lucasnochez Reviews

Death on the Nile (2022)

Film Review: Death On The Nile (2022) www.nfreviews.com

[6/10 · 18 February 2022]

So, here we go again!

Hello fellow film lover! Welcome back after yet another long stint battling logic and how to continue watching movies in a theatre with the existence of this petty virus.

It's been a long six months absence since our last review, and we are so excited to welcome you back with a film that, like so many of us have been feeling, has longed to see the daylight. Due to arrive in cinemas since 2019 (back when film delays used to happen not because of world threatening virus'), Death on the Nile has had its fair share of misfortunes.

As you all may be wondering, the film industry is changing, and rather quickly, at that. With all that has been happening over the last two years, all it seems we are able to do is roll with the punches, adapt and evolve, especially when it comes to cinema and our deep, long love for it.

As time passes and the clock ticks, we always find ourselves constantly adapting to the changing landscape and expectations for cinema. For a while, after the strength and importance of streaming services, it seemed as though, cinemas as we knew them, and movie theatres, we're on their way out. That was, until, one friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man came and saved the day. After the massive commercial success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, a film that could be argued, single-handedly, saved movie theatres as we know them, the relevance and importance of going to the movies has never been more dire right now.

Fast forward a couple months, and February begins its reign with a film that has been waiting nearly three years to get the spotlight. The delay ridden Death on the Nile, the unexpected sequel to Kenneth Branagh's surprise hit Murder on the Orient Express, finally arrives. But, aside from its cliched, by the number whodunit narrative, Death on the Nile provides audiences with yet another stark switch happening in the film industry today.

After the rape allegations of Armie Hammer, Nile has been in release limbo for a long time now. Yet, despite the final verdict on Hammer and the allegations as a whole, Hammer was not taken out or replaced in the film, despite the film's lengthy delay. Unlike All The Money In The World, Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore and other huge blockbuster endeavours that re-cast their lead stars after similar allegations and despite their star power, Nile decided to keep Hammer on the bill, in the film and still credited fully in the picture. Sure, he may not get the most promotion in the commercials and hasn't seen the light of day in years, but Hammer still occupies most of the picture, seeing he has a crucial role as the main protagonists love interest and eventual husband. Who would have thought, that after a few couple years of the #METOO movement in Hollywood, the response and importance of such a stance in the industry, would die down so quickly. Ironically enough, to a celebrity and star being known for being a troublemaker, womanizer and nuisance on set with his cast and crew.

Yet, aside from all the drama and politics of the film, the truth of the matter is, Death on the Nile isn't going to single-handedly save movie theatres, nor will it revive a very lacklustre February for the movie industry and it won't revive any careers either. Death on the Nile is a run of the mill whodunit with some fun moments that include some mild twists, shallow turns and expectedly unexpected narrative tropes that we have all seen many times before. Is it entertaining, absolutely; but does solely entertaining cut it in 2022? In a time where films means so much more, in a time when nostalgia are studios main star, reminiscing on the glory days and bringing some classics back and reviving them is perhaps why audiences are so keen on going back to the movies? Just like old times. Just look at Jackass: Forever, Ghostbuster: Afterlife and Spider-Man: No Way Home as clear cut examples.

No one expected Death on the Nile to take this long to release, especially not its star and director Branagh; whose sights couldn't be further from the picture, given his recent Oscar nominations and critical praise for his semi-autobiographical indie darling Belfast taking much of his time and attention now a days (and for good reason).

Death on the Nile is a film that passes time. Like a lazy river of emotions, action, pacing and character development, Death on the Nile is another stagnant attempt of studios jamming as many celebrities and stars into one picture, and wishing for a hit.

Enemy Lines (2020)

Film Review: Enemy Lines/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[1/10 · 10 August 2020]

Not to be confused with the 2001 blockbuster hit Behind Enemy Lines starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman, which spawned a countless amount of straight to video/VOD sequels, with lesser known actors and much less talent, Enemy Lines is a UK produced WWII film about a joint venture between allies to rescue and retrieve a rocket scientist from the grasp of the Nazi regime.

If this plot seems a little too familiar, its probably because it really is. Enemy Lines is a B-movie production made with B-movie intentions and care. The crack team of allied commandos, led by Ed Westwick's Major Kaminski, followed by an array of lesser known actors and characters, create a violent and suicidal plan to enter the war-torn landscape of occupied Poland. Held together by Kaminski's bravery and Captain Davidson's heart (Tom Wisdom), the team risks everything for the lives of one man.

As you can imagine, our group of mercenary allied heroes face an array of obstacles and unplanned adversity, including a rival Russian team intent on capturing the scientist for themselves. Maneuvering through unfamiliar territory and the elements, the team come across friends and enemies at every turn, pushing the limits of their friendship, trust and loyalty to each other.

While the chemistry between the actors, with the exception of Westwick and Wisdom, isn't anything to marvel at, there is an amusing and somewhat satisfying reunion between Hannah and Johnson, who were both amusing in the 1999 remake The Mummy, giving audiences some sort of nostalgia throughout the film. Yet, as expected from low budget B-film, the acting is never the greatest, the action is always sub-par, and of course, the movie itself tries to take itself more seriously than it ever should. Yet, despite the content and it being set during the Second World War, Enemy Lines is a film that thrives off of campy dialogue, some semi-captivating moments and a faux-hawk stolen straight from the 2000s for its biggest acting name Westwick.

While the film lacks any real suspense that one might expect from a war film, it is plagued with ongoing stand-offs and gun battles, which, although not-particularly stylized, are quite entertaining, given the constant use of highlighting blood in the snow and the lingering fate of our protagonists lives hanging by a string.

While the film tries to base the majority of its events in reality, the film is a lacklustre depiction of many scientists and doctorates who were confiscated by the Nazi's during the war, and used to conjure up weapons that would secure their victory against the allies. Although there never was a Dr. Faber in the war, the character provides the film with the most amount of tragic density, given that his daughter and him are following every bated breath of the allied soldiers to live.

While Enemy Lines won't be a film that will be remembered for very long, it surely is an opportunity for people stuck in their homes to enjoy some generic war film that will entertain, albeit, pass the time before the next Netflix produced time-occupier comes along.

Hope Gap (2019)

Film Review: Hope Gap/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[9/10 · 10 August 2020]

"Say not the struggle nought availeth, the labour and the wounds are vain, the enemy faints not, nor faileth, and as things have been they remain." An important passage of one of Arthur Hugh Clough's most recognized poems, is easily one of the most important messages from William Nicholson's long awaited sophomore feature Hope Gap. A story about hope, persistence and hard work for the things in life that matter the most, Hope Gap is a small film, but size never seems to be a determining factor of poignancy. Just like a well written poem, Hope Gap is a little piece of reality for the struggles, hardships and sometimes, maybe even often times, emotionally violent feats one may take to overcome heartbreak.

Upon watching Hope Gap, I found the film resonating very deep within my heart and soul. Having endured a heartfelt and emotional withering of my own relationship, the film treads lightly the very real and hard to swallow realities of moving on.

Plot wise, the film is a very familiar story. As the film opens up, we are quickly introduced to a very simple family; Edward (Bill Nighy) a professor at a local school, Grace, religious mother and poet enthusiast (Annette Bening) and their tech-savvy son Jamie (Jack O'Connor), who has recently moved away from his parents quaint seaside town and into the city. Upon the arrival of Grace and Edward's twenty-ninth wedding anniversary, an elderly Edward (Bill Nighy) informs Grace that he is leaving him for another woman.

As the unravelling of Grace and Edward's marriage begins, very simple yet complex themes of happiness, communication and relationships encompass the film. Within the first ten minutes of the film, Grace and Edward's relationship is spotlighted by how a lack of communication shows how their relationship begins to wither. Discussion of a simple anniversary dinner date, as well as a belief and faith in God shows both of their large differences in the relationship pushes Edward away. Grace, who is so passionate and feisty, laments her own emotions onto Edward, who, lifelessly and aimlessly just goes through the motions of the final days of their marriage. It becomes quite clear that the routine, repetitiveness and familiarity of Edward's life with Grace takes a toll on how he sees his future may be, and therefore rejects and denies it when he begins to fall in love with another woman.

Nicholson's script and direction is super tight and extremely relatable in a time where the large gaps between generations, especially between parents and children, are more visible than ever. Nicholson uses his very talented cast, moistly in Bening and Nighy, as well as the highly underrated O'Connor showcase their acting skills in nuanced yet powerful ways. Nicholson treads light waters and uses the weight of little things having value in relationships and how certain partners characteristics leads to problematic formulas of action/reaction and the lack thereof.

Hope Gap is wonderful film who's biggest enemy are not the cheaters, the faithfuls or the innocent bystanders who get caught in the cross-fires of love; the greatest enemy in Hope Gap are the fears that individuals tend to forget when it comes to growing a life, raising a family and getting older entails. These fears, like, being adequate companions to a spouse, projecting your beliefs onto your children, as well as the expectations people have for others, without expecting much from themselves, become the very fabrics of why Hope Gap succeeds as a portrait of a failed marriage, but also bridges the spaces of simple narrative storytelling.

Hope Gap isn't a movie you see, it's a movie you feel, similar to the way Edward explains to his wife how trying to force their son to believe in God is not the path he nor his son sees fit. "You don't tell love, you feel love", says Edward. Hinting early on in the film his very own emotions to a wife that seems deaf to his cries and pleas of change and growth.

One of the marvellous feats of Hope Gap is its ability to, although showcasing the faults and incompatibilities of each spouse to the audience as well as to each other, never makes either one of the partners a villain or a hero. Grace and Edward move on with their individual lives in manners that seem to not only evolve their characters, but also allow their son Jamie to find peace and happiness in the unfolding of his parents marital demise.

One of the most reoccurring dialogues in the film, is the idea of being happy and being fine. As Grace so eloquently states, "Fine isn't the same as happy" when discussing Jamie's love life in the city and his lack of companionship in his single flat, as well as Edward's responses whenever Grace asks him how his days are and how he is feeling. This simple use of narrative foreshadowing and these little bits of dialogue really pushes the points towards the fact that marriages are not easy; relationships are not simple, yet, its the decisions made between two people and the actions of their love that bridges the gap towards the idea that their love, their failed marriage and the time spent together, brought them their greatest accomplishment, their son.

It is quite obvious that Hope Gap may not be the happiest film you may see in 2020, but it sure is one damn fine film.

True Fiction (2019)

Film Review: True Fiction

[4/10 · 10 August 2020]

The relationship between authors and their subjects has been very familiar territory for the horror genre. With classic horror films like The Shining and Misery, as well as contemporary horror favourites like 1408 and Sinister, True Fiction dabbles with the idea of controlled experiment in fear being the basis for murder, chaos and mayhem.

True Fiction is a physiological film, first and foremost. Blending the very blurred lines of reality, fantasy and toying with the perspectives of its two leads, the film becomes a feast for audience members to allow their imaginations to roam freely and vividly. A game of power and control, writer and director Braden Croft blends a familiar narrative of the cat-and-mouse game into a power struggle between accomplished author and his very polite, young and sweet test subject.

As the film opens, we are introduced to Avery Malone (Sara Garcia), an aspiring writer with some dark secrets about her past and her family, who is being interview for a position as an assistant to her favourite horror writer, Caleb Conrad (John Cassini). Seeing the opportunity as a unique experience to gain some writing tips and advice for her own, eventual work, she is given the opportunity to work with her idol, and accepts the position, almost blindly. Soon, she is picked up and driven to an isolated and secluded cottage, at an undisclosed location. Relinquishing her phone and her daily responsibilities, she is given the opportunity to explore the cottage, with the exception of a few locked doors. Shortly after, the highly mysterious and reclusive writer Caleb Conrad mysteriously appears in his study, where the two lay out the terms and agreements of their working relationship. Avery, without hesitation, signs over all consent to Caleb and quickly becomes his guinea pig, playing in his little, twisted game of analyzing fear and her deepest, darkest secrets. As time passes and the lines of reality and fantasy are blurred, Avery soon begins to question Caleb's methods as well as the truths behind why she is really there in the first place.

True Fiction may not be the work of a seasoned horror master, but explores very menacing ideas of identity, at times, making Croft's execution seem a little more confusing than it should. Croft's ability to use dream-like scenarios and reality, at times, are his downfall, extrapolating the expectations and experience of the audience with sometimes uneven narrative flow. We often question Caleb's intentions, as well as, who the true protagonist and antagonist really is. The film's pace trots along quite well in the first two acts, but stalls in the third.

What's really quite interesting about True Fiction is Croft's, as well as his cast's, ability to switch the power of each character's so effortlessly and without much accountability. With each passing scene, the audience becomes quite confused, various times, as to who the villain and hero really are. The idea of submitting to your captor really gets put into question with every scene, and sometimes takes away from the overall threat that Croft sets up so patiently in the beginning.

One of True Fiction's greatest achievements, is its commitment to the craft. While Canadian horror films aren't quite applauded as much as American horror films, with the exception, of course, of a good ol' Cronenberg film, the genre of horror in Canada is one that has been deemed, unfulfilled. I mean, sure, we have film like Ginger Snaps and Splice as well as a whole slew of co-produced American/Canadian horror films, but the genre is one that has yet to breakthrough and gain the respect from audiences and critics as much as American and Japanese horror films have.

Unfortunately, True Fiction does not have the muscle to become that film that really breaks out for Canadian horror. As its character Caleb Conrad states often to Avery, her character as well as the film itself, has an uncanny ability do what its told, and follow in the footsteps of so many before them. While True Fiction may be applauded for its ability to conjure up imagination, inspire interpretation and give audiences some bloody good fun, the shocks and chills are too short lived, the acting is a bit too Canadian-campy and the story does not stand on its own two feet long enough to question whether what we are seeing is truth, reality, or merely, unpolished storytelling.

The Jesus Rolls (2019)

Film Review: The Jesus Rolls

[1/10 · 10 August 2020]

Unofficial sequels are always a bit of a tedious and tumultuous endeavour, by any filmmaker, especially when the original is as beloved and hailed as the Coen Brothers cult classic The Big Lebowski. Yet, as weird and difficult it is a task of comparing one's own art to a predecessor, its even more difficult when an unofficial sequel also serves as an alternative language remake of another film.

The Jesus Rolls is John Turturro's fifth written and directed film, and like many of his previous films, Turturro is fascinated by the idea of very mature and thematic adult love. Yet, while romance is the main driving force of The Jesus Rolls, Turturro decided to set the film and gather his former, glorious and alluded character from the aforementioned Lebowski, Jesus Quintana. Now, I'm not sure if using one of his most infamous, cinematic characters as the central character for a remake for Bertrand Blier's Les Valseuses was an ingenious marketing ploy, or downright tragedy, but nevertheless, The Jesus Rolls is a downright intriguing and unforgettable cinematic experiment that will surely not be removed from your head; but we are still trying to figure out if that's a good thing, or bad one.

Luckily for Turturro, over the past forty years of his acting career, as well as almost thirty years as a filmmaker, the actor was able to work with some of the most talented names and faces in film history. Yet, so many of these talents and the influences are hardly scene in the storytelling of The Jesus Rolls. Sadly, it seemed as though Turturro, was more intent of contacts so many of his former co-stars, to provide some sort of cameo-type appearance in this film, that basically serves as an exceptional reading card when reading back the end credits. The truth of the matter is, most of the strengths of The Jesus Rolls lies less in the cast advertised in the trailers or marketing material, and more in the strength of Turturro's ability to explore a side of middle-aged perversion that is hardly shown in Western cinema today.

