Saturday, May 25, 2019

Kam's Kapsules for movies opening May 31, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)


Kam's Kapsules
Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams
For movies opening May 31, 2019


OPENING THIS WEEK

WIDE RELEASES
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (PG-13 for profanity, action, violence and destruction) Latest installment of the big lizard franchise finds members of the cryptozoological agency Monarch facing-off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla. Cast includes Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown and Ken Watanabe.



Ma (R for violent and disturbing material, language throughout, sexual content, and for teen drug and alcohol use) Harrowing horror film revolving around a lonely woman with a secret agenda (Octavia Spenser) who lets an unsuspecting group of teens party at her house. Featuring Allison Janney, Juliette Lewis and Luke Evans.



Rocketman (R for sexuality, drug use and pervasive profanity) Taron Egerton portays Elton John in this warts-and-all biopic of the flamboyant rock star. Co-starring Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard.






INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS


For the Birds (Unrated) Biopic about Kathy Murphy, a woman whose 200 pet ducks, chicken, geese and turkey are putting her at odds with her husband and animal activists.



Leaving Home, Coming Home (Unrated) Reverential portrait documentary of legendary portrait photographer Robert Frank, best known for “The Americans” (1958).


The Fall of The American Empire (R for strong violence, sexual nudity and profanity) Crime comedy about a truck driver (Éric Bruneau) who accidentally stumbles upon a stash of dirty cash. With Maxim Roy and Maripier Marin. (In French and English with subtitles)


Too Late to Die Young (Unrated) Chilean saga surrounding the events unfolding for three young neighbors one New Year's Eve. Co-starring Demian Hernández, Antar Machado and Magdalena Tótoro. (In Spanish with subtitles)

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Echo in the Canyon

 
Film Review by Kam Williams

Dawn of Hippie Era Revisited via Rock Music Retrospective

In the wake of Beatlemania exploding across America in 1964, many aspiring musicians were inspired to start their own rock band. Some settled in Laurel Canyon, a low-rent suburb of L.A that resonated with the hippy' philosophy.

Among those flocking to the region were future icons like Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Roger McGuinn, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Frank Zappa, Michelle Phillips and Cass Elliot. Some of these musicians forged great groups, like The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas, and CSN&Y, while others became rock gods in their own right.

Now thanks to producer Lou Adler and Dylan's son Jakob, we have a sensational rockumentary revisiting that era. The film features both archival concert footage and interviews with most of the above. What a treat it is to see Ringo Starr reveal how close he and David Crosby were back in the day! And how about Dylan's discussing what it was like growing up in such a rich cultural environment? So, this makes for a magical walk down Memory Lane offering a fun ride for young and old alike.

The film's only flaw rests with performances by several next generation artists like Beck, Jade, and Jakob Dylan who prove to be talented, but inappropriate for a movie focused on that time period. Furthermore, Jakob serves as interviewer of his fellow celebs, a task for which he is woefully prepared.

Otherwise, what a wonderful trip to remind us all of a pivotal moment in U.S. history!

Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for suggestive content and drug references
Running time: 82 minutes
Production Companies: Mirror Films
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment

To see a trailer for Echo in the Canyon, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRVFBQHBUls

 
 

Monday, May 20, 2019

Kam's Kapsules for movies opening May 24, 2019


Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam William
 

OPENING THIS WEEK


WIDE RELEASES


Aladdin (PG for some action/peril) Mena Massoud stars as the title character in this classic fairytale about a street urchin vying with a power-hungry Grand Vizier for a magic lamp. Cast includes Naomi Scott, Will Smith and Billy Magnussen.



Booksmart (R for strong sexual content and language throughout, drug use and drinking, all involving teens) Buddy comedy about a couple of straight-laced, straight-A student BFF's (Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein) who decide to cram four years of fun into one night on the eve of their high school graduation. Directed by Olivia Wilde, with Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis.



Brightburn (R for horror violence/bloody images, and language) Sinister thriller about an alien child (Jackson Dunn) who crash lands on Earth only to wreak havoc rather than help humanity. Cast includes Elizabeth Banks, David Denman and Matt Jones.



The Tomorrow Man (PG-13 for brief strong language and some suggestive material) John Lithgow stars in the title role as a doomsday prophet preparing for disaster with a girlfriend who is a hoarder (Blythe Danner). With Derek Cecil, Eve Harlow and Katie Aselton.



INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS



Diamantino (Unrated) Carloto Cotta plays the title role in this dysfunctional family comedy about a champion soccer player forced to confront his long-estranged, evil twin sisters (Cleo Tavares and Carla Maciel about the meaning of genius. With Chico Chapas, Margarida Moreira and Anabela Moreira.


Funny Story (Unrated) Sobering tragi-comedy about a loving father (Matthew Glave) who unintenionally disrupts his daughter's Big Sur vacation by inviting himself along. With Nikki Limo, Todd Berger and Jessica Diggins


Halston (Unrated) Reverential biopic about the fashion guru of the 70s who created a business empire by taking the biggest gamble of his life. With commentary by Liza Minelli, Marisa Berenson and Alva Chinn.


The Proposal (Unrated)biopic about the efffort to make the work of Mexico's greatest artist available to the public





Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Isn't it Romantic


 

Film Review by Kam Williams

Rebel Wilson Headlines Disappointing Romantic Musical Comedy


Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is a dynamic, young professional trying to make her mark on Manhattan. But between a fledgling professional career and a dating life that isn't faring any better, the Australian architect is close to bottoming out.

It's a miracle her optimistic spirit hasn't been crushed, since she was raised by an emotionally-abusive mom (Jennifer Saunders) who said she'd never amount to anything. 
 
She has nevertheless made a few friends since moving to the States, including BFF/colleague, Josh (Adam Devine), as well as hunky Blake (Liam Hemsorth), a billionaire who is one of her company's clients. And her buddies include a motley crew of colorful characters. 
 
Anybody familiar with Rebel Wilson's work knows that she's committed to over-the-top fare as seen in her biggest hit, Picture Perfect. While this offering fails to measure up in terms of generating laughs per minute, it does at least recreate the ambiance of her typical farce. 
 
The movie is directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, a hack who has cranked out a string of mediocre comedies such as Larceny, Naked but Funny and Stevie TV. Not a picture this critic feels comfortable recommending to any demographic. Consider that a fair warning.



Fair (1 star)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, and a brief drug reference
Running time: 88 minutes
Production Companies: Netflix / New Line Cinema
Distributor: Warner Brothers

To see a trailer for Isn't it Romantic, visit:

Wednesday, May 8, 2019


Film Review by Kam Williams


Revealing Biopic Chronicles Formative Years Of Legendary Fantasy Writer

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) was a British fantasy novelist best known for “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” After being orphaned at an early age, he attended King Edwards, an exclusive boarding school where he forged close friendships with classmates which would endure over his lifetime.

There, he first referred to this semi-secret association of writers and artists as a “fellowship,” a term which ostensibly influenced the unique lexicon of his fictional work. He was also very sensitive about the pronunciation of his surname to the extent that he even complained about it to the school administration, emphasizing that it was “een” as opposed to “in.”

While at King Edwards, he met and fell head over heels for Edith Bratt (Lily Collins), an attractive classmate who would not only serve as his muse but as the inspiration for a couple of his characters. The lovebirds wed in 1916 but unfortunately their marital bliss would soon be interrupted by his deployment to France in World World I.

Unfortunately, the separation from his wife exacted a further emotional toll on the already traumatized Tolkien. Sadly, it spelled the demise of his confederacy of intellects, too.

Directed by Dome Karukoski, Tolkien is a poignant portrait which reveals its subject to be quite a complicated soul. The title role is capably played by Nicholas Hoult who delivers a piercingly evocative performance, probing the depths of the literary giant's psyche in plausible fashion. 
 
The ethereal plotline drifts back and forth between the sobering and the surreal, unfolding against a war torn landscape of dire proportions. Childhood angst plus wartime trauma yields escapist fantasies for the ages.


Excellent (4 stars)
Rated PG-13 for war violence
Running time: 112 minutes
Production Companies: Fox Searchlight Pictures / Chernin Entertainment
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

To see a trailer for Tolkien, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ1vn85iQRE

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Bolden

 
Film Review by Kam Williams


Overdue Biopic Belatedly Pays Tribute to Jazz Pioneer

Buddy Bolden (1877-1931) was born in New Orleans, where he took up the cornet at an early age. His unique approach to the instrument involved a novel form of improvisation while playing a combination of gospel, blues and ragtime. 
 
