Movie Review

Film Review: IN BETWEEN (BAR BAHAR) (Israel/France 2016) ***1/2

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In Between Poster
Trailer

Three Palestinian women living in an apartment in Tel Aviv try to find a balance between traditional and modern culture.

Director:

Maysaloun Hamoud

Writer:

Maysaloun Hamoud

Stars:

Mouna Hawa, Sana Jammelieh, Shaden Kanboura

 

IN BETWEEN is a film that follows the lives of three young Palestinian women living in the vibrant heart of Tel Aviv.  For males just about to dismiss the film as another feminist movie, it should be noted that though all the characters, writer and director all being female, IN BETWEEN especially opens the eyes of those in North America, male and female alike on what it is like to be female in Tel Aviv.  For one, the film covers the little-known underground club scene (which the director grew up on).

The three women are Lalia (Mouna Hawa), Salma (Sana Jammelieh), and Nur (Shaden Kanboura) who share an apartment in Tel Aviv.  Lalia, a criminal lawyer with a wicked wit, loves to burn off her workday stress in the already described underground club scene. Salma, slightly more subdued though no less lively, is a DJ and bartender.  Nur is the younger, religious Muslim girl who moves into the apartment in order to study at the university.  Nur is both intrigued and intimidated by her two sophisticated roommates but eventually grows closer to see a new view of life.

Director Hamoud then introduces males into the picture.  The most hilarious of these is

Nir’s conservative fiancé who visits.  He is totally horrified (to the audience’s delight) by her secular friends, entreating her to hasten their marriage, leave Tel Aviv, and assume her rightful role as a wife.  This is when Hamoud’s film begins to make a statement, and an important one for all females all over the world that has more meaning now with all the sexual abuse allegations going on in the world.  Hamoud turns on the dramatic content in the film’s second half.  Nur refuses her fiance’s wishes, and his violent rebuttal leaves all of the women shaken.  Salma and Lalia also face turmoil: Lalia has found love with a modern Muslim man whose acceptance proves less than unconditional while Salma discovers that her Christian family in a northern Galilean village is not as liberal as they claim.  Hamoud riles up the audience’s anger at the fiancé by making him also a hypocrite and bold face liar.

The three interwoven stories are all very interesting and different enough.  Hamoud has her audience rooting for her spirited characters of three very different women finding themselves doing the same balancing act between tradition and modernity, citizenship and culture, fealty and freedom.  The film’s soundtrack also deserves mention.

Looking deeper into the film, the three characters incorporate females younger and older; from the town and the city as well as more traditional and less traditional.  Feminism is revealed in a different light especially in the film as a necessity to be liberated from the abuse of men.  Hamoud accomplishes the rare achievement of having even males despise male behaviour in her film.

The film has been selected for quite a few International Film Festivals so far including the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 where it won the NETPAC Award, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.  

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPiVZj8Mm7o

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Film Review: THE MONKEY KING 3 (Hong Kong/China 2018) ***

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The Monkey King 3 Poster
A travelling monk and his followers find themselves trapped in a land inhabited by only women.

Director:

Soi Cheang (as Pou-Soi Cheang)

Writers:

Ning Wen (screenplay) (as Elvis Man), Cheng’en Wu(novel) (as Wu Chengern)

Stars:

Aaron Kwok, William Feng, Zanilia Zhao

 

The third instalment of the MONKEY KING films, THE MONKEY KING (2014) and THE MONKEY KING 2 (2016), number 3 arrives just in time for Chinese New Year opening on the first day of the lunar New Year.  Chinese film goers are always promised a good blockbuster commercial film treat yearly, and THE MNKY KING 3 is one of the big Chinese films opening that should guarantee good box-office receipts.

Like the other two films, this is an adventure fantasy film based on the classic novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en.  All three are directed by Cheang Pou-soi and all three stars Aaron Kwok, though only the last two with him playing the title role.

The first film had Donny Yen and the second Sammo Hung as the fight choreographers.  This one has none credited as this instalment takes the franchise on a different route.  Romance replaces fights.  The only fights are against monsters.  The Buddhist Monk Xuanzan (Willija Fend Shaofeng) meets his match romantically.

The story involves Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his disciples – Wukong the Monkey King (Aaron Kwok Fu-shing), pig demon Bajie (Xiao Shenyang) and the blue-skinned sand demon Wujing (Him Lo Chung-him) – inadvertently entering the Womanland of Western Liang, a nation populated by women raised to believe that men are fatally deceptive in matters of the heart.  Love nevertheless blossoms between Xuanzang and the Womanland’s young queen (Zhao Liying), even though her royal preceptor (Gigi Leung Wing-kei) is hell-bent on sentencing the men to death.  As Wukong and friends search for a way out of this nation surrounded by a vast magical net, it soon transpires, conveniently, that romantic love is the only key to opening the gate.  So the magic question is whether Xuanzang will give up on his sacred mission and stay with the queen.

