TIFF16 Film Review - The Secret Scripture

Rosecommon Regional Mental Hospital is about to close causing a massive upheaval to its longest serving resident Rose McNulty played by Vanessa Redgrave in present day. Rose has been a resident for 50 years with no one quite knowing the reason why she has been in the institution for so long.  Before she departs Dr. William Grene (Eric Bana ) is charged with completing an evaluation. The doctor begins to dig through the documents in her file noting the inconsistencies in the material.

The massive machines of the Catholic Church and Psychiatry are put under the microscope in the Jim  Sheridan film. How unproven testimony can set in motion a series of events to have someone committed  to an asylum then the downhill momentum of bureaucracy keep them there for decades on end.

As the story shifts back to the past Rooney Mara takes on the role of young Rose in World War two era Northern Ireland. She has just sparked a relationship with Michael (Jack Reynor) a future RAF pilot when she vacates to the Republic to work in her Aunts Temperance House that serves both Catholics and Protestants. Her late Mothers mental heath issues loom above her as she displays unladylike traits such as looking men right in the eye, swimming where she shouldn't and warding off suitor after suitor including the local priest Father Gaunt (Theo James) who grows ever more obsessed with Rose's defiance and combative attitude. Our Protagonist is first banished to a farmhouse on the outskirts of town where she reunites with Michael for a brief period of time.   However her non-conformist attitude lands her in Rosecommon in 1942 where she is brutalized by the nurses and subjected to shock therapy as she fight to keep her memories alive.

Sheridan adapts the story from Sebastian Barry's novel of the same name. The story has elements that reminder the viewer of two recent Irish Catholic stories The Magdalene Sisters and Philomena. The political angle is an intriguing element. The old IRA are present who's position is clearly more anti monarchy then anti-German. Rose is often asked by its supports who's side is she on.

Both Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave turn in excellent performances in the shared lead role. Ms. Redgrave plays confused, vulnerable but is equally sharp and perceptive on the issues that affect her most. Mara is equally effective challenging the standards of 1940's Ireland as she battles against  the place of a woman in society.  Theo James is the other constant presence thorough the film as Father Gaunt. He has a pivotal role in Rose's story thinking that he is doing the best thing for her but seems to be present at every tragic moment in her life.

The Secret Scripture is a detailed study of a life frozen in time due to the actions of State institutions. Rose's world came to an effective end the day she was dragged into the Asylum faced with threats and experimental therapies. The power of  government institutions to hold a person in limbo for decades on end is both horrifying yet sadly believable. The film is beautifully shot featuring strong acting performances making it one that I an highly recommend.

**** Out of 4

The Secret Scripture | Jim Sheridan |  Ireland | 2016 | 108 Minutes.

Tags: World War II, RAF, 1940's Ireland , Catholic Church, IRA, Mental Asylum, Shock Therapy, Bible, Book of Job.
      

 
     



 

TIFF 16 - Film Review - La La Land

Mia (Emma Stone) is down to the her last glimmer of hope after 6 years of auditions in her attempts to become a working actress. She's a barista at a coffee house on the lot of a major studio so she can at least get the feel of the movie business each day. Mia continues to have random meeting with Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) who has plans of his own to keep the pure form of jazz alive by opening a club but in the meantime to make money he's forced to take small jobs playing elevator music gigs or synthesizers at corporate parties. Their relationship shifts from anger, to wisecracks to dating while both continue to struggle in an attempt to reach their dreams.

The struggling couples fortunes begin to change when Seb runs into an old music pal Keith (John Legend) who has put a touring pop band together in need of a keyboard player. At the same time Mia works on a one woman show that catches the eye of a major casting agent. However success changes the relationship and each decide they have achieved all they can together  agreeing to go their separate ways.

Damien Chazelle takes another leap forward with his vision as a director following 2014's Whiplash . The film is a send up of the golden age of musicals where the main players follow their dreams as an innocent naiveté fills the air. Chazelle's sweeping camera shots and Peter Pan like choreography for Mia & Seb's first date will thoroughly please audiences. The dialogue peppered with several comedic moments shifts in and out of musical numbers as the action progresses on screen.

Emma Stone gives her best acting performance to date as Mia. She is hanging to the last branch of show business by her fingernails at the outset of the film. She embarks on the one woman show encouraged by Seb that introduces her to a Hollywood heavyweight. Ryan Gosling is cool and stoic  Seb. He finds a degree of success first but it's questionable if his new gig is in line with his dram goal.

La La Land will bring audiences back to the musical in a large way. It may not resurrect the genre but the film is a joyful ride that will be liked by young and old alike. Chazelle has made a significant shift from his last project but has hit the mark again. The choreography is brilliant, the music sections smartly written backed by a pleasing colour palate making it a film I can  recommend.

