Review – Page 200 – We Are Movie Geeks

SLIFF 2015 Review – BAND OF ROBBERS

This new feature film brings up an interesting question: are literary icons timeless? Aside from science fiction tales, are they strictly a part of the era in which they were created? Ian Fleming’s James Bond began in the midst of cold war paranoia, but has been re-imagined and re-booted countless times to conform to more current concerns. This is certainly the case with Arthur Conan Doyle’s master sleuth. Sherlock Holmes, Victorian-era detective, has had great acclaim in modern times via not one, but two TV incarnations: “Sherlock” on the BBC and in the US with “Elementary” on CBS. Well, how about a couple of American grown literary icons, hey maybe the most American duo? Of course, that’s Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, creations of Mark Twain. Oh, and to make things a bit more interesting, let’s see how they fare in their early twenties. Such is the story of BAND OF ROBBERS.

The film starts with a flashback from a dozen or so years ago, when the boys were a tad younger than in the novels. They enter a house in search of treasure when the police arrive. Tom escapes, but Huck is nabbed, leading to years of lawlessness. When we bounce ahead to now, Huck (Kyle Gallner) is being released from his (hopefully) last correctional facility. And who’s there to pick him up, but ole’ pal Tom (Adam Nee), now a city police officer in his spiffy cruiser. Later that night, the two of them join some childhood buddies for a homecoming party. But Tom stuns the revelers with his plan. Bitter at being stuck as a lowly patrolman while older brother Sid (Eric Christian Olsen) is a detective, Tom wants them to form a “band of robbers”, a crew that steals from local criminals. He’s throughly mapped out the first caper for the next morning. They’ll grab a briefcase that may contain that long ago treasure from a shady pawn shop. Huck balks at this idea, being just hours away from the slammer, but when he can’t talk them out of it, he agrees. Needless to say, the intricate plan goes awry, and soon Huck and the fellows are on the run from the fearsome “Injun” Joe (Stephan Lang), while Tom tries to evade his fellow officers, particularly his brand new, very eager, by-the-book partner, Officer Becky Thatcher (Melissa Benoist).

After the fizzled heist, the film develops into a manic comedy of errors often evoking the classic RAISING ARIZONA, with the frazzled leads quickly trying to improvise them selves out of arrest or violence. Adam Nee juggles triple duties as star and co-writer/co- director (with Aaron Nee) and keeps the farce moving at a brisk pace. The cast standout may be Lang as the sinister Joe, who explains the reason behind his politically incorrect nickname in a clever bit that satirizes modern sensibilities. There are a few other familiar faces in the ensemble. many from several popular TV shows, aside from Benoist, now caught in the midst of sudden fame as TV’s newest super-heroine. Oh, and the name of the hotel where much of the climax takes place is a nice touch. BAND OF ROBBERS is a zany, spirited modern re-visit with some beloved characters from some of literature’s most beloved, famous adventures.

BAND OF ROBBERS screens on Monday, November 9 at 7 PM at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

SLIFF 2015 Review – A RISING TIDE

Review by Dana Jung.

A RISING TIDE screens Saturday November 7th at 3:15pm and Sunday November 8th at 3:30 as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Both screenings are at The Hi-Pointe Backlot. Ticket information can be found HERE and HERE

Natural disasters have a way of bringing out both the best and the worst in people. Recent weather-related catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, tornados in the Midwest, and the recent flooding in the South all test the limits of human endurance both emotionally and physically. The new film A RISING TIDE examines the after-effects of Hurricane Sandy on one family and those they’re involved with as they try to rebuild and restart their lives.

Essentially a love story set against the backdrop of a family’s attempts to start over, A RISING TIDE shows that the pursuit of the dollar is not the only criteria by which success can be measured. The bonds of family, the caring of friends both old and new, and the lasting comfort of a finely prepared meal are all treasures to be savored in their own way. Sam (Hunter Parrish, TVs WEEDS) is a New-York trained chef who returns to his parents’ restaurant business after failing to launch his own eatery in the big city. Sam’s father (Victor Slezak, President Grant on TVs HELL ON WHEELS) is constantly critical and seems to blame Sam for having to rebuild the family business after Hurricane Sandy. Sam’s mother (Nana Visitor) is supportive and just happy to have her family back together. Sam is basically coasting through life, resigned to personal disappoints and his father’s disapproval. A chance meeting with Sarah (Ashley Hinshaw, TRUE BLOOD), a young woman in the process of breaking away from a troubled marriage, soon begins a series of life-changing events that will dramatically alter not only Sam’s life, but also the lives of many of those around him.

