The Oath Movie Review

In ‘The Oath,’ actor and comedian, now producer, writer, and director of a feature film, Ike Barinholtz, plays Chris. Chris is the everyman and Barinholtz plays him quite well. ā€˜The Oath,’ is a movie that needs its audience to connect with the lead in order to have faith in its message so casting was pivotal. The message is political and very powerful but no matter how you lean politically it’s a strong movie for both sides. Through a brutal comedy, you see both sides somewhat shredded and hopefully, everyone comes out on the other side the better for it. I think that’s the central reason the film was made. One blatant and glaring spotlight is directed on the idea that the country is to fall in line with whatever the president says or wants. Nowhere in the Constitution of the United States of America does it even suggest we are to support the president, a person, but instead, the president is to support what he swore AN OATH to protect and that’s the Constitution. The Constitution, in turn, protects the country and her people.

In the film, the president is asking that people sign The Patriot’s Oath. This is an oath of loyalty to him. Not only is he asking, though you are not required to, is giving you a tax deduction if you do sign… and there’s a deadline. The movie centers around this deadline moving closer and closer. The day will be after Thanksgiving… ā€˜Black Friday.’

Today’s political climate is all over this movie. With midterms fast approaching us and a 2020 presidential campaign looming ever closer, the film is released at the perfect time for reflection… no doubt on purpose.

Chris is very progressive and against The Patriot’s Oath. He is continually educating his wife Kai (Tiffany Haddish), also progressive but not as dynamic as he, that what the government is asking of its citizens is wrong. He’s an angry patriot and his anger increases as he witnesses American citizens grow more hostile toward one another; dividing like at no other point in history. Racists feel free to scream statements at people such as, ā€˜Get out of my country!’ Arguments and talking points are used to spread lies and fear, much like they are in the news you watch today. Chris believes he’s right and you are wrong which is ultimately the problem… there must be something that brings everyone back together. It can’t be just blind loyalty to only your beliefs.

The family is coming for Thanksgiving to Chris’ house and as tension toward the Oath builds, Chris prays to a God he doesn’t believe in, that he can get through the family visit. The day is here and, unable to let it go since the deadline to sign is tomorrow, Chris asks of his family members to reveal who has signed. At this point, the film digs deeply into the human psyche, and the bonds we develop, more than at any other time. Not only do we see who is with Chris and who is not, but there are a few unwelcomed visitors from the Citizens Protection Unit known as the CPU (thinkĀ  Dept. of Homeland Security) there to strongly suggest to people, in this case, Chris, to sign. This is where the movie goes from being a comedy that forces us to look inward, into something darker. That said, should we be led there so we can see we’re all capable of making mistakes? Anyway, the CPU isn’t there just to ā€˜ask’ Chris to sign, as all the other family members, even Kai, have done, but to ā€˜tell’ him to. In a very cryptic way, Barinholtz may be trying to remind us all of what’s important. Family. Friends. Water. Air. Who and what are we without these? Can he continue to fight against what seems to be the popular choice or should people who are signing an oath to a person wake up and see some of his point of view?

Barinholtz is great in this. I’m impressed with his work behind and in front of the camera. Tiffany Haddish brings on the laughs but also gets to show that she’s competent enough to explore a more serious tone for her audience. Nora Dunn and the rest of the cast are exceptional in coloring the landscape that’s been created, rendering you incapable of avoiding the subject yet entertaining you at the same time. Another thing the film does is emphasize how bad things get at a moments notice and how quickly arguments can escalate out of control if cooler heads don’t prevail. See ‘The Oath’ for all the reasons I’ve listed but also look at it this way… it could serve as a warning to you to keep you from bringing up the topic of politics this year during the holidays. It comes out to today so see it as soon as possible.

