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Movie Review

Film Review: TOMB RAIDER (USA/UK 2018)

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Tomb Raider Poster

Trailer

Lara Croft, the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond her limits when she finds herself on the island where her father disappeared.

Director:

Roar Uthaug

Writers:

Geneva Robertson-Dworet (screenplay by), Alastair Siddons (screenplay by) |2 more credits »

Stars:

Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins |

 

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Film Review: THE LEISURE SEEKER (USA 2017)

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The Leisure Seeker Poster
Trailer

A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker.

Director:

Paolo Virzì

Writers:

Michael Zadoorian (novel), Stephen Amidon (screenplay) | 3 more credits »

Stars:

Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland, Janel Moloney

 

Oscar winner Helen Mirren (THE QUEEN) and Donald Sutherland star as an elderly couple looking for adventure on one boisterous and bittersweet final road trip.

It has finally come the time (UGH!) when both Mirren and Sutherland star in a old fart film, and one that goes all the way.  Yes, heaven forbid but the worst can happen. THE LEISURE SEEKER is the camper that the elderly married couple take off on their road trip.

Italian director Paolo Virzi who also did the music for the film makes clear of his American political stand.  The film opens with Trump, newly elected voicing his speech on the radio “We will make America great again.”  Another scene later on in the film has the couple walking through a pro-Trump rally.

Ella (Mirren) is dying of cancer.  Her husband, John (Sutherland) is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  As the film opens, their son and daughter discover that their parents have taken off with THE LEISURE SEEKER, on a last road trip.  Neither Ella nor John is interested in quietly fading away surrounded by nurses and machines just to needlessly prolong a winnowing life.  They travel from Boston to Florida (some nice scenery on display) with John behind the wheel.  He may not always be cognizant of the nature of their trip — she assures him it is just a vacation — but he gets into the spirit.  As they pass through cities and towns they see how much the world they know has changed for ill or for good.

The film is based on the novel by Michael Zadoorian.  But as a film, there is too much tackled in the film.  Everything that one can think about growing old is in the film and covered unfortunately in a clinched manner.  

The issues covered include:

sex between an elderly couple

sickness that are incurable such as cancer and memory loss

past skeletons in the closet

children who care too much

being a burden

loss of bodily functions

dying

retirement homes

being taken advantage of as seniors (the hold-up scene)

what old people really look like outside their make-up and hair pieces

Director Virzi acts like a traffic cop ushering these issues in an out.  The incidents like the traffic comes and goes, none too memorable, and quite boring too, just as the job of directing traffic.

Helen Mirren does a southern accent though her British accent can still be heard.  Her first few dialogue lines are done with British accent which is odd.  Mirren is brave enough to show her real looks, with thinning white hair and all.  Sutherland, looking really lean and sexy in the old (younger days) photographs on display in the film.

The script attempts to put some insight with lots of quotations from Hemingway as John is a former professor of Literature.

It is clear that the film is aimed at displaying humour, affection, observation, and maybe a little satire, but the result is another old farts fantasy film about old people trying to be young again.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGGKsVFslJ8

 

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Film Review: ISLE OF DOGS (USA 2017) ***** TOP 10

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Trailer

Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his dog.

Director:

Wes Anderson

Writers:

Wes Anderson (screenplay), Wes Anderson (story) | 3 more credits »

Stars:

Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton

 

ISLE OF DOGS lies on many critics’ list as one of their most anticipated films of the year.  The reason is easy to see.  It has been 4 years since Anderson wowed both audiences and critics alike with the excellent THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL.  ISLE OF DOGS is also Anderson’s second animated feature after THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX and judging from that film, ISLE OF DOGS arrives with high expectations.  Fortunately, these are all met.  The film also won Anderson the Silver Bear Award for Best Director for ISLE OF DOGS which also opened the Berlin International Film Festival.

In a dystopian future Japan, dogs have been quarantined and banished to a remote island due to a “canine flu”.  Major Kobayashihas (Kunichi Nomura) who has won the election and has convinced all his voters that this is the best idea.  The all-important question is then posed; “Whatever happened to man’s best friend?”  

