Obi_Bamm_Karaoke Reviews

Coco (I) (2017)

Beautiful, Rich Story, And Great For The Whole Family!

[8/10 · 21 November 2017]

With the holiday season here, one of the biggest themes in our society will be that of family. Whether near or far, we think of our loved ones and hopefully will be able to spend at least a little bit of time with them, celebrating another year of life, both its peaks and valleys. Along with this time comes another expected release from Pixar/Disney, and this year, it's "Coco".

Up and coming young actor Anthony Gonzalez voices Miguel, a young man living in Mexico as El Dia de la Muerte approaches. Since this is the Day of the Dead, his family has gathered to honor their ancestors before them, as four generations of his family live under one roof, working their days away making shoes. Due to his great, great grandfather leaving the family to pursue music, the art form has been banned from the family itself even though Miguel has the gift within him. When he decides to defy his family and play in a talent show, he "borrows" a guitar from the grave of his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), but when he plays it, he finds himself amongst the dead with his ancestors in a race against time to not only get back to the Land of the Living but also help a new friend named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) get to see his family and not be forgotten and lost forever.

I was able to take my good friend and "sister" to this screening, and I think she said it best as the end credits rolled: "Pixar and all of their feels". There will be many people (including myself) that saw the trailer for "Coco" and wondered if this was The House of Mouse's version of Jorge R. Gutierrez's 2014 "The Book of Life," but the setting is about where those comparisons will come to an end outside of both of these films being wonderfully enjoyable. Outside of being nothing short of gorgeous visually, there is a story that goes along with those visuals that is rich, engaging, and packed full of fun and emotion along with voice talents (which also includes Gabriel Iglesias, Edward James Olmos, and Cheech Marin) that really bring the characters to life. The themes of family, love, respect for tradition, and the need for tradition are incredibly strong here co- written by Lee Unkrich (who also directed the film) that had me laughing out loud in certain points as well as getting misty in others. Running almost two hours (which seems to becoming the norm for animated features in recent years), this is yet another example of Pixar knowing their audience and delivering on it, as the screening we attended was chock full of young'uns that were both focused and well- behaved throughout this film. There will be a short film that will be shown in some theaters that is a holiday special from the cast of "Frozen," but we did not see it at our particular screening.

If you are looking for a film this holiday season that is a lock for being enjoyable by each and every member of YOUR family, "Coco" is right up your alley. Whether it is fun for the kids as they follow Miguel's journey back to HIS family or an engaging story that the adults and everyone in between can both identify with and enjoy, this is another home run for Disney and Pixar!

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Great Script, Great Cast, But Not For Everyone

[8/10 · 17 November 2017]

Films like "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" are an interesting case study to me in that there is a lot of buzz around it as it has been making the rounds on the festival circuit for a bit now. However, given the subject matter of the script that was also directed by "Seven Psychopaths" writer/director Martin McDonagh, I will be interested to see how it is accepted by a mass audience. Submitted for your perusal:

Mildred (Frances McDormand) lives in the small town of Ebbing, Missouri, where she is mourning the brutal death of her daughter. Nine months have passed with no leads, no arrests, and no real questions answered. Her grief in this time has gotten more and more intense, and she decides to take matters in her own hands by bringing more awareness to her community in a grand matter, getting the attention of local sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), his direct report Dixon (Sam Rockwell), and an entire community of people who take sides in a tale of the consequences of the choices we make as well as the consequences of those consequences.

Like I alluded to earlier, this is definitely not for everyone. Listed on IMDb as a "darkly comic drama," they ain't lyin'. There is subject matter in "Three Billboards" on multiple levels that could make the sensitive types a bit uneasy. The odd part here is that I cannot really get into all of them without leading you down the primrose path of spoilers, so you just need to kind of roll with me on this one. And to truly convey not only the subject matter but even McDonagh's script itself, it takes a special kind of cast, and he went out and got the right people here. McDormand (who is always on her "A" game) continues her streak of great performances here bringing what could easily be portrayed as a woman devoid of emotion and almost downright detestable and making her on some levels a sympathetic character. Mildred's anger fuels her, even in the wrong ways in some cases, but the maternal side of her reminds her that she still needs to be a role model to her surviving child in a son, Robbie (Lucas Hedges). Harrelson continues to wow me here as the lawman that really wants to do the right thing, even in facing adversity in both his professional and personal lives and works well with McDormand and Rockwell by understanding what the dynamics have to be dealing with both characters. And if you know me, you know what a fan or Rockwell's I am, and he also does not disappoint as the cop that knows that this is really his only course of career after growing up in the same small town he wants to protect if it wasn't for the fact that he just cannot seem to get out of his own way. Peter Dinklage also has a great turn here in less of a role, but his character of James becomes very important as the third act progresses, and it all comes together in a well-crafted story that takes some turns that even caught me off- guard in a way that was a bit shocking without being "shock value" and adds more layers to the story in the way that McDonagh has shown with his past work in films like "In Bruges" and "Six Shooter".

I truly enjoyed "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" more than I expected to, even after being told by multiple colleagues and friends how much they enjoyed it. I would not be surprised if there is at least a small buzz for members of this cast when hardware starts becoming a factor in our consciousness here in a couple of months, and with the end-of-year push hitting full throttle ahead of us for the next one hundred and forty-four days, this film may be able to find its niche amongst them.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

A Nice Change Of Pace And A Solid Throwback

[9/10 · 9 November 2017]

When was the last time Hollywood gave us a true old school style "whodunit" type of film? (Don't strain your brain here. You can take it as rhetorical.) These types of stories, where a detective is presented with a crime scene and figures it all out with just their intellect and powers of observation have always been a big part of my life. Trying to figure out the culprit before its eventual reveal was always challenging to me, and putting these stories on the big screen have kind of faded into the background. So, what do you do when you want to bring them back? Call Kenneth Branagh.

