Tag: film

Film Review: One Night With Abigail Can End Your Life

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Abigail is a horror film that has a promising plot and some decent performances, but it could have benefited from a bit of restraint on the gore. So, who do we have to blame here? Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett share the director’s seat. Stephen Shields and Guy Busick are the co-writers.

A young actress named Alisha Weir plays the title role and is actually quite good. The cast includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kevin Durand, and Giancarlo Esposito. There is also another actor in the film named Angus Cloud, who apparently has recently died.

A group of criminals who do not know each other are assembled to kidnap a young girl after her ballet practice. She is apparently the daughter of a mysterious and dangerous crime lord. The ne’er-do-wells get an even bigger surprise to discover that pretty little Abigail is actually a vampire who has her own plans to feast. The whole caper turns into a gruesome fight for survival as Abigail shreds her kidnappers one by one.

Obviously, this film is pretty ludicrous on the outset. It’s not entirely a waste of time. There are some notable performances and moments. I did find that Abigail was very well cast. Weir is actually pretty compelling and amusing as the bloodthirsty little creature. She is convincingly frightened at first but delivers a few delicious moments of real menace at times. Other notable performances are presented by Barrera and Stevens. The head games that go on are pretty clever.

My main problem is that the amount of gore gets really distracting and unnecessary. It felt like the directors were going out of their way to break some record when it came to the gratuitous dismemberments and beheadings as well as the foul language. I really don’t have a weak stomach when it comes to either of these facets in some filmmaking, but there are moments that it feels like the writers and directors of this film are seriously too deficient on creativity to show some restraint and shrewd subtlety.

The film is not without merit, but I think leaving a little more to the imagination would have been a welcome improvement.

Film Review: A New Horizon Beckons

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter One is the beginning of what looks to be a pretty engaging and beautifully captured film series directed by Kevin Costner. He also co-wrote the script Jon Baird as well as stars. The cast is huge and includes Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Sam Worthington Jena Malone, Will Patton along with many others.

The film begins in 1859 when the town of Horizon is established in the San Pedro Valley. Four years after that, the town is raided by a tribe of Apache. Many of the residents are scattered as the consequences of the raid start to unfold. This is one of those epics where there are many groups of characters to follow. Costner plays a horse trader named Hayes Ellison who gets caught up in one of the disputes. This leads to him killing a man who was about to threaten the life of a young woman he had met. Ellison and the prostitute named Marigold have to flee Montana before the dead man’s crooked brother catches up with them. Various groups of characters are apparently going to converge on Horizon as the series progresses.

I am not going to be too much into trying to describe this plot because that will really test my patience. Costner is attempting to revisit an epic style of cinema with this complicated, romantic western. Although the story could use a little tightening up in some ways, it’s still a laudable and mostly successful effort. The scenery and set design look gorgeous. I have no complaints about the cast or their performances. There’s a certain gritty feel to the piece that comes across quite authentically. Many important pieces to a good film do come together quite nicely.

It is still too easy to lose the timeline when watching this. There is the sense that Costner has bitten off more than he can chew at times. The shift from various situations and stories can be a little jarring and distracting. I almost felt like I needed to keep notes to make sure I kept some of the relationships straight.

I: do appreciate the ambition that Costner has displayed here, and he pulls off most of it. It could be that much of my impressions is influenced by this being a very early introduction to the overall story and the characters, and it will be easier to follow once the next films are released.

I do recommend that more people see this film because it is better than much of what has come out of Tinseltown lately. It is a celebration of American history and an homage to the grit and courage of those early pioneers. The Native Americans also are portrayed with some depth and complexity as well. Costner created something that attempts to avoid a lot of caricature and shallow stereotypes. There are moments of moving compassion in the midst of the cruelty of the times.

If nothing else, Costner did accomplish something in that I am certainly looking forward to seeing the next installment.

Film Review: Bad Boys Still Give A Pretty Fun Ride

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is not likely the best entry into the franchise, but it certainly is not a terrible film on the whole. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as long-time Miami buddy cops Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett in the fourth movie in this series. They are joined by Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish, Joe Pantoliano, and Jacob Scipio as well as several others. Eric Dane plays the main villain and is menacing enough. Adil & Bilall are the directors with the script being written by Chris Bremner and Will Beall.

