Author: James Hathaway

Mapplethorpe

This film is a chronicle of the career of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe from the 1970’s to his death from AIDS in 1989 at the age of 42.

His body of work was expansive, from self portraits to celebrities, to his obsession with sex, race, anything provocative, sensual or counterculture.  His work was both embraced and shunned, sometimes at the same time.

The cast of Mapplethorpe is pretty expansive.  Matt Smith plays Mapplethorpe.  Hari Nef plays Tinkerbell.  Marianne Rendon plays Patti Smith.  McKinley Belcher III plays Milton Moore.  Brandon Sklenar plays Mapplethorpe’s younger brother Edward.  Another dozen actors fill in the rest of the cast.

Surprisingly this film is not rated.  Audiences should be advised there is extensive frontal and rear male nudity, gay subject matter, racism, AIDS and sexual related issues, drug abuse and death scenes throughout the film.  Needless to say, children should not see this film.  Let us be quite clear, there are several scenes that are excessively sexual and extreme and in our opinion simply inappropriate and not welcomed.

This film is listed as a Drama, Biography with a run time of 102 minutes.

Rating

The Kid

With a huge cast of 60 actors, The Kid is a look at history in the American Southwest in 1879.  Young Rio and his sister run away from their abusive uncle only to become embroiled with Billy the Kid and lawman Pat Garrett.

The expansive cast includes Chris Pratt as Grant Cutler.  Vincent D’Onofrio is the Sheriff (and the films director).  Leila George is the sister and Ethan Hawke plays Pat Garrett.  Dane DeHaan plays Billy.  Jake Schur plays the little brother.

The good news is the production is well done.  Most of the acting is believable, the sets feel authentic.  The plot ranges from intense to bewildering.  On the downside, the story is disturbing with lots of unpleasant events.  It’s a grim reminder of how challenging the ‘Wild West’ really was.

Critics have been tepid toward this film.  As a viewer, it was often painful to watch.  The images were often brutal, gritty and violent.  The film is noted as a Biography, Drama, Western.  It is rated R for violence and language with a run time of 99 minutes.

Rating

Woman At War

Finally…an intelligent film that takes a serious look at Global Warming and much more.  It’s Icelandic Director Benedikt Erlingsson’s latest film about global environmental issues.  It brilliantly captures the current issues our planet faces.

It is laser focused on the activities of Halla, a 49 year old Icelandic choir director and community activist (who is the one woman crusader against heavy industry).  Concurrently, a three piece music trio that mysteriously appear in numerous scenes as balance to the other subject matters.  It is a welcomed element of light hearted humor that softens the otherwise bleak/serious topics.

The cast consists of 19 brilliant Icelandic actors.  Their performances are intelligent and world class.  The script is delivered in Icelandic, Spanish and English.  We did not expect this film to be so thought provoking, occasionally lighthearted and completely satisfying.

This film is not rated.  It is listed as Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense.  It is subtitled in English with a run time of 101 minutes.

Rating

Who Will Write Our History

This film tells the story of Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oyneg Shabes Archive in the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland during WWII.  Over 15 metal boxes buried in basements and floors contained over 30,000 pages of writings, photos, posters and other items including eyewitness accounts from the Holocaust.

The film is narrated by Joan Allen and Adrian Brody.  While the content is historically recreated, the archival footage is nonetheless painfully difficult to watch.  That said, it is essential these stories are shared with the public and future generations.

The film is not rated.  It is listed as a Documentary with a run time 95 minutes.

Rating  

Captain Marvel

This film is set in the 1990s.  A galactic war reaches Earth when Carol Danvers becomes the most powerful super hero in the Universe, Captain Marvel.  Of course, this would not be possible were it not for Disney Movies and Marvel Studios.