Director Ben Hickernell tells this story in a simple style, utilizing the Atlantic City backdrops to great advantage. The post-Sandy remnants of destruction are still visible in nearby neighborhoods along the shore, and infuse the film’s atmosphere with an aura of melancholy. These images are constant reminders of not only the loss of life, but also of the shattered hopes and dreams of so many people and families. Parrish and Hinshaw have and a pleasant and easy chemistry together, as they slowly find common ground in their desires to begin fresh starts. Though the romance is at times somewhat predictable (Sarah’s husband is a total jerk, while a momentary—and convenient—lapse of judgment drives Sarah away), we are rooting for them to find happiness throughout the film. Veterans Slekak and Visitor (has it really been over twenty years since DS9?) also provide solid support. Tim Weber, a veteran of many TV shows including WINGS and the current MADAM SECRETARY, is excellent as well in the pivotal role of Sam’s new friend and benefactor who also gives fatherly advice when Sam needs it most.

Though its love story is well-acted and involving , the lasting emotional impact of A RISING TIDE is the knowledge that life needs to be lived in the moment and occasionally chances taken. In the next moment, it could all disappear at the whim of mother nature. It’s the perseverance of the human spirit and the love of those around us that makes us able to face even the most insurmountable of obstacles.

MISS YOU ALREADY – The Review

By Cate Marquis

MISS YOU ALREADY accomplishes a difficult feat: depicting a close friendship between two women without sinking into sentimentality and sappiness. It pulls this trick off mostly through the terrific performances of Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore, and thanks to a script by Morwenna Banks that is packed with humor as well as heart and firm, knowing direction by Catherine Hardwicke.

Collette and Barrymore create a completely believable friendship between gal pals Milly (Collette) and Jess (Barrymore), life-long best friends who have stayed close despite their different personalities and diverging lives in London. These friends tease and joke, which makes their relationship realistic and also makes them seem like people you would like to hang out with. Milly is the out-going one, a risk-taking Brit who is slightly older and definitely bolder. American Jess is more conventional and reserved than flamboyant Milly. Milly and her husband Kit (Dominic Cooper) are financially successful but Jess and her husband Jago (Paddy Constantine) are still struggling financially. Milly has kids but Jess is battling infertility. Still, Jess clearly adores Milly, and Milly feels the same about her. The friends often part by saying “miss you already.”

In this funny, appealing and believable portrait of friendship, the key are the well-drawn characters Collette and Barrymore create as well as a script that gives them the space to play. When Collette’s Milly is diagnosed with cancer and Barrymore’s Jess suddenly gets pregnant, the film runs the risk of dipping into melodrama. But the strong characters and their believable, fun-loving and supportive bond allows the film to avoid this pitfall while giving affecting, touching drama.

Hardwicke does a great job with making this an appealing story by focusing on the friendship, and giving the cast the room to make these relationships real. Even when the script goes a bit off the rails with a trip to Scotland, the strength of the characters and their bond holds the film together. The film also explores how a strong friendship might hold while marriages turn rocky.

MISS YOU ALREADY is not essential viewing but it is a warm-hearted and winning portrait of the bonds of true friendship without false notes, which makes it worth the ticket price.

OVERALL RATING: 3 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS

MISS YOU ALREADY opens Friday, November 6, 2015

SUFFRAGETTE – The Review

By Cate Marquis

In the years just before World War I at the start of the 20th century, British women had been campaigning peacefully for the right to vote for about 50 years, to no avail. When aristocrat Emmeline Pankhurst, along with her daughters, joined this struggle and formed the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), all that changed. The label “suffragettes” originated as an insult but the WSPU embraced the term as they took to the streets in violent protest to force government to give women the vote.

This nearly-forgotten struggle is the subject of SUFFRAGETTE. The bold, emotionally-raw and worthy drama focuses more narrowly on a particular moment in that movement for women’s suffrage in Britain. While Emmeline Pankhurst, played by Meryl Streep, is a character in this story, the real focus of SUFFRAGETTE is on some of her followers, “foot soldiers” in this fight – Maud (Carey Mulligan), a poor uneducated mother working in a factory laundry, Edith (Helena Bonham-Carter), a college-educated pharmacist/physician, and Maud’s radical co-worker Violet (Anne-Marie Duff). Ben Whishaw plays Maud’s husband Sonny and Brendon Gleeson plays Inspector Arthur Steed, tasked with stopping the suffragettes’ violent attacks.