The magic net is an excuse for some of the film’s special effects – cheesy though the results turned out.  Monk and gang also get to fly up into the sky with the huge moon in the background.

The film is a take on Amazon Women.  As in similar films tackling this subject, they fall into into identical traps.  The foremost is credibility.  Thee is no explanation on how these females reproduce themselves.  The impregnating river is a laugh. When the males arrive, they are again initially treated with hostility, but that is made way to love (and maybe sex, if the film is more daring).

The humour that largely replaces the action could have been funnier or insightful.  The segment on abortion (called miscarriage in the film) is nothing short of ridiculousness.  There is a scene where the two main characters talk about their shortcomings.  The main one is is monk’s sexual abdication, but like the film, he cannot bring himself to talk about it.

As hard and well-intentioned though the efforts may be by the filmmakers and cast, MONKEY KING 3 ends up a flawed but handsomely mounted production with gorgeous costumes, elaborate sets and landscape, colour and special effects.  Undemanding families out for a good Lunar New Year outing, however should be satisfied.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7MR5MsIoSQ

 

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Full Review: SHINERS (Canada 2017) ***

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Shiners Poster
 Directed by:
Stacey Tenenbaum

SHINERS is a feel good, occasionally over manipulative documentary on shoe shiners.  Writer/director Tenenbaum ensures the audience is constantly kept up with their uplifted emotions.

The film is narrated by the shoe shiners themselves, who dish out their values on life.  What they say is occasionally insightful, though one must always take what they say with a pinch of salt.  They might be biased and slanted in putting in their two cents worth, though what they say may be funny and insightful.

Tenenbaum loos at shoe shiners around the world from the United States to Canada to as far as Bolivia and Japan.

The film opens with shoe shiner Don from New York City, the U.S.  “I plan my route,” he proudly admits while smooth talking, sometimes insulting the passersby while he shines his customers’ shoes on his contraception.  Ron is funny enough to entertain the audience, in fact providing the most laughs of all the shoe shiners on display in the film. 

On a more serous note are two shiners from La Paz, in Bolivia.  Balloo covers his face, as do most shiners in La Paz, afraid of what their friends will think while seeing them doing this low profession.  Sylvia, on the other hand, is proud and carries her baby and does the job with her face uncovered.  She brings dignity to her job as well as the film. Another shiner wears a suit and charges $25 per job, which could take as long as an hour.  Yuya in Tokyo, polishes shoes in a high end establishment.  As does Kevin and Company in San Francisco in another high end store.

Ramiz in Sarajevo is a man who talks about taking over his father’s shoe shoe business.  His family’s business is recognized by the city’s mayor and the entire town.

Toronto, Canada is not forgotten when Tenembaum introduces Vincent in his haircutting place.  Vincent suffers from a mental and physical disability (he is also gay and knits) but the job gives him a life and dignity.

Credit goes to Tenembaum for an excellent cross-section selection of charismatic shoe shiners from all over the world.  What they share is their love for their profession which all of them are very good at. 

Personally, shoe shining is a formidable task.  Being in the army, shining ones own army boots takes days, care, patience and skill. The lumpy boots have to be burnt smooth with a heating iron before they can be polished with a cloth, water and and black kiwi.  It was an art and one that I myself could not master.

SHINERS premiered in Toronto during the Hot Docs festival.  SHINERS might not be the best movie of the year, being small in production (and less than 90 minutes), values and limited in scope by its subject, but it still comes close to being as mighty uplifting as getting a bright new shoe shine.

Film Review: MOM & DAD (USA 2017) ***1/2

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Mom and Dad Poster
Trailer

A teenage girl and her little brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origins causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.

Director:

Brian Taylor

Writer:

Brian Taylor

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Selma Blair, Anne Winters

 

MOM & DAD is a black horror comedy in which parents go on a rampage turning violently killing their children.  It is not the first time films have pitted parents against their children.  The very clever PARENTS was one of them, way back when, when the son had to deal with his human flesh eating parents.  Black comedy is the best way of dealing with this subject matter.

MOM & DAD imagines a 24-hour nightmare where parents worldwide succumb to a mysterious mass hysteria that turns them violently against their own children.  It is a macabre and inspired conceit, and works mainly because writer/director Brian Taylor (CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE, CRAMER, GHOST RIDER) knows how to play the genre right and keeps his film funny and smart.  Though one might think this one idea premise might run out of steam, Taylor has fresh ideas all through the film, that runs only at 83 minutes.

Taylor use the tactic of flashbacks to inject humour to many a horror scene.  Taylor has one where Cage and son sit down talking about  his f**ked up life with a flashback on how Cage drove his dad’s car into an accident and had to work and pay him back for the damage. The same goes in the segment where Cage lets it all out in a flashback in the pool table man cave episode.

