Greenland

Audiences love to go to the movies in order to escape from their problems, which is probably why disaster type films have certainly gained much popularity through the many decades they've been around. We've seen a plethora: "Airport", "The Towering Inferno", "Earthquake", "Titanic", "Jurassic Park", "Meteor", and the like. So when "Greenland" came into being, I thought it was time for yet another disaster film to sink their teeth into.

A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet's fragments, the Garritys experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven. 

Others to round out the cast are Scott Glenn as Dale, Allison's father, David Denman as Ralph Vento, Hope Davis as Judy Vento, Holt McCallany as Twin Otter Pilot, Merrin Dungey as Major Breen, Andrew Huntoon as Robins AFB airman, Gary Weeks as Ed Pruitt, Tracey Bonner as Peggy Pruitt and Andrew Byron Bachelor as Colin. 

This was directed with the intensity one would expect considering the storyline by Ric Roman Waugh ("In the Shadows" '01, "Felon" '08, "Snitch" '13, "That Which I Love Destroys Me" (documentary) '15, "Shot Caller" '17, "Angel Has Fallen" '19) plus a video. Considering this film starred Butler who also starred in "Angel Has Fallen", this definitely was familiar territory for this filmmaker. This definitely had the same feel, pace and staging which made it gripping and intense. Even though Waugh seems to stay in that comfort zone, he certainly does so with preciseness. If you can respect this director's ability behind the camera, his "Kandahar" is in pre-production. This was written by seasoned pro Chris Sparling ("An Uzi at the Alamo" '05, "Buried" '10, "ATM" '12, "The Atticus Institute" '15, "The Sea of Trees" '15, "Mercy" '16, "The Warning" '18, "Down a Dark Hall" '18, "Falling Slowly" '20) plus a short. When I viewed the trailer, I went away thinking it would have more devastation from this comet, however afterwards, although there was a fair amount of that, it was more centered around this family's domestic issues with an apocalypic backdrop ensuing. There seemed to be a bit of buildup to get the audience to the comet plunging to the planet--possibly a bit too much, but once the devastation started, it definitely kept you at the edge of your seat. Certainly if you liked "Angel Has Fallen", you'll love this. If this kind of strong, solid writing if something you can sink your teeth into, his "Intrusion" is in post-production for a 2021 release, "Lakewood" is also in post-production and "Incident on 459" is in pre-production. This writer is definitely very busy, so there must be something to his talent.

This film is certainly something any filmgoer would come to expect, especially the lead role by Gerard. He's performed so many of these types of films prior that he could practically perform them in his sleep. This film was supposed to be released on 12-18-2020, but considering that was during the pandemic, and the theaters being closed, it went to VOD and subsequently up for sale. I would've purchased before, however I could only find it in blue-ray of which I don't have. So, I found a DVD so I could critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                                  Rated: PG-13                                              120mins.

Silk Road

 

In this day and age, there are a certain amount of millennials that believe they can make a ton of money with the stroke of their computer. There have been many films produced about the underground drug world, but "Silk Road" certainly brings that more into the virtual world than ever imagined. 

Inspired by larger-than-life actual events, this riveting crime thriller follows the rise and fall of Silk Road, the infamous darknet site that sent a seismic shock through the World Wide Web. Young, idealistic and driven to succeed, Ross Ulbricht (Nick Robinson), along with friend, Max (Daniel David Stewart) and girlfriend, Julia (Alexandra Shipp), creates the internet's first unregulated marketplace: Silk Road. But when it becomes a multimillion-dollar pipeline for illicit drugs, Ross is set on a collision course with Rick Bowden (Jason Clarke), a disreputable and dangerously unpredictable DEA agent who will use any means necessary to take him down...and I mean any!

Others to round out the cast are Jimmi Simpson as Chris Tarbell, Darrell Brit-Gibson as Ray, an informant of Rick's, Katie Aselton as Sandy, Rick's wife, Paul Walter Hauser as Curtis Clark Green, Lexi Rabe as Edie, Rick and Sandy's daughter, Will Ropp as Shields, David DeLao as Johnny Morales, Walter Anaruk as Adrian Chen and Kenneth Miller as H.T. Palmer.