There is hope for the dogs.  A boy, ironically the major’s nephew, Atari (Koyu Rankin), ventures to the island to search for his dog, Spots (Liev Screiber).  There is at least one human being who still loves his pet dog.  Dogs Chief (Bryan Cranston), Rex  (Edward Norton), Boss (Bill Murray), Duke (Jeff Goldblum), and King (Bob Balaban) help him search for Spots and evade the authorities.  Eventually Atari discovers his uncle’s plot to eliminate all dogs on the isle and with the help of the dogs led by Chief saves the dog world.  The film is enough to seriously have audiences consider getting themselves a pet dog after watching the moving saga.

The film is shot in both English and Japanese.  The dogs speak English which English audiences understand while the humans speak Japanese which the dogs (and audiences do not understand).  This is a brilliant concept which is even more brilliant when one considers the reverse effect when Japanese watch the film.

The ensemble voice cast is impressive but largely wasted as many of the voices cannot be recognized.  Even Yoko Ono is on the list, but very few know what she sounds like, less alone the more famous stars that include Ken Watanabe, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig, just to name a few.

And the film is extremely funny with more than I can count, laugh-out loud moments.  Anderson’s humour is mostly tongue-in-cheek, which is not the characteristic humour (slapstick, sarcasm, dead-pan) found in many films.   Examples are the way Anderson shoots his animated feature as if all happening is live action.  The segment on the liver transplant is done in an overhead shot as if the operation is actually filmed live with live characters.  Dialogue like one dog saying: “The ones I want are never in heat!” or “I see cats with more balls than you guys,” also come across as very funny in their situations.  The most hilarious of these occur after the film’s climax where the mayoral elections are finally over with the commentator announcing in a sort of anti-climaxed statement: “Boy, What a night!”

On originality alone, ISLE OF DOGS scores 100% which makes it one of the first 10 best films of 2018.  Boy! What a movie!

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt__kig8PVU

 

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Film Review: UNSANE (USA 2018) ***1/2

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Unsane Poster
Trailer

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A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear–but is it real or a product of her delusion?

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

Jonathan Bernstein, James Greer

Stars:

Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah

Director Steven Soderbergh alternates between making big budget Hollywood blockbusters like OCEAN’S ELEVEN, ERIN BROCKOVICH and small budget personal movies.  UNSANE falls into the latter and shows the director in playful mood.  His playful mood translates to genuine scares and twisted humour in UNSANE, the story of a businesswoman institutionalized against her free will.

UNSANE contains touches of Soderbergh’s past films like a female heroine discovering a conspiracy (ERIN BROCKOVICH) and even has a welcome appearance of a cameo from a famous actor from one of his blockbuster films, even if not for more than a minute.  The film is updated to a scene similar to what the heroine would face if placed in a Harvey Weinstein like situation.

The heroine of the piece is Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy), a young, pretty and bright but troubled businesswoman.  She begins to find out that her past is catching up to her when she encounters a stalker. To ensure her safety, Sawyer signs up for a support group that helps people tackle stalking problems.  She also moves to a different city leaving her mother and friends behind, leading an excluded life that would likely bring her paranoia.  She gets help from a stalking support group.  Unfortunately, Sawyer finds out that she has involuntarily placed herself in a mental institution with strict rules that there should be no contact with the outside world.  The message here is to be careful what you sign.  Never sign what you have not read!  Now, Sawyer is alone and trapped against her will.

According to the film’s ad, Sawyer must fight her own demons within the twisted asylum as the visions of her stalker begin to take over.

There are are two main questions posed in the film’s premise:

what the reason is for her to be institutionalized against her own free will

whether she is imagining the stalker now or is it the real thing

To avoid any spoilers, the answers will not be revealed in this review, safe to say that they are revealed to the audience quite early in the film.  Nevertheless, director Soderbergh devises other means to scare his audience.  And quite effectively too.  One is the placement of another scary, mental patient in the bed next to Sawyer.  Olivia (JunoTemple) is not all there and carries a sharp object which she threatens Sawyer with.  Her mother (Amy Irving) inadvertently lets Sawyer’s stalker into her apartment as he poses to be the maintenance man.  (Message: Never let strangers with no identification into you home.”  The element of audience anticipation is cleverly evoked.

The film has a few flaws.  The monologue that Sawyer delivers to her tormentor that results in his breaking down garnered a few laughs in what was supposed to be a dead serious segment.  UNSANE contains a few ultra-violent scenes reminiscent of another kidnapping film, Stephen King’s MISERY.

