Movie Review

Film Review: MATTHEW, (USA, LGBT/Family)

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Moving and profound, MATTHEW, directed by Luke Willis is a striking film about a young boy (Matthew) who is in the process of discovering his own sexual identity when he must face the social sets backs of his disillusioned Grandfather. While going out with his friend Maya, a “hangout” his grandfather wrongly assumes is a “Date”, his grandfather decides to watch and see the developments. The grandfather ends up taking issue with his grandson- not because he refuses to kiss his friend Maya, but because Maya is black.

 

What is so compelling about this piece is that the character of the grandfather is blind to his grandson’s true orientation- all his can see is the issue he feels is right in front of his face- that his grandson is associating with people of a different race. But there is something incredibly wonderful in this story as well. The grandfather represents a time that is running out. His fears, his xenophobia and his hostility are unfounded and doomed to be short lived. Our hero Matthew and his friend Maya are the future- and they are at peace, both with their friendship and with who they are.

 

The layers of development that turn us from children into adults are rich and complex. They include layers of self discovery, layers of awkwardness, layers of history. And we emerge on the other side as the people we all grow to be. These layers are built in a series of fundamental moments that shape us in our formative and vulnerable years. MATTHEW is a film that takes a close and personal look at one such moment in a young boy’s life as he takes a step away from where his family comes from, and steps into a brighter and happier future.

 

A stunning film boasting beautiful cinematography and fantastic casting, MATTHEW is a film not to miss.

Review by Kierston Drier

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film:

MATTHEW, 6min., USA, LGBT/Family
Directed by Luke WillisA teenage boy is figuring out his own sexual identity when his grandfather drives him to hang out with a girl.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: CHRICKE, (Sweden, LGBT/Experimental)

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Just shy of seven minutes, CHRICKE packs a huge amount of information into itself. Waking up in a completely white world our hero, Chricke, operates in a blank void- the walls are white, the phone is white, the food is white, he is painted white. And he paints his things white as well. His world is bright- but colorless. The phone call from his father who rambled drunkeningly off the hook expresses nothing but familial disappointment for his son’s life choices. All the way Chricke paints himself white. Until, that is- he sees a light shining through a small way out. Unlike his current world this light is full of colour. As Chricke’s father drones on and on with what we realize is a final goodbye and disownment, Chricke finds a way out of tiny white world.

The obvious visual metaphor is striking and simple. The performance of our main character conveys everything needed with his body language. The piece does what every short film should strive to do- convey a feeling in a short, profoundly effective way. CHRICKLE does this. And the feeling at the end of the film is one of freedom- a fresh start awaits  our hero outside of the blank walls of montonecy and normalcy. Chrickle is free.

Review by Kierston Drier

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CHRICKLE, 7min., Sweden, LGBT/Experimental
Directed by Christian ArnoldA young man wakes up to a monotonus and isololated life in a colourless prison. Relucantly, he does everything in his power to suit his oppressive father. Until it knocks on the door.CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: BOY (USA, LGBT/Drama)

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Powerfully shot and emotionally charged despite it’s minimalist script, BOY centers around a businessman who takes an interest in a young street kid. Taking him back to his apartment, he offers the boy kindness- tending to his recent injury and offering him a beer. Yet there is something sinister going on underneath the surface that is at first hard to read- until the moment when the tension in the room turns sexual and the two have a dramatic sexual encounter.

A film that unnerves and unhinges you, and leaves the viewer with a sick sense of breathlessness, BOY must be praised. For such a strong reaction to be felt in the audience is only a testament to the incredible portal by the well-casted performers and the tight, intimate sense of space created by the cinematographic style. BOY is a film that takes you into a disturbing and confusing world and breaks your heart in the process. We see, in only a few short minutes, the breaking of the innocence of our youthful character and the brokenness that is our adult character.

BOY is a stunning and gripping film, full of things to say about who we are, why we do the things we do, and who we do them with. It is a piece that makes us to look at a dramatic moment in the lives of two people and ask ourselves who they might be afterward. A compelling film indeed.

