movie

Movie Review: 1916 (2016)

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MOVIE POSTER1916, 4min, UK, Animation/Drama
Directed by Oscar Lewis

An old man remembers the last time he saw his father, walking with him to the train station in rural England. This short film was made to mark the centenary of men with families being conscripted to the army in 1916 during WW1.

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

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Oscar Lewis, director of UK film 1 916 has chosen a story that is poetic and heartbreaking and it is visually interesting. The story appears to be the retold memory of that last time a boy sees his father.

The writing is poetic, thoughtful, abstract and heart wrenching as it slowly dawns on the viewer that the charcoal flip book style drawings we are seeing, are the worn and smudged memories of these final moments the child can recall with his father.

This piece is compelling, although slow moving. It is not a laugh a minute, raucous comedy, nor a bright whimsical romp through imagination.

It is a farewell letter from a son to his father, arriving a lifetime later. We know the narrator recognizes now what he did not recognize then that this one moment as his father walks him towards a the train that will carry the father off to war will be their final moments together.

Despite this mournful undertone the piece is not outrightly sad. It is reflective, pensive, and thought provoking.

Perhaps it is meant to remind us that memories can fade, like sketches in a book, and only with careful keeping, can we recall them and keep them close to us.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: SEA OF INK (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERSEA OF INK, 3min, USA, Animation/Drama
Directed by Chenxin Yang

Sea of Ink is a two-minute animation about an artist struggling with his creative block and his journey under the sea.

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

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Engaging and visually lush Sea Of Ink directed by Chenxin Yang is a stunning visual adventure.

High concept and open for interpretation, it seems to display one artist’s struggles to find the creative inspiration in his work. As he tries to make his hands do what his heart feels he finds himself sucked deep down into the bottom of a creative ocean.

Full of fantastic imagery and beautifully composed animation, this piece could be about a creative struggling with mental illness, creative writers’ block, or some sort of emotional turmoil.

It could be the artist falling deeper into their own mind or retreating into their own creative world. As the viewer, we may place onto the film whatever lenses we like regardless, enjoy the ride that is Sea of Ink it
will take your breath away.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: BOTTOMLESS (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERBOTTOMLESS, 2min, USA, Animation/Biography
Directed by Veronique Vanblaere

A Belgian woman seeks citizenship in the United States, and finds that her experiences are bottomless.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This comical inversion on the classic fish out of water story is brought to us by Veronique Vanderlaere of the USA. An unapologetic and endearing story of immigration and assimilation, this piece will appeal to anyone who has ever felt the “otherness” of living what they know and becoming engulfed in someplace new.

Bottomless is refreshing! The artistic tastes are unique, the story is charming and most engaging perhaps is that the central story revolves around a tiny detail the nature of North American drinking glasses. It is not always the obvious change in scenery that gives a traveler culture shock it is the small things that remind us how far from home we are.

But our Heroine embraces her new home, and not only accepts the changes but loves them. A delightful story with some upbeat humor that will make you smile and long for an extra large soft drink.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: A SMALL VOICE (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERA SMALL VOICE, 2min, UK, Animation/Drama
Directed by Michelle Brand

A shy young boy is confronted with the relentless demands of an overbearing adult forcing him to sing in front of a crowd. Vivid imagery conveys the child’s trauma as it helplessly stands facing the expectant onlookers, unable to sing through fear. Overwhelmed by the ordeal, the only alternative is to run away.

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Michelle Brand, director of UK Film A Small Voice, has a story to tell us. It is the story of a boy who experiences doubt, fear and anxiety. All universal feelings felt by us all, yet demonstrated through the eyes of one animated character retreating into a world of their own.

One of the points to touch on in this piece is the animation itself. The color scheme is very strategic. Our hero is drastically different in color from the clamoring background, occasionally represented as a white outline against a colorful backdrop. The piece can seem disorienting at times with its’ stylistic intensity. This intensity acts to establish meaning on a subtextual level as it demonstrates the disorienting experiences of mental illness.

A Small Voice is not a long film, but it is a powerful one. It conveys a very human experience through the lenses of colorful animation. It is a small voice, with much to say.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: SPARROW DUET (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERSPARROW DUET, 4min, USA, Animation/Experimental
Directed by Steve Socki

Animated abstract shapes and gestures dance together playfully with bird-like motion. The original music score was composed and performed by Gary Chang .

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

This disarmingly simple and yet stunningly beautiful avantgarde
film comes to us from the USA by director Steve Stock. It tells no clear story, has no clear characters, makes no clear message and yet its’ composition is so well put together, and it’s facets so richly tuned that it cannot help but engage and delight its’ viewers.