*** Out of 4.

La La Land | Damien Chazelle | U.S.A. | 2016 | 126 minutes.

Tags: Jazz, Los Angeles, Barista, Auditions, Casting Agent, Observatory, Paris, Touring, The Messengers, Paris, Improv.

levelFilm Film Review - Moments of Clarity

Claire (Kristen Wallace) can normally be found in one of two places. At home with her agoraphobic obsessive-compulsive mother Henrietta (Saxon Trainor), or in church. She ventures outside on a rare occasion to give out muffins to the neighbourhood where a mishap lands her in Danielle's (Lyndsy Fonseca) house with a nose bleed.  At their next encounter Clair's actions lead to the destruction of Danielle's prized Super 8 camera which is the first step in a series that gets the girls off on a journey along Route 43 in Illinois.

Fear, Isolation, Home Schooling, Overbearing Parents , Adventure and Trust are the main elements of Stev Elam's first feature. Claire and Danielle head further out on the road after Claire leans from her grandparents how her mother's mental issues have effected her life as she is a 24 year old home schooled girl with the social skills of an 11 year old.  Along the road they encounter an ever increasingly odd set of clerks from the camera store, to the nursing home to a bar where the duo consider entering a Karaoke contest.

Elam shooting style features many long shots with the camera stationary. He also employees several dream sequences normally illustrating Claire naive concept of sexual encounters many of which  feature Danielle's dad Paster Paul (Mackenzie Astin). The other recurring plot device is the ever increasingly disturbing stories on the radio.  They start with a report of a local peeping Tom and peak with a piece on an Association of Men with Women's names.

Henrietta and Paul eventually head out to find their daughters. The girls only get into a mild bit of trouble ending up at a full Moon festival on their way to the Pump up the Jam Christian Youth Jamboree. Along the way Claire gets to experience the world outside of her front yard meeting people with differing backgrounds, interests and agenda's for the first time.

Kristen Wallace also takes a writing credit for the production along with playing the central character Claire. Wallace is at her best when she is open, accepting and genuinely expecting the best from people at each new encounter. However the repeated use of childlike or long dead phrases does get taxing as the action progresses. Lyndsy Fornseca has the best material to work with as Danielle. She is the Pastor's daughter that lost her mother at age that spends her days watching old family films when she is not acting out trying to appear tough and smart. Eric Roberts and Xander Berkeley inject some needed enthusiasm into the proceedings as partners and authors of the Full Moon Festival while being champions and friends to travelers.

Moments of Clarity is study in helicopter parenting to the extreme. The narrative raises in a lighthearted way the real consequences of the actions of parents who think that they are protecting their child from the harsh outside world but in fact the harder they squeeze the more likely their child will slip through their fingers and turn resentful. The film has many enjoyable sequence with the running gags of desk clerks and kooky radio stories being the most noteworthy. If you are in the mood for something light with a good message in a production that does not deliver it in a heavy handed then Moments of Clarity is worth a look.                
       

*** Out of 4.

Moments of Clarity | Stev Elam | Canada /USA | 2015 | 97 Minutes.

Tags: Home Schooling, Super 8 Camera, Full Moon Festival, Route 43, Classic Porn, Jamboree.

Film Review - Kicks

Friendship, belonging, status, street cred and the harsh reality of the wrong side of Bay are key elements in Justin Tipping's Kicks. Our protagonist Brandon (Jahking Guillory) is 15 shorter that his friends and classmates spending his days paling around with fit and confident Rico (Christopher Meyer) and braggart husky rapper Albert (Christopher Jordan Wallace) The troika usually go to the convince store where innocent looking Brandon steals alcohol, ride their bikes around and hang out at the basketball courts looking for girls. One topic of extreme knowledge is the vintages of Air Jordan basketball shoes. There are the three's, the fives and the Holy Grail the black and red original Air Jordan one's vintage 1986.

One day while walking home Brandon comes across local hustler Daryl selling Nike's out of the back of a van including a pair of red and black Jordan1's. Brandon makes the purchase, throws his workout all white Nike's over a power line and heads to the basketball court feeling a foot taller to impress. Later, on the way home he's intercepted by neighbourhood thief (Flaco) and his crew. They roll him for his belongings and his shoes kicking off a series of events in the pursuit to recover the stolen shoes.

Writer -Directory Justin Tipping's strong sharp dialogue dominates the narrative. Tipping displays a deft touch with the turn of phrase in his writing. The story is hard on serious ribbing between the friends then doubles down on their bond when the intensity increases during the confrontation with Flaco and his followers.  Cinematographer Michael Ragen excels especially during the sequences where Brandon looks to his spaceman protector for guidance. His lens captures the gritty dark and treacherous streets of the East Bay exposing all of its grit and prickles.

