot in English, with some French and German spoken (and an elaborate German song) with a moody setting in both Paris and London. Interesting but not great!

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hghXP4F3Qs

 

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: DONALD CRIED (USA 2015) ***

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

donald_cried.jpgDirector: Kris Avedisian (as Kristopher Avedisian)
Writers: Kris Avedisian (as Kristopher Avedisian), Kris Avedisian (screenplay)
Stars: Jesse Wakeman, Kris Avedisian, Louisa Krause

Review by Gilbert Seah

 DONALD CRIED is a weird title for a movie. The reason it is called that comes clear after half the movie has passed – and it is as weird a movie as its title. But not a bad one. DONALD CRIED is a two handler comedy about two losers. But don’t let what has been said turn you off this movie. Kris Avedisian who wrote and directed the film also stars as Donald and in DONALD CRIED has helmed a very original comedy piece that despite its simple setting, is an absorbing watch from start to end.

The first loser is Peter Latang (Jesse Wakeman). Peter had left his childhood home of Warwick, Rhode Island to reinvent himself as a slick, Wall Street mover and shaker. He is suddenly forced to return home to bury his grandmother. He hates Warwick. When the film opens, Peter arrives at the house and finds that he has lost his wallet on the train and unable to pay the cab driver. Peter is so annoying that the cab driver lets him off with the $15 fare instead of taking him to the train station to try to recover the wallet. Stranded and broke, Peter looks to the only person he can think of to help him out – his next door neighbour and former childhood friend Donald (played by Avedisian).

Then, the audience is introduced to an even greater loser – Donald.
Donald is a man-child who is more annoying than Peter. He speaks too close to ones face, is too much of a hugger and wears really bad clothes. Besides going on and on about things no one wants to hear about, Donald also unknowingly insults the one his is talking too. Imagine the question he asks Peter: “Do you masturbate still?” One scene has Donald at his place, almost naked reminiscing to Peter about old times. But the clincher scene has Peter waiting for Donald to finish playing his video game.

The rest of the film just follows the two ‘friends’ as they try to wrangle some cash that Peter desperately needs. They meet old acquaintances and do odd things like play football in the snow.

There are two segments that show the audience how f***ed-up Donald is. It is discovered that Donald had been impersonating Peter while is grandmother was sill alive. Donald pretended to be Peter so that the late grandmother would think her grandson had not left town. Another has Donald busting into the sex-making of Peter and his crush. These set-ups work well to test the relationship of the two buddies.

DONALD CRIED has begun its Toronto run at the Carlton Cinema from March 17th. The film won the American Independents Audience Award at AFI Fest and was an official selection at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc6lSzU5loo

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: THE SECOND TIME AROUND (Canada)

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review , , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

the_second_time_around.jpgDirector: Leon Marr
Writers: Leon Marr, Sherry Soules
Stars: Linda Thorson, Stuart Margolin, Laura de Carteret

Review by Gilbert Seah

 
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, and an audience favourite at numerous festivals such as Whistler Film Festival, U.K. International Jewish Film Festival, and Atlanta JFF, among others, THE SECOND TIME AROUND, the title tells it all, is about a second chance – a second chance at love. This is the kind of film that appears every 4 months or so, catering for the seniors, much like hits like COCOON.

Katherine Mitchell (Linda Thorson), a widowed yet vibrant senior, is not looking for love a second time – not at her age, and certainly not with grumpy Isaac Shapiro (Stuart Margolin). Her first line of dialogue in the film: “I prefer cut flowers to plants. When they die, you just throw them away.” She is entered into a convalescent home by her daughter, Helen (Laura de Carteret) after a hip injury. She is in a wheelchair. Convenient as made so by the script by Marr and Sherry Soules, both are widowed. Isaac and Katherine slowly fall in love, kissing and eventually taking their clothes off to sleep together (Don’t worry, the scene is done in good taste.)
The film moves at a slow pace suitable for the elderly that might be too slow for the video game audience. Director Marr (DANCING IN THE DARK) knows how to work his target audience. He has Mr. Shapiro sing to Katherine while dancing the song “The Second Time Around”. One cannot wish for a more romantic set-up. A few tears are also shed in the scene when the character Ben dies.

An artistically impressive seven is the one doe with shadows on he ceiling. Isaac drink and grumbles while Katherine leaves the room, shown as a shadow on the ceiling diminishing in size.

But as that title implies, the film is about a second chance in other areas as well. Katherine gets to Iive her dream of visiting the Opera House in Milan, Italy. But the film does not shy away from the realities of old age as well. As is the immobility, the intolerance of family members go caring for the elders, sickness an pain like athritis and migraines.