This was grippingly directed by documentarian, Tiller Russell ("Cockfight" (documentary) '01, "Change Up" (documentary) '02, "Bad Boys of Summer" (documentary) '07, "The Last Rites of Ransom Pride" '10, "The Seven Five" (documentary) '14"Operation Odessa" (documentary) '18) plus TV and a short. This filmmaker has only one other theatrical film to his credit for directing, however he certainly has the ability to create scenes that start off as fairly tense, and have the tensity to increase with such realism. Truly, all the documentaries he has directed has served him well. This was also interestingly written by Russell ("Bad Boys of Summer" (documentary) '07, "CMT Big Break" (TV movie) '07, "The Last Rites of Ransom Pride" '10) plus TV, based on the article "Dead End on Silk Road: Internet Crime Kingpin Ross Ulbricht's Big Fall" by David Kushner. This story being based on true events actual made it much easier for this writer to write a cohesive script considering his documentary experience. It was presented to the audience as a flashback so we could experience Ulbricht's journey to his fall. You know he has to fall, hence the true story, it's how he was brought down that makes this story more captivating. Both Robinson and Clarke's performances were portrayed with such veracity and tenaciousness that will keep any audience on the edge of their seat. My only complaint with this is that it was a bit slow in a couple of places where approximately 5-7 minutes could've been edited, but it was still a powerful script nonetheless.

The one adage that surely comes to mind while watching this film is: "oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive". This 28-year old entrepreneur should have known what was lurking down the road: nobody ever gets away with shadiness, but greediness got the best of him and soon he became obsessed with Silk Road. This was released on 2-19-2021, but since I live in California where theaters are still not open, I bought it so as to critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: R                                            117mins.

Fear of Rain

 

There are films that are based on a true story and then there are films that are fiction, however are based in a story that could easily have happened and the way the film is written would lead one to wonder. "Fear of Rain" is based on the latter, but could've been based on a very believable story. 

Rain Burroughs (Madison Iseman) has early-onset schizophrenia, a condition that not only causes her to see vivid hallucinations but also puts a strain on her parents, Michelle (Katherine Heigl) and John (Harry Connick Jr.). When she meets Caleb (Israel Broussard), a charmingly awkward new student at school, Rain finally feels she has a lifeline to normalcy. But as Rain starts to find clues that her neighbor has kidnapped a child--and Caleb is the only one who believes her--Rain must fight to figure out who and what is real while also battling the overwhelming forces that haunt her daily life. Will anyone believe her...before it's too late?

Others to round out the cast are Eugenie Bondurant as Dani McConnell, Enuka Okuma as Dr. Ellen Pangloss, Julia Vasi as Alexa, Brian Yang as Doctor, Jannette Sepwa as Nurse Rosa, Ashley Abrams as Sylvie and Hudson Rodgers as Malia.

This was directed with just the right amount of creepiness by Castille Landon ("Albion: The Enchanted Stallion" '16, "Apple of My Eye" '17) plus a short. Even though this filmmaker isn't necessarily experienced, her ability to keep her audience on the edge of their seat through the different thrilling scenes has incredible talent. Not to worry if after seeing this you are wanting to see more of her work. Apparently her "After Ever Happy" is in post production and her "After We Fall" is now filming with a 2021 release. This was also creatively written by Landon ("Workers' Comp" (TV movie) '11, "Albion: The Enchanted Stallion" '16, "Apple of My Eye" '17) plus shorts. When a script causes one to be asking questions as the story unfolds, this is truly effective writing, which is what happened to me. There are a few twists in this--one you won't see coming, that also makes the story amazingly interesting--I  was riveted to my seat. If you've known anyone in your life who's been diagnosed with schizophrenia, that will especially make this an intriguing expose of what these people have to endure as they live their day to day lives. I knew someone with this condition, and although he was a kind-hearted soul, he was stricken with this affliction and he truly had a tough life with it. This writer definitely did her homework, and for that, my kudos to her. Other than a couple of very small places that were slow, this script was spot on. Landon is going places in the realm of film. 

If films that focus on the psychological realm, i.e. "A Beautiful Mind", "Sybill", "The Three Faces of Eve", "It's Kind of a Funny Story", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", and the like, this will resonate with you. The realism is amazing in that it gives the audience an inside look of what it's like to live this life, and it's not pretty. This was released on 2-12-2021 in the theaters, and is probably still there. I live in California where the theaters are still closed, so as this was also available for purchase, I bought it so as to critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                      Rated: PG-13                                                   109mins.

Echo Boomers

When it comes to crime or heist films, Hollywood has definitely done their share in providing a plethora of them. No matter what the decade, there are many films of this genre to opt for: "The Hot Rock", the "Ocean's Eleven" films, "The Italian Job", "21", "Baby Driver", "The Sting", even "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". So, when "Echo Boomers" came along, it should be no surprise that this should be in the offing.

Mel Donnelly (Michael Shannon) stars as the leader of a rag team bunch of millennial loser criminals which is a crime thriller filled with pulse-pounding twists and turns. A recent college graduate, Lance Zutterland (Patrick Schwarzenegger) leaves school in debt, realizing everything he had worked towards was built on a lie. He ends up in Chicago, and through his cousin Jack (Gilles Geary) who resides there, is pulled into a criminal underground operation headed up by Donnelly. He finds his fellow peers, including Ellis Beck (Alex Pettyfer), Allie Tucker (Hayley Law), Stewart (Oliver Cooper) and Chandler Gaines (Jacob Alexander), fighting the system by stealing from the rich and giving to...well, themselves. With nothing to lose, they leave behind a trail of destruction but, with the cops closing in, tensions mount and Lance soon discovers he is in over his head with no way out. Being based on a true story, where Lance is telling his story to an author, Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren) as a flashback, this is one story that actually had a disclaimer that mentioned it being a true story, if you believe in such things.

