Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in ‘Knives Out,’ a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. Read more
Tag: Mystery
WHEREāD YOU GO, BERNADETTE TRAILER
WHEREāD YOU GO, BERNADETTE
Based on the runaway bestseller,Ā Whereād You Go, BernadetteĀ is an inspiring comedy about Bernadette Fox (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett), a loving mom who becomes compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing herself for her family.Ā Bernadetteās leap of faith takes her on an epic adventure that jump-starts her life and leads to her triumphant rediscovery.
Director:Ā Richard Linklater
Writer:Ā Screenplay by Richard Linklater & Holly Gent & Vince Palmo
Based on the novel written by Maria Semple
Producers:Ā Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Ginger Sledge
Executive Producers:Ā Megan Ellison, Jillian Longnecker
Cast:Ā Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Emma Nelson, James Urbaniak, Judy Greer, Troian Bellisario, Zoe Chao and Laurence Fishburne
SOCIAL MEDIA:
#Bernadette
Official Site:Ā Bernadette.Film
Facebook:Ā /BernadetteFilm
Instagram:Ā @BernadetteFilm
Twitter:Ā @BernadetteFilm
In Theaters August 16, 2019
http://www.fandango.com
Silencio Movie Review
Iāll start the review of āSilencioā with a bit of a lesson. Something thatāll help you while watching. The Chihuahuan Desert is an ecoregion with a small peculiar feature that receives regular solar radiation. It covers parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, about 400 miles from El Paso, Texas. Itās important to know that information going in because, for some reason, within the northern part of the Chihuahuan desert, in Mexico, is a section that baffles the mind and perplexes science. Itās called the āZone of Silence.ā Within this zone, radio signals wonāt go through, compasses wonāt work properly, essentially, any and all radio equipment fails. Peculiar indeed. Itās said in the film that the oddly magnetic area is between the 26th and 28th parallel, the same line that runs through the Bermuda Triangle, in fact. This is a great subject for a cryptic film so writer/director, Lorena Villarreal, takes a stab at the theme.
Since the area has so many anomalies, her twist is to use it as a story that centers around the mystic, supernatural and spiritual. We start in 1970 where a scientist, James (Noble), is analyzing the crash site of a missile that went down in the Zone of Silence. While doing so, he and his assistant Peter discover analyze a radioactively charged rock. Being young, Peter canāt help but do the stupid thing and try to touch the darn thing. Heās cautioned not to but then James touches it. So much for being the smart one, right? Seems itās okay that he did because after he touches it, thereās an explosion which sends them back to an earlier point in his life. No. He isnāt given the opportunity to be young again and get stock in Google or anything. They journey to the recent past, to a point in time where heās given the opportunity to save his granddaughter from dying in a car crash. He hugs her when he sees her and says that heās happy to have her, āā¦back again.ā
Heās with her when the car that crashed into his entire family originally still hits the car. Despite his trying to warn them, the rest of his family perishes. At least he has Ana.
We move to the future. Jamesā mind has taken a turn for the worse but is taken care of by Ana and a nurse. We deduce that the female lead is Ana, (Matthews), grown up by a photo on her desk. Sheās now a therapist. In her office, she converses with a gentleman named Daniel (Chauvet) who tells her that he not only sees dead people but that heās seeing one linked to her. She was never completely convinced he had the gift until he says that thereās one standing next to her with a message this very moment. The message he gives her is from her sister Lisa (one of the unfortunate victims of the car accident). Through this message, we learn that she cares for her sisterās health, warning that sheās in danger. She can wake up her grandfatherās mind and in so doing, they can find the stone that James buried. Itās said that itās the anniversary of their death, so these revelations are connected, youāll assume. She does this crazy thing Lisa tells her to do. She says āthreeā three times and he snaps back. Okay. He must not be fully back becauseĀ heās unable to find the stone. Then, someone else is after it and the story starts to lose your interest. Itās not a mystery as to who would want the stone or who would have knowledge of its powers. Thereās a kidnapping of Anaās little boy, Felix. This happens because he absolutely refuses to hush when itās the most important moment in his life to do so. The boy is taken, and the child will be returned in good condition upon the appearance of what they require. Ana now has a life or death race for a rock.
The plot gets somewhat ridiculous. Not only the plot but the acting is contrived. John Noble, who I usually find spot on, exaggerates his illness, anger, confusion or any other emotion he has, to the point of being irritating. That said, Melina Matthews does the exact opposite, giving a performance worth getting her attention. The script, however, wants to mix science with the spiritual and with love. With this spiritual narrative, as typically with real life, this is a tangled road to maneuver, difficult to get and keep everyone on board.
āSilencio,ā is on VOD and DVD May 14 from Uncorkād Entertainment.