Basking in the largely European themed scenarios that flooded Italian and French multiplexes in the 70's, The Jesus Rolls is a story about Jesus Quintana's reassimilation back into society, after serving a hefty prison sentence, for a crime, we really are not privy to knowing. We learn quickly that his best friend and confidant, Petey (Bobby Cannavale) is there for Jesus and all of his misfitting and delinquent needs. Together, they steal cars, cause a ruckus and sweep a beautiful French woman, Marie (Audrey Tautou) away from her normal life as a hairdresser, as the three embark on a confusing and perilous journey of sexual discovery, growth and identity.

Engaging with strangers, relatives and acquaintances along the way, the three whimsical, aimless rejects of their environments learn about orgasms as well as their own sexual restrictions in a fever-dream like road trip that really doesn't go anywhere further than the fresh pavement and asphalt of the American highway. While the film takes place within the United States, this is far less a piece of Americana, and more, a sun-drenched fantasia of extreme comical and unbelievably narrative laziness. Turturro, who is credited with writing the film, films himself writing his character's into constant dead-ends and do not enters, which enable his protagonists to sometimes take unexpected U-turns to cinematic unknowns. While the material is unexpectedly lush and fantastical, it is hard not to notice or make the connection that The Jesus Rolls is some sort of a mid-life crisis film for Turturro; maybe a cinematic diorama his own failings in his own life and his past/present relationships? One thing does surely become evident though, we sluggishly become intrigued, somehow.

Either way, The Jesus Rolls does have its fair share of allure. Tautou, who plays the main love interesting of the middle-aged threesome, offers some of the best and louche scenes in the films. Her disreputable demeanour towards the men as well as her discovery of a sexual awakening with a younger man gives the film its strange essence and also allows audience members to recall some of their favourite memories of fever-dream like European dramas of the past. Together, along with Cannavale, the three really give the film its stamina, despite the feature itself being under 90 minutes, despite seeming more like 120 minutes at times.

By Turturro using Jesus Quintana, a small character from the Coen Brother's beloved Lebowski, Turturro is able to evolve and expand Quintana's mannerisms and character growth, which really shows a different side of the vastness of his filmmaking range, even if, by the time the credits roll, Quintana's accent does becomes a bit more of a distraction than a selling point. Giving a little more muddled depth to Quintana, audiences are able to see this character grow into a muffled and zesty resurrected figment of his glorious past.

It's quite obvious though, that The Jesus Rolls has a very niche market and following, that would disallow it from appearing on many of the larger streaming services like Netflix, Crave and Prime. Yet, despite all that, thanks to a beautifully shot film by Frederick Elmes, the man behind Paterson; Synecdoche, New York and The Ice Storm, as well as Emilie Simon's incredibly compassionate flamenco score, The Jesus Rolls may not be the most unforgettable film you may watch in recent memory, but it surely will be a film you may never forget.

Nose to Tail (2018)

Film Review: Nose To Tail/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[6/10 · 27 February 2020]

In the culinary world, the expression "nose to tail" is a philosophy of cooking that meticulously uses every possible part of an animal, minimizing potential waste of the carcass. When it comes to eating, "nose to tail" is used to describe consumers who scoff every part of a dish so nothing is wasted. When it comes to Jesse Zigelstein's main character Daniel in his feature film debut Nose To Tail, its pretty safe to say that, Daniel (Aaron Abrams) leaves no one person unscathed after devouring each in every scene and each and every one person's ego, including his own, in Zigelstein's sizzling debut.

The truth of the matter is, Jesse Zigelstein's film debut is easily more than a commonly used culinary idiom. The title of the film can easily be seen as a foreshadowing for the representation of our main...dare I say protagonist? Nose To Tail takes place over the course of one day, following the challenging and misshaped filled rollercoaster ride daily routine of once famed super chef Daniel. Daniel is the head chef of his uncompromising and meticulously run restaurant. Over the past ten years, Daniel has gone from local trendsetter, to out of touch with the current times. Yet, as much as people around him tell him that he is done, or that he has had a good run, Daniel refuses to accept the fact that food trucks and online bloggers dictate his own future; for he is only able to do that, giving Daniel a classic tragic hero type narrative arc. Poetic yet radically ironic, Daniel thinks redemption is in order for him and fading culinary sanctuary. Sadly, he realizes very quickly how one day, things can spiral out of control and end up completely fried.

Jesse Zigelstein writes and directs Nose To Tail, and while films today are flooding cineplexes everywhere with strong themes of female empowerment and cooking up extreme depictions of cinematic toxic masculinity, Daniel's constant displays of feisty, fiery and chronic male abuse does not feel outdated or irrelevant. On the contrary, Daniel's pompous, egotistical and majestically male abuse further highlights the many lows and obstacles Daniel must face, just to get through an evening that will dictate the future of his beloved establishment as well as gives an added spice, flavour or dare I say, whips up some interesting counter-punch to the larger conversation doused with films today.

While the themes and undertone of the films plays devil's advocate to most films today, Nose To Tail marvels at its own reflection by being a structured and old-school depicted character study through and through. Thankfully, thanks to Zigelstein's powerful script, the magnanimous colours of Daniel's character couldn't work any better, without the strength of its lead, Aaron Abrams. Abrams, who's familiar face we're sure you've seen before, whether it be in blockbusters like Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Cinderella Man, or the popular Hannibal television series, Abrams has established himself a certain reputation that I'm sure he would smile about if you insinuated it to him. Which is why the character of Daniel is so perfect for Abram's growing filmography; because while Daniel spends the majority of the film begging and pleading people for a break for his many mistakes and uncontrolled rants filled with poignant insults, including references of Adolf Hitler, this different breed of asshole is due for his fair charge of growth and maturity, right?

And so, with each cringe-worthy minute of Daniel's amassed lies, rebel-like mentality and personality, throughout the film, it becomes clear that Abrams is one of the only actors who can inherit the spirit of Daniel. Whether it be an old school rebel playing by his own rules who is out of touch with the times, or an uncompromising contrarian who despises the word "buzz" and believes in the reaffirmation of good cuisine and the stand alone integrity of good ingredients and the passion of culinary creativeness, Daniel loses his touch and seems to be maturing into something quite indeed; a has-been. Despite his best efforts, Daniel's obvious passion to the point of destruction never becomes his downfall or demise; Daniel begins spiralling downwards not because of his lack of professionalism, or his constant obsession with the attainment of pure cuisine, Daniel gets hacked and chopped up for the simple facts that he is no longer a financially viable option. Daniel's numbers don't add up, he is no longer a sound investment and he is no longer a part of the larger conversation. Nose To Tail then becomes a detailed instance of episodic and chapters filling a narrative structure showcasing one man's lack of cohesiveness and digression to the proverbial hole accounting to the sum of its total parts.

Abrams embodies Daniel, from each and every argument, mocking instance, insult, or professional or unprofessional interaction with everyone in the film. Daniel's relationships throughout the film, from the moment he wakes up on top of his desk in the basement of the restaurant, with a bottle of whiskey lingering in the background, to his final scene where the day and the events of the day has left him bruised, bloodied and beaten, the question remains if Daniel is a cynical opportunist, or a pandering, self-destructive parasite incapable of listening to anyone else but himself?

Nose To Tail may not be the hottest thing in town right now, especially given the social climate of the commentary of films today, nor would its bourbon-bodied jazz soundtrack by the immensely talented Ben Fox be a go-to for typical soundtrack of the year, and Nose To Tail may take a beating for its stance to reaffirm the main character, but at least it stays true to give audiences an entertaining receipt for a simmering asshole chef we have all know and love...to hate.

The Assistant (III) (2019)

Film Review: The Assistant/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[6/10 · 27 February 2020]

Welcome! Have a seat.

As normal a greeting as could be, yet, the ramifications of such words hold such heavy and enduring provocations in Kitty Green's feature film debut The Assistant.

Fairly new to the narrative feature film world, Australian born Kitty Green gives audience members a documentarian style, "day in the life of" type film, shadowing the daily routine life of Jane (Julia Garner). Jane is a highly stressed, over-worked, entry-level assistant to an unnamed film mogul in New York City.

Seems like pretty regular stuff, right? Yet, Green's Assistant is nothing short of extraordinary, yet completely relatable and ordinary to so many people watching it. Doused in elements of film-noir, to elements of an extreme thriller, The Assistant is a bold and brave new voice at the dawn of the #MeToo era of socially conscious, gender-inclusive filmmaking. And while the coincidences of the Harvey Weinstein case are hard to shake while watching each and every gripping frame of this film, it becomes a double-edged sword, of sorts, for Green's chilling message. Yes, the obvious similarities to the once-famed and respected film mogul are apparent, yet this translucent piece of cinema is neither a documentation or reimagining of the obscenities of that one person, rather a realization that such small, impactful and everyday choices are heralded everyday, in every office, every workplace and happens or has happened to each and every one of us, regardless of gender.

Gathering the voices and stories of so many nameless individuals, as well as her own experiences in the world of film, Green uses subtle little anecdotes of each and every one of us, to relay a story as timeless as it is timely.

Stressed with on-going mundane tasks, Jane is subjected to so many responsibilities at her place of employment. From shifting schedules, booking hotels, travel arrangements and lying regularly to people over the phone, Jane's good-hearted and innocent spirit is constantly battling and struggling with her own moral compass. Yet, with every opportunity of being kind-hearted, loyal and honest, her actions are almost immediately overmanned and undermined with character degrading emails to her boss, apologizing and asking for his forgiveness. Sentences such as, "I overreacted", "It was not my place", or ""I will not let you down again", flood the screen of Jane's emails. But Green is much more interested in the tiny actions much more than the larger melodrama filling most multiplexes today.

Like many classics thrillers, including Psycho and Rear Window, the notion that what's shown off-screen will always be scarier than what we see on-screen; Green takes notes from these masterclass directors and shows her confidence in her actors and screenplay, allowing the heavy words and off-screen actions to thrill, disturb and keep the audience's imagination constantly churning. While its hard to ignore the not-so-subtle messages being yelled towards the screen, the whole concept of ignoring what is right in front of you, and being ignored, are both very complex aspects of The Assistant. As an audience, we ask ourselves, "What can we do?", if we were in Jane's position, or if, we are in fact, in Jane's position right NOW. Then, question like, "what do we do?" are the questions left flooding our own heads.

The Assistant, although casted with gendered actors, is a genderless and mandatory "fly-in-the-soup" type cinematic experience. The audience can easily imagine the role of Jane being a male, and the mogul role being a female, or both males or female characters, interchangeably. The genders portrayed in the films are as irrelevant as exactly what happens behind closed doors in each and every one of those offices. What matters most is the actions we take, even when our actions sometimes have no real ramifications or resolve. A challenge seen when Jane approaches Mr. Willcock, her HR department head, who, without hesitation, completely ignores her very strong cases of obvious sexual misconduct in the workplace, involving, none of than the commander-in-chief. Yet, like so many other nameless faces before and after Jane, instead of facing issues presented by disgruntled employees because of people in high place of power, these people who are hired to enact action and take the positions of the workers, threatens her position within the company; implying that he thought she was "smart", as well as reminding her as competitive her position is and how she was chosen amongst so many other women who applied. Yet, throughout the film, through conversations Jane has with her parents, friends and family, constantly remind and encourage her just how "proud" they are of the position she has earned, and being constantly brainwashed just by how much of a great opportunity this is for her and her potential future. It becomes clear that the job that a bright young woman once wanted, becomes a very real nightmare she lives out each and everyday. This position, becomes a contorted, idealistic acceptance of abusive workplace normality, a symbol of so many other workplaces that are being plagued globally.

Luckily for us, the face, front and centre of The Assistant is Julia Garner. A doe-eyed and very talented actress who has previously been seen in other masterworks such as Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene. Garner delivers, easily, her best performance to date. Showcasing her nuanced demeanour in the most mundane of ways, Garner commands the screen and her role of Jane with formidable confidence and poise. From photocopying headshots of attractive women, welcoming countless beautiful young women into the office space and meeting with children, Garner's Jane is the Jane Doe that we all know, need and relate to, compassionately. Blending notions of defeat, pain, suffering and professionalism all on screen, Garner is a revelation to watch.

The Assistant premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival a mere few days ago, and will, without question, have a lingering and long-lasted effect on whomever watches it. Sleek, icy-cold and emotionally driven, The Assistant is a film we all need and deserve, in an era where comments such as "You're not his type", or physical appearances dictate the work you do, the qualities of your character, the the positions you land in the workplace and the stories you tell. The importance of this film is not just generational, but The Assistant is an assistance to the very small yet impactful steps people around the world need to take in order for change to happen. The first step to addressing every problem, is owning and realizing that there is a problem. The Assistant may be a small and quiet film, but it is yelling at the top of its lungs, campaigning and being a renegade for a very loud and on-going issue happening everywhere.

Looks like this decade is off to a very great start. Why don't you take off your jacket? Make yourself comfortable? Stay a while.

Uncut Gems (2019)

Film Review: Uncut Gems

[8/10 · 27 February 2020]

Uncut Gems, a modern-day Roman Tragedy, situated in the fluorescent back rooms and the front showrooms of New York City's shopping underbelly, is the latest film from the Safdie Brothers. If you have no idea who the Safdie brothers are, they are two (actual) brothers who gained profuse acclaim after shocking audiences with the 2017 crime-drama Good Time starring Robert Pattinson. Not only can Pattinson thank the Safdie's for landing the coveted role of Bruce Wayne with the film, as well as allowing that film to shed his Edward Cullen/Twilight teen image, but the film was also an obtrusive reminder to the world that these brothers are not playing around when it comes to neon lit storytelling. Their documentary style type filmmaking along with their abrasive, headache induing filming style allows for their low-budget pictures to glisten, no matter how bad their VFX may be. The Safdie's are a clear and present reminder that, with the right story, passion is always reflective. With their latest film, Uncut Gems, its not secret, and reflects here.

Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a down-on-his luck, gambling addicted, cheating, lying, manipulative NYC jeweller who, if we've ever seen it in cinema, has a degree in crap. Although the "gift-of-the-gab" definition may not particularly suit Howard, since everyone, all the time, knows he is always talking out of his ass, Sandler convinces himself and audiences that no one else could have pulled off this role, other than him. Abrasive, in your face, annoying and relentless, Sandler's performance may very well be, a staple New York City character for decades to come.

Yet, while Sandler may very well grace every single shot and scene in the film, the Safdie brothers are still sure and able to allow the film to evolve into what it really is, and thats an announcement. A proclamation of presence and a big shout out to the world of cinema, Uncut Gems is a film to solidify that the Safdie brothers are here, and they are here to stay. Uncut Gems isn't only a film, its an experience. Much like the first time you do cocaine, this film is the epitome of cocaine, caviar, K'vatsh and Grand Theft Auto printed onto celluloid. An unapologetic adrenaline shot to the senses.

What initially drew me in about this film was sonically, how unique it sounded, narratively speaking, without knowing how loud and it is aesthetically as well. The main theme which is a series of hard hitting, resonating synths overlapped with fluorescent ambience is immediately engrained into your memory. Daniel Lopatin takes a gritty in your face film, and scores each scene with electronic chaos yet equal grace. Not only does his score tighten and heightens the cinematic movie experience, but it also broadens its effect on the senses by creating soundscapes that are transcendent, it's as if the soundtrack was created by the sounds of slot machines, casino betting, and the whaling of a screeching auctioneer in your ear at all times. The sounds of Uncut Gems are as dreamy as a nightmare could be. Drowning souls lost for the pursuit of money as if they are trapped in the notes that belt and vibrate across the screen, Uncut Gems is a documentary style take on Wayne Kramer's hyper-violent Running Scared, but instead of opting for violence and gore, the film uses dialogue as its weapon.

