Amin Jaafari is a extremely successful Arabic surgeon who has fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, many Jewish friends and has just received the highest recognition in his field from his peers. Amen's world is turned upside down when he gets a phone call in the middle of the night, only to discover that his wife, Sihem, is responsible for carrying out a suicide bombing in a restaurant that claimed the lives of nineteen innocent people, including seven children. In complete disarray, Amin leaves his adopted home venturing off into the Palestinian territories in search of the truth and/or reasoning for her actions. Ziad Doueiri's The Attack is a powerful dramatic experience which succeeds both as an intimate portrait of a grieving husband as well as a piercing look at the volatility of this region of the world. While the first half of The Attack is very much a meditative study of Amin, the second half transforms into a suspenseful detective story as Amin seeks answers. Amin is a character who loves his wife very much and even though all signs point to her guilt he is reluctant to accept it. His wife has committed a monstrous act and Amin's denial of her guilt is what keeps him somewhat emotionally stable, like a defense mechanism, though he realizes the truth deep down. Ziad Doueiri's direction effectively transports the viewer into Amin's psyche capturing how he searches his memories and recollections of his wife for any semblance of reasoning that explains her heinous act. That Attack creates a great sense of unease among these various cultures but it starts even before the terrorist attack unfolds. It's subtle but Ziad Doueiri touches on the strife taking place in Tel Aviv, with Amin facing passive aggressive racism from not only certain colleagues but even the patients he is trying to save. When Amin arrives in the Palestine region the film further carves out this portrait of two worlds in conflict. Sihem is viewed as a martyr in the region, with her image being celebrated and used as a marketing tool for their cause. The Attack is not a film that picks sides but presents a much more profound truth, illustrating how both sides truly believe in their convictions and will never be swayed from what they believe is morally just. 8.5/10
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Marcus Stigman and Robert Trench are two lowlifes who do business with a major mexican drug cartel. One day they form a plan to rob a bank carrying the drug money which they believe exceeds $3 million dollars. The heist doesn't go as planned when the two discover over $42 million but the real surprise occurs when each reveals they are undercover, a DEA agent and naval intelligence officer. Set-up and disgraced by a powerful enemy who wants their $42 million back, the two men much form a shaky alliance in order to survive. Baltasar Kormakur's 2 Guns is a run-of-the-mill action film that brings nothing new to the table, relying almost entirely on the charisma of its two stars. The narrative of 2 Guns is servicable at best, becoming a little convoluted and over-indulgent in its various plot twists and over-abundance of characters. The film tries to be epic in scope instead of going for the tight, straight-forward narrative and it suffers because of that. Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington do have a nice chemistry between them but the film takes a long time to really get to the meat of their banter, where they really begin to play off of each other. Unfortunately 2 Guns is another shining example of the one-trick-pony Denzel Washington has become as an actor as he goes through the same tired motions we've seen countless times before. The real star of this film is Bill Paxton whose swarmy and sinister antagonist was by far the most entertaining aspect of the movie. Paxton appears to be having fun and he does a great job at creating a persona that really stands out from an otherwise bland film. Baltasar Kormakur's 2 Guns is another generic star vehicle that relies to heavily on its star power supplementing it with a bland and uninteresting narrative. 5/10 Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady's Detropia is a documentary that sets out to paint a portrait of the city of Detroit and the massive financial crisis facing the once thriving city. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into the city from all angles - from the near countless out of work citizens to the city officials who struggle to keep Detroit alive, the filmmakers turn over every rock to encapsulate this dying city. Sure, Detropia is a somewhat of a talking heads documentary but the filmmakers are smart enough to stay removed from the picture as much as possible, giving the viewer a genuine portrait. While this film gives an intimate look into Detroit its greatest strength lies in its ability to capture the crisis of the U.S. manufacturing industry which reaches far beyond one cities failures. This is a haunting and fascinating documentary considering the subject matter alone but the filmmakers also elevate the material with some creative ideas. For instance, the film frequently interlaces the soundtrack with music from the 1950s, when Detroit was the fastest growing city of America, really giving Detropia an eery, resonant tone. They inter-cut old footage from a thriving Detroit, juxtaposing it with the current state of decay that certainly affected me. It isn't all gloom and dread as the filmmakers do provide glimmers of hope, capturing the strong-willed locals who won't go down without a fight. I found it particularly interesting to learn about the abundance of artists flocking to the city, a place where they can afford to live. Detropia is a skillfully told documentary that is a fascinating portrait of post-industrial landscape which is horrific, while simultaneously capturing the human spirits will to survive. 7.5/10 Sutter Keely is one of the most popular kids in high school whose effortless charm and witty sense of humor make him the life of any party. When he finds himself single after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, Cassidy, he unexpectedly begins to fall for the quiet and reserved Aimee Finecky. While it begins as a harmless romance, Aimee's good natured demeanor forces Sutter to reflect on his lifestyle, and in turn confront his issues head-on, eventually growing into a better person. James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now is a fantastic "coming-of-age" story that stands head and shoulders above many similar films of the genre because of its haunting honesty about the confusion and passion of youth. Every character in The Spectacular Now is multidimensional and complex, like real human-beings, and Ponsoldt does a great job at capturing their faults and strengths. Sutter Keely is a character who is completely lost in the void of youthfulness, terrified of growing up, which makes him for lack of a better word, directionless. I really thought the film did a great job at exploring Sutter's family dynamics while doing so in a way that is both subtle yet powerfully resonant. In a way this film is as much a film about the importance of family as it's a coming of age tale, with both Aimee and Sutter coming from broken homes. The performances by both leads are certainly impressive, and have been praised endlessly, but I was also enamored with Ponsoldt's direction. I really liked Smash but with The Spectacular Now he really grows as a visual storyteller. Through the growing romance of Sutter and Aimee, Ponstoldt uses an abundance of close-ups that really capture the intimacy of the characters. Specifically with Aimee, he back-lights her a lot, and together with close-ups gives her this innocence that is shown not only through the acting and the dialogue but visually as well. James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now is one of the best films to come out of Sundance in recent years because it's never manipulative, and through subtle storytelling it shows the confusion and challenging time in a youth's life when they are forced to grow up. 8.75/10 Marlon Villar - a longtime chauffeur to a corrupt politician Manuel - finds himself in an unimaginable circumstance when he is attacked while driving both his and his bosses daughter home from school. What is seemingly a kidnapping attempt goes from bad to worse when Manuel's daughter is shot and killed, leaving Marlon's daughter to be taken and held for ransom. Willing to do whatever it takes to save his daughter Marlon deceives the untrustworthy Manuel and the corrupt detectives into believing that Manual's daughter was also taken alive. Between ruthless kidnappers, corrupt cops, and politicians, Marlon is caught in a deadly web which leaves no man innocent by the end. Ron Morales' Graceland is a gripping, tense and tight thriller that does a great job at being both engaging and thought-provoking. For those who don't want to read between the lines the film is fast-paced and entertaining but for those willing, Graceland offers multiple commentaries on political corruption, economic disparity and the exploitation of woman. In a way Graceland is a searing portrait of the Philippines, showing the vast corruption and massive economic gap which exists and society. While these commentaries are certainly interesting it's the film's interest in moral ambiguity that really makes it stand out. With Graceland every single person in this narrative is fueled by selfish antics, some worse than others. Selfish may not be the right world but the film really captures these characters at their most primal state where survival and prosperity for themselves and their loved ones is their number one concern. We see the moral compromises that every character is willing to make in a ruthless and dynamic way that never holds back in illustrating the shades of gray that typically go hand in hand with morality. This is no good guy or bad guy Graceland is impressively photographed, using the visual medium to evoke emotion and elaborate on ideas. Ron Morales direction is very well thought-out and among the violence and drama he never forgets to stop and show the mental anguish the situation has on the various character's souls. Ron Morales' Graceland is a lean, tight and thought-provoking thriller that matches some of the better crime thriller's from Korea in its ability to not shy away from the murky waters of morality. 8.25/10 Bob Byington's RSO [Registered Sex Offender] is a pitch black comedy about a you guessed it, registered sex offender. The film opens in jail, following the RSO in his day-to-day routine. Shortly there after he is released and much of the film is spent capturing how reintegrating oneself back into society may actually be worse then being sent to prison in the first place. Being a low-budget film, RSO's filmmakers took advantage by giving the film this pseudo-documentary feel. The low-resolution digital photography and handheld camerawork are certainly appropriate in making the film feel extremely genuine. There are even several occurrences where the boom mic is visible in the frame but whether it's intentional or not it works given the tone and aesthetic of the film. RSO has a very comedic tone, with Gabriel McIver's lead performance being very likeable and engaging. Unfortunately this impacts the films attempts at constructing a social commentary on rehabilitation, as the comedic approach consumes the overall tone of the feature. This could have been the films intent entirely but there are a few scenes that suggest otherwise which makes the film uneven tonally. Bob Byington's RSO [Registered Sex Offender] is certainly an entertaining and comical experience but I wish the film would have tried to be more poignant in examining the struggle ex-convicts face in attempting to rehabilitate into society. 6.75/10 |
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June 2023
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