The Intruder Movie Review
Best use of the word ‘capiche’ ever.Ā Okay. Iāll be honest. If you like this sort of movie, youāre going to enjoy this one. I say that with confidence because of the performances. However, I’d like to suggest to you that you see it with a large audience. Their reactions to parts of the film, and to the characters, made it more delightful. My audience was laughing, groaning, screaming and even warning, at just the right moments. They were doing this as if what they had to say would be heard and their suggestions adhered to and because of them, it added to the experience.
They werenāt loud or annoying. They knew exactly what I knew but were livelier and more drawn to act rather than hold it in. I wanted to say the same things to these characters, trust me. I mean, how many signs does the person up on that screen need before they do something about a bad situation?!? The answer to that question for āThe Intruderā might be that thereāll never be enough. Dennis Quaidās character, Charlie, had free reign to do whatever he wanted to these people because he wasnāt stopped… for some reason, couldnāt be stopped. The quick take on it is that youāll be entertained by this talented castā¦ especially by Quaid! Heās downright creepy as hell in this! Through his character, āThe Intruderā delivers one of the biggest jump-scares Iāve ever seenā¦ and Iām usually quite prepared for them.Ā
Here’s the plot. A nice- and nice-looking young couple, Scott (Ealy) and Annie (Good) have moved up in the world and drive up to the Napa Valley to take a look at a beautiful piece of land with a gorgeous house. Scott isnāt as crazy about the house as his wife Annie but can see itās potential. Annie falls in love with it immediately and wouldnāt change a thing. The owner, Charlie, who wants to sell it to them, has a peculiar fondness for, almost a relationship with the house. In fact, thereās probably a video somewhere that would disturb us all, thatās how close to it he is. He does sell it to them but doesnāt stop his upkeep of the property. He makes his presence known first with simple little visits to mow the lawn. These become more frequent and, at first, itās odd but he’s welcome. Annie works at home alone while Scott works almost ninety-minutes away in San Francisco. She isnāt bothered by his pop-ins but as they convert from pop-ins to a regular thing, Scott is more and more disconcerted and uncomfortable, especially when Charlie disagrees with changes and actually feels he has a say in what the couple does to their home. Charlie’s tapestryā¦ donāt mess with the tapestry. Quickly, Charlie becomes a bit too chummy with Annie which has not gone by unnoticed by Scott. As I’ve mentioned, Annie doesnāt mind the attention.
As we get further into the movie, we see what Charlie is up to and why. He does start to feel as close to Annie as he does to his home which is definitely unnatural. It becomes apparent, he now wants them both. Quaid then turns up the eerie factor, yet Annie still isnāt alarmed?! Scott is practically banging his head against the wall trying to make her see that something is not right about Charlieās presence. Neither man is subtle about how they feel toward one another, either, which keeps you somewhat exhilarated. When Scott has had enough and finally confronts Charlie face-to-face, they square off with one another. Itās an intense scene and the movie continues to build on the tension from there.
The way director Deon Taylor reveals the monster lurking around this coupleās home is often amusing but works to terrify because when people are insane, you not only donāt know what theyāll do but what theyāve done; what theyāre capable of. They donāt have a button that turns off the crazy and they can turn into something you canāt handle. Something you’d never see coming. This is how Taylor approaches his desire to make his characters real. However, with what Annie and Scott have learned and what has happenedā¦ whoād be this shortsighted or gullible as to continue to put themselves in the role of the potential victim? Scott wouldn’t. Annie wouldnāt. I just donāt see it as a believable plotline.
Nonetheless, its irrationality is what makes it worth a watch. Hey, Hollywood! Quaid has a new genre! He needs more of these roles. My view of ‘The Intruder’ is that it’s a fresh take on something weāve seen before. That fresh take was something I was appreciative of but parts of the script are a little too loose. The thought behind the story will be hard to believe… but for a revolving door ideaā¦ it frankly isnāt all that bad.
The Highwaymen Movie Review
Clever cinematography pulls you in but itās the script that grabs and holds you. Very well written, āThe Highwaymenā resuscitates and retells us the story of Bonnie and Clyde from a different angle. Read more
My interview with John Lee Hancock and John Fusco of ‘The Highwaymen’
As you should posthaste, I recently watched the highly entertaining Netflix Original āThe Highwaymen.ā Having enjoyed it so, I couldnāt wait to converse with the men who created the film, director John Lee Hancock and writer John Fusco. Read more
Midsommer Trailer
THIS SUMMER, LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN.
‘MIDSOMMAR‘Ā Ā
DIRECTED BY: Ari Aster
STARRING: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgran, Archie Madekwe, Ellora Torchia, and Will Poulter
Social Media:
Midsommar Website:http://bit.ly/midsommar_MOV
Like Midsommar on Facebook:http://bit.ly/MidsommarMovie_facebook
Follow Midsommar on Twitter:http://bit.ly/MidsommarMovie_twitter
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In Theaters Summer 2019
http://www.fandango.com
Greta Movie Review
Greta is a dark, psychological thriller thatās all payoff with no setup. Itās suspense without the time taken to correctly build up the characterās relationships. This being the case, thereās virtually no chance to create a rapport with you, the audience. Without the much-needed connection to each other, itās difficult for you to release and let yourself go and sink into the story. Read more
‘The Highwaymen’ starring Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson coming soon to Netflix!!