Set against a black void, whimsical bright geometric colors move, flow, and intertwine themselves in an unearthly dance to music. The concept seems very simple but is also incredibly hard to execute well.

Sparrow Duet however, creates something wonderful in its’ style, as its’ lack of form creates endless abilities for interpretation. Instead of the director pressing their story onto the viewer, the viewer projects their version of the story onto what they are experiencing. The result? A film of cinematic pleasure that can be exactly what you want it to be. Are these colors the personification of humans? Of emotions? Of animals? Of life itself?

The viewer gets’ to choose.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

Movie Review: INSIDE (2016)

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MOVIE POSTERINSIDE, 3min., Belguim, Animation/Comedy
Directed by Pepijn Claus

A story about a worm, a beetle and a very hungry bird…

Seen at the August 2016 SCI-FI/FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival in Toronto.

Movie Review by Kierston Drier

Belgium director Pepijn Claus invites us into the world of insects with his delightful short Inside, which follows a terrified worm and an anger prone beetle as they run from, and our devoured by, a pesky bird. Humorous and charming with its’ classic schtick humor, the piece has a saturday morning cartoon feel, that is nostalgic for adults and enjoyable for kids.

The premise of the piece is simple and effective a classic tale of not giving up, in this case, even when you’ve been swallowed by a predator. Humor arises from our unlikely (and unlucky) duo who must join forces to escape certain demise.

Clear, fun ny, well executed Inside is a perfect family animation that will have you considering what life is like for the little critters of this world. It also teaches a valuable lesson about the early bird catching the worm.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film:

TIFF 2016 Movie Review: SNOWDEN (USA/Germany 2015) ***1/2

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snowden_poster.jpg
SNOWDEN (USA/Germany 2015) ***1/2
Directed by Oliver Stone

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo

Review by Gilbert Seah

Renegade filmmaker Oliver Stone knows how to get the blood of an audience flowing. He demonstrated this ability in the Oscar Winning PLATOON, political JFK and the controversial NATURAL BORN KILLERS. One can expect the same from his new film about whistleblower, Edward SNOWDEN (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).

The ads for the film goes… Patriot, dissident, or traitor? But director Stone portrays him as none of the three. At the film’s start, there is a scene that shows Snowden saying that he believes that America is the best country in the world. As the film goes along, he ends up wrestling with his conscience on what is right thing to do. In Stone’s film, the right thing to do is to expose NSA (National Security of America) for violating the rights of not only the Americans but of the citizens of every other country in the world by lying to their Governments. Yes, the NSA can track every single person in the world – the only lame excuse given is the need for prevention of terrorism. To those who actually believe Snowden to be a traitor, Stone’s film will either infuriate you or convert you. Stone lays out the facts, but in a prejudiced way, just as in PLATOON.

But Stone makes Snowden’s story more human by concentrating on his human side – and his love with his wife (Shailene Woodley). The most emotionally charged scenes are the fights he has with his wife. Stone also invokes the audience’s sympathy by showing Snowden’s illness – his proneness to epilepsy.

But the film’s most effective scene is the climax. If Stone knows how to manipulate the audience, this scene shows it. After Snowden’s live speech on the Internet, the live audience gives him a standing ovation. At the same time the image of actor Gordon-Levitt metamorphosizes into the face of the actual Edward Snowden.

The story of SNOWDEN is old news by now and unless one has not been reading he news, one knows that Snowden is presently living in Russia, not coming back to the U.S. as he believes, which is true, that he would not be given a free trail. This is how the film ends, so as to be accurate.

This is not the first film made about Snowden. Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras made CITIZEN FOUR as she was called by Snowden himself when he was blowing the whistle. Poitras is portrayed by Melissa Leo in this film. CITIZENFOUR lays the facts out straight. The titles at the start of SNOWDEN declares that the film is a dramatization of true events. And that the film is, entertaining as it might be.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlSAiI3xMh4

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Film Review: BRIDGET JONES’S BABY (UK/USA/France 2016) ***

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bridget_joness_baby.jpgBRIDGET JONES’S BABY (UK/USA/France 2016) ***
Directed by Sharon Maguire

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Dempsey, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth

Review by Gilbert Seah

It’s been a while (15 years when DIARY was made in 2001) since Bridget Jones had a fling with her two boyfriends played by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, with her having to decide the one to pick. The latest BRIDGET JONES’S BABY has Bridget aged from her 20’s to the ripe and mature age of 43 where it is time to have a baby or never. And maybe even get wed in the process. The film is faithful to the first film while the first film was faithful to a sort of modern version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Hugh Grant is out, but his character still makes an impact on Bridget’s life. He is conveniently put out of the picture by having his death occur and Bridget meeting Firth’s character, Mark Darcy once again at the funeral.