Social Pages:

Facebook:Ā https://www.facebook.com/theoathmovie/

Twitter:Ā https://twitter.com/TheOathMovie

Instagram:Ā https://www.instagram.com/theoathmovie/

#TheOathMovieĀ 

Movie Website:Ā https://www.theoath.film/

Halloween Movie Review (2018)

Thank you Blumhouse for helping to bring this back! This movie is terrifyingly fantastic. It has a rock solid, substantial, concrete script and it’s, I’d have to say, exactly what any horror fan, especially if they liked this franchise, is looking for. I wasn’t sure about it at first, thinking to myself, ā€˜Here we go again,’ as I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t have been more wrong to doubt it. The only way anyone coming out of the theatre after watching this could say that it was just ‘so-so’ or ‘meh’ either has a grudge against films of this type or they were asleep.

Not only is the story grotesquely imaginative and holds your attention the entire time but, pleasantly, I found that Danny McBride had a hand in writing it and you can feel his influence everywhere. I think his being involved made all the difference in the world. When there was some much-needed comic relief, he gave us plenty. It’s not that the comedy takes over or anything, this is a true horror film, but when it does come it fits the characters and the moment. Another thing I was appreciative of was the score. To get it right, I believed John Carpenter had to do it and it was good to see I wasn’t disappointed there.

If you’re reading this, I won’t give a lot away because you’d be rather mad at me for ruining the surprises for you. However, I do have to reveal a few things about the story. You know how the original ā€˜Halloween’ started, right? If not, see it before you see this when possible. In the first film, Michael, as a little boy, stabs his sister to death with a butcher knife. She had just had sex with her boyfriend and that act seemed to have upset his fragile nature. They sent him away to a mental institution after that. Then we advance to fifteen years later where it’s 1978 and Michael has turned twenty-one. He escapes the institution he’s being held in and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield. He’s on the hunt to kill again. He focuses his attention on trying to get to Laurie Strode (Curtis) but with the help of Michael’s physician at the institution, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence), she manages to survive his efforts to end her life. There were several films that followed but forget those. This is the direct sequel to the first film as if all the others never happened and it works beautifully.

We meet Laurie again when she’s much older and she’s living like a hermit. To avoid another bloodbath, she built a fortress, complete with panic room, around her house and around her emotions. She’s disconnected to protect herself. Michael may not have killed her body, but he killed her spirit. It was riveting to peer into how she lives yet somewhat heartbreaking to see that she has lost the ability to get close to anyone. This is obviously due to the fact that she was so traumatized and is still afraid Michael could be around every corner. She has to be prepared at all time and is she ever!

Laurie taught her daughter Karen (Greer) to defend herself, too, and how to use weapons.Ā  Karen now holds that against her. Having to tell your mother to stop being afraid of the ā€˜Boogie Man’ has been difficult for Karen to overcome. Now a mother herself, she wants her daughter Allyson (Matichak), to live the normal childhood she was denied so they, for the most part, keep their distance from Laurie.

By the time Michael gets to Haddonfield, he has already slaughtered a few people and wants to continue. The cinematographer does a magnificent job of putting you on edge by giving you shadow and reflection before you see the monster in action. There are several very creative shots you don’t usually find in horror. You’ll love Michael’s prey, I mean the characters, especially young Julian (Nantambu). He’s a very wise child, with a potty mouth, who knows more about the world than the babysitter who’s watching him gives him credit for. His scene relaxes you for a moment but not for long.

Look, the film doesn’t try to be something it’s not. It’s just trying to entertain people who love the genre and it does. There are times when the audience laughs, yells at the screen and jumps at the brutality of the quality kills Michael often proudly displayed. There are several I haven’t quite gotten over yet! Now, doesn’t that sound like something worth watching? If you remember, I mentioned to you that there are surprises. Oh, you’re going to love those. After watching, I’m sure you’ll agree that the first ā€˜Halloween’ was a classic and that this one WILL BE, TOO.

Beautiful Boy Movie Review

This story is based on a memoir written by David and Nic Sheff. It’s about the cycle of drug abuse Nic couldn’t liberate himself from and David who tried everything he could think of to help him escape. The title, ā€˜Beautiful Boy’ comes from the John Lennon song that David (Carell) used to sing to Nic (Chalamet) when he couldn’t sleep at night be. He was singing it still when Nic was eighteen and laying on the bed passed out from the many drugs that were running through his system. They seized the boy, refusing to loosen their grip but there sits David, stroking his hair remembering the Nic he knew, certain that one day he’d return.