The outlaws made headlines. The lawmen made history. From director John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), THE HIGHWAYMEN follows the untold true story of the legendary detectives who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology arenāt enough to capture the nationās most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done.
*Launches globally on Netflix on March 29 with exclusive theatrical engagements beginning March 15th.
Distributor:Ā Netflix
Cast:Ā Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, Kim Dickens
Directed by:Ā John Lee Hancock
Written by:Ā John Fusco
Producer:Ā Casey Silver
Executive Producers:Ā Michael J. Malone, John Lee Hancock, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Costner, Rod Lake
Music By:Ā Thomas Newman
Cinematography By:Ā John Schwartzman
Production Design By: Michael Corenblith
Costume Design By: Daniel Orlandi
Everybody Knows Movie Review
One thing for sure is that writer and director, Asghar Farhadi, lives up to expectations. Having worked in the business since 2002, in 2011, he launched himself into major notoriety with his film, āA Separation,ā where he was adorned with awards. In fact, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to win an Academy AwardĀ®. Similarly, he was the first Iranian filmmaker to be nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, better known as the āBafta.ā This made him so successful that Farhadi was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in the year 2012.
Now that Iāve introduced you to the writer/director of āEverybody Knows,ā Iāll tell you about the movie. With the help of an extremely clever trailer and the talents of the Oscar-winning, real-life couple, PenĆ©lope Cruz and Javier Bardem, what Farhadi has essentially done here is lead you in one direction yet take you somewhere completely unexpected.
You wander into the film believing the story will be more about love, the trouble that sometimes comes with it and about Laura (Cruz) and Pacoās (Bardem) past together and are surprised with more of a mystery. The story is about those very things but not in the way you’d think which makes the yarn that much better.
We meet Paco, who has a winery, and Laura, who has traveled from Argentina to Spain with her children to attend her sisterās wedding. Paco has wisdom to share with us such as the only difference between grape juice and wine is time. Lines such as this makes you think their relationship may have aged in the same mannerā¦ like a fine wine. When Laura first gets there, her very social and gregarious teenage daughter Irene (Campra), prances about getting as much attention as she can. However, it turns out that she also gets the attention of someone in need of money and suddenly weāre in a film centered around her abduction.
Farhadi wrote a script that does a good job of keeping you interested in whatās going on and what will ultimately happen. You get sucked in right away but where he went vastly wrong was when he introduced us to the victim of the kidnapping. Irene is anything but a likable character. Sheās an obnoxious spoiled brat, trouble for her mother and the kind of person youād dodge rather than treasure to be anywhere near. I canāt figure out why she was written to be so annoying when the movie ends up being centered around everyone caring for her safety. Had she been more likable, it would have been more heartbreaking for the viewer. This is in no way a reflection on the actress who did a superb job, especially near the end.Ā Speaking of acting, Cruz is excellent as a distraught and tortured mother. Her performance was convincing. She laments about whatās next and is tearful throughout most of the film. She’s needed to be and is believable in her concern. Unfortunately for the audience, you donāt quite feel for her. See the earlier paragraph regarding her daughter’s irritating attitude for what I mean. We just needed Irene to be more of an appealing person for us to take on her mother’s pain.
The story becomes a less complicated narrative when the set up for the kidnapping, and how and why it gets pinned on a certain person, (a land dispute) is made clear at the wrong time. On the surface, the dispute is quite exaggerated and contrived. Now onto the title. Let’s get to just what it is that everybody knows. And I mean everybody, including Lauraās current husband, by the way. It seems that Paco is the only person who doesnāt know. It turns out that Irene is Pacoās daughter. In a small town, everyone talks and unless the man doesnāt have ears how does he not know the big secret? In fact, this bombshell is something youāve long suspected. When itās revealed, with his hair graying from the stress for some reason, what Paco does with the news is to use his money to pay the ransom. This seems as though it may have been the aim all along.
The ending is strangely elusive but leaves it open for a sequel which is puzzling yet a bit intriguing. If Farhadi nails the characters a little better, Iād be up for it. What would make it even better is if he were able to have the same cast. āEverybody Knowsā is an acceptable crime, drama with a good plot and is beautifully shot. It has gorgeous locations which are accentuated by the brilliant cinematography of JosĆ© Luis Alcaine (Volver, The Skin I Live In) who has an immense amount of work behind him. For you to get the full benefit of his work, seeing this on the big screen this weekend would be the best way to watch this film.
Ā
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