Review – Page 203 – We Are Movie Geeks

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

SLIFF 2015 Review – 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS

This award-winning documentary focuses on an issue still making headlines and filling up hours on the TV news. 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN MINUTES concerns the killing of an African-American 17 year-old high schooler Jordan Davis, not by police officers, but by a legally armed citizen, 45 year-old white software designer Mike Dunn. The location of the incident aligns the story with another famous case. It all took place at a gas station/market in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday, November 23, 2012 (the day after Thanksgiving known to retailers as “Black Friday”). Dunn and his attorney cited the “stand your ground” defense, based on the state’s controversial law that helped acquit George Zimmerman of criminal charges in the shooting of black teenager Trayvon Martin. On that night, Jordan was sitting in the back seat of an SUV driven by Tommie Stornes (Tevin Thomson and Leland Brunson were the other passengers). As Stornes left the vehicle to make a purchase inside the store, the music was playing at a high volume. Mike Dunn’s car pulled alongside in the next parking space. After Dunn’s fiancée went inside the store to buy a bottle of wine and some chips, he asked the young men to turn the music down. One of them complied, but Davis insisted the music resume at the same level. A heated angry exchange ensued between Dunn and Davis, ending when the older man pulled his handgun from his car’s glove compartment and fired ten bullets into the SUV, several of which struck and killed Davis. The incident quickly became known in the news media as “the loud music killing”.

Writer/director Marc Silver trains his camera, from the opening scenes, on the parents of Jordan: Lucia McBath and Ron Davis. Though divorced, the two are united in their quest for justice. They make a powerful team as they sit in on every day of the long court proceedings. Silver provides individual interviews as they share their memories of Jordan, and their struggle to keep him out of danger. The friends who joined him that night also offer many funny stories, but when that Friday is brought up, the high spirits abruptly end. We also get to meet the young woman who caught Jordan’s eye. She tells of his visit to her, at her retail job earlier that night. The real meat of the story is the riveting courtroom footage that Silver has expertly edited. It’s where we finally meet Dunn, through his time on the stand and the legally recorded phone conversations from jail to his fiancée Rhonda Rouer (who seems to be a basket of nerves in court). He’s stunned that anyone can question his version of the night (“I’m the real victim”). Luckily, his defence is legal pitbull Cory Strolla, who works hard to place doubt at the experts, and most harshly at the investigators. Although the outcome was decided last year, Silver still makes this a riveting courtroom drama. Hopeful and heartbreaking, 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS is also masterful and unforgettable.

3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS screens at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 6 at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Admission is free, with Ron Davis and Lucia McBath in attendance.

SLIFF 2015 Review – BROOKLYN

Film fans of a certain…ahem…age are often grousing about the current state of cinema, saying that “they don’t make em’ like they used to”. BROOKLYN is the rejoinder to that tired dismissal. Of course it helps that the story’s setting is over sixty years in the past. But to quote another “old chestnut” it’s a love story that’s timeless. Well, it’s more of a coming-of-age love story, told through the wide eyes of Ellis (Saoirse Ronan), a sweet colleen barely past her teens. And yes she is Irish, with the film’s plot originating from the “emerald isle”. It is 1952 and she is eager (and a tad anxious) to begin a new adventure, for thanks to her connections at the local church, she is leaving her beloved mother and older sister to start a new life in America. We’re on board with her in the meager steerage cabin of the ocean liner for the often turbulent voyage. Once off the boat, she’s living with several single girls (some from the “old sod”) in a boarding house run by the supportive, but firm, Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Waters), and working the counter at a department store, a job procured by the sympathetic Father Flood (Jim Broadbent). Ellis battles homesickness, but her spirits are lifted by an unexpected romance with a sweet Italian-American, Tony (Emory Cohen). But when a tragedy forces Ellis to return home, things have changed in her little Irish village. She’s afforded employment and meets a new man, lanky local Jim (Domhnall Gleeson). Ellis promised Tony that she will return to NYC, but, well…what’s a young woman to do?