The leading actors are Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Djimon Hounsoi as Korath, Lee Pace as Ronan, Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau.  Also appearing are Gemma Chan as Minn-Erva, Rune Tempte as Bron-Char, Algenis Perez Soto as Att-Lass, Akira Akbar as Monica Rambeau, Annette Benning as Supreme Intelligence, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson and finally, Jude Law as Yon-Rogg.

The story includes Captain Marvel as a Kree warrior caught in an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls.  Captain Marvel struggles to discover and harness her superpowers to end the war.

It’s intended to lead the way to a new era of Marvel Superheros.  The films opening “shattered expectations with a huge global opening.”  We are pleased to share our viewing was in the largest local theater and it was packed on both the main floor and the expansive balcony.  We haven’t seen that in a very long time.

The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language. This film is absolutely suitable for children.  Its genre is Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy with a run time of 128 minutes.

Rating  

The Wedding Guest

Jay, played by Dev Patel, who travels from Britain to Pakistan to attend a wedding suddenly spins out of control when the bride becomes a hostage and the groom disappears.

Other cast members include Radhika Apte who plays the bride.  Jim Sarbh plays the groom.  Nish Nathwani, Harish Khanna, Meherbaan Singh, and Sidu Manpreet round out the primary cast.

The plot seems to drift all over the board with lots of twists and turns that appear to wander everywhere.  Fortunately the Dev Patel and Radhika Apte characters manage to develop enough chemistry to save the production.

It’s rated R for language, violence and brief nudity.  It’s listed as a drama with a run time of 97 minutes.  We do not think the film is appropriate for children.

Rating

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

This Netflix film was released in theaters before its originally announced date.  We assumed it was to fill the current void in the marketplace.  It is a unique story about a 13 year old boy, William, played by Maxwell Simba, in a lead performance from Malawi, who is forced out of school because his parents could not pay the fees to keep him enrolled.  He manages to barter his access to the library where he learns how to harness the wind.

It is an inspiring true story based on a book by William Kamkwanba.  It’s set in 2001 Malawi.  It’s also the directorial debut for Chiwetel Ejiofor, a star from Twelve Years A Slave.

The actors toggle between the native Chichewa language, with English subtitles, and English.  It’s also a peek into the politics of Malawi’s food crisis of the early 2000’s.

This film is not rated.  While it’s sometimes difficult to watch, this film is suitable for older children.  It’s listed as Art House & International, Drama with a run time of 113 minutes.

Rating

Climax

OMG!!  It apparently is based on “true events” from 1996 when a group of talented multicultural dancers from France gather at a community center before their American Tour.  The cast is made up of talented and diverse group of “club kids” from France.

The opening dance scene is mesmerizing, executed by an exceptional series of performances.  Every individual performance is unique, fresh, inventive and impeccable.  Then everything changes, and not for the better.

Get ready…as the group takes a pause to celebrate their collective performances, it’s time to relax and unwind as a group.  And then someone puts LSD in the sangria bowl.  Slowly and imperceptibly civility denigrates scene by scene.  First is the script, next the visuals and ultimately the horrors that dominate the last third of the film.  The soundtrack alone was enough to make us want to leave the theater.

The cast consists of over 2 dozen young dancer/actors from around Europe and the world.  The film is rated R for disturbing content involving drug use, violence, language, strong sexuality and some graphic nudity.  This film is NOT appropriate for children!  It’s listed as a Drama, Art House & International, Horror, Musical & Performing Arts.  The run time is a very long 96 minutes.  This may be difficult to find but that might be OK because it is intense and difficult to watch.  French with English subtitles.

Rating 

Ruben Brandt Collector

This film is quite unique.  It’s fully animated.  It’s the story about a famous psychotherapist who is forced to steal 13 famous paintings from museums and private collections around the world.  All this to prevent terrible nightmares.

Four of his patients join him as they plot and rob paintings from the Louvre, Tate, Uffizi, Hermitage and the New York Museum of Modern Art.  Soon Brandt is the most wanted man in the world.  He is being hunted by gangsters and headhunters who want to collect the $100 million reward.