“Suffrage” is such an odd word, sounding like suffering when it actually means the right to vote. There was plenty of suffering involved in this struggle, especially by the poor women who lacked the resources and connections that Pankhurst had. Inspired by real events, this story takes place in a pivotal historical moment, when the fight for women’s rights coincided in Britain with challenges to class divisions, the early labor movement and opposition to the coming war, the ultimate war of choice that transformed both Europe and warfare.

Directed by Sarah Gavron, written by Abi Morgan, and led by a top-notch female cast, SUFFRAGETTE is woman-power in action as well as being a gripping historical drama. Not surprisingly, the film has a decided pro-women’s rights slant. The very personal viewpoint from which it is told might cause the film to resonate more with women than men. While Maud, Edith and Violet are fictional, they are drawn from real people and real events are depicted in the film. The film also illustrates the class divide of the era, something Pankhurst’s organization crossed.

The acting is superb, particularly Mulligan as the central character, but all the cast are good. Mulligan gives a moving, touching performance as a woman gradually drawn into the fight by circumstances of her life. In her few scenes, Streep captures the energetic and larger-than-life impression Pankhurst must have given her followers. Bonham-Carter gives a strong performance, damping down her quirky-character style to play more restrained character as brainy Edith.

The attention to period detail adds realism, the photography is lavish and Gavron’s firm direction paired with Morgan’s human-focused script makes this a moving, involving drama.

If this worthy film has a flaw, it is that the focus is too narrow, and that it does not give a big enough picture of the fight for voting rights for women, or the political context in which it took place as war loomed and workers were organizing for rights. Instead, it portrays the hardships and restrictions confronting ordinary women, and the personal costs they faced for their activism. At the time, women were expected to stay home and care for children but, for poor women, this was rarely an option. Maud works along side her husband (Ben Whishaw), raising their son George (Adam Michael Dodd) in a cramped apartment. The conditions in the factory are appalling, hours are long, and girls as young as nine work under bullying boss Mr. Taylor (Geoff Bell). Edith is better educated than her supportive husband but she can only treat her patients under his authority as the male owner of a family pharmacy.

As the film shows, these women organized protest marches, petitioned Parliament, and even bombed mailboxes and broke shop windows. Many were jailed repeatedly, including Pankhurst, and the government responded to hunger strikes with brutal force-feeding. Emily Wilding Davison (Natalie Press) was a real person, as was the climatic event shown near the film’s end, and its pivotal role in the women’s votes movement.

The suffragettes’ actions contrasted with how their formal Edwardian dress, particularly the fashionable upper classes, appear to our modern eyes. By focusing on the more informally dressed working class women, it is easier to connect emotionally with the characters. One of the film’s strengths is its willingness to show men who supported this cause as well as those who opposed it. However, one of the film’s most startling moments comes at the very end, as a list of the dates when women won the vote in various country is a shocking reminder of how much remains to be done.

The story has links to the present, as women are still fighting for equal pay nearly a century later, a topic particularly being talked about in the film industry now. SUFFRAGETTE is a moving historical drama told from a human level, a worthy film that hopefully will prompt interest in this overlooked history, and one likely to garner some Oscar nods come awards season.

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

SUFFRAGETTE is playing in theaters now

SLIFF 2015 Review – SLEEP WITH ME

SLEEP WITH ME takes a downbeat look at the traditional marriage vows. Well, one in particular, you know “for better or for worse”. For the couple at the center of the story, it’s tough for things to get much worse. It’s as though the Righteous Brothers classic “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” were playing on a constant loop through their home’s sound system. The husband is Paul (Cliff Chamberlain), a frustrated small town Missouri academic who now makes a living by managing the home rental properties owned by his surly, abusive father Henry (Raymond J. Barry). And a good chunk of Paul’s days are occupied by taking care of his mean ole’ widower Daddy’s house. The wife is Gabi (Danielle Canastra), a transplant from South America with a somewhat shady past. She’s eager to rebuild her reputation and begin life anew by starting a family with Paul. But she’s having trouble concieving while Paul’s interest in her is rapidly waning. However he soon becomes interested in Rachel (Kelly O’Sulllivan), one of Henry’s tenants that’s behind in her rent. There’s a strong connection between Paul and the adrift college student. Meanwhile Gabi is in debt to her former beau, the local crime kingpin Santi (Lobo Sebastian), after he sells her fertility drugs. All this happens while she also begins utilizing the services of a much younger male hustler, Kyle (Luke Stratte-McClure). This little Midwestern town has enough adultery and deceit to occupy a major metropolis.