With this film director Felix Van Groeningen, who also had a hand in writing the script, is making available to you a world you’ll find frighteningly realistic and familiar or, hopefully, one you’re blissfully ignorant of yet paralyzed by. Regardless of which it is, you’ll be pleased with the presentation in every design choice he’s made to entertain and captivate you. The score is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is equally pleasing. The cinematography is such that you feel you’re experiencing how Nic feels when he’s high while concurrently reminded of what his exposure and reliance on the drugs is doing to those who love him. We’ve all seen the drug abuse movie before but not the way Van Groeningen brings it to you. David is desperate to help rescue Nic and he rummages through Nic’s things. While he does this, we watch memories of Nic in various stages of childhood run through his mind. We watch them grow close and see when Nic begins to pull away

Nic tells him that he’s tried almost every drug there is but likes methamphetamine’s the most. He goes on to say that meth makes him feel better than he has ever felt in his life. Upon hearing this, you can feel the pain ripple through David as he realizes his child prefers drugs and what they can give him to the unconditional love he has always offered.

David researches rehab facilities several times but for the most part, they’re unsuccessful, as is Nic’s lies about getting sober. David’s hopes are dashed when he’s told that Nic’s particular addictions have a success rate in the single digits. In order to get to know his son more, he takes some cocaine himself and starts talking to people who use. He does everything he can to learn not only what he can understand what Nic likes so much but about whether or not it’s time to do the inevitable and let him go.

You may not like the use of flashbacks and cuts in editing that constantly take you from one stage of Nic’s life to another; one stage of David’s discovery to the next. It sometimes gets a little hard to keep up but it’s reasonable to assume this the impression Van Groeningen wanted to leave you with is one of nervousness, restlessness and anxiety so you could understand the Sheff’s that much more. Ā 

Chalamet is flawless in his take on Nic. He was fully committed to the part even using facial tics the young child actor who played him as a little boy has when on screen. I predict right now that he’ll be walking up to the stage to accept an Academy Award or at the very least will be nominated for this outstanding performance. This is a very powerful and heartbreaking story. I recommend you see this as soon as humanly possible. Ā 

Bad Times at the El Royale Movie Review

You absolutely must get online and get your reservations for the El Royale tonight! This Tarantino style noir or ā€˜black’ film has dustings of Hitchcock and early Hollywood capers and mysteries. Don’t waste another moment reading about it. Just go. The trailer does a spectacular job of keeping certain plotlines a secret which is rare these days so if you were already interested by watching them, you haven’t seen anything yet.
The opening of the film declares why a certain character is at the hotel and what he’s searching for. ā€˜Bad Times at the El Royale,’ like similar films before it, allows us to get to know each of her other characters one by one. Little is revealed about them but as more people and circumstances crop up, with the use of flashbacks, you’re investigating the characters yourselves and learning more. Often, you’ll be surprised at what you see. A little warning to those who are faint of heart, there are several jump-scares that will leave you unsettled and anxious for what’s to come during the rest of the film. This is something I liked about Drew Goddard’s film ā€˜The Cabin in the Woods,’ too. He knows how to keep you sitting on the edge of your seat and he likes it.

The film’s two hours and 21 minutes are rather long but for the most part, the cast makes each minute count. And don’t ask me to pick who, out of this magnificent assembly of actors, is best. They were all outstanding! Okay, fine. If you’re going to twist my arm, I have to admit that I couldn’t take my eyes off Jeff Bridges. The man is unbelievable in this role. But I digress. Let’s get back to the length of the movie. Though a well-orchestrated film otherwise, where Goddard could have shaved off some time would have been by not having the characters discover things the audience has already seen through the eyes of several others before. That said, I’d see it again in a heartbeat. Let me tell you some about what to expect from your bi-state stay in the El Royale. The hotel sits on both Nevada and California and is split in half by a red line painted down the middle of the lobby. The hotel has hosted many performers of the stage and screen where gambling is allowed only on the Nevada side, obviously, but plenty of boozing and canoodling have happened on both. With the band of misfits joining us now, it certainly hasn’t been and still isn’t a virtuous place to stay. The hotel is very much a central figure of the film. It reveals and has as much personality as any of the others do.