Taylor pays tribute to the great suspense and horror directors like Hitchcock, Truffaut and Argento.   The scene in which mom and dad spend ages trying to open the basement door is reminiscent of the segment in TORN CURTAIN, where Hitchcock shows how difficult it is to kill a man without a weapon.  The sealing of the air of the basement door immediately reminds one too of Truffaut’s THE BRDE WORE BLACK when Jeanne Moreau sealed off the air from the staircase locker to suffocate Michel Lonsdale.  The suspenseful scene with daughter, peeking through the keyhole where a knife is at the other end is right out of Argento’s OPERA.  There are many other classic film nods that are fun to pick out.  Taylor’s film contains a few ultra violent scenes (the dental hook), though they should be taken tongue-in-cheek.

Like Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, Taylor does not go into the explanation how the state of affairs parents wanting to do away with their children came about.  It is immaterial.  It could be guilt or nature’s revenge, none really knows.  Like Hitchcock’s THE BIRDS, MOM & DAD has an appropriate abrupt ending.

Nicholas Cage and Selma Blair are nothing short of perfect as the killer parents.  Cage goes into his famous self-ranting rage, playing himself at his crazy best.  He is plain hilarious while occasionally being scary at the ams time.  Blair complements his performance.

MOM & DAD appropriately premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival Midnight Madness Section in 2017 last year.  It is the perfect film parents, frustrated at their disobedient kids need to see to get some steam off.  It is also the perfect anti-family day movie.

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

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Film Review: NOSTALGIA (USA 2017)

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Nostalgia Poster
Trailer

Director:

Mark Pellington

Writers:

Mark Pellington (story by), Alex Ross Perry (story by) |1 more credit »

Stars:

Hugo Armstrong, Shinelle Azoroh, Annalise Basso

This is a film that the filmmakers would like audiences to cry about – not cry as shout about but literally bawl about.  Written by Alex Ross Perry and directed by Mark Pellington (two mediocre movies, ARLINGTON ROAD and THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES), NOSTALGIA follows the lives of people connected through loss and analyzes the way people find love and solace in memories and objects they share with one another.

The film opens in a diner setting where the audience is introduced to an insurance agent, Daniel (John Ortiz), who is obviously a very nice guy from his conversation with the expecting waitress serving him.  The next scene sees his visit to an elderly Ronald (Bruce Dern) who he convinces that his collection of ‘nostalgia’ might contain great monetary value.  As if the audience is not already reminded of Daniel’s abnormal good nature, Mr. Ortiz is given a third chance to show himself in the home of another family where he insists that every story he hears is a new one.  This is one of the main flaws of the film that already runs too long at two hours based on already on a sombre subject.  Repetition.  The camera also lingers on the detailed movements of the characters, as they walk to the car, as their faces twitch or their lips breaking into a smile.  The film can easily be reduced by 30 minutes.

The story contains many characters that are worthy of tearing at the audience’s heartstrings.  Besides Daniel, there is Helen, who has lost 30 years of nostalgia in a fire.  Her story is connected through Daniel, who is also her insurance appraiser.  Another sob story and the main one that brings the film to its teary climax is that of Will’s family.  Will is Donna’s (Catherine Keener) brother.  Donna’s daughter (Annalise Basso) is killed in a car accident.  If one does not weep during one story, one can anticipate that there is another sob story around the corner that will try harder.

All of these make Pellington’s film annoying and a total bore.  One wonders at his intentions at making a film like this.  Worst still, Pellington delves into pretentious territory.  A number of segments are linked by flashes of light like the opening and closing of a camera shutter, if that is to mean anything.  If being preachy is not enough, the audiences is also given a dose of an essay on love and its power to heal.  Another flaw of the film is Pellington’s fondness of going into lengthy verbal monologues which again end up too preachy and artificial.

One segment has a character ranting about nostalgic artifacts compared to social media.  The character complains that in the past memories could be obtained from written notebooks or diaries but now in the age of electronic social media, all is lost when someone goes.  This is not true, as more can be stored on devices like icloud (an unlimited number of photographs and documents).  All one needs to do is to pass down the password, or if not, a tech savvy expert could likely unlock the nostalgia there.

NOSTALGIA ironically will end up a forgettable film, unless a memorable one for all the wrong reasons.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKEHT263gI

Film Review: DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, UK, Documentary/War

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Riveting, impactful, emotional and honest, DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY is hard-hitting and compelling look at the international crisis affected refugees in the middle east. Directed by filmmaker Henrik Friis, this film is a brave look at the front lines of the international conflict happening in our world.