In his latest film, he brings to life one of the most famous detective novels in Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express". He plays the famous (and infamous, depending on who you are) Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, who is taking a bit of a vacation on his way to his next case on the famous Orient Express. Unfortunately, fate has its own plans for him as a murder most foul (I have always wanted to use that phrase in a review) happens during a snowstorm that derails the train. No one is seen by Poirot as innocent as he questions the passengers, follows the clues, and races against time to solve the case before the local authorities arrive and could accuse the wrong person of the murder.

OK, so let me run down the cast for you: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom, Jr., Tom Bateman, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Olivia Coleman, Willem Defoe, and Dame Judi Dench. And yes, they are ALL in this thing, as well as Branagh, who also directed. Given all of that paired with the fact that this runs less than two hours, and I was intrigued on multiple levels. And trust me here: this film does not disappoint. Sure, there are some liberties taken from the source material, but none of them are so far out of the norm that will drive the fans of any previous iterations of this story. Branagh is truly enjoyable as the character who is a genius but has his own issues that actually enhance his powers of observation, and his direction is top-notch here. This is gorgeously shot, including a few shots where there is a nod to the old ways of effects, giving a tighter and more nostalgic feel to the modern telling of this tale.

The performances here are exactly what I expected from a cast of this caliber. With a story that has been around as long as "Murder on the Orient Express" has been (the book was written in 1934), there is a bit of a minefield when it comes to bringing it to life that could easily fall down the slope into parody or cariacature, but diverse screenwriter Michael Green, whose resume covers everything from "Green Lantern" to "Everwood" and even "Logan," is able to write dialogue that lets the actors really get into the skins of these characters to treat them with the proper respect and dignity. Yes, there ARE a few liberties taken with the characters themselves, but there was nothing done that gave me even a little bit of growling. Each character has its own arc and motivations that work into the larger picture in a way that is engaging with no wasted space at all.

There will be people that will find this film to be a bit outlandish, but I feel that those people are those that have not taken the time to really study the genre. Not every film has to dumb itself down to cater to the lowest common denominator, and I really enjoy it when a film tells me to engage my suspension of disbelief and simply entertain me. For great escapism and a reminder of a simpler time, "Murder on the Orient Express" achieves this goal for an audience that can truly appreciate its greatness.

Last Flag Flying (2017)

Solid Performances, Great Script, Lots of Emotion.

[8/10 · 9 November 2017]

When looking at the total body of work of writer/director/producer Richard Linklater, it would appear that this is a guy that relishes on throwing the movie going public constant curveballs. From the indie darling "Slacker," (which people like Kevin Smith cite as a film that helped them become a filmmaker to begin with) to the "Before" trilogy with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, cult hits like "Dazed and Confused" and "SubUrbia" and the Oscar darling "Boyhood," his diversity in storytelling is one that makes sure that can challenge both himself and the audience. When I found out that his latest venture was adapting and directing Darryl Poniscan's novel (which Poniscan also helped with the screenplay) "Last Flag Flying," I was definitely intrigued by yet another left turn for Linklater.

In this film set near the end of 2003, Steve Carell plays Larry "Doc" Shepherd, who shows up at the bar owned by Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) after not seeing each other for almost thirty years since they served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam together. With shared experiences that they are not sure they want to talk about, they seek out their third running buddy from those days in Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne), who is now a reverend in a small church. As they are all catching up with each other, Shepherd drops on them his reason for getting together: his son (a Marine himself) has been killed overseas, and he wants Mueller and Nealon to come with him to not only help bury him but along the way heal themselves and each other.

This film was a pleasant surprise for me. The vibe that I got from the one sheet and reading about it was one where I thought would venture into darkness and politics quickly and for the duration of the two hours that it would be on the screen. While there is not much more than a smattering of preachiness here, it is Poniscan's story of these three characters that is relied on to keep things moving, as it should be. These three actors are such powerhouses in their own rights that their work together makes this story even more powerful and even fun. There are some great comedic moments, driven mostly by Cranston's character, that keep the balance of "Last Flag Flying" in perfect harmony with its drama and emotion.

There is also a "name to watch" here in J. Quinton Johnson. Mainly known for being one of the victims of the horrid "Dirty Dancing" experiment earlier this year, don't let that fool you. This young man, as the best friend of Shepherd's son who was there with him when he passed, shows amazing emotional range and compassion that shines through even as he shares the frame with some of the biggest actors of the last three decades. His performance is truly impressive, and I look for much bigger things for him in the future.

Amazon Studios continues to gain steam with their cinematic choices, and along with Lionsgate, they have another winner with "Last Flag Flying". Releasing over Veterans' Day weekend, this is a very respectful and engaging telling of a tale of our service men and women both current and former that runs the gambit of emotion and is truly a great way to spend a couple of hours in any form.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Top 5 MCU Right Now?

[9/10 · 2 November 2017]

For the first time in its almost decade of existence, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has released three films in the same year. Starting with "Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2" and continuing with "Spider- Man: Homecoming," 2017 completes the trifecta with "Thor: Ragnarok," the third in its series featuring all different directors. This go 'round, we have "What We Do in the Shadows" helmer Taika Waititi, who also voices one of the characters in his film.

Using Thor's (Chis Hemsworth) vision from "Avengers: Age of Ultron" where he saw the people of Asgard in severe peril as a jumping point, the God of Thunder finds himself caught up in a race against time itself as he and his brother and God of Mischief, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) try to prevent Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying their home world and everything in it. Along the way, he finds himself on a planet where he is captured by SR-142 (Tessa Thompson) and sold as the slave of the evil Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) to take on his champion, gladiator style. That champion just also happens to be The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

Thor is to me one of those characters that is more fan-friendly than marketable to the masses, and the first film of his actually was a pleasant surprise. With great visuals and a better-than-average origin story with big stars helped keep the MCU moving forward as the first "Avengers" film approached. It was followed by what can be seen as one of the most forgettable films in the franchise with "Thor: The Dark World," which may have been a bit headier than it needed to be. It seemed to me like the studio made a choice in this installment to take a third direction and work more of a buddy cop/road trip/pseudo- team-of-misfits route, and to me, this is where they found what the series should have been all along.

