Flight Risk

Suspense thrillers have graced the movie screens for decades and some incredibly intense films have unfolded before our very eyes. "Fatal Attraction", "Jagged Edge", "Shutter Island", "Speed" and others have kept us on the edge of our seats. So now we have been offered "Flight Risk", as yet another nail-biter to sink our teeth into. 

In this high-stakes suspense thriller, Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot, Darryl Booth, transporting an Air Marshall Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive soon to be a witness, Winston (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem. As a routine flight, this turns into a nightmare as everyone on board has their reasons why Winston should not make it to trial. 

Others to round out the cast are Leah Remini as Carolyn Van Sant, Monib Abnat as Hasan, Paul Ben-Victor as Coleridge, Maaz Ali as Hasan (voice of), Eilise Guilfoyle as Janine and Senor Pablo as Bush Pilot. 

This was intensely directed with powerful grit by Mel Gibson ("Mel Gibson's Unauthorized Video Diary" (TV movie) '89, "The Man Without a Face" '93, "Braveheart" '95, "The Passion of the Christ" '04, "Apocalypto" '06, "Hacksaw Ridge" '16) plus TV and another TV movie. Gibson, as with other actors sliding into the directing realm, Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Ron Howard, is a consummate actor as well as a captivating director, and this film is no exception. The way it was shot with a very claustrophobic feel to it simply added to the frenetic, suspenseful feel this film carried. Three people virtually carried the brunt of this and these actors carried their respective role off with a plethora of believability. This isn't the first time Gibson's worked with Wahlberg, with "Daddy's Home 2" and "Father Stu". This is the first time they've worked together as director and actor. It was brutally and intensely written by Jared Rosenberg. The fact that this writer has no other writing experience i.e. films, TV, shorts or videos astounds me since the writing was presented as though a seasoned writer penned it, There were a couple of places where the continuity slipped a bit, but not even to any degree where it affected the premise and how it was handled. It was concise, cohesive and kept its audience on the edge of their respective seats. 

If you're a suspense thriller aficionado, you will love this--it has it all, drama, explosiveness, suspense, excitement and even humor. Like the other films, this is yet another great teaming of Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson that works in a truly compelling way. Enjoy this and grab the popcorn!!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: R                                              92mins.

Brave the Dark

There are biopics that chronicle a known singer, actor, politician, sports figure, and then there are those biopics that center around known events, natural disasters, unknown individuals, etc. Well, "Brave the Dark" falls into the latter category about an unknown individual enduring a tragic past where he needs healing emotionally, and this film addresses this with compassion and intensity. 

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1986. Haunted by torturous childhood memories, Nate Williams (Nicholas Hamilton) finds himself in darkness, when his high school drama teacher, Stan Deen (Jared Harris) bails him out of jail and takes him in, Nate must confront his past before it leads to his own destruction. It becomes not enough to simply stop getting into negative confrontations as much as it is to come to realize and face his horrible past so as to begin to heal, and this comes from his teacher who is amazingly patient with him knowing that he is truly hurting. 

Others to round out the cast are Sasha Bhasin as Tina Baxter, Nate's girlfriend, Will Price as Johnny Alecco, Jamie Harris as Barney, Elise Hudson as Linda, Tobias Segal as Nate's father, Banks Quinney as young Nate and Johnath Davis as Officer Smits. 

This was passionately and compassionately directed with pathos by Damian Harris ("The Rachel Papers" '89, "Deceived" '91, "Bad Company" '95, "Mercy" 2000, "Gardens of the Night" '08, "The Wilde Wedding" '17) plus TV, shorts, music videos and a video. This director certainly has the ability to create his scenes, through his actors, as believable as was needed to convince the audience of how troubled this youth was. It was effectively written by Dale G. Bradley ("Lost Valley" '98, "Wild Blue" 2000, "Terror Peak" (TV movie) '03), Lynn Robertson Hay ("The Impact" '22) plus TV, and additional writing by Damian Harris ("The Rachel Papers" '89, "Mercy" 2000, "Gardens of the Night" '08, "The Wilde Wedding" '17) plus TV, based on the original screenplay by Nathaniel Deen and John P. Spencer. The way that these writers used Williams' nightmares of his troubled past to interject in the script allowed the story to be that much more real and intense. We've seen films about troubled teens being helped by teachers, coaches, neighbors and others, however, this was written with that element of compassion this teacher had in order to win this teen over and do it in a way that wasn't condescending or patronizing. This teacher was the real deal. I should've realized this film would have an impact considering it was made by Angel Studios, who gave us "Sound of Freedom", "Sight", Cabrini" and others. Their films typically center on message films--mostly inspirational. 

