I was hooked, right from the opening scene. In it, two strangers meet at the front desk of a deserted hotel. They wait awkwardly for service as they listen to a couple making loud, passionate love in an adjacent room/closet. It sets the tone for this well-written and we'll-acted movie. It's described as a rom-com but, while there are amusing scenes and situations, I'd be hard pressed to call it a comedy. And it's not a romance, in the traditional sense of the word--more like an exploration of relationships and emotions.
The film centers around Luke (Rupert Henry-Jones) who's in town for his high school reunion, and Abby (Natasha Little) who's spending a few days to deal with her recently deceased brother's house. The two have a palpable chemistry you can feel the moment they first meet. They spend part of the evening together, until Kayla (Rachel Blanchard), Luke's old high school flame arrives on the scene. She's drunk out of her good and is determined to jump his bones. Hilarity ensues.
The film spans the weekend and it involves a number of twists and turns. Just when you think something is about to happen, it doesn't. And the ending caught me totally off guard. Overall, I thought it was a smart, mature look at relationships. I had no idea what the films was going to be about, and I was very pleasantly surprised.
This is not your typical science fiction film. And that’s a good thing. While I’m a big fan of sci-fi movies with plenty of action, CGI, and special effects, I also appreciate the more subtle, thought-provoking iterations as well. In reading the backstory of “Cosmos” I was surprised to learn that it was made with absolutely no budget, and most of the equipment used was borrowed. With that kind of challenge, a film has to work pretty hard to keep the viewer engaged. This one succeeded.
Mike (Tom England), Harry (Joshua Ford), and Ray (Arjun Singh Panam) are three friends who have dubbed themselves “Astro-nuts”, and they’ve got the cool baseball caps with the logo on them to prove it! They head out into the country in their little station wagon crammed with all sorts of sophisticated scientific equipment. Their quest is to scan the night sky for intelligent life forms. There’s a bit of underlying tension at the beginning of the film. Ray had been working for an aerospace company, building a satellite. Just before it’s completion, his company was taken over and Mike replaced him on the project He was let go just before the satellite launched.
His agitation is palpable until Harry, who’s an easy-going jokester finally brings the two together and they work out the animosity. Soon after, while monitoring the satellite as it passes overhead things get a bit strange. The first thing that occurs is Mike picks up an unexplainable pulsing sound on his equipment. After sending out a welcoming radio message into space, he receives the distorted message back repeatedly, after an hour delay. The third thing that occurs is the satellite disappears for a few minutes as it passes overhead.
The trio gets extremely excited about what has just occurred. They decide to record as much of visuals and radio transmission as possible the next time the satellite passes by. While they’re successful doing so, the batteries they’ve used are suddenly low on power. This poses as a huge threat since they’re out in the country, miles away from their home base and a power source. What’s more, they’ve contacted a local observatory, and even when they tune into the same radio frequency, they don’t hear the same signals.
I know this type of movie isn’t for everyone, but I really found it engaging. Due to the superb cinematography, you feel you’re right there in the car with the three scientists. The dialogue was well written, although you had to listen closely to hear it at times. Adding to the atmosphere was the unique film score. It reminded me of something you’d hear in a classic Hollywood film, ranging from moody and melancholic to soaring, majestic crescendos. In a way, it felt out of place, but then again, a discovery like this deserves this type of treatment.
****1/2
Currently streaming on Kanopy, Hulu, Tubi, and Prime.
2021 1h 57m Just a wild and crazy ride of a film. It's part jewelry heist, part comedy. But it's all non-stop action. John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) is an FBI profiler in pursuit of Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), the world's second most famous art thief. The two of them become reluctant partners in their quest to nab the world's number one art thief, "the Bishop" (Gal Gadot). Of course, Interpol is right on their heels, wherever they turn up. The adventure takes us all around the world in this mad-cap caper. It's great fun to see the two leads as they constantly bicker, and there are plenty of good chuckles along the way. The story has plenty of plot twists to keep you wanting more. If you're up for a couple hours of mindless entertainment, I'd highly recommend this one.
2017 1h 33min An engrossing biopic about Nico, the Velvet Underground singer and Andy Warhol protege. The film covers the last year of the stars life where she struggles with a number of issues--drug addiction, being taken seriously as a musician, dealing with her past, and trying to reconnect with her son. Trine Dyrholm does a brilliant job portraying Nico who is a character you can empathize with. It also stars John Gordon Sinclair as her faithful manager. He's one of those actors that make you say, "He looks really familiar. What have I seen him in?" We follow Nico on tour playing small venues, staying in third-rate accommodations, and performing with some sub-par musicians. I'm not a big fan of biopics in general, but when it comes to an intriguing personality I know next to nothing about, I give it a shot. In this case, I'm glad I did.
2019 1h 24min I knew next to nothing about this film but it was a (un)pleasant surprise. I say that because it was way creepier than I anticipated. A perfect film for Halloween! Morfydd Clark plays Maude, a young hospice nurse who gets a new assignment caring for a dying Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) who lives in a mansion overlooking the coastal Irish town. After some unknown trauma, Maude not only finds God, she starts having ecstatic religious visions/seizures. When she discovers her new charge has led a racy life as a modern dancer, she's determined to save her soul. This is where the film starts to get weird. At a birthday party Amanda throws for herself, she ridicules Maude in from of her friends. After Maude slaps her, she's fired and descends even further into her religious fervor. The film ends with not one, but two plot twists. I did anticipate the first one, but the second took me by surprise. Great acting and storytelling make this a film work watching.
3 1/2 out of five stars.
Streaming on EPIX, Hulu, Paramount, and other services.
Ethan has proven he can play a wide range of roles. He’s done everything from the “Before Sunrise” series and “Boyhood” to “Training Day” and “Gattaca”. When you look at his Filmography, it shows a remarkably broad scope of characters. But nothing I’ve seen him in prepared me for his acting in “Adopt a Highway”. He was absolutely riveting. While he was on screen for about 90% of the time, his performance was so nuanced, it was a joy to witness. I feel this film can be interpreted as a play in four acts.
Act I takes place while and immediately after Russ Mullings (Hawke) is released from prison. He served 21 years for possession of a small amount of marijuana under California’s ridiculously harsh Three Strikes law. Mullings is now in his early 40s and is totally out of touch with the real world. He’s painfully shy and has difficulty relating and communicating with other people. It’s not clear whether being incarcerated for so long has made him this way, or if he’s been like this since childhood. After he’s released he gets a job as a dishwasher in a fast-food burger joint and lives in a dumpy motel room.
In Act 2 he finds a crying infant in a dumpster behind the restaurant. He names the baby Ella and takes her home where he goes through the usual routines of the clueless dad trying to figure out feeding and diaper changing rituals. He relates to Ella because the two of them have been abandoned by society and have difficulty fitting in. Through his one-way conversations, he reveals quite a bit about himself including his childhood and his relationship with his father. When Ella falls out of bed and is injured he takes her to child services and is forced to give her up.
Mullings leaves California in Act 3, when he discovers his father has passed away. He takes a bus to Casper, Wyoming to visit his father’s grave and find out about his dad’s will. Along the way, the ultra-introverted Mullins meets fellow passenger Diana Spring (Elaine Hendrix). She’s a lively character and takes great pleasure in teasing him. The two have wonderful chemistry together and, even though she gets off in Denver, in the back of our minds we think the two just may hook up again in the future.
The closing act sort of comes out of nowhere. I really can’t say much more than you’ll be in a good mood when it’s over--I sure didn’t see that ending coming! This is a perfect example of a perfect indie film. I really enjoy the fact that actors like Hawke make traditional Hollywood movies, but occasionally work outside the box on projects like this. It’s nice to see him take on something that’s really challenging.
2020 1h 51min Pablo Schreiber plays Wayland, a thirty something who just served 15 years in prison for a robbery. He took the fall for a bunch of guys who owe him big time. After his release he hooks up with his high school sweetheart, Delores (Jena Malone). The movie is almost painful to watch as we see him almost slipping into his old ways. He hangs out with his motorcycle gang buddies but his heart just isn't into it. He also has to deal with Delores's three children from three different flings. Wayland is quite rough around the edges, but deep down, he's a good person. In fact, he has more morals than Delores, who's never been behind bars. I almost gave up on the film several times, but I'm glad I stuck with it. No spoilers, but the last ten minutes of the film are so beautiful, well...you'll just have to see for yourself.