Watching this film is a visual feast along with an exceptional soundtrack.  It’s unique, often stunning, sometimes funny, sometimes bewildering.  The cast is quite small with all Hungarian voice actors except one Canadian.  Ivan Kamaras plays Ruben Brandt and Gabriella Hamori plays Mimi.  Zalan Makranczi plays Mike Kowalski and Matt Devere plays Bye-Bye Joe.  Four more actors round out the cast.

Reviews have been all over the map.  Some reviews rave, others called it ‘overplotted’ and ‘weird’.  We found it intriguing, thought provoking and inventive.  It should have been released earlier for Oscar consideration.

It’s rated R for nude images and some violence.  It might be suitable for mature children.  It is listed as Animation, Art House & International, Mystery/Thriller with a run time of 96 minutes.

Rating  

Greetings all!

It’s that odd time of year when the film industry fumbles around like a sleeping giant with a bad hangover.  Fortunately, there have been some new releases (ahead of schedule) worthy of our attention and admission tickets.  Here are three from this week.

J&J

Saint Judy

This is a movie about real people and real events that challenged the norms and changed immigration law for legions of asylum seekers.  It’s the story about Judy Wood, now 72 years young , still practicing immigration law in downtown Los Angeles.

Not surprising, Ms. Woods was the author of the screenplay about a 39 year old teacher from Afghanistan, imprisoned by the Taliban, kidnapped, beaten, and tortured before finally reaching asylum in the US.  It’s set in 1980’s Los Angeles.

The acting is essential to the story.  Michelle Monaghan is perfect playing attorney Judy Wood.  Leem Lubany, an Arab-Israeli actress of Palestinian descent, is brilliant as Asefa.  American rapper Common played the ICE lawyer.  Alfre Woodard is perfect as Judge Benton.  Another dozen actors fill the rest of the cast.

The film is rated PG-13 for thematic material and language.  Its genre is drama.  It’s sometimes difficult to watch but it is such a powerful film about the real world, it should not be missed.

Rating

Greta

This film is one part throw back to the B movies of yesteryear, BUT, it does it so well, it’s hard not to get drawn into its madness.  One critic called it ‘bonkers’, another critic called it ‘vacuous and unpleasant’.  (How often do you get to use ‘vacuous’ in a sentence?!)

Written and Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Isabelle Huppert in a great role as a psychopath spinster, Chloe Grace Moretz who recently lost her mom and Maika Monroe as her best friend and roommate round out the key cast.

This film defaults to a psychological warfare between the characters that is both intriguing and creepy at the same time.  It is sure to become a cult classic.

It’s rated R for violence and disturbing images.  It is absolutely not appropriate for children (unless you want to damage them for life).  The run time is 98 minutes.

Rating

Birds of Passage

Arguably the most intriguing and visually stunning film release in a while.  Set in Northern Columbia between 1960 to 1980 the film is divided into “5 songs” (cantos).  The director Ciro Guerra and co-director Cristina Gallego characterize this film as part ethnographic documentary, part Godfather.  It’s also a look into the life and culture of the native Wayuu people of Northern Columbia and Venezuela.

The result is a fascinating peek at a people and their way of life unknown to most of us.  This makes it challenging for the viewer.  The “what just happened?” moments are plentiful.  The cinematography is stunning.  The story is sometimes confusing but ultimately comes together.

This film is not rated, nonetheless, we do not feel this film is appropriate for children.  Only a dozen actors are credited but no bios were noted.  The film is not rated but is listed as a Drama running 125 minutes.  Wayuu and Spanish with English subtitles.

Rating

Happy Death Day 2U

Yup!  The movie pickin’s are pretty slim…  With the AMC 14 Theaters three blocks from our house shuttered and the lack of any new releases few and far between, it feels like the dark days of the Depression as far as movie releases go…

That would explain the new movie release above.  It’s the second in its ‘want to be franchise’ but time will tell…

It’s an interesting concept. College student Tree Gelbman wakes up terrified when she realizes she is stuck in a parallel universe.  Her boyfriend is now someone else’s boyfriend.  Her friends are all different students.  The only thing the same is the masked killer who is stalking her.  It’s just goofy enough and different enough to hold your attention, if only for a few moments.

It’s rated PG-13 for violence, language, sexual material and thematic elements.  It’s listed as a Horror film.  We do not feel it is appropriate at all for children.  The run time is (a very long) 120 minutes.

Rating  

Swimming With Men

We wanted to see this movie at the Mostly British Film Festival but ran out of time so we were glad to find it still showing.  It’s a lighthearted story about a man in a mid-life crisis who finds a new perspective after joining an all-male synchronized swimming team.

A dozen actors make up the cast.  Charlotte Riley is the team coach.  Rob Brydon plays a burnt out businessman.  Jane Horrocks plays his wife.  Fellow swimmers include Jim Carter, Thomas Turgoose, Nathaniel Parker, Daniel Mays, Adeel Akhtar, Robert Daws, Spike White, and Christian Rubeck.

It was filmed mostly in central London with shoots in the Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Croydon neighborhoods.

What makes this film work is it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It is sometimes goofy, sometimes a bit serious, sometimes in angst but mostly funny and ultimately satisfying.

This film is not rated.  Its genre is listed as Art House & International, Comedy, Drama, Romance.  The run time is 97 minutes.

Rating

Fighting With My Family

We are still in the weird zone when new movie releases are scarce.  So we were surprised when this film was released ahead of its national opening scheduled for March 1.

A tight-knit British family are huge wrestling fans when a rare opportunity to join the WWE presents itself to the eldest daughter.  The sports comedy-drama is based on a 2012 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family.

The mostly British cast includes Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”, Stephen Merchant, Florence Pugh, Zelina Vega, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Jack Lowden, Kim Matula, Aquaala Zoll, Vince Vaughn, Jame Burrows, Hannah Rae and Julia Davis.

It’s not a perfect film but it is mostly an interesting and charming look at one family obsessed with professional wrestling and the twists and turns it causes in their lives.

It’s rated PG-13 for crude and sexual material, language throughout, some violence and drug content.  We do not think it is appropriate for young children.  Its genre is Comedy with a run time of 107 minutes.

Rating  

Everybody Knows

Carolina, a Spanish woman from Buenos Aires returns to her home town near Madrid with her Argentinian husband and family to attend a family wedding when unexpected events create chaos for everyone.  During the celebration events Carolina’s daughter mysteriously disappears sending a shockwave through the family and the community.

Oscar winners Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem headline the cast along with a dozen actors as friends, relatives and community.

Iranian Writer/Director Asghar Farhadi almost loses control of  Todos lo Saben (title in Spanish).  The critics feedback was tepid, questioning if the Director has spread himself too thin.

From our point of view, the production was engaging, the flow was appropriate for the story.  The plot was well constructed with lots of intrigue and surprises.

The film is rated R for some language.  It might be appropriate for mature children.  Its genre is noted as Art House & International, Drama.  The run time is 132 minutes.  Spanish with English subtitles.

Rating: 

Isn’t It Romantic

OK.  Let’s take a look at this romantic comedy…first very little is realistic, the way people interact at work, nope; the way people act or engage socially, nada; the way people live in 99% of the world let alone New York City, ain’t gonna happen.

That said, this film does have its bright spots: it’s cleaver, unique, mostly funny, occasionally hilarious, sometimes totally unrealistic and borderline raunchy.

That also said, the acting is fair to middling.  Priyanka Chopra plays the model.  Rebel Wilson is the headliner as an architect in New York City.  Liam Hemsworth is a hoot as an Australian businessman.  Adam Devine is a coworker along with Tom Ellia, Betty Gilpin, Jennifer Saunders and a dozen other bit parts.