While the narrative of Uncut Gems could be argued to expose the very simple story of just, the pursuit of money, the picture dives deep into social and economic commentary of capitalism and corporate greed as well. On the surface level, perhaps because of the value it holds in our society, the overall tone and theme of the film carries a type of mysticism behind it. Idolized and mythologized since its creation, the pursuit of wealth to bring happiness is an age-old cautionary tale that consistently makes fools out of many who chase it, including our protagonist Howard Ratner.

Set in 2012 within the deep diamond district of New York, Sandler's characters faults become clear early on. His inability to being a family man adds to his persona. Ratner's addicted ultimately fuels the narrative of the film as well as the desires of all the characters around him, leading to a very flawed and uncut portrait of a man as well as society as a whole.

Set at a breakneck pace, tonally ambitious and hyper-realized, the film feels so real at times, that it comes across as mega-fiction. Like a rapper on a mic, free-styling during a rap battle, the actors follow a script that was in development for almost a decade, yet sling-shot lines and emotions to one another, like they have been doing it their whole lives. Thanks to caliber actors like Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Judd Hirsch, and surprisingly enough, retired NBA player Kevin Garnett, Uncut Gems is a masterclass of coherent gibberish.

Fuelled by the pursuit of a rare Opal, the Safdie brothers craft a hybrid gangster/crime film that stays consistent to their break-out film Good Time, yet has an identity of its own. Maneuvering through the streets and boroughs of NYC, leading audiences through a wild goose chase, the film's clear cut vision is shot by Darius Khondji with some nauseating yet stellar results. Shot in the same way as all their previous films, the Safdie brother's signature documentary style lens which totally invades personal space, its the modus operandi of the film; unafraid and unforgiving. Shot by shot, and almost in an idolizing sort of way, which thematically is parallel to the narrative, the film is an expose of consumerism and how it turns into a drug of sorts for people. It shows the disease of constantly striving for that proverbial next level, the inevitable status oriented conversation over coffee and dinner tables by anxious heads of families as they swiftly smoke cigarettes.

In the end, the Safdie brothers hit the audience with the harsh reality that it all doesn't really mean anything, sending a punch to the face the same way too much popcorn sends a punch to the gut. There are moments when the addiction is so strong for Howard, the pursuit, that even after being heavily harassed and threatened by creditors, he's still making bets to loan sharks and flipping the bird to collectors.

With Uncut Gems, the depravity is colossal, and the Safdie brothers find decadence in this, as does the audience.

While it becomes clear that Joaquin Phoenix may very well be the front-runner to winning the Best Actor Oscar now that Awards Season is underway, Sandler should be considered for a close second. His perfectly timed blank stare of confusion in the copious moments of chaos throughout the film are perfectly in tune with its styling of setting and story. You hate to love him but you can't help in doing so. Addicted to the rush of it all, his addiction becomes the audiences fascination. Howard's rush of uncertainty, much like the narrative itself (you never quite know exactly what the hell is going on nor expect to see what happens next) begins to explode like a firecracker in your hand, personal yet so far from your own realities, hopefully.

Viewing Uncut Gems at its International Premiere has and will always have a profound nostalgia for me. Being a young cinephile who has grown up to the 90's crime genre, a period in cinema where grit, style and flare carry a film alone, Uncut Gems brought me back to a place I once found familiar. A time where Scorsese picture flooded the screens, a time where the gangsters and mobsters in films still wore suits and carried guns in their suit jacket pockets; a time where greasy hair and smoking guns was the norm. We may not got much of that with this film, and the latter may very well be replaced by the smell of fake NYC leather, tattered diamonds and urban hip-hop culture, but the Safdie brothers provide their NYC signature to a film that may very well be, an origin film towards the future of the modern and urban mobster genre. Without question, Uncut Gems is a gem of a crime picture that glistens.

Sound of Metal (2019)

Film Review: The Sound of Metal

[7/10 · 27 February 2020]

The sound of trees, the sound of distant traffic, the sound of coffee dripping into a pot, Darius Marder's directorial debut Sound of Metal is a study on the sounds of humanity, beauty and growth.

The film opens with a punk rock performance featuring only two musicians; the scene is loud and energetic with handheld camera movements capturing a woman vocalist and a man on the drums, resting behind them like a gunner sits before a 50 caliber turret. Darius Marder, being the writer of the 2012 punk masterpiece The Place Beyond The Pines, feels like a director with punk-rock origins in his veins, and a keen sense of sobering humanity within every frame. To be frank, I don't think anyone other than Tyler Durden himself or Ryan Gosling could have helmed the leading role of this picture to the degree that the spectacular Riz Ahmed has. He turns the story of Ruben Stone, a drummer going deaf, into something eerily real and relatable.

As we get to know Ruben better, we learn that his partner on the stage is also his partner in crime and sweetheart Lou or Lulu (Olivia Cooke). Together, the two stir up astounding emotions and recall of our own young love and the stories that proceed it.

But this is Reuben's story, and with each passing moment, his hearings fleeting disappearance becomes the main antagonist of the picture. Despite the brief takes of Rueben and Lulu's hardships, which include faint hints of suicide, nothing is as hard as the reality of his own inevitable deafness. Yet, no matter how sad or trouble both of these protagonist's life before the start of the film may be, I found it interesting and impressive that the director choose not to touch too much upon their backstories, and allowed these little nuances to add to a film telling a very clear and present, almost magnetic story about people in the now, present at this very moment.

While the film centres on the relationship between the two punk rock lovers, Sound of Metal begins unearthing the trails and tribulations of how a broke and passionate couple deal with such traumatic and realistic health scares.

While Reuben's deafness worsens and his health rapidly begins to decline, his options are quite simple; either deal with his deafness and adapt his life to it, or perform an implant procedure that could resurrect his hearing, the latter, costing upwards of eighty thousand dollars.

Reminiscent of the first time I ever saw 127 Hours, the film's sound is as crucial a characters as Rueben or Lulu. Vibrations throughout the film really gives the audience a sense of Rueben's sonic displeasure and fleeting health-this fact alone gives worth to seeing Sound of Metal in a theatre. It is no surprise that the sound mixing and sound editing of the film is top notch, easily being comparable to Damien Chazelle's debut feature film Whiplash.

Using very clever filming techniques, including cutting back and forth between regular dialogue and muffled ambience from Ruben's perspective, Marder's directorial choices seem very confident and seasoned, providing audiences with a cinematic movie-going experience. Truly heartbreaking and constantly upsetting, the film is as resilient as Rueben's will to continue being a musician. Avoiding the advice of his doctors to omit loud noises, Ruben stubbornly ignores all caution, quickly and almost abruptly by showcasing a medium shot of him on stage, mid-show, raging on a drum solo; sweating with passion and the brass villain known as Rueben's drum symbolls.

There are scenes of real heart in Sound of Metal. Rueben's confession to Lulu being one of them, but also, the whole process of recovery is truly a humanistic milestone and cinematic feast of human endurance and love. Communicating via notepads, words and writing, Lulu and Rueben begin a journey together that they both know could depart their love for something that has made them closer, and ultimately, who they are as people. Bleak, brazen and loud as heck, Sound of Metal is also an optimistic energy rush of a film.

While Sound of Metal is, first and foremost, a love story, the story of love becomes unclear whether its towards that of Lulu, or the will to be a performer; a love of entertaining, a longing of drumming. Much like Whiplash, and Miles Teller's finale scene in the film, the film is doused in the constant condensation of the dum set and Reuben's tattooed body. This is a strong ode to the love of music, a love letter to the loud and obnoxious sounds of rock and roll and hard core metal.

Joining Ahmed and Cooke in this passion project, is the ultra-talented Paul Raci, a confidant to Rueben and Lulu seeing to recovering his health. Raci's Joe provides the film with an outsiders look into the love and strong will Rueben has towards his craft and the people who trusts the most.

Marder's debut feature is truly a wonder to behold. Showing confidence in every frame, Marder's camera is placed frequently behind his protagonist's shoulders, constantly heightening his profile and Rueben's silhouette during his performances. This unseen method of capturing live music, along with his decision to capture their performances with the use of the documentary style shaky cam, adds a sense of uncertainty to the character and to the narrative as a whole.

Yet, as loud and vibrated Sound of Metal really is, there is a sense of tranquility to it. Clarity and intense scenes plagued in silence are some of the most captivating and devastatingly powerful, throughout. The quiet stillness that Rueben adapts as the film progresses, not only adds to the evolution of the character, but also the progression of the narrative and strength in Abraham Marder and Darius Marder's script.

Sound of Metal is a rapturous, soulful, wildfire of a film that isn't easy to tame, or ease, or really forget at all. A truly transitional, transcendent and soul-searching cinematic experience, that will devastate you, crush you and echo throughout your memory, well after the credits begin to roll. Metallic, brilliant and raw, Sound of Metal along with Ahmed's sobering as an ice-bath performance is a kinetic and electrifying cinematic movie-going experience. Spellbinding, atmospheric and alluring, Sound of Metal is a triumph in art.

Military Wives (2019)

Film Review: Military Wives/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[7/10 · 27 February 2020]

In this massive world of cinema, whether you're a cinephile or not, it's a guarantee that at one point or another, you've all watched a war film. Some better than others, but for the most part, the subject matter of war has always been one of great distain and scruple seriousness. Luckily, this year at TIFF, aside from the high-profile and hopeful Oscar contender Jojo Rabbit, another hidden TIFF entry to the light-hearted war cannon is Military Wives. Since the war on terror, any film that would dare touch upon light-hearted and comedic subject matters pertaining to such a heart-felt and heavy area, seems almost unheard of a decade ago. But here we are today, almost desensitized to violence, war and the chaos that ensues within the war film genre, and while so many of the incredible war films to have come out, directly dealing with issues of shell-shock and PTSD, Military Wives dares to shift the focus of the war film genre to a subject matter that is still heart wrenching yet much cozier and warmer to the touch, which is expected from the director of The Full Monty.

Director Peter Cattaneo decides to rebalance the atrocities of war and deliver a crowd-pleasing, light-hearted venture into the fray of a very serious yet unanswered question; what exactly happens to the lives of these wives, who allow their husbands, spouses and partners to enter the ferocity of war?

Military Wives centres on a group of women who's partners have all been deployed into Afghanistan, and the inner and daily routines of these women who, whenever whenever a phone rings or the bells on their front doors chime, are on constant pins and needles. Housed together in a communal military base, Cattaneo focuses on exactly what a group of women would do, if there was nothing else to do but wait, hope and pray.

Based loosely on real events from around the world, almost as a collective research project, the film follows two women, Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Lisa (Sharon Horgan), embodying so many services wives worldwide. Cattaneo's two lead female protagonists are polar opposites; one a very strict and experienced war wife; the other a more free-spirited and emotional wife and mother. While both Kate and Lisa, as expected, start off at opposite ends of their ideals and ideologies, as expected, they begin to slowly find themselves meeting in the middle. Stricken with the responsibility of entertaining the remaining wives on the base, due to their husbands high ranks, the two begin brainstorming ideas of bringing the women together, and settle upon a choir.

Calculated and old-school with her approach to classical teaching of music, Kate begins training the women the best and only way she knows how; by learning music and musical notes. Whereas Lisa, a more impulsive and emotional musical student, begins easing the women into the choir idea by means of karaoke, singing songs and using references to The Beatles, Spice Girls and other 80's icons. Both women, stricken with heavy emotional burdens throughout the film, begin reconnecting a fragile group of women who, at any moment, may hear of their husbands demise on the battlefield.

As unlikely a duo as Batman and Porky Pig, Thomas and Horgan give the film its real heart and provide some lovely scenes of female bonding, sisterhood and adoration, that comes very rarely in festival films. While the film would have trouble during the light-hearted summer season, jam packed with Marvel fare and superhero films abound, and yet, not really much of a early year release thanks to the high-caliber content and acting, Military Wives is a proper festival film that will surely find its audience on limited release among speciality theatres, around the world.

While the ending of the film is far from a mystery, the process towards getting there is a real treat. Filled with amazingly loveable and endearing secondary characters, including Jason Flemyng, who plays the wives on-base authoritarian figure, Lara Rossi, the only gay wife in the film who cannot hit a single musical note if her life depended on it, as well as the groups shining star and lead vocalist, Military Wives is a Sunday type of film that is sure to put a huge smile on your face, the night before a long week ahead.

A true underdog story for the masses, overall Military Wives is a feel good film with a more intelligent sense of humour and emotional depth than most sentimental comedies today, especially all the litter Netflix is producing, on what seems to be the daily. Military Wives is a film with a lot of personality, love and heart, and during a festival season, its exactly whats needed.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)

Film Review: The Personal History Of David Copperfield

[7/10 · 27 February 2020]

As I sat down at the World Premiere of The Personal History of David Copperfield, my first TIFF film ever, as well as my first premiere, one of the most important tools on my side, was honesty. Rearranging the policy of my cinematic ethics and morals, no matter how excited, nervous or ecstatic I was, being plunged into this world of wonder, art and amazement, honesty was my policy, no matter how my levels or adornment were managed. For a first time festival critic, I had many, preordained rituals I have gotten used to while reviewing films before festival season. For example; leading up to the screening, no trailer had been released. Trailers usually give me a compass, of sorts, to see where we are going, something I have become very accustomed to. As well, I had never read the classic Dickens novel in which the film is based on, and I have never watched an Armando Ianucci film, despite what my co-workers have advised me to see The Death of Stalin. As the lights dimmed, the actors came on stage with the curators as well as the cast and crew, I sat myself in my seat, soaked up all and everything about my first festival experience, and realized how unique this experience was going to be for me.

How right I was going to be, remains to be an irony in my life. Copperfield is set in the 1800's, a period piece as it were. The film is immersive with it's brilliantly curated cast. Ianucci conducts a film that feels, in no way, like an atypical revision of a Dickens text. On the contrary, the film feels wonderfully ripe with modernity. The Personal History of David Copperfield is a fantastical take on an old and cemented classic, without question.

The picture opens with Dev Patel (Slummdog Millionaire) standing on stage as he begins to narrate his life story. He dictates his birth all the while appearing in his birthplace peering over his infant self. It becomes quite clear early on in the picture that Ianucci crosses reality with pure fantasia throughout the film. Mixing in a blend of quirk and intrigue, the film works best thanks to its fantastical actors, including Patel, as the lead.

While Copperfield is a goldmine for Patel to shine, the film is also a stage for so many newer faces and established actors as well, including Daisy May Cooper, who plays David's nanny Peggotty. May is a triumph of comedic brilliance. Adding to the whirlwind of talent in the film is Darren Boyd, who plays David's mother's lover, Mr.Murdstone, a stern and tough industrial wine factory owner. Taking chunks out of David's fantastical imagination, ambitions as well as dreams and desires, the relationship between David and Mr. Murdstone takes David's story to London.

While, first and foremost, before anything, Copperfield is a very straightforward coming of age, character-driven fantasia character study, it's also a journey of the highest order. Let's just say that, the less you know going into the film, the more wondered and amazed you will be. Yes, David faces a slew of troubles and tribulations, feeling as if, the world is against our young protagonist and the roads to success seem impossible, but Copperfield is a stylist period piece take on the journey we are all taking together, and that's life.

With its fair share of glimmers for hope, especially with characters like Peter Capaldi's Mr. Micawber, Iannucci's 1800s London is a bleak and grey world filled with constant sunshine and hope. The champion of this hope is none other played by the animated and lively Hugh Laurie. Laurie, who plays Mr. Dick, a misunderstood character with the film's heart and soul.

While Iannucci's main focus in Copperfield is the story telling technique, there are small hints of "Buster-Keaton-esque" beats, which allows the film to joyfully trot forward without many hiccups or complaints.

While Copperfield seemed like the "play thats a film" that I never thought I'd need, or think that I would see at TIFF, its claustrophobic style, tone and added to the illusion of madness, fantasy as well as reality and fiction. As a period piece, Copperfield is a winner in the wardrobe and set design categories, transporting audiences to a colour palette very different from a Pedro Almodovar film.

The Personal History of David Copperfield is a fresh, uproarious take on classic literature that teleports viewers back to the 1800's, all the while manages to tell a classic story in a modern way. Copperfield may look and feel like a period piece, but it doesn't possess the unconvincing theatricality of what a period piece usually represents, and in my books, that's a huge win.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

Film Review: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[6/10 · 27 February 2020]

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark is a revisionist tale of all of your favourite horror movies from the 1970s to our present time, amalgamated into one very solid and well done horror film. Directed by André Øvredal and heavily influenced and produced by Guillermo Del Toro, Scary Stories is a fresh yet cozily familiar peak into a growing genre of cinema that is not only its due diligence, but gaining exponential notoriety in the film industry. The film manages to be youthful but not irritating and scary but not grotesque, blending clichés and devices together and delivering them with class and effortlessness.

The story kicks off on Halloween; no punches are pulled when it comes to nostalgia considering the film is based in the 60's. Heavy nods to films like 1987's Adventures in Babysitting are made, giving light to a very breezy yet heartwarming entrance to the characters. Our main protagonists Stella Nichols (Zoe Margaret Colletti) is a young aspiring horror fiction writer who has, as expected, a geeky group of friends. Auggie played by Gabriel Rush, the kindhearted rational player in this game and his best buddy Chuck played by Austin Zajur, are just a bunch of nerds trying to get back at the resident jock Tommy (Austin Abrams) who so happens also is dating Chuck's sister Ruthie (Natalie Ganzhorn).

While the characters are somewhat cliches embryos, each character serves its purpose with glee; Chuck provides the main comedic relief in the film, Stella is the bookworm, Auggie is the realist and newly formed friend Ramon Morales (Michael Garza) is the newbie who they tumble upon and find shelter after chucking faces in Tommy's car, stumbling upon Ramon at a local drive in. What's interesting yet weirdly satisfying about the film is how Del Toro, who had a heavy influence in the creation of the film being the film's main producer, incorporates some social consciousness and real-world dilemmas into the film with minority based subtexts and racist undertones, giving the film a familiar yet authentic feel.

So after thwarting off Tommy and his band of Outsiders inspired jocks, it being Halloween and all, it only seemed fitting that Ramon and the trio of main characters visit an old, resident haunted house owned by the small town's primary original family. While some jokes and pranks are delivered throughout the house, Chuck comes across an unsettling encounter with an unnamed figure, and Stella, being the horror fanatic that she is, ends up stealing on the supposedly haunted Sarah Bellows' books. What she doesn't know is, the book starts to live out the deepest and darkest fears of our protagonists as well as antagonists, in horror delight fashion. Each story of our characters are done in a very interesting and ingenious vignette style with each spooky story in my opinion getting scarier and scarier, or in cinematic terms, more Del Toro.

Del Toro's contributions to the film are quite obvious; his signature coloring of scenes is prevalent and absolutely adds to the eeriness of Scary Stories. Heavy rich reds used effectively to show either impending horror or in one case thrusting us right into it, the grayish blues that I feel are Del Toro's go to for atmosphere are breathtaking. My first exposure to Del Toro's color palette was when I watched Pan's Labyrinth back in 2006; yet despite the film being less of a horror film, the eerie atmosphere and tone of the film was spine-tingling, to say the least.

Scary Stories plays close to Labyrinth's stylistically and I couldn't have been more visually satisfied especially considering that palette paired with 60's nostalgia which, I adore. The monsters are all truly terrifying in their own way and possess an unsettling realness to them; no creature or ghoul feels too outlandish, or too far from our own reality. For the first time in a long time, the monsters actually feel like they were plucked from our own consciousness; our deepest fears and demons. That's what Scary Stories so good is how the film and narrative revitalizes horror and the genre as a while, but allow it's characters and spooky set-pieces to stand alone and create a world that is familiar, yet new. It makes you as the viewer feel young again, touching that place deep down that I don't think horror has touched in a long time, a aura of retrospective and nostalgia.

Scary Stories does everything a horror film should do and more. Yes it scares, induces jumps, scream and terrors but like so many horror films of the 1980s, its also a good time at the cineplexes. Much like the Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Child's Play were a riotous time at the cinema back then, those films didn't take themselves too seriously yet were still as spooky, fun and entertaining. More than anything, Scary Stories had me entertained, from beginning to end.

I'm sure we all remembered those insanely vivid and outrageously scary covers of the original Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark books, with the creepy black and white covers and hint of red and blue, terrorizing our eyes and awaiting our eyes to close to flood our dreams. The stories in those books traumatized me as a child and always had me gripping my pillow and sheets tight. The cinematic version of the film might not do that, but, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark absolutely puts the fun back in horror and the scary back in story; taking us back to our younger more impressionable years of childhood, adolescence and innocence.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Film Review: Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[9/10 · 16 September 2019]

Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood is one thing and one thing only; Quentin Tarantino's beautifully crafted dreamy love letter to cinema!

With his newest feature, the current master of cinema's vision reminds us why movies are cool again. For the first time, in a long time, there's a film that begs to be seen, not in the comfort of your own home, not on your Netflix cue on an airplane, but in front of a silver screen, with an audience and you're right...some popcorn. Once Upon A Time is less a film and more an experience; one where the bustling hot summer days are corrected by the high intensity air conditioning of the multiplexes; one where the theatres are a safe haven for summer love and first kisses, an experience where going to the movies is as magical as popping your cherry. That's what a Tarantino film is like; just like when I first went to go see his Grindhouse experience for the first time, Tarantino is a visionary old soul, hell bent on sharing his memorable cinematic experiences of his past, with us today.

If you are a cinephile and don't know about Quentin Tarantino's work, most, if not all people will tell you that you should just quit now, but I digress. Tarantino worked at a blockbuster in Hollywood, California in his early years, consuming as much cinema as possible. One of his most revered quotes to date about film is his famous line that "When people asked me if I went to film school I tell them no. I went to films". Funny enough, this quote captures the essence of Tarantino and his canon; an individual who entered the world of cinema out of the sheer love of watching films, just like myself.

As an artist myself and lover of film, I never went to film school also. Hopefully, as someone who would eventually love to make their own films one day, I feel that this is one of the many reasons why I admire, as well as, so heavily identify with Tarantino. I also learned about films by watching them. Just like myself, the influence in Tarantino films is wide ranging. His largest inspirations draws from the New Wave Gangster pictures of France, crafted by the likes of Jean Pierre Melville, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. All of the names listed are absolute giants in celluloid and contributed in my opinion the most to modern cinema that features, as Godard would say, "A girl and a gun". According to Godard, that is pretty much all that is necessary to making a good motion picture. Other notable Influences on Tarantino would be essentially any film from the 1970's because that is the era when he began to understand and study cinema, an era of films by Don Siegel, Sergio Leone and George Roy Hill.

Yet while many are quick to label QT as a scam artist and artistic thief, I feel like it is my duty to rectify that notion. Before continuing on, it has to be said that art copies art, inspiration inspires and according to Mark Twain, there is no such thing as originality, only levels of authenticity. Therefore, it is my extreme pleasure to introduce and name QT a master of authenticity for his cinema. Just like when Sergio Leone remade a Kurosawa picture and developed it into the Dollars trilogy, or when Christopher Nolan gave his interpretation of the Dark Knight recently, or when Martin Scorsese won his first Oscar for remaking a Japanese film and later naming it The Departed, art is not our subject, WE are its subject. Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood is the iconic director's masterful indulgence in everything that he loves about movies and everything we should love, too!

Aside from Taratino, Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood isn't just one man's magnum opus, but a collection of so many talented artists, starting with its cast. The film opens with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt going for a cruise to a watering hole. Dicaprio stars as Rick Dalton, a good ole' boy from Missouri who drinks for hydration and smokes for oxygen. Once the leading man in television and film, appearing in western serials, one aptly titled Bounty Law, Dalton is on the tail end of his acting career. The Midwestern-American cowboy style Dalton knew all too well, is being suffocated and changed, no thanks to the foreign influenced, free-loving hippie movement. While DiCaprio's Dalton emits a certain swagger that charms many, the audience comes to realize that this 'swagger' is less a personality trait and more a clearly stubborn, unchangeable style and resilience to the conforming of the times around him. According to Rick, Rick Dalton is still big; it's the pictures that just got small. While it may be hard to argue this notion, DiCaprio's riotous as the comedic force of the film. Blending well with Tarantino's signature writing style for a second time, DiCaprio's Dalton stutters, stammers and then collectively pulls himself together in front of a camera. DiCaprio shows vulnerability constantly through induced breakdowns which is such a breath of fresh air from the usual leading roles we have seen DiCaprio play, yet also portrays the perfectly balanced and well-to-do movie star, we have come to expect from the actor, and all his character thus far.

Yet, as good as DiCaprio is, the clear cut favourite of Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood is easily the most underrated actor work today...and that's Brad Pitt. Pitt plays Cliff Booth, Dalton's best friend, stunt double and, essentially, life coach. Keeping Rick on an even keel on the daily, Cliff also serves as Rick's driver thanks to many of Rick's drunken nights that end at the end of a street lamp. Booth opposite to Dalton emits something Dalton never could, and that's an unaccepting Hollywood confidence. You know that confidence where "you're a movie star but don't want to be a movie star, but no matter what you do to deny it, you're still a movie star" type swag? The type of swag where you kick the heck out of Bruce Lee and live to tell the tale? Yea, that's Cliff Booth. Booth's swagger is a type of cool that cannot be tampered with or broken; essentially playing the type of friend that any person and everybody would want to have. Yet, the contrasts between the two can't be any more cinematically indulgent. In one of the best and most gratifying scenes in the film, is seeing the contrast of living between the two pals. Dalton, who lives in the Hollywood Hills, in a beautiful mansion, with a pool and famous neighbours in a well to do neighbourhood is pitted against Booth's lifestyle, a lifestyle that involves living inside of a Drive-in trailer, having an adorable yet deadly dog, and wearing a Hawaiian shirt as if its the most iconic costume design of 2019.

While Booth and Dalton are both a duo one may soon not forget, Tarantino was quick to point out that Pitt and DiCaprio were going to be a duo similar to the likes of Robert Redford and Paul Newman, who were ironically dominating cinema around the time that Hollywood takes place. Thanks to the release of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the late 60's and The Sting released in the early 70's, it was no doubt that the two were a match made in heaven. Yet, while this was a self-proclaimed statement made by Tarantino himself, perhaps just as a form of publicity for the film, or just pure Tarantino bravado behaviour, its hard to disagree with his statement at all. Pitt and DiCaprio are a cinematic dream team!

Yet, despite all its male glory, the true hero of Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood is Sharon Tate played elegantly by Margot Robbie.

While many casual moviegoers may go into Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood without knowing much about the history of Hollywood, Sharon Tate or the Manson family murders, they may come out quite upset, disappointed or underwhelmed with the film. Aside from the fact that first half of the film is basically an elaborate introduction to all the characters, Tarantino takes his time with the process obviously dragging it out for the sheer pleasure of it, a la Once Upon a Time in the West by the masterful Sergio Leone. Yet, his story is glued and always will be linked to Sharon Tate, the late actress who faced an unfortunate, real world fate early on in her life. Yet, despite all this tragedy and grief, Tarantino's Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood may easily be recognized as a love letter to cinema, but deep down, the film is a love letter to a lost star who never really was given her opportunity to share her true potential, and left the world much too early. The Valley of the Dolls actress was a clear inspiration to the auteur, and it is no doubt that, this one was clearly for her.

Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood continues the trend of exercising the idea that, this is Tarantino's world, and we are all just living in it. Constant pushing the boundaries of the medium, and rigorously pushing the limits of reality, truth with fact or fiction, grit and pulp, Tarantino creates his own elaborate world with whomever he chooses, however he fashions it to be. Luckily for us audience members, we are able to take a glimpse of some amazing performances, even if it is for mere second, of actors we love and appreciate regularly. Like any good Tarantino film, the likes of new faces and familiar ones flood the screen, including Al Pacino, playing Marvin Schwarzs, a movie producer who sees Rick as a diamond in the industry who simply needs a good polish and update with the times. Marvin proposes that Rick goes to Italy to film a spaghetti western, paralleling the real life history of Hollywood at the time with Clint Eastwood shooting the Dollars films in Rome with Sergio Leone that catapulted Eastwood to stardom.

Ghost Town Anthology (2019)

Film Review: Ghost Town Anthology/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[7/10 · 24 May 2019]

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in other dimensions? Do you believe in reincarnation? Ghost Town Anthology is a film that brings questions like this to the forefront of your consciousness. The film opens with a frigidly framed car crash, that appears to happen out of nowhere, finding a way to sneak between sounds of the wind blowing and the trees creaking. The driver of the car was Simon Dube played by Phillipe Charette, leaving behind his distraught parents Romuald played endearingly by Jean-Michel Anctil and Gisele played by Josée Deschênes. His older brother Jimmy played with skill by Robert Naylor picks the film up from his brother's death, beginning a search for his brother because in his mind he could not have just left him like that even though the audience can see that Jimmy knows the true cause of his brother's death and it was not accidental, making Jimmy's search for signs of his brother all the more heart wrenching. The father, Romuald, tells his wife Giselle he is going to buy cigarettes, ultimately leaving a note explaining that he needs time and space to mourn the death of his son. Personally the scenes that followed of the father Romuald and his grieving process were some of my favorite moments of the film and the director makes no attempt at making it clear if the father is ever going to actually return.

The director of Ghost Town Anthology, Dennis Cote has quite a vision and understanding of spiritual imagery and feeling, the sound design is something that is so unique and unnervingly special. The brilliance of it is chiefly noticeable in the fathers grieving scenes. Cote masks bleak desolate moving landscapes shot as if the camera has been mounted in a 1987 pickup truck, with sounds of wind, static, and crackling; the only difference being in the patterns the sounds play in is completely different from anything I have heard before. The film was shot in 16mm and in these brief moments the 16mm film looks much closer to 8mm film, clearly having been scratched and tampered with by the creators of the film and then developed in black and white to add to the lo-fi feelings being heavily transmitted through the film. The camera movements in these very vague almost elusive scenes is all the more interesting, if it doesn't feel like it's been mounted to a pickup truck, it feels as if it's been mounted to a wounded animal walking its way to its demise, trudging along the bare landscape.

The death of the boy sends shockwaves through the small town, ultimately becoming the sole focus of the town's mayor Simone Smallwood, played by Diane Lavallée, who appears to have one sole mission in life and that is to ensure that her town carries on its daily life, every day, with no change or help from outsiders. As a reaction to the boy's death, a political official known to Smallwood sends a psychiatrist from the "big city" to assist with the psychological effects of the boy's death in the town. The new face is quickly dismissed by the mayor who claims that the towns people is made up of "grown ups" and they can "handle themselves", leaving the story to the isolation of the few faces the audience has seen. One of the faces that is most intriguing is a woman named Adele, played by Larissa Corriveau. Adele is the type of character whom simply steals the camera because she has a look that is so unusual and uncanny. Her character is a supposed newcomer to the town, making it all the more interesting due to her severe social anxiety. Dennis Cote captures how one feels when they have social anxiety with swift minimalism, particularly in a scene early on in the film where he utilizes a tracking shot. The camera tracks Adele from the washroom of a New Year's Eve party, in the middle of a pep talk nonetheless, all the way through the party until she encounters Jimmy and his best friend Andre. The way Larissa Corriveau walks through the party, making sure to never once look in place, avoiding physical contact and eye contact is beyond an accurate depiction of social anxiety and she hits her marks perfectly. The dialogue between Adele, Jimmy and Andre is innocent and naturally dry, a true contender for the most cringe worthy moment in cinema this year.

