Reviews

"The Force" is Peter Nicks second film in a trilogy of films in which he investigates the interaction between community and institution; the institutions that effect our daily lives, e.g., health, security, and education. In his first film, "The Waiting Room", Nicks portrayed a day and night in an Oakland hospital emergency room. In "The Force", Nicks and his team go inside the Oakland Police Department, investigating just how it is working to comply with a decade+ old federal oversight ruling, which was instigated after years of abuse and corruption.

The Oakland Police Department has made national headlines in recent years, yet it is not so dissimilar to other urban police departments, which is why "The Force" works as a documentary about the connection between community and it's protectors across the whole of the country. At the opening, when the new recruits gather to say a Christian prayer, I was skeptical. Would this be a love story to the police force? But once I settled in, this documentary proved it was attempting to show the facts, for good or ill. While I do believe that Nicks allowed the OPD to display their good side, he did not let them hide their dirt either. When emotions run high, it is difficult to stand back and show both sides fairly, but I think Nicks did just that.

In the Q&A following the film, Nicks explained that "The Force" had wrapped filming and even editing when the news broke that the OPD was involved in an underage prostitution scandal involving multiple officers and a massive cover-up. With little money and time, the entire crew decided to go back and film some more. They had to re-cut the film to include this latest information, which probably impacted the final film a bit for the worse, but added a twist that was absolutely necessary to the narrative. 13 years later, and the OPD is still fighting it's demons.

Like "The Waiting Room", I cannot recommend this film enough. It is a brilliant documentary. Because of the last minute changes, I think it got a bit muddled, but even so, it still managed to produce a stunning look at the relationship between police and community in an urban environment, in a time when we are struggling to find justice and peace. Not to mention, that today with Jeff Sessions vowing to remove these federal oversights, how relevant this movie becomes as we see first hand the importance such oversights have in protecting our most vulnerable people.

I had never heard of Atom Egoyan, a Canadian-Armenian director, when I bought a box set of his films from the UK because they were on sale and sounded cool. It has been sitting on my shelf for at least a year. The other night, I cracked it open, put "Next of Kin" on and was blown away. "Next of Kin" is an astonishing first feature length film, both in script (which Egoyan wrote) and direction.

It is a story of a rich young man trying to find purpose in life, much like "The Graduate" and "Harold and Maude". He is 23, lived at home his whole life, and amused himself by "watching my parents dislike each other." They take him to therapy, he plays with them psychologically, but then by chance discovers an Armenian family who lost a son and proceeds to contact them and pretend to be their long lost boy.

It is wacky, it is funny, it is weird, it is thought provoking. It is an insightful look at culture and family and our willingness to accept anything when in psychological need. There is some plot structure and cinematography that is amazing. A remarkable first film that is almost unknown. Delighted to have it my collection. I can't wait to see the rest of the films in the set.

I loved Andrea Arnold's film, "Fish Tank", so I made a point to check out her latest film, "American Honey". I was not disappointed. She did for American disaffected and often overlooked youth what she did for British youth in "Fish Tank", she gave them a voice. She did not put words in their mouths, she allowed them to find their own words. "American Honey" is a brilliant exploration of a subculture that is largely marginalized and ignored.

Arnold does not use big names in her films, despite the fact that Shia LeBoef has a star role here. She finds her muses in everyday encounters, literally approaching them on subway platforms and beaches. From what I understand, her films are shot sequentially and much of the dialog is improvised, in contrast to most major studio films today. Whatever she does, she does it brilliantly because in "American Honey", we can fully relate to a young woman trying to find her place in the world. Newcomer, Sasha Lane, is just mesmerizing as "Star", a young woman who sets off with a bunch of misfits because she has nothing left to lose. Truth be told, as much as Shia LeBoef annoys me with his off screen antics, he carries his role as suitor, love interest, downright bastard, well.

What angers me most is that I saw this film the first week it hit my local cinema, and discussed it with a friend just a few days later, wherein we discovered it left the theaters after only one week. What a travesty. It never even had a chance. I am so glad I went when I did. This is a film that I will gladly add to my collection.

