Modoc Spring,

Mekhi Phifer, William Sadler, Sterling K. Brown, Derek Roché, James McCaffrey, Rebecca Creskoff, Lizzy DeClement, Bernadette Quigley, Luke Robertson, Marisa Brown

A small town sheriff and his deputies receive a call about the first ever bank robbery in this little town at the same time as a mysterious African-American stranger shows up in town. He has a rather combative attitude and is not helping himself very much with his wise-cracks and claims of racism. But he’s a black stranger in a white town. The suspect has a slew of secrets and is not very worried until his partner who is part of the plan does not show up when he’s supposed to. Things turn very deadly quite quickly and nothing is what it appears to be.

This is one of those hidden gem, indie movies with a really perplexing story. The subject is whether or not the town is racist, and if they treat a black suspect differently than a white one. But like an onion, you peel off layer by layer to find something else underneath. There is so many layers to this story, and it’s beautifully told. Not a mainstream movie by any means, but many reviews give away too many secrets, so I am purposefully keeping this as vague as possible. Essentially there are many tales to tell here, and everyone ends up taking a hard look at themselves. It’s excellent acted by a variety of very good actors who develop the characters very well. I think we have to give a great deal of credit to the screenwriters as well, as it’s a really good little script. Don’t judge the movie by police protocol and there are certain unbelievable elements to the story, and it depends a great deal on coincidence which is pretty far fetched, but there is more than one turn in this movie. I watched it streaming on NetFlix, but you can find this movie many places. It was well worth the time I spend on it. Most streaming movies at NetFlix are either very old classics or not too hot, but this was one that really sparked my interested. I found myself intrigued by the story, and though I didn’t expect a lot going in, I was really touched by the ending of this story. This is one I highly recommend for the classy way this story unfolds. Excellent job, guys.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Summit Entertainment, Red Wagon Entertainment,

Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ansel Elgort, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Mekhi Phifer

In the future, society has broken the population down into five factions based upon their nature. When a child comes of age, in an elaborate, they are given an aptitude test to recommend to them which of the factions they will be best suited for. But based upon their own heart, they have the right to choose which faction they wish to be a part of, but once the choice is made, they cannot change their mind. Of course, those that fail or who are unable to choose are condemned to be “the factorless” and must live in poverty. When Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) takes the test, she fails as the results are inconclusive. She is “divergent” or one who has the characteristics of all the factions and is able to choose her own future. This is very dangerous to the government so even though she joins the rough and tumble warrior factor, she has to keep her secret before the government can find her and eliminate her.

I must first say I haven’t read the books. I think often fans of a book, or series of books is very disappointed when they come out on film. I’ve always had a theory for myself. If I am looking at a series that I’m already familiar with, such as Star Wars or Star Trek, or something along those lines, I would love to read the book first. But if I go see a movie that is really good, or strikes me as a very interesting subject, I love to read the book afterward. That way, I get the story and understand what’s going on, then go into much more depth and I already have a picture in my head (from the movie) of what the world looks like and what the characters look like, so reading about them I can picture it the same way in my mind. But if I read the book first, I end up having a completely different idea of what a person looks like, sounds like, or what their environment looks like. This is good if you’re simply a book reader, but if you love movies, like I do, it’s very jarring to find out the director’s vision is so very different from yours. This is what I think happened to the people who love the book and hate the movie.

Coming into this with no knowledge of the story, I was really blown away. I really enjoyed this film, and it’s been a long time since I’ve had a 5 star review. But I loved this story. Now I will agree, there is certainly a similarity to other works. It’s obviously got elements of The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter in it. And just when I was certain the film was going to go and turn all Blade Runner/Logan’s Run on me, it totally didn’t. It is a unique enough story that has to steal some from other similar types of stories. There’s no way to avoid that. But this was very colorful, suspenseful. a very innocent love story, extreme action and excitement, tension till the last, comedy, tragedy, and it tugs the heart strings. Basically it’s everything a big budget Hollywood blockbuster would have. And it’s obviously ripe for a series.

I can understand those who were disappointed, but this is certainly the best film I’ve seen in 2014, and really think they have the makings of a great series here. See it in the theater if you have a chance.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Facilitator Films, Rainforest Films, Screen Gems

Laz Alonso, Jessica Stroup, Regina King, Mekhi Phifer, Delroy Lindo, Loretta Devine, Idris Elba, Ambrosia Kelley

The Whitfiled family is having their first Christmas together in four years. There is probably a reason they don’t get together that often. Each has their share of issues and hard feelings toward one another, and when they get together they come out. Little conflicts become bigger battles that threatens the family. With an ensemble cast of all stars, this turns into quite a battle.

This is an all African-American cast, and feature many of the very best. Regina King is excellent in this film, and Chris Brown gets to show of some of his singing talents. This is a serious family film about relationships and petty jealousies that try to break the family apart. It has a good story and is a very interesting film. Not aimed at small kids, this is a film that adults will enjoy because of the nature of the problems. At least one of the characters is bound to resonate with everybody. At little edgier than most Christmas movie fare, there’s not syrupy happy ending, but it’s real. This is a strong family, and they just have to deal with the real types of issues that arise and learn the importance of family.

I recommend this if you’re in the mood for a bit more “real” film for Christmas. Not a bad choice, at all.

I was unable to locate a trailer for some of the Holiday films. But I am presenting a clip from the movie that shows Chris Brown singing the title song “This Christmas”.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Film & Entertainment VIP Medienfonds 4 GmbH & Co. KG (I), Foresight Unlimited, Modern VideoFilm

Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor, Mekhi Phifer, Tim Blake Nelson, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Curtis Armstrong, Octavia Spencer, Rob Huebel, John Ventimiglia

Tripp (Patrick Dempsey) walks into the bank to get some change. The teller is a recently “engaged” Kaitlin (Ashley Judd) who Tripp instantly falls for. But suddenly the bank is being robbed by two different gangs. Tripp has a unique talent at extreme multitasking. SO his neurotic fast speaking way of talking takes us along for the ride, plus he’s always a step or two ahead of everyone else. But nothing is at all as it appears. Tripp takes Kaitlin and the rest of us through his thought process step by step by step as he unravels what’s really going on at a frantic pace.

This film was a great surprise. I didn’t expect it to be very good, but was I wrong. This movie is a lot like “Clue” in the way the mystery is solved (and explained to the audience) but it’s really funny. The Peanut Butter and Jelly gang are easily as incompetent as “The Apple Dumpling Gang” and the other gang is hard core and very technical. But nobody knows what’s really going on and who’s being manipulated by whom until the final credits. It’s a very funny movie. I really enjoyed it, and I recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of films like “Dog Day Afternoon” or “Ocean’s Eleven” or anything like that in the crime comedy genre. You’ll be caught up in the action while you laugh you head off at the funny caper. It’s a really good film.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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