Through Goddard’s clever and inventive script and exceedingly brilliant and vivid imagination, you get involved in their stories and grow to either love or hate them. The bellboy named Miles (played by Bill Pullman’s son) Lewis, is perhaps the most compelling by movies end, something not expected upon first meeting him. I don’t really want to introduce you to them or reveal too much so I’ll not be saying much more. You need to be sitting in the theatre watching, not reading about, why you need to see this. You’ll be sucked in right away with a very impressive and striking opening. The thrills, the wit, and the outlandish situations along with the players and the music that accompanies them will take you voluntarily to the end of your stay.

First Man Movie Review

ā€˜First Man’ focuses on the beginnings of Nasa and invests most of its two hours and twenty minutes to Neil Armstrong, the first man to ever set foot on the moon. It’s captured beautifully with an incredibly exciting screenplay by Josh Singer, who wrote ā€˜The Post,’ ā€˜Spotlight’ and twenty-six episodes of ā€˜The West Wing,’ that’s filled with motivation, trepidation, elation and plenty of heartaches.
If you want to feel what Neil Armstrong felt as he flew his jet across the sky and if you want to experience the inside of a space capsule with him, as well, see this movie at the theatre but if you can, get to an IMAX theatre quickly for an enhanced adventure into space.

Director Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash), obviously no novice when it comes to music and tone, had a sound department of thirty people working overtime for this one! The metal of the rocket the astronauts are jammed into before it takes off and after speaks to them. It moans and groans, shrieks and creaks, articulating its disapproval of what is being asked of it, setting your nerves on edge before you’re anywhere near the moon. Chazelle manages to make us see and feel the vibrations and each bump, jolt, quiver and jerk they are going through as they train for their mission and as they’re launched into orbit. Uncertainty is a big part of the film which is puzzling because we all know how it turns out but that’s how beautifully structured the film is and how strong the characters are. It’s so believable that even YOU aren’t sure of what’s next for them.

Though Armstrong and other astronauts were in happy marriages, Chazelle was able to catch and target in on their lives at home during the 1960’s with the Apollo missions going on. As they watched friends burn up or blow up, they tried not to show it but were a bundle of nerves inside. Armstrong kept himself at a safe distance from his wife Janet, played quite skillfully by Claire Foy. They lose a child, Karen, which Neil never seems to recover but as they continue to have more children, he pulls away emotionally, saving it for the missions, and she remains strong for their family. She understood he had to direct his attention on surviving but wasn’t about to let him kill what they had. The scene between the two of them toward the end of the film strengthens an already powerful film and cements this as one of the best movies of the year. That said, however, it’s no ā€˜Whiplash,’ which is a more determined Chazelle film, but this is still intense and a must-see this weekend. Don’t wait to watch it at home. The exceptional photography and superb score deserve to be seen and heard properly.Ā 

The Hate U Give Movie Review

“The Hate U Give” is a movie that shows while people may be Black and White, the world they live in is never just black and white. But just when the tone of the movie might start sounding preachy, it comes right up and grounds the characters in good ways. First, they are grounded in family, then grounded in friends, then grounded in the neighborhood, then finally in the community. Inner city Black areas or in gentrified, mostly White, suburbs — the story is the same.

‘The Hate U Give’ (as quoted in lyrics from a rap song) lead into the next step. That next step teaches children the wrong way. Ā Then it all gets FUBAR, so to speak. Blacks in the ‘hood feel that Prejudice, Prosecution, Poverty and the Police are pushing them down. When you are pushed so far down, then any way out seems fine. It could be a gang, it could be drugs and alcohol, but it just might be that strength of a family’s love is enough to elevate you out.

Starr (Amandla Stenberg) is a teenage Black girl who lives in the downtrodden section of Fremont. However, she attends high school in the high-class area of the town. She feels she wears two faces, one for her home and her ‘hood, but a different face for her school friends and her White boyfriend Chris (KJ Apa). Starr attends the school with her half-brother Seven (Lamar Johnson). Her very forceful mother Lisa (Regina Hall) along with her equally tough father Maverick (Russell Hornsby) both have raised her to be proud of herself and self-assured of her race. She knows to keep on the right side of the law, and to always be non-confrontational with police.