Writer/director Brian Jun expertly exposes the steamy underbelly of lazy, hazy small town America. We feel the frustration of Paul and the yearning of Gabi. Jun inspires solid performances from the cast, especially the terrific Barry as the horrific “daddy dearest”, spewing bile and venom toward anyone within shouting range. No effort is made to soften this abrasive monster, he’s all hard edges ready to cut you to the quick. His verbal menace is nearly matched by the physical menace of Sebastian as the merciless small-time criminal, a man who has his “dirty little fingers” in everybody’s pie. With all these interesting ingredients SLEEP WITH ME makes for a spicy, simmering, sexual stew.

SLEEP WITH ME screens on Saturday, November 7 at 9:15 PM at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE 33

Here’s a docudrama unique in the long history of films “inspired by true events”. It seemed that during the actual event, many in the media remarked that it was “tailor-made” for the movies, some even speculated, and offered suggestions, on casting. The story captured the attention of the world for several weeks into months, just five years ago. And now that motion picture has finally come to pass. The harrowing ordeal of the Chilean miners is told in the film titled after them, for around the world they were known as THE 33. The story begins the day before the ordeal, at a party thrown by Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas) as he pleads with a mine supervisor to give him tomorrow morning’s shift (foreshadowing). Early the next day, we ride along on the bus as they pick up the daytime mining crew. One man regales his co-workers with Elvis Presley trivia and snippets of classic tunes. An old-timer is congratulated on his upcoming retirement (just gotta’ sign the papers). The womanizer Yonni (Oscar Nunez) breaks up a fight between his wife and mistress before he boards the bus. Alcoholic Dario (Juan Pablo Raca) tumbles off the park bench just in time to catch a ride as his older sister Maria (Juliette Binoche) gazes sadly at her estranged sibling. Arriving at the site, the crew’s safety supervisor Luis (Lou Diamond Phillips) complains to the mine foreman about the shifting rocks to no avail. Not long after the mountain does give way, trapping the men in the “ready room” with little food and water, miles below the surface (the main rock atop them is twice the size of the Empire State Building) In the next few hours, the miners’ families gather at the gate, demanding answers. The Chilean president sends an eager young aide, Laurence (Rodrigo Santoro) to calm the crowds. Eventually rescue teams from around the globe converge on the mine site with massive drills in an effort to reach those trapped before they run out of time.

Director Patricia Riggen, along with her screenwriting team wrangle suspense, heartache, and, yes, humor from this crackling true tale. The energetic performances of Banderas, Binoche, and Gabriel Byrne (as one of the rescue drill captains) elevate the film from standard “ripped from the headlines” TV cable fare. Happily Riggen knows just how to balance the pace between those waiting and the men below. One of the best moments occurs when the men sit down to digest what they believe to be their last meal. Instead of the watered-down tuna they imagine their favorite mouth-watering delicacies served by their much-missed loved ones. A very funny and touching moment as the men battle the intense heat, hunger, and a descent into hopelessness that could lead to madness. THE 33 is an entertaining, inspiring tale of determination and courage.

THE 33 screens at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre on Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 PM as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

SPECTRE – The Review

Director Sam Mendes was never going to meet expectations following SKYFALL. Never. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, SPECTRE was never going to satisfy hungry fans after previously delivering what many rank high among the best films in the 24 film franchise. SKYFALL was a huge achievement for many fans of the series. In many ways, it felt like more of a reset for the series than CASINO ROYALE. Audiences and fans applauded the most recent outing, even if it lacked as many of the stunts and gadgets that some have come to expect from the past two decades of James Bond films after the previous reset: GOLDENEYE. Sam Mendes was able to give the series a sense of prestige that had not been felt since… well… the Sean Connery days. That’s a pretty lofty achievement considering the series has been going for over 50 years.