I hate fart jokes. Really, I hate bathroom humor in general. That said, I absolutely loved "Swiss Army Man", which is essentially one very long fart joke! Go figure.

"Swiss Army Man" is a vibrant, creative, youthful, Surrealist film that left me speechless for a bit. It is the story of a man (Paul Dano) who has given up on life, but then finds a corpse (Daniel Radcliff), a very flatulent corpse. Trapped on a deserted island, the narrator uses the corpse to escape, and makes his way to what appears to be the US Pacific Northwest. From there, he hikes through the woods, working his way back to civilization, carting the corpse, all the while discovering the corpse is useful in more ways than one. He also discovers that the more he uses the corpse, the more animated and brought back to life, the corpse becomes. As they journey together, they discuss life, the universe, and everything and the lines between teacher and pupil get increasingly fuzzy.

What makes "Swiss Army Man" standout, besides a clever script and two outstanding performances by the leads, is its brilliant editing. It uses time lapse photography in a unique manner. The sets are astonishing, works of art really, made of refuse and twigs, captured through a series of disjointed and confusing stills and clips, with flashes of the past tossed in for good measure. For everyone who has ever felt sad, alone, or alienated from society, then this film is for you. I think this movie might be one of the most overlooked films of the year.

Going to the theater and seeing a movie on the big screen can be such a magical experience, especially when watching a film as poignant and funny as "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". I had heard great things about the film and the reviews were mostly positive, but I just kept putting it off. When the last local cinema was clearly winding down its showings, I decided this was one I was not going to miss. I could not be happier with that decision. This is, hands down, the best movie I have seen this year.

This story is told in several chapters, each a unique experience. Ostensibly a coming of age story, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is also a perfect example of the pitfalls of social and professional media, that is, the inevitable distortion of fact. A so-called problem child, Ricky (Julian Dennison), finds a new home with a couple in rural New Zealand. The wife, Bella, is ready and willing to take on the challenge of a boy who is a difficult placement for Child Welfare Services. This may sound like a recipe for a bad film on the Hallmark Channel, but an excellent script, some brilliant acting, and outstanding cinematography brings this film to new heights, or like a lake that is closer to the gods.

This is not a realistic story. This is a story of pure fiction. I say this because some reviewers seem to think otherwise and were disappointed by the lack of realism. I don't know what to say other than perhaps it is time you got a new hobby. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is a lovely experience and with the overhead shots of the mountains of New Zealand, a breathtakingly beautiful experience too. I will be adding this one to the collection, and seeing as this is the second film of Waititi's that I have loved, will be adding him to my list of must see directors.

I've long been interested in Mayan mythology and culture, so when I heard about a new movie from Guatemala in the Maya language, I knew it was a film I wanted to see. "Ixcanul" is the Maya word for volcano, which looms large in the film, both physically and as a psychological barrier between this village and the rest of the world.

Maria is a teenage girl, beautiful and bold. She lives with her parents, their only child, on a coffee plantation. Her parents have arranged her marriage to the plantation foreman, but neither seem particularly enthused about it. Instead, Maria dreams of escaping to the United States with a local worker. Despite her best attempts to get Pepe's agreement to take her with him North, she never secures a committed response. Her actions, however, have significant repercussions for her and her family.

This could be a film about the uncaring and unsympathetic corporate owners of the plantations, or it could be about the ignorance of peasant life in the Guatemalan villages, or it could be a film that romanticizes North American culture and lifestyle, but it is none of these things. What it is, is an intimate and honest story of a brief moment in time of a family caught on the crossroads of tradition and modernity. "Ixcanul" is Guatemala's first entry in the Academy Awards for Foreign Language Film, and it certainly deserves to win. I am intrigued by the language and have a few unanswered questions, so it is likely I will pick this one up for the collection when released.

Being relatively new to world cinema, I find that I often buy films blind, that is with little or no knowledge of the movie prior to my purchase. Such was the case with "Wake in Fright", an Australian film directed by Ted Kotcheff. I bought it solely on the description that it was "one of the seminal" films of modern Australian cinema, alongside "Mad Max" and "Walkabout". I was not disappointed.