"Thor: Ragnarok" finds the exact balance of story, action, and humor that a film featuring its characters has to. There are strong themes of family and honor that shine through, battle scenes that are nothing short of brilliant living paintings, and comedy that helps keep all of it grounded all at the same time. Hemsworth really walks the tightrope well after his turn in the "Ghostbusters" reboot, which showed his comedic chops, by keeping the God of Thunder light and funny without turning him into caricature. His work with Hiddleston has always been great, and this film takes it to another level with them getting a lot more screen time together. The new characters also fit in perfectly with the veteran characters, filling out the story with Idris Elba and Anthony Hopkins being joined by Karl Urban, Blanchett, and even an appearance by Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange (in an extended version of the extra scene during the credits of his film) as well as Ruffalo.

At a runtime of two hours and ten minutes, this still runs at a break neck pace that feels like a lot less than that. This is a script that is engaging to the point where the time became almost irrelevant to me, and I am a guy that has a borderline obsession about time. This is truly a good time spent at the theater, and I would go as far as one of the best films in the entire MCU even redeeming the "Thor" film that came before it. With the big summer movies not just being limited to the hotter months anymore, "Thor: Ragnarok" is a prime example, and with The House of Ideas' competitor releasing their latest fare two weeks later, they are going to have to bring it in the biggest of ways to dethrone the God of Thunder.

Thank You for Your Service (I) (2017)

Excellent Film That Needs To Be Seen!

[8/10 · 2 November 2017]

There tend to be two kinds of films when it comes to war and the military: the kind where you have the against-all-odds soldiers achieving the impossible to protect the freedoms that we enjoy every day and the "war is hell" stories that paint a bleaker picture of pain, fear, and loss. Just like with most storytelling, both are right, both are wrong, neither are right, and neither are wrong. Much like a painting done by different artists, the more perspectives that are given on a particular subject matter give those that consume that subject matter a more complete picture. In the matter of Jason Hall's take on David Finkel's book "Thank You for Your Service," there is a little bit of both and a little bit of neither.

Miles Teller plays Sergeant Adam Shumann, who is returning from a particularly rigorous tour of the Middle East that involved loss and damage to some of his compatriots. Along with Solo (Beulah Koale) and Will (Joe Cole), they each bring their own parts in their shared adventures home with them with varying results and one thing in common: darkness.

"Thank You for Your Service" is a film that actually works on a few different levels for me. Going in, I was worried that its message would borderline on a political statement or venture into the territory of caricature, but it doesn't do either of those things more than it has to. This is a gritty, honest, and in-your-face look at what happens to our young men and women that put their lives on the line in the middle of nowhere on a completely different continent than they have ever known not only on the battlefield but also the aftermath on how they deal with the families they have been without for way too long, the lives they left behind, and a system that is so overwhelmed and understaffed that they cannot get the help they need in a timely manner. Teller keeps his performance in the pocket as he should and lets his co-stars have their moments as well. Shumann is a man who suffers on his own not because of his pride but because of his love and concern for those around him to not have to carry the burdens he does, and Teller's work with Haley Bennett as his wife, Saskia, is nothing short of pure and palpable. Koale also embodies his role well as a young man who believes that the Army "saved his life" while trying to fight off a level of PTSD that cannot simply be ignored. There is also a very impressive turn here by Amy Schumer (and yes, you read that right) as the widow of one of the soldiers in her unit who wants answers and cannot find them. It is nice to see her stretch her dramatic chops in a way that I have not seen before without me going "oh, it's Amy Schumer… so, there's THAT". She truly is impressive here, and I hope to see her do more challenging roles down the road.

This is a film that I hope can been seen as a conversation starter on a subject that needs more light shown upon it because it does so in a very respectful way that is not too preachy or overly stated. It has a strong statement and is not afraid to let its message be put out there. "Thank You for Your Service" is a rare film that people from all walks of life and opinions can go to and see it for what it is and in doing so can hopefully open a dialog that needs to be continually had from multiple levels.

The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

Prett-ay, Prett-ay, Prett-ay... Meh.

[6/10 · 5 October 2017]

New York is the city of a million stories. "The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)" has a handful of them. (Cheesy opening? Yeah, but I'm owning it.)

Writer/director Noah Baumbach's slice-of-life tale of a blended family whose patriarch is an aging retired college professor and artist named Harold (Dustin Hoffman) is one of those that has the feeling of what was intended to be a stage production turned into a feature film. With a lot of rapid-fire dialogue and not much movement within each of its scenes, it is a film that requires a commitment from its audience to stay with it and focus. It boasts an all-star cast including Adam Sandler, Elizabeth Marvel, and Ben Stiller as Harold's children, Emma Thompson as his current wife, Candice Bergen as one of his ex-wives (and Stiller's character's mother), Judd Hirsch as one of Harold's good friends and fellow artists, and appearances by Adam Driver, Sigourney Weaver, and more. Given all of this, I am still not willing to say that this is a great film by any stretch of my imagination.