Others to round out the cast are Kate Linder as Kathy Tucker, Ali Freeman as Caitlyn, Chelsea Jurklewicz as Server, Leslie Stratton as Ashley and Mike Hatton as Johnny.

This was effectively directed by Seth Savoy (shorts). Even though this filmmaker has directed many different shorts, his ability to stage and pace his actors so as to enable them to emit just the right amount of emotion was effective, and, as the film progressed, became more intense by the minute. He will undoubtedly receive more work. It was intensely written by Savoy (shorts), Jason Miller (shorts) and Kevin Bernhardt ("The Immortals" '95, "Hollow Point" '96, "Sweepers" '98, "Diplomatic Siege" '99, "Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying" '99, "Jill Rips" 2000, "Agent Red" 2000, "Virginia" '05, "Peaceful Warrior" '06, "Elephant White" '11, "S.M.A.R.T. Chase" '17, "Shiner" '18, "Cliffs of Freedom" '19). Obviously, by his very resume, Bernhardt certainly has the brunt of the experience between the three writers, and with that, this definitely became the film it truly needed to be. The story did have a tendency to start a bit slow, but once so many things started happening to this crew, the momentum definitely picked up. Also, all the individuals came from truly troubling backgrounds, hence they eventually assumed that this life is the best as they could end up with, but Lance really didn't have such a troubling background, so it was interesting how he just fell into their 'trap'. But, of course, we can become who and what we're around if it's a consistent pattern. Otherwise, this story was well thought out. Because this was a flashback, the audience knows they don't succeed, because it's the journey of how they end up is what carries you through this. Shannon was effective as his usual slimy bad guy character that he does so well. If this writing intrigues you, Bernhardt has two films that are in pre-production, "Dust" and "60 Feet, 6 Inches".

Like I mentioned, this isn't one of those films where you're wondering what happens to this crew (at least Lance). This is all about the trek he has to take to get to a place where he feels incredibly bad for what he's perpetrated. This was supposed to be released in the theater on 11-13-20, but because of the pandemic, it went to On Demand and subsequently to DVD. So I purchased it so I could critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                     Rated: R                                                 93mins.

Proxima

 

Space travel has been the topic of films almost since the beginning of films, but certainly since the space program has been in existence. I believe what makes this film, "Proxima" a standout from the rest is that it shows us what these astronauts actually go through prior to their respective mission, which makes it different and interesting.

Sarah Loreau (Eva Green) is a French astronaut training at the European Space Agency in Cologne. She is the only woman in the arduous space program along with American astronaut Mike Shannon (Matt Dillon) and Russian astronaut Anton Ocheivsky (Aleksey Pateev). Their training is to prepare them for a year-long mission called Proxima aboard the International Space Station (ISS). What makes it truly difficult for Sarah is her separation from her daughter Stella (Zelie Boulant), in which they have an incredibly strong bond. During the training, Sarah and Stella are able to see one another, however not as often as they are used to, so between Sarah's intense training and not having the freedom to 'connect' with Stella, it becomes trying at best.

Others to round out the cast are Lars Eidinger as Thomas Akerman, Sarah's husband, Sandra Huller as Wendy Hauer, Sarah's coordinator, Trond-Erik Vassal as Jurgen, Nancy Tate as Naomi Shannon, Mike's wife and Gregoire Colin as Sarah's doctor.

This was delineated well by director Alice Winocour ("Augustine" '12, "Disorder" '15) plus shorts. The way this filmmaker was able to work with Green in order to make her performance as realistic as it was--as far as she came across as effectively as an astronaut, but as a mother as well, was incredible. This certainly has to be Green's finest performance to date. Others that acted along side of her were solid and believable, but this was definitely Green's film and the directing surely helped. It was also creatively written by Winocour ("Augustine" '12, "Disorder" '15, "Mustang" '15) plus shorts and TV, with the collaboration of Jean-Stephane Bron. As the script went back and forth from Sarah seeing her daughter and then showing the training she was having to endure was almost like seeing a correlation being the two which made the story much more cohesive. It was basically a foreign film using both languages of French and English, which gave it a far better realistic view. Unless Green already was fluent in French, her ability to traverse the language was amazing. 