The film begins with the pair thwarting an armed robbery on the way to Lowry’s wedding. Their celebration is marred by allegations that their deceased captain was involved with Mexican drug cartels. Captain Conrad Howard was killed off in the previous film, Bad Boys For Life. He apparently left some video messages to his two favorite “bad boys” under his command. While Lowry and Burnett search for the means to clear their captain’s name, they are framed for murder and corruption themselves and have to go on the run with Lowry’s recently discovered son. Lowry’s son has been imprisoned for killing Captain Howard, but he has a chance for an unlikely redemption this time. Of course, the city of Miami is plunged into chaos as Lowry and Burnett shoot and sass their way to exoneration and victory.

I will that one thing that these movies attempt to do is give the main character some interesting character development. This time, Burnett suffers a heart attack and survives, which convinces him of having some sense of indestructability. Lowry has started suffering panic attacks at inopportune moments such as when the bad guys are unloading an arsenal of firearms at him. In spite of the ludicrous action scenes, it is interesting that the writers take some time to explore some internal conflicts one or the other seem to be experiencing. Of course, it also depicts the humorous yet profound bond these two men share after so many adventures together.

I had some mixed reactions to the action sequences. The fight scenes were pretty well realized. There was a moment where a first-person shooter perspective was depicted as if this was a video game, that didn’t really work for me for some reason. The special effects were pretty good although some moments felt too much like I was watching a comic book movie.

Lawrence and Smith have these characters down, and the charisma and occasional witty banter did help me overlook and forgive some of the flaws in this film. It was kind of heartening to see Lowry finally get married, and Burnett remains a devoted family man. Burnett gives his son-in-law a bit of an unnecessary bad time even though the kid is US Marine, which ends up being quite useful when the outlaws come calling on the Burnett household. The was one of the action sequences that was ridiculous yet fun to witness.

Overall, this turned out to be an entertaining enough film. The predecessors are better, but this one doesn’t go off the rails too badly. If another film is announced, I may remain interested enough to give it a chance. The script here isn’t great, but the two leads are funny and talented enough to prevent me from experiencing much regret in seeing it.

Film Review: Even The Eye Doctor Has Some Trouble Seeing The Light

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Sight is a pretty good biopic about renowned eye surgeon, Dr. Ming Wang. Andrew Hyatt directed the film as well as co-wrote it with John Duigan and Buzz McLaughlin. Terry Chen stars as Ming Wang with Greg Kinnear taking on the role of his business partner, Dr. Misha Bartnovsky. Fionnula Flanagan also stars as a nun who brings in a young girl who lost her sight at the hands of a wicked stepmother. The film is based on an autobiography written by Ming Wang and is likely quite compelling.

Dr. Wang had grown up during a period of time in China when there was a violent uprising against the Communist government. He had a thriving practice in Nashville, Tennesse after he earned his medical degree and worked alongside Dr. Bartnovsky. As Ming tries to help a young girl from India regain her sight, he struggles to put his painful childhood memories to rest. He is haunted by the memory of a young girl with whom he was friends who was torn from him by the dissidents, never to see her again. Ming is dedicated, but the dark memories are often on the verge of overwhelming him. It will take a young girl’s courage and sense of hope for him to develop a perspective that propels him to rediscover the drive to continue his mission to help as many people as possible out of their darkness.

Angel Studios produced this, and it is a pretty solid film. It is quite interesting and inspiring as intended. I also appreciated some exposure to some of the history and culture of China. The performances were quite compelling. Ming has a younger brother who is a bit of a mooch, and it’s not quite explained what happened there. The brother is a likeable mooch, but he feels like a bit of a loose thread as far as the story goes.

Angel Studios does a much better job of sharing their religious beliefs or biases without a lot of clunky or unrealistic dialogue. The producers and writers were smart to not have all of the challenges resolved in a perfect, glorious manner which would feel just a little too contrived. The ending is still heart-warming and seems to fulfill the message that the movie was trying to convey.

The film doesn’t drift into anything too incredulous. The book is still likely much better. The major purpose of this film seems to have been fulfilled quite effectively.

Basically, Angel Studios released a film that is not necessarily flawless, but it is still better than many Christian or faith-based films that have been produced in recent years.

Film Review: Warfare Doesn’t Always Need To Be Gentlemanly

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is the latest action-comedy spy caper directed by Guy Ritchie and is actually quite entertaining in the typical over-the-top Ritchie style.

Ritchie co-wrote the screenplay alongside Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Arash Amel. Henry Cavill is in the lead as Major Gus March-Phillipps. He is joined by an impressive cast that includes Alan Ritchson, Eiza Gonzalez, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Rory Kinnear, and Cary Elwes. The film is loosely based on the history surrounding a group of rogue operatives who worked secretly for Winston Churchill in efforts to disrupt Nazi activities during the Second World War.