I may not hold SKYFALL in such high regard as some, but I clearly see the allure and the reasons why so many gravitate towards it. Daniel Craig has had a fairly solid run as 007. Though not without a major hiccup (QUANTUM OF SOLACE), Craig has been able to escape the questionable “Blonde-hair blue-eyed Bond” stigma that was attached to him even before fans saw him donning the signature suit and tie. Having Sam Mendes and his star return again for another outing (possibly the last if you believe some rumors) is a no-brainer. It clearly worked well before; what could go wrong? Unfortunately, SPECTRE is not Bond’s finest hour – though nearly 2 and 1/2 hours is more accurate – but it’s certainly not his darkest hour.

In SPECTRE, James Bond is led from Mexico City, to London, to Rome, to some snowy city in Austria, to Tangier. And keep in mind, I no doubt have forgotten at least a few stops across the game board. A mysterious ring with an octopus carved into it leads to a secret grandiose terrorist organization as well as ghosts from Bond’s past veering their heads.

Now in his fourth outing as the secret agent with a license to kill, Daniel Craig seems to have exhausted his firepower. He comes across as either mildly bored or just simply too predictable. His unembellished mannerisms, gruff tone, and unflinching demeanor recall earlier Bond actor Timothy Dalton, but without the intensity and ruthlessness that Dalton became known for. Ian Fleming’s incarnation of the character found in the original novels is complicated but focused, but Craig seems as tired with the role as he has come across during his publicity tour of SPECTRE.

The supporting cast comes across as just as generic. Léa Seydoux certainly looks the part as she struts through a train car in a slinky silk gown but fails to ignite any form of spark in the brooding Bond. Women have always been the secret agent’s downfall, however, Craig seems more interested in a scurrying mouse in a hotel room in Tangier than the cold but alluring Seydoux.

Christoph Waltz seems born to play a villain with his sly smile and distinctive cadence. What could have been an iconic role in the Bond series feels like a wasted opportunity. Even forgiving the fact that Mendes chooses to leave the villain in the shadows for the majority of the film, never is his presence felt as Bond dashes across continents uncovering the next clue in the mystery that is the criminal organization Spectre. The organization as a whole is not very well defined or threatening in the least. I guess the history that the organization has amounted in the Bond franchise is meant to be enough to inspire chills. Instead, David Bautista has to carry the weight of the always pursuing, all-knowing evildoer as the henchman Hinx – all muscle and seemingly mute. And a fine job he does.

SPECTRE is the most “James Bondy” of the Craig films but it still has that heavy seriousness like the previous three films. Not as well balanced as CASINO ROYALE and lacking the emotional depth of SKYFALL, SPECTRE feels big and grandiose but also unfocused. At least it’s certainly better than QUANTUM. I feel the mystery wasn’t as intriguing as it should have been given the long (and I mean loooong) buildup. I think this entry will be most remembered for the action scenes. There are three great set pieces that are probably the best action scenes of the Daniel Craig series. A train fight in particular feels classic Bond while still being thrilling for modern audiences.

The action isn’t as gratuitous or disposable as QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The scenes pack a hard-hitting punch and are instantly memorable. It seems that Mendes didn’t want to repeat himself from his last entry. Instead of the operatic moodiness of SKYFALL, he instead wanted to make more of a standard Bond film. The problem is that the stuff between the set pieces doesn’t work as well as it should.

The sequence of events that leads Bond from one exotic locale to the next seems more arbitrary than ever before. A late night tryst with Monica Bellucci leads to him finding out about a secret meeting. Then he’s off to the meeting and she’s just as quickly off the screen. Her role is nonessential. Q examining a recovered Spectre ring can somehow uncover all the people and their personal information that are a part of this secret organization. What? Really? The connections leading from point A to point Z are unbelievably tenuous and seem too coincidental – keep in mind this is coming from a fan who has shrugged off quite a few instances of this in the past.

