Blackway (2015)

Summary :
An ex-logger comes to the aid of a woman who returns to her hometown in the Pacific Northwest and finds herself harassed and stalked by a former cop turned crime lord.

Genre : Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Anthony Hopkins : Lester
Julia Stiles : Lillian
Alexander Ludwig : Nate

Director : Daniel Alfredson

My opinion :  

“You're probably just a bad dad.”

"Blackway" is like a badly composed fitness program, an unbalanced diet or a poorly planned vacation trip. You start off with certain expectations, but eventually you have to conclude that nothing essential changed or happened. No top shape, no slender figure and no holiday experience that'll stick to you eternally. The same applies to "Blackway". It's not an impressing movie experience. It remains a vague thriller without much sensation.

It was clear that this community consisted of seasoned loggers in checkered winter coats. Such a closed society where strangers are looked at in suspicion and where they react quite aggressively when too much prying questions are asked. Even if those questions are asked by like-minded souls. I still don't understand why these roughnecks and frightening trappers fear one individual. By joining forces (and it's not even necessary that the whole loggers federation gather, when you look at their torso) they would have felled, subsequently chopped and removed Blackway (Ray Liotta) without too many problems. Forget it. The man seems to be the devil himself. That's why all these tough guys hide in their safe block huts, I guess.

Fortunately for Lillian (Julia Stiles), there are two helpful scouts members who aren't easily intimidated and run away swiftly when it gets dangerous. If you compare their figure with the other typical tree sawyers, it seems more like a suicide mission. On the one hand there's the old, tough ex-lumberman Lester (Anthony Hopkins), who's apparently on a revenge-mission when it's about Blackway and without thinking he gets his moose rifle. And secondly there's the stuttering, shy Nate (Alexander Ludwig) who actually has no idea why he's joining this willingly. I was wondering about the same thing. The three of them start their mission to find Blackway and to make clear to him that he should leave Lillian alone. Indeed, that is the ultimate starting point of the whole story. Finding the former policeman Blackway who has worked his way up to the status of local badass. The one everybody's afraid of (even the local police) and who's stalking Lillian. A simple storyline for a simple movie. "Finding Blackway" instead of Dory. 

Ultimately, this was just an average film. You'll see the three protagonists on their quest and ending in a not so very original denouement. Along the way we get the mandatory fights and skirmishes with Nate grimly throwing himself into the battles. At least he's useful when doing this. Lester limits himself to cold-blooded dialogues and demonstratively waving his wrapped gun. Blackway behaves as a moose being hunted down. As expected. Sir Hopkins remains a brilliant actor. It's a pleasure to watch him acting even though his contribution is limited to glassy and absent staring. However, the whole time I had the impression that I was watching a nature documentary with Hannibal Lecter in it. A kind of "Silence of the woods". Lillian remained faithful to her role as victim. Although I'm sure she was already sorry of not taking the advice (endlessly repeated by the inhabitants) after a while.

All in all it wasn't a memorable movie. Despite the splendor images and the right atmosphere, it was all rather mediocre. And even the presence of Hopkins couldn't resolve this. The reputation of Blackway looked like that of Candyman. His name was pronounced every five minutes (awe-struck and full of fear) so I got the feeling he could appear any moment somewhere out of a dark corner. A corner filled with pine scent of course.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB

Joe (2013)

Summary :
In order to provide for his destitute family of drifters, a likable, sincere, able-bodied 15-year-old boy comes to hire on among a burned-out ex-con's group of aging forest laborers. As the man becomes more and more aware of the boy's abusive home life, his deeply buried humanity is roused. Drinking and smoking incessantly to remain detached from his volatile temper, he finally takes the matter into his own hands when the boy's alcoholic father finally goes too far.

Genre : Drama
Country : USA

Cast :
Nicolas Cage : Joe
Tye Sheridan : Gary
Gary Poultry : Wade

Director : David Gordon Green

My opinion : 

A real-life quote from Gary Poulter :
The script called for somebody that looked like "An old man, alcoholic, prone to violence, who looked like the aftermath of a human disaster." My first day of shooting when I went to hair and make up. I asked the woman "Bridgette" "Do you need to do anything with my appearance?" She said "No you're good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  LOL.