But Starr had been very close to a guy named Khalil (Lamar Johnson), who she has known since a young girl. Starr is out at a party in the ‘hood with her half-sister (Dominique Fishback), and she runs into Khalil. There is a fight and gunshots outside, so everyone leaves. Khalil takes Starr with him and will take her home. But they are stopped by the police. There is a shooting, where the cop thinks that Khalil is going for a weapon. It turns out to be a hairbrush. Starr is devastated, and the world that she knew is now gone. She continues to try and walk gently between the two worlds that she is in.

But she does not feel that she will really belong in either one. In the ‘hood, her family is threatened by King (Anthony Mackie), who is the head of a drug ring and part of the group that Khalil was dealing for. She does not feel at home in the White high school, where the other girls always look at her as if she were an alien. Her boyfriend Chris is still in the dark about how Starr is the only witness to the shooting. But Social Justice workers flood the ‘hood, and they want Starr to work with the Grand Jury to indict the quick-draw cop.

She feels she owes it to Khalil to be the voice that must be heard in the Legal System. But her uncle is Officer Carlos (Common), and he knows that the prosecutors will find any possible way to not press charges against a cop. But will the anger and rage go from a simple simmer to then becoming a boiling pot of hatred? Will the street gang feel the need to impose their own brand of justice on Starr, if they feel that she had testified and will bring the heat down on the drug operation?

This movie takes an extremely talented cast to create a world and a situation that makes a profound impact on the viewer. The story could be taken straight out of current headlines, and it strikes a somber tone. Every idea about bias and judgment will be questioned. The director has wonderfully laid out the difficult road that everyone must choose. Will they embrace the THUG life, and lead the next generation into chaos? Or can they raise their voices to speak for those who cannot, and attempt to bring peace and justice to the world?

Every actor in this movie is amazing, but none less than Amandla Stenberg. In the mail role, she portrays a young woman who is torn by events that surround her. Yet she remains strong and works to bring hope to her family and her community.

There is a ā€˜message’ in ā€œThe Hate U giveā€, but it delivers it in a very honest and sincere way. You will be moved by the story, the events and the truth behind the emotions. Perhaps you will not agree with all the viewpoints, but you will again be reminded: world we live in is never just black and white.

Goosebumps 2 Haunted Halloween Movie Review

Twas the night before Halloween – and it was all going fine,
Until two kids found a manuscript written by R. L. Stine.

And now Slappy the Dummy is on the prowl in that town,
He is making an Apocalypse Nightmare come down.

With Witches and Ghosts and Goblins and Gnomes –
Slappy is bringing terror to folks in their homes.

But then Sam, and Sonny, and his sister Sarah,
Find a way to end Slappy’s Evil Reign of Terror.

Then even R. L. Stine shows up to help with that fight –
“Trick or Treat” is for all, and to all a “Fright Night”!

“Goosebumps 2 Haunted Halloween” is the new sequel to “Goosebumps”. If you are middle-school aged child, this probably means a great deal more to you than it does to older folks. The series of R. L. Stine books called ‘Goosebumps’ is the coin of the middle-school realm. And when a new movie comes out with that name, there will be kids a-plenty that will go to see it. And in this case, that will be a good thing. Because this is very light-hearted ‘scary’ movie, in the mold of an average Stine book.

Two young boys in the town of Wardenclyff are waiting for the fun of Halloween night.Ā  Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and his friend Sam (Caleel Harris) have started a small business where they will clean out junk. They are called to an abandoned house to remove all the debris. But hidden away in this house is a secret room. The boys don’t know that R. L. Stine once lived at the house as a boy. Stine left an unfinished manuscript, and the boys take it with them. But from nowhere, a ventriloquist dummy called Slappy (voiced by Jack Black) comes alive after Sonny reads a magic spell. Slappy wants a new family, so he comes home with them.