The major and his company are sent on a mission to destroy a German supply ship docked at an island known as Fernando Po. They first have to rescue an ally who has fallen into the hands of the Nazis. They also are conspiring with a couple of spies on the island. Gonzalez plays an actress and singer named Marjorie Stewart who is assigned to seduce a Nazi commander on the island. The background is a mission known as Operation Postmaster, which apparently really happened. Of course, Ritchie took some creative liberties with the historical figures and events.

There is a lot of gratuitous violence throughout the film, but it’s pretty well choreographed and is entertaining to watch. The set designs are great. Gonzalez may be one of the most beautiful women I have seen onscreen in some time. Also, the rogue agents recruited by Churchill were great. There was some quintessential British deadpan humor that really makes this film work. I appreciated the humorous stoicism displayed by the team during the setbacks or what would be traumatic events to anyone else. Somehow, it’s almost always satisfying to watch Nazis getting mowed down with the frequency that occurs in this particular film.

I should note that Cavill’s role is apparently an inspiration for James Bond. Ian Fleming appears as a character as well and is plated by Freddie Fox.

Yes, this is a pretty ridiculous film but an enjoyable one. It also reveals another interesting historical piece of World War II that could bear some further research

Film Review: Build The Mission, The Means Will Come

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Cabrini is probably one of the best biographical films I have seen in some way even if there were some artistic liberties taken. I am not sure what those liberties may have entailed, but I don’t trust any studio to remain that faithful to the true events and people depicted.

Cabrini is directed by Alejandro Monteverde with Rod Barr providing the screenplay. This is the latest offering from Angel Studios, which have been actually producing some higher quality faith-based films. Christiana Dell’Anna is playing the lead role of Mother Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who was canonized as a saint, for founding a missionary that helped immigrants to the United States, many of whom were orphaned children. David Morse, John Lithgow, and Giancarlo Giannini are included the cast alongside with a slew of Italian actors.

The story begins in 1899 when Mother Cabrini goes to the Vatican to receive permission to start a new missionary order in the East. The Pope finally allows her to plant a mission but in New York instead. Mother Cabrini takes six other nuns with her across the ocean and sets up in Five Points, which is the slums of New York. It turns out that Italian immigrants are one of those groups facing the most discrimination from the more established Americans. Cabrini is also having to face some troubling health issues as she navigates her way through crime infested streets and hostile city leaders to fulfill her mission. It’s a heartbreaking yet inspiring journey to watch this.

First of all, the casting is very well considered. Dell’Anna is a new talent to me, but she seems to have been the perfect one for the role of Mother Cabrini. David Morse and John Lithgow are talented and fascinating actors, and this film did nothing to diminish that impression. I also enjoyed that the Italian roles were played by actual Italians. Much of the movie was spoken in Italian with the assistance of subtitles, which really bolstered the authenticity of the story.

The set designs were just gorgeous. Early twentieth century New York was really brought to life. Even the slums were well realized. Cabrini is all over the city in this film, and care was shown in all of the sets. The exterior shots were amazing. I could almost smell the horses clopping down the streets during some of those brief scenes.

There is very little that goes wrong with this film, but it sometimes drags a little. It’s a pretty long movie, and I sometimes could feel that. Also, the timeline really wasn’t all that clear. It felt like that the beginning of the film and the conclusion would have taken a few years, but that was not really mapped out or explained very well.

Another notable character was the former prostitute, who becomes a close ally to Cabrini and the other nuns. Romana Maggiora Vergano plays Vittoria and is quite good as well.

I sort of enjoyed the surprise of a mostly unknown cast to American audiences working alongside with more recognized performers such as Lithgow and Morse. It does appear that many of the Italians are actually well-known in Italy. Dell’Anna herself seems to be one of those actors, but this film may help her gain a bit more name recognition which would be well-deserved. It was a bit of a thrill to be impressed with performances by people who are not as well-known as those in Hollywood, but who likely have more raw talent than many of those with the absurd amount of fame.

This is an important story that should have been told long ago. It touches on prejudices that were rampant in a particular era, which today’s audiences may find surprising. It seems like Mother Cabrini is someone with whom I would have enjoyed interacting. Since that is not possible in this world, this film is a pretty good way to be introduced to her and be inspired by the mission she started.

Film Review: Ghosts On The Water

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Haunting of the Queen Mary has many elements I enjoy in a supernatural thriller, but this thing just turned into a confusing, gory mess of wasted potential. Gary Shore directed this piece which he also co-wrote the screen play with Stephen Oliver. Tom Vaughan shares the story credit as well. Alice Eve is in the lead as a young mother who wants to write a book and direct some virtual tours of the well-known, haunted luxury ship. The cast includes Joel Fry, Nell Hudson, Will Coban, and Lenny Rush.