Fans of the series will enjoy seeing little nods to previous films. From the outfits that Bond wears, to certain set pieces, to even iconic characters coming into play, SPECTRE has some well-incorporated winks without feeling like simply fan service. Considering the film opens with the ominous statement, The dead are alive, you can’t help but let your mind spin all the scenarios. You don’t print that on the big screen without meaning a thing or two. Unfortunately little is done with that statement much more than the obvious. In fact, that statement and its meaning serve as a metaphor for the film as a whole – it’s a flashy idea but without much substance. If this is truly the final entry in the Craig-era Bond series as Craig has hinted at in interviews, it won’t be the best mission to go out on. SKYFALL may have set up a more classic Bond (akin to the Sean Connery days), but SPECTRE takes quite a few steps back, recalling the humdrum villains and location-to-location jumping-days of Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore. If the dead are truly alive as this film states, perhaps Craig will don the tux and wield the Walther PPK in a couple of years so that he can end his era with a bang.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

SPECTRE is now playing in theaters everywhere

THE PEANUTS MOVIE – The Review

Review by Dane Marti

Finally, a new Peanuts movie has arrived to add another choice for viewers that look forward to seeing James Bond and Star Wars, but want something they can take their kids to right now! Of course, for people who might disparage this film as childish, old or uncool in the present modern age of cartoons such as American Dad, Pixar and The Simpsons, I must remind people that there were a number of Peanuts films through the years and at least the first two were fantastic, receiving sterling reviews. And they were highly entertaining during the dark, revolutionary 1960’s.

When I was a little dude, back in grade school, I was obsessed with ‘Peanuts’ by Charles M. Schultz! Was this the first signs of mental illness? I don’t know. However, the cartoons greatly improved my childhood. Literally. Of course, there have been other great comic strips: Recently Calvin and Hobbs’s was first-rate on all levels, as was The Far Side. Pearls Before Swine makes me laugh, sometimes. In the past, Pogo was amazingly interesting and unique. So was Little Abner. Still, Peanuts has always Rocked! Like Joe Cool—it was cool in more ways than one. It was—and still is— the greatest comic strip ‘world.’

To me, these little people were not just cute, two- dimensional drawings–they literally existed.  And, in some respects, I understood and appreciated these cartoon ‘little folks’ more than the actual humans moving around me, although the cartoons also dramatically highlighted the cool moments in a kid’s life. Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus: They ALL Rocked. I collected all the paperback books; saw all the TV specials and movies.

This legendary cartoon had the universal ability to communicate with everyone. Of course, Peanuts had brilliant writing (humorous insights!) coupled with clever, yet beguiling drawings: images that I consider easily some of the best Art of the 20th Century. I loved Peanuts and still do.  So, in my middle age, it was a blast viewing the upcoming Peanuts movie for WAMG movie website. As with all my previous reviews, I reviewed it with aesthetic honesty, all the while valiantly attempting to leave preconceptions at the theater door. Ha.

THE PEANUTS MOVIE is super: The film could have gone overboard, adding elements that Schultz and Peanuts devotees would have been shocked by. For instance, the new filmmakers/animators could have added snarky, mean-spirited humor and satire.

However, since much of the cartoonist’s family had a hand in the film, the movie is definitely well made on all levels. It isn’t perfect, but for me, it came close. It’s entertaining for grade school kids, of course, but I heard adults laughing throughout the theater.

The plot cleverly utilizes many old stories from the comic strip’s past, but brings a fresh perspective to the famous and legendary comic strip’s timeless story lines.

As for the animation: While I viewed the movie in 3D, and there is a subtle element of C.G. to the characters, backgrounds and action, it never strays too far from the original animated /comics/TV/Movies.

The moviemakers create a well-fused balance between old and new styles. Basically, this is a quality Animated film for all ages that doesn’t destroy our memories of the classic cartoon! I loved watching it. Actually, it made me want to start collecting Peanuts Memorabilia once again. Any parent interested in taking there kids to this flick will definitely not be making a mistake, no ‘good grief’ about it!

3 1/2 of 5 Stars

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE KEEPING ROOM

Review by Dana Jung

THE KEEPING ROOM screens Friday, November 6th at 4:45pm and Sunday, November 8th at 9:15pm as part of The St. Louis International Film Festival. Both screenings are at The Plaza Frontenac Theater. Ticket information can be found HERE and HERE

During the last days of the War Between the States, Augusta (Brit Marling, I ORIGINS, ANOTHER EARTH) and her younger sister Louise (Hailee Steinfeld, TRUE GRIT), along with the former slave Mad (Muna Otaru), are etching out a meager existence in the deep South, surviving one day at a time on sparse vegetables they grow in a barren garden, and little meat. Their time is spent working all day, or longing for the days of old when they wore fine dresses and men came calling. The sheer monotony of their isolated lives is slowly wearing the women down, but things change one afternoon when Louise is bitten by a raccoon and needs some medicine to fight the fever from the infection. On a trip to a nearby saloon to find help, Augusta encounters two murderous Yankees, and soon the three women are fighting to survive when the renegade soldiers lay siege to their homestead, in the suspenseful new film THE KEEPING ROOM.