Coming out of the film, I heard a member of the public complain that she had watched a dissatisfying movie.  There is nothing dissatisfying about this movie.  Great premise, apt performances and scary atmosphere – no complaints in these departments!  UNSANE is a genuinely scary, well executed movie that brigs closure to all the issues tendered.  What she saw was a less commercialized movie she and many are not used to.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7KZrt_cHH0

Film Review: TEARS IN THE RAIN, South Africa, Fan Fiction/Sci-Fi 

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TEARS IN THE RAIN, directed by Christopher Harvey, is an eleven minutes fan-fiction short film coming out of South Africa, that is inspired by the works of Philip K Dicks’ novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? As well as the motion picture Blade Runner. Our hero is met unexpectedly at a restaurant to be terminated by an insurance worker. But while the irreversible termination takes place our hero frantically tries to reason with his assailant that there has been a terrible mistake- he is not, in fact, a machine, but a real person. The back-and-forth continues, scratching the surface of morality, philosophy, technology and our transhuman future. But when the end finally comes, our insurance villain realizes that he may have actually terminated not something- but someone.

A love letter that pays homage to some of the great creative media works of our age, TEARS IN THE RAIN does justice to the fiction is draws its inspiration from. Excellently cast, brilliantly acted and incredibly powerful (although surprisingly simple) this is a film that reminds us that we do not need million-dollar special effects to create a story with edge-of-your-seat intensity. Well done, Christopher Harvey, well done.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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TEARS IN THE RAIN, 11min., South Africa, Fan Fiction/Sci-Fi 
Directed by Christopher Harvey 

Tears In The Rain is a short film set in the world of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) as well as the motion picture Blade Runner (1982).

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

 

Film Review: BACK PAGE RIPPER, USA, Sci-Fi/Mystery 

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BACK PAGE RIPPER a five minute American Science-fiction film from Stephen Rutterford, follows a young woman on a hunt to find the monster that has been terrorizing the city. It’s crime? Ripping the back pages out of books. When she finally catches sight of the monster, she must chase it- forever searching to the end of every story. But how will her story resolve when she finally catches up to a monster who steals endings?

What makes this slender short film so fascinating is its inception-style resolution. We never get to see the ending of the story. Why? Because this science-fiction film reflects real life. We never get to know the end of our story- we aren’t supposed to. That is half the fun of reading the book. Does our heroine make her own ending? Can she wrestle one out of the monster that steals all written resolutions?

BACK PAGE RIPPER has a wonderful, noir, pulp-fiction vibe to it (yes, pun intended) and the tone fits beautifully with the fantastical notion of a villainous creature stealing the endings of stories. A gritty yet fantastical film, and a joy to watch.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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BACK PAGE RIPPER, 5min. USA, Sci-Fi/Mystery 
Directed by Stephen RutterfordA girl must solve the mystery of who ripped the last page out of her mystery novel.

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Film Review: LILITH, USA, Sci-Fi/Drama 

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LILITH is a nineteen minute American Science-fiction drama directed by David Odio. Set is terrifying dystopian world where beautiful women are held as trinket commodities  in captivity and taught only one decorative skill, LILITH tells the story of one such woman who bucks the broken system. Though it costs her dearly, her break with the world of patriarchal society will set her free.

Dark and sinister with its undertones, LILITH is a film that takes real issues in society and distills them down through a nearly fantastical lense of science-fiction. Sexism in it’s most extreme is showcased in LILITH, as a way to hold up a mirror to modern-day inequality. We can be entertained safely by such films, because they are so much more hyperbolic than our own world…or are they?

Truly well-made science-fiction asks us to think about our world in relation to the world the story tells. The world Lilith comes from is dangerous, gritty and horribly defeatist for any female- doomed to a short life lived as a sex doll of s service provider for the dominate male class. What does LILITH say as a film? It asks us to examine how different or how similar its’ world is from our own- are we frighteningly close to the world our heroine comes from?

But within every dystopia, there is cause for hope. And there is no lack of hope in LILITH. For within the titular character lies a grit and determination that she follows to the extreme- and it leads her to brighter tomorrow.

A sharp, deep, dark and compelling rollercoaster of social commentary on our world, LILITH is a powerful film indeed.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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LILITH, 19min., USA, Sci-Fi/Drama 
Directed by David Odio

Set in a gritty, dystopian society, women are collected as commodities and taught only one designated skill. When a young girl named Lilith defies the system, her curiosity challenges the patriarchal rule and the city’s way of life.