Told through the lenses of each of Harold's children, and even a segment with his granddaughter (and Sandler's character's daughter, played by newcomer Grace Van Patten), there is sophistication to the script (also done by Baumbach) that matches the upper-crust of New York that it represents which fits well. There are also some great performances here, especially when it comes to Stiller, Marvel, and Sandler. Yes, I said "Sandler". With the number of misses that he has tended to have in recent years, this performance as the oldest of the kids who still seems to be trying to find his way while taking care of the family he has left is one of his strongest dramatic turns that I have seen in his career. His chemistry with the other two is simply spot-on, and his work with Hoffman here (who is a pipe and a hat away from being the real-life interpretation of the sea captain on "The Simpsons") is nothing short of brilliant. Marvel as the disturbed daughter made me completely not see her character from "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and even moreso took me by surprise that she is who she is. Even the ancillary characters do a good job enhancing what is going on in the main story, so none of this are where my sticking points come in.

For me, this just never really seemed to have that "wow" moment that takes a story like this to that next level. Granted, this was still better than Baumbach's previous disaster of a narrative in "Mistress America," but he is still chasing films like his lauded "Kicking and Screaming" and "The Squid and the Whale". As good as the performances are here, they just don't elevate a script when the mechanism to elevate it simply isn't there.

Again, this is not the worst film of this year (any year where a Terrence Malick film exists will not have to worry about THAT), and at this point it is not even in my bottom half of 2017, but if you are looking for an entertaining film about family, aging, and questions we eventually don't want to face, I would suggest last year's "The Hollars," which is a much better and more entertaining version of that story.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Good Follow-Up To A Great Film

[8/10 · 29 September 2017]

Fifty-five percent on Rotten Tomatoes seems a bit off to me when it comes to "Kingsman: The Golden Circle". I can see the standpoint of this sequel to "Kingsman: The Secret Service" setting the bar as high as it did three years ago to the point where what followed it would not be able to measure up. However, the flaw to that logic is that the first film was one of those out-of-nowhere hits that just took the world by storm and this one brings the audience back to the characters that are established with some new ones as well.

With Matthew Vaughn back in the directing and co-writing chair (Jane Goldman returns here as well), our story takes place one year after the first film ends, with Eggsy (Taron Egerton) well-established as a Kingsman code named "Galahad," living in the former residence of his mentor, Harry Hart (Collin Firth) and trying to balance both constantly saving the world from evil and keeping up with his girlfriend, Princess Tilde (Hanna Alstrom). When a global drug dealer named Poppy (Julianne Moore) makes a move towards global domination, Galahad and Merlin (Mark Strong) must find and enlist the help of their American counterparts, known as the Statesman. Hidden in a bourbon distillery in Kentucky, they meet up with agents Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), Tequila (Channing Tatum), Champagne (Jeff Bridges), and Whiskey ("Narcos" star Pedro Pascal) in order to once again save the world and maybe even meet up with an old friend who may or may not know who and what they are.

For people that find the classic James Bond films to be a little dated and the Austin Powers films to be way to hokey, Vaughn does his best to bring those fans back into the over-the-top spy genre fans back into the fold. One of the things that I love most about both "The Secret Service" and "The Golden Circle" is that they require such a suspension of disbelief that they both seem to work on every level, giving me that sense of awe and wonder with the right balance of humor to keep the story moving. I did find the second installment to not be as well- paced as its predecessor, having me feel all of its two hour and twenty minute run time, but that did not keep me from enjoying my time in the theater. The difference with "The Golden Circle" is in a story that is more complex than "The Secret Service". There are a lot of things going on here, especially with a few twists and turns, and that can (and does) weigh down a film like this quite a bit. Again though, it didn't make me enjoy it any less and it still does not justify the level of reviews that I am seeing online about it. And even the over-the-top violence effects from the first are toned down here, and that didn't bother me either. At a certain point, we as critics have to stop expecting everything to be a cinematic masterpiece that can only be truly enjoyed by the elite whose nostrils haven't pointed towards the ground since the Renaissance and just go "is this an escape from the chaos that exists outside of this auditorium?" in order to truly review a film. In the case of "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the answer to that question is "yes, yes, yes". It shows a maturity of the journey we follow Eggsy on, and honestly, I am looking forward to its next installment.

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

Great Script, Well Directed, Decently Acted

[7/10 · 29 September 2017]

Being a man of a certain age, when I hear "Battle of the Sexes," my mind immediately goes to the famous tennis match in 1973 between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King. In a world where the media circus was still in its infancy, the promotion of this match would be on par with some of the crazy events that are put on today with the only difference being the more pressing social morays that were being challenged here.

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valarie Faris, who brought us "Little Miss Sunshine," Emma Stone plays King and Steve Carell Plays Riggs in a script written by veteran scribe Simon Beaufoy to bring to life a very complicated story that goes WAY beyond tennis. It begins with King (at that point being the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in a single year) and her manager, Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman), informing the U.S. Open that they will be boycotting their tournament due to there being a very large gap in the prize money between the men and the women. In doing so, they form their own tour, which would become the long-standing Virginia Slims Tour, building it from the ground up. During this time, Riggs is struggling to keep a day job working for his father-in-law and unsuccessfully keeping a promise to avoid gambling with his wife, Priscilla (Elisabeth Shue). As the Virginia Slims Tour grows in popularity, even attracting another of the biggest names in the sport in Australian Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), Riggs decides he wants to do a "Man vs. Woman" match with a huge payday for publicity. And all of this is happening as King struggles with a life change that could not affect her but also the entire sport she has worked so hard to make viable.

The biggest thing for me here is the strength of the script. This story is told in a way that is completely and totally engaging while being respectful to each and every one of its characters. Riggs is shown as a man who constantly is on a hustle but wants to still be his own man, out of the shadow of his in-laws without having to be stuck in an office the entire time, while King is shown as a woman who feels the weight of the world on her shoulders (whether justified or not) that she doesn't want to burden those closest to her with and realizing what direction fate is beginning to take her in. (As a side note, this is a great companion piece to the HBO documentary from 2006, "Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer".)

