MOVIE REVIEW: Equals

Young writer-director Drake Doremus has carved out a reputable niche in the romantic drama department. Many of the Sundance darling's films feature a prominent theme of longing love. That motif is on full display and meshed with mindful science fiction in his new film "Equals." Starring Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart and backed by Ridley Scott, the film is making a limited theatrical run alongside a full release on VOD marketplaces. Mindful doesn’t exactly equal poignancy on the scale of desired response.

SHORT FILM REVIEW: The Gun Equation

Short films have the unenviable creative and artistic challenge of time limitation. By design, they have a brief window to cut the BS, grab your attention, spin its narrative, and create resonance. Simplicity is key and nuance takes over for sprawl. A razor sharp example of a short film that checks those boxes with raised eyebrows and quick captivation is local Chicago filmmaker Matthew Weinstein’s “The Gun Equation.” His short film plays at the 2016 Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival which runs from July 24-31 at the AMC Randhurst 12 theater in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Other Half

For better or worse, Nickie and Emily, the two lovers orbiting at the center of "The Other Half," are two volatile human chemicals. Welshman Tom Cullen's Nickie is a sorrowful, combative man with a hair-trigger temper. Tatiana Maslany's Emily is a bipolar sprite with an astounding gap between her highs and her lows. By themselves, each are unstable and damaged. The question for the film becomes what happens when Nickie and Emily are combined. Does their pairing tame their respective caustic qualities or does it multiply the damage? "The Other Half" has the makings of a fascinating relationship piece and off-kilter love story.

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Life, Animated

This website has been moralizing for six years now its central message that "every movie has a lesson." As an educator, it is something that I firmly believe and stand by with every possible film, good or bad. I don't think, in all of my years of movie-going, I have ever seen a more real, living and breathing example of the power and magic of my website's theme than in the compelling and emotional new documentary "Life, Animated." A story like this is why I write. If that message speaks to you, go find "Life, Animated" immediately.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Cinema aficionados will quickly point fingers towards a few familiar comparisons for director Taika Waititi's New Zealand-based festival favorite, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople." The trouble is they will be shoehorning the film into an unshapely and narrow box where many containers are needed. "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is rich and broad film with a charm and a sprawling ambition that will ping more that a few of your favorite film sensibilities. Broken into ten cheeky episodic chapters and boasting beautiful natural beauty shot by cinematographer Lachlan Milne, you will find a fun experience that may feel familiar, yet is wholly unique.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Dog Lover

It is entirely fair to grant that, out of the many animal breeders in the world, operations exist that are completely on the up-and-up with proper care and humane treatment of animals. No argument there. Not every dog breeder is a cruel and incensed perpetrator of animal slavery any more than not every Muslim is an ISIS terrorist or not every German was a Nazi. Advocating for such a truth is fine and dandy when the message is composed in a fair and balanced way. A film like the “The Dog Lover” is not the way to correct that message.

MOVIE REVIEW: Swiss Army Man

As ambiguous as this sounds, your love or hate of the new film and Sundance favorite, “Swiss Army Man,” will say something about your inner quirkiness, mindset, and, most of all, your heart. Packed with detail and imagination beyond belief, this film defies classification and destroys the hyperbole, pretense, and comparative euphemisms that normally define films about friendship, the genre of buddy movies, and even unconventional screen love stories. Movies that tug our heartstrings with a smile normally kill us with kindness. The polarizing “Swiss Army Man” kills us with weirdness. This film lets its WTF freak flag fly and encourages you to do the same.

MOVIE REVIEW: Free State of Jones

Since Hollywood has become a hit-generating factory more than a garden of artistry and truth, a historical drama film like “Free State of Jones” only has to raise its barometer to a midpoint of “good enough.” That is because there is nearly unwinnable tug-of-war of disservice between history lessons and entertainment value, especially when your poster reads “based on a true story.” Veer away from the facts too far with dramatic license and the film becomes disingenuous. Veer too close to history without cinematic flashiness and no one will pay to see it. “Free State of Jones” falls somewhere in the middle of that mud pit.

MOVIE REVIEW: The American Side

There's room for film noir that can inhabit real places and plausible people while still having all the necessary ingredients to make them as cool as the genre demands. With a deep homage to noir coupled with a big dose of 1970's-esque conspiracy thrillers, director Jenna Ricker, in her second feature film, presents "The American Side" starring her Greg Stuhr and a notable ensemble cast. Using upstate New York, Ricker has created a living and breathing seedy side out a wholesome American city and tourist destination. As a film, "The American Side" is satisfying and a constantly engaging throwback detective story that surpasses its glitzy and more expensive Hollywood peer "The Nice Guys."

MOVIE REVIEW: BFFs

While watching a film about dysfunctional relationships, regardless of its drama or comedy slant, one cannot help but measure their own relationship against the examples they are observing on screen. The judgmental reactions, either spoken or unspoken, cannot be contained. To capitalize on that drawing power without going to far, frankness and believability become key. Debuting on VOD on June 3, the film festival favorite "BFFs" can call those two storytelling essentials allies and welcomes the fun of esteem-boosting judging.

CAPSULE REVIEWS: The 4th Chicago Critics Film Festival

The Chicago Critics Film Festival is currently in action at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre and runs until May 26th. The festival offers a selection of films comprised of festival favorites and pre-distribution sneak peeks from around the country and world. The CCFF is in its fourth year and is programmed by the Chicago Film Critics Association. I was granted press credentials to cover this year's slate. With so many pre-release debuts, full reviews for the films often have to be held until their formal release. In the mean time, check back here to this article for my capsule reviews of what I soak up. I will update this as I add films this week!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Lobster

With intentionally languid brushstrokes, "The Lobster," from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos in his English language debut, creates a challenging moral setting that twists the realities and consequences of two human conundrums and fears: What happens when you are single and what happens when you die. His muse at the center is Colin Farrell in arguably the most understated performance of his career. With more talent and a high concept at play, "The Lobster" is missing the charm to tie it all together.

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Don Shanahan

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