Gary Bond plays a newly minted schoolteacher, John Grant, sent to the outback to take over a tiny one room schoolhouse in the middle of nowhere. It is the last day of the term and school has just let out for the Christmas and New Year break, six weeks of Summer vacation, which Grant plans to spend with his girl back home in Sydney. He hops a train home, but has an overnight layover in Bundanyabba, aka The 'Yabba. One day turns into two and more as Grant falls into an almost Twilight Zone nightmare of drinking and gambling and losing all control. What he discovers along the way will have a lasting impact, to say the least.

"Wake in Fright" is a brutal watch. It is cruel, and graphic, and lays bare our civilized trappings. I quite liked it. This was a blind buy success. A beautiful, yet difficult, film, with a camera eye view of a culture in one time and place.

Captain Fantastic was fantastic (sorry, had to be said). It was no the movie I intended to see today, but on a whim, I decided it was the movie I should see today. So glad I did. The film really resonated with me as a parent, an intellectual, and a Socialist!

Viggo Mortensen played the father, Ben Cash, of six children, whose mother had recently take absent for reasons which are disclosed later in the film. He and his wife decided to raise their family in the Pacific Northwest mountains of Washington, completely forgoing all conveniences and entirely off the grid. Far from being ignorant hippies, the entire family, is extremely well versed in a wide variety of subjects and skills from philosophy and quantum physics, to language and music, to first aid and hunting. What they lack is socialization in the world that most of us inhabit, which they discover quite abruptly when they find themselves immersed in it unexpectedly. True to form, dad tries to make it into a learning experience, but it is he who does the learning in the end.

"Captain Fantastic" might have gotten bogged down in overbearing preachiness, but thanks to its frank dialogue and charming wit, it remained a pleasure to watch; eliciting both hearty laughs and heartfelt tears in equal measure. Not all of the details are particularly plausible, but if you are willing to suspend disbelief, it is a film that will leave you with more than a little to ponder. My only regret is that I didn't come up with Noam Chompsky Day first.

I am a fan of science fiction, both in written word and film. I have been trying to broaden my scope by watching science fiction films from around the world, so when my friend mentioned that the Pacific Film Archive was showing an obscure modern Russian science fiction film called "Under Electric Clouds", I jumped at the opportunity, despite a few very negative reviews. After all, critics are often wrong. While I have no regrets, in this case, the critics were right. I believe I used the term "horrid" as we left.

Normally, in my reviews, this is where I put the basic plot points. I have nothing for you. I have absolutely no clue what the movie was about. There were several small stories, sort of intertwined, possibly taking place at various points in time that may or may not have overlapped. One was about an immigrant. One had kids on drugs. One was about two siblings returning home after their father died. It was likely deeply existential and full of subliminal meaning, but damned if I could make heads nor tails of it. To make matters worse, the dialog and acting was so stilted and so passive that more than one person in the audience found themselves drifting off to sleep. Several simply walked out.

The saving grace to this film was the cinematography. There were some beautiful shots that were evocative and intriguing. But the rest was sadly not science fiction and too obscure to resonate with even the most cultured film snobs, though it might play better with a Russian audience. It is safe to say, this one will not be joining the collection at this time.

Whoever managed to give Ben Wheatley a budget and an all star cast did the cinematic world a huge favor. I have spent many months preparing for this film. I read the book first, then watched three Ben Wheatley films to familiarize myself with the director, read and watched countless interviews and articles, and then topped it off by watching the film Ben Wheatley recommended to Tom Hiddleston as a foundation upon which to build his character, "The Conformist".

"High-Rise" was a bit much to take in on my first viewing, but my second round really sealed my appreciation. The story takes place in a futuristic high-rise apartment building where everything is provided... schools, shops, pools, and pedestrian spaces. There is something for everyone in the high-rise. It depicts the perhaps inevitable societal breakdown of a culture trapped in a confined space. Thanks to the unique vision of Ben Wheatley, the set of High-Rise is actually a throwback to the 1970s done in what might be considered future for then. Jump's script sums it up with Laing's voice over saying "Sometimes he found it hard to believe they weren't living in a future that hadn't already taken place".