Well before the emergence of Louis Armstrong, Buddy was a popular bandleader credited with creating a new genre of music: jazz! Sadly, this genius has mostly been forgotten by history because no recordings or arrangements of his songs survived.

However, thanks to legendary trumpeter Wynton Marsalis in collaboration with writer/director Dan Pritzker, we now have Bolden, a brilliant biopic painting a poignant portrait of what Buddy's life might have been like. Marsalis composed, arranged and played on the soundtrack, relying on what scraps of his subject's work he could unearth.

Similarly, Pritzker cobbled together a speculative storyline based on the few facts available about Bolden. What we do know is that his career ended in 1907 when he was committed to the mental institution where he would spend the last of his days in obscurity.

Bolden is basically a flashback flick unfolding from the surreal perspective of a patient struggling to make sense of his life. The film stars Garry Carr who delivers a riveting performance as black man whose spirit has been broken by racism and a host of other maladies flowing from that oppression.

Don't miss this overdue tribute to a forgotten jazz pioneer!




Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for sexuality, graphic nudity, profanity, ethnic slurs, brutal violence and drug use
Running time: 108 minutes
Production Companies: King Bolden LLC
Distributor: Abramorama

To see a trailer for Bolden, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80D1UrXqUsE

Thursday, April 18, 2019

The Mustang

Film Review by Kam Williams



Hardened Con Offered Shot at Redemption by Rough-Edged Horse Whisperer

Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) has too quick a fuse to think before he acts. That's why he's done a dozen years and counting in a maximum-security prison for impulsively delivering a brutal beating that left his victim permanently brain-damaged. 
 
Even while incarcerated, Roman's never learned to control his temper. Consequently, he's voluntarily spent the bulk of his time in solitary confinement. 
 
A shot at rehabilitation finally arrives when Myles (Bruce Dern), a salty, old horse whisperer, offers Roman a spot in his program pairing inmates with wild mustangs. The hope is that each participant will learn to tame his own raging inner soul while bonding with his stallion.

Roman grudgingly accepts the invitation, before being assigned to work with a bucking bronco he names Marcus. Under the watchful eye of the sage trainer, con and colt do gradually take to each other, although not without its share of fits and starts. 
 
Marking Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre's nonpareil directorial debut, The Mustang is a character-driven masterpiece co-starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Bruce Dern. The two generate considerable chemistry in the course of delivering powerful performances against a variety of visually-captivating backdrops, ranging from the vast expanse of a barren, Nevada desert to the claustrophobic confines of one of the State's penal institutions.

An emotionally-engaging meditation on redemption inspired by a real-life program helping inmates turn their lives around.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, violence and drug use
Running time: 96 minutes
Production Companies: Legende Films / Cine+ / Canal+
Distributor: Focus Features

To see a trailer for The Mustang, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2a-KSOCIeY



Thursday, April 11, 2019

Breakthrough


Film Review by Kam Williams


Inspirational Memoir Recounts Teen's True Tale of Survival

Despite being saddled with a couple of generic American names, John Smith's (Marcel Ruiz) life story has been anything but boring. It's just too bad that the shy, 14 year-old has been too embarrassed to share it. 
 
You see, he was born in Guatemala, but raised in Missouri by Brian (Josh Lucas) and Joyce Smith (Chrissy Metz), the missionary couple that adopted him as an infant. But even the terrific childhood they provided couldn't supply answers to nagging questions that still burdened the boy in junior high, like, “Why didn't his birth mom love him enough to keep him?” John was so traumatized that he gave his teacher a lame excuse the day he was supposed to make a class presentation about his family tree.

Luckily, he did have a couple of BFFs to hang out with in Josh (Isaac Kragten) and Reiger (Nikolas Dukic). However, the three could be a little rebellious, like on the afternoon of January 15, 2015 when they were warned by a stranger not to tempt fate by wandering out onto seemingly-frozen Lake St. Louis.

But they did, and fell through the ice, one after another. Rescue teams arrived soon enough to save two of the kids within minutes, but John had slipped so far beneath the surface that it took the extraordinary effort of one very determined fireman (Mike Colter) to belatedly find his body by poking around in the 12-foot deep waters with a stick.

John had no pulse, since he'd been submerged over 15 minutes. Yet, that didn't discourage first responders and then the ER physician on duty (Sam Trammell) at nearby St. Joseph's Hospital from trying repeatedly to revitalize him. Miraculously, John did come around after about an hour, which prompted an airlift to the top doctor in the field (Dennis Haysbert) in the St. Louis area.