Review by Kierston Drier

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BOY, 9min., USA, LGBT/Drama
Directed by Declan Quinlan

A businessman is pushed to evaluate himself after a young runaway leads him into unfamiliar territory.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Film Review: THE FRUIT MACHINE (Canada, LGBT/Drama)

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Review by Kierston Drier

Based on true historical events that played out during the cold war in Canada, FRUIT MACHINE, directed by Omer Khan and written by Tavish Gudgeon, is a strong and compelling piece about social mores, and the epic divide between our love for our country, and our love for each other. Against the backdrop of war and the social stigma of homosexaulity, our hero, Marleau  is forced to submit to a bizarre and brutal test called “The Fruit Machine” but it forces him to recount the warm, and also painful memories of his relationship with Sam- who enlisted before him.

 

And although Marleau doesn’t want him to go, Sam is committed to serve his country. But when Sam returns to find Marleau in the arms of a woman their relationship and communication comes to an abrupt stop. Marleau is tormented by the one-who-got-away, and whatever happened to him.

 

For a film so short, it captures with strikingly articulate pain the sense of tragedy and pride in the hearts of young men going to war. But underneath that age-old story is something even more emotionally compelling- the love between two people who must hide their feelings for each other and when they are ripped apart, they are not even given the courtesy to mourn the loss of that love- as it is forbidden. Beautifully shot, exceptionally well casted and compellingly written and performed, THE FRUIT MACHINE is an engaging and dramatic performance. A brilliant retelling of a disturbing part of Canadian history, but story worth hearing at all costs.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film:

THE FRUIT MACHINE, 16min., Canada, LGBT/Drama
Directed by Omer KhanDuring the 1950’s and 60’s, at the height of the Cold War, the Canadian government was doing everything it could to gain an advantage. Major shifts were happening within the RCMP, military, and civil services. A device was introduced to test the stress levels of workers by measuring pupillary response to certain images. This device was called: The Fruit Machine.

CLICK HERE – and see full info and more pics of the film!

Hot Docs 2018 – Commander Arian – A Story of Women, War and Freedom (Germany/Spain/Syria 2018) ***

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Directed by Alba Sotorra

 

The Commander Arian of the film title is a 30-year-old female fighter of the Kurdish Resistance (YPJ ).  The aim of this group of women is to free villages captured by ISIS who treat women, in Arian’s own words, less than the worth of a piece of fabric.  Her aim is also to promote the woman’s cause – beyond marriage and making love.  Director Sotorra’s film is in two parts.  The first shows Arian in convalescence, after wounded by 5 bullets.  She speaks candidly of her goals, aspirations and her work. The film flashes back earlier to show her commanding her troops in the unending battle against the ISIS.  The film hails the conquering hero and Arian demands the respect she works for.  She is also shown in her weakness when her body is hurting and at her strengths when she is inspiring her soldiers.  To Arian, death must be worth the fight.  The film shows many candid battle scenes.  A solid documentary that is both eye-opening and disturbing.

Short Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agx7hzHVsN4

 

 

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Film Review: KINGS (France/Belgium 2017)

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Kings Poster
Trailer

The life of a foster family in South Central Los Angeles, a few weeks before the city erupts in violence following the verdict of the Rodney King trial.

Director:

Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Writer:

Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Stars:

Halle Berry, Daniel Craig, Lamar Johnson

 

The first thing striking this film is that it is a French-Belgium co-production with a setting of racial tension following the 1992 riots in Los Angeles of the United States.  The riots are the result of the acquittal of the 4 policeman accused of the beating of black youth Rodney King.   Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven is a Turkish born French.  A foreigner tackling a sensitive American issue spells trouble.  True enough!  The film has, at the time of writing, a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 8 reviews.  The film contains too many instances of sensationalization and desperation with the overall feel that director Ergüven seems insecure and has too much to prove with her story.

But she is already an accomplished director with her debut film, MUSTANG nominated for the Best Foreign Film Academy Award.  This is quite the achievement, that allowed her the financial backing to make this film.  Not ono that, bit she is able to cast two stars Halle Berry and Daniel Craig in the title roles.  It is also her original script which is made even more current with a romance between a mixed couple.