This is the kind of movie that really fuels my obsession with cinema. It is surreal, unique, passionate, intellectual, and makes the viewer work for the reward. The acting is beyond reproach, Laurie Rose's cinematography is brilliant, the soundtrack is excellent, and this has to be Amy Jump's best script yet. This movie will be the cult film of tomorrow. I streamed the film because I was too impatient to wait for the theatrical release in May, but I will certainly go see it on a proper screen and will buy the blu for my collection, if for no other reason than to see the film with subtitles.

Aside from being a thoroughly enjoyable film, "Tangerine" has the remarkable distinction of being shot entirely on an iPhone 5S. How such a feat was accomplished is beyond me for while it does appear to be a low budget piece it looks fantastic. Furthermore, maybe because of the unique film techniques, it feels very real, like you were just tagging along for the duration.

The story takes place over the course of about 12 hours, following the lives of two transgender prostitutes on Christmas Eve. Sin-dee has just been released from jail, and her best friend Alexandra lets slip that her boyfriend/pimp picked up with another women while she was away. This sets Sin-dee off on a rampage as she scours the L.A. streets looking for the new girl and her cheating man. The story weaves from Sin-dee's quest, to Alexandra picking up a few tricks throughout the day, and subtly follows a cab driver who has a thing for Sin-dee, while his family works out his proclivities. Through all of this, the film is not condescending, preachy, or insensitive to anyone. It is brutally honest, hilarious at times, realistic, even touching and sad.

I loved this movie. From the colorful characters to the perfect pacing to the creative cinematography, "Tangerine" is one film every lover of cinema should watch at least once. Oh, and a super soundtrack! I hope to add it to the collection one day.

The other day was Derek Jarman's birthday. I discovered him last year because I really like independent cinema, particularly from the fringes of society, and his name came up repeatedly. So on a whim, I bought "The Last of England". When BFI described him as a "queer pagan punk" for his birthday, I knew it was time to put that movie on and give it a whirl. It was a wholly unexpected, but mostly pleasurable, experience.

"The Last of England" is a highly personal bitch fest about the state of the country and even the world as it was in the mid 80s. Jarman was English and was reacting to life under the Thatcher rule, while I was an American living under Reagan rule. I think more than anytime before or since, the English and American experiences coincided culturally in the 1980s. Jarman's film was shot in 8mm, shaky cam and all, and is more or less and decoupage of raw emotions and experiences of growing up in the cold war, never knowing when the bombs will drop, and being led by leaders who seem to think such a state of constant anxiety is sane. Add to it, the newly emerging queer revolution and the punk scene, complete with drugs, and life at the time did seem quite precarious.

I loved the odd stream of consciousness, the nightmare visions, the lack of dialog or plot or even characters. Well, OK, I loved about 2/3 of it. The last 15 minutes which was where Tilda Swinton came in with her wedding gown made the least sense to me and could have been cut with no loss (which pains me to say as I admire her, but here she was like an extra at the last moment to add time and a name to the film, which was already quite intriguing). I enjoyed how he merged past with home family videos with present and future. I'm glad to have the film and I will certainly look for more by Jarman, though he is clearly not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

I am a Laurie Anderson fan. I have been since her album "Big Science" was released in 1982. I remember listening to "Walking and Falling" over and over on my SONY Walkman as I walked many paths and feeling like she really got it, whatever it was. I continued to follow her, through her release of "Home of the Brave" in 1986 and saw her perform live at the Zellerbach Hall in the 90s. Her marriage to Lou Reed seemed so perfect. So, when I heard she made a movie, I had to check it out. As I left the theater, I could only ask myself, "Why did it take so long?"

"Heart of a Dog" is a beautiful tribute to life, love, and the fleeting nature of time. It is everything you would expect from a Laurie Anderson movie and then some. It is not a documentary, it is a cinematic essay on loss and love and death and remembrance. It is poetry on film. Laurie Anderson is, in my mind, first and foremost a poet. She has been graced with an understanding of the power of language, not only in the actual chosen words, but in the cadence of their delivery. The influence of Burroughs is obvious. In "Heart of a Dog", she translates that poetry to imagery, mixing home movies, weird distorted images barely recognizable, to straight up film moments, it all comes together as the ultimate Laurie Anderson expression.