As strange people begin to arrive in the town including Jimmy having an encounter with his recently deceased brother with no explanation and more and more of the townspeople beginning to see the people themselves the film shifts its gears to more serious questions. There are multiple scenes with supremely high tension in the gradual revealing of these strange arrivals to the town. The town's people begin to almost show frustration to their attendance, not because they are ghosts but because it further punctuates their isolation by having these people show up. What more of a reason to move to the big city than having the dead walk your neighbourhood, right? This commentary of life and death, and exposure versus isolation become very focal themes in the film and it makes for truly different cinema.

Overall the film is quite good, although at times disorganized and scattered with the plot and character development. Dennis Cote has made primarily documentaries and experimental films, having Ghost Town Anthology be considered as his first official feature film. The application of 16mm film and shaky cam prove effective in not only the setting and story but mesh perfectly with Cote's eye and style. The film feels as if it is a short film that has been extended and obviously this can be attributed to Cote's former projects. It would be interesting to see him apply his eye for human nature and psychology to something slightly less experimental. In the end Ghost Town Anthology raises lots of questions about life, death, reincarnation and having enough time, and it is a quality contribution to the supernatural genre.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

Film Review: Happy Death Day 2U/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[5/10 · 24 May 2019]

When thinking about the comedy-horror genre, there are very few and far in-between films that come to mind. While it may be hard to conjure up a large number of films which remain memorable for quality and not for overall lewdness, gross out gags are born and raised in these types of films. While more often than not, many of the films born in this genre have made, for the most part, a mockery of the genre, thankfully there are a few gems to carry the cultish torch; gems like Sam Raimi's Evil Dead, Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, or Edgar Wright's Shaun of The Dead and Scary Movie from the lively Keenen Ivory Wayans remain some of the few films that come to mind right away. All notable and truly brilliant contributions to the genre, these films possess the impressive ability to walk the proverbial tightrope between the equally difficult threshold of outlandish yet effective comedy and frightening and truly terrifying horror. The natural benefit of combining the two is that both commonly rely on similar mechanics for the pay off or climax of scenes. The pacing is similar; you find the same tension that gets built up for a laugh but could easily shift gears and become build up for a gasp, and for both respectable genres, it's all about the revealing of what we the audience have been waiting for, the killer behind the shower curtain or the perfectly timed punchline.

Happy Death Day 2U is directed by Christopher Landon, a filmmaker who jumped in on the train that was Paranormal Activity after the massive success of the first indie surprise hit. Yet, as devoted Landon is to the genre itself, directing and writing many entries in the comedy-horror subgenre, including 2015's Scouts Guide to The Zombie Apocalypse, Death Day 2U is a fresh and invigorating take on genre but also on romance, mortality and even includes a dash of science fiction.

The brilliant, even outstanding advantage Death Day 2U has over films before it of its kind is its show stopping leading lady who is larger than the film itself Jessica Rothe. Death Day 2U is a sequel and we see Jessica reprising her role as Tree Gelbman, the time looped slasher victim of all slasher victims from the first film. This time around she gets caught in the Groundhog Day/Halloween type scenario once again. Let me just say that Rothe plays the role like an ace; funny, down to earth, beautiful and well-timed as a comic, she also crowns herself a worthy scream-queen next some greats.

While the film uses the reviving or reincarnating premise to the fifth degree unabashedly, luckily for the audience, it never feels tiresome; the cinematic gimmick stays fresh. The main plot device is primarily governed by the films main comedic power Phi Vu playing the character of Ryan Lin, a friend of Tree's who ends up getting stuck in the same "loop" or dimension that Tree was stuck in. With this new dilemma and multiple dimensions in the film, it never feels boring or cliché. One of the dimensions has Tree's recently deceased mother alive and well, along with her boyfriend Carter Davis played by Israel Broussard dating Tree's arch enemy from the original first dimension the film started in, these scenes provided surprising and truly moving emotional weight to the film, giving insight to relationships and life overall.

I can honestly say that I was completely thrown off by the films ability to include so many different scenarios and ways for Tree to be murdered with some truly hilarious scenes. Yet all at the same time hold any kind of weight emotionally, the side plot involving her mother being alive is truly heartbreaking to see and did not feel melodramatic or forced. All of the side characters in the film held there weight and served there desired purpose and honestly the entire film is simply good fun. Popular culture references are present and the riffing on Inception and other dimension based works brought belly laughs out of the audience. The horror aspect of the film was designed with what I believe to be simplicity in mind, simple side plots including an affair between a young Nurse who is a friend of Tree's and a doctor set stage for some awesome suspense sequences. The killer possess zero qualities other than mild athleticism and a brilliantly designed school mascot mask that he dons as he attempts to satisfy his blood thirst, paired with a Michael Myers style kitchen knife as his weapon of choice. The mask is perfect and Landon does a good job at offsetting the usual jump out and scare tactics to actually be effective and a hell of a fun ride.

Happy Death Day 2U is a destined to fail concept, with so many genres and feelings thrown into one mix, it takes quite the perfect storm to turn said mix into a good Manhattan, and let me tell you, Christopher Landon was the perfect bartender for this party. Taking the audience on a roller coaster of emotions yet never feeling jumbled or overwhelming, and with Jessica Rothe stealing the show with her innocent yet punkish university girl charm, Happy Death Day 2U is a well-balanced and tasteful venture into science fiction, horror, comedy and romance, and a guaranteed good time at the cinema.

The Prodigy (2019)

Film Review: The Prodigy/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[6/10 · 12 February 2019]

Horror films have a unique way of having the ability to be wonderfully entertaining while tackling some very important and often sensitive topics that come to surface on a regular basis in our society. Take Jordan Peele's Get Out as an example; the critically acclaimed and perfectly balanced cocktail of suspense, humor and social commentary about a very absurd yet very real perception in modern day America. The film drew heavily on society and the racial trials and tribulations that many ethnic groups face on a daily basis, camouflaging the blunt nature of said beast with talented filmmaking. With The Prodigy, a new horror film directed by Nicolas McCarthy, sets its aim chiefly on childhood, parenting, marriage and the idea of mental health while hitting all its targets like a blunt hammer. The film opens with credits to its distributor Orion Pictures, a nostalgic logo flashes across the screen bringing back memories of The Terminator or Wolfen from 1981, two classics that were distributed by the company; setting the tone for a film with McCarthy successfully taking classic horror film devices and applying them in a modern setting.

Nicholas McCarthy's filmography is no stranger to the supernatural, in fact all three of the feature films in his repertoire deal with supernatural material. With his career peaking and a very minimalist approach to undertaking projects and simplistic horror style, its hard to draw comparison within the world McCarthy captures on film. One thing that is for certain is that the world in his newest film The Prodigy is quite spine tingling.

The Prodigy revolves around Miles (Jackson Robert Scott), a child who at first, seems to be somewhat of a mad-genius. As Miles' behaviour begins to become more alarming, his parents Sarah and John (Taylor Schilling and Peter Mooney) begin seeking answers, going as far to believing that Miles may be a reincarnation of a soul who has unfinished business, according to the unconventional advise of Dr. Arthur Jacobson (Colm Feore). McCarthy begins turning the film from a story of a young new family into something more reminiscent of The Omen, a Richard Donner classic, a film dedicated to the idea of youthful deviance. The 1976 film is clearly a loved homage by McCarthy and most likely used as a visual example to Jackson Robert Scott during shooting of the film.

While The Prodigy doesn't stop with just The Omen as a clear homage, McCarthy's film also pays heavy tribute to William Friedkin's undeniable and most certainly unforgettable horror masterpiece The Exorcist. Using the year 1973 as its reference point, a valiant year in horror cinema, producing cult classics like The Wicker Man, Don't Look Now and The Vault of Horror, the film's title makes it quite clear just exactly what it wants to be and how much these films mean to the filmmakers involved.

As cinema and the horror genre begins to evolve in 2019, one of its more interesting and affable characteristics is how it blends plaguing real-world issues into a fun, sometimes spooky yet always entertaining and devilish good time. While many horror films have had sadistic and possessed children, one of my favourite parts of The Prodigy is how it begins with the questions of mental health, learning disabilities (or extreme learning abilities in this instance), and how parents or people would deal with these things. One of the scariest aspects of The Prodigy is imagining this happening to you as a parent? How would you react? What would you do? It is no surprise that many test audiences were so scared and disturbed during the test screenings that the studio had to dilute many of the interactions between Miles and his mother, especially the sequence of scenes where a suspecting Sarah allows Miles to sleep in her bed. As she tenses up and allows her son to climb into bed with her, Miles' hand behind slithering over her shoulder as he whines the words, "Mommy, will you always love me? No matter what I do?" I mean, come on, creepy stuff!

Conclusively, The Prodigy can stand up in the supernatural, more specifically child supernatural horror movies genre with great pride and valour. A quirky sub-genre that has few bodies of work yet many of the film seem to have certainly left their mark on cinema and horror genre specifically, The Prodigy is a worthy addition to the bunch. Showing immense love to other classic films, The Prodigy uses past techniques in a modern minimalistic setting with superb effectiveness, making the film a familiar but altogether fresh and chilling choice for a film to watch at the multiplexes.

Glass (2019)

Film Review: Glass/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[4/10 · 12 February 2019]

The time is 2019, and as an audience member and lover of film and cinema in a contemporary world, one has to understand and come to terms with the fact that superhero films are here, and seem to be here to stay for an unforeseen future. While many claim to be tired and exasperated with the not so recent trend of the superhero genre, it seems that the numbers don't really reflect the attitudes. While sighs are heard every time a new trailer for a Marvel or DC Universe film is revealed from a majority, the box office for these films just keep getting bigger and bigger with each new character, entry, sequel or prequel. Yet, while Marvel and DC aren't the only ones pumping out superhero films, and well before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became nomenclature for many, it seems that M. Night Shaymalan was well ahead of the curb when it came to creating his own universe of superheroes and villains, we just were not aware of it at the time.

While Split revealed a very exciting fact in the closing credits scene, it seems that the secret is out on Glass, Shaymalan's newest film. Less of an emotional twist ending and more of a narrative one, Split revealed that the film existed in the same universe as Shaymalan's highly applauded and loved origin superhero film Unbreakable.

Yet, while many believed that Shaymalan's golden days were behind him as a director, Split seemed to have revived the once untouchable then plagued director back into the spotlight. After the massive success of Split and the idea to connect his two creations into one universe and have them collide in Glass, was a risk the studio was willing to make, especially given the director's modest budgeting range. While Unbreakable was made on an unusually large $75 million dollar budget back in 2000 (which was unheard of then, but thanks to the immense success of The Sixth Sense, studios were hopeful), the film only brought in only $250 million worldwide, which only paled in comparison to the director's hit The Sixth Sense, a film that brought in almost $700 million on a miniature $40 million budget. Yet, after a string of massive critical failures, including Lady In The Water, The Happening, The Last Airbender and After Earth, with only one of those films being a box office slump in Lady In The Water, Shaymalan went from critical darling and wonder-kid, to a running gag within the film industry. Yet, after almost a decade of making terrible films, Shaymalan resilience brought him a return to form, thanks to his comeback film and going back to his horror roots with the low-budget indie film The Visit, thus resurrecting the once ostracized filmmaker.

With new life and his origin intentions of creating a trilogy based superhero universe well before Marvel and Kevin Feige was even in the picture, Shaymalan began extending his superhero world with Split, unknown to audiences at the time. With a budget of only $9 million dollars, Shaymalan focused less on spectacle and created a superhero universe grounded in character study and depth; focusing more on 'what' makes a superhero/villain as opposed to the challenges they face once they are fully evolved. For Glass, another modest budget of $20 million shows just how little faith the Hollywood studios have in the once dominating director, especially when that amount of money barely pays for a headlining actor or a marketing budget. Yet, nineteen years later, here we are with Glass, the finale of what's being called the East Rail 177 trilogy.

Dissecting Glass for too long, one may very well make the whole film shatter; but as fragile and tempered the film really is, the ambition behind an almost two decade long dream, is quite remarkable, especially during a time where superhero films are pumped out faster than human life is. One of the many satisfying factors of Glass is Shaymalan's ability to round-up characters from the first two films, and each character never skipping a beat in Glass; the performances are easily the best parts of the film.

Picking up right where Split left off, David Dunn (Bruce Willis) and his sidekick son and tech savvy partner, providing Dunn with his eyes and ears, Joseph Dunn (Spencer Treat Clark, the original son in Unbreakable which was great to see) use the internet, social media and surveillance technology as tools towards capturing the troubled Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy). After successfully tracking down Crumb before he takes the lives of another innocent group of teenage girls, Dunn and Crumb engage in a very muted and underwhelming face-off, until they are both captured by the authorities, accompanied by "comic-book therapist" Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson). Brought to a psychiatric ward where Dr.Staple is keen on giving realization that both men are in fact not superhuman, they both soon realize that Elijah Price aka Mister Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) is in the same hospital following his terrifying acts in Unbreakable. As the plot plays out, Elijah's still obsessive motive to prove to the world that super good guys and sinister bad guys exist, Mister Glass schemes up an elaborate plan to get Dunn and Crumb fight it out, for all the world to see.

While Glass is no where as superior to Unbreakable or Split, kudos needs to be given to Shyamalan for transforming a genre of popular film by focusing less on the action set pieces and more on the characters with these amazing and unique abilities. Now, whether or not this is because of his lack of budget, because we all know what he did with the $150 million budget of The Last Airbender, perhaps this is Shaymalan's niche after all? Shaymalan delivers what we like to call, grass-roots super hero films, and he does it with elegance and grace, except when he is trying to tying them all together as he does with Glass.

While Glass is the third (and perhaps final) entry of the East Rail 177 trilogy, the film feels more like a condensed sequel. Although Shyamalan ties in references to Unbreakable in Glass, there is no question that the filmmaker has a hefty job of juggling so many important characters into a very respectable comic book runtime. Yet, the more and more we get with McAvoy and his highly tormented character, the more and more we are engaged with Glass. It comes without question that all three male leads are exceptional in the film, but McAvoy shines as always, juggling multiple personalities, in an instant, almost effortlessly. Since it is no surprise now, given Shaymalan's extensive filmography, that the director is highly influences by the likes of Hitchcock, Shyamalan has an affinity for the renown filmmaker just in McAvoy's character alone, sending reminders of a very familiar Norman Bates in Psycho, specifically Kevin's personality known as Patricia, proving a clear homage to one of his great idols.

Yet although Shaymalan is directly influenced by some of the most respected, it comes to no surprise that his writing always seems to be some of the critics toughest pill to swallow. Oozing with constant comic book references as well as heavy-handed pop culture references, the film's tone suffers from dark, nightmarish comic book noir feels to goofy limited actioner film mess; especially given the large and hugely promising idea of the final square off between Dunn and Crumb, which hardly and almost never comes. Instead, Shyamalan employs the use of interminable drawn out Average Shot Lengths (ALS) with his ALS striking comparison with films circa 1940 to the 1960's. Now, whether or not this stylistic choice again alludes to the directors need to praise his admirers, or due to a lack of budget, but the film's action set pieces seem all too restrained and something left to be desired of audience members.

Glass stills has great moments and aspects that really become effervescent within the comic book genre. From West Dylan Thordson magnifying score, blending heavy violin stabs and eerie buildups scream similar to the work of the late great Bernard Herrmann, to some truly fantastic ideas of the film starting off as a comic book film set in a real world where medicine, science and fiction collide, Shaymalan offers a lot of meaty and thoughtful material with Glass.