After seeing "Outcast", "Tokarev" and "The Runner", I wondered which movie it was where Nicolas Cage once more excelled in, before his career went downhill. And I can say with certainty that "Joe" is his last achievement before his acting went down the drain. This film proves what he's capable of and once again demonstrates his brilliant acting talent. It's not "Leaving Las Vegas" (but close) and there won't be an Oscar nomination now. But it surely was impressive. It's a depressing and dramatic spectacle about marginalized persons who have to deal with poverty, unemployment, alcoholism and abuse. What's even sadder is the fact that a few months after filming Gary Poulter, a homeless alcoholic who plays the role of the aggressive and usually drunk father Wade in a magnificent and wonderful way, was found dead.

It's been a long time I've seen such a dark and depressing film. I think it's since "Tyrannosaur" that I felt shaken up after witnessing so much sorrow. A film full of alcohol abuse and domestic violence. Family circumstances resulting in a tragic outcome. That's what the self-assured Gary (Tye Sheridan) experiences on a daily base. A hopeless battle between him and his aggressive father Wade, who is unable to support a family because of an uncontrollable craving for alcohol. Even Gary's hard-earned money isn't safe. Money earned by working for Joe (Nicolas Cage). Joe is an ex-con who has trouble with extreme bursts of rage. And it's money that's required to support the rest of the family.

Nicolas Cage is in his element in this film. An explosive cocktail of all sorts of human emotions. A perfectly played role that perfectly suits Cage. Once again proof that Cage is able to show great things. As long as he gets an appropriate role. He himself is an overflowing barrel full of aggression. A person with a short fuse and with a stately lumberjack beard. At the same time he tries to be a father figure for Gary. He takes him under his wing and gives him a job. Gary is played in an excellent manner by Tye Sheridan who had a similar role in "Mud". But Gary Poulter is without a doubt the star in this film. A feat that can not be matched by even the most seasoned and talented actor. Just because the guy is not acting here. He just plays his daily life. The irresistible craving for alcohol that causes such an individual to behave in an inhumane manner towards his neighbors, strangers and finally himself. The disgusting behavior of Wade in the end is incomprehensible for any sane person.

"Joe" is a masterpiece, despite its slow pace and dark atmosphere. An example of pure cinema and a delight to watch. Not that it's relaxing cinema. You definitely won't feel happy afterwards. It really is a film that grabs you by your throat and won't let you go. A terrible story oozing with physical and psychological abuse that won't leave you untouched. But fortunately, this movie was also a confirmation that Cage is a superb actor. I hope to see more of that in the future.   

My rating 8/10
Links : IMDB

Cell (2016)

Summary :
When a strange signal pulsates through all cell phone networks worldwide, it starts a murderous epidemic of epic proportions when users become bloodthirsty creatures, and a group of people in New England are among the survivors to deal with the ensuing chaos after.

Genre : SF/Horror
Country : USA

Cast :
John Cusack : Clay Riddell
Samuel L. Jackson : Tom McCourt
Isabelle Fuhrman : Alice Maxwell

Director : Tod Williams

My opinion : 

"I thought when you get older, the nightmares go away.
No, they still happen.
They just grow up, too.”

Aren't you a real Stephen King fan or a zombie fanatic? Best you avoid this film. Something the majority in this movie better had done, when receiving a call. "Cell" is an adaptation of a Stephen King book. And I was eagerly looking forward to this one. Unfortunately I stopped reading halfway the book. Not because it was bad (After all, it's still a Stephen King book), but due to a lack of time. That's the biggest drawback when reading a book. You have to have some free time. And that's just something I don't have unfortunately. The advantage of a book is that the build-up goes gradually, there's room for in-depth descriptions and the characters of different personages can be explored in detail. This creates a unique empathy rarely matched by the corresponding film. And that's exactly where it went wrong in this movie.

