Archive for September, 2014

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday September 30, 2014

  • Are You Here
  • Chef
  • Cold in July
  • Decoding Annie Parker
  • Hellion
  • Lucky Them
  • The Pretty One
  • Space Station 76
  • Third Person
  • Transformers: Age of Extinction

Author: EdG

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20th Century Fox, Dayday Films, Gotham Group,

Patricia Clarkson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Dylan O’Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Jacob Latimore

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) awakens in a sort of elevator in the middle of a lush meadow, completely lost and with no memories. He is terrified to be surrounded by a group of boys he doesn’t know. When Thomas settles down, he finds that the boys have been trapped here for several years, and every month a new boy arrives, but no one knows what is going on. The are surrounded by a giant maze that has a great door that opens during the day, but closes at sundown every night. Led by the first boy, Alby (Aml Ameen), Thomas learns that during the day the boys explore the maze, but anyone who does not get out before the door closes never returns. Despite their terror, Thomas is determined to understand what is happening to them, and why.

This is a very suspenseful and tense story. The closest thing I can think of it that gave me the same kind of willies was The Village, M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller about a group of people safe in a clearing, but surround by a wilderness full of monsters that will kill them if they venture out. This is a similar kind of story, although you’ll find similarities with Hunger Games as well, as they have to use their wits to survive. The suspense is intense, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story is very simple. Either get out through the maze, or stay safe forever in the glade, and each one has to find in their heart which to do. One thing for sure, when Thomas arrives, things will never be the same again. The acting is excellent, and this gang of misfits makes us care what happens to them. The mystery of why anyone would do this is also captivating right up until the last moments. The sound is very well done, and the sets, especially the maze itself is masterful. This will definitely keep you interested. Many complain that the end is rather abrupt, and with all the challenges they go through to get to the end, it probably is a bit short. They definitely set us up for a sequel though, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

I found this a really excellent thriller. The monsters may be a bit too intense for the under 14 crowd, and they may have nightmares from the awful things that happen, but for older kids and adults alike, if you enjoy a really good sci-fi thriller like the ones Tom Cruise and Will Smith have been trying to do and can’t pull off, not only does this movie pull it off, but in a splendid journey all the way. I highly recommend this film, probably my favorite of the summer, and I’m glad I chose to go see this in the theater. I was not disappointed at all, and I can recommend it. If you’ve seen it, feel free to comment and let me know if you agree. For me, this was very well done.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Process Media, Love Punch, Radar Films,

Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie, Louise Bourgoin, Laurent Lafitte, Tuppence Middleton

Richard (Pierce Brosnan) and his ex-wife, Kate (Emma Thompson) are divorced, but still friendly, and they have two children. Kate got the house, and Richard is about to retire from the company he started. He made a great deal to sell the company to a big overseas corporation, there by protecting his employees that are like family to him, and ensure his wife’s standard of living and fund his retirement. But soon after the sale it becomes apparent that the buyer liquidated the company, and bankrupted it sending all the employees out on the street without any pension. It also leaves Kate and Richard flat broke, so the set out to visit the new owner to change his mind. Things don’t work out as expected and so they hatch a plan to steal an expensive diamond to get their money back.

This movie is very light. It’s a simple comedy with likeable people and an unlikely plot. But nobody cares as it’s just fun to watch Pierce Brosnan and Emily Thompson working together. The plot is kind of silly, but it doesn’t matter as this movie isn’t trying to teach a story or make a point. It’s just a lighthearted romp through the story with lots of fun and laughs. It’s a feel good movie and is probably the most shallow piece of drivel I’ve seen in a while, but it was fun all the way through. Of course the good guys should win and have a blast all the way to the end credits. Really, if you’re looking for a story with some meat on its bones, then this isn’t it, but if you’re looking for a light visit with old friends in a comfortable setting, this is it. I really enjoyed it, and thought it was fun to watch.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Alcove Entertainment, Attercop Productions, British Film Institute (BFI),

Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, Yasmin Paige, James Fox, Cathy Moriarty, Phyllis Somerville, Sally Hawkins, Chris O’Dowd, Craig Roberts

Simon (Jesse Eisenberg) is an employee in an office who is invisible to everyone. No one notices him, especially the girl he likes, Hannah (Mia Wasikowska). Nobody pays any attention to him, and he gets no credit for what he does. Suddenly a new employee, James (Jesse Eisenberg) shows up to work, and he’s an identical physical copy of Simon, but very smooth, great personality, and a hit with the girls. James makes Simon do all the work, but takes all the credit which drives Simon nuts. He can seem to tolerate all the abuse and all the negative energy around him, except for James who he just can’t stand, although he can’t seem to make anyone see that James is a fraud, as they all like James so much.

It has been a hard week for Ed’s Review. Either I have been in a bad mood, or the new DVD’s just haven’t been very good lately. This was, I think, the lamest of the bunch. I don’t have anything against Jesse Eisenberg but what they made this movie for is hard for me to understand. Someone called this film the poor man’s Fight Club, which is probably not a bad description, but at least Fight Club has some sort of purpose. There wasn’t anything that made any sense in this film. I am not sure what they were going after, but unfortunately it was all really silly. They may have been going for something really deep, but it didn’t gel in the least for me. I found myself wanting out all the way through this film. I thought if I stuck it out, there may be some payout in the end, but there wasn’t anything worth waiting for. This is one of the dumbest movies I’ve seen all year, and I’d suggest you avoid this one like the plague. This was a waste of a good cast and another missed opportunity to create something meaningful.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Worldview Entertainment, Arcade Pictures,

AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Gene Jones, Kentucker Audley, Kate Lyn Sheil, Talia Dobbins, Donna Biscoe, Shaun Clay

Three journalists secure a helicopter to visit a remote camp in Africa run by Father (Gene Jones) the leader and chief brain washer of the group. One of the journalists has an ulterior motive as his sister is a member of the cult and wants him to see what a wonderful life they have, but in truth he wants to get her out of the place and bring her home.

This video has the feel of a documentary, but it’s a totally fictional story of what “could” happen and is obviously based on the Jonestown massacre lead by Jim Jones who encouraged his followers to commit mass suicide in 1978. There are many obvious nods to the Jonestown story. Using the found footage excuse for poor quality photography, The story is overly long, and pretty slow through most of it. They have a decent story here, but the problems I had with it are basically the long drawn out story and mostly the shaky camera. Not as bad in that department as some (because they used the idea of making a documentary as an excuse for using a tripod some of the time), it still annoys. This is a fairly decent thriller, and the subject was really good and deserved so much more than the dragging cliche treatment it got. I wanted to yell at the screen…”Get on with it already” a dozen or so times. Naturally it’s going to paint the “Eden Parish” community as a loving, peaceful, and happy place, real heaven on earth stuff, until some creepy messages get sent out for help and rescue causing you to wonder. Gene Jones does a really good job as Father of the community and he is the very best part of the film, no doubt about it. But the rest of the cast let us down. Because it’s supposed to be a true story documentary doesn’t mean you can get lazy with the lines and the story. This is basically a great idea that just wasn’t executed that well, and it’s a shame it wasn’t carried off much better than it was. I’d say pass on this one unless you’re really bored with nothing to watch.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

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