Borgman (Foriegn-Thriller-Drama)

“Those who pride themselves to be lions, become visibly vulnerable to the hyenas”

When a clan of tramps are forced out of their underground dens, one of the men by the name of Borgman seeks hospitality in the neighboring community.  After being turned away from his first attempt to wash up, he meets a young suburban housewife, Marina, whose short-wicked husband batters him off their doorstep.  When Marina finds Borgman hiding in her shed, she offers him food, wine, and a warm bath behind her husbands back.  When the clan is eventually reunited with Borgman, they devise a plan for him to gain permission to Marinas homestead and manipulate their inhabitants through clever deceptions.

The direction used to convey the social statuses on opposite sides of the spectrum was pleasantly revealing, yet at times overly exaggerated and highly improbable.  Nevertheless, even with the farfetched plot-points and presumptuous behaviors, the cast was still able to captivate the audience with their genuinely intuitive performances.  Charmingly direct and witty dialogue was also used to bringing an essential lighter tone to the numerous heavier elements throughout this methodically twisted thriller.

The bold imagery tied along with whimsically haunting demonstrations of stalking ones prey, gave an eerie appeal that lingered through the duration of the film.  As the story progressed this gullible family was strung along by the mischievous persuasions suggested by the ringleader Borgman and in a few occasions his band of misfits.  This aspect of the film was amusing as well as mildly frustrating as the story developed to the final inconclusive shot, leaving the viewer to ponder if it was all just a dark and thought-provoking fairytale.

 

 

The Raid: Redemption (Foriegn-Action-Crime)

“There are countless stairs to climb, but even more enemies to conquer”

Rama is a family man as well as an honest and disciplined S.W.A.T team member.  When his team is commissioned to bring down a drug-lord by the name of Jakarta hidden within his cement fortress, the force is skeptical on their odds of survival.  When they begin clearing each floor with ease their morale begins to improve, until an alarm is triggered and all the ruthless gangster are awakened.

With some of the most inventive and fluid fight choreography seen in decades, this Philippines action flick will be talked about within the fight circles of the genre for ages.  The violence was very graphic in nature, but in a way necessary to compliment the realism.  If an enemy hasn’t been determined a non-threat (terminated indefinitely) then he can still harm you, so nothing was left to chance.  These shots of brutality were gruesome and many will turn away, but all will certainly appreciate the thought put into every detail.

The plot of this film was simple yet effect for what it was set out to accomplish, while also keeping a consistent level of suspense.  With any inconsistencies you may begin to ponder, you are immediately thrown into another fight sequence, giving you no time to evaluate the situation.

This film is a brilliant example of how action films should be with 90% adrenaline 10% substance.  By the end of the film you will be too tired to stand, and even though the third act wasn’t wrapped up with a pretty bow, this obviously left room for a much anticipated sequel.

12 O’Clock Boys (Documentary-Crime-Drama)

“Reckless motor biking is horseplay in comparison to the cities alternative pastimes”

Pug, an inner city boy living in Baltimore, is just shy of becoming a teenager and is obsessed with urban motorsports. In particular he idolizes a group of vigilantes that take over the main streets in his neighborhood called the 12 O’clock boys. They get their name-to-fame from the ability to wheelie their vehicle to the point of complete inversion giving the impression of the hands of a clock at 12. Pug’s goal in life is to perfect this trick and gain the respect from this brotherhood with hopes to ride along side them.

The majority of the footage gave a dirty aesthetic as if the camera was picked up at a pawn shop.  The transition between scenes on the other hand used a high quality camera with slow motion, capturing these street riders frozen in that moment, which was in essence the only mesmerizing aspect of the film.

The prominent theme was the underground perspective through the eyes of the under privileged youth living in the ghetto.  Complimentary to this was the home environment of the main character and a typical single mother living in the projects, lacking a filtered vocabulary even around her young children.

The problem lies within the storyline,  showcasing three years of this young boys ambitious training and maturing process while squeezing it into a cool hour and 12 minutes.  One would assume this to be a rushed process, if there was some material to go off of.  What ended up happening was the film had no substance, falling short in delivering any progression or redemption.

The message the audience will take from this film is the jaded mentally instilled within this culture, which is openly portrayed on screen.  The anarchical driven mischief, stemming from a false sense of liberties, only confirms the stereotypes the outside world gives this demographic leaving the viewer perplexed as well as unsympathetic.

Dogtooth (Foreign-Drama)

“Leave your humanity at the fence and enter into the frontier of radical guidance”

A father has shut his children off from the outside world and taught them everything they know through cassette tapes, home videos, and of course firsthand accounts.  Now that they have reached adulthood, he is noticing their curiosity is becoming a bit harder to control and reverts to harder conditioning tactics to keep order.