Sharon Maguire returns as director and most of the cast including Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones as the parents.

In the true tradition of Bridget Jones’s first film, she has to have two beaus. The second one is provided by her chance meeting, with sex of course with American dating guru, Jack played by hottie Patrick Dempsey.
The film has a nice surprise cameo by no other than a well known celebrity (not revealed here) who Bridget thinks is the Starbucks guy. The cameo character gets to perform as well. Emma Thompson (who co-wrote the script) shows how to be funny by keeping playing it completely straight as Bridget’s doctor. One of the other co-writers is Helen Fielding who also wrote both the book and the script for the first film.
The guys roles are well written with the guys being level headed. If a wrong decision is made, (like Jack’s) a reason is given and he seeks forgiveness. Most female flicks have the male characters portrayed as idiots.

The film is updated with current issues like same-sex marriage, overhaul of newsroom presentations, freedom of speech and comfort of bearing bare breasts among other things. The two competing beaus do not fight and smash through a window like the first film, but they indulge in verbal arguments instead. But it is those stares they have for one another that kill.

The script knows when to be funny and when to be serious. The serious moment like when Bridget has a heart-to-heart talk with Jack adds meaning to the plot. But the film takes a while to get its footing. Many critics have applauded the hospital revolving door segment as the funniest. The comedy consists of lewd jokes (like children surprisingly uttering the f*** word), slapstick and play of words. The hit and miss ratio is not bad.

BRDGET JONES’S DIARY succeeds as a 40ish romantic comedy and an apt sequel. The film should not disappoint avid fans.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJsvmscPY9w

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TIFF 2016 Movie Review: WITHOUT NAME (Ireland 2016) ***

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Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

without_name_poster.jpgWITHOUT NAME (Ireland 2016) ***
Directed by Lorcan Finnegan

Starring: Alan McKenna, Niamh Algar, James Browne

Review by Gilbert Seah

Low budget and rather slow moving suspense thriller by first time director Lorcan Finnegan is a moody atmospheric piece set in a dense forest where some secret lies. A land surveyor, Eric (Alan McKenna) is in the throes of a midlife crisis.

His marriage is fractured and his son barely acknowledges him, so he’s more than willing to get away from his family when a mysterious client sends him on a prolonged survey excursion in a dense forest.

By the time his research assistant, Olivia (Niamh Algar), arrives at the remote cottage where he is staying, Eric has become disturbed and beguiled by the woodlands that surround him.

Barely glimpsed silhouettes haunt him among the trees, but he is never able to catch up with them. Trouble really starts when Eric takes too many mushrooms and hallucinates, unable to differentiate reality and fantasy.

The film takes a while to get its footing, with a lot of false scares. The climax also requires the audience to put two and two together. But Finnegan’s no-nonsense film succeeds as a creepy piece about creepy people.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4K6qICqC8

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TIFF 2016 Movie Review: WULU (France/Senegal 2016) ***

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Movie Reviews of films that will be playing at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) in 2016. Go to TIFF 2016 Movie Reviews and read reviews of films showing at the festival.

wulu_poster.jpg WULU (France/Senegal 2016) ***
Directed by Daouda Coulibaly

Starring: Quim Gutiérrez, Dembele Habib, Ndiaye Ismaël

Review by Gilbert Seah

Malian director Daouda Coulibaly’s debut is a no-nonsense tense crime drama/political thriller that traces the rise and fall of a low-level transit worker turned drug trafficker.

When the film opens, the audience sees Ladji (Ibrahim Koma) advising his apprentice on how to load a bus with customers – to maximize fare. The ambitious Ladji forces himse on his boss who smuggles drugs. Ladji succeeds but more money means more responsibilities and more debt.

Director Coulibaly ties in the political unrest ion the story as well as Ladji’s rites-of-passage. The trial of the film WULU is the dog’s rite, one part of 5 rites, that the audience is to figure out what it is about.

Coulibaly’s film is absorbing but it occasionally attempts to achieve much more than it can chew. Coulibaly always has the audience rooting for handsome Ladji, whether he is doing right or wrong.

The audience will be able to experience drug trafficking in the environment of West African poverty.

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