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

Film Review: MONSIEUR HERNST, France, Sci-Fi/Drama 

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MONSIEUR HERNST a 15 minute French film directed by Cappello Vincent, follows a man and his therapist as he tries to recapture his identity by moving back through moments of his own life. With striking moments of detail, Monsieur Hernst recounts his life’s most important moments- moving around a central traumatic event that started him losing his memory in the first place.

A special note about this film is the incredible performances. Both Monsieur Hernst and his therapist navigate a non-linear storyline, characterized by non-sequential fragments of Hernst’s life. Yet the story is easy to put together, and this is largely because the performers are so detailed and meticulous in their interpretations. Their jobs are not easy, in recounting Mr. Hernsts most jarring, emotional, important or traumatic moments, and the details make them comprehensible. Balanced, well executed and wonderfully put together, MONSIEUR HERNST is a delightful and compelling piece of cinematic storytelling.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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MONSIEUR HERNST, 15min., France, Sci-Fi/Drama 
Directed by Cappello VincentMr. HERNST has forgotten everything, even his own identity. Facing him, his doctor pushes trough the ages of his life trying to recover the memory of the event that made him forget everything.

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

Film Review: SKIN DEEP, UK, Fantasy 

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How far would you go to recapture the passion of young love? How far would you go for vanity? How far would you go to put the spark back in your marriage? SKIN DEEP, a twenty minute UK film directed by Tim Willrich, tackles these complex problems through the lense of science-fiction.. When Millie feels unnoticed and unattractive in her stale marriage, she orders a mysterious miracle cream online. But it does more than just refresh her pores- it gives her an entirely new face and body. Initially attracted to the new look, the sparks fly between her and her husband- until Millie becomes obsessed with the many different bodies she can inhabited.  Increasingly uncomfortable with his wife regularly changing into a different person, the marriage becomes strained. Finally, Millie runs out of her product.

Metaphor intended, what makes SKIN DEEP a fascinating piece, is that it goes so much deeper than the surface. It is not simply a movie about a couple revitalizing their marriage with some new tricks- it is about a film about the illusions we engage in for love. It is a film that dissects the lengths we will go to for a sense of romantic security- and how those lengths often backfire is strange and horrible ways.

Gorgeous performances and wonderfully communicated despite the minimal (yet effective) script, SKIN DEEP is a strong, smoldering and fascinating science fiction film.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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SKIN DEEP, 20min., UK, Fantasy 
Directed by Tim Willrich

Obsessed by appearance, a woman applies mysterious cream to help reignite her stagnant marriage. But when her skin peels away, her obsession soon turns his fantasy into a nightmare.

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

Film Review: BREAKER, Japan/Canada, Sci-Fi/Action

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BREAKER, an eleven minute Japanese-Canadian Science Fiction short, directed by Philippe McKie, will take you on a wild ride through time, space and technology. When our heroine, an advanced freelance technology hacker, has her own mind hacked by a digital data weapon, she is forced to follow the data weapons’ instructions to claim her own mind back. The data weapon can help our hero, but it is also desperate to get itself to a place with wifi, so it can upload itself out of her brain and into cyberspace where it can be safe. But when our heroine is badly injured, can the data-weapon help save- if not her body, her mind?

What makes this piece wonderful, other than the colorful quality production value, the stunning visual effects and the high-concept story, is the writing. Without spoon-feeding the crowd, this story carries with it the rich and complex world-building you expect to see in a feature, but are privileged to get in a short. BREAKER will pull you in with it’s entertaining surface layer of action and plot, but dig just a bit deeper and it leads you to think about the nature of our reality, our minds, what it means to be sentient and alive. For science-fiction lovers, it is a fascinating piece that will suck you in a leave you wanting more.

Review by Kierston Drier

Film played at the 2018 FANTASY/SCI-FI Film Festival on Valentine’s Day in downtown Toronto, Canada

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BREAKER, 10min., Japan/Canada, Sci-Fi/Action
Directed by Philippe McKie

In tomorrow’s Tokyo, the technologically-enhanced body of a young mercenary hacker is overrun by a sentient data weapon. Wanted, the parasitic A.I becomes her only ally as she is chased across the city by those seeking to salvage it.

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