Sonny’s sister Sarah (Madison Iseman) finds out that Slappy is alive. They all try to get rid of the dummy, but he will always return. Slappy decides to kidnap Sonny and Sarah’s mom, named Kathy (Wendi McLendon-Covey). He will turn her into a dummy, just like Slappy. Then he will have a new Mom. But Slappy needs some allies and other scary monsters to help him out. He visits the local store and turns all the Halloween merchandise into real Ghosts, Goblins, Witches and Yeti monsters. Slappy even turns the store manager Walter (Chris Parnell) into an Igor type creature.

Sonny and Sam, with the help of Sarah, locate the Stine manuscript and find out it has the power to shut down Slappy. But they need help to get into Slappy’s new hiding place. The kids call on their neighbor Mr. Chu (Ken Jeong), who is all in for every Holiday. He has the best Halloween display in town, so he helps them get ready to go ‘undercover’ in some spooky outfits. Sarah even tries to call a number of someone who might know R.L. Stine. Maybe he can help bring the evil Slappy back in line and make him stop his evil efforts to turn their mom into a wooden dummy. Slappy and his crew are hiding out at the out Tesla power station, and he is ready to bring all the Tricks, and none of the Treats.

This movie is designed for the kids that grew up reading Stine’s spooky books. There is not too much depth to the story or the overall production. But it comes across as a very decent effort to give the audience of pretty good time. It is fun to watch the bedlam, but it is within PG limitations. There are no gory or gruesome scenes, because it’s all just for a good, scary fun. The best part of the side characters played by quality people such as Chris Parnell and Ken Jeong. Just keep your eyes peeled for a return of Jack Black, as R.L. Stine.

First Man Movie Review

“First Man” is a gripping personal view of one of humanity’s crowning achievements. When three astronauts traveled to the Moon, and two of them touched down and explored the lunar surface, it was a stunning accomplishment. Now there is a movie that defines the inner drive and personal demons of that initial person who put down a boot onto the crusty dust of the Earth’s satellite. That person was Neil Armstrong, and he was the “First Man” to get that historical privilege. This movie is a reminder of the technological push of the 1960’s that took America to the Moon and back.

Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is an engineer and a test pilot at NASA. He is not one of the military-bred astronauts that first rose in the ranks of the Air Force. Yet his cool-headed ability to think deeply, even in extreme circumstances, makes him a valuable addition to the group of space-bound pioneers. He and his wife Janet (Claire Foy) have a perfect 1960’s marriage. She tends the home front, and he ventures into space. Neil and Janet have a young daughter named Karen, but she passes away from cancer. Even with all the up-to-date technology, their little two-year-old could not be saved. They already have a son, and soon after, they have one more boy. But Neil is shattered inside from the pain of his loss. He is introverted and a shy person to begin with, so the loss does not help.

Neil has skills and knows how to take high-level math equations and then using that knowledge to fly and pilot a spacecraft. He has experience with the experimental rocket planes, and he jumps at the chance to get into the Gemini program. That space program will be another step on the way to the big cheese – the Moon. The Gemini craft will hold two astronauts, and the planned Apollo mission will carry three. When Neil gets selected, he is very pleased to be working for former astronaut Deke Slayton (Kyle Chandler). The Gemini missions will be important to pave the way for Apollo and moon landings. The mission that gets Neil into space goes well, and the docking tests go smoothly. That is, until there is a problem with the thrusters…

Neil and his fellow astronaut are soon spinning out-of-control. Neil figures out a way to reverse the bad thruster, and gets the Gemini under control again. It uses up most all the fuel, so the mission needs to be aborted. But one bad mission left the astronauts safe. Not so with the first testing of Apollo 1, with all three astronauts on-board in the capsule. In the simulated launch, there was an electrical spark that ignited the pure oxygen in the capsule. All three died in the test, and the Apollo missions were delayed for a while. But then Neil was picked for Apollo 11, as was Buzz Aldrin (Corey Stoll) and Michael Collins (Lukas Haas). This was the mission that would go to the Moon, land and explore the surface, and get the three explorers back in one piece.

Neil and Buzz make it to the lunar surface, and they are true explorers. But every step of the way was a catastrophe that did not happen. Every piece of equipment had potential for failure, no matter how many engineers worked on the design. Some of the people lost their lives along the way to Neil’s ā€˜one small step’.Ā  He knows that, and he knows that his safe return is only the best of the calculated odds. His trip is successful and NASA still explores into space.