BROOKLYN is anchored by a confident mature performance by Ronan in the first of no doubt many leading adult roles. The supporting players are superb, including two actresses from celebrated US TV shows. John Crowley doesn’t rush the pace, and never overwhelms the charms of the screenplay by Nick (ABOUT A BOY) Hornby from the novel by Colm Toibin. The dazzling cinematography from Yves Belanger paints the authentic period sets and fashions with a warm, golden glow. BROOKLYN lets us all experience one hopeful immigrant’s journey and wraps us up in a cozy blanket of romance and nostalgia.

BROOKLYN screens at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre on Friday, November 6 at 7 PM as part of the 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. Purchase tickets here

EXPERIMENTER – The Review

By Sam Moffitt

If you were asked to participate in a behavioral science study, and got paid for it, and the study involved torturing and possibly killing another human being, would you see the study through to its end? Would you continue to administer electric shocks to a complete stranger, a person who has already said they have a heart condition?

Now, you cannot see the other person, as you administer the electric shocks from another room, but you can hear them beg for mercy, hear them ask to stop the experiment, and then finally grow silent, possibly unconscious or maybe even dead.

Would you continue the experiment? Especially if there were an ”authority figure” wearing a gray lab coat who insisted that you had to continue the experiment, no matter what. Especially that you had to continue even if you thought you were killing the other test subject, another human being.

Most people would say no, most people if asked straight up if they would do such a thing would claim they could not consider it. Yet, a series of tests administered by Stanley Milgram in 1961 proved that most people will go ahead and give what they think are ever increasing electric shocks to a perfect stranger, if someone in authority tells them they have to.

EXPERIMENTER tells the fascinating story of how Milgram came to run these tests and the fire storm of controversy they created, shock waves from which are still being felt to this day.

I can recall taking a class in psychiatry at Jefferson Junior College in Hillsboro, Missouri in the early 80s and reading about Milgram’s experiments. Many in the fields of psychiatry, psychology and sociology were quick to denounce Milgram’s tests and what they seemed to prove. That people can be ordered to do anything, as long as someone in authority gives them the go ahead.

Milgram’s experiments were not created in a political vacuum. World War II was still recent news in 1961. Milgram was Jewish, his parents were both lucky enough to leave Europe before the Nazi’s came to power and started the Holocaust which cost the lives of 9 million people, most of them Jewish.

Milgram’s primary focus was “why would otherwise sane, rational, moral people participate in mass murder ?” Milgram and his team of researchers were shocked and saddened to see that most people, against their own moral code and conscience, if told to do so would go ahead and keep administering the electric shocks to an unseen but heard victim. The cries for help were tape recorded by the way, no one was ever really shocked in these experiments.

EXPERIMENTER is quite simply an astonishing movie with a message that really needs to be seen by every man, woman and child on this planet. The Nazi Holocaust was just one incident of mass murder that continues to happen all over our world. People in every nation on Earth have proven over and over that they will pull the trigger on innocent people, if someone in “Authority” tells them they are obligated to do so. Milgram’s research was denounced because the truth hurts.

Peter Sarsgaard gives an incredible performance, somewhat similar to Oscar Issac in A Most Violent Year. Milgram speaks in well modulated, precise sentences. He appears to be what he is, a well educated, thoughtful academic committed to his research and insistent on telling his results to the world.

Winona Ryder (and how nice to see her in a lead performance again) is very good as Milgram’s wife but the script really doesn’t give her much to do except be a dutiful wife defending her husband’s work.

We see how even in the 60s the media would pounce on any new “scandal” and distort the original intent of a new piece of work. Milgram appeared on Dick Cavett, among other talk shows. His research was dramatized on television. He was both denounced and praised. He and his team conducted other tests, most notably a test involving letters left on car windshields that needed to be mailed, to a fictitious person, to test how honest people might be.