It's as if King is becoming a glitzy, modern version of Jules Verne. He wrote this story more than ten years ago. In those days mobile telephony was already used on a large scale, but it wasn't as widespread as today. Nowadays an entire generation is hooked to these electronic telecommunication gadgets. I'm convinced that in the evening a majority goes to bed with a sore thumb and exhausted, red eyes. And this because they were sending messages constantly while staring neurotically at the flickering screen of their smartphone. Enter any random public place and you can admire a flock of avid swiping techno junkies.

Clay Riddell (John Cusack), a graphic designer aka fantasy artist, experiences something similar as he arrives at the Boston airport. The only difference is that the digital addicts act rather aggressive. A mysterious signal has transformed all of those who communicated with their mobile phone into a bunch of mouth-foaming, murderous psychopaths. Clay flees headlong and succeeds in escaping from these angry zombies. With the help of train conductor Tom McCourt (Samuel L. Jackson), he manages to get to his apartment. This is the starting point of a survival trip to Kent Pond where he hopes to find his wife and son unharmed. And when the girl next door Alice (Isabelle Fuhrman), who also survived the chaos unscathed (but had a traumatic experience), joins this duo they are off on a road-trip through an apocalyptic society.

My first disappointment was the opening scene that took place at an airport. I rather wished they had used the location from King's book. Although this setting was perfect to gather a multitude of cellphone users who end up as victims of the so-called pulse. The result is a collection of sometimes hallucinatory images. Such as the security guard who tears apart his four-legged friend. Or that frenzied teenage girl who runs head-on against a wall, with a toothless, bloody smile as a result. And as icing on the cake there's a destructive plane crash (unfortunately with the use of some lousy-looking special effects). Sadly enough there is not much exciting to see after this beginning. The film looks just like a standard zombie flick afterwards, with some survivors hopping around who are being chased by a horde of frenzied "phoners". The only thing still worth mentioning is the scene with the football field. Further it's just a mixture of "The Day" with a sort of "Dark Skies".

The biggest reason why I wanted to watch it anyway, was on the one hand because it's a Stephen King story anyway. And on the other hand the cast of course. I readily admit that a collaboration between Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack is a huge incentive. Even though they both played on autopilot and it seemed at times as if it was reluctantly. For once, I want to put the lesser known cast in the spotlights. In particular those who portray the crazed, violent and mentally ill zombies. These aren't Oscar-worthy performances, but there are some brilliant characters amongst them. For example the eerie-looking cook with his bulging eyes who kills every bystander with his huge kitchen knife. But especially the one who was part of the first wave of zombies marching through the streets. A fairly disturbed type. First laughing manically. And next looking around in amazement. So magnificent that I had to re-watch it four times.

Eventually "Cell" didn't meet my high expectations. It's not really exciting. Not for a bit. And as a zombie-like film, it lacks the necessary gore nevertheless. And the precise meaning of this figure "The Night Traveller" also eluded me completely. The end of the movie on the other hand, wasn't so bad, I thought. It highlights the hopelessness of the whole situation. From what I could read, it's quite different from the original ending of the book. Oh well, as I said in the beginning, I've never read it completely. So I can't comment on that. As for myself, I'd feel at home in between those brainwashed creatures, because these smartphones drive me nuts just by looking at them. The warning message from King is obvious. But again, this film is proof that there aren't many adaptations that can match the magic of the written version.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Backtrack (2015)

Summary :
Peter Bower (Adrien Brody) is a tormented soul whose life became an ordeal after the fatal accident of his daughter. With the help of his friend and colleague Duncan Stewart (Sam "Jurassic Park" Neill), he attempts to give meaning to his life back again. However, after a while he becomes aware that his limited number of patients aren't exactly overflowing with a joy for life (literally and figuratively). This leads to a search for the cause of a guilt feeling he developed since his childhood. He returns to his hometown to investigate a tragic accident that happened in the past. And this because of the connection his current patients have with this point in time.

Genre : Mystery/Horror
Country : Australia/UK

Cast :
Adrien Brody : Peter Bower
Sam Neill : Duncan Stewart
George Shevtsov : William Bower

Director : Michael Petroni

My opinion :  

“Pete … I'm here to help you.
I really appreciate it. At least you're still alive to help me.”

