Ed's Review Dot Com

Amasia Entertainment, Troika Pictures, Coup d’Etat Films,

Dev Patel, Robert Patrick, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Sheehan, Zoë Kravitz

Vincent (Robert Sheehan) is a young man with Tourette’s syndrome who was close to his mother, who has passed away. His father, Robert (Robert Patrick) is running for office, so to avoid embarrassment, he packs Vincent off to a clinic run by unconventional Dr. Mia Rose (Kyra Sedgwick). But when Vincent meets and falls for a anorexic patient Marie (Zoe Kravitz) he kidnaps his room mate, Alex (Dev Patel) who has a germ phobia and major OCD, steals the Doctor’s car and heads out on a road trip to the ocean to scatter his Mom’s ashes. What follows is a rather hilarious dysfunctional road trip.

This was a surprising little film which features some great acting by three primary characters all of which have devastating disabilities, but who want to function normally. The director shows us these problems by developing the situations around that which makes them the most uncomfortable. There is a lot of humor here, but I feel they really showcased the talent of the actors and really developed in us an affinity to the characters that is remarkable. It was as if I could feel what it was like to have these problems along with the characters. The humor was refreshing, but there is also a lot of heart here as well. It is a touching film. In addition to the major three characters, the interaction between Dr. Rose and Vincent’s father is quite interesting as well, and even more substantial is the father-son relationship between Vincent and his father. All in all, this is an interesting film with a lot of interesting side stories, but with superior character development. I really enjoyed this.

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Grindstone Entertainment Group, Entertainment One, Paradox Entertainment,

Samuel L. Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Gloria Reuben, Ryan Robbins, Erin Karpluk, Dylan Taylor, Philippe Brenninkmeyer, Lane Styles

Mitch Brockton (Domenic Cooper) is rising star in the DA department. He never loses. But a bad choice one night finds him driving home after a party when he hit a pedestrian, calls 911 anonymously from a pay phone and heads home to avoid ruining his career. But much to his dismay, he is assigned to prosecute Clinton Davis (Samuel L Jackson) who has been charged with the crime. His conscience is in for a stormy week or two.

This is an interesting concept that has a lot of promise. Imagine being called on to prosecute a man for the crime you committed. But he is just beginning to scratch the surface of what happened that night. This could have been a much better film, however, than it was. It was pretty straight forward without much in the way of twists and turns. Everything that happened was pretty obvious. It wasn’t an awful film, and had some rather interesting parts, but for the most part it was a bit hum-drum and just predictable. There were no outstanding performances here, and even Samuel L Jackson was not near as good as he usually is. Basically I suspect they just did not have the best script and enough budget to completely pull this off. But it’s not a bad way to pass the time. It’s available for streaming, and if you like court dramas, this is a decent way to spend 90 minutes or so. Just be aware that it’s not outstanding in the genre.

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Patriot Pictures,

Robert Duvall, James Franco, Josh Hartnett, Devon Abner, Adriana Barraza, Angie Cepeda

Scott Briggs (Robert Duvall) is a rancher with a long buried secret. He has two sons played by James Franco and Josh Hartnett. A lady Texas Ranger, Samantha Payne (Luciana Pedraza) locks onto a 15 year old case of a missing boy, and sets her mind to solving the cold case by proving that there it was a murder, but there is much deeper trouble in the past that just won’t be buried any longer.

This is a dramatic western story that really hits home. It features the usual hard headed and stubborn old man played so well by Robert Duvall. He has the gay son (Franco) and the good son (Hartnett) that wants nothing more than to please his father. The story is very intense and deep, and leaves a lasting impression. It is very touching and will move you. The acting is intense and it’s an all star cast. Nothing is black and white, but all shades of gray in-between. This reminds me of Duvall’s film from 2014, “The Judge” as Duvall plays a very similar character. This kind of crotchety old man is right in his wheel house these days. But it does give you a lot to think about, and I must admit that I enjoyed this modern take on western justice, honor, integrity, and the opposites of these. A morality tale, as most westerns are, perhapss the hardest thing to live with is guilt.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday February 2, 2016

• Big Stone Gap
• Bridge of Spies
• Freeheld
• Ladrones
• The Last Witch Hunter
• Man Up
• Our Brand is Crisis
• Rock the Kasbah
• Shelter
• Suffragette
• Truth

Glacier Films, NGN Productions,

Jordana Brewster, Hayden Christensen, Adrien Brody, Tory Kittles, Akon

James Kelly (Hayden Christensen) owes his life to his brother Frankie (Adrien Brody) for taking the rap for a crime they did together. James is trying to clean up his act and wants to start an auto repair shop, but once Frankie is out of jail, he unknowingly sucks James back into on last bank robbery that doesn’t bode well for anybody.

This is a violent, but touching story. As the title says, it’s about the heist, but really this is a brother’s picture. These two brothers are joined by a bond that is stretched to the breaking point, but their support for each other keeps them going. This is an interesting take on the story and the two brothers are played by a couple of very talented actors, and the two work very well together, even though they are very different from each other. The screenwriting is rather good, and the acting isn’t bad at all. This film earned the R rating with the extreme violence, and it is quite bloody. But the story is well worth it, and it’s a movie that will make a big impact. If you can get past the gore, it’s a decent film.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog