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

 

 

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZwgoVmILQU

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Five Feet Apart

Film Review by Kam Williams

Romance Drama Revolves around Forbidden Love between Hospitalized Teens

Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) is a typical 17 year-old in most regards. However, she is also suffering from Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease which makes her very susceptible to a variety of breathing disorders.

Consequently, she spends much of her time in the hospital receiving a “tune up” for this or that malady. She's currently receiving treatment for bronchitis on a ward with several fellow CF patients, including her gay BFF, Poe (Moises Arias), although there is a strictly-enforced rule that they stay at least six feet apart at all times, because they could easily infect each other. 

 

That regulation is put to the test upon the arrival of newcomer Will Newman (Cole Sprouse), a CF victim with a bacteria which would prove fatal should Stella catch it from him. For, the two kids fall in love at first sight, so they find it hard to resist their raging hormones' urge to merge.

Luckily, nurse Barb (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) is there to monitor the movements of the young patients. She has been particularly vigilant to prevent any rendezvous on her watch, ever since an incident that led to a tragic ending.

Thus unfolds Five Feet Apart, a bittersweet romance drama marking the noteworthy, feature film directorial debut of actor Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin). Baldoni deserves considerable credit for coaxing impressive performances out of Haley Lu Richardson and Cole Sprouse who manage to generate convincing chemistry in challenging roles where they can't touch each other.

The movie's sole flaw rests in its unnecessarily adding a melodramatic twist more appropriate for a soap opera. During the picture's climactic moment, we suddenly learn that Stella's prayers for a lung transplant might have miraculously just been answered. A distracting rabbit-out-the-hat development that almost ruins an otherwise poignant love story.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated PG-13 for profanity, mature themes and suggestive material

Running time: 116 minutes

Production Companies: CBS Films / Wayfarer Entertainment

Distributors: CBS Films / Lionsgate

To see a trailer for Five Feet Apart, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtgCqMZofqM

The Favourite

Film Review by Kam Williams

Olivia Colman Delivers Oscar-Winning Performance in Revisionist Costume Drama

Queen Anne (1665-1714) was a sickly monarch whose dozen-year reign ran from 1702 to 1714. She was also married to Prince George of Denmark from 1683 until he passed away at Kensington Palace in 1708. 

 

Although Anne was unable to produce an heir, it wasn't from a lack of trying. She was pregnant 17 times, but most of her babies either miscarried or were stillborn, and the handful carried to term died during infancy. The Queen coped with the loss by raising 17 pet rabbits, one for each offspring, a curious way to grieve, indeed. 

 

Until now, Anne and George have been generally remembered as having been faithful and devoted partners. But you can add The Favourite to the long list of revisionist sagas which deign to impose present-day values while ignoring long-standing, conventional wisdom.

So, a British history buff is more likely to be frustrated by The Favourite than your average fan of the costume drama genre. The carefully-constructed crowd-pleaser was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos) and Best Original Screenplay. 

 

The three female leads in this lesbian love triangle were nominated, too, although Olivia Colman landed the movie's sole Oscar for her memorable performance as domineering Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone co-star opposite Colman, as a duchess and a servant vying for the manipulative monarch's affections. 

 

At the point of departure, we find Lady Sarah (Weisz) already attending to every need of an obese queen crippled by gout. The two are also secretly conducting a passionate, forbidden affair. 

 

But when Abigail (Stone) arrives on the scene, Anne's head is turned by the attractive young maid. A subtle power struggle ensues, as each of the subjects does her best to become the queen's constant companion. Meanwhile, Anne's real-life hubby, George, is conveniently absent entirely from the tale.

A fabricated romantic romp for folks more concerned about a historical drama's entertainment value than its commitment to the facts.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, nudity and graphic sexuality

Running time: 119 minutes

Production Companies: Element Pictures / Scarlet Films / Film4 Productions / Waypoint Entertainment

Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures

To see a trailer for The Favourite, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb-wkehT1g

Roma

Film Review by Kam Williams

Devoted Nanny Dotes on Kids in Dysfunctional Family Drama

Cleo Gutierrez (Yalitza Aparicio) is one of two live-in maids maintaining the home of Antonio (Fernando Grediaga) and Sofia (Marina de Tavira), couple in crisis with four young children. They can afford the help, which includes a chauffeur, because he's a prominent physician. But they also need the staff, since Antonio spends so much time supposedly attending “conferences in Canada.” 

 

The delinquent dad explains his absence to the kids as being away on business. However his long-suffering wife suspects that he's just up to monkey business with his mistress, which explains why she's not above begging him to cancel a trip. Luckily, Sofia has a shoulder to cry on in her mother, Teresa (Veronica Garcia), who lives with them, too. 

 

Meanwhile, Cleo and her fellow nanny, Adela (Nancy Garcia), dutifully assume the bulk of the child-rearing and housekeeping duties. Both of these servants hail from humble roots, being uneducated peasants of Mixteco, native Mexican heritage. 

 

Yet, like typical young women, they do dream of someday escaping their lowly station to start families of their own. And each has a romantic interest. Cleo's is Fermin (Jorge Antonio Guerrero), a cousin of Adela's boyfriend, Ramon (Jose Manuel Guerrero Mendoza). 

 

The plot thickens the evening the two couples go on a double date to a movie theater. Against her better judgment, Cleo leaves early with Fermin who has reserved a motel room where they share an evening of passionate, unprotected sex. 

 

She ends up pregnant, and a moment of truth arrives when her baby-daddy reacts badly to the news that he's about to become a father. So, now she has to worry whether she'll be fired when she tells Sofia that she's knocked up. 

 

Thus unfolds Roma, a semi-autobiographical, dysfunctional family drama written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Set in Mexico City in the Seventies, this impressionistic saga shot in black & white more than makes up in atmosphere what it might lack in meaningful dialogue. 

 

Kudos to Cuaron for crafting such a visually-captivating, surreal memoir of his troubled coming of age! 

 

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for profanity, disturbing images and graphic nudity

In Spanish and Mixtec with subtitles.

Running time: 135 minutes

Production Companies: Esperanto Filmoj / Participant Media

Distributor: Netflix

To see a trailer for Roma, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BS27ngZtxg

Cold War

Film Review by Kam Williams

Star-Crossed Lovers Repeatedly Rendezvous in Polish Postwar Drama

Dateline: Poland, 1949. The countryside is still devastated by the blight left behind in the wake of the Second World War. It is amidst these ruins that we find young Zula Lichon (Joanna Kulig) auditioning for a spot in the national entertainment ensemble.

The aspiring singer-dancer should be thankful for her good looks, since she only survives the tryout because the repertory company's powerful musical director, Wiktor Warski (Tomasz Kot), is quite taken by her beauty. The pretty peasant girl, in turn, is quite flattered by the attention being lavished on her by her handsome and relatively-sophisticated advocate, even though he's old enough to be her father.

Before long, the two start sleeping together, indulging an animal magnetism during stolen moments between their traveling troupe's performances at various ports of call behind the Iron Curtain. Sadly, they are far less passionate about their work than they are about each other.

That's because the group finds itself pressured to stage productions that are pure propaganda, given how Poland, as part of the Soviet bloc, is under the thumb of Stalinist Russia. In fact, the political paranoia of the era so deeply affects Zula, that she meets weekly with a Communist Party boss (Lech Kaczmarek) to secretly snitch on her unsuspecting lover's conduct.

The jaded artists hatch a plan to defect to the West in 1952 following a concert in East Berlin. But when only one of the two follows through with the plan, they end up separated and terribly frustrated for the next dozen years.

Thus unfolds Cold War, a melancholy masterpiece written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. His previous picture, Ida, won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2015. This black & white romance drama has deservedly landed a trio of nominations, in the Foreign Film, Director and Cinematography categories.

Between a sobering score and haunting settings, Pawlikowski has created the perfect backdrop for a maudlin postmortem contemplating the fate of a couple of star-crossed lovers.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and profanity

In Polish. French, Russian, German, Italian and Croatian

Running time: 89 minutes

Production Companies: Opus Films / Polish Film Institute / Film4 / BFI / MK2 Films

Distributor: Amazon Studios

To see a trailer for Cold War, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPkDdFeTk8

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot

 

Film Review by Kam Williams

WWII Vet Plays Hero Again in Campy Action Adventure

Every now and then, a film turns history on its head. For example, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter made over $100 million dollars at the box office by suggesting that the 16^th President of the United States was also a legendary stalker of the undead. And Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, which had Hitler dying in a movie theater fire rather than by committing suicide, made three times as much money. 

 

Playing fast and loose with the truth can be pretty profitable in other arenas as well. Donald Trump sealed the Republican presidential nomination by parroting the National Enquirer's patently ridiculous assertion that JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald hadn't acted alone but with the help of Senator Ted Cruz's father, Rafael.

Well, in The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot we have a film that contradicts conventional wisdom not once, but twice. The picture stars Sam Elliott as Calvin Barr, the World War II vet who supposedly successfully assassinated the Fuhrer on a top secret mission.

This picture unfolds decades later when an aging Calvin is coaxed out of retirement by an FBI agent (Ron Livingston) to track down the legendary Bigfoot (Mark Steger) that is rumored to be living deep in the Canadian forest. It seems that the mythical beast is responsible for a deadly plague that is threatening to decimate the population. 

 

Turning down an array of 007-level, state of the arts gadgets, Calvin stoically sets out with just a rifle, a scope and a Bowie knife. He doesn't even don goggles, gas mask and a protective suit to prevent his prey from infecting him. Sam Elliott plays it straight, here, but you can't help but wonder whether the veteran thespian's embarrassed by the fact that this campy B-flick has been released right when he's been nominated for an Oscar for the first time in his career. 

 

An amusing mix of fantasy and revisionist history bordering on cheesy that's strictly for the very gullible!

Good (2 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 98 minutes

Production Companies: Epic Pictures Releasing / Title Media

Distributor: RLJE FILMS

To see a trailer for The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkP4bZKCHE8

Black

Film Review by Kam Williams

Traffic Stop Death Triggers Revolt in Black Lives Matter Drama

Joseph Grant (Toussaint Morrison) was riding in a car with his brother Cole (Malick Ceesay) and BFF Derek (Geoff Briley) one afternoon when they suddenly found themselves being tailed by a police cruiser. Although they hadn't violated any rules of the road, they were inexplicably pulled over by a couple of overly zealous cops (Addison Pennington and Matt Cedarberg), ostensibly for merely “driving while black.” 

 

Sitting in the back seat, Cole asked the officers for an explanation for the stop, if they weren't being profiled. Their response was that he matched the description of a suspect they were looking for. 

 

After being asked for his ID and ordered him out of the car, Cole lost his temper. The next thing you know, he wound up on the ground with a pistol to his head. And the bigot with a badge in control of whether he lived or died yelled, “What you looking at boy?” before callously pulling the trigger.

Witnessing the senseless shooting of his only brother leaves Joe traumatized and Derek is understandably shaken, too. But the two have distinctly different feelings about what to do next. 

 

The former has no faith in the criminal justice system, given the long history of police being found not guilty for the deaths of unarmed African-Americans. So, he would just like to get some guns, recruit an army, and lead a violent revolution against the U.S. 

 

By contrast, Derek is interested in mounting a traditional protest, like a Black Lives Matter march. After all, he has no confidence Joe will be able to find any followers, especially since blacks are so brainwashed they mostly kill only other blacks, not whites. The ensuing debate of how to respond to Cole's untimely demise sits at the center of Black, a thought-provoking morality play written and directed by David J. Buchanan. 

 

Besides the badinage between the buddies, the film intermittently takes a break from the drama for brief, revealing tete-a-tetes with real-life black folks about their first encounters in life with the cops. The heartfelt recollections shared in these mini-documentaries combine to paint a widespread pattern of discrimination and abuse on the part of the police.

A compelling polemic revolving around a grief-stricken sibling's relentlessly making his case, like a latter-day Nat Turner, for armed insurrection!

 

Excellent (4 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 80 minutes

Production Studio: BLACK Productions

Studio: We-Co Films

To see a trailer for Black, visit: https://vimeo.com/281669294

Cold Pursuit

Film Review by Kam Williams

Grieving Dad Goes Vigilante in Remake of Gruesome, Norwegian Crime Thriller

Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson) is Kehoe, Colorado's most reliable snowplow driver. He was recently named the popular ski resort area's “Citizen of the Year” for keeping its treacherous mountain roads clear during the blizzards which routinely threaten to disrupt the town's tourist season. 

 

Not used to making public appearances before an audience, the shy civil servant needs some help from his wife (Laura Dern) dressing and preparing an acceptance speech. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes the night of the awards dinner when their son (Micheál Richardson) dies of a drug overdose in nearby Denver.

After identifying the body at the morgue, Grace (“We didn't know our own son.”) is inclined to accept the police explanation that Kyle had been a heroin addict. But hubby Nels (“Kyle wasn't a druggie!”) is very skeptical, since the kid had no history of drug use and had been gainfully employed as a baggage handler at Kehoe's airport at the time of his demise. 

 

So, the grieving dad decides to do a little digging on his own and soon discovers that Dante (Wesley MacInnes), a co-worker of Kyle's, had stolen a kilo of cocaine from a drug cartel. As it turns out, Kyle was ostensibly murdered in a case of mistaken identity on orders from a kingpin known as Viking (Tom Bateman).

That's little consolation to Nels who suddenly becomes blinded by rage. The mild-mannered pillar of the community morphs into a sadistic spree killer determined to track down the powerful mobster who ordered the hit on his boy. However, Viking has an army of minions running interference, which means Nels must negotiate a perilous gauntlet en route to his well-protected target.

Thus unfolds Cold Pursuit, a riveting vigilante thriller directed by Hans Petter Moland. The movie is a faithful, English-language adaptation of In Order of Disappearance, a gratuitous gorefest which Moland made in his native Norway in 2014. This equally-gruesome remake similarly veers back and forth between slaughter and slapstick, never fully committing to comedy or drama. 

 

Whether we're supposed to laugh at or recoil from the escalating body count, Cold Pursuit, at heart, is a wanton splatterflick certain to satiate the bloodlust of fans of the genre.

Very Good (3 stars)

Rated R for profanity, drug use, sexual references and graphic violence

Running time: 118 minutes

Production Company: Paradox Films / StudioCanal

Distributor: Lionsgate / Summit Entertainment

To see a trailer for Cold Pursuit, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0phuNQQ_gHI