The main reason I spent so much time talking about the greatness of this screenplay is because it covered up for me the fact that I never really bought either of the leads in their roles. This is not to say that I did not enjoy Carell or Stone; quite the contrary: given who they are with minimal makeup or prosthetics involved, they both did serviceable jobs. I just never really lost the actors into the roles here, with Stone and her signature lisp constantly reminding me that it was her and Carell trying not to be Michael Scott from "The Office," but also realizing the amount of that character that lies in Riggs himself. For me, the standouts lie in the very brief but poignant work of both Alan Cumming and Wallace Langham as the costumers for the Virginia Slims Tour, who are in this film at very pivotal moments and carry their parts of the story incredibly well.

"Battle of the Sexes" is another one of those stories that is just as important now as it was almost forty-five years ago, as it deals with equality, overcoming barriers, and simply being okay with who you are. I don't know how this will fare in early 2018 in a year with some VERY strong contenders for the awards it will compete against, but this is a film that is very well presented with a story even better told.

Menashe (2017)

A Different Type Of Story, But Its Themes Are For All Of Us.

[7/10 · 29 August 2017]

Struggle is something that is universal. Adversity doesn't care who you are, where you have come from, or even who you know. Granted, it can be relative, but no matter who you are, road blocks are still road blocks. Documentarian and first-time narrative director Joshua Z. Weinstein takes this theme but looks at it from a different direction with "Menashe," featured at this year's Dallas International Film Festival and now getting a wider release.

The title character is played by Menashe Lustig and is a widower who is just trying to get by in his ultra-orthodox Jewish community. He is still mourning the loss of his wife a year later while constantly chasing his bills working at a local Jewish market, and he is also dealing with the fact that he does not have custody of his son, Rieven (Ruben Nidorski) due to his religious beliefs that children must be raised in a two-parent household. Until he remarries, Rieven has to live with his brother, Eizik (Yoel Weisshaus), and his family. Menashe has always been seen as the lesser of his siblings, so he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and responsibility just to try for a normal life.

Weinstein takes his documentary-style of filming (with no score and a lot of steady-cam shots) and applies it here, which gives it an intimate feel that really enhanced my emotional investment into his story (which he also co-wrote with Alex Lipschultz). In my comments to our vendor after the screening, I used the phrase "both heartbreaking and heartwarming," and this is the best way I can describe "Menashe". Lustig plays the lead character in a way that even though his struggles are specific to a demographic, there are themes of independence, responsibility, and family that each and every one of us can identify with and feel for him during. His work with Nidorski is very organic, and it works on every level. Almost the entire film is translated from Yiddish, but as real and powerful as this story is, the subtitling bothered me even less than it normally does.

It is true that this film may not be seen as "for everyone" due to the community that it takes place in, but I fully and whole-heartedly disagree. Its universal themes are presented in a way that its context is well-explained so that the audience can see why the traditions are what they are. Much like "Donovan" earlier this year, "Menashe" is an independent film that tells its story in an honest and grounded way that deserves to be seen by as large of an audience as possible.

Patti Cake$ (2017)

Smart, Funny, and a GREAT Way to Spend a Couple of Hours!

[9/10 · 24 August 2017]

What would you do if you had one shot, one opportunity…

Hold on. Wrong film.

When "Patti Cake$" was pitched to me as a white-Jersey-girl version of "8 Mile," I was a bit apprehensive but still interested. Not being a huge fan of the film it was compared to, I took the route of this being the film to officially close the 11th Dallas International Film Festival to keep me intrigued to see it because you wouldn't not want to finish strong, right?

In this case: RIGHT.

With first-time feature director Geremy Jasper working with an Australian actress who had never rapped before in Danielle Macdonald, there would theoretically be a lot working against this film, but the fact that it all works brilliantly and keeps a wonderful sense of humor is a testament to the dedication of everyone involved with this project. There are a TON of laughs in here without getting to the point of parody or ridiculous, a really head-bobbing soundtrack, and really great relationships with the characters that this cast pulls off in the greatest of ways.

And when you speak of this cast… it's not just Macdonald that brings the top of her and everyone else's game here. "The Get Down" star Mamaudou Athie is both intense and hilarious as a mysterious performance artist and producer that Patti takes on to shape her sound named Basterd, Siddarth Dhananjay does great comedic relief while keeping the character of her best friend and vocal partner, Jheri, grounded and not caricature, an appearance by M.C. Lyte as a local radio D.J., and the members of Patti's family with comedy veteran Bridget Everett as her mother who tries to hang on to her own former musical glory and the wonderful Cathy Moriarty as her grandmother who becomes a catalyst for Patti's hip-hop persona development.

Add all of this together and combine it with a script that Jasper constructs that plays to his actor's strengths to the point that there is a level of questioning whether the script of the actors came first, and "Patti Cake$" getting picked up by Fox Searchlight was a sure bet when it aired at the Sundance Film Festival to be released this summer. Whether you are a fan of hip-hop or not, this is a film that can be enjoyed by fans across all barriers. Just make sure to leave the kids at home.

Logan Lucky (2017)

Off To The Races! And Then Robbing Them.

[8/10 · 18 August 2017]

OK, stop me when you've heard this one:

James Bond with a dye job, Elvis' granddaughter, Magic Mike, Kylo Ren, and the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid all get together to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600.

Sound strange? Add Steven Soderbergh and first-time screenwriter Rebecca Blunt to that mix and you have "Logan Lucky". Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is let go from his job working underground construction at the Speedway and is down on his luck. Between supporting his bartender brother, Clyde (Adam Driver), dealing with his overbearing sister, Mellie (Riley Keough), a nagging ex-wife in Bobbie Jo (Katie Holmes), and a daughter preparing for a Little Miss West Virginia pageant in Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie). Jimmy and Clyde end up working with Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), hatching a plan to break him out of prison, steal the money from the vault, and then break him back in before anyone realizes he is gone.

