Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on January 19th, 2018
The film Phantom Thread may be flying under the radar for most cinema-goers, but this little gem is a nice distraction from the big-budget fare that floods the theaters. While I’m a fan of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s earlier work (Boogie Nights and Magnolia), the big draw for this film is the perhaps last cinematic performance we may see from Daniel Day-Lewis, who last collaborated with Anderson in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood. While I have to admit the trailers for this film didn’t inspire much excitement from me, it’s the pairing of Anderson and Day-Lewis I was more curious about. The result is one of the more unexpected film experiences I’ve had in sometime.
In 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) is one of the most renowned dressmakers whom the social elite and royalty seek out. From the start of the film we get a glimpse into Woodcock’s meticulous nature as we see him go about his morning ritual of getting dressed for the day. He’s an introvert, and at his side he has his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville) to help attend to his needs and handle the staff and get rid of girlfriends when the time calls for it. There isn’t much warmth between the brother and sister, but the two certainly work well together as Cyril seems to anticipate her brother’s needs at all times.
Posted in: The Reel World by Gino Sassani on January 19th, 2018
"Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires."
You will hear it said several times throughout 12 Strong: For over 2000 years invaders and conquerors throughout history have attempted to bring the mountainous country under a foreign flag. The Russians had been the latest power to attempt to fight there, and in the 1980's that war quickly became their own Vietnam. Such was the plight of the American armed forces after Bin Laden sent planes crashing into buildings on September 11, 2001. It was in that same harsh wilderness, the one that stopped czars, kings, emperors and even gods, where Bin Laden entrenched himself after the brutal attack on American soil. It was there that the first teams of soldiers went to stop his terrorist group from having the ability to do anything like that again. And yes, if we're completely honest with ourselves, to exact a measure of revenge. 12 Strong is the story of the first 12 men who began to fight the war on terrorism on the ground, on horses and with little in the way of conventional warfare resources at their disposal.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Gino Sassani on January 17th, 2018
"Believe it or not, anyone can be famous. And you don't really need God-given abilities to do it. That doesn't mean you go out and shoot up a crowded theater. That's wrong. If you're motivated you can get yourself on a reality TV show or jump cars on a motorcycle, or marry a movie star. Or simply find a wife willing to have 20 kids. As for myself, my best shot at the limelight is to buddy up to the President. I just need the attention of the media first."
It was artist Any Warhol who said that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes. The quote has been lampooned and is now a part of our pop culture. Crazy Famous is a low-budget film written by Bob Farkas and directed by Paul Jarrett. So do they get their 15 minutes, or is it Time's up?
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on January 17th, 2018
In case you’ve been living beneath a rock and out of contact with any and all social media, this weekend the long-awaited film adaption of Stephen King’s It releases. Some of my friends look at the trailer for the new film and instantly reject what they see; they immediately cling to their memories of how the original mini-series scared them. One thing you’ll hear them all saying is how Tim Curry made such an impact on their lives and to this day gave them reason to fear clowns. While I respect their opinions, when you revisit the film, you can’t help but notice how dated the film is, and really, if you’re over the age of 10, it just isn’t scary. I grew up on reading Stephen King, and as a fan, I’ve always been frustrated that it seems no one could ever get his horror stories right. Sure, there is Misery and Carrie, but there are many more miserable failed attempts of his material. The Mist (especially the black and white version) is perhaps my favorite adaption of his work, that is to say, up until now.
When the film starts up, those of you familiar with the mini-series will perhaps have a sense of déjà vu at first. Without a doubt our first introduction to Pennywise, the dancing clown, is at first a little off-putting, but if you hang in there, you’re going to be happily terrified by this performance. Bill Skarsgard fills the clown shoes this time around, and there is no doubt a new generation of kids are going to be terrified of clowns because of this performance. There is nothing friendly in this performance, and after our introduction and we get a glimpse at what he’s capable of doing to children, that’s when the unease sets in, and as an audience member you realize from the start that no one in the film is safe.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Jeremy Butler on January 15th, 2018
Most people that survive a near traumatic experience don’t go back for seconds. Most people that is. For the group in The House October Built 2, I guess they were adhering to the logic that lightning doesn’t strike the same way twice. Or does it? Embarking on what I can only describe as a horror tour, five friends attempt to capitalize on potential fame and fortune by documenting their experience traveling city to city to explore various haunted houses or hay rides. They even managed to convince the most traumatized member of their group to join them, reopening old wounds and provoking things that best left in the past. I wish that was the worst they had to contend with, as evidence that what they faced a year earlier begins to resurface to finish what it started.
