THE GANGSTER’S DAUGHTER (2017) review
To open up the 5th Season of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema, the good folks over at Sophia’s Choice, the non-profit organization that curates choice Asian films and brings them to a semi-annual Chicago film festival, presents “The Gangster’s Daughter” the latest from Taiwanese filmmaker Mei-Juan Chen. From the title, one might think that the first feature-film from a director who’s primarily made documentaries would be about a daughter who takes up the family business much to the dismay of her father, but that would be kind of expected. Instead, this surprisingly soulful and sweet look at an unexpected relationship that develops between an estranged father and daughter offers a unique and engaging mashup of two unlikely genres. Read more…
WETLANDS (2017) review
written by: Emanuelle Della Valle
produced by: Fred C. Caruso
directed by: Emanuelle Della Valle
rated: unrated
runtime: 98 min.
U.S. release date: September 15, 2017
Although it has the same title, the feature-length debut from writer/director Emanuelle Della Valle is thankfully not an American remake of David Wnendt’s “Wetlands”. All this neo-noir from writer/director Emanuelle Della Valle shares with that quirky/kinky German coming-of-age dramedy from 2013 is a title. The film is taking familiar noir conventions and placing them in a rarely-seen modern setting with a convincingly dour tone and feel that’s accentuated by a committed cast. For the most part, this moody storyline works for all those reasons, yet seems to leave us hanging (possibly disappointed) during its somewhat odd third act. Read more…
AMERICAN ASSASSIN (2017) review
written by: Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz
produced by: Nick Wheeler and Lorenzo di Bonaventura
directed by: Michael Cuesta
rated: R (Strong violence throughout, some torture, language and brief nudity)
runtime: 111 min.
U.S. release date: September 15, 2017
Based on the best-selling series of books by Vince Flynn, “American Assassin” finds CBS Films, Lionsgate Films, and producers Nick Wheeler and Lorenzo di Bonaventura, hoping to kick off a movie franchise revolving around the covert adventures of Mitch Rapp, a secret counter-terrorist operative for the CIA. They’ve cast a young hunky guy in the titular role and are hoping that director Michael Cuesta (who’s had his hand in television since 2014’s “Kill the Messenger”) can kick off a series. It’s doubtful fans of the novels have been clamoring for a movie transition and at this point, with so many of these spy thriller movies getting greenlit with interchangeable plots, the only thing about them I look forward to is to find some actor in these movies stand out amidst the stereotypical roles. So, on that note, I’d like to thank Michael Keaton for bringing some enjoyment to this by-the-numbers story. Read more…
COLUMBUS (2017) review
written by: Kogonada
produced by: Danielle Renfrew Behrens, Aaron Boyd, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Andrew Miano & Chris Weitz
directed by: Kogonada
rated: unrated
runtime: 104 min.
U.S. release date: August 4, 2017 (limited) and September 8, 2017 (at the Music Box Theatre, Chicago, IL)
“Columbus” is a reminder of what we can learn when we step out of our surroundings, out of ourselves and just observe and listen. It’s also a film that suggests what we can unexpectedly learn when we stay in the same place, appreciating what has always been around us. I arrived at such realizations well after my initial viewing of the feature film debut by a filmmaker known as Kogonada, yet while I was watching it I found myself enraptured by meticulously framed shots of art, architecture and people that are relatable and so easy to connect with. It’s a viewing experience that had me from start to finish, one that invited me to be transported from my life, which is rare. It touched me, continues to move me, and it has since become my favorite film of the year so far. Read more…
FALLEN (2017) review
written by: Nichole Millard, Kathryn Price and Michael Ross
produced by: Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray, Bill Johnson & Jim Seibel
directed by: Scott Hicks
rated: PG-13 (for thematic material, violent images, some sensuality, language and teen partying)
runtime: 92 min.
U.S. release date: September 8, 2017 (limited)
It’s been a while since the “Twilight Saga” blew up the box office and now that highly-successful “The Hunger Games” adaptations have come and gone it’s natural that studios are looking to adapt any best-selling YA that can get their hands on. They shouldn’t be too quick though, look what happened with the “Insurgent” series. Now an adaptation of a series of four books by author Lauren Tate has somehow been greenlit and we a cast of troubled teens in a formulaic story that consists of petty, self-absorbed characters that includes supernatural fantasy that’s just as half-baked as the groan-inducing romance. The catch here is we have fallen angels, with producers probably hoping that the conservative Christian audience that ran away from the lusty longings from sparkly vampires or werewolf boys, will return and embrace a fantasy they can call their own. Read more…
REMEMORY (2017) review
written by: Mark Pakansky and Michael Vukadinovich
produced by: Daniel Bekerman and Lee Clay
directed by: Mark Palansky
rated: PG-13 (for bloody accident images, some violence, thematic material and brief strong language)
runtime: 111 min.
U.S. release date: August 24, 2017 (Google Play), September 9, 2017 (limited & VOD)
There’s something about the sci-fi mystery “Rememory” that makes it a little better than it actually is for me. Maybe it’s the intention to get us to think about our own memories, how much or what we remember, as well as what we choose to forget, that stands out. Or it could be the unique ideas regarding memory it presents that almost makes up for some of the film’s egregious flaws. At its core, “Rememory” is about guilt and grief – two perennial responses that can be found in most (if not all) stories, yet there’s something quite intriguing about the titular device the film revolves around that kind of makes up for the cliches director Mark Palansky tends to lean on. The overall package may be lacking, but a compelling lead performance and some particular stand-out elements prevent me from completely disregarding the film altogether. Read more…
I DO…UNTIL I DON’T (2017) review
written by: Lake Bell
produced by: Miranda Bailey, Amanda Marshall, Jett Steiger & Lake Bell
directed by: Lake Bell
rated: R for sexual material and language
runtime: 103 min.
U.S. release date: September 1, 2017 (limited)
Actress Lake Bell stepped behind the camera for her 2013 directorial debut entitled “In a World…”, which took an endearing rare look at the career of a professional voice actor. Bell starred in and wrote the screenplay for the drama and established her proclivity for quirky humor, emotional introspection and eruptive confrontation. It was a funny and charming first film that left me anticipating what would come next from Bell. Unfortunately, I have to categorize her latest “I Do…Until I Don’t” (clearly she has an ellipsis trilogy in mind) as a sophomore slump. It’s a comedy with big swings, free of subtlety or nuance, and major strike outs. While it boasts a mostly solid cast, what Bell has herself and them doing is either ridiculous or off-putting and that’s a shame considering the potential of the subject she is mining. Read more…
UNLOCKED (2017) review
written by: Peter O’Brien
produced by: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Georgina Townsley, Erik Howsam & Claudia Bluemhuber
directed by: Michael Apted
rated: R (for violence and language)
runtime: 98 min.
U.S. release date: September 1, 2017
The influence of the “Bourne” movies and the television series “24” have become prevalent in our consumption of movies and television series that revolve around government agents or spies and the terrorists they pursue, making it somewhat of a challenge to come up with anything new or different. Unless the tone is wholly original, it’s become apparent that it’s really hard to steer clear of the kind of formula we’re used to seeing. Such is the case with “Unlocked”, the latest spy thriller from veteran director Michael Apted, who has some experience in this genre, having helmed “The World is Not Enough,” an eighteen-year-old 007 entry. “Unlocked” is a movie that can’t seem to maintain any interest despite the impressive acting pedigrees of its cast. Despite a couple of solid performances, the convoluted story and confusing characters fail to leave any lasting mark.
Read more…
LOGAN LUCKY (2017) review
written by: Rebecca Blunt
produced by: Gregory Jacobs, Mark Johnson, Channing Tatum & Reid Carolin
directed by: Steven Soderbergh
rated: PG-13 (for language and some crude comments)
runtime: 119 min.
U.S. release date: August 18, 2017
I never believed him nor did I want to. In 2013, when writer/director Steven Soderbergh released two full-length features – “Side Effects” theatrically and “Behind the Candelabra” on HBO – he also announced his retirement from filmmaking. Considering this is a filmmaker who’s been known to release two films in one year, showing himself to be a passionate and prolific storyteller, I chose not to believe such an announcement. I assume frustration with theatrical distribution models factored in his retirement, which is understandable since big studios are intent on backing established brands. However, none of that prevented Soderbergh from working since he went on to direct all twenty episodes of the acclaimed Cinemax series “The Knick” and now there’s the theatrical release “Logan Lucky”, which finds the director returning to the heist comedy, a subgenre he knows quite well. It’s a feature that has more in common with “Out of Sight” in tone and style than his three “Oceans” movies and it’s one of the funniest movies of the year. Read more…
LIZA, LIZA, SKIES ARE GREY (2017) review
written by: Terry Sanders
produced by: Steven Chao, Ann Dickinson, Richard Purington & Terry Sanders
directed by: Terry Sanders
rated: unrated
runtime: 86 min.
U.S. release date: August 18, 2017 (limited)
For me, the only draw of “Liza, Liza, Skies Are Grey” was the period in which it’s set and how that aspect of the film would hopefully offer an immersive or at least distinctive experience. But after reading more promotional material for this low-budget independent feature – a first from veteran documentation Terry Sanders (who wrote, produced and edited as well) – which touted the film as a hybrid of such literary classics as Romeo and Juliet and The Odyssey. Well, such hopes were dashed when became quite apparent that the film lacked any true period acknowledgement and such a description turned out to be an extreme over-reach, since this teenage sexual discovery tale, wound up testing my threshold for bad acting and terrible dialogue within a totally forced and unconvincing love story. Read more…