The ensemble cast perform their roles well. Jahking Gilroy has the most to due with the main role but he is complemented well by the two Christopher's portraying his best friends. Look for Dante and Donton Clark as Brandon's cousins from Flaco's neighbourhood. Mahershali Ali only has a couple of scenes but provides major impact as Brandon's Uncle fresh off an extended stint in jail.

Kicks is a film set over two days that's onscreen presence exceeds its small budget status. The story brings the viewers into a world where your possessions and confrontations that often lead to violence are the measure of where you stand in society. Beautifully shot crisply written and even pacing making it a film worth a look.

*** Out of 4.

Kicks | Justin Tipping |  U.S.A. | 2016 | 80 Minutes.

Tags : Oakland, East Bay, BART, Nike, Air Jordan's, Robbery, Drifting, Basketball, BMX Bike

Film Review - Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is apparently a real bad egg. We're talking disobedience, stealing, spitting, running away, throwing rocks, kicking stuff and graffiti. That's the resume of the portly 13-year-old presented to his new foster mum Bella (Rima Te Wiata) by Child Welfare loudmouth Paula (Rachel House). Bella outpost rundown farm near the Bush is the last stop for Ricky before he's off to juvenile prison. Paula's motto is no child left behind but it should really be no kid will ever get the better of her. Ricky slowly warms to Bella and her grumpy Husband Hector (Sam Neil). As Ricky finally starts to feel that he has found a home a tragic event strikes the Faulkner farm leading Ricky followed by Hector to Go Bush.  

Friendship, family, independence, thumbing your nose at authority and the need to belong are all represented prominently in writer director Taika Waitit's film. Waitit director of 2014 wonderfully entertaining Vampire mocumentary What We Do In the Shadows is an every growing voice in New Zealand and world cinema. He is sure to emerge from art house obscurity with his next ventures behind the camera for Thor: Ragnarok and penning the Disney animated feature Moana.  Waitit adapted the story from beloved local writer Barry Crump's book Wild Pork and Watercress. Having a knack for appearing in front of the camera during his films Waitit does the same here as an authority figure in a somber scene that he singlehandedly turns into a circular farce.

Once Hector catches up with Ricky in the Bush he suffers an injury that grounds the pair for 6 weeks until he can recover. During that time the rumour mill spins out of control, which is not helped by the suicide note and burnt effigy Ricky left behind to fool the authorities. The result is a pair of fugitives on the run, grabbing supplies from hunting cabins, mixing it up with a trio of hunters and keeping a couple of steps ahead of Child Services and the might of the police that Paula brings to bear.  The media soon pick up on the story leading the duo to national prominence especially after they perform an act of kindness along the way.

Julian Dennison is a rising star that shows off a vast range of acting skills lead by his pinpoint comedic timing as Ricky. He is just at home singing and dancing as he is sulking or playing want to be gangster. The consummate professional Sam Neil displays his chameleon skills once again as the curmudgeonly Uncle Hec. He's gruff, monosyllabic; isolationist and moody up front but grows to be a great teacher, mentor and guardian to Ricky as the action progresses. Rima Te Wiata's Bella has enough verbiage, energy and heart for the troika in the opening third. She's warm, practical, intuitive and resourceful as she runs the remote farm.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a delightful journey that the audience will be happy they boarded. Director Waitit builds on the original story while Lachlan Milne's lens expertly portrays the hilly New Zealand Mountains and valleys through several seasons. The acting is more expressive than precise which serves the material well.  All of the productions combined elements fit together perfectly to make it a film that I can highly recommend.

**** Out of 4.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople | Taika Waitit | New Zealand | 2016 | 101 Minutes.

Tags: New Zealand , Go Bush,  Child Services, Foster Care, Juvenile Detention, Police, Army, Zag, Tu-Pac, Fugitives, Haiku

Film Review - Faults

Riley Stearns who is probably best know for his short film The Cub tries his hand at a full feature for the first time with Faults a film that shares some of the shorts' irony and themes. Religious Cults have been the focus of many films over the years; Ttwo recent examples were Martha Marcy May Marlene from 2011 and 2012's The Master. A very powerful older Canadian film from the 80's Ticket to Heaven features similar acts of kidnapping and deprogramming that occurs in Faults.

In the opening frames we meet Ansel Roth (Leland Orser) a formerly renewed expert on cults that has fallen on bad times. In his introduction he is caught reusing a voucher for a complimentary meal from the hotel that booked him to speak about religious cults. At the meeting Roth is approached by a father (Chris Ellis) and mother (Beth Grant) who want Roth to help them get their daughter Clair
(Mary Elizabeth Windstead) back who ran off and joined a little know cult called Faults.