Damien Chazelle has taken the story of the first man on the moon and explored the difficult personal journeys of the people involved. There is always an emphasis on the characters and what they can see and how they react to all the events that surround them. Even with a ground-breaking walk on the moon, there is the inner pain of Armstrong’s loss of his daughter. The launch is not shown as a breath-taking wide shot of the rocket zooming into the sky. There is a real person strapped into the Spam can attached to the top of a big firecracker. The sounds of creaking and straining bolts make you think at any moment it will become the Fourth of July.

Ryan Gosling plays Neil Armstrong ass a very soft-spoken and subdued man. He is always examining and recalculating the situation, to make sure there is way to continue the mission. That includes his marriage. Claire Foy also gives a powerful performance as Janet; the wife who needs to raise her kids but is not afraid to raise her voice. The other actors have also been cast with an idea as to how well they would fit in the 1960’s Space Race.

ā€œFirst Manā€ is nearly fifty years in the making since the actual events that mesmerized the world. It tells of real adventure in the outer space, but still keeps in focus the difficult emotions of Armstrong’s inner space.

22 July Movie Review

ā€˜22 July’ is shocking, stirring, it’s heart wrenching, unsettling and hard to wrap your mind around. Greengrass is best known for making several of the ‘Bourne’ films and ā€˜United 93’ which was a real-time account of United Flight 93, the plane that was hijacked on 9/11, but crashed due to passengers willing to take drastic measures to stop the terrorists in their tracks. ā€˜22 July’ is, again, the story of a terrorist’s actions as he carries out brutal killings only this time it’s a right-wing extremist named Anders Behring Breivik, played very coolly by Anders Danielsen Lie, in 2011 near Oslo Norway, who feels that he, as a white man, is being discriminated against.

He attacks what he refers to as a political summer camp which is located on an isolated island. He sees this camp as a place where the ā€˜Marxist, Liberals and members of the elite’ send their children to learn to accept minorities.

Dressed as a police officer, he packs guns, plenty of ammo and explosives and leaves the house. He drives a van near the Prime Minister’s office and parks. He gets out, lights a fuse, and slyly walks down the street where he easily slips into another vehicle and drives away, headed for the teenagers who await their fate like sitting ducks. He gets onto the island where the children are and starts, one by one, picking them off. They run but he knows there is absolutely nowhere for them to go. He’ll get them all eventually.

The explosion is well done, along with the confusion in its aftermath, but watching the children run screaming is brutal. Anders goes into a building where people are hiding and tells them, ā€˜You will die today!’ It’s hard not to put yourself in that scenario once you start thinking of how often murder in the name of someone’s beliefs goes on in this world.

One child, Viljar, gets a call off to his mother to tell her what has happened. She’s involved in politics and was near the explosion so she’s able to alert the police about what her son informed her of and they head to the island immediately. An intense scene shows us that, sadly, Anders is still shooting and gravely injures Viljar. When he’s found by his parents, he’s only clinging to life. Greengrass does a beautiful job of making all the events seem as realistic as possible. What follows is how these people restore their lives in the wake of such a tragedy but on top of that, being very much alive, the gunman has ways to still twist the knife. He doesn’t care about his victims, he tells his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, he would do it all again for the cause. He also tells Geir his demands or a third attack will be coming. He wants the liquidation of the political camp and a ban on immigration. This is where my interest was piqued even more. I knew of this story but it so parallels what’s happening in my own country today which makes it more relevant than I thought it would be.

It’s frightening to take a good hard look at certain activities in our world, but I rather like that films are bringing these subjects to light. It’s important not to hide racism and pretend it’s not going on.

The rest of the film is court filings, Viljar’s struggle to come back from what happened to him and the Prime Minister realizing where he went wrong. All of this is notably well done. It’s an explosive, captivating story of good versus evil with meaningful dialogue and pacing that doesn’t bore. Don’t think for one minute you have to see it on the big screen to appreciate it. Netflix is doing more and more and with this proves they’ll continue to get better and better. But if you’re lucky enough to be in a city where it’s coming out… it would be good to experience it that way.

