Ed's Review Dot Com

Killer Films, Foundry Films, Pacific Northwest Pictures,

Callum Keith Rennie, Scott Speedman, Aidan Devine, Patricia Clarkson, Tim Roth

Helen Matthews (Patricia Clarkson) is shattered by the sudden accidental death of her husband. The couple owned a remote cabin on an island, only accessible by boat, and she decides to head to the cabin to be alone and to put the pieces of her life back together far away from everyone. But shortly after she arrives, a young man, William (Scott Speedman) arrives at her door in a pouring rainstorm and after seeing that he has been shot and is very weak and hungry, she invites him in for a meal and a chance to rest. But when she finds out that the men who shot him are on on his trail, and are coming to kill him and would not hesitate to kill her as well, they have to form a fragile alliance to try to survive the next day or two till the storm subsides and they can get their boat out of there. What follows is a suspenseful mystery.

This was an interesting film, a little unlike any I’ve seen before. This is a “lady alone way out in the woods” thriller but the interactions between the major characters (of which there are really only four) leads to a very suspenseful trip. Everyone of the characters has different motives, and it appears that they’re kind of forced into the role that they’re playing without much choice. It’s kill or be killed, and it is an edge of your seat thriller. The location is really perfect, and essentially the entire movie takes place in the beautiful little cabin on the water, in the nearby forest, and in the boat house. It doesn’t take a huge set to make a very scary story. This is certainly a beautiful location. Then, did I mention the suspense? Crazy. The story is well crafted and unfolds one piece at a time so that you’re not sure who’s really at fault here. I thought this was a worthwhile story, and one I can recommend.

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Gran Via Productions, Greyshack Films, Water’s End Productions,

Patricia Clarkson, Zachary Booth, Jayma Mays, Joseph Cross, Rutina Wesley, Fran Kranz, Devon Graye, Alexia Rasmussen, Julie Carmen, Judith Light, Chris Mulkey

Celia Green (Patricia Clarkson) has a dream to spend the last weekend of the summer at a cabin on the water with her grown sons and their friends. They set out to have the perfect weekend, which is what she’s looking for, but family dramas, problems, and issues make things worse and worse as the weekend goes on driving them further apart from each other. As she’s looking to sell the home after this summer since they hardly use it anymore, the troubles make her doubt her role in the family anymore.

This is another indie Sundance film about a dysfunctional family on a weekend outing. This one isn’t really dramatic, and it really, really isn’t comedy, so what is it? I’m not sure. There have been some great stories like this in the past, but this one sputtered out of the gate, and never got going, and sank into the sea by 1/3 way through the film. I couldn’t really like any of the characters, and could never get into the story. There’s no point to what’s going on, and I’m afraid I’ve seen too many screwed up family movies that just don’t go anywhere. If there’s humor, or a decent point to all of it, but by the middle of this weekend, I was just hoping it would be over and I could move on. This is not Patricia Clarkson’s fault, except maybe that she accepted the role, but rather the fault of a weak pointless script. I would not watch this if were on TV, and it’s even boring for a Lifetime Channel drama. I really didn’t like it, and I don’t recommend this one. Truly a waste.

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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.

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Screen Gems, Castle Rock Entertainment, Zucker Productions,

Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Bryan Greenberg, Richard Jenkins, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone

Jamie Rellis(Mila Kunis) is a New York head-hunter trying to get Dylan Harper (Justin Timberlake) to take a job with GQ Magazine in New York and move from the Los Angeles, the area which he loves. When he takes the job and makes the move to the Big Apple, he doesn’t know anyone and is kind of lonely. He and Jamie quickly become friends. As they become friends, they both realize that normal “romantic comedy” stuff is not for them. Sex is great, but the problems and jealousies of the relationship wreck everything. They find they both agree that becoming Friends With Benefits is perfect and they agree not to let any feeling wreck the connection they have. Jamie is emotionally damaged and Dylan just doesn’t want to get attached to anyone. But as time passes, they find they cannot help but develop feelings for each other, and if that is not cut off at the start, it may destroy everything after all.

This is basically the same story as “No Strings Attached” [Click here for EdsReview], but this one had the misfortune of coming second. Both movies are very similar, and I couldn’t really tell you which one is better. I enjoyed the first one because it was fresh. This then, seems similar. But if it were the other way around, this could easily have the 4 rating and the other one the 3.5. 🙂

This film has a lot of funny moments, and Justin and Mila pull it off pretty good. There are some really great supporting characters here too, Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Woody Harrelson, Andy Samberg, and even Shaun White playing himself. It’s textbook romantic comedy, and has some very touching moments. So perhaps, not quite as good as No Strings Attached, it’s able to stand on it’s own fairly well. If you’re looking for a decent romantic comedy with a few really good laughs, you could do much worse than this one.

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Color Force, Film Four, Random House Films,

Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Scott, Romola Garai, Rafe Spall, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker, Joséphine de La Baume

Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Strugess) connect on the day of their college graduation in 1988 and almost sleep together. But in the end they decide to be close friends and Emma stays the night. The date is July 15th. They remain friends throughout their lives as they grow apart, then grow back closer again. In order to cover their lives from 1988 through 2009, the film shows us one day, July 15th, of each year, just to check in with the two of them, whether they are together or apart, so see how their lives are progressing. Emma is quiet and reclusive, she’s very smart, but success eludes her because of her nature. Dexter on the other hand, has everything handed to him. Finding women very easily, and finding success as a TV host comes simply for him. Dexter finds and marries a rich girl Sylvie (Romola Garai) and has a daughter, but his destructive nature screws that up and they divorce. Emma eventually meets and marries Ian (Refe Spall) whom she doesn’t really love. But until the end, the friendship lingers on.

This is a beautiful movie with lots of wonderful scenery (It was filmed in Scotland). It is a slow film, very romantic, but slow developing. It’s a little hard to keep up with. A calendar on the screen shows us which year it is, but it’s hard to understand a story that takes place over one day a year for over 20 years. It’s happy, and sad, and tragic. But if you want to watch this, my recommendation is to pay close attention to the film. This is not a “background filler” film, or you’ll be totally lost. Also it helps to keep in mind that there is no real special significance to July 15th. It’s not like some films where they meet one day a year. It’s just a chosen checkpoint to see how they’ve been doing over the last 12 months. So it’s rather choppy at times. But the story is really there, if you have patience for the slow development, and if you are paying attention to what is going on.

This film is based on a novel, and I bet the book is very good to read. Making a book into a movie is sometimes quite a challenge, which I think is what they faced here. I have not seen or read the book. However the film is very pretty, both Emma and Dexter are very interesting people, and are very real, flaws and all, and the acting is spectacular along with the beautiful scenery. I recommend this film if you’re a fan of slow romantic drama films and are willing to invest the time to watch it closely. Otherwise, you’ll probably be disappointed.

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