If you're into inspirational yet 'real' films usually based on something or one of meaning, you will revel with this movie. The writing, directing and especially the acting by both Jared Harris and Nicholas Hamilton was effective as it was compelling. It draws the audience in so as to convey how tragic and troubled this teen was, and to show us that this happens everyday to those that slip through the cracks due to a poor system and society. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG-13                                           113mins.

Wolf Man

The 'Wolfman' franchise is almost as old as films themselves. With the likes of "Scream of the Wolf" 1922, "The Wolf Man" 1923, "The Wolf Man" 1941,"Frankenstein Meets the Wolf" 1943, "House of the Wolf Man" 2009, "The Wolfman" 2010,"Wolf/Man" 2015 and others, another film to follow in that franchise had to happen in the form of "Wolf Man". 

In 1995, in the mid section of Oregon, an animal borne virus was unleashed that was eventually tagged with the name of "Hill's Fever". Now we bring you up to the present where a family at a remote farmhouse in the same area is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father, Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) begins to transform into something unrecognizable which slowly becomes threatening toward his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and their daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth). What would happen if someone you know becomes life threatening where communicating with them becomes impossible?

Others to round out the cast are Sam Jaeger as Grady Lovell, Blake's father, Benedict Hardie as Derek, Zac Chandler as young Blake, Ben Predergast as Grady Wolf, Milo Cawthorne as Man and Leigh Whannell as Dan (voice of). 

This was incredibly well directed by Leigh Whannell ("Insidious: Chapter 3" '15, "Upgrade" '18, "The Invisible Man" '20) plus a short. Obviously this director knows his way around the horror genre--both directing and writing. His timing, staging and pacing, which are important ingredients, are second to none. He has more experience in the writing part of a production, as with this, but it doesn't negate from his ability to keep us on the edge of our seats. It was also written by Leigh Whannell ("Insidious" '10, "Insidious: Chapter 2" '13, "Cooties" '14, "The Mule" '14, "Insidious: Chapter 3" '15, "Insidious: The Last Key" '18, "Upgrade" '18, "The Invisible Man" '20, "Insidious: The Red Door" (story) '23) plus shorts, a video and a video game. And it was also co-written by Corbett Tuck (acting). This certainly had a chilling presentation of how this story unfolded. As with "World War Z" the premise of this was the injury by an individual occurred when an infected person would attack another and soon afterward, the transformation would begin, as opposed to it happening as a supernatural event. The one flaw I could see in this was that when the farmhouse was being attacked, the werewolf couldn't get through the wooden doors, but there were several windows that could've been smashed. But, then the film would've been rather short. And, there were a couple of places that were a bit disjointed, but one would have to look hard to see them. Definitely Whannell has the lion's share of the experience here, but obviously Tuck had pivotal input herself, even though she had no writing experience at all. The real stars here were the sound editors, Will Files and P. K. Hooker who have done fine work as was the special effects makeup by Arjen Tuiten of Arjen Productions. Kudos to them all. 

If you like this franchise which is an incredible 103 years old, this is probably one of the better efforts of the genre. The actors were believable and the writing and especially the directing was crafted deftly. If you want to feel like you're right there next to the werewolf, one can see this in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: R                                      103mins.

The Last Showgirl

As we have entered the dead zone for films as of Jan. 1st, once in a while during this time, we come across some gems that are written, directed and acted incredibly well. One such film is that of "The Last Showgirl". It being an independent film, there wasn't much press for it considering the cost of advertising is extremely expensive. Suffice it to say, this film has a lot to say about the changing of society whereas the change isn't complimentary for anyone striving to hold on. 