Seeing all of these great actors playing West Virginians is worth the price of admission ALONE. (Add to that Seth McFarlane working a strange form of Australian accent as an energy drink magnate and NASCAR owner, and that mix gets even more fun.) However, this fact by itself cannot be expected to carry a two-hour runtime that "Logan Lucky" brings with it, and that is where my issue with it comes into play. There are many moments where I found myself laughing out loud by the complete absurdity of what was going on, but a chunk of the third act does tend to get a bit loose before everything comes together for a strong finish. The odd thing about it, though, is that I don't feel like they could have trimmed that third act up to make it any more enjoyable. It's like it teetered on completely spinning out of control but kept things just on this side of that line. This great cast does a wonderful job in filling those gaps, which is probably why I liked the cut where it stood, but I could see some of the detractors' opinions here. Given the simplicity of its characters (on purpose), it is surprisingly a bit more complex than it has to be (especially as it all unfolds), but it is not unrealistic to match the plan up to its principals. There is also Hilary Swank as the FBI agent assigned to the case, but I felt that her character was a bit rushed due to the amount of time it took to get through the caper itself, but again, I don't know that this could have been cut differently to get there quicker.

The best way to frame "Logan Lucky" using the tried-and-true Hollywood formula is this: It's "Oceans Eleven" meets "The Apple Dumpling Gang" meets "Little Miss Sunshine" with a dash of "My Name Is Earl". There is actually a very funny way they are referred to in the film, but I really want to save that for when you actually get the chance to see it. I truly enjoyed this film and have every intention on seeing it again, so head on out!

Brigsby Bear (2017)

The Less You Know Going In, THE BETTER.

[9/10 · 11 August 2017]

Reviewing a film like "Brigsby Bear" is very difficult in the manner by which I review films because it is important to me to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as possible. That being said, understand that my take here will be at a "10,000-foot level," meaning that I have to tell you as little as possible about the film itself to keep its integrity intact.

Kyle Mooney has written the script (along with Kevin Costello) and plays James Pope, who lives in the desert with Ted (Mark Hamill) and April (Jane Adams). He spends most of his time watching his favorite show, "Brigsby Bear," a children's program that has captured his imagination for his entire life. When the show is cancelled out of nowhere, James decides to take it upon himself to finish Brigsby's story.

This is such a different kind of film that it was refreshing to me. Mooney, who is known in the current "SNL" cast for playing kooky, off- beat kinds of characters, channels those talents here and gives James a fun innocence that a character like this requires as the film progresses. His character's journey to fulfill his dream of closure and completion is well told in a way that hit me where I lived one moment, had me laughing out loud the next, and rooting for him in the moment after that. There is a great supporting cast here as well, but to talk too much about them will give away too much of the heart of this film.

It truly is important to go into "Brigsby Bear" as cold as you possibly can, avoiding any Internet spoilers in any way, shape, or form in order to truly enjoy its story as a whole. Once you see it and enjoy it, also do everyone else a favor and let them experience it in the same spoiler-free manner that hopefully you did as well.

The Only Living Boy in New York (2017)

Retro French Filmmaking With A Modern American Flavor

[8/10 · 11 August 2017]

I have often said that we spend our twenties trying to figure it all out, and then when we hit our thirties we realize that all we have to do is just live our lives. However, getting through that third decade of living to get there tends to be simply a roller-coaster of emotion. Between trying to break the mold of being seen as a child and trying to have the respect of a living, working, independent adult that may not be completely there yet is such fertile ground for storytelling that Hollywood sits in that pocket of life quite a bit. Marc Webb, famous music video director and the man who brought us "(500) Days of Summer" and both "The Amazing Spider-Man" films (both of which I enjoyed, so judge me if you will) takes his crack at a slice of this life with his latest film, "The Only Living Boy in New York".

With a title taken from a Simon & Garfunkel song, Callum Turner is the central character here playing Thomas, a twenty-two-year-old living on his own on the Lower East Side as he is working toward being a writer. He also is dealing with a woman that he is mad for in Mimi (Kiersey Clemons), who may or may not feel the same way, a publisher father (Pierce Brosnan) who just wants him to have direction, and a mother (Cynthia Nixon) who is teetering on the edge of a breakdown. When he stumbles on the fact that his father is having an affair with one his co-workers, Johanna (Kate Beckinsale), it throws everything he knows into a tailspin with the only real anchor in his life being a mysterious old man who moves in across the hall from him (Jeff Bridges).

Looking at screenwriter Allan Loeb's body of work, this film could be kind of everything he has worked on put in the proverbial blender, and what comes out of it is nothing short of satisfying. This is a very rich story told on multiple levels while keeping the main story moving in a way that all of the parts make the whole even better. Callum truly embraces the millennial part of him here, with that sense of entitlement as well as young adult angst that us old codgers would shake our fists at, but at the same time realizing that some of these traits may be a bit more universal than we choose to admit thus making the audience look at this time in their lives through a bit of different lenses. Beckinsale is as irresistible as ever in the role of the "other woman" who wants everyone to believe that she is simply footloose and fancy free but in her quiet moments is so much more, and there is also a great performance by Clemons, whose Mimi is a character that too many of us can identify having an association with in our lifetimes. Brosnan and Nixon, while having limited screen time, also do a serviceable job here to keep Thomas' path moving.

And then, there's Jeff Bridges. Seriously, The Dude is THE DUDE here with all of his wisdom and just crushes it. I feel like everyone should have someone in their lives like his character of W.F. Gerald, and if that person just happens to be Jeff Bridges, that is just all the more awesome. This man is a master at owning his scenes while at the same time knowing that give-and-take that makes his costars shine in a way that is natural and absolutely a wonder to watch.