His own students did not believe him the day he announced that President John Kennedy had been shot; they assumed it was another test.

EXPERIMENTER was filmed in a highly stylized manner. Most of the sets are not only obviously sets but some appear to be painted flats only, much like Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, only minus the expressionist styles. In the driving scenes old fashioned rear projection is used, highlighting the unreality of the film itself. In a couple of scenes we even, literally, see “the elephant in the room.” Of course none of the characters take note.

I have written of this before, Experimenter is the kind of movie that deserves a wide audience; it needs to be exhibited in theaters. But I doubt that it will, it is not a blockbuster type of film, EXPERIMENTER is wise, thoughtful, intelligent and has something serious to say about the human condition, in all of us. Pretty much the kiss of death at the multiplex. Please don’t pass this one up.

OVERALL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

EXPERIMENTER is playing in theaters now

For a list of theaters and On Demand, visit:
http://www.magpictures.com/experimenter/

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE – The Review

If you are uptight and faint of heart, SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE is not your movie. Still here? Ok, good. If you aren’t easily offended, and are looking for a laugh mixed with some jump scares, this movie is for you!

In SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, three life-long scouts team up with cocktail waitress after a zombie outbreak spreads through their town. They don’t have long to use their survival skills and try to make it out before it’s too late.

Sound like a familiar plot? Sure… but I promise that you haven’t quite seen a zombie movie like this. This movie is completely predictable, but fun! Director Christopher Landon combines the modern-day tale with elements of 80’s horror and adventure films. In other words, there are plenty of cheesy, raunchy moments… and yes, even boobs. I’m an old school, campy horror fan, so I found this movie to be funny. Some won’t. I guess you could say that this film is like blue cheese… it’s not for everyone!

Cast members Tye Sheridan, Joey Morgan, and Logan Miller work together extremely well. You can tell that they really got along, and they were believable as friends. Actress Sarah Dumont, on the other hand, was hit and miss. There were moments where her kick-ass, bad girl act really paid off, and moments where she fell really flat. She kind of has this flat, hard to read acting style going on to where I couldn’t tell if it was part of her character, or not. David Koecher is funny as usual, but he’s not in the film enough to be a huge influence. Cloris Leachman, on the other hand, wasn’t in the film enough, but really added the laughs for me! To have a legend do what she does in the film is incredibly ballsy, and it paid off!

One cool thing that Landon did in this film was use practical effects. This is always a big plus for me, because I think it really pays off in the end. It’s so easy for filmmakers to cop-out and use CGI, and the slightest mistake with it throws you out of the movie. With practical effects, the audience tends to be more forgiving. Plus, no one wants an animated zombie. Give me a real human splattered with blood and flesh wounds!

The jokes in this film are really going to upset some people, and make them cringe. There are plenty of crass, ‘I can’t believe they went there!’ moments. Even I made a few audible gasps in the theater. If you are easily offended, I’m going to tell you to just stay home right now. This movie is just going to piss you off. Sometimes we need a break from our PC society, and I commend Landon for having the balls to tell jokes with no apologies. I know critics are going to eat this film alive, but can’t we just go into a movie and take it for what it is? It’s not trying to be the next big Oscar contender… It’s just trying to have fun! Take it, or go rent FORREST GUMP.

Overall Rating : 3.5 out of 5 stars

Official Website: http://www.scoutsandzombiesmovie.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScoutsVsZombiesMovie

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScoutsVsZombies

#ScoutsVsZombies

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE opens on Friday, October 30, 2015.

TRUTH – The Review

By Cate Marquis

TRUTH examines the events around the 2004 “60 Minutes” report on then president George W. Bush’s military service, which led to Dan Rather’s resignation and producer Mary Mapes’ firing. But in truth, the film is as much about the pitfalls of news reporting under the pressure of the 24-hour news cycle, and journalism’s traditional mission, the search for truth. Viewers may think they already know this story but, like the document at the center, not all is what it seems, and the truth is more complicated.