The film’s opening scene is already troublesome.  A young black woman puts a jug of orange juice at an Asian Convenience Store into her coat only to be suspected for theft by the store owner who ends up shooting the black woman after being punched in the face by her.   Though this is a true incident that occurred, it downplays the Rodney King incident.  Another troublesome part involves black kids shoplifting and then celebrating their spoils, which basically translates to a film that condones stealing.  There is one good segment in which a cop has to handle one suspect in a car and two youths who has entered his cop car.  “God, I hate this job!” the cop screams.  This is a good view from the side of the cops, for a change, illustrating that they too, have problems when dealing with crime in a black neighbourhood. 

The film is largely spoiled by Halle Berry in what must be the worst casting of an actress in a role not to mention her bad acting.  She overdoes her angelic Mother Teresa role of taking troubled kids into her home.  Her perfect ‘model’ look and perfect hair do not help the credibility of her role either.  The next worst thing is the casting of James Bond Daniel Craig as the reclusive neighbour next time. And horror or horrors!  The two have a romantic interlude.

The females in the film often scream and shout, appearing like spoilt children getting into a fit for not being bale to get what they want.  They also resort to foul language that is so unbecoming of a lady.  All this seems ok and fine since the director has a thing about women issues.  Yet, the audience is supposed to respect such behaviour.

The result is an overdone, over preachy film that gets tedious and terribly annoying.

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

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Film Review: LEANING INTO THE WIND (UK/Germany 2016) ***

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Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy Poster
Trailer

Leaning into the Wind follows artist Andy Goldsworthy on his exploration of the world and himself through ephemeral and permanent workings on the landscape, cities and with his own body.

Director:

Thomas Riedelsheimer

Stars:

Andy Goldsworthy, Holly Goldsworthy

 

Note: The Film Review reveals the film’s last scene, which could be considered a spoiler even though the film is a documentary.  Skip the last paragraph (in bold italics) of the review if you do not wish to read it.

Leaning into the Wind follows artist Andy Goldsworthy on his exploration of the layers of his world and the impact of the years on himself and his art.  This is director Riedelsheimer’s second film on Goldsworthy, his first called RIVERS AND TDES, made 16 years prior.  As Goldsworthy introduces his own body into the work it, becomes at the same time even more fragile and personal and also sterner and tougher, incorporating massive machinery and crews on his bigger projects. 

Before watching this doc or reading the review, a few things need be known about the artist Andy Goldsworthy.  Information following in this paragraph is taken from Wikipedia.  Goldsworthy is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings.  He lives and works in Scotland.  

Goldsworthy produced a commissioned work for the entry courtyard of San Francisco’s De Young Museum called “Drawn Stone”, which echoes San Francisco’s frequent earthquakes and their effects.  His installation included a giant crack in the pavement that broke off into smaller cracks, and broken limestone, which could be used for benches. The smaller cracks were made with a hammer adding unpredictability to the work as he created it.  Goldsworthy is represented by Galerie Lelong, New York and Paris.  The materials used in Andy Goldsworthy’s art often include brightly coloured flowers, icicles, leaves, mud, pinecones, snow, stone, twigs, and thorns. Goldsworthy is generally considered the founder of modern rock balancing.  For his ephemeral works, Goldsworthy often uses only his bare hands, teeth, and found tools to prepare and arrange the materials; however, for his permanent sculptures he has also employed the use of machine tools. 

One assumes Riedelsheimer has introduced his subject in his first doc and that audiences might be familiar with as there is not much in this doc that goes into the background and history of Godsworthy the man.  His influences on being a farmer is never mentioned, neither on how his art is financed or how his art came to be famous.  But his fascination with working in the fields and rocks are acknowledged in the sculptor’s own words. The film also takes the audience through different countries like the U.S, Scotland and Franc to show him his work.  It is fortunate that a doc is made when the artist is still alive as in this film, as much more insight can be obtained from the artist himself interviewed, that Riedelsheimner utilities a great deal than from words from the relatives and friends.

The doc also shows Goldsworthy as an eccentric.  Any artist that fills his mouth with coloured petals only to spew them out and photograph it art would be described as a little different.

The film shows in some detail the creation of one of his works entitled “Roof”, working.with his assistant and five British dry-stone wallers, who were used to make sure the structure could withstand time and nature.