This satire on over-protective parenting not only crosses the borders in terms of civility, but is also a risky experiment in the art of film.  Without reading between the lines it would most certainly come off as a darkly comical yet very dry and pointless sequence of events.  The framing and transitioning of scenes are still very imaginative, while the content showcased within is bizarre and at times appalling.  A few of the scenes that many would find disturbing need to be taken into context, or they will without a doubt be deemed repulsive.  The sexual scenes for example, though excessive and without discretion, was shot in a clinical way, without passion and lacking emotional ties. This element was introduced as simply another control mechanism and less about lust or sympathy from the father.

It can not be argued that these young actors had an innocence and naiveté of a child, not to mention demonstrated impulsive behavior.  Apart from the young cast, much of the audience will despise the father on how harsh and twisted his decisions are.  His actions wouldn’t be justifiable by societies standards, but after analyzing the fathers rationale one can at the least understand his motivations.

If you left this film unrattled then you must have a cast iron stomach.  Many will leave in disgust, push it to the back of their mind, and never think of it again.  For those who digest this foreign delicacy may begin to taste the hidden flavors, and understand why the connoisseurs revere it.

Big Trouble in Little China (B-Movie-Fantasy-Action)

“They stole my truck and my friends girl, and I’ll go through all the Chinese hells to find them!”

A hard-ass truck driver by the name of Jack Burton (Kurt Russell), is passing through Chinatown and visits his local “buddies” to play a few games of cards.  When he cleans out his friend Wang Chi for all his cash, he agrees to give Wang a lift to pick up his fiancee at the airport.  Once Wangs fiancee arrives she is kidnapped by knife wielding men.  After finding her location, Jack and Wang try to rescue her when a turf war begins accompanied by the awakening of supernatural forces, forcing them to flee and leave Jack’s truck behind.  With word of Jack’s truck and Wangs fiancee being held captive by a dark mystical Chinese sorcerer and his minions, they begin a dangerous quest to recover them.

Just leave your brain at the door and prepare yourself for a dark magic film with non-stop PG-13 dumb action.  If you are unable to look past a script so bad that the characters actually have to narrate you through the ludicrous plot-points, then don’t even bother.  Please keep in mind that this film was made for teenagers, which is apparent throughout.  From the decision making, immature relationship mindset, and contrived Chinese myths that you never learned in history class you can clearly see the target audience.

Nevertheless this film had so many surprises it was hard not to get sucked into the adventure.  If you’re into oriental stereotyping, Kurt Russell playing himself, a two-millennium old decrepit man, random mythical beasts pop outs, unexplained sorcery, exploding heads, or constant Kung-fu that defies the laws of physics this is the film for you.

The Square (Documentary-War-Drama)

“Winning a battle brings morale, but uncertainty grows when you realize your next battle is against a presumed ally”

This documentary depicts the modern historical tale of the 2011 non-violent protests that took over the Tahrir Square in Egypt for almost 3 weeks.  This occupation of the landmark was used to passively persuade Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign and give control to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.  With the presidents resignation, hopes of liberty and reform was on the brink of reality, but a few months later the square began to fill up once again.

The story was technically told through the eyes of six revolutionaries, but only two men stood out as the main protagonists of the film.  One of the men is Khalid Abdalla, who is a Hollywood actor best known for his role in The Kite Runner.  Khalid was the man who could reach the world media through his notoriety, and share footage and updates.  The other man was Ahmed Hassan, the native revolutionary seen at the front lines passionately recruiting and fighting alongside his fellow patriots.  Having these two perspectives provided the audience with two very different objectives yet paralleled their ideas towards a common goal.

One critique is that the actual demands of the people was glazed over, and for people not as knowledgeable on this topic, this may have discredited their cause.  The reason for the first protest is well explained, but when new powers came to be and no “change occurred” there were protests again 3 months later without any tangible requests at the forefront.

In essence this film brought you in the middle of the revolution, shooting footage at the square with millions as well as on the dangerous battlefront during the protests.  The violence, death, and mayhem was very real and may have been unsettling to some viewers.  Nevertheless this portrayal of the circumstances was necessary to provide unfiltered coverage, and inevitably generating a strong emotional impact.  You ate, sang, and fought in the company of these revolutionaries which made everything feel much more personal.  By the end you really wanted a resolution, even though at the back of your mind you know this issue is still going on to this day.

 

Frozen (Children-Animated)

“Who needs a prince when you have a sister, a snowman, and magic”

Two young princesses live in a castle shut-off from the outside world.  One is a clumsy and naive little sister named Anna while the other, Elsa, was born with ice powers.  During an extravagant ball for Elsa’s coming of age, the secret of her gifts are revealed and labeled as sorcery.  Embarrassed and afraid she escapes to the icy wilderness to live in solitude.  The only problem is during this retreat the town becomes frozen over and Anna must find her sister and convince her to bring back summer.

After a dry-spell of Disneys’ failed attempts at creating an admirable film, they finally got it right.  The aesthetics were mesmerizing, truly taking you into a believable and enchanted wonderland.  The majority of the songs were composed thoughtfully, appealing to a variety of audiences while also adding purpose and emotion to the scenes.  Though the humor was mostly childish, there was just enough wit to keep the adult audience in high spirits.  They also used a unique balance of adventure and story to keep the attention of younger viewers.

Going into the actual plot many things aren’t logically sound or realistic, but a child certainly would overlook these inconsistencies.  The portrayal of men and young boys in this tale was anything but flattering, but they somehow craftily used humor or plot-points to disseminate these depictions.

The story’s meaning was meant for young girls, with the liberated message that you don’t need a prince to warm a frozen heart.  This was a refreshing spin on the predictable happily ever after endings Disney has profited from for decades, showing they aren’t afraid to take risks.

The Last Circus (Foreign-Horror-Romance)

“A seductive woman can make clowns out of men, some become vengeful and the remaining deranged”

A young boy’s clown father is captured during the Spanish Civil War and imprisoned to work as a stone miner.  Once the boy finds him, he is told one last message before his fathers’ gruesome death, he will never be a funny clown because of his troubles but a sad clown.  This imbedded into his soul, he sets out for a career following his fathers’ clown-shoed footsteps, and along the way falls for a distressed trapeze artist.  This passion transforms into insanity and an evil clown emerges.

The opening scene most likely used a good portion of the budget for the film and was truly an exhilarating and unique experience.  Take circus performers, give them weapons, and throw them into an explosive high-raged battle in their full circus attire.  You actually have to bring yourself back to reality and remind yourself what you are watching, and if you don’t you will gradually get frustrated by how absurd the film is.

You will encounter sub-par acting and dialogue, a fair amount of suspense, and outrageous scenes that feed your curiosity.  The over-the-top violence and gruesome images, though distasteful, were the most intriguing aspects of this film.  The distinct ambiance of the shots with dark and diluted colors was attributive to the horror theme.  In essence it is a story of clown meets girl, clown falls for girl, girl wants two different clowns, girl is confused in which clown she wants more, girl wants neither clown, girl gives up.  It would be honest to say that the first and third acts were executed perfectly, but they lost it somewhere in the middle.

Dallas Buyers Club (Drama)

“A versatile hustler who adapted to an unfamiliar environment because of necessity, and realized a lifestyle that initially repulsive him could be his salvation”

A story based on the true events of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), who contracted HIV in the 80’s when the knowledge of the disease was in it’s infancy.   His charisma and deceptions gave him access to every known anecdote to cure his disease, but in the end found out that the only way to stay alive was to take matters into his own hands with help from his new acquaintance Rayon (Jared Leto).  The Dallas Buyers Club was born, giving an option for people suffering from this disease an alternative method of treatment.

The film thrived though the character development, with the story used as backdrop.  The events that took place were there to piece together woodroofs maturing process throughout the film, with an added dynamic of time quickly running out while they fight to survive.  The performances and sacrifices made for this movie were top notch by both McConaughey and Leto.  You really struggled as well as triumphed with these two at every turn, and the reluctant friendship that progressively developed with this pair was nothing less than luminary.

One critique was the focus of the film got a bit cloudy when they introduced numerous obstacles.  Anyone paying attention could realize that the operation they were running was in the gray area in terms of legality, but make this a side-note and let it go.  Having the FDA, Hospital, Police, etc. continuously waging war was nothing more than a distraction from the meaning of the film and possibly disengaging the audience.

This is certainly the type of tale that puts the manliest bull-riding homophobes predetermined notions of “queers” into a blender, adds in their encroaching demise and a dash of flamboyant liquor, and grinds them up into a fruity cocktail that they will begin to enjoy with every sip.

Prisoners (Thiller-Crime-Drama)

 “An initially gripping story with events that eventually become mundane and tiresome, making you wait in agony for some type of redemption”

The premise of the film is two girls go missing after they wander over to one of the girls’ residence up the street during thanksgiving.  The police have no suspects or tangible clues except for a suspicious camper van that was parked outside a neighboring house when the girls vanished.  Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is put on the case and it becomes his first real challenge as he has solved every case up to this point.

Hugh Jackman began with a very strong performance as one of the parents of the missing girls.  He was very authentic for a father in this situation, and it was very easy to empathize with him.  His character development became a bit cliché and then evolved into overzealous.  Luckily his heartfelt start made you roll your eyes a bit less as his overacting gradually became irritating.  One note-worthy performance, though you only saw him briefly (but heard him throughout), was Paul Dano.  He was the main suspect, but portrayed a believable child like innocence that you couldn’t help but feel sorry for.

The running time was an issue as it was over 2 ½ hours.  It showcased suspenseful scenes but a lot of the distorted suspicions and the emotional disorder were excessive.  The plot could have been much tighter, and since the subject matter is a bit heavy it became unpleasant.

In essence the story was a very elementary allegory of the human spirits transformation in a state of powerlessness.  A type of film you would see with your adolescent child and they would be able to discern the meaning of the film half way through.