So the concept of the film is top-shelf, execution is another matter in entirely. For one, the set-up is entirely too long. The basic idea was apparent early on, this group looking to capitalize on their famed abduction a year earlier resumes the same activities that nearly cost them their lives. I even enjoyed the addition of a holdout, the girl that refused to take part in this after being buried alive in a coffin. I mean, who would want to relieve that trauma. However, once you have the girl on board, I would say that you only need to visit a handful of places to establish tempo before moving to the center stage for the plot. I think a part of it was the fact that the group went to around three venues before they realized that they need the girl. In my opinion, they should have found themselves turned away at the first venue in order to necessitate the need for their holdout and those other two venues could have been focused more on convincing her to jump back into the mix, possibly a flashback to the year prior.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on January 14th, 2018
The year kicks off with its first major action thriller The Commuter, and it’s a barn burner. Total action after an introduction to the plot, the film takes you on the ride of your life with surprises on every turn. If you like gripping films that work on your mind to try and figure out who the perpetrator is and what they want, then this movie should be on the top of your list. And it’s way better than last year’s Murder on the Orient Express. It’s becoming a monotonous routine for Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson), a former police officer and now a life insurance agent. He gets up early in the morning, spends only minutes with his wife Karen MacCauley (Elizabeth McGovern) and the children. He then boards the commuter train to his work. Every day, same train, same fellow passengers, and knowing he will be home that evening to be with his family, then the next day do it all over again.
But his life is about to become a rip-snorting wild ride, starting with getting fired from his ten year job because of company downsizing. Disappointed and knowing it will be tough telling his family, it’ll be a different kind of return trip home. But little does he know how bad it will be.
Posted in: The Reel World by John Delia on January 12th, 2018
Several movies have been released over the past three decades that defend the press or show the importance of the media to inform the public. This is one of them that for the most part does reveal the inner sanctum of one newspaper as it deals with exposing the government for wrong decisions leading to the death of thousands in the Vietnam War. While the script does reveal the sadness of human life losses that could have been avoided, unfortunately the film uses it to glorify newspapers using old news. A platoon starts taking heavy fire in a wooded area, and the body bags start to fill at a high rate. It’s the Vietnam War in 1966, and Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) has just returned from a bloodbath after an ambush by the Viet Cong. Inserted as a military strategist under the Pentagon’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs John McNaughton, he’s observing the war firsthand.
On Air Force One flying back to the United States, Ellsberg is asked to meet with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) in the forward compartment. When he approaches McNamara, he’s discussing the war situation with Robert Komer (David Beach). Komer is organizing the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support program for Vietnam. McNamara turns to Ellsberg and asks him what he feels about the war and if things are better or worse. Ellsberg replies that things are the same, to which McNamara replies that then things have gotten worse.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on January 11th, 2018
“I'm not saying women are better...I'm saying we deserve some respect.”
Battle of the Sexes chronicles a watershed moment for the women's liberation movement. And given the very bad behavior by very powerful men in Hollywood and other high-profile industries that has come to light in recent months, the movie suddenly feels particularly timely despite being set 45 years ago. But even if that weren't the case, this film — which dramatizes the 1973 exhibition match between top-ranked female player Billie Jean King and former male champion Bobby Riggs — would still be a funny, heartfelt winner.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by John Delia on January 9th, 2018
The crime drama Brawl in Cell Block 99 makes its way onto Blu-ray, DVD and 4K. The film tops the charts as one the most excruciatingly brutal movies to be released this year. If you are not offended by extreme violence and don’t get queasy from the sight of blood and cruelty, then this film may be your cup of java. That said, the crime story does have some vindication behind all the willful chaos. Getting laid off from his job at a towing company, Bradley (Vince Vaughn) cleans out his locker and heads home. When he gets there things start getting worse when he finds out that his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) has been seeing someone. Taking it out on her car by tearing it apart with brute force starts a rage within him. Trying to figure it all out, he tries to come to grips with the lack of income and works out a chance to bring his wife back into his life by running drugs for Gil (Marc Blucas), an old friend.
Quickly getting rich and with Lauren pregnant, he realizes it’s the bump he needed to get his life back. One night Gil introduces Bradley to Eleasar (Dion Muciacito), a crystal meth runner who will provide a large payoff to pick up his shipment. Gil asks Bradley to go along and make sure the pickup goes as planned. When the job goes bad, Bradley gets arrested and finds himself behind bars.
Posted in: Contests by Gino Sassani on January 6th, 2018
That's right Lucky 13th Day Of Christmas. Ok it turns out our pals over at Film Movement might not know how to count. But that's good news for you guys. it looks like we have 4-film grab bag from Film Movement. And we have 3 of these to give away. Each winner gets: The War Show ( a group of artists and activists in Syria live the nightmare of that country's bloody civil war), The Settles(see what life is like for the Jewish settlers who live in the occupied territories of The West Bank), Be Right Back (Meet one of the most controversial artists of all time) and Karl Marx City (a filmmaker visits the what was the German Democratic Republic 25 years after the collapse seeking answers to her father's suicide). These films represent groundbreaking foreign films and you can win all 4 with just one entry. We're giving away 3 sets. Enter today before somebody over there finds out these DVD's are missing.
Contest is now closed Winners are Bill Norris, Jim Gardner & Carol
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