Adrien Brody failed in maintaining his level of acting after getting an Oscar for his brilliant part in "The Pianist". His contribution to "King Kong" and "Splice" still was acceptable. But his participation in the (in my opinion) very lousy movie "American Heist" was definitely a low point in his career. Was this promising actor on his way to build some sort Willis-Cage reputation? It looks like it. Especially after I've seen "Backtrack". This psychological thriller isn't a bad movie and cinematically it also looks pretty decent. But you can't really call it impressive. Similar movies have been made frequently. It doesn't take long to make a comparison with "The sixth sense" (a film from the heyday of Bruce Willis). The facial expression Brody used in "American Heist" was partially preserved. So expect a tormented look throughout the whole movie, while the cabinet of this psychologically cracked and grief-stricken psychologist gets visits from some strange patients.

You can hardly call this horror. There's practically not a single scary moment. The atmosphere is quite creepy and there are a few attempts to provide a jump scare, but in the end most of them are rather disappointing. It isn't original by any means and the subject has been widely used in other films already. As in "The Babadook" the main focus is a grieving process and the psychological impact it has on a person's psyche. The biggest problem is cataloging this movie in one particular genre. Is it a psychological thriller? Or a typical ghost story? Or can you label it as an old-fashioned murder mystery? You can expect some skeletons being found in the closet. Both literally and figuratively.

"Backtrack" isn't exactly a film that will leave a great impression. It isn't exactly bad either. And this because of the convincing acting of Brody. It's not high quality cinema, but it's appropriate to entertain yourself during a rainy Sunday. Even though the plot is a tad too predictable. Unfortunately it's also one of those many films you can't remember anything from the other day.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Just Jim (2015)

Summary :
A Welsh teenager will become the cool kid of the town if a deal is made with his new American neighbour.

Genre : Comedy/Drama/Thriller
Country : UK

Cast :
Craig Roberts : Jim
Emile Hirsch : Dean
Mark Lewis Jones : Donald

Director : Craig Roberts

My opinion :  

“Do you believe in God?
No.
I think if he exists, he needs to give me a break.
Maybe you just need to man up a bit, instead of being a little bitch.”

A surprising film and quite different than I expected. I thought it would be a film about a bullied, dorky, funny looking boy who learns to defend himself against the merciless bullies with the help of a new neighbor. Partly this is true. Jim (Craig Roberts) is an outsider everyone hates and who also has some bizarre habits. An introverted, insecure teenager and victim of teasing and mockery. Even his parents aren't exactly supporting him. The total isolation of Jim is portrayed in a visually stunning way. Sometimes you feel sad about it all. Certainly when his own dog leaves him behind. But mostly the images are pretty hilarious. The garden gate that falls down. Jim watching at his race track apathetically with two remote controls in his hands. A birthday party organized by his parents with a large banner. Naturally the specified age is wrong. And then it swirls down in a "Jurassic Park" kind of way, while he's sitting there pathetic on his own.

This all seems to be changing, the day the neighbor Dean (Emile Hirsch) moves into the adjacent house. An American James Dean clone who quickly manages to gain the trust of Jim. Dean tries to boost Jim's confidence by giving him advice on how to put his life back on track and take matters into his own hands. As Jim's confidence grows, Dean's behavior begins to take bizarre and aggressive forms. The way he imposes himself on Jim's parents (especially the coquettish mother) isn't exactly kosher. The rebellion side of Dean's ego starts to revolt against Jim, who slowly begins to wonder whether this American guardian angel is reliable or not.

The first surprise about this film is that 24-year-old Craig directed and wrote the film. A not inconsiderable feat for such a young individual. Notwithstanding that there are some weak elements in this film, which might be annoying, the end result isn't so bad. What struck me the most were the beautiful fragments and stylistic camera setups. If you'd take single snapshots of the patchy-ranging situations, you could start an exhibition of surrealistic, experimental photography. That's at the same time something many could make a comment about. The entire movie seems like a fusion of several film experiments, which makes it sometimes confusing and complicated. But are you a David Lynch fan (and to a lesser extent you can add Refn) then you'll definitely appreciate it.