Over the final two thirds of the film Stearns explores a claustrophobic relationship between two people in very tight quarters. The pair spar back and forth switching dominant and submissive roles as each tries to gain the upper hand throughout the piece. The two lead actors excel at their parts clearly not limited by the cramped main setting of a single motel room.

Roth begins his work with an attempt to lean more about the cult. Claire does not want him to use her given name but other than that is very accommodating to her abductor/ helper. The first signed that Roth may not be in char is Claire's foreboding response to being asked her age; she replies Do not ask questions to which you already know the answer. Sterns takes a writing credit as well for the film that gives a lot for the two lead actors to do.

The psychological battle during the piece is central to the production. Stearn's writing highlights many different aspects of Windstead's thespian skills. Character actor Leland Orser embraces the chance to play a lead role as the has been expert Roth. Orser flips from cheap, to hoarder, on to authoritarian then submissive as the reels roll along. The small supporting cast do not make a wrong step in the film. Chirs Ellis is forceful as Claire's dad while Beth Grant is the complete opposite as mother Evelyn. Look for Lance Reddick of Fringe and The Wire fame as the muscle, looking to recover for Roth's ex-agent the advance for our protagonists latest failed book.

Faults is a strong well written debut film from director Riley Stearns. The two main actors shine on the screen supported by a rich script that forces the audience to so some heavy lifting that offers great rewards in the end.  The small cast excel in their roles as the frugal production use every corner of its  restricted space to produce a very watchable film.

*** 1/2  Out of 4.

Faults | Riley Stearns |  U.S.A. | 2014 | 89 Minutes.

Tags: Religious Cult, Kidnapping, Deprograming, Agent, Brainwash, Mind Control, Belief, Divorce, Seminar, Motel Room, Book Deal.

Film Review- Train to Busan

What happened to the classic zombie? They used to make a lot of noise move slowly and deliberately and act in a mindless manner. Today's version are light on their feet, resourceful and work as a team to attack their human prey. The modern version is very much on display in Yeon Sang- ho's Train to Busan. The film is the director's second of the year having completed an animated Zombie piece Seoul Station that plays as a companion to this production.

Sang-ho's Zombies turn very fast, signaled by veins creeping across the skin, milky white eyes followed by a contortion of the body and a snap of the back. As always with Zombie pictures the audience is looking for how the infection will spread. Who is patient zero and the unlucky person that will be bit first. The film delivers the answer early on in the first reel.

It's early morning when Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) a high stakes fund manager sets out to bring his daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) to see his estranged wife who lives in Busan. They board the train with Soek-woo buried in his phone as the narrative introduces several key people on the trip including a pregnant woman ( Jung Yu-Mi) the protective father to be Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) along with a baseball team and an uptight business executive Yong-suk ( Choui Woo-sik).  Just before the train leaves an obviously sick young girl stumbles on sporting pronounced creeping veins on her legs giving us our patient zero.

Several hot button issues in Korean society are discussed over the next 118 minutes class snobbery being the first as the train employees are more concerned with a homeless man held up in a bathroom rather than the infected girl that just entered the train. Seok-woo is the embodiment of the over working businessman. He has to ask his junior colleague what to get his daughter for her birthday then gets her the same thing he did for the last holiday. He also scolds Su-an on two occasions once when she does something on the train for someone else then later when she wants to share vital information with the other passengers. The actions of the authorities are also brought into question as they were in Seoul Station. The storyline predicts a kill everyone in the quarantined zone stance opposed to helping survivors to safety. Lastly the piece touches on the dangers of mob mentality. The perpetrators seeming getting their just reward soon after they take their stand.

The action sequences in the film are extraordinary. The speedy Zombies add the hectic frantic pace. The first shout of RUN after patient zero bites her first victim sets off a wave of passengers attempting to make their way to the other end of the train. Riders are bit, turn, then bite others as the rush goes on. The next occurs when the KXT 101 leaves the first stop full of infected soldiers. As the train pulls out the zombies crash though an upper window cartwheeling down on the train below. The third shows the Zombies working together as they throw themselves at the back o a caboose building a ramp to get at the humans onboard.

Train to Busan is lightning fast white-knuckle ride on a Korean Bullet train. Gong Yoo leads the cast as Seok-woo who transforms from cold and calculated to embracing teamwork and sacrifice. There is not a weak link in the supporting cast. Director Yeon Sang- ho uses the vehicle to point out South Korean societal issues. The breakneck pace featuring sharp dialogue backed by stunning visuals make it a film I can recommend.

*** 1/2 Out of 4.

Train to Busan | Yeon Sang- ho | South Korea | 2016 | 118 minutes.

Tags;  Fund Manager, Civil Unrest, Bullet Train, KTX 101,Quarantine, Zombie, Birthday, Teamwork. Seoul, Busan.