Stories depicting the women of the South left to fend for themselves when their fathers and brothers all went to war are certainly nothing new. From the classic GONE WITH THE WIND to THE BEGUILED to COLD MOUNTAIN, several films have examined different aspects of these fascinating characters. One thing most of these movies have in common is their portrayal of smart and strong-willed females who ultimately survive every physical and emotional tragedy that is thrown at them. THE KEEPING ROOM adds its own twist to these tales, as it navigates a fairly simple story with excellent performances, a sense of historical realism, and themes of who really survives when a war is over.

Director Daniel Barber tells this story with a spare, almost elegaic style, accompanied by a lightly discordant string musical score. The evil nature of the film’s main villains (Kyle Soller and a nearly unrecognizable Sam Worthington) is established in a brutal and shocking opening scene. The mundane daily life of the women is shown as a series of chores, eating, and sleeping. Both of these sequences have almost no dialogue, as Barber lets the camera reveal this information with visual details. The first half of the film slowly builds the tension surrounding the women, as we know nearly from the beginning that they are on a collision course when the violence of the war comes knocking (literally) at their door.

Marling is wonderful as the solid and unflinching Augusta, never yielding one iota (as mama used to say) even as she worries that she’ll end up alone, not ever being with a man. But Marling also shows the depth of her character in a heartrending scene in which she tells a version of the 1001 Arabian Nights to her deathly ill sister. Steinfeld is at first a petulant and stereotypical Southern belle, but soon becomes the focal point of the plot as both older women attempt to protect her. Otaru as the slave Mad is the most sympathetic character, as she relates her own experiences which are just as horrifying as the war.

In one of the most sadly beautiful scenes in the film, Sherman’s march to the sea is referenced as the women realize that war really is hell, even more so to those left behind than the soldiers who fight them. In the end, these survivors have a plan that just might see them to safety, and on the evidence depicted in THE KEEPING ROOM, we understand how such strong and resourceful women truly won their war.

SLIFF 2015 Review – EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

We often hear people remark about how they’ve got a tune or melody “stuck in their head”. The same thing could be said for certain…magical…memorable films. An image or a sequence can stay in your brain for a long, long while. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is one such cinematic experience. It’s based on a true story. Oh wait, it’s based on two true stories, linked together by one remarkable man and, perhaps, the most famous, celebrated river in the world, the Amazon. And the man is Karamakate, the last shaman of his jungle tribe. We first meet him in 1940, deep into his sixties as played by Antonio Bolivar, when he encounters a man foreign to his home, an American scientist Richard Evans Schultes (Brionne Davis), who is in search of the healing plant, the yakruna. He had read about it in the diary of another scientist, Germany’s Theodor Koch-Grunberg. The film abruptly shifts back in time, to 1909 as the much younger medicine man (Nilbio Torres) is startled by the sight of the ailing German (Jan Bijvoet) lying in a canoe steered by his guide/companion Manduca (Yauenku Migue). He too is in search of the plant, believing that it will restore his health. The shaman joins them as they paddle up the river, encountering different tribes and fighting the elements. They stumble upon a disturbed priest protecting the school/orphanage he has started for the native boys. In the later time line the older shaman and the American discover how that incident inspired a strange cult.

These adventures unfold in a dream-like, leisurely pace in this epic journey directed and co-written by Ciro Guerra. He captures the region’s tranquil beauty and unexpected tragedy and horror. The subtle score that adds to the mystery is supplied by Nascuy Linares. But the film’s dazzling beauty is in its unusual look. We generally think of the Amazon jungle in shades of vibrant greens and yellows. Here cinematographer David Galleo has shot the film in shimmering, near silver black and white, giving the story an alien, unearthly quality, invoking the photos of explorers along with fine illustrations and woodcuts. This helps make the single brief color filled psychedelic sequence truly pop. It’s great, but it’s those shades of grey that truly mesmerize. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is a lyrical ode to an exotic land, and a feast for the cinema senses.

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT screens at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas on Saturday, November 7 at 6:30 PM and Monday, November 9 at 9:15 PM as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Purchase Tickets here and here

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OVERALL RATING: 3 1/2 OUT OF 5 STARS

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OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

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