There's one thing that intrigued me. Was this a story with a double meaning? Was Dean a real person or was he just a fantasy Jim imagined because of his psychologically tormented personality? In hindsight it appears as if the whole movie is occupied by individuals with a mental illness. The crazy ex-soldier (I guess he's off his head in a way) Jim always encounters when walking the dog ( "Yeah, copy that, Clive"). A bizarre responding guard at the local cinema (a typical "Twin Peaks" character). Then there is psychotic Dean. The unworldly and apathetic parents of Jim. And finally the skeptical and introverted lead character. Could Dean be a metaphorical appearance? A way to portray the rebellious Jim, whose true and jovial personality is fighting back in the end? Or is Jim really an outsider who's just attempting to conquer a place in society? The sometimes hallucinatory and confusing images (such as the underwater moments) didn't help me to draw a final conclusion.

"Just Jim" isn't exactly a commercially oriented film and certainly won't be well received by many. It's sinister, absurd and does give you sometimes an uncomfortable and voyeuristic feeling. The film manages to mix together a depressing and at the same time a humorous atmosphere. Perhaps it sometimes tends to degenerate into an art-house experimental film. But overall it was a pleasant and surprising experience.

My rating 6/10
Links : IMDB

Gods of Egypt (2016)

Summary :
Set, the merciless god of darkness, has taken over the throne of Egypt and plunged the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict. Few dare to rebel against him. A young thief, whose love was taken captive by the god, seeks to dethrone and defeat Set with the aid of the powerful god Horus.

Genre : Fantasy
Country : USA

Cast :
Brenton Thwaites : Bek
Courtney Eaton : Zaya
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau : Horus

Director : Alex Projas


My opinion : 

“A gift from someone with great assets, and someone with very few.
But when both die and are at the Final Gate... What is its value?
I say we are equal.”

I thought this would be something similar like "Exodus: Gods and Kings". A historical story set in Egypt with immense scenery's and an abundance of special effects. Well, it certainly is situated in Egypt. And the bag of tricks, full of kitsch and consolegame-like special effects were exploited to the utmost. Only, now it's not about a biblical figure but the mythological world of Egypt. Ancient Egypt where people and gods live alongside each other. It sometimes resembled "Gulliver's Travels" since all those gods of Egypt have an imposing figure compared to the ordinary mortals. Ultimately, it's a kind of historical "Transformers". So, full of exaggerated action and impressive transformations into imaginative creatures.

From the opening shot, it's clear where the biggest amount of money was spent on. A gliding flight over the Egyptian landscape and arriving in a busy shopping street of Egypt. I thought this was already a delight to watch. We get to know Bek (Brenton "The Giver" Thwaites), a kind of Aladdin and a petty thief who succeeds in stealing a (probably in those days) fashionable gown for his beloved Zaya (Courtney "Mad Max: Fury Road" Eaton). And this leads us to the second, unavoidable story : the idyllic love affair. An Egyptian couple with a bright future in front of them and who'll ultimately be victims of the core story. Eternal love, divine adoration for each other and languorous glances, are the obnoxious symptoms we are witnessing. Granted, it wasn't overly annoying. And also this story introduces the most eye-catching prop of the entire movie. That heaving bosom of Eaton. I am almost sure that it does not comply with the usual proportions of that era, but it was the only thing that could distract me from all the other epic violence.

Obviously you should watch this spectacle movie without thinking and let yourself be overwhelmed by the lavish fantasy world. The only thing that bothered me was that they tried to cram the entire Egyptian mythological world in this film. As a result, the pacing is scorching high. You've only just put yourself down in your cozy chair and two oversized gods are already rolling all over the city center. A sort of re-introduction of "King Kong vs. Godzilla". And so one action-packed scene after the other passes by. The fascinating situation about Anubis and the Underworld, two giant snakes writhing over a huge maze or some "Tomb Raider" platform stuntwork in the temple of Set (Gerald Butler). You won't get bored. The most fascinating and crazy part was reserved for Geoffrey "Barbossa" Rush as the god Ra who's pulling the sun with his floating spacecraft around a disc-shaped earth. I instantly wanted to reread books by Terry Pratchett.

