Ed's Review Dot Com

Pathé, Potboiler Productions, Element Pictures,

Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, Charlotte Rampling, Liv Hill, Kate Phillips, Josh Dylan, Anna Madeley, Lorne MacFadyen, Sarah Crowden, Kathryn O’Reilly, Tim Plester

Dr Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) is a country doctor, who came from humble beginnings in the quiet English countryside. His mother was a housekeeper at Hundreds Hall, one of the stunning spectacular mansions of the past. When he was a child, his mother took him to a celebration at the house, and he was enthralled and instilled with the desire to fit into the gentry himself. In the summer of 1948, he is called to visit a patient in Hundreds Hall, and he becomes obsessed with the Ayer’s family who live there, but the house is in a shambles, and the great days of the past are long gone. He finds his patient Roderick (Will Pulter) and his sister Caroline (Ruth Wilson) who has just returned home to care for her brother and the aging mother (Charlotte Rampling) who are all that’s left in the decaying house. As Dr. Faraday gets more and more obsessed with inserting himself into what he remembers of the glory days of Hundreds Hall, he sets his sights on Caroline who is the unmarried heir of the family and the home. But everyone has a feeling that something is wrong at hundreds house, and someone or something wants to destroy everyone in the household. This mysterious Gothic style ghost story tells the events that happen in a slow, meticulous way that will give you the creeps.

The Little Stranger is advertised as a horror film, which it’s not, and it’s not really a ghost story either. The suspense is real though and I found it fascinating to spend some time watching this DVD. Many critics describe it as slow, which I understand, it is slow for sure, but the methodical deliberate way this story unfolds is very creating and artistic. Obviously some tragedy happened which leads to the destruction of the legacy of Hundreds Hall, but the director is not going to wrap it up and present it to you in the ending. It’s going to take some effort and heavy thinking before you’re going to be able to figure this one out. Many people do not like movies that make you work. Most people are going to either turn this off in the first half hour, or stick with it and find themselves thinking about it for a long while. I did enjoy this movie, and found it very out of the ordinary, which is why I did enjoy it. The key to understanding is to realize before you go in, that this is a psychological study of Dr. Faraday and his burning desire to move up in his station. Being a respected doctor is not enough, he wants to be an aristocrat at whatever the cost. This is not a ghoulish ghost story with lots of blood and guts, but rather a suspenseful journey through some very dark places with a lot of quiet terror along the way. It was very well done, if you know what you’re going into, but if you’re looking for a teen slasher, this isn’t going to make it happen for you. If you can handle a classic horror tale of the old days, this is a good period piece of post war Britain and the mysterious goings on in this house.

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20th Century, Anonymous Content, Appian Way, Monarchy Enterprises S.a.r.l.,

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas

Set in the 1820’s this is a story of some fur trappers guided by Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who were attacked by the Indians who wanted to steal the pelts. Scouting ahead, Glass is attacked by a grizzly bear and when he is found, he is nearly dead and not expected to make it. Three men were left behind to take of Glass and bury him properly when he died, but they took off to collect the reward and left him for dead. But he didn’t die, and against all odds, sets out to find the man who left him behind.

This is an epic film, two and a half hours long and very moving. Nominated for Best Picture for 2016 it did not win it, but perhaps it should have. But it was good enough to get the best actor nod for Leo. He deserved that as well. This is a tale of extreme cold and misery with a little starvation thrown in, not to mention the horrible wounds his body suffered at this graphic attack by the bear. This was extremely well done, and today’s technology is a far cry from a guy in a bear suit. If you don’t totally believe Leo was mauled for real, I don’t believe you. The location is the 2nd biggest star of this film, and it was so realistic looking that it blew me away. This is definitely a BIG SCREEN movie so hurry to watch it before it goes away. Usually the Academy Awards lift will give it extra legs. Leo’s performance was unbelievable, and he really put his whole heart and soul into this movie. There were other really great performances as well including Tom Hardy as “Fitzpatrick” the real villain in the story, and Captain Andrew Henry (Domhall Gleeson) who add a great deal, but this is truly Leo’s movie. The effort that went into producing this blockbuster must have been epic as well. It’s quite long, but hardly long enough, and the action and adventure is over the top. This is definitely one of the best films in a number of years, and is one you really don’t want to miss. This is an exciting movie. Don’t miss it.