Visually, I was very impressed with the style employed by Webb, which reminded me a lot of a '60s French film with a modern American sensibility. There is a tinge of Hitchcock-ian suspense involved as Thomas seeks to know more about the woman that has distracted his father's affections that really upped the cool vibe for me as I was watching the film. The tone here is right on point for the story, and the attention to detail shown by the crew translates beautifully.

"The Only Living Boy in New York" is a film that although has an indie vibe is fully and totally aimed for a mass audience. There is something here for all parts of the movie going spectrum from the casual film goer to the more seasoned and detailed film fan. "Well told, well-acted, and beautifully shot" should be enough to get you there, so go!

Step (2017)

This Film Needs To Be On Your "Must See" List!

[10/10 · 9 August 2017]

Review of "Step"

After seeing it at the Sundance Film Festival, Fox Searchlight bought the rights to Amanda Lipitz's directorial debut, Grand Jury Prize nominee, and Special Jury Prize Award winner, "Step," and will release it this August. I was one of the lucky ones to be able to check it out myself as it played at the 11th Dallas International Film Festival, and the moment I read about it on the schedule, it was on my short list of "must see" films over the eleven-day event.

Taking place around the Baltimore Leadership School for Women, it is the story of their first graduating class in 2016. Each year, 120 young women are chosen to be a part of its sixth through twelfth grade establishment with a goal of 100% college enrollment at graduation. As the first senior class approaches their final year of the school, the audience is taken on a journey with its Step Team. For those of you unfamiliar, Step Teams are a performing group of a specialized form of dance made popular with black fraternities and sororities all over the nation and have now become a part of even some high schools. These young ladies (all from the inner city) show their passion for their art as they try to leave their mark on the legacy of their school as well as welcome the filmmakers into their private lives to allow us to have a glimpse on their individual struggles as they prepare for post-high school life.

This documentary absolutely floored me; it's that simple. In less than ninety minutes, I ran the gambit of emotions of celebrating with these young ladies in each other's successes to feeling their frustrations learning the routines (I was a band kid, you know) to feeling the heartbreak of their personal situations, with all of this as they prepare for the biggest competition of the year that they have never even placed at. I totally understand and can remember (even though it was back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) how important it was to me at that age to leave a lasting legacy of what I and my classmates left behind when we moved our tassels from one side of our graduation cap to the other. The level of pride that this team has in themselves and each other with their brand new coach is just as commendable as the college advisers and teachers they work with, who put in a ton of work themselves to give them the best possible chance of success in their lives. Whether you have a past in performing or are a parent, this film is a must see for everyone that has a pulse. This is a story of human triumph and tragedy that affected me on a molecular level and I would not be surprised if there is not a TON of praise heaped on this by the end of the summer.

Wind River (2017)

Well Directed, Beautifully Shot, And Quality Acting!

[8/10 · 8 August 2017]

When actors decide they want to make the transition to the other side of the camera and direct films, it can be a dicey proposition. It makes me even more nervous when said actor to director decides they don't have the acting out of their system and want to keep acting, but with "Wind River," Taylor Sheridan (best known for "Sons of Anarchy," but also the writer of both "Sicario" and "Hell or High Water" with this completing his American Frontier Trilogy) separates himself in order to focus on directing a wonderful based-on-a-true-story tale.

Jeremy Renner plays Cory Lambert, a tracker who works for the Fish and Game Commission in Wyoming who gets caught up in the investigation of the murder of a young Native American woman on a local reservation during a series of brutal snowstorms. He partners with FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) as they try to navigate the elements and even the law as it pertains to the reservation itself and a very thin law enforcement department headed up by Gen (Graham Greene).

I know there is not much to the above summary, but that is all you really need to know about this film, besides the fact that I REALLY enjoyed it as one can do with the material involved. Make no mistake: this is a dark film that deals with very haunting subject matter, so there is quite a bit of weight to it, but Sheridan treats this story with the highest level of respect by allowing his very well written script to drive it while still shooting it beautifully. To see such beautiful landscaping (actually shot in Utah) take my breath away while still understanding the danger of what the elements bring from the wildlife to the weather and even the inhabitants add a great layer to the story, but what takes it to the next level is the score from Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (not THAT Warren Ellis) that frames each and every scene perfectly without giving what is coming up ahead.

From a performance standpoint, I really dug the way that both Renner and Olsen dialed it WAY back within their characters with Renner keeping Lambert simple and focused on the task at hand and Olsen showing how Banner is just trying to do the right thing while attempting to understand the situation she in AND asserting the authority she has representing the Bureau. Greene gives great balance and levity to their dynamic while keeping his character involved as a reminder of the heightened sensitivity of their situation.

The Weinsteins' eye for film strikes again here, and I am also looking forward to where Sheridan's career behind the camera goes as well. For this being the second time he has helmed a film, this is incredibly impressive and should at least be on your "need to check out" list if not all the way to "must see".

Kidnap (I) (2017)

So, This Is A Thing.

[5/10 · 4 August 2017]

"Vengeance is a Mother." "They Messed with the Wrong Mother".

These are actual tag-lines, not for a Lifetime Movie, but for the latest film from "Pusher" director Luis Prieto, "Kidnap". In it, Halle Berry plays Karla Dyson, a struggling single mother whose entire world revolves around her son, Frankie (Sage Correa), who is abducted at a park one day as she is on a phone call with her divorce lawyer. Jumping in her minivan, she gives chase to the evildoers through the streets and highways of New Orleans, facing danger of all forms as she refuses to give up on rescuing her child.

And that is that.