The film starts off as a family aboard the Queen Mary in 1938 sneak into a rather posh party that has Fred Astaire in attendance along with many other celebrities of the time. There are some strange costumes and a disturbing confrontation between the disfigured father and a director. It actually looks to be an interesting party. The focus shifts to the present day to a couple with a young, disabled son who are also aboard the ship to make a film to be used as a virtual tour. The woman, played by Alice eve, wants to write a book. The two stories are unfolding at the same time. The 1938 timeline culminates in a brutal mass murder with an axe.

The cinematography is actually quite well done, but that’s the only element that is consistently worthwhile. The plot was confusing in both time settings. There is a pretty good dance sequence between this little girl and the actor portraying Astaire. That was kind of fun. The film looks gorgeous in many ways.

The story falls apart, and the gore that was displayed was just too distracting and unnecessary. I don’t normally mind occasional bloody scenes, but some of the violence just felt too gratuitous and distracting. The film would have been more impactful if the gore was merely implied.

There was what should have been interesting twist at the end, but I was too annoyed to understand or appreciate the cleverness the writers were attempting.

Haunted ships and past eras are kind of my bag these days, so I normally would enjoy a spooky ghost story on the high seas. Also, I am not terribly squeamish when it comes to movies of this sort, but there was still too much blood and dismembering even for my ghoulish tastes.

Film Review: No Running Or Dying Around The Pool

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Night Swim is a horror film written and directed by Bryce McGuire. He shares story credit with Rod Blackhurst. It is based on a short film they did recently. Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amelie Hoeferle, and Gavin Warren star as the Waller family who are facing the troubles of a haunted swimming pool.

Ray Waller, a retired baseball player, and his family move into a new house and refurbish the swimming pool. Ray had to retire early due to being inflicted with degenerative musculature illness. After he and his family settle into their new home, he finds that the pool has properties that are more therapeutic than expected. Since this is a story of horror, his newfound physical improvement comes at a ghastly cost. There is an entity within the waters as well as a long history of previous residents disappearing into the shadows. The Waller family will be facing a potential heart-wrenching sacrifice to feed a dark presence.

I have noticed that this film has been pretty thoroughly panned by the professional critics. It’s no brilliant masterpiece of the genre, but it’s not that bad. There are some moments that did creep me out occasionally or came close enough to it for me to find some appreciation for the attempt. The performances were as believable as one could expect for a somewhat outlandish plot. My surface effort of research shows that Wyatt Russell is the progeny of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, and he is not without the ability to give an at least competent performance. His co-star, Kerry Conlon, was likeable enough as the mother who starts to piece the strangeness together.

The background of the unworldly menace is ridiculous, of course, but not worse than a lot of other unnatural evils depicted in this sort of film.

Overall, Night Swim functions as a reasonable cinematic diversion for those of us with a taste for the macabre. It’s not going to be remembered as a masterful display of creative genius, but I doubt that it will be considered to be the bottom of the scrap heap of horror films. One could see it with some expectation of receiving a chill or two to accompany the occasional sardonic smile of amusement that may twitch across mt face whenever I see a film of this sort.

Film Review: Some Retirements Don’t Go As Planned

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Retirement Plan is a comedy action film written and directed by Tim Brown. Nicholas Cage is in the lead role as a seemingly aging beach bum named Matt, who lives in the Cayman Islands. Other cast members include Ashley Greene as Matt’s estranged daughter, Ron Perlman, Jackie Earl Haley, Ernie Hudson, and Grace Byers. There’s a cute kid played by Thalia Campbell, who may actually be the best thing in this film.

Ashley and her husband run afoul of some ultra powerful crime syndicate, and she sends their daughter to the Cayman Islands to meet her grandfather for the first time. When Ashley is forced to take some of the bad guys to her father’s doorstep, she finds that he had a secret past that led to their rift. It seems Matt is not as inept as he first appears and was at one time a government assassin. When the granddaughter falls into the hands of one of the henchmen, Matt dusts off some of his old skills to make sure he does not lose another opportunity to reconnect with his family.

There are some actors that can make eccentric characters rather charming and fascinating. Cage didn’t hit that mark here. Matt just seems a little weird, although the fight scenes were pretty good. The film kept getting interrupted by this one second flash card effect every time a new character was introduced. The villains were more like caricatures. Byers had a couple of almost chilling moments as a crime boss lady named Hector. Haley and Perlman were the peculiar killers sort of in the lead of those actively hunting for this elusive hard drive with some unspecified important information that is supposed to change the world or upset lots of people. I sort of lost track of what was so significant about this thing.