BAFTA Award Winner Linda Thorson (she was the first replacement of Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel in the popular TV series THE AVENGERS) delivers a sympathetic performance showing how dignified an prey her aged character can be. Stuart Margoloin (most famous for TV’s ROCKFORD FILES) also turns on his charm as her love interest. The two leads have good chemistry making the romance believable and charming. The late Don Francks (numerous TV series and the film FINIAN”S RAINBOW) who died last year has a small role as Murray.
The film has a good sweet ending with opera – Katherine’s first love. The soundtrack is full of beautiful music from famous opera pieces like Carmen and La Traviatta.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptLJTYw4WEI

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: Power Rangers (2017)

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

power_rangers.jpgDirector: Dean Israelite
Writers: John Gatins (screenplay), Matt Sazama (story by)
Stars: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler

Review by Gilbert Seah

Danger! Danger! Really bad and tacky opening sequence that is a forewarning of worst things to come! The film opens with a confrontation fight between two enemies, Zoltand and (yes, ridiculously named) Rita on the planet Earth before a meteor strikes. Voiceover informs that this is the Cenazora Era – whatever that means. Something is buried which, the audience can guess will be uncovered at the present time. All of what just occurred is a warning that the next 124 minutes of running time will be devoted to stupidity. The third POWER RANGERS film, which is actually a reboot by South African director Dean Israelite is an exercise in stupidity – in story, plot, action sequences and characterization. But the film, based on the successful TV series of the same name, is occasionally stupid fun!

The first POWER RANGERS film, MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE in 1995 made lots but the second, made two years later, TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE flopped. Director Israelite has said that his new $100 million version will be more edgy, down-to-earth and deal with more human issues. Israelite who became famous with his found-footage film PROJECT ALMANAC shows the same tactic with his camera placed within the car that is being chased at the start of the film. The resulting jittery screen does not really do anything much in terms of excitement for the car chase. In fact, a better effect was created with the camera on he dashboard of the car in the bank robbery escape scene in David MacKenzie’s HELL OR HIGH WATER.

The story follows five teens with attitude (Israelite’s more human characters??) are inexplicably brought together by coincidence or destiny to become the newest generation in a line of warriors known as the Power Rangers. The world rests in their hands as Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), a powerful witch and former Power Ranger, launches an assault seeking the Zeo Crystal with an army of stone golems called Putties and a giant golden monster called Goldar.

Five is a number too large. The film has to give screen time to each power ranger, with boredom setting in as quickly as an unfunny joke falls flat. The leader is a disgraced football player, Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery) who steals a bull at the start of the film. The other members are an assortment of different races and disabilities so obviously political correct that the entire enterprise looks downright silly. There is the autistic Afro-American (two in one), Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), the gay Trini (Becky G), the asian Zack (Ludi Lin) looking after his bed-ridden mother and Kimberly (Naomi Scott) the only other white power ranger.

The special effects and action sequences are cheesy if not tacky. It would just as well to see actors in monster costumes fighting each other. The humour is awful and unfunny. Most of the acting is terrible as well. The high school kids are played by actors over twenty. In fact, Ludi Lin is around 30 years of age. Elizabeth Banks, hardly recognizable in heavy make-up and skimpy outfit, at leasts knows how to camp up her villainous character.

POWER RANGERS is obviously aimed at a kids audience. But children’s films could be really funny and entertain adults as well, as in films like the SHREK and the recent BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. POWER RANGERS is just plain awful and boring from start to end. This one competes with MONSTER TRUCKS as the worst imagined and executed film project this year.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ezPMcnnyY

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: LIFE (USA 2017) ***1/2

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

life.jpgDirector: Daniel Espinosa
Writers: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds

Review by Gilbert Seah

LIFE is a new science fiction horror film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (who both penned DEADPOOL and ZOMBIELAND) and starring two of Hollywood’s hottest stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Dr. David Jordan and Ryan Reynolds as Rory Adams. The two are part of a six-member eclectic crew of the International Space Station that uncovers what initially seems to be the first evidence of life on Mars.

LIFE is the scariest horror film so far this year. Espinosa and his writing crew know how to shock people with genuine scares, not using silly tactics like false alarms and the volume of the sound suddenly for no reason going three times as loud. The film is set in space. Space is an unknown entity to human beings. Anything can happen in space. The sight of space with little light and vast endless openness is in itself the scariest notion ever.