If you are not a fan, this may not be the film for you, or it may be a gateway into the mind of a creative genius. It is not so much a film as a stream of consciousness visual essay. If you are a fan, then make all haste to see this film. It is everything you can imagine a Laurie Anderson film to be.

Every once in a while, I stumble across a video that just calls out to me, whether it be a funny title, a bizarre description, or a lesser known work of a much admired director. Todd Haynes' "Dottie Gets Spanked" is my latest acquisition of this type and was absolutely delightful.

This 30 minute short film was commissioned by the Independent Television Service, with funds from PBS, as one of a series of shows exploring the difference between "tv families" and "real families." In what Haynes call his most autobiographical piece to date, "Dottie Gets Spanked" tells the story of Stevie, a seven year old boy obsessed with a television star, Dottie Frank, star of the 1950s show, "The Dottie Show", an obvious allusion to Lucille Ball and "Here's Lucy". Stevie loves everything about Dottie, never misses a show, draws pictures of her, creates stories around her, even dreams of her. As the title suggests, he witnesses Dottie getting spanked, which opens up a whole new world of emotions for a young and impressionable boy.

Todd Haynes is one of the most recognized directors of the New Queer Cinema movement of the early 1990s. This little gem of a show is a brilliant representation of how one boy's gender identity blossoms, together with his awareness (and shame) of his differences from his peers. If you are over 40, loved the old sitcoms, even a little atypical, then there is a decent chance you will love this too.

This year's installment in delightfully subversive political guerrilla filming is brought to us by Jafar Panahi and his film, "Taxi". Mr. Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker who ran afoul of his government's strict rules concerning suitable filming subjects. As a result, he spent time in prison and under house arrest. Not to be daunted, he continued making films that skirted the government's definition. "Taxi" is his third such film and like the other two, had to be smuggled out of the country to be seen.

Panahi assumes the guise of a taxi driver (apparently a nod to fellow Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's film, "Ten") and drives around a city, much like any other city, picking up various passengers throughout the day. There are moments of hilarity as Pahani deals with one situation after another, but underneath it all is a telling story of what life is like in Iran today, with particular attention to issues of censorship, state sanctioned brutality, women's rights, and of course, how this affects the arts and culture. It makes light of life in Iran and pokes fun at the powers that be, all the while recognizing that their actions have serious ramifications.

It is for the most part an engaging film, but given that it all takes place in a taxi and as such, is almost completely driven by dialog, it can drag a little. Still, for what it is, a piece of political theater, it is really excellent. If you get a chance to see it, I'd recommend it if for no other reason than to get a small feel for a country we, in the Western world, get to see so little of.

Imagine, if you will, being born and raised in a small, square, space with only a skylight from which to see the outside world. How would living in such confines define the person? What happens to that world view when the outside comes crashing in? This is the story we watch unfold in "Room".

In a complete change from his last film, "Frank", Lenny Abrahamson's "Room" stars Brie Larson as Ma and her now five year old son, Jake, played by Jacob Tremblay. Ma and Jake live together in a room with two chairs, a table, a bent spoon, a bed, a sink, and a wardrobe. Why they live in such a confined space is the basis for the first half of the movie. The second half is what happens when they break free from the room and Jake discovers a vastly bigger room on the outside. The film is told mostly from his perspective, which could be disastrous, but with Tremblay's magnificent acting, and a script which carefully understands a child's perceptions, this technique works to the film's advantage. It is not too saccharine and for the most part, believable.

I would be shocked if this film does not net Brie Larson with at least an Academy Award nomination. Her portrayal of a mother in unbelievable circumstances is nothing short of brilliant. Easily the best movie of the year that I have seen so far, but one so emotionally engaging, that it left me drained. If you chose to watch "Room", and I do recommend it, bring plenty of tissues. There wasn't a dry eye in the theater.