Thus unfolds Breakthrough, a true tale of survival based on a moving memoir by Joyce Smith. Since each step of the unprecedented feat recounted here had been accompanied by prayer, the question triggered again and again was whether the operation had succeeded because of state-of-the-art medical care, divine intervention, or a combination of both. 
 
An edge-of-your-seat, faith-oriented/medical drama, equally riveting in terms of spiritual and worldly concerns.

Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated PG for peril and mature themes
Running time: 116 minutes
Production Companies: Fox 2000 Pictures / 20th Century Fox
Distributor: 20th Century Fox

To see a trailer for Breakthrough, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52bORzIODec








Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Hotel Mumbai

Film Review by Kam Williams


Harrowing Docudrama Recounts 2008 Mumbai Massacre

On November 26, 2008, radical Islamists from Pakistan launched a series of coordinated attacks around the city of Mumbai which would claim 174 lives and leave hundreds more wounded. Within hours of the raid, the authorities were able to secure all of the sites except for the legendary Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.

The jihadists ostensibly picked the legendary 5-star resort as the location for a final showdown because of its image as a getaway spot for rich and famous Westerners. The siege there would last four days, since the local police were outgunned by the terrorists who were armed to the teeth with bombs, hand grenades and automatic weapons. 
 
Directed by Anthony Maras, Hotel Mumbai is a harrowing docudrama which recreates the horrific events which transpired inside the Taj. In making his movie, the first-time filmmaker relied heavily on Mumbai Massacre, a 2009 documentary composed of survivors' recollections of their nightmares.

This fictionalized account, which changes names and conflates characters, primarily revolves around the ordeals of Arjun (Dev Patel) and David (Armie Hammer). The former is a selfless Sikh waiter who exhibits extraordinary heroism in an effort to save as many of the hotel's traumatized guests as possible. And the latter is a frazzled tourist desperate to reunite with his wife (Nazanin Boniadi), baby and nanny (Tilda Cobham-Hervey).

Besides these protagonists, the film features a profusion of simplistically-drawn supporting players, a la your typical disaster flick. There's the Russian playboy (Jason Isaacs), an elitist, world-class chef (Anupam Kher), a deferential butler (Alex Pinder), and so forth.

After the motley ensemble is introduced, the burning question left to be answered is which of these trapped victims will be able to remain undiscovered by the bloodthirsty assassins until the Special Forces Unit finally arrives from Delhi, some 800 miles away. For, the terrorist cell in control of the building is portrayed as religious zealots blinded by the prospect of paradise promised by The Bull (Pawan Singh), the operation's diabolical mastermind.

Yes, the hotel is ultimately retaken and order is restored. Nevertheless, the S.W.A.T. Team's belated triumph remains overshadowed by the sobering reality of so many lives senselessly lost. In sum, an uplifting tale of heroism and survival, as well as a haunting reminder of the evil that men do.


Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for profanity, bloody images and pervasive violence
Running time: 123 minutes
Production Companies: Thunder Road Pictures / Xeitgeist Entertainment Group / Arclight Films Electric Pictures
Distributors: Bleecker Street

To see a trailer for Hotel Mumbai, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8IxhVslvro

Kam's Kapsules for movies opening March 29, 2019


Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun 
by Kam Williams


OPENING THIS WEEK

WIDE RELEASES


Dumbo (PG for peril, action, mature themes and mild epithets) Family-oriented fantasy about a baby elephant with big ears who's the laughingstock of the circus until it is discovered that he can fly. Co-starring Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Alan Arkin, Eva Green and Michael Keaton.


Hotel Mumbai (R for profanity, bloody images and pervasive violence) Fact-based drama recounting the 2008 terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel by radical Islamists which claimed 174 innocent lives. Co-starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Amandeep Singh and Jason Isaacs. (In English, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Greek, Russian, Arabic, Urdu and Persian with subtitles)


Unplanned (R for disturbing images) Adaptation of Abby Johnson's (Ashley Bratcher) memoir of the same name chronicling her transition from Planned Parenthood spokesperson to anti-abortion activist. With Brooks Ryan, Robia Scott and Jared Lotz.




INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS


The Beach Bum (R for pervasive profanity, graphic sexuality, and drug and alcohol abuse) Matthew McConaughey plays the title character in this screwball comedy revolving around the misadventures of a hedonistic rebel who lives by his own rules. With Snoop Dogg, Isla Fisher, Martin Lawrence, Jonah Hill and Zac Efron. (In English and Spanish with subtitles)


The Brink (Unrated) Political biopic examining the efforts of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon to mobilize right-wing voters. Featuring commentary by TV pundits David Frum, Michael Wolff and Ari Melber.


The Chaperone (Unrated) Elizabeth McGovern plays the title character in this adaptation of Laura Moriarty's best seller of the same name, set in the Roaring Twenties, about the woman who agreed to escort 15 year-old, aspiring film star Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) from Kansas to New York City. Cast includes Blythe Danner, Miranda Otto and Campbell Scott.


Diane (Unrated) Mary Kay Place stars in this poignant portrait of a selfless soul who divides her time between charity work and trying to save her drug-addicted son (Jake Lacy). With Estelle Parsons, Andrea Martin and Joyce Van Patten.


Lost & Found (Unrated) Serendipitous Irish dramedy inspired by the real-life encounters of seven strangers whose paths cross by chance at a rural train station's Lost & Found office. Starring writer/direct Liam O Mochain and a supporting cast featuring Norma Sheahan, Brendan Conroy, Seamus Hughes, Lynette Callaghan, Liam Carney, Barbara Adair and Aoibhin Garrihy.


Notebook (Unrated) Romance drama, set in Kashmir, about a soldier-turned-teacher (Zaheer Iqbal) who falls in love with a colleague (Pranutan Bahl) after reading a diary she left behind in a classroom. Featuring Muazzam Bhat. (In Hindi with subtitles)


A Vigilante (R for profanity and violence) Olivia Wilde handles the title role in this revenge thriller about a battered housewife who takes the law into her own hands on behalf of herself and other victims of domestic abuse. With Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett, Tonye Patano and C.J. Wilson.




Monday, March 25, 2019

Unplanned


Film Review by Kam Williams


Adaptation of Memoir Recounts Abortion Counselor's Spiritual Transformation

Abby Johnson (Ashley Bratcher) was recruited by Planned Parenthood to do volunteer work when she was still an undergrad at Texas A&M. Her first job was to escort women seeking abortions from the parking lot into the building, past picketers calling them baby killers.
 
Upon graduating from college, she was hired as a counselor at the controversial, reproductive health services provider's clinic in Bryan, Texas. Over the course of the next eight years, she rose up the ranks to office director, even though she was privately conflicted over whether the organization's primary function was to inform pregnant women about their options or merely to perform abortions.

After all, she not only came from a conservative, pro-life family, but felt overwhelming regret about the two abortions she had undergone herself earlier in life. So, between pressure from her parents and the almost daily confrontations with demonstrators, Abby's conscience began to get the better of her.

The moment of truth arrived the day her help was urgently needed in the operating room. And, for the first time in her career, she observed an actual abortion. 

She was shocked by the gruesome procedure which left her convinced that the fetus was a baby. In fact, she felt so guilty that she decided to resign and join the pro-life protesters marching outside the building.

That is the touching transformation convincingly conveyed in Unplanned, a poignant, cinematic portrait co-directed by Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon. Unfortunately, abortion is such an incendiary issue, this is the sort of film audiences will be inclined to judge without seeing based on their political persuasion, although it's adapted from Abby Johnson's very personal memoir.

A riveting reminiscence recounting a Planned Parenthood exec's unlikely conversion to outspoken anti-abortion activist.


Very Good (3 stars)
Rated R for disturbing images
Running time: 110 minutes
Distributor: Pure Flix Entertainment

To see a trailer for Unplanned, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBLWpKbC3ww


Sunday, March 24, 2019

Top Ten DVD List for March 26, 2019

Image result for If Beale Street Could Talk
by Kam Williams


This Week's DVD Releases
 
If Beale Street Could Talk

Stan & Ollie

Capernaum

Aquaman

Isiboshwa

The World before Your Feet

Brighton Beach Memoirs

Second Act

Hostage

Rich Girl

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Kam's Kapsules for movies opening March 22, 2019



Weekly Previews That Make Choosing a Film Fun
by Kam Williams



OPENING THIS WEEK


WIDE RELEASES
 

Us (R for violence, terror and profanity) Jordan Peele wrote and directed this suspense thriller, set in Santa Cruz, about a vacationing family that finds itself haunted by identical strangers. Co-starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss and Anna Diop.


INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS

Dragged across Concrete (R for profanity, sexuality, nudity, grisly images and graphic violence) Action thriller about a couple of cops (Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn) who turn to a life of crime after being suspended without pay for police brutality caught on camera. With Don Johnson, Fred Melamed, Michael Jai White and Jennifer Carpenter.

El Chicano (Unrated) Crime saga, set in East L.A., about twins (Raul Castillo) who choose to live their lives on opposite sides of the law. Cast includes Jose Pablo Cantillo, Aimee Garcia and Marlene Forte.

Hotel Mumbai (R for profanity, bloody images and pervasive violence) Fact-based drama recounting the 2008 terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel by radical Islamists which claimed 174 innocent lives. Co-starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Amandeep Singh and Jason Isaacs. (In English, Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Greek, Russian, Arabic, Urdu and Persian with subtitles)

Maze (Unrated) Historical drama, set in Northern Ireland in 1983, recreating the infamous jailbreak of 38 IRA members from a maximum security prison. Ensemble cast includes Barry Ward, Martin McCann, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Eileen Walsh and Aaron Monaghan.

Ramen Shop (Unrated) Coming-of-age drama revolving around a grief-stricken young chef (Takumi Saitoh) who travels from Japan to Singapore in search of his late parents' recipes only to also uncover some deep family secrets. With Seiko Matsuda, Jeanette Aw and Tsuyoshi Ihara. (In Japanese, Mandarin and English with subtitles)

Sunset (R for violence) Character-driven drama, set in 1913, about a young woman (Juli Jakab) who ventures to Budapest hoping to secure a job at the hat store once owned by her late parents, only to be turned away by the shop's new owner (Vlad Ivanov). Cast includes Susanne Wuest, Bjorn Freiberg and Urs Rechn. (In Hungarian and German with subtitles)

Trading Paint (R for profanity) Action adventure about a legendary father (John Travolta) and son (Toby Sebastian) car racing team who end up facing each other in a high-stakes contest following a falling out. With Shania Twain, Michael Madsen and Kevin Dunn.

Triple Threat (R for profanity and pervasive graphic violence) Action thriller about three down-and-out mercenaries (Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais and Tiger Chen) recruited to protect a billionaire heiress (Celina Jade) from a team of professional assassins (Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White and Michael Bisping) hired to take her out. Supporting cast includes Michael Wong, Daniel Whyte and Selina Lo. (In English, Mandarin and Thai with subtitles)

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Yardie



Film Review by Kam Williams


Elba Makes Directorial Debut with Jamaican Coming-of-Age Drama

Dennis “D” Campbell (Aml Ameen) had the misfortune of growing up in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in the Seventies at a time when the 'hood was infested with drugs. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by an older brother he admired, Jerry (Everaldo Creary).

Besides serving as a surrogate father, Jerry was a peacemaker who risked his life pressuring the gangs ruining the community to end their bloody turf war. But Dennis was left traumatized at 13 when his sibling was senselessly shot dead by Clancy (Raheem Edwards), a young member of the Tappa crew.

Fast forward a half-dozen years and we find D doing the bidding of King Fox (Sheldon Shepherd), the leader of Spicer, Tappa's rival gang. When he is asked to smuggle a kilo of cocaine on a plane bound for London, he leaps at the opportunity because not only does Clancy live there now, but so too does Dennis' daughter (Myla-Rae Hutchinson-Dunwell). So, the risky assignment will afford him an opportunity to avenge his brother's murder while reuniting with loved ones.

That is the intriguing set up of Yardie, a coming-of-age drama marking the noteworthy directorial debut of Idris Elba. Adapted from Victor Headley's 1992 novel of the same name, the film is narrated by its intrepid protagonist, a conflicted soul eternally torn between good and evil. 
 
A gritty tale of survival slightly marred by a tendency to telegraph its punches.


Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 101 minutes
Production Companies: Warp Films / BFI Film Fund / Studio Canal
Distributor: Rialto Pictures

To see a trailer for Yardie, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItW6evHbE8



Sunday, March 17, 2019

Top Ten DVD List for March 19, 2019


by Kam Williams


This Week's DVD Releases
 
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Mary Poppins Returns

The Last Resort

The Rundown

PawParazzi

Accident

The Quake

She Wolf
Ritual

Big Kill