The film begins with voiceover and scenes describing an international space station. The film is totally successful in grabbing and maintaining the audience’s attention. Everyone has to listen and pay full attention – or some important fact will be missed. The first thrill of the film involves the capture of a space probe returning from Mars with a sample inside. This task is obviously successful (so no spoiler alert here). The crew is tasked with studying the sample, which may be the first proof of extraterrestrial life. However, the study eventually backfires as the organism displays incredible strength and gains intelligence. The creature becoming extremely hostile and killing them all one by one. Ariyon Bakare’s Hugh Derry is the first casualty in a segment where his pain is matched only by his screaming. Trapped aboard the ISS with the rapidly-growing organism humorously nicknamed Calvin, the crew must find out how to kill it before it manages to escape and destroy Earth.

There are two things going for this horror film – unpredictability and suspense build-up. Director Espinosa builds his film slowly but effectively to a horrifying climax. He knows how to create real terror. The segments in which the victim are attacked by the creature are almost impossible to watch, with the creature’s tentacles entering the mouths of its victims. These start occurring after the first half of the fpm right up to the very end. A little spoiler alert here – anyone of the crew could be done away with. Don’t be fooled by the star billing.

At times, the film feels like other space horror films like John Carpenter’s THE THING or Ridley Scott’s ALIEN films. But LIFE tries and succeeds to be different. For one the ending is totally unpredictable. But one has to probably discuss what actually happened as an explanation is not crystal clear and could be open to different interpretations.

Ridley Scott’s new ALIEN reboot (ALIEN: COVENANT) arrives in a few months.

How it will compare to Calvin is the anticipatory question.

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

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com

Film Review: WEIRDOS (Canada 2015) ***1/2

festreviews 2017 movies, movie, Movie Review , , , , , , , ,

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca

weirdos_poster.jpgDirector: Bruce McDonald
Writers: Daniel MacIvor, Daniel MacIvor
Stars: Dylan Authors, Rhys Bevan-John, Francine Deschepper

Review by Gilbert Seah

When talking about this film last year at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), director Bruce McDonald says that he does not go commercial because this way, he gets to make the kind of film he wants. WEIRDOS is an excellent example of an indie film, so uniquely McDonald and East Atlantic (the setting being the province of Nova Scotia) as well being written by East Coast Award winning playwright and film director Daniel MacIvor. MacIvor also won the Canadian Screen Awards this year for Best Film Screenplay for this film.

Bruce McDonald (HARD CORE LOGO, THE TRACEY SEGMENTS) turns down the angst a little while keeping the film just as edgy, with WEIRDOS.

The setting is the town of Antigonish in Nova Scotia on the 4th of July of 1976, the American Bicentennial. Music-loving 15-year-old Kit (Dylan Authors) spends his time either alone in his room listening to Elton John albums, or hanging out with his platonic girlfriend, Alice (Julia Sarah Stone, from WET BUM). Like Kit, Alice feels out of place, and her divorced parents have too many issues of their own to offer much comfort. The film pays tribute to (or copies from, depending on how one wants at look at it) films like Woody Allen’s PLAY IT AGAIN SAM to John Schlesinger’s MIDNIGHT COWBOY. Andy Warhol, played by Rhys Bevan-John advises Kit just as Bogart advises the Woody Allen character. Warhol appears at various points in the film, unseen by anyone except Kit giving silly advice to Kit which Kit never takes anyway. This ploy by MacIvor is remotely funny, but serves no purpose but provide a little humour. The beginning of the film feels like MIDNIGHT COWBOY together with the falsetto part of the song resembling “Everybody’s Talkin’ of me” by John Nilsson.

I did not think too much of WEIRDOS the first time I saw it at TIFF, but this is one film that grows on you. Throughout the entire film, one has the feeling McDonald thinks he is pretty cool and that his film is pretty cool stuff. The film is a little weird, pretty much like its characters and like McDonald himself. WEIRDOS is the perfect title for the movie.

Just like the Oscar winning Best Film, MOONLIGHT, WEIRDOS has an unexpected coming-out gay story. Though gay, Kit has a girlfriend and also attempts sex, though to no avail. In my opinion, the gay subtext cleverer here that in MOONLIGHT.

The young actors Authors and Stone are both superb, innocent and winning. The older actors also stand out particularly Molly Parker as Kit’s slightly crazy mother.

The film also renders a good message for teens. The story has Kit’s dad (Stephen McHattie) drive all the way to pick his son up in Sydney when things go wrong. It shows how much parents love and go all the way out for their kids, even though they don’t realize or appreciate it.

They is arguable Bruce McDonald’s best movie.

_________

Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html

Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca

Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com