In case you were curious, the only reason ā€˜22 July’ didn’t get a higher score is for the few times it felt as if it went a little long and one other mistake that writer/director Paul Greengrass made, which was crucial, and that’s where we first find ourselves in the story. Coming in at two hours and twenty-three minutes, he captured us by getting straight to the meat of the matter. That said, to the viewers, it felt as if he had nowhere to go but down. Turns out that it’s quite enough to be considered a must-see, but had he stretched out the action a bit… had the action happened a little later in the film, instead initially introduced to us some of the characters, it wouldn’t have become the long-lasting drama it felt it became. Then again, maybe this was done on purpose because what these Norwegians endured didn’t end with Anders Behring Breivik’s massacre of seventy-seven people, not to mention the hundreds of others he injured. The slaughter was only the beginning.

*22 JULY will debut Wednesday, October 10th globally in select theaters and on Netflix.

Free Solo Movie Review

What a cliff-hanger! Okay… I’m sorry but I had to say it. However, that’s exactly what Alex Honnold, the subject of this documentary, is! A guy who climbs and literally hangs on cliffs. What was most frightening to watch was how he doesn’t use a rope or even hang by a thread! He’s literally free of anything but a few tools he might need along the way. Like an insect crawling up a wall, Alex scurries up the side of a mountain as if he was meant to be there. Myself, I do like to hike but prefer a nice, safe, well-traveled trail, not to take the risks Alex likes to take. One little slip, just one little mistake, and Alex is a memory.
Of climbing, Alex says, ā€˜I don’t wanna fall off and die either but there’s a satisfaction to challenging yourself and doing something well. That feeling is heightened when you’re for sure facing death. You can’t make a mistake. If you’re seeking perfection, free soloing is as close as you can get. It does feel good to be perfect, like, for a brief moment.’ And realizing he comes across as cold when he says it, he does believe it and says it anyway, ā€˜If I kill myself… life goes on.’ Well, I guess we all have to die sometime, right?

This is a terrifying watch but an intensely gripping watch at the same time. In fact, there may be moments where you have to turn your head, as the cameraman shooting the documentary does several times. What Alex achieves is nothing short of spectacular and this is your chance to witness history as closely as you would if you were hanging on the side of the mountain with him.

 

Alex has traveled everywhere while hiking and climbing but rare are the people who let you join them in this manner if at all. It takes great skill and concentration to accomplish a climb such as this and the last thing you need is a camera crew to distract you. However, this crew is made up of climbers, as well, and they know the dangers and liabilities of not only getting in his head space but getting in his path. The crew gets to know his movements by watching him plan and practice his route and they organize themselves way ahead of time. They take every precaution they can to see that they are not a variable in what he is about to tackle.

We, learn his path the names of the routes, too. He’s ascending the mountain, El Capitan in Yosemite, CA. Never before has anyone climbed it without using the safety of a rope and this film is about Alex’s journey to be the first. Along the way, we discover his past, what and how he eats, how he prepares, how he has changed and what climbing El Capitan, Free Solo, means to him. He explains that he’s obsessed with reaching this goal and that for him it’s not any different than winning a gold medal in the Olympics is for an Olympian. Forgive me for saying but an instant freefall to your death doesn’t generally come with the territory in the Olympic games, but I understand what he means.

Outside of the final climb, what I found most intriguing was watching him with his new girlfriend, Sanni. He said a girlfriend wasn’t in the cards because she could never be as important to him as climbing. In fact, new in the relationship, he falls twice and injures himself badly. Is she the ultimate cause? How she factors into things is exciting and how he handles it, what she’s willing to go through for love and if he can give enough of himself for love is compelling to watch. This is everything you’d want out of a documentary and then some. See ā€˜Free Solo.’ It’s an adrenaline rush. If you don’t catch it at the theatre, watch it at home but watch it on a big screen. You’re going to enjoy this documentary no matter the platform you choose to see it but there’s no replacing the feeling you get from viewing it at the theatre.

 

*SHOWING IN PHOENIX ATĀ HARKINS SHEA 14