Tag Archives: Drama

Man Underground (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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manundergroundA conspiracy theorist living in a small North Eastern town removes himself from society more and more after having a visit from aliens on his government job.  As he lives his life as best he can following the loss of his job and of his marriage, he gives talks about aliens to dwindling crowds.  After meeting an actress, he decides to make a film about his life with her and his only friend left.

Co-writers/co-directors Sam Marine and Michael Borowiec work very well together, building a film laced with the lead’s paranoia and showing three sides of what he has to deal with: friendly people who want to help; people wanting to use him as s how; and people who have complete condescension for him.  They build a world where the audience feels for him while understanding where others come from on how they deal with him.  They build a character study of a man who may have lost his mind or not, a man with an absolute conviction in his belief that is unbreakable even if he is.  The way they construct the characters and story pulls the viewer in even if alien conspiracy is not their thing like this reviewer.

The cast of course helps a lot.  George Basil does a phenomenal job in the part of Willem Koda, the alien conspiracy theory at the center of the film.  The way he embodies the character makes him so human and believable.  His portrayal makes Willem the town kook that everyone wants to know more about and care about.  As the actress Willem takes an interest in, Flossie Ferguson, actress Pamela Fila shows that interest and care, bringing the viewer in further as she becomes their stand-in in his life.  The conflict she shows in parts of the film looks genuine like her interest.  Rounding out the great lead cast is Andy Rocco as Todd Muckle, Willem’s best and only friend who stands by him no matter what, even when they don’t agree on everything.  His performance is also spot-on and creates a character everyone can care for and who is a little goofy but with his heart in the right place.

Man Underground is a carefully planned and made film that makes more than the most of its small budget.  From the production design by Amber Cicardo to the art direction she did with costume designer Alexandra Lopez to the music by Zach De Sorbo to the cinematography by Maximilian Lewing, everything looks and sounds like a bigger budget film. It’s a testament to the talent of all involved and to the importance of choosing a great team to work with and stretch your dollars.

Michael Borowiec and Sam Marine craft a great film about a man who wants to be believed, who needs to be believed, a character study of a conspiracy theorist and whose beliefs have affected his life.  Their film is touching while giving a glimpse into the life of someone considered crazy without turning it into a satire or a comedy at the expense of this man.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

Supergirl: The Complete First Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]

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supergirlseason1The series “Supergirl” is in a tricky dilemma from episode one. It’s been created by a network like CBS in America that doesn’t quite understand it. CBS has never really embraced the superhero boom of the aughts, and “Supergirl” pretty much was walking on egg shells from episode one. It’s a good bit of fortune it’s been ported over to the CW where it can live and breathe among other superhero fare like “The Flash” and “Arrow.” After swearing off Supergirl for many years, I decided to be a good little super fan boy and check out “Supergirl” and I’m glad that I did. It’s a pretty remarkable and loyal adaptation of the DC Comics character that is so much more Superman than Superman has been in the last sixteen years.

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The Inerasable (2015) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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inerasableA horror writer works on a serial using fan letters about paranormal activity in their lives.  After receiving a letter about a haunting that rings a bell, she teams up with the student who sent it and they work to uncover where all the paranormal happenings in the area come from.

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Embers (2015) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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embersIn the not too distant future, most of the population has been affected by a neurological disease robbing them of their memories.  While a few people try to retain their minds and stay healthy, the rest of the population is trying to remember and reconnect.

Director Claire Carré co-wrote Embers with Charles Spano and they create a dystopian future where the majority of the population, what’s left of it anyways, has no memories but can function as adults.  This leads to some scenes reminiscent of what it’s like to deal with someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.  These people still care about others but they simply do not remember each other or who they are themselves.  This could have led to a film where it’s difficult to care about the characters or overly schmaltzy, but that is not the case here.  Carré and Spano’s attention to detail and to creating humans and not simply characters brings forth people that are highly flawed yet trying to connect with each other which lead the audience to connect with them.

As the characters do not remember who they are, the two leads are credited as Guy and Girl.  In these roles are Jason Ritter and Iva Gocheva, both of whom give their characters’ memory loss and loss of self a level of dignity as they search for who they are.  Ritter shines in particular as a man lost while trying to help this girl he feels close to and wakes up near every day, not knowing if they are together or not.  His performance shows care and love while being lost and fighting the despair of losing one’s mind.  His performance steals most of the scenes he is in.  Playing opposite Ritter in most of his scenes is Iva Gocheva who plays well with him, their performances complement each other.  The ensemble of the cast does also quite well, but these two stand out the most.

The production design by Chelsea Oliver and art direction by Matthew Lackit and Wojciech Zogala create a future that is both dystopian and realistic.  The environment in which most of the population lives is counter-productive to them figuring themselves out, in contrast, the rich, unaffected people’s places are filled with technology yet colder than the outside world.  The dichotomy of both worlds is carefully calculated and built.  These set or settings bring a lot to the story and the characters.

All of this is put together to create a film that shows a potential future for Earth, one that is not perfect or even all that good, but the good of people shines through.  The representation of the mystery disease feels like something that could happen if humans do not kill each other first.  The film makes its viewers think and does not take them for idiots.  Some of the mysteries are never explained. It’s simply a slice of life with no explanation how we got there or of what comes after.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

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Shelley (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]

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shelleyIn a remote house completely off the grid, Louise and her husband Kasper hire a Romanian maid to help with house chores and take care of their chickens.  As the bond between Louise and Elena, the maid, grows, Louise asks her to carry a child for her as she cannot do so herself.  After careful considerations, Elena accepts.  Unfortunately, this is where the honeymoon phase ends and things take a turn for the odd and creepy.

The film is directed by Ali Abbasi who co-wrote with Maren Luise Kaehne.  Together they created believable characters in an interesting setting as they live completely off the grid without any technology but make due with what they have.  In this film, it’s a choice by the characters and not imposed in any way.  The characters have different backgrounds and speak different languages, leading them to speak English to understand each other which is a nice way to get a European film shot in English for a good part of it.  The differences in cultures also add nicely to the depth of the characters.

Unfortunately, these characters are given very little to do that is of interest.  Even when Elena’s pregnancy takes a turn for the weird, it’s barely enough to keep the attention which is too bad as it could have been great had it been exploited better, a great take on pregnancy horror, a sub-genre we see very little of (Grace, A l’interieur, Rosemary’s Baby), that fell flat without enough happening or strong enough happenings.

The very small cast keeps the film feeling intimate and minimal with three strong lead performances.  In the part of Louise, Ellen Dorrit Petersen brings a calm and quiet, yet strong presence.  She handles things beautifully when it would have been so easy to go into overacting in a movie with this subject.  Together with actress Cosmina Stratan as Elena, they build a visible friendship and bond and then, when things change, they show the strain between them without saying much.  Supporting these two performances is Peter Christoffersen as Louise’s husband Kasper.  He does well with the smaller part he is given.  His emotions feel rawer, less controlled. The rest of the small cast is also talented and believable in their parts.

Shelley is another film with two cinematographers working in tandem where which scene is whose is indistinguishable.  Nadim Carlsen and Sturla Brandth Grovlen do this while bringing serenity to the scenes, particularly the outdoors sequences.  The film looks peaceful, even once the creep factor is turned up.  Many scenes on the lake could be turned into a tourism add for overworked city folks.

Supporting all of this is the music by Martin Dirkov which is subtle yet effective.  Some of the scenes when things are going oddly and supernatural elements may be involved, the music bring home the creepiness while not becoming overbearing or telling viewers what to feel.

While Shelley is an interesting take on the pregnancy horror sub-genre, the film is very slow with very little going on, making it less interesting than it had potential for.  The less is more approach usually works for this reviewer, however here it was much too little and lead to an expected ending with very little pay off.

Fantasia International Film Festival ran from July 14th until August 3rd, 2016 and will be back in the summer of 2017.

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There Is a New World Somewhere (2016)

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TIANWSLi Lu’s drama “There Is a New World Somewhere” is another one of those dramas about thirty somethings looking for directions in life. It’s in the tradition of movies like “Garden State” and Greta Gerwig movies, while director Lu really tries to invent her own “Five Easy Pieces.” The problem is “There Is a New World Somewhere” doesn’t present enough of a dilemma for our protagonist Sylvia to begin hitting the open road and looking for some sort of purpose. We settle in with her for all of fifteen minutes before we’re told how restless she is, and then takes off with character Esteban who she meets at a party one night.

Agnes Brucker is a very strong actress with a unique energy and charisma that has never really been wisely utilized by other directors, and it’s a shame. She’s very good in “There Is a New World Somewhere” and literally carries what is only a mediocre road trip film about two people trying to find themselves. I think. Or maybe they’re trying to find the meaning of life. Or a purpose? I never did catch on. Either way, Bruckner is the highlight as Sylvia a struggling artist anxious to launch an opening at the gallery she works in to showcase her art. When she’s turned down, she begins questioning her life and is called to party with some long lost friends, many of whom are on the verge of being married.

After forming a connection with party goer Esteban, Sylvia skips town with him and begins traveling around the country. Along the way, the pair have a passionate affair and wander around from landmark to landmark discussing the meaning of life, their passion for certain parts of life, and how unfulfilled they feel. Li Lu has a wonderful directorial style providing some great wide shots and beautiful dream like moments and montages where Sylvia and Esteban linger in various spots and different cities trying to savor life. I just wish “There Is a New World Somewhere” had a much more solid narrative and a lot more character depth.

When Sylvia skips town on her friends to take a trip with a stranger, it feels like half baked motivation to set the plot in motion. When the pair of character do manage to get in to various escapades, it’s never all that interesting. That said, Lu’s direction is vibrant, while star Bruckner is a very good actress who shines in an otherwise middling drama.

Now on VOD, IVOD, and is in Limited Theatrical Release until August 31st.