I guess you can make the argument that “I Declare War” is something of a variation of The Stanford Prison Experiment where we’re given a glimpse in to set roles and the extremes taken with them. Instead “I Declare War” is filled with nothing but preteens and some teenagers and presents a very deceitful set up. While it’s true the film is about a bunch of kids playing war in the woods, the film is not for all ages. It’s a very adult film, and that’s one of the reasons why I wasn’t quick to give up on it once it ran out of steam mid-way. This is how kids act. They’re violent, and swear a lot. They’re wiser than anyone thinks, they can be vulnerable, and courageous, and through and through, they have their own personal rivalries with one another that can take a turn for the disturbing.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) [Blu-Ray/Digital]
I was originally lukewarm on “The First Avenger,” so it’s refreshing to see the follow up to the first Captain America not only offer up a mature and complex story, but transform Captain America in to a pariah. You know the nation is in peril when its biggest patriot is on the run from the very country he vowed to fight for. “The Winter Soldier” presents shades of “Three Days of the Condor” when Steve Rogers and Black Widow become fugitives when a simple rescue mission to save SHIELD agents puts them smack dab in the middle of a nefarious plot that could change the world as we know it. Fleeing from authorities at every corner, Captain America and Black Widow have to thwart all kinds of attempts at their lives.
Strongest of Lotus (2014)
Director Patcharaphon Napapornpipat’s short film about a disabled young girl finding her voice is a sweet if short slice of life that really lends credence to the idea of music changing the way we live and interact. Lalita Srisuka plays a disabled young girl whose life is filled with stares and ostracizing from people around her, including her own classmates. The only time she’s capable of escaping is when she retreats to her music, which allows her to block out reality and lose herself in the world she creates.
Water Dogs (2014)
Director Matthew Slamowitz’s short film “Water Dogs” isn’t so much about the beauty of New York, but about good luck and learning to pay that luck forward. “Water Dogs” is a compelling and very entertaining short dramedy about a homeless man who gets the chance to make a life for himself when events occur that drops everything in to place before his eyes. The trick behind this odd good luck is how he’s going to choose to use it in the long run.
Strongest of Lotus (2014)
Director Patcharaphon Napapornpipat’s short film about a disabled young girl finding her voice is a sweet if short slice of life that really lends credence to the idea of music changing the way we live and interact. Lalita Srisuka plays a disabled young girl whose life is filled with stares and ostracizing from people around her, including her own classmates. The only time she’s capable of escaping is when she retreats to her music, which allows her to block out reality and lose herself in the world she creates.
Rocks in My Pockets (2014)
Director Signe Baumane’s animated film about her family history and mental illness exemplifies how difficult it is to fight what’s been so sewn in to a family bloodline. While inherent traits and gifts can be passed down genetically, mental illness can also carry with it a vicious legacy that can be carried in to every generation. Baumane’s “Rocks in my Pockets” confronts a topic all too familiar, in which she tries to piece together the history of the women in her family, and how mental illness affected them, since she feels the pressing weight of the illness on her shoulders. “Rocks in my Pockets” feels more like a power point presentation more than a film.
The T.A.M.I. Show: Collector’s Edition (DVD)
Getting 1964’s “The T.A.M.I. Show” finally on a Collector’s Edition DVD fully restored for the rock fans is a special occasion. If only because “The T.A.M.I. Show” has long been a concert film that has been seen mainly through bootlegs and was sabotaged for a long time. Even film buff Quentin Tarantino never had a complete bootleg, and finally the entirety of “The T.A.M.I. Show” is on DVD from Shout! with nary a single dull moment to be had. What’s so fun about “The T.A.M.I. Show” is that it’s just an unabashed celebration of diversity in rock and roll, and how various artists have shaped it in to something incredible.