Robert Redford plays Dan Rather and Cate Blanchett plays his long-time producer Mary Mapes, in this drama based on Mapes’ book “Truth and Duty: The Press, The President, and The Privilege of Power.” The report, which aired in the heated atmosphere of a presidential election, purported to show that George W. Bush not only used family connections to obtain a slot in the National Guard, avoiding service in Vietnam during that war, but was actually AWOL during part of his service. The document that was shown as proof of the later was immediately scrutinized and questioned by people on the internet, the first case of citizen journalists vetting a news report. The resulting firestorm of questions uncovered flaws in the reporting, undermined Rather’s reputation and lost Mapes her job.

Response to this film is likely to be divided, based mostly on how the viewer feels about Dan Rather. Just as many were prepared to believe the document that Rather reported on had been fabricated by biased reporters, or a least by their source, bent on bringing down the president as soon as the internet questions surfaced (just as others were eager to believe it on face value), there will be those who do not want to see this film and risk the possibility there is something more complex underneath. But the curious, the more open-minded or those concerned about the state of journalism in this country would do well to give TRUTH a look.

Mapes produced the “60 Minutes” segment that exposed the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, which won her an Peabody award – or at least CBS, after they fired her. She is the real focus of this film, not Rather, and the story is told from her viewpoint.

Topher Grace plays Mike Smith and Dennis Quaid portrays Lt. Colonel Roger Charles, two of Mapes’ research team, whose cross-cultural bickering provide much of the comic relief in the film.

Director and scriptwriter James Vanderbilt uses a restrained tone, evoking earlier films about journalism like ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, although this is a very different kind of story. The film takes a straight-forward approach to events, starting with the seed of the story, and detailing the pressures of getting a story out in a timely manner while doing due diligence on fact-checking.

The document a source had brought to Mapes was a copy, which limited the kind of testing that could be done to verify it, and officer whose signature appeared on it had since passed away. On the strength of handwriting expert verification and with sources verifying the content, the decision was made to air the report despite imperfect documentation.

Questions were raised immediately and the media firestorm ensued. Once doubts were raised, Mapes found sources recanting or even revealing deceit. As the film reveals, Mapes and her team were able to clear up all the issues raised about the document eventually, but it did not matter – once the internet talkers seize it, the scandal became the story, not the content of the report. Fact-checking no longer mattered.

Blanchett does an excellent job as the woman journalist at the center of this scandal. She portrays the doubts and uncertainties she grapples with, balancing the time needed for vetting and mixed results from that process with a looming deadline and pressure to get the program on air before the election. Redford plays Rather like an old-school journalist, committed to uncovering the truth in Edward R. Murrow-style, but perhaps too trusting of his long-time producer and protege Mapes. Late in the film, there is a powerful, chilling scene where Redford as Rather talks about how television news morphed from a public service that made no money into profitable info-tainment. The film is worth seeing for that scene alone.

TRUTH is a strong film about the challenges of journalism now, told through a famous incident that brought down a man who had been seen as a giant of TV journalism and which marked a shift in who reporting was perceived.

TRUTH opens in St. Louis
on Friday, October 30th, 2015

Category: Review

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE 33

SPECTRE – The Review

THE PEANUTS MOVIE – The Review

SLIFF 2015 Review – THE KEEPING ROOM

SLIFF 2015 Review – EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT

SLIFF 2015 Review – 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS

SLIFF 2015 Review – BROOKLYN

EXPERIMENTER – The Review

OVERALL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE – The Review

Overall Rating : 3.5 out of 5 stars

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE opens on Friday, October 30, 2015.

TRUTH – The Review

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

OVERALL RATING: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS

Share this:

Overall Rating : 3.5 out of 5 stars

SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE opens on Friday, October 30, 2015.

Share this:

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Share this: