Cinelou Films, Echo Films, We’re Not Brothers Productions,

Daniel Barnz, Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, Chris Messina, Mamie Gummer, Lucy Punch, Britt Robertson, Paula Cale, Ashley Crow, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Camille Guaty, Allen Maldonado, Camille Mana, Julio Oscar Mechoso

Claire Bennett(Jennifer Anniston) is in major chronic pain. She still manages to keep her sarcastic sense of humor, but her life is very lonely filled with narcotics and vodka. She belongs to a support group with others who are experiencing pain, but when one of the members commits suicide, Nina (Anna Kendrick), Claire sets out to investigate everything she can find about this girl.

You won’t know what happened to Claire, and try not to find out before you watch this movie. This is a dark tale of a great deal of pain and suffering, but there are many bright points. One is Silvana (Adriana Barraza) Claire’s housekeeper who is the one who cares for Claire the most. It’s hard to find out the cause of Claire’s situation, especially because she is always in a haze from the booze and drugs, but piece by piece we get clues of what happened. The very last second of the film is very poignant. Why is it called cake? Well, you’ll have to wait 1 hour and 15 minutes into the film to learn that piece of information. This is definitely the best performance I have ever seen from Jennifer Aniston. This is definitely a dramatic role, there is very little fun in it at all, but but she carries the story like a champ. There are also some other very good performances. There is a great deal to think about, and this is a very thought provoking character study. There is a very small but poignant scene with William H Macy as well that is very, very touching. Sam Worthington as Roy, Nena’s husband is also very well done. Jennifer’s character is so very lonely, but it’s discouraging how she chases everyone away that even tries to show her some compassion. This is an excellent film, and one that is very worthwhile. I highly recommend it as one of the best dramas I have seen in a long, long time. There is a lot of criticism of the movie, mostly from folks like don’t like the non-resolution of all the problems and issues. Some things that could take much more development in a mini-series are left out. But to me, I think that shows the brilliance of the writer and director. These kinds of problems don’t come to a conclusion in 90 minutes. These kinds of problems take decades to work through. But I think we are told plenty to give us lots to think about, and to decide where we think Claire is headed. I think it’s about right, the way it’s handled. And if you figure out the reason why every A in the titles is laying down sideways, feel free to let me know. I have an idea, but I’m not sure if I’m right.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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C Plus Pictures, La Pistola, Attic Light Films,

Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Alex Shaffer, Amy Madigan, Joshua Harto, David Lambert

Leigh (Kristen Bell) was her school valedictorian and had a job in the city as a reporter, but she’s not happy. She decided to throw in the towel and move back home with her parents. She doesn’t fit in very well, and it causes a lot of friction, but she takes her old job as a lifeguard at the pool, and starts up a relationship with a young boy that threatens to blow the whole family, and perhaps the whole town apart.

Leigh is afraid to grow up. It’s that simple. Being born female, she has the option of blowing off her career and her adult life and returning to her childhood. It’s clear her family is not too happy about her returning home, but she really doesn’t care. The fact that she starts hanging out with teenagers and trying to relive her childhood days is also a bit off putting. I couldn’t find any sympathy for this character, nor could I deal with her behavior. She needs to grow up. This is one of those movies that seems to just show us the everyday life of some characters without any resolution or judgement of any kind. Sometimes we like our movies to have a point. This really doesn’t. It’s just what it is. I agree with others that Kristen Bell nailed the character, but for what purpose? The time spent watching this could have been just as well spent watching the clothes spin around in the dryer. I didn’t absolutely hate this, but I didn’t care for it very much. To be honest, I really disliked Leigh, and felt like she deserved what she got, and much more. There are days when we’d all like to chuck it in and go back home again, but we don’t do it. We have mortgages and bills and taxes and families to care for, so we keep on getting up and going to work. This is life, and this romanticizing going back to relive your childhood is not very attractive. Leigh needs to grow up.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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FilmNation Entertainment, Premiere Picture, Echo Lake Productions (I)

Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker, Laura-Leigh, Lyndsy Fonseca, Jared Harris, Sydney Sweeney, D.R. Anderson, Mika Boorem


A young woman, Kristen (Amber Heard), is sent to a creepy mental institution with a past as dark and sinister as her own. She was caught burning down a farm house and determined to need help. Immediately she and the other girls are terrorized by a ghost, and each of the other patients in Kristen’s ward begin to disappear one by one, and that’s just the beginning of her long nightmare. Recruiting what’s left of her friends Kristen makes one noble attempt after another to escape.

This John Carpenter horror film is very spooky. The helplessness of the girls and their repeated attempts to save themselves from this nightmare with no results leaves us breathless. This is an excellent horror film, and John Carpenter certainly has not lost his touch with the genre. Extreme suspense and helplessness engulf us as we realize the poor girls have no way out. As they drop one by one, it appears there is no solution and Kristen still keeps digging for the truth as to what happened to the ghostly girl who seems to want to kill them all. It’s certainly a shocker, and the surprise ending may not be a surprise to everyone, but still, from the opening scene of the fire to the final credits there is no time to catch your breath. As good a nut house film as I’ve seen in a long while, this is great rental for a creepy autumn/late summer evening! Just don’t watch it alone!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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