There are several scenes that deliver some soft worthwhile messages.  There is a song and dance scene that is well done and quite enjoyable.

The film is rated PG-13.  That’s a bit of a surprise given some scenes imply sex, and sexual behavior, cleavage, bare abdomens and so on.  We do not recommend this film for young children.

It is listed as a Fantasy/Romance/Comedy with a run time of 1 hour, 29 minutes.

Rating  

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

This is an amazing finale to the DreamWorks animation franchise trilogy of How To Train Your Dragon.  There is something old, something new and a surprise just in case you weren’t paying attention.  Most of the old and beloved characters are in force, Night Fury dragon is the headliner when suddenly Light Fury appears.  Night Fury cannot resist the attraction to Light Fury (see where this is going?!)

More than two dozen actors are the voice overs for this animation feature including:  Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, America Ferrera as Astrid, Cate Blanchett as Valka, Gerard Butler as Stoick, F. Murray Abraham as Grimmel, Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, Jonah Hill as Snotlout, and several more.

The ending is quite a surprise and we will not give it away now because the film was just released.  Let’s just say it’s heartwarming and welcomed (though the film is not definitive).  Let us know your thoughts if you see this film.

It’s rated PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.  It’s listed as Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family.  The run time is 110 minutes.  It’s a good film for both adults and children.  The animation is excellent.

Rating  

Mostly British Film Festival

In retirement, we have discovered so many new adventures and opportunities are available to us.  It helps living in a world class city with lots of diversity and activities of all kinds.  It’s a huge bonus to enjoy the only Mediterranean climate in the US.

San Francisco is blessed with almost countless film festivals.  You name a genre or affinity, there is probably an annual film festival in San Francisco or the Bay Area.

With almost nothing new released until after the Oscars this Sunday, we decided to check out the Mostly British Film Festival showing 33 films, some old, some new during one week in February.

We selected a few that captured our interest and share them now with you.  Some are available on pay per view from time to time.  Others are available occasionally from streaming sources.

We hope you enjoy the few reviewed below.

J&J

Moon Dogs

This story is set mostly in the Shetland Islands, Scotland where two stepbrothers find themselves competing for the affections of a worldly Irish singer while on the road to Glasgow.

What struck us the most was the fearless honesty, the brash humor, the raw drama and the beautiful charisma these young actors generate.  It’s beautifully filmed and the first film by Welsh writer/director/punk musician Philip John.  If you want a reminder what it felt like to be young again, this is your opportunity.

The acting is excellent.  Irish actress Tara Lee plays the primary love interest.  Christy O’Donnell plays a stepbrother.  Jack Parry Jones plays the other stepbrother.  Claire Cage plays the mom and Geoffrey Newland plays the dad.  Another dozen plus actors fill out the cast.

The film is not rated in the US.  It’s listed as Art House & International, Comedy, Drama.  The run time is 1 hour, 33 minutes.  It was the winner of the 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival.

Rating: 

Elizabeth

Wow!  Talk about a reminder of great epic film making…this one debuted in 1998.  It announced Cate Blanchett as a star.  It was set in history when the United Kingdom struggled with being a Protestant country versus a Catholic country.

The film is both visually stunning, produced with extraordinary sets and exceptional costumes.  It’s a classic.  Our viewing was like watching it on day one.  Headliner performances in addition to Ms. Blanchett include Geoffrey Rush, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud, Daniel Craig, Jamie Forman and an additional 40 actors.

Just for history sake:  It’s set in 1554.  Elizabeth is the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was imprisoned by her half sister Queen Mary when she was 16.  She was swept to the throne as Queen of England at the age of 23.

It was then rated R for violence and sexuality.  It’s listed as a Drama with a run time of 124 minutes.  It’s not really appropriate for youngsters.

Think about downloading this for a long flight or a reminder of some great film making not so long ago.

Rating  

Tell it to the Bees

This film is based on the 2009 novel by the same name.  It’s set in a 1950’s Scotland rural town.  It’s more than a bit heavy handed.  So much so the production is focused on the principle themes and metaphors from the novel.

It was pretty obvious the production wanted to cram as much “subject” material as possible.  Lesbian romance, bewildered children, outraged family members, and widespread community disapproval…  Just about everyone accept the neighborhood bees who seemed to unilaterally approve the conduct with vigor.

The excellent acting included Anna Paquin, Holliday Grainger, Emun Elliott, Steven Robertson, Lauren Lyle, Gregory Selkirk and Kate Dickie.

The film is not rated.  Be advised, there are several scenes including sex and nudity, mild profanity and some violence and gore.  We feel this film is not appropriate for children.

This film is noted as a Drama/Romance with a run time of 1 hour 46 minutes.

Rating: 

Good Day to all!

We are pleased to present you with Jim and John’s Oscar Picks for the 2019 91st Academy Awards, February 24 at 5 PM PST on ABC, from the Dolby Theater, Los Angeles, CA.

This year we’ve changed our format a bit.  Below is a link to our official ballot.  We know some of you host Oscar parties.  The attached ballot in RED is a PDF meaning you can customize and print the document as needed.

That said, you will notice OUR picks are noted in its column.  You and/or your guests may select their picks in the other columns.

Since we crashed and burned with our predictions last year, we doubled down our efforts to read the Oscar “tea leaves” this year.  We can say we have seen ALL but four of the nominated films.  (You will see our predictions for Hair and Makeup and Documentary Feature based on what we did see and our best research.)

Those four films are:

Border, Nominated for Makeup and Hair

Hale County This Morning, This evening, Nominated for Documentary Feature

Minding the Gap, Nominated for Documentary Feature

Of Fathers and Sons, Nominated for Documentary Feature

Click here to download your 2019 Oscar Ballot.

We would love to hear back from you regarding any of your favorite movies from this year, any parties/events, or any other related functions/insights.

We have planned a quiet evening at home with our traditional Oscar dinner of steamed Dungeness crab and a bottle of Champagne.  Our first toast will be to all of you!

Cheers!

J&J

PS:  A big THANK YOU to our friend and blog guru, John H, for all the help and support this year when we needed it.

What Men Want

If you have seen the previews it should be obvious what the tone and theme of this film will be.  To be sure, it’s mostly predictable, often quite funny, occasionally audacious, sometimes corny, but also surprising with moments of both serious topics and real issues like integrity and social/gender equity.

There is an ample cast of characters headlined by Taraji P. Henson as a Sports Agent in a male dominated industry, Aldis Hodge as the love interest, Josh Brener as the assistant, Kellan Lutz as Captain F**tastic.  Other notable cast members included Erykah Badu as a hilarious fortune teller, Tete Davidson, Max Greenfield, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tracy Morgan, Brian Bosworth, Phoebe Robinson, Shaquille O’ Neal and Mark Cuban.

The film is rated R for language and sexual content throughout and some drug material.  There are a few scenes showing sexual acts.  There is frequent profanity, women fighting and references to marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.  Needless to say this film is not appropriate for children.

The film is listed as Fantasy/Romance/Drama with a run time of 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Rating  

Alita: Battle Angel

The big release this week was the 20th Century Fox opening of Alita: Battle Angel.  It’s directed by cult filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and co-written and co-produced by James Cameron.  Weta Digital, Peter Jackson’s special-effects company, make the razzle-dazzle possible.

There is an impressive cast:  Rosa Salazar plays Alita.  Christoph Waltz is perfect as Dr. Dyson Ido. Jennifer Connelly plays the good/bad ex-wife Chiron.  Mahershala Ali plays a really bad guy Vector really well.  Other really bad guys are played believably by Ed Skrein as Zapan, Keean Johnson as Hugo, Leonard Wu as Kinuba and Marko Zzror as Ajakutty.