If space travel films are something you grasp, this is exhilarating. This is one of those few films about space travel that gives its audience a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be an astronaut before the rocket even lifts off. It actually comes across as a documentary without it being one. This was supposed to be released on 11-6-20 after doing a plethora of film festivals. But, as it approached time of release, because of the pandemic, it was sold to the internet. I then purchased it so I could critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: Not Rated                                       107mins.

Break Even

 

When it comes to films depicting con jobs, Hollywood has probably covered most, to all, bases. The "Ocean 11" films, "The Sting", "The Italian Job" and the like, we've seen many of them. So when "Break Even" came along, what started with an interesting premise slowly became a disjointed story.

Four friends, Jaq Varrick (Tasya Teles), Sebastian (Brent Bailey), Dash (Erik Fellows) and Rosie (Alisa Reyes) hit the jackpot while scuba diving when they uncover $50 Million in cold hard cash. But the dirty money was planted by crooked DEA officers, Agent Crowe (Joanna Pacula) and Agent Leaman (Ivan Sergei) working for a ruthless drug kingpin, Zalman (James Callis) who wants the money retrieved at all costs. Wrapped up in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, the friends must outwit them both to make a clean getaway with the cash--and their lives.

Others to round out the cast are Steve Guttenberg as Lance, Klea Scott as Mrs. Morten, Joseph D. Reitman as Lt. Mitgang, Bruno Amato as Zalman's driver and Mary Mara as Molly.

This was effectively directed by Shane Stanley ("My Trip to the Dark Side" '14, "Mistrust" '18, "Southern Decadence" '18, "The Untold Story" '19) plus TV and shorts. Certainly this filmmaker can stage and pace his actors effectively, however the directing wasn't extremely memorable. It wasn't a wash--it'll keep the audience's attention, but nothing monumental. It was written by CJ Walley ("Southern Decadence" '18) plus shorts. Considering this writer has minimal feature film experience, it's no surprise that this script had issues. It truly had a very interesting premise in which to work, and as it started with promise, it soon became choppy and disjointed. Maybe because the running time wasn't expressly lengthy, but it was difficult to be reassured that they still had the money when they were forced to change boats and cars. Also, the friends seemed to 'slip into' the whole criminal mindset a little too easily, but, then again, it was only a 95 minute running time. It wasn't a total wash--the action and the fact that there were a couple of surprises kept one somewhat riveted. 

If you like beautiful locales and people steeped in a 'find' that went awry, this will probably appeal to you, but if one is wanting a bit more substance, with a better, more polished script, you might want to pass. This was supposed to be released on 12-1-20, but because of the pandemic, it was sold to a DVD format, which I viewed so I can critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 2                                           Rated: Not Rated                                          96mins.

Fatman

 

One of the oldest Hollywood toplcs to write about is that of Santa Claus, whether they be drama, comedy, satire or action, we've seen them all. Or have we? When you think you've seen them all, along comes "Fatman", replete with a rough and tumble Santa on tough times, a tenacious wife and resourceful elves.

To save his declining buslness, Chris Cringle (Mel Gibson), also known as Santa Claus, is forced into partnership with the U.S. military headed up by Captain Jacobs (Robert Bockstael). Making matters worse, Chris gets locked into a deadly battle of wits against a highly skilled assassin, Jonathan (Walter Goggins), hired by a precocious, mean-spirited 12-year-old, Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield), after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking. 'Tis the season for Fatman to get even, in the action-comedy that keeps on giving.

Others to round out the cast are Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Ruth, Chris' wife, Susanne Sutchy as Sandy, Eric Woolfe as Elf 7, Michael Dyson as Herman, Deborah Grover as Anne Marie, Ellison Butler as Christine and Ekaterina Baker as Helga.

This was grittily, yet humorously directed by Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms ("Squirrel Trap" '04, "Night of the Dog" (segment--"Bob, Burt and Steve") '05, "Lost on Purpose" '13, "Waffle Street" '15, "Small Town Crime" '17) plus shorts. What makes this as humorous as it came across was the coolness that each character obtained while playing their respective roles.This was the mark of talented directing, since if they came across more over-the-top, the dry humor would've lacked. These brothers work well together which is no surprise they work together on all their projects. It was humorously and interestingly written by the Nelms brothers (same resume as above), as well. Think about it: Chris Cringle is on hard times; he's not making as many toys since so many kids are bad, so production of toys are down. Then a kid is so angry, he decides to hire a hit man to off him. This is a fresh and original way to approach a story that has been looking for a new take. Other than a couple of inconsistencies and a bit of choppiness, this story was funny, action-packed and kept your attention. Both Gibson and Goggins were very effective in their roles as well.

If seasonal films are your kind of movie, but are yearning to see something a bit different than you're used to seeing, this just might be the film for you. This was originally slated to be released on 12-4-20, but because of the pandemic, it was sold to DVD, which I purchased as to critique it for you.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                            Rated: R                                             100mins.