This story is a poignant film of resilience, rhinestones and feathers. It stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her boss, Eddie (Dave Bautista) announces abruptly indicating a 2-week advance that the show will close after a long 30-year run. So, Shelly and her close friends, Annette (Jamie Lee Curtis), Jodie (Kiernan Shipka) and Mary-Ann (Brenda Song), who also work at the Casino, which is in Las Vegas, also have to scramble to find something all the while having to deal with their own issues in each of their lives. 

Others to round out the cast are Billie Lourd as Hannah, Jason Schwartzman as Director, Linda Montana as Geo and Giovani L. DiCandilo as Anthony. 

This was poignantly well directed by Gia Coppola ("Palo Alto" '18, "Mainstream" '20, "The Seven Faces of Jane" '22) plus TV, shorts and music videos. Like the rest of the Coppola family, i.e. Francis Ford and Sofia, Gia has a plethora of directing talent--it must be in the genes. She truly captures the vulnerability, determination and fear of Shelly, Anderson's character. You can feel her pain, rejoice if her milestones as she reminisces and this is amazing directing--of course, this was certainly a tour-de-force for Anderson playing this showgirl. It was written with deft ability by Kate Gersten (TV and a short). She was able to sequence and stage this incredibly well, and even though there were a couple of small places of disjointedness, it certainly wasn't enough to detract anything away from the story. She will undoubtedly receive more work. Definitely her TV experience has served her well considering this was her first feature film, and with that, she will do well. Everyone in the cast was believable and effective, but truly Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis really shined in this. Anderson was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and didn't win, but possibly her turn will be at the Oscars. 

If you like fine acting, directing and writing, this is a film you'll revel over. Its poignancy, resilience and hope that is experienced by these tragic characters is clear and concise, and the vulnerability of Pamela Anderson actually brought a tear to my eyes at times. It's not for everyone, but film aficionados will be studying this film for years to come. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                             Rated: R                                            89mins.

The Damned

It's the start of the film 'dead zone' this season and through my research, there's not a lot of great films coming. And, even though "The Damned" has an interesting premise, it does become mired down with some disjointedness as it unfolds in the script, It's a horror film, however there is a fair deal of suspense and keeps one on pins and needles. 

Eva (Odessa Young), a 19th century widow is tasked with making the impossible choice when, in the middle of an especially cruel winter, a ship sinks off the coast of her isolated Icelandic fishing post. Eva and her crew, including Daniel (Joe Cole), Jonas (Lewis Gribben), Helga (Siobhan Finneran), Skuli (Francis Magee) and others, must choose to either rescue the shipwrecked or survive the winter with their last remaining food. Facing the consequences of their choice and tormented by their guilt, the inhabitants wrestle with a mounting sense of dread and begin to believe they are all being punished for their choices. 

Others to round out the cast are Rory McCann as Ragnar, Tullough Convery as Hakon, Micheal Og Lane as Aron, Arnar Gray as Dead Boy and Guillermo Uria as Shipwreck Survivor. 

This was powerfully directed by virtual newcomer to feature films, Thordur Falsson ("TV/shorts). This filmmaker's ability to film in very close quarters to give that certain frenetic feel to the production was amazingly effective as was shooting a fair deal of the film in the dark. All of these actors were able to dig deep into themselves to convince us of their plight, and this is talented direction. It was effectively written by Jamie Hannigan ("Pilgrimage" '17) plus TV and shorts with not a whole lot of experience than that of Palsson, and we see that this film is extremely captivating and clearly tests the audience's ability to figure what is truly happening when it comes to questioning what's really happening to these people. Are these people truly being haunted by the shipwrecked because the others being left without enough food, or are these same people suffering due to their guilt of not rescuing the shipwrecked? Really, other than a couple of places of disjointedness in script, this was a puzzling yet captivating screenplay. Will they survive their fate and be able to figure out what is going on? There is a huge twist with this to watch out for that will leave you totally surprised. 

If you like horror, thrillers or suspense films, this is the film for you since it houses all three aspects. The cinematography by Eli Arenson and sound design by Quentin Collette is intense as it is effective to the story. Being basically 90 minutes in its running time allows it to cut to the chase so not a great deal of character develop here, but this doesn't need it. It's a gripper!

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: R                                               89mins.