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Gotham Group, TSG Entertainment, Temple Hill Entertainment,

Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Aidan Gillen, Rosa Salazar, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Barry Pepper, Lili Taylor

Part Two of “The Maze Runner” series is upon us. In the first film, young people woke up in a place with no idea how they got there and with their memory erased. They managed to figure out the key to the maze they were really in and how to work it and at the end, they were rescued from the maze from some nice gentlemen who promised them safety. This picks up right after when they arrive at the holding destination waiting for their opportunity to be transferred to the safe haven where they would be able to live safe and free. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) was obviously someone really special and valuable to WCKD, a powerful scientific corporation who is trying to find the cure for the curse which changed most of the Earth into zombie like creatures infected with a highly contagious disease. Thomas is skeptical of who is holding them and about the safe and free idea, and he does some detective work which ends up with the team of Gladers from his maze and some others on a journey through The Scorch, the burned remains of what used to be Earth looking for answers. The journey is anything but safe and free.

This is an excellent sequel to the first Maze Runner movie. I haven’t had the time to read the books, but as you know there are many of these kind of similar adventures that all started with Harry Potter, and then through the Twilight series, then on to such as Hunger Games and Divergent, and I’m sure you can think of a couple others. This is similar, but unique in a big way. It’s extremely well written and very exciting to watch. Non-stop adventure and action sequences, big explosions, car chases, gun battles and everything you could wish for in an action adventure. The cast is really good, and all are well cast. We have a mix of ethnic and cultural representatives. To offset the white guy, there is an Asian guy, an Indian guy, a Black Guy, etc. Politically correctness — check. But the story is so well done, and the settings and CGI of the destroyed Earth is breath taking. But the key is the excellent story and stunning suspense. The cliff hanger ending is a perfect lead-in for the third film, and I can’t wait. This is a big screen kind of movie, and I was glad I saw this in the theater with excellent sound and a brilliant picture. It’s an epic film and one that should be seen. I really enjoyed this, as much as the other big franchises in this genre, and I highly recommend it for you to enjoy.

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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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BenderSpink, New Line Cinema, Vincent Newman Entertainment

Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Will Poulter, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Kathryn Hahn, Molly C. Quinn, Tomer Sisley, Matthew Willig

David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is a small time drug dealer who is happy being the guy he was in college. No ties, no responsibilities, he’s carefree and doing quite well for himself. He lives in an apartment with a bunch of quirky neighbors, but when he spots one of them in trouble, he has to step in, and he ends up losing both the drugs he’s supposed to sell, but also the money he’s saved up. So now he’s in big trouble with his supplier, Brad Gurdlinger (Ed Helms) and the only way to save himself is to make a run as a mule bringing a “smidgen and a half” of drugs into the US from Mexico. So he concocts a crazy plan to rent a mobile home, and pose as the Miller Family with Mom, stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston) Daughter/Goth chick runaway, Casey (Emma Roberts) and not to swift son, Kenny (Will Poulter). Things start out easy, but soon they begin to realize it’s a bit more difficult than they expect, as Murphy’s Law takes over, and everything that can go wrong, does.

I didn’t expect a lot from this film, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was really funny. Now don’t get me wrong, it was quite vulgar a lot of the way through, and it certainly earned the R rating quite easily, but it was definitely funny. It brought much of the humor. Jennifer Anniston is really good, and this role was just perfect for her. She played it perfectly with a mixture of desperate child, worldly lady, and caring Mom in just the right mix. She is no doubt the shining star of the movie, and it’s no surprise she’s usually listed first. Ed Helms brings his best Andy from The Office character with him, and he’s a silly scoundrel who has a lot of karma owing. Jason Sudeikis is, likewise, much like many of his SNL characters, but very good too as the greedy single guy being forced to step up and take care of this family. The rest of the cast is very good too. Even the bad guy/assassins are really not that tough, but much more on the hysterical side. All in all it’s a hoot, and one of those simple comedies that is just a lot of fun. If you’re not offended by the vulgarity of the dialog, then this is a good comedy.

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