Glass then becomes a culmination of a Roman drama; crisis and sovereign Shyamalan plot twists make the finale something unique and different, for comic book films today. Essentially, Shyamalan does exactly what we want him to do; provide us with characters we know and love, build up tension, drama and action, and knock our socks off with some mind-bending and twisted surprise ending.

Glass, as a thriller hits all of the right notes. As the director basks in his passionate territory of cinema- Glass makes one thing clear, and that's M. Night's love for comic books. Glass allows the director to geek out on his truly cerebral first love.

Glass is fresh, supernatural, dark yet at times comedic look into the world of heroes and villains, the ideas of mental illness and the expectations of society, our expectations as an audience and a genre of cinema that will live on far longer than us, in the cinematic history books for generations to come.

Capernaum (2018)

Film Review: Capernaum/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[7/10 · 12 February 2019]

In the early chapters of my life, Lebanon was an elusive figure of my imagination. Being born and raised in Toronto, I would hear stories of my homeland from my cousins, uncles and grandmothers. From their descriptions of the countryside, my homeland played in my mind like a fantastic Wild West; the stories always had an underlying sense that the country was a type of Eden, a magical place with magical people, a gem placed perfectly in the midst of chaos.

When I made my first trip to the country I was twelve years old. My familial roots trace back to the northern part of the country to a town called Joub Janine in a region known as the Beqaa Valley which is nestled right below the currently devastatingly war-torn Syria. My experiences were life altering; a colossal shift to my consciousness occurred about the world we live in and how that sucker spins, how you can enter a world so electric and alien to your own world with just a 12 hour flight by plane.

My first visit due to age was made up of primarily the country's decadent cuisine and visits to my family.

I went back at the age of seventeen with my brother for three weeks, and it was then that my Wild West fantasy began to take true form in reality. Streets cross each other making a labyrinth of life, electric lines lay over and under and all around each other, looming above the streets like a friendly spider's web. The youth is passionate and wild, full of life and wisdom gathered from their surroundings complete with beautiful flowing hair and beautifully wrapped Hijabs rest on the woman as they socialize, smoking tobacco out of hookah pipes that give off the most fragrant of aromas. This aroma follows you, like the sun that stays on your shoulders with strength, or the full flavored tobacco that wafts through the streets and barber shop. The barber shop that is run by a man who's lost his tongue in the war yet he still knows just what you want from your hand signals. Lebanese like to use their hands when they talk, they throw them down towards the floor like they are letting go of weights and point as if they were being cut from a Tintin comic strip. Firearms are readily available and commonplace yet no one ever shoots each other, they are carried for their destined use of protection, and perhaps the occasional couple of discharges in the many farm fields of the country. Seatbelts are ignored and so are road signs, if any, yet everyone seems to get along just fine. Some ride in German automobiles while some entire families ride on one motorized scooter, newborns and all.

Capernaum, the newest film by Nadine Labaki shows just how exceptionally talented the renowned Lebanese auteur is at capturing that land that holds my heart, and hers as well. Her style is, if comparable, reminiscent of the flavour of Larry Clark's Kids, with a dash of Paul Greengrass's Green Zone, and many hints of Vittorio Di Sica's brilliant Umberto D. The film is poignant; revolving completely around the world of a twelve-year old boy named Zain (Zain Al Rafeea). He lives in a steamy, crammed apartment with his band of siblings, and neglectful mother (Fadi Yousef) and father (Kawsar Al Haddad) in a war-torn neighborhood in Beirut. His parents out of devastating desperation give their daughter to the landlord of their building in hopes of leniency with their payment of rent, an act that naturally enrages Zain, causing him to run away from his family into the abyss of Beirut.

In his journey of self-preservation destiny he meets an Ethiopian migrant worker Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw). Rahil has an infant child of her own name Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole), who gives such a contribution to the organic documentary inspired style that is truly remarkable. Rahil takes Zain under her care for some time providing some of the most beautifully shot scenes of intimacy in cinema over the past little while. The film's heart is transcended through Zain and Yonas; their acting is so poetic, watching these two children interact, with the slightest of movements, give elusive kinetic energy that never feels premeditated in the slightest.

Drama ultimately knocks on the films door and heartbreak occurs with Zain climatically commits a violent act causing him to stand in court with his parents. He declares hatred for his parents and seeks justice for them giving him life when they have no intention to properly love or care for him, as well as his siblings. This embodies the idea of Capernaum which is according to Libaki "to give a voice to children who otherwise do not have one."

I have watched a select couple of brief scenes from Labaki's previous films, yet never have I seen one in its entirety and this was quite the film to start me off. The opening sequence is melodious; we see Zain with a number of other children, horse playing through the tangles of flights of stairs and street corners of the neighborhood. Labaki takes this moment to transport the audience above an electrical wire of neighbourhoods to a bird's eye shot, tracking the kids as they gallop down streets in true Federico Fellini 8 ½ fashion, already showing Lebanon for what it is, a very dreamlike place. The delicate cocktail of human perspective documentary styled shots and sweeping wide-panning crane shots is absolutely fascinating and more than simply tasteful to the eye, it is transcending. The editing is psychedelic, completed masterfully by Konstantin Bock and Laure Gardette. During the introduction to the screening of the film it was said that filming had taken a year, and the editing process had actually taken the same amount of time. After watching the film it is quite obvious as to why it is such, it plays so naturally and voyeur in nature yet the story is absolutely engaging and just as strong as a destined plot driven production with seamless cutting from one physical place to another or one action to another in the more energized scenes. The palette of colours is gorgeous, with the sandy browns and vivid greens of the country effortlessly gracing the lens, operated by the very talented Christopher Aoun. The occasionally shaky yet simultaneously delicate sweep of Aoun's camera paired with Labaki's eye for the absolute accurate atmosphere of the country is where the film truly finds its class. Her method of seeming to let Lebanon function as a society while around her, and simultaneously filming these occurrences, in true fly on the wall filming style, is so effective at showing the beauty and despair this country harbours. The pair do not sensationalize, they simply observe.

Although Labaki and Aoun absolutely shine in this film with their talents, we have seen films with similar concepts of documentary inspired emotion driven pictures, the real ultra-light in Capernaum comes from the films lead Zain. During my second visit to the country, I recall sitting on a roof one star-lit evening and looking to the north of us to Syria where we could see rockets and artillery punishing the land, the embers and matter from these vehicles of death flaring up the sky. I thought to myself at that moment how it would be to if it was me in that situation; if my family were only that much more north how devastating my life could have been.

Zain Al Rafeea is actually a Syrian refugee, making his performance all the more impactful, genuine and tear summoning. Zain is the rarest portrayal of passion; through his depiction, one can easily see the infinite wisdom that has been added to his soul through his eyes as he stares into the camera, the natural wisdom given to those who have seen the hellish things he has seen. It is quite heartbreaking while brilliant all in the same; his bravado and way with words put him right up to par if not past his much older and experienced peers in Hollywood, an absolute diamond in the rough of an actor who took my expectations and surpassed them tenfold.

Capernaum is an emotional wave that washes and continues to wash over you. I walked out of this film like I had witnessed a ghost. The epiphany of raw, no-holds-barred talented filmmaking. Capernaum is passion, Capernaum is struggle, Capernaum is love, beauty, and chaos. Capernaum is Lebanon.

Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Film Review: Welcome To Marwen/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[1/10 · 26 December 2018]

If you couldn't think of a better example where Hollywood puts its hands on something and made it boom, pop and explode like never before, Welcome To Marwen is the film to prove all of your theories correct.

Based on the 2010 documentary Marwencol, the film is a fictional and glamoured retelling of a documentary feature film that showcases the triumphs of a man who was severely and brutally attacked that left him with irreversible brain-damage. Mark Hogancamp is undoubtedly a survivor. After the attack, the once established and successful artist began creating a 1:6 scale world where he finds therapy, healing and redemption from the horrors of his past.

In the 2018 fictionalization feature film, Steve Carrell plays Hogancamp, a man whose hyper-fantizies sex, violence and victory in Marwen. While the city of Marwen is inhabited by Captian Hogie, a miniature version of himself, as a ruthless and brave military captain, the only other residents are the women of Marwen, each represented by strong and kind women in Mark's life. While many of the women's stories become as interesting as Mark's, we come to fall in love with the women of Marwen, no matter how treacherous they are to the "Nazis" that constantly threaten their home.

Although Welcome To Marwen is the story of Hogancamp, the direction quickly shifts to his feminine rebellion; GI Julie (Janelle Monáe), Carlala (Eiza González), Anna (Gwendoline Christie), Suzette (Leslie Zemeckis), a group of influential women that help Mark recovery from epic tragedy. Even though each of the women are a representation of the women in Mark's reality, he quickly makes them sexy and tough-as-nails heroes of Marwen, constantly standing by and protecting Hogie, no matter how hocus the narrative really is.

The shift in Mark's life comes with the introduction of a new neighbour across the street, Nicol (Leslie Mann), who has her own story of tragedy and strife. Together, Mark and Nicol, as well as all the other women in Mark's life face the many challenges of their lives head on, and without apologies.

Welcome To Marwen is a story about pain; embracing the pain, loving the pain and dealing with the pain and using it as fuel for recovery and successful. Yet, while the themes of Marwen are very strong and incredibly inspiring, one cant help but notice just how painful the film really is. Mixing stop-motion capture technology for the fictitious world of Marwen, and integrating the fantasy with reality, really symbolizing real life issues with action figures, the themes in Zemeckis' newest feature get lost in over-ambition. One of the biggest disappointments of Marwen is the poor use of such a talented and great cast, and under utilizing the fantastic actors for pure spectacle.

While, at first, the animation becomes quite charming and humorous, it quickly overstays its welcome. Zemeckis, a master of story-telling and innovating the medium of cinema and motion-capture technology (as seen in The Polar Express), it's over stylization here gives Marwen a bloated and bizarre entrance; and instead of getting lost in a world, the audience feels more like they are stuck in Marwen with no exit for the film's two-hour runtime.

While hate and discrimination spark the world of Marwen, love and determination save it. Yet, authenticity is lacking within every frame of Welcome To Marwen, especially when a filmmaker like Zemeckis is at the helm; it truly becomes an example of the expectations of film-lovers and how they react to film that's poorly made or executed with such dissatisfaction.

Based on the true triumph of a man who used his tragic story into a story of success and glory, Hogencamp's pictures of his figurines of Marwencol were featured in a New York gallery in 2006, and eventually made into a documentary in which this film is based on. While Hogencamp still suffers very severe forms of post-traumatic stress following the incident and violent hate-crime that nearly left him dead, his story is one that inspires so much hope and strength to others who have had near-death experiences, or even just need a little hope in the everyday and mundane difficulties of life. Unfortunately, Welcome To Marwen isn't the film to illicit many of those feelings.

Isolated from the outside world, threatened by everyday acts and routines and surrounded by endless love and kindness, Mark Hogencamp is the real deal when it comes to overcoming your demons and facing your fears. Sadly, Welcome To Marwen comes short on proving to being a story to ignite emotions of inspiration, hope and new beginnings.

Mortal Engines (2018)

Film Review: Mortal Engines/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[1/10 · 26 December 2018]

The latest contrivance from Peter Jackson, Mortal Engines is a post-apocalyptic action thriller on wheels. The film was penned and produced by Jackson with newcomer Christian Rivers making his feature film directorial debut under Jackson's wing. The concept of Mortal Engines is set thousands of years ahead of our time. After what was known of the "Sixty Minute War", the Earth's crust has shattered resulting in a large loss of the earth's surface area and natural resources. The loss of resources is the main motivating factor behind entire cities transforming their societies into moving war machines. Their only goal; strategizing towards conquering one another for resources. These concepts do not stray far from our own political climate in its current state. The amped up and glamorized special effects make these concepts of moving beasts of cities a fantastic steam-punk fuelled spectacle that gets your gears going.

The story of Mortal Engines centres around a young apprenticing historian Tom Natsworthy played by Robert Sheehan. The young aspiring aviator unwillingly becomes involved in the attempted murder of the main monopolizing figure of London and Head of Guild of Historians, Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving). The would-be assassin, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), is a masked and mysterious femme fatale figure with some of the new world's darkest and deepest secrets. After being mostly unsuccessful with her assassination attempt, no thanks to Tom, Hester and Tom find themselves exiled off of London and into the Great Hunting Ground. Left to face the bleak landscape of the new destructed world alone, a world that director Rivers and the set designer Rosie Guthrie decorate with numerous memorable cinematic set pieces, including a southern bayou style encampment vehicle that rolls and crawls through the landscape with clay formations on its back resembling armour similar to something you would see on an ancient dinosaur or armadillo.

After being captured and sold as slaves, Hester and Tom are lucky enough to be saved by top world assassin Anna Fang. Korean pop star and actress Jihae plays Fang, pilot and leader of the anti-establishment force known as the "anti-tractionists" who oppose the mobilization of cities and subsequent warfare that comes with the capitalist nature of it all. Opposing the idea of what the predator cities adopt as "Municipal Darwinism", Fang steals Hester and Tom as well as the slave market scene from the movie commanding attention. Donning a red leather trench coat tat resembles something out of a colourful parallel world Matrix, Fang saves our main protagonists without a hair falling out-of-place from her Presley style pompadour. this among many others scenes in the film are hard to ignore for its blatent yet often times crazy imitation type scenes. Typically, while films with this type of budget and nature, tend to pay great tribute and homage to some of the films it get inspiration film, Mortal Engine tends to spill a little too much grease on its mirroring scenes.

In addition to this array of fresh new faces of actors, the supporting cast also includes Leila George D'Onofrio, playing Katherine Valentine, Thaddeus Valentine's daughter and at least in portions of the film seeming love interest to Tom. Stephen Lang plays the role of Shrike, a Metal Gear Solid styled undead soldier from a battalion called The Stalkers. While Shrike is made mostly of metal and being undead, Shrike and Hester provide the film with the most emotional parts of the film and perhaps the film's best subplot, Lang and Hilmar give the majority of the film its beating heart, no matter ow cold the subject material really is.

While Mortal Engines will be a hard sell in a jam-packed holiday schedule of films, this dystopian future feature film does some provide audiences with amusing portrayals of the future. Both Rivers and Jackson create a world that is both terrifying to imagine, yet fascinating and hard to look away from. Although the film tries a little too hard on being a Mad Max imitation the film is peppered with popular culture references touching on everything from minions, to Apple products (specifically iPhones) and toasters; displayed and spoken about as if they were ancient relics that providing us humans with some essential and crucial nourishment. One of my favourite and probably the most humorous scenes in the film was when we see Esther pull out a Twinkie to eat. Tom makes a remark at how old the Twinkie is and in a cheeky jab towards the food industry, she diffuses his worries by claiming food from the past even if it is a thousand years old in their case of story and time, "never goes bad".

Ultimately, even with some structural voids in the story and certain points where the plot loses the wind in its sails, Mortal Engines does its best job at being overtly entertaining. Its portrayal of a distant future was surprisingly humorous and time dwindling in the realm of apocalyptic filmmaking.

Shoplifters (2018)

Film Review: Shoplifters/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[10/10 · 26 December 2018]

Shoplifters by Hirokazu Koreeda is one of the most beautiful portraits of the family household and its elements ever graced on-screen, and yes, that is how I am starting this review. While the last little while has been an array of firsts, experiencing a Koreeda film, I found myself recalling immortal auteurs like Yasujiro Ozu with his "seasons" series of melodramas, chiefly revolving around domestic trials and tribulations of man and humanity itself. At times I found it played like a Vittorio De Sica film, sprawling with driven poverty and poetic synthesis, proving on being a companion piece to his infamous Bicycle Thieves. While this film is already in the company of great films, winning the Palme D'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Shoplifters is absolutely spellbinding! It's a film that is reviving the idea that modern cinema can move and transcend audiences in the most simplistic and organic of settings and motions.