In an age flooded with news and information, it is easy to get lost in the conflicts of others and it is hard to resist the urge to pull the blinds from conflicts that do not affect us. Until, that is, we realize that we are all connected.

A bold statement on poverty, humanity and staying awake and informed, DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY is a call-to-action, and an appeal to lend out our hands to other humans in need. A strong piece to be seen, well done to Henrik Friis.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

DEAR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, 4min., UK, Documentary/War
Directed by Henrik Friis After travelling to the frontlines of Iraq and the border of Syria for the past several years documenting the war against ISIS, ‘Dear International Community’ is a short video documenting the hundreds of encounters we’ve had across Europe and Iraq.

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

Film Review: OUR WONDERFUL NATURE, Germany, Animation

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Like staring at a big bowl of candy, this film offers joy, delight and enthusiasm. OUR WONDERFUL NATURE is a three minute German animation in a mock-documentary style about the ravenous and foolhardy cameleon.

Brimming with physical comedy, polished images and laugh-out-loud moments, OUR WONDERFUL NATURE is packed with lush humour and frame-by-frame comedy. A film to engage and delight every viewer, this piece is like eating a huge slice of cake! Thankfully for the viewer, our eyes aren’t going to be too big for our stomach- the same can’t be said for our dear Chameleon.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

OUR WONDERFUL NATURE, 3min., Germany, Animation
Directed by Tomer EshedThe feeding habits of the common cameleon as never seen before.

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

Film Review: THE WAVES, UK, Animation

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A bright and unique animation, this four minute UK film brought to us by director Oscar Lewis tells a deeply moving story. An artist retells his childhood memories through simple and vibrants animations- softened and slightly surreal, the way distant memories often feel. Poetic and interpretive in nature, the film appeals to a love of high contrast. On one hand, the bright, youthful images dance carefree in the minds of the viewers- on the other hand, the adult recounting these memories seems to hint at a darkness that lurks within him- sometime after these early memories, sometime before his current point.

Laced with occasionally ominous undertones, but still managing to captures the purity and innocence of youth THE WAVES is a love letter to childhood. It is a short film that carefully wraps up memory and tucks it safely away from the harsh realities of adulthood. A deep and compelling animated film.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

THE WAVES, 4min., UK, Animation
Directed by Oscar LewisAn artist returns to his work after suffering a mental breakdown.

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

Film Review: 21ST CENTURY HERMIT, UK, Documentary

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The story of a woman who felt the calling to God since childhood, 21ST CENTURY HERMIT tells the true story of the life of one woman seeking solace and fulfillment through religious sacrifice. Following her through “a-day-in-the-life-of” format, we hear Sister Rachel Denton’s story and her vow to life as a religious hermit. This powerful three minute UK documentary directed by Neil Hall shows us that a happy life is not measured by materials, or conventional success- but measured by the fulfillment of the human heart. When Sister Rachel confesses her recent diagnosis with a terrifying illness, she sets out to make a proverbial bucket list- only to discover so many of her goals and dreams are already being accomplished.

For a film so short and simple, it is racked with depth and emotion. A heartfelt piece indeed.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

21ST CENTURY HERMIT, 3min., UK, Documentary 
Directed by Neil HallSister Rachel Denton has vowed to spend the rest of her life living as a consecrated hermit in the Catholic faith. A hermit is a person who chooses to live alone, with the intention of finding God. Rarely leaving her house, she lives a life of prayer and solitude. However, she uses the internet and social media to share her experience and distance herself from physically interacting with society.

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

Film Review: HONEYMOON, Switzerland, Romance

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A simple, sweet and heartwarming three-minute comedy coming from Switzerland by director Anaelle Morf, HONEYMOON is about a middle aged man and woman who meet at a bar. Over drinks, dancing and flirting the two rush off to find a quiet place to get some more personal time together. When they finally stumble home, slightly drunkenly, it is revealed they are not having a one-night stand. They are a married couple trying to add some spark to their marriage.

While the story may have been seen before, this film carries its own special type f  heartwarming quality. As our couple get interrupted from their evening of fun by the appearance of their child running into the living room- we do not get a sense that their stale marriage is on the rocks. What we feel instead, is that this date night was an attempt at a romantic adventure- but not an adventure they really needed to take. Who needs to pretend to be someone else, when they are happy with who they are? Getting interrupted from their fantasy wasn’t a evening ruined- it was a reminder that they’ve already built a life they don’t need a vacation from.

Romance is not only for the young and single. Romance exists, and lives well, in anyone who loves. And love knows no age. Well done, HONEYMOON, well done.

Review by Kierston Drier

PLAYED at the January 2018 EUROPEAN Film Festival.

WATCH the Audience FEEDBACK Video:

HONEYMOON, 3min., Switzerland, Romance 
Directed by Anaelle MorfA man and a woman meet in a bar for the first time.

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