Guillermo del Toro is a director and artist whose films fall into two distinct categories: big budget English language blockbusters like "Hellboy" and "Pacific Rim" and lesser known, low budget Spanish language horror films like "Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth". His latest film, "Crimson Peak" is what happens when these two worlds collide, in other words, a big budget English language horror film.

"Crimson Peak" is set in the late 19th century, first in New York, then in rural England. Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) is a young budding writer who is intelligent, beautiful, and strong willed, refusing to allow Victorian sensibilities dictate what she can and cannot do, and as a result butts heads with those around her. Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) is an English aristocrat and inventor who is in New York seeking financial backing for his mechanized clay mining business back home. When tragedy strikes, Thomas marries Edith and brings her to his home, Allerdale Hall in Cumberland, where his sister Lucille Sharpe (Jessica Chastain) is waiting. As Edith tries to fit into her new surroundings, she discovers that secrets abound and nothing is as it seems.

The visuals in "Crimson Peak" are so glorious, they are almost overwhelming. The sets are spectacular visions of beauty and decadence in decay; costumes are intricately detailed and gorgeous; the lighting and over saturated color bring depth and meaning; the ghosts are grotesquely beautiful; and, of course, the del Toro trademarks of insects and clockwork gracefully found their way into the story as well.

Because "Crimson Peak" is a rather large studio production, it is being marketed to a large audience. I believe this accounts for some of the lackluster reviews I have been reading. If one is not familiar with del Toro's prior Spanish language films, they may not understand his unique cinematic perspective. For some, this will mark the beginning of a journey into del Toro's fantasy world, for others it will be a disappointment. For me, it was almost everything I wanted it to be.

Ridley Scott's latest Science Fiction film, "The Martian" (2015), is everything I want in a Science Fiction film. It has intelligent, science based themes, just enough action and suspense to keep one interested, and plenty of humor to lighten the mood. Having just read the novel by Andy Weir, I knew this film had the potential to be great. Weir's novel of the same name is a hilarious, but thoroughly researched investigation of how one person might survive alone on Mars, and how by working together, the rest of the world could find a way to bring him home. The movie stayed very true to the essence of the book.

Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, the astronaut left behind for dead on Mars after a storm forces a hurried evacuation. He couldn't be more suited for the role. Watney was the Botonist and Engineer on the mission. The ability to make things grow and fix whatever is broken are two skills that come in very handy, for obvious reasons. Watney is highly intelligent, creative, and has a wicked sense of humor. We also see NASA and JPL frantically working on Earth to find a way to save Watney. The crew on the original mission also get into the game.

I loved this movie. A great comeback for Ridley Scott, some decent acting, a fabulous script adaptation, and great cinematography make this a must see film for those into the genre and even those who aren't. I wasn't a huge fan of the music, but the disco references were great and one perfectly placed Bowie song made up for an otherwise lackluster score. I also felt with so many characters, some were not fully developed. That said, this is definitely one for the collection.

P.S.: The book is a fun and easy read. If you like the movie, read the book!

When I first heard that Ian McKellen landed the role of Sherlock Holmes in a film about the end of the great detective's life, I knew he would be perfect for the part, and indeed, he was. "Mr. Holmes" (2015), based on a novel by Mitch Cullin called "A Slight Trick of the Mind", is a delightful film, full of humor and sadness as Mr. Holmes revisits his last case, and finds his memory isn't quite what it used to be. He has retired to his cottage by the sea and taken up his well known hobby of beekeeping or apiculture. With him are his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son, Roger (Milo Parker), a precocious young boy. The on screen dynamic between these three is astonishing. More is conveyed in one glance than could be said in lines of dialog.

The sets were detailed with precision, the scenery was vibrant and gorgeous (except one scene which was perfectly moody and dark), and the cinematography was stunning. The score was perfectly understated and captured the sentiment of the scenes with finesse.

"Mr. Holmes" is a very different kind of Sherlock Holmes story. It is sentimental without being saccharine and I believe it is a fair representation of the greatest detective in fictional history. The movie is set to be released in Great Britain on June 19 and in the U.S. on July 17. I recommend it highly.