In my humblest and sincerest personal opinion, classic French, Italian and Japanese cinema produces truly spiritual, dreamlike cinematic material. Works from these countries articulate family, love, and spirituality through a lens that is equally transformative yet daringly raw and different from Western cinema. Ringing true to the genuine human condition than anything I have seen from Hollywood, Shoplifters is a film that has shifted my opinion on modern directors and modern cinema as a whole. With Shoplifter's we are truly drawn to a familiar world where the lens provides a gaze though the eyes of a real auteur. While I always disregarded the notion that anything shot with a modern camera in modern settings could materialize into the type of work that Kurosawa or Ozu have created, I have always believed filmmakers like these have unmatched qualities, until now. Koreeda's extreme sense of self-awareness and implementing a strong social dynamic, the characters and narrative of Shoplifters blossoms into a truly hearty cinematic experience.

Although the story and narrative of Shoplifters really has no real importance, this is a film that truly draws from its actors and their interactions, to create a family that really delves into the depths of complex moral issues, bonds of love and the ideas of nature versus nurture, that hasn't been seen in film for many years. Yet, the casting in the film is perhaps, and although this may be a wholly bold statement, the best casting I have seen in at least a decade. Ranging from young child actors to older and respected Japanese acting icons, each familial role is worked and managed into broken down fibres of relatable family members we have in our own lives.

The film tells the story of the Shibata's. Osamu Shibata, played by Lily Franky, the real patriarch of the family, provides the film with the majority of its humour, especially when he is teaching his 'children' the fine 'art' of theft. Early on, we see that he passes on his skills to his 'son' Shota played exceptionally well by Jyo Kairi. Relentless and effortless, the two are shown to be very close and possessing so many of the dynamics seen between a father and son relationship we have come to expect in film. Shota's mother, Nobuyo (Sakura Hando) works at a dry cleaners providing her share for the family, also engaging in forms of theft. Nobuyo's sister Aki (May Matsuoka) works at a soft-core gentlemen's cyber club performing for her dividend. All of the finances rendezvous at the flat the family stays in tucked away in an extremely quiet neighborhood. A large chunk of the rent that comes along with space is paid for by the true matriarch of the household, Grandmother Hatsue, played tirelessly by Kirin Kiki, who recently passed at the tender age of seventy-five.

While each character's role is paramount in expressing the moral teachings in Koreeda's perfectly woven story, there is a firm affinity for Koreeda's sense of family and togetherness that does not go unnoticed. Each family member play each of their respectable roles honestly, spreading words and dialogue that ceases to shy from the harsh realities of such a lifestyle, yet brilliantly completely shatter society's belittling and scoffing nature towards them by being individual embodiments of humanity at all stages and ages of life.

The family begins to change its dynamic when Osamu and Shota walk home one evening from a routine shoplift, and find Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a small child left in the barren waste of her broken family's home. Together, the two males bring Yuri back home, and the family agrees to keep her safe and make her one of them, a Shibata, due to their parents physical, emotional and mental abuse that can be heard from the open windows of their home. Once Yuri becomes a Shibata, the unravelling of a strong family unit begins, and in the most beautiful and gut-wrenching of fashion, even if what we are experiencing on-screen can easily be argued as kidnapping. Yet, one of the strongest questions in the film remains, is love experienced by strangers better than no love at all experienced by the people you call family?

To call Shoplifters unequivocally beautiful is an understatement. Shot by Kondo Ryuto with a diamond touch in 35mm, an utilizing a medium shot style of filming, which gives great emphasis to the family's dialogue, action/reaction shots and allows for actors to truly embody their characters, with each one of their quips to be internalized. With amazing attention to detail, Akiko Matsuba, set designer to the film, allows his vision combined with Koreeda's small yet meaningful narrative acts, magnify the characters powerful revelations onto the screen.

Although the main use of 3D in film, back when the medium was in its infancy, was implicated for the further immersion of audiences into the films they are watching, with films like Shoplifters, the true immersion audiences experience are into feelings of true warmth, a sensation that radiates from every scene and frame of Koreeda's Shoplifters. Shoplifters is a film that immerses the immersion of the soul. Focusing less on the actions happening around them and more of the facial, boldly and emotional reactions of his actors, the film is a true testament to the beauty of simplicity and minimalist cinema. One of the film's most powerful scenes, and easily my personal favourite, was a scene where we see the Shibata family collectively hang out of an open panned window, looking into the sky and stars, listening to the sounds and explosions of nearby fireworks. Hovering over the family like a precarious object, the camera captures the colours of its characters wonderment and marvel, as opposed to the fascinating and beautiful array of flames and fire in the sky. This shot alone showcases the very real and adorning obsession with Koreeda's skill and his fascination with human beings. Shoplifter's becomes a film who's universal look and bodily acting skills transcends language, countries, sects, cultures and religious beliefs. This scene alone had my heart fluttering with pure joy and happiness; a feeling that has been voided for me since seeing Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.

To describe how simply sensational and dynamic Shoplifters is as a film is similar to trying to describe color to a blind person; it isn't a simple task and perhaps, in the end, no words or description may do a colour justice. Shoplifters is similar to this feeling and sensation; no matter how much I try to articulate my feelings towards it, nothing can prepare you for the level of hypnosis and the mesmerizing nature of a film that really only features people and the truly genuine emotions they express. Hirokazu Koreeda's Shoplifters is easily the best film I have seen in 2018 and it is my highest recommendation to all lovers of cinema and lovers of people; It is a film that should be seen and embraced because, simply put, the film will steal elements of your heart...forever!

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Film Review: Mary Queen of Scots/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[7/10 · 26 December 2018]

As the clouds roll onto the waving and knotting hills of Scotland, a haze of insecurities, betrayal and bloodshed awaits two powerful Queens; two women whose blood lines and loyalties are blurred by the manipulative and convoluted men in their lives. Yet although history always tells us that men have been at the forefront of politics and royalty, Mary Queen of Scots is a highly dramatized account of the 16th Century events surrounding Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), two of the most powerful and influential women, not only of their time, but of all time.

As cousins, the two share a very respectful and adorning attitude and relationship, although never meeting according to the pages of history books, Mary Queen of Scots amps us drama for a fateful face-to-face between the two. Young Mary, widowed and eighteen by the time she claims her position as Queen in Scotland, is free-spirited, understanding and audacious. Embracing the many facets of a colourful and diverse world, including homosexuality, Mary's beliefs and perspectives may be a little too liberal in a 16th Century world, yet we are manipulated into believing anything, especially when Ronan is playing the title role. On the other end, Queen Elizabeth I is a reserved, alienated and scorn barren woman whose fate was almost succumbed to smallpox. Embarrassed and hidden underneath the many layers of white make up to hide her smallpox scars, Elizabeth is riddled with sadness and tragedy, who confidence is hidden underneath elaborate and grandiose dresses that retracts men, even the tenderness and love of a man in desperate search of her love, Robert Dudley (Joe Alwyn). While both actresses are faces of beauty in Hollywood, Ronan's Mary is the only Queen noticed for her divine and unpaired magnificence. Mary Queen of Scots is just another role to add to Robbie's recent fascination of diving into roles of women lacking much physical, emotional or mental beauty, despite the actress' undoubted charm and elegance. Robbie's interpretation of Elizabeth I is just one more notch under Robbie's belt solidifying her devotion and passion to her craft.

While it isn't much of a spoiler to know that Mary's fate is found on the chopping block in 1587, the film begins with her demise, focusing on just how she got their. The film, directed by Josie Rourke and written by Beau Willimon based on a book by John Guy, historians may very well disregard Mary Queen of Scots because it becomes clear that the film is less fascinated with shedding historical and real light on the life of these two reigning women, and play more like a dramatic narrative, very similar to the style and narrative flow of The Other Boleyn Girl a decade prior. While that film features two of Hollywood's most promising young actresses then, Mary Queen of Scots showcases two of the strongest young female actors of today.

Both Robbie and Ronan are magnificent in their respective royal roles. Overshadowing all of their male counterparts, even with the likes of David Tennant, Jack Lowden and Guy Pearce gracing the screen, Ronan and Robbie are acting forces, elevating the material of the screen, regardless of how potent it every really becomes. Mary Queen of Scots is a masterclass of acting for two very deserving actresses today.

Both actresses, nominated for Academy Awards the year prior, Ronan for Lady Bird and Robbie for I, Tonya, are in a class of their own, Ronan may reign supreme however between the two budding actresses, after all, the film is called Queen of Scots. Ronan carries the brunt of the film's heavy story material, constantly dealing with betrayals, death and obscenities beyond her control, despite her position of Queen. Ronan's delicate portrait of a scourged historical figure is riveting.

Sadly, as the film's story unfolds and the ruse of each woman's power is displayed in glorious fashion, the film is still bounded by the approval of men, fertility and virginity. Lines like "How did it come to this? Wise men servicing the whims of women", or "Worse than a plague is a woman with a crown", the content of the film is wholly vexed by the presence of men. While the royal women have a clear path to attain their goals, the men provide the women and the film with the majority of the narrative's twists, turns and rivalries to unfold. Emotions, notions of privilege and family drama are the driving forcing for Mary Queen of Scots, proving the line in the film "the matters of the heart dictate the outcomes of countries" unequivocally.

United and strong, Mary Queen of Scots gives audiences a ponder-some conclusion and climax, basically setting up a narrative film for a fictitious meeting between the two Queens. Decorated and flooded with white sheets to separate the two and set in place to avoid any direct face-to-face contact, the film seems to be one big lead up to this grand moment. Yet, while each actress elevates their acting and skills for their respective roles, when this meeting finally arrives, there is a placid and anticlimactic feel that pours water between two fiery performances.

Born from blood and separated by their beliefs and religion, Mary Queen of Scots does one thing right through the duration of its runtime, and that is setting an excellent example of just how religion and faith proves to be another void and obstacle between men, women and human beings worldwide.

Stylized in high Victorian fashion, and picturesque in its foggy presence, Mary Queen of Scots is a satisfying tale of heirs, thrones and the actions of anyone who is willing and wanting to attain such high order and power. While one may cherish these historical figures and their contributions to the pages of history books and today's way of life, Mary Queen of Scots gives birth to a new, exciting and dramatic take on two unapologetic firecrackers.

The Favourite (2018)

Film Review: The Favourite/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[10/10 · 26 December 2018]

"Favour is a breeze that shifts direction all the time."

Lathimos' third English language film following The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Dear is an exploration of the absurdities of the rich, powerful and bored.

Yet no matter how many clever indications one my make about the film's title or the various tongue-in-cheek references that could be used to describe the film, or even Lathimos' canon as a whole, it comes as a surprise to many that the director's most tamed and least ghastly and disturbing film to date, is by far his most ravishing yet.

While the specific genre of the film has yet to be determined, Lathimos' The Favourite is a hodgepodge of cinematic tropes; part black comedy, part period piece, part love story, part cat-and-mouse thriller, part buddy comedy, part completely insane, the film deconstructs everything that you expect from all of these categories of film and throws them completely on their head with immense style, fashion and perfection. To say The Favourite will be like anything you've ever seen, is a direct and misleading understatement, much like the characters it presents.

Written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite marks the first film Lathimos has not written a script he has directed since making his big splash at Cannes in 2009 with his highly unconventional and controversial film Dogtooth. Yet, as much as we appreciate the auteur's uncanny ability of making people feel uncomfortable using the eeriness and awkwardness of other people by simply interacting with one another, this is one script that feels more Lathimos than any of the ones he has written in the past.

While the film is made during a prominent and very loud #MeToo movement in Hollywood, The Favourite is set in 18th Century England, a land where Queens rule and Kings drool, especially when the Queen is Mrs. Morley Anne (Olivia Colman) ruler of Scotland, Ireland and England and currently waging war against France. While the Queen is surrounded by men, including her military commanders and parliamentary leaders, Queen Anne proves that at the end of the day, the women make the rules and own the house. Yet, as important and iconic Queen Anne is, it becomes clear quickly that Anne is no more of a mere mortal with a crown next to her life-long friend and council advisor, The Duchess of Marlborough, Sarah Churchill (Rachael Weisz). While Sarah is able to wholly intimidate, scoff and insult the Queen right to her face, it seem that Sarah is only looking out for one person and one person only, despite her illusions and deceit. Occasionally giving accord to Queen Anne or her husband for that matter, military commander of the Queen's army, Lord Marlborough (Mark Gatniss), Sarah is one a one-way ticket to riches, power and most importantly her, affection.

As Sarah seems to seemingly pave a path of success for years to come, things come to a steady halt with the arrival of her cousin, Abigail (Emma Stone). Although Abagail arrives in a heap of mud, discontent and stalked by tragedy, she quickly hardens up and wilts to the whim of her commanding cousin, only to quickly gain her affection and take her opportunity for the Queen's admiration, following a natural herbal remedy for the Queen's disgusting gout infested legs. Once Abigail becomes the Queen's own personal leg-rubber, she begins plotting her dominance over the Queen and her affections, overshadowing her own cousin, proving that Sarah's protegé as quickly become her biggest and most intimidating rival.

Where Sarah adorns the Queen with her brazen honesty and harsh truths, including advising when the queen looks like a badger, Abigail's approach to the affections of the Queen include lies, deceit and endless compliments, making the Queen feel unlike anything Sarah never has. Often times eroticizing the Queen and her mundane and bizarre daily routines with her bunnies and while eating, Abigail and Sarah begin to duel for Anne's love, doing whatever it takes to be her favourite.

As it turns out, each woman is capable of much unpleasantness, not only to one another, themselves but also to the poor saps surrounding them. Manipulating every man, woman and child around them for their own personal gains; both in search of security, status and nobility, Abigail and Sarah turn the conventions of a chessboard on its head, and make the queens, rooks, bishops and knights all of their pawns in their sick and twisted little kinky game of pleasure.

Attacking one another like vipers and wolves, jealousy becomes the weapon of choice for both women, who's use of men only intensifies their sadistic little game of mitral destruction and decay. Taking no prisoners, Abigail and Sarah create alliances, forms admirable teams with many of the men occupying the palace on a daily basis. Abigail learns quickly that her most valuable alliance is the head of parliamentary opposition Harley (Nicholas Hoult), despite his every opportunity to throw Abigail to the gutter. Although many of the men in The Favourite seem to hold their own against the two duelling cousins, it becomes clear with every ridiculous pastime that the men engage in, that the women, no matter how fragile or understated they are, truly hold the men in the palm of their hands. Where we see the men engaging in ludicrous activities of whipping food at each other while naked, duck races and ridiculous forms of dance, women are the only ones seen holding the guns, aiming and killing their prey and having their faces splattered with blood. The men in The Favourite are covered in make-up, wigs and fancy dress, while the women are stripped of their beauty and shown with the scars, bloody noses and battle wounds. Lathimos makes the gun range backyard the common area for Abigail and Sarah's verbal competitions, while the rest of the days, they leave their most valiant and best efforts on the line by exhausting the very people they claim to love.

While the war against the French is always a constant plot within the castle, Lathimos and his talent crew uses the palace as a stomping ground for much haste and ugliness, never showcases physical battle rather the coyness and sneaky actions of each woman's slithering jabs. The trickery of each woman's constant blows are embellished in absolute pleasure thanks to the captivating fish-eye lens tracking shots of Robbie Ryan's camera. Shooting tracking shots from an ant's eye view, upside down, tilting and swinging the camera in every which way and direction, Ryan gives a sense of banishment and fleeting optics to a completely farce security in a castle where allegiance switch at the drop of a pin.