The film ends appropriately in the climax where Goldsworthy lets himself lean into the wind as he lets the wind support him on a mountain slope.  It is a comical image with him trying not to fall. To him, that is the perfect emotion – LEANING INTO THE WIND and suspended in a beautiful moment.

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/194334804

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Film Review: BAD SAMARITAN (USA 2017) ***

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Bad Samaritan Poster
Trailer

A pair of burglars stumble upon a woman being held captive in a home they intended to rob.

Director:

Dean Devlin

Writer:

Brandon Boyce (screenplay)

Stars:

Kerry Condon, David Tennant, Robert Sheehan

 

The film BAD SAMARITAN centres on young Sean Falco (Robert Sheedan), the bad Samaritan of the title who leaves a kidnapped woman in the house he is robbing only to feel guilty after and deciding to help her.  The problem is the kidnapper.  The kidnapper is a filthy rich psycho who has made it his goal to destroy Sean’s life.  And so the story goes in this occasionally scary horror thriller.

The film opens with Sean Falco and his best friend Derek Sandoval (Carlito Olivero) working as parking valets for a high end Italian restaurant.  They have the tech ability of finding the information from the cars they park and to use the information to rob the houses of these clients.  This is not the first film based on this premise.  The recent Canadian drama BOOST turned the scenario into the young robber’s coming-of-rites passage turing BOOST to become one of the Best Canadian debut features of the year.  BAD SAMARITAN takes a different route as a horror thriller with the victim becoming the predator in what essentially is a slasher horror flick.  But as a slasher flick, Devlin’s film succeeds and delivers quite a few jump out of your seat genuine scares.  The film also plays to like a abduction thriller similar to HOUSE and SPLIT.  Robert Sheehan is sufficiently apt in the title role of the young lead, though the film never explains the character’s strong Irish accent.

The success of a thriller or action film often depends largely on the effectiveness of the villain.  As in the recent AVENGERS INFINITY WAR that had an excellent villain in the form of Josh Brolin’s Thanos, BAD SAMARITAN’s bad guy is so evil that the entire audience will be at the point of cheering aloud when he gets his comeuppance at the end.  Full credit to David Tennant as the evil beyond comparison Cale Erendreich, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Anthony Perkins.  This is especially apparent in the shower scene (director Deviln’s clever nod to Hitchcock’s PSYCHO) when Cale shows up in Sean’s residence while he is taking a shower.  Audiences should be pleased too at spotting a few other Hitchcock references.

The film contains a brief episode showing Sean with his parents.  Both his father followed by his mother have lost their jobs, from Cale’s orchestration to punish Sean.  The parents move to a hotel but nothing more is seen of them.

Devlin devices a few brilliant suspenseful set-ups, the best of these is the one that has Sean lying low in his car parked outside the villain’s house while the villain sees his vehicle and walks towards it.  A few false alarms allow the audience to jump out of their seats proving that it is fun to be scared in a movie.  The film’s climax is well executed with the suspense and thrills escalating to a high point.

The film suffers from a weird ending (not revealed in the review) desperate to contain a twist in the story.  Other than that, BAD SAMARITAN is a solid scary horror thriller that comes recommended.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyuRdsik_P0

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Film Review: THE SEAGULL (USA 2018) ***1/2

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The Seagull Poster
Trailer

An aging actress named Irina Arkadina pays summer visits to her brother Pjotr Nikolayevich Sorin and her son Konstantin on a country estate. On one occasion, she brings Trigorin, a …See full summary »

Director:

Michael Mayer

Writers:

Anton Chekhov (play), Stephen Karam (screenplay)

Stars:

Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Annette Bening

 

THE SEAGULL, Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov’s first of 4 plays became one of the greatest plays in the history of Russian Theatre when Konstantin Stanislavsky directed it in 1898 for his Moscow Art Theatre.  I have never read or seen Chekhov’s THE SEAGULL even though there are previous film adaptations of the play including one directed by Sidney Lumet.  So, watching the film unfold, flaws and all, is still an unforgettable experience given the strength of its source material.

The story features four main characters, Irina, her son Konstantin, her lover, Boris and the son’s love, Nina – all torn between love and art.   

