There’s shrewd wisdom in that call, because, like this film’s second lesson, that’s plenty and that’s where the real intrigue is. While the overarching rhetoric is scintillating and probably deserves more time in actual deliberations, The Plea found the right territory to explore in this all-hands-on-deck indie standout.
Read MoreLove of Your Life proves that there’s always room for a good weeper at the movies. We, as the audience, attach ourselves to figures we love quickly, and process the acceleration of missing them when they are taken away. Watching fictional proxies go through recognizable pain can help viewers reflect, consider, prepare, or push through their own, in classic “what would you do?” fashion.
Read MoreWhile it takes time and no one is standing out as a future firebrand legend or trophy winner, The Social Reckoning’s scuffed and abrasive path is effective at kicking up smoke and firing up an audience, especially if its recent history remains fresh and unresolved in people’s minds.
Read MoreWith the bared truth of those factors in play, Josh Loeb’s film shines by watching two scared people use their own measures of goodness to find commitment against their challenges and those of their partner with equal acceptance. Rooting for that kind of success becomes as enjoyable as relishing in the cinnamon roll with them.
Read MoreEven with the presence of a bona fide Hollywood icon, the lasting enthrallment of Heart of the Beast belongs to that goddamn incredible dog. Where he grabs your gaze and devours your soul is in moments of stillness and focus. Uber will hold a remarkably firm look that will stare down and disarm any living thing in its gaze, be that a bear, a pack of wolves, Brad Pitt, or us—fixated on the big screen with wet corners filling our eyes.
Read MoreDespite what looks like a melodramatic premise of coming-of-age tropes in the hands of George Jaques, it is quite astonishing all the unexpected places Sunny Dancer takes its drama, including a very risky sledgehammer twist which I dare not divulge. Nevertheless, the friendship-building relationship dynamics inside its marked weekly chapters are fascinating to behold.
Read MoreWith deep empathy and surging urgency, Paul Greengrass issues a call for justice and an end to the exploitation of the poor through this compelling and comparable chapter of history. Beginning and ending thematically with royalty experiencing stormy nightmares at the thought of civil mutiny, the parallels are striking and should, chiefly, be the strongest topic of conversation and inspiration coming out of this movie.
Read MoreThis kind of movie, like the characters in peril, live and die by the balance—or imbalance—of poor choices versus good decisions made by the central on-screen characters. Veer too much in the poor direction, and you throw your hands up at the screen too often in fun-dampening frustration. Pile too high in the good direction and everyone is a Mary Sue, and the sense of survival suspense evaporates. The End of Oak Street finds admirable footing in this area amid its surreal premise.
Read MoreIn Tony, directed by incisive rising filmmaker Matt Johnson of Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie and BlackBerry, we’re not watching the complicated rise of the next J. D. Salinger. We’re witnessing the prickly makings of, quite simply, an asshole. With each new early scene, Tony stacks lies that inflate his resume, ego, and foothold on any actual success, with no signs of slowing down in a parade of one bad choice after another.
Read MoreOn one end, many want the moments to be right, but sometimes sex can be a disposable activity to fulfill mutual carnal needs. With that kind of range, there are ways to explore such expanse with potent concepts. And yet, there are still ways to clumsily overthink it. Will Gluck’s heady new romantic comedy One Night Only finds a daring, silly premise and runs with it to find hilarity and heart within the hedonistic whims.
Read MoreThanks to their committed and brave performances of showing life’s difficulties parallel to the carefree and united fun, the question isn’t “will-they” or “won’t-they” like other rom-coms. It’s should they because of the prudence being paced so smoothly and realistically next to the pleasures. Built that way, any fulfillment found in it all becomes much more rewarding.
Read MoreSpider-Man needed this break, and we did too. For better and truer people, that anticipation time is filled with reflection and appreciation, fitting this lesson’s adage of devotion. Arriving with the passage of time firmly welded to its ripened core, Spider-Man: Brand New Day rewards those hearts who arrive eager and encouraged.
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