There is a lot of story built into this film.  The special effects make this film work.  The scenes are complex yet stunning.  The sets are elaborate and somewhat overwhelming but essential to the story.

The film is rated PG-13.  There is plenty of ‘fantasy violence’ (fighting, stabbing, blood, death).  Female characters are objectified and there is some poor language.  We do not feel this movie is appropriate for younger children.

The genre is listed as Action & Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller.  The run time is 122 minutes.

Rating: 

Never Look Away

We were delighted to see this film finally released to US audiences just in time before the Academy Awards.  This film is nominated for Best Foreign Film this year.  It was also the only one we had NOT seen…until today.

It’s an interesting film that is “loosely” based on the life of German artist Gerhard Richter, a noted artist who experienced WWII as a young child and later used these life experiences as inspiration for his artwork.

More than a dozen plus German actors fill the screen as the cast of characters.  The script spans over three decades starting in 1937 Dresden, Germany and ending in 1967 Dusseldorf, Germany.

The movie is rated R for graphic nudity, sexuality and brief violent images.  It is not suitable for children.  It is listed as a Drama running an astounding 3 hours, 9 minutes.  German with English subtitles.  Try to see it if possible, before or after the Oscars.

Rating  

 

 

Cold Pursuit

We thought this film looked familiar when we saw the previews several weeks back.  We now know this film by Director Hans Petter Moland is based on the 2014 Norwegian thriller released in the US under the title In Order of Disappearance.  (Who can forget launching vehicles into the sky using giant snow plows at full speed?!)

This rendition continues with lots of drama, lots of really bad guys of all makes and models, multiple ‘kingpins” and plenty of snarky dark humor that must be intended to soften the protracted scenes of extreme violence.

The cast is impressive.  Liam Neeson is the headliner.  Tom Bateman, William Forsythe, Raoul Trujillo, Ben Hollingsworth, Domenick Lombardozzi, Tom Jackson and Ben Cotton are enough bad guys to take over a small country or in this case a small ski town in Colorado.

There are only a few ladies: Emmy Rossum, Julia Jones, Laura Dern and Elysia Rotaru round out the girls.

The movie is rated R for extensive strong violence, drug material, language including sexual references.  It is not appropriate for children.  It is listed as an Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery & Suspense with a run time of 118 minutes.

Rating  

Arctic

This Danish production has all the traits you would expect from a small plane crash in the Arctic.  First a survivor, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who knows what to do in such a situation.  Food, shelter, rescue.

In the next day or so an unexpected helicopter appears on the horizon and suddenly crashes, leaving one survivor injured but alive.  Icelandic actress Maria Thelma Smaradottir plays this survivor.

These two characters are basically the entire cast.  What makes this film work is the focus on survival.  It feels like you are there first hand, a chilling, death defying experience without any bells or whistles.

The film is rated PG-13 for language and some bloody images.  It’s listed as a drama with a run time of 98 minutes.  We do not think this film is suitable for children.  See it because it is different, insightful, humbling and loaded with suspense!

Rating  

The Prodigy

This recent film release is a haunting throw back to numerous possession stories, this one occurs in a child.  There is a big twist that makes the story quite unnerving.  The tension builds quickly and the visuals become more and more difficult to watch.  Upon reflection the story is a bit easier to comprehend.

The cast is quite small.  Award winner Taylor Schilling is excellent at the mom.  Peter Mooney plays the dad.  Ten year old Jackson Robert Scott plays their son. Canadian Actor Colm Feore plays the Psychiatrist.  Brittany Allen plays the victim.  Another dozen actors play bit parts to round out the cast.

The tension that is created in this film is both subtle and yet intense.  Much of the story is unique and different than similar story lines.

The film is rated R for violence, disturbing and bloody images, a sexual reference and brief graphic nudity.  It is listed as a Horror film with a run time of 92 minutes.  It is absolutely not appropriate for children.

Rating