An aging actress named Irina Arkadina (Annette Bening) pays summer visits to her brother Pjotr Nikolayevich Sorin (Brian Dennehy) and her son Konstantin (Billy Howle) on a country estate.  On one occasion, she brings Boris Trigorin (Corely Stoll) a successful novelist and her lover. Nina (Saoirse Ronan), a free and innocent girl from a neighbouring estate who is in a relationship with Konstantin, falls in love with Boris.

The film begins with the climax of the play and returns to it after the main story folds in flashback, a tactic used by director Mayer for the film.  This is a common tactic in films to grab the audience’s attention at the start while bringing them back to the same state at a later part of the film.  The tactic often works and works in this film as well.   The brother Sorin is ill and dying while Irina visits and engages the guests in a game of ‘lotto’ a kind of bingo while something drastic takes place with her son in a back room that climaxes the story and ends the film.  But quite the drama has occurred prior to this set of affairs with lives and loves being interchanged as well as unrequited love torn away from a poor woman’s heart.  This is the stuff Chekov’s play is born of.  Included in the story is the scene where Konstantine shoot and kills an innocent seagull (the story’s metaphor) which is placed at the feet of his true love, Nina.

There are lots of unrequited love in the story, that of Irina, her son and mostly Marsha’s (Elisabeth Moss).  Irina brings to the estate the successful playwright, Boris Trigorin who falls for actress wannabe, Nina who falls for him.  It is a question of he not able to get what he wants and she not able to get what she wants while each having the quality the oner desires.  There is more irony in the artistic play that Konstantin writes that his mother makes fun of.  Besides all this fantastic Chekov writing that is incredibly brilliant the way he brings it all together, director Mayer occasionally eclipses the brilliance with his touches.  This includes, for example the scene where Konstantin makes silly ‘tweetie-bird’ faces in the mirror while his mother is desperately claiming possession in the next room, or when Kosntatntin plays the piano, the music complementing the activities going on again, in the next room.

The film, which looks fantastic (cinematography by Matthew J. Lloyd) was shot on 

location at a New York State manor, using almost all natural light.  In the nighttime scenes, 95 % of what you see is actually from candle light. 

THE SEAGULL benefits greatly again from its actors, particularly its 3 main actresses Benign, Moss and Ronan.  Relative newcomer British Billy Howle proves his acting chops as well in quite the major role.  There are many reasons to see THE SEAGULL – the performances, the currently relevant tale of art and romance but especially if you are unfamiliar with this Chekhov play.

Director Mayer, who is a Tony Award Winning theatre director (SPRING AWAKENING) should do Chekhov proud with this film adaptation of THE SEAGULL.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gc6Orz5XtI

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Hot Doc 2018: THE SILENCE OF OTHERS (Spain/USA 2018) ***1/2

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The Silence of Others Poster
The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six years, the film …See full summary »

Directors:

Robert Bahar, Almudena Carracedo

Writers:

Ricardo Acosta, Robert Bahar | 2 more credits »

Stars:

María Martín, José María Galante,

 

One of the biggest docs to premiere at Toronto’s HOT DOS 2018 this year is Pedro Almodovar’s presentation of THE SILENCE OF OTHERS, a film about the evil of the Franco regime of 40 years.  The film gets personal at the film’s start when a 90-ish old women places flowers at the side of the road.  

She is still mourning the death of her mother, who was taken away by the townsfolk way back in the 30’s and left by the side of the road.  Her body was not allowed to be taken to the cemetery.  Footage taken in 1936 the shows Franco next to Hitler followed by massacre of rows of people and other injustices such as brutal beatings by Franco troops. All the above occurs within the first 5 minutes of the film so the audience is primed for a solid riveting historical documentary.  This elderly woman is just one person seeking just for inhumanities done during the Franco regime.  She and many others want their relatives’ graves exhumed for their remains.  Others were tortured by officials in the regime.  They,understandably want justice.

  The film follows a select few of those who suffered under the Franco regime.  Many want the torturers punished and go to jail while others want the bodies of their dead ones back for proper burial.  The film centres on their emotions especially showing their joy and relief after the courts have passed sentence.

Trailer: http://www.critic.de/film/the-silence-of-others-11676/trailer/

Carlos Slepoy

 

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