Thalia Campbell plays the granddaughter who gets caught up in this caper involving her sketchy parents. Her scenes with were her newly met grandfather were kind of charming. Most of the film has her in the company of Ron Perlman, who plays the lead henchman who kind of kidnaps her. I think I would have preferred her to have more scenes with Cage.

Anyway, the film is pretty campy but falls short on overall charm. It was supposed to be somewhat comedic, but it was kind of dull. The dialogue wasn’t all that creative. The bungling antics of the bad guys were just a little too stupid for my liking. Somehow, Cage’s character, who could have been more interesting, just didn’t hold my attention.

Overall, there are a couple of very mild amusing scenes, however this is another exercise in relentless mediocrity. That really is a shame because there is some real talent here that ended up being wasted. Hopefully, Brown isn’t kicking around the idea for a sequel.

Film Review: It’s All About The Boat

~ Peter Kanelis ~ 1 Comment

The Boys in the Boat is a historical sports drama film directed by George Clooney. Mark L. Smith is the screenwriter whose script is on the book by Daniel James Brown. Joel Edgerton portrays Coach Al Ulbrickson with Callum Turner as Joe Rantz. Jack Mulhern, Alec Newman, Hadley Robinson, and Courtney Henggeler are included in the cast.

The film dramatizes the account of the 1936 American Olympic team who competed in the men’s eight not long before the Second World War broke out. This team were out of the University of Washington and found themselves competing in Berlin with a certain Adolf Hitler being one of the spectators. Much of the film was presented through the perspective of Joe Rantz, who was living out of his car while attending the university. He basically tried out for the rowing team as a sort of last resort. Ulbrickson has his own fight to assemble the right team together to compete in Berlin and get them to work as one.

The film ended up being more compelling than expected. There were characters with a certain mysterious stoicism who were more conflicted and challenged than they were willing to show. Edgerson ended up being more likeable as the story unfolded. There were a couple of stories going on that were interesting. Rantz is basically a loner who had to develop into more of a team player. He was not a hostile or unpleasant fellow, but he had to adjust to not having to rely on just himself as he had been for many years. The film does a good job of evoking sympathy for the intended characters and situations. The setting and period seemed to be represented well. Even the blossoming romance between Turner’s Joe Rantz and Hadley Robinson’s Joyce Simdars. Presumably they got married in real life. The film is framed as a reminiscence of Rantz’s many years after the events depicted.

The film is quite effective in presenting a fascinating piece of history and being entertaining as well as inspirational. I know there is a risk of the story dragging, but I thought there were moments where a little more exposition was needed. There were scenes where I was not sure why characters were upset, but that was likely due to me not having much insight into the sport of eight-man rowing. Also, there it may have been more helpful if the timeline leading up to the climactic Olympic moment was explained more clearly. I guess I like to see dates sometimes on the screen when watching movies of this sort.

I guess there is no perfect movie, in my estimation, however this one gets pretty close. The cast does a great job in that no one seems to be out of sync with their roles. I liked that I was not that familiar with most of these actors and could be surprised by effective and moving performances. It takes a bit for Edgerton’s character to tug on the heartstrings, but the interactions he has with his wife makes one realize that he is not as dictatorial or curmudgeonly as he first appears. Henggeler portrays Hazel Ulbrickson and is absolutely charming. She is quite instrumental in bringing out the humanity in her husband. It was a nice contrast to have the comfortably established and loving commitment between the Ulbrickson and the beginnings of that depicted between Joe and Joyce.

The comradery that developed between the team members was also pretty well done, but we didn’t get to know them as individuals equally, but I understand that was likely due to having to put some restraints on for the sake of a more precise plot development.

There are a few predictable tropes peppered throughout the film. Not a lot of new ground is broken in regard to how this type of story is told, but the story itself seems like it deserves a bit more notoriety given the period and the accomplishment of that particular crew. Clooney deserves quite a bit of applause for this one. The film comes across is a little old-fashioned in some ways, but it’s a fascinating story and the book on which it is based probably has a lot more to offer and fleshes out the relationships between the team members and the coach a lot more.

In spite of some elements that could use a little improvement, I do believe that this is one of the best films I have seen in some time. It still kept me engaged and captivated. I think Clooney pretty much hits the right emotional chords and evokes a curiosity within me concerning the rest of this story. The flaws are very minor when stacked up against all that went right in the composition of this piece.

This is a film that is, without question, worth the effort to see and very easy to enjoy.