Concerning content you shouldn't expect too much. And sometimes it's quite illogical. Of course those gods always tend to have an easy solution when a problem occurs, which is an advantage for the subsequent course of the story. You can predict the outcome already from an Egyptian mile away. That's no surprise either. And also the CGI wasn't top notch sometimes in this sword-and-sandal. But this film is mainly judged based on the trailer (which I obviously haven't seen because I try to avoid them studiously) and therefor is ripped to pieces by critics. Yet I find this somewhat exaggerated.

Well it's true. At all levels it doesn't contain any profundity. But what do you expect of this type of movie? Highly intellectual conversations and thoughtful screenplay? You also don't expect in a movie such as "Schindler's List" diabolical fright moments or exciting car chases with stirring music? "God of Egypt" showed what I was expecting. Over the top spectacle and action which is digitally displayed in a partially successful way. It effortlessly transcends the level of any Asylum movie. Thank God.

My rating 5/10
Links : IMDB

Term Life (2016)

Summary :
A guy wanted around town by various hit men hopes to stay alive long enough for his life insurance policy to kick in and pay out for his estranged daughter.

Genre : Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Vince Vaughn : Nick Barrow
Hailee Steinfeld : Cate Barrow
Jonathan Banks : Harper

Director : Peter Billingsley


My opinion : 

“You're a thief, right?

That's what mom said.
You steal stuff, right?
Yeah.
You must really suck at it.”

"Term life" is such a kind of movie that makes me think deeply the next day, just because I can't remember the title anymore. Let alone I remember anything significant content wise. At first I didn't even feel like watching this comical crime film, due to the presence of Vince Vaughn. He isn't exactly my favorite actor. Lets say he already got on my nerves in "The internship" and "Wedding Crashers". But ultimately I must admit that his presence was quite bearable in this film. He really doesn't look like a criminal and I was affraid he would come up with something semi-comic (which wouldn't be funny anyway). But fortunately this wasn't the case. There are also some well-known actors present, even though their roles are meaningless after all.

Nick Barrow (Vince Vaughn) isn't what you'd call an active criminal, but rather a criminal standing at the sidelines. He constructs robberies and burglaries. In short, he observes the target, makes the planning (complete with electrical schematics, codes and timing) and sells it to the highest bidder. After a robbery ends badly with the participating criminals being eliminated and the loot totally gone, it's time for Nick to make his escape as quickly as possible. One of the dead criminals appears to be the son of Victor Fuentes (Jordi Molla), the big chief of a Mexican drug cartel. Add to this a gang of corrupt cops and you understand that Nick is actually in deep shit. The only one he's worried about the most, is his daughter Cate (Hailee Steinfeld). He hasn't talked to her for years now and only has a collection of photos in a shoebox which he made secretly. A new life insurance is his solution. His only concern is to stay alive the next three weeks in the company of his rebellious daughter.

As mentioned before, a whole bunch of famous actors joined this "overgrown by genres" film. You'll see Jon "Chef" Favreau for about 3 minutes. Jonathan "Breaking Bad" Banks plays one of the most interesting parts. A kind of sidelined criminal who's so good-natured to help Nick and to provide some inside information. If there's one person who has the most funny dialogue lines, then it's him. The most successful rendition is played by Bill Paxton. A perfect portrait of a corrupt cop who's doing everything to prevent that he's being condemned by the "Internal affairs". Even if this is detrimental to his partners in crime

"Term Life" is simply a typical action movie with some forced comedy. And finally they've mixed it with a cheesey family drama. The type of family film about a father-daughter relationship that went wrong. In the beginning the teenage daughter is always pissed at the ever-absent father. So expect some embarrassing moments for Nick who tries to pick up the pieces as a responsible and caring father. The final outcome is as predictable as the fact that Easter Monday will be this year on a monday. This insignificant movie suffocated itself with the hodgepodge of genres. I guess they weren't really fully aware of which direction they finally wanted to go. And it's really not a good sign when a ridiculous hairdo draws the most attention of movie lovers.

My rating 4/10
Links : IMDB