The Favourite may very well be a perfect film and one of the most unexpected pleasures of 2018, but none of that would ring true if it wasn't for the performances of our three female leads. Constantly engaging in the moral destruction of one another's characteristics and pushing the limits physically, mentally and most of all, emotionally, our three leading ladies are at the top of their acting games, proving that the Academy may be in favour of royalty. Weisz is as cunning, sharp and ruthless as can be as a woman who utilizes history as a weapon towards establishing a future. Looking as sly as ever, Weisz is bound to be recognized for her performance that transform her soft eyes into sharp diamonds with razor-sharp edges. Stone, although she isn't singing or dancing, gives the best performance of her career, stripping down her clothing and girl-next door image for a woman capable of anything; including beating herself with a book and bloodying the battlefield of war. Stone's highly misunderstood pouted lips conceal her snake-like tongue and vicious bite. Yet, both women pale in comparison to Colman, an actress who has probably appeared in something you've watched before, but completely and unapologetically demands attention with Queen Anne's constant eccentricities. Whether dunked in mud, on the floor, covered in absurd make-up or having food hang from the very ends of her mouth, Colman gives a favourable performances that will no doubt take attention during the Awards Season and give new meaning the bondages of portraying a matriarchal Queen. Colman is nothing short of godly.

Self-interest and selfishness is the goal and while casualties are expected, Yorgos Lathimos delivers one of the best movies of 2018. The Favourite favours bold acting, incomparable shooting styles, a magnificent score and one of the most unexpected and gruellingly enjoyable movie experiences of the year, and it asks for no apologies. One may be hard pressed to find something else within the year and may side with The Favourite, because Lathimos proves once again that the deconstruction of human values, is much more fun than building it up. Even though parents always avoid picking their favourites, when it comes to 2018, it'll be hard to choose a monstrous extravagance as good as this one.

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Film Review: The House That Jack Built (Unrated Director's Cut)/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[6/10 · 22 December 2018]

My relationship with Lars von Trier can be described best in one word; boundless. Luckily for myself, although my relationship only began a few days ago with this passionate and highly cynical director, I'm sure glad that a relationship flourished at all. While his name had been mentioned to me in passing countless times, I never really sat down and truly experienced a von Trier film, that is, until I watched The House That Jack Built. Yet, not like most, I experienced von Trier on a different level most people would, attending a very exclusive and rare unrated director's cut of Jack. To say the least, it is with all honesty and truth, I can say that it wasn't until I watched this film that I truly understood how far the boundaries of cinema can be pushed.

Typical discussions regarding von Trier's work usually touch mostly upon the controversies surrounding his films, as well as his unprecedented style, and his penchant for making viewers feel so uncomfortable that their only natural reaction is to walk out of their theatre seat, or turn off the film altogether. While von Trier's career is ladened with controversy, including a "persona non grata" at Cannes, that was lifted this year for The House That Jack Built, as well as controversy for basically each one of his film's release since the beginning of his Depression Trilogy, starting with AntiChrist, von Trier seems to be the poster child for auteurs with a

While very few directors can truly call themselves truly provocative filmmakers, and while it seems that von Trier spends more time debunking this notion that trying to prove himself otherwise, it isn't hard to reign him as the clear champion of this title. Yet, aside from the controversy, von Tirer has a plethora of qualities that he brings to filmmaking and cinema all together. Always pushing the boundaries, von Trier likes to smear the lines drawn by rating boards and society alike, and Jack is a testament to the very boundaries set by such films and people. While his content is often disturbing and brutal, von Trier also has a sadistic way of implementing a stark sense of humour within the frames of his work. Yet knowing all of these from a true vanguard of cinema, nothing could prepare me for a work made a man hated but loved by many so many people inside and outside of the film industry, and whose work is often misunderstood yet a direct companion piece of the man that is Lars Trier (he added the von himself).

The House That Jack Built is quite elementary narratively speaking; the story follows Jack, an architect who has a severe case of OCD. Jack is played passionately by Matt Dillon, a role since The Outsider that many believed he was born to play, especially given his heavy encrusted facial expressions and naturally demonic and piercingly intimidating look. Yet, the more we get to know Jack, we realize he is a serial killer. Okay, maybe that's a lie; we know right away and before anything that Jack is a serial killer before he is anything else. So in proper von Trier fashion, the film is presented using chapters, over the course of twelve years, and within those twelve years, we are introduced to Jack and five murders that have shaped the man he is and becomes by the end of the film.

Yet, as rudimentary the narrative of von Trier's film is, it becomes clear quickly that nothing is square about this auteur and his films. Jack's devilish narrative is a twisted odyssey into the depths of hell and a psychosis where guilt, empathy and compassion is voided. Yet, after these five incidents are displayed in bloody von Trier fashion, the journey of Jack's path leads to Verge (Bruno Ganz), a 'spiritual' figure who appears and disappears throughout Jack's life, proving truly von Trier'esque exposition; but keep in mind, von Trier exposition is quite different from Hollywood exposition. Presented in poetic and encrypted fashion, von Trier's dialogue is nothing short of enigmatic. And while Ganz is a formidable and heavyweight actor, Ganz's performance, no matter how insightful or mysterious it is, merely serves as a counterweight to the heavy hitting and aggressively spot-on performance given by Dillon. Jack is without question, Dillon best and quintessential role ever, and he will never be better in a film in his life.

While Ganz and Dillon provide the film with some its most analytical, contemplative and philosophical dialogue, speeding through words in a rhythmic yet glaringly sophisticated way, as if written in iambic tetrameter, von Trier's dialogue still has an incomparable way of showing facets of the director and the many dark and disturbing pieces of himself, in a way that makes the film so personal and reflective. The director, as he does with all his films, shows a piece of himself and gives us a vulnerable look into the demons of his mind, heart and soul as well as exploring the deepest and darkest corners of his psyche. To witness a von Trier film is truly a journey into a disturbed and complex mind.

Luckily for von Trier, there are many talented actors who are willing to explore these dark corners with him. Aside from Ganz, Jack also features some amazing performances from fresh new von Trier faces, as well as familiar ones. Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sofie Gråbøl and Riley Keough give some of the best performances as murder victims we have seen in recent memory, as well as the always reliable and true von Trier muse Uma Thurman. With each death, comes a new fact about Jack and the past and current present of his mind state, as well as an audience understanding as to why he is a serial killer, the actions towards his choosing of his victims, and most importantly, what we find and share and familiarize ourselves with, a character so horrifying and grotesque, we try to reject the similarities. While many of the women featured (and eventually killed off, this is surely not a #MeToo sensitive film), have no back story or history, they do give Jack some of his most revealing moments. Yet, for almost three hours, its hard to just choose a hand few of moments in the film where we are truly blown away, because the majority of the film is an onslaught of memorable and truly immersive cinema. Simply put, The House That Jack Built may very well be von Trier's most audacious film to date.

Narratively speaking, von Trier is unmatched by any of his cinematic peers. Yet, while most filmmakers may only have the style down-pact or the narrative touch, von Trier has easily be posed as a double threat. Stylistically, von Trier is a true visual talent, sometimes creating this notion that watching his films and not such beauty, even admits all the blood and gore, is a crime in itself. We build appreciation for his visual pallet quickly. Building off the violence and darkness, von Trier still finds a way for allowing audiences to build a sense of familiarity with his images and characters. Although perhaps, with Jack, our sense of familiarity may not be with the antagonists or victims, but perhaps with the world von Trier creates; a world plagued with violence, grisly news headlines a world sometimes completely spiralling into chaos and out of control.

While von Trier's film can easily one pegged as 'fetish filmmaking', each one of his films themes all have their own harrowingly surrealist aspect to it. While Jack is focused around death and murder, von Trier's expectations to chew out crowd churning, drawn out, horrifying images is absolutely expected. Sprawling with close-ups, realistic special effects and terrifying make-up, the horror that Jack is manifesting is a manifestation of the real horrors plaguing our own world. Hazy, nightmarish and feverish, von Triers style of shooting in Jack, as well as his use of color, and lighting add a dash of hyper realism into our bloody cocktail lives.

It is without question that Jack is a trouble man, yet throughout the whole runtime of the film, his intention is not to understanding a murderous mind. His actions aren't meticulous, despite his best efforts, he is not immortal any means, yet, unlike we've seen in many films before it, Jack plays upon the idea that maybe, sometimes, the bad guys get lucky too. Often avoiding the authorities, despite many meetings, the audience, often times, laughs at Jack's terrible blunders and crowning victories. Is this something we are proud of, I mean, if it wasn't von Trier, probably not, but its easy to root for the bad guy in a von Trier film I guess.

While symbolism and music is a huge part of von Trier's world, von Trier never says away from his inspirations and images, including using one of his favourite artists in the soundtrack harmoniously, with David Bowie's song Fame providing the film with an unofficial anthem, even though one can't help but think that Bowie's I'm Afraid of Americans may very well be a more appropriate song choice, it just very well be too explicit for von Trier's liking. The auteur also surely gets inspiration for his zooms from a George Sherman film from the 1970's, von Trier never feels apologetic for honouring his idols and mentors, as well as an infamous and timeless Bob Dylan pop culture reference.

With The House That Jack Built, von Trier proves many things, including that Cannes can easily change their mind, granting "persona grata" status now to the filmmaker, even if Jack had a reported hundred people walk out of the Cannes premiere. Lars von Trier also proves that you do not need to make films that people want to see, but make films that people need to see, slashing his way into the hearts of film-lovers, enthusiasts and cinephiles everywhere; cementing his position as an absolute cinematic genius, in the purest form.

The House That Jack Built is a brilliant analytical look into the mind of a serial killer with little to hardly no answers, but a lot fo questions for its audience. Dealing with themes of identity, self-consciousness, insecurities, mora

Clara (III) (2018)

Film Review: Clara/www.nightfilmreviews.com

[8/10 · 22 December 2018]

Science fiction is a highly inventive and audacious genre of film to tackle, especially at the indie level of filmmaking. For the most part, successful science fiction films with bold visuals, even bolder visions and stories, as well as ballsy revelations are either done with huge budgets backed by studios who's deep pockets help drive narratives and give life to outer world creations or are given to established filmmakers to see through their visions of the greater unknown. With the likes of Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg saturating the science fiction film market, indie filmmakers rely heavily on interesting, unique and mind-blowing narratives to help their science fiction dreams become a reality. In recent memory, some of the more memorable indie science fictions films to come in the last decade have come from independent wonders like Make Cahill, who's low-budget science fiction films I, Origins and of course Another Earth shook Sundance and the independent society on their head thanks to never before realized stories of identity, mortality and space set in world's not too far from our own. With Clara, our very own Cahill-esque filmmaker Akash Sherman, hailing from our native Toronto, Canada, tackles the very tricky indie/science fiction territory with love, grace, and an emotionally driven narrative. Sherman, who at twenty-three years old, thought of the story of Clara while in class with a friend, fleshed out the basis of his sophomore feature film on the basis of two polar opposites falling in love, even despite the fact that each of their worlds is crashing right before their eyes.

To say the least, Clara is not the last great Canadian indie science fiction film to come out recently. Thanks to balls-to-wall, gonzo inspired filmmaking style, Matt Johnson gave audiences Operation Avalanche in 2016, a totally risky and savant mockumentary style film about how NASA hired filmmakers to create the moon landing as opposed to actually pioneering astronauts to traveling to the moon. While Operation Avalanche could be a close comparison to Clara's origins in terms of country and overall cinematic potential, Clara excels not for its minor cosmic theories, paint like portrait of space, nor does it lift-off because of its unique scientific claims, Clara gives clarity to the reality of love and the cience fiction elements that make it so wonderful yet unbelievable.

First and foremost, Clara is a love story, which, one can only imagine, is perhaps the hardest notion to grasp right next to questions about existence and dare I say the notion of God. Yet, what makes the film such a success is its hard-pressed ideas of science and astronomy gravitating between these two unlikely characters.

Dr. Issac Bruno (Patrick J. Adams) is an astronomer who's head is spent more in the stars than on Earth. Following the devastating breakup with his true love, fellow astronomer Dr. Rebecca Jenkins (Kristen Hager) as well as a personal loss that Bruno sees as unsalvageable, he begins dedicating his life to his work as a teacher, but even more-so, devoting his time to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the discovery of new life within the vast and misunderstood depths of space. Measuring volumes of mass, temperature, and density, Bruno jeopardizes his job by obsessively becoming too close to his passion and dreams of a discovery, which creates a strain on his personal life, as well as his relationship with his best friend and colleague, Dr. Charlie Durant (Ennis Esmer). Packing his bags out of his office, Bruno decides to begin his own science lab, using illegal means of satellite time. Hopeless and without any real assistance, Bruno posts an add for help. As luck and fate would have it, after returning home after a friendly sympathy "sorry for getting fired drink" with his best friend Charlie, Bruno stumbles home to find Clara (Trioan Bellisario) at his doorstep. With no real scientific experience or without any real place to live, Clara is sympathetically hired by Bruno, despite his better judgment.

Teaching Clara the basics of science, space, and astrological knowledge, the two begin a very professional relationship that slowly unravels and puts to questions their past, including; Clara's health and her upbringing, as well Bruno's obsession with a discovery. While many may oppose to the very exhausting and roll your eyes to the idea of another successful, predominantly white male and his angst towards love when a free-spirited, beautiful young woman comes crashing into his galaxy, I ask you to take a step back and think about your own personal experiences with heartbreak. Mourning the loss of someone you love does funny things to the heart, and while Adam's character Bruno may be a paint-by-number depiction of a successful white man yearning from love loss, I can assure you that the yearning and loss people feel is as real as the cliches get. Clara is no more a descent into the painful truths of past relationships and the hurt one feels when betrayed, not only by others but also, by life. The film is a recognition to the chances for hope and second chances of love.

While Bruno and Clara begin to meddle with conversations about God, religion, existence, the human condition, space, time, luck and the stars, the two begin a very troubled romance that is embedded in tragedy. While Bruno believes there are no accidents among the billions upon trillions of opportunities and scenarios in the universe, Clara's hipster personally slowly convinces Bruno of the possibility of fate and chance. Clara provides some opaque answers to questions one may be asking. But the point of the film isn't to sugar-coat answers of one's own purpose nor is it to deepen one's confusions, the film is a sign of hope; a hope that new love is out there; a hope that life has a funny way of showing us our true potentials, but most of all, the film is an exploration of the wonderment of being found.

Despite its strong performances from Adams and Bellisario, who are a real-life couple outside of the film, as well as a tamed comedic turn by Esmer, who provides the film with some of the best and most required light-hearted moments of the film, Clara still may not be the most original independent science fiction film you may see. Probably described best as a humanistic exploration of the cosmos, with variant hints of cliched love tropes throughout, Clara is like Contact meets Interstellar, but will hundreds of millions of dollars less to make.

Clara does its best to be ambitious and ambiguous by never really relying on freakish CGI or far-fetched theories on whether or not something is truly out there. Instead, the film constantly pulls on your heartstrings and takes you on an emotional rocket-ship towards notions of love, friendship, compassion and companionship with a subjective yet objective eye. While the film's true grit and wide potential may be lost by the time the credits roll, the film does one thing that truly should be applauded for; being lost, if only for an hour and forty-five minutes, from the world where heartbreak, love loss and tragedy plagues human beings every day. Clara gives truth that even if this crazy world and ride that we call life is as bumpy as the film suggest, we can only hope that we are fortunate enough to spend it next to friends and loved ones who are always in our minds and in our hearts to make it durable.