At a thankful eighty-two minutes, this film requires the audience to commit to a HUGE level of suspension of disbelief. I can roll with the fact that her phone dropped out of her purse after the battery died and she was in such a rush to get to her son that she didn't notice. What gets to me is the following: A – doesn't every car (much less a brand new Chrysler minivan) have an OnStar that you can at least get a free trial of, B – through this entire chase, there is not one single person that would shoot this footage and put it out for public consumption from their phone, and C – that New Orleans traffic is EVER that loose that they can swerve in and out of cars that easily with the minimal wreckage there is. There are other plot holes here that I could drive a truck through, but for a film like this, those are kind of implied going in for a leave-your-brain-at-the-door "thrill ride". Berry herself (also a producer) is passable here, but I am always intrigued by how she is the only actor I can think of that has the opportunity to chew scenery and just can't do it. I lost track of the number of times she said "Oh, God" including a strange sequence that involved the "do this one thing for me, and I'll never ask for anything ever again, God" cliché left me simply confused. It was like the group sat around a table with the formula for this type of film and made sure each element was hit: good, bad, or indifferent.

If this was 1985, this film would get nothing but praise from me, but this premise just seems to be a bit tired. (Liam Neeson did it better.) The odd thing is that I cannot say that "Kidnap" is a bad film in any way with a clear conscience. There are a couple of good "jump scares" as well as some curves away from the normal path that these types of films take, and I can say that my heart did race in a few places even if it was just because of the nature of the plot-line, but I cannot really bag on it too much. This is the modern popcorn film, and while it should make its $21 million budget back fairly easily, "Kidnap" will go down in our history as one of those "oh yeah, THAT was a thing" films that people catch late at night on cable or stumble across on a platform like Netflix and take in when nothing else is going on.

City of Ghosts (2017)

One word: POWERFUL.

[10/10 · 1 August 2017]

There are many that feel that this generation's access to data has in some way watered down the power of media. In a world where everything is RIGHT NOW, traditional media like print is dying on the vine. While this may be true of things like newspapers and magazines, the media is finally becoming more savvy and not only embracing a digital age that they found to be beneath them and more "bush league," they are also finding that this new age gives more opportunity to get to stories that they could not because of things like notoriety and old school methods. In "Cartel Land" director Matthew Heineman's new film "City of Ghosts," this subject is given a very up close and personal examination in a setting that is jarring, frightening, and heartbreaking.

In the city of Raqqa in Iraq just a few years ago, the Assad regime fell to its rebellion, and the people who lived there felt like a new age was upon them. Unfortunately, that new age came in the form of ISIS, whose strong arm tactics and extremist beliefs caused oppression, violence, and murder within its city walls. A group of oppositionists both in and out of the city began a group called Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), and used the power of social media and the Internet to take the story of their city public. This would resort in their plight being broadcast worldwide through large media outlets, but the cost would be steep for them by way of exile, assassinations, and being constantly on the run from an organization that wants each and every one of them dead, even to the point of facing ridicule from the countries that they run to as it pertains not to just them but any kind of immigration from other countries, showing the effects of some of the same issues that we currently face in ours.

As I was watching "City of Ghosts," there was only one word that kept running through my mind, and that word is simply: powerful. Heineman pulls no punches with this film, showing the pain and suffering of the people in Raqqa and how it effects the leaders of RBSS. The balance that his subjects display of both the immense courage it takes to lead a movement like this as well as the human sides of themselves dealing with loss of family, friends, and even their freedom on a certain level is nothing short of brilliant. I was glued to the screen the entire time and while there are no twists or turns per se, this story kept me guessing all the way through as ISIS tries at every turn to suppress their message from destroying all satellite dishes in an effort to shut down their internet access in the city to threatening (and even killing in some cases) those close to them. There is also a very interesting look at ISIS and how they use their own methods of communication to bring people into their ranks that is honest (and I know this sounds odd, but roll with me here) unbiased. What I mean there is that the filmmakers simply show the actual footage that the group has published without doctoring it up, and trust me when I say this: it totally speaks for itself.

I was consistently fascinated by the resilience of RBSS' people inside the city to get the footage that they did to show the world the pain and suffering that those who stand against their oppressors go through, to the point of long lines of children who are just trying to get a bucket filled with soup to feed them and their families. I cannot imagine the constant fear that they have to overcome to tell their stories by putting their lives in danger every day. "City of Ghosts" is one of those films that although it will get a limited run due to the fact that documentaries don't tend to get the widespread theatrical love that they deserve in most cases, it demands the attention and respect that it deserves. Whether caught theatrically, via Blu-Ray or DVD, or through streaming, this is a film that is worth the time to watch and be discussed on any scale if for no other reason than the awareness that it needs to foster of not only the dangers of extremism but also the courage it takes to stand for what you believe in and the message that every group of people, no matter how you look at it, has a dark side and a light side, and we all need to see that for what it is. Celebrate the good, rebuke the bad, and try to get through all of it as one group of people embracing our diversity and doing our best to understand our differences.

Detroit (2017)

Great Performances, But A Bit Long

[6/10 · 1 August 2017]

There are many different ways to see Kathryn Bigelow's latest film, "Detroit". The odd thing is that the audience may not be the only ones asking that question. From what the trailer conveyed to me, it is the story of the horrible tragedy that took place during the riots in the city in 1967 at the annex to the Algiers hotel, but from the first twenty minutes it felt like more than that. As the film kicks off, an off-hours club is raided by local police for not being licensed properly by a police force that is seen as corrupt and overly forceful. As the rioting escalates, Patrolman Krauss (Will Poulter) decides that he needs to take matters into his own hands to an extreme. After he is put through an investigation for shooting someone he decides is a looter, he responds to a call of a possible sniper at the Algiers, sparking a night of terror for the people staying in the building. From two young free spirited ladies (Hannah Murray and Kaitlyn Dever) just wanting to have a good time to aspiring singer Larry (Algee Smith) and his best friend (Jacob Latimore) and a Vietnam veteran just trying to get back to normal life (Anthony Mackie), the night gets worse as it gets longer.

Even after the incident completely unfolds, there is another thirty minutes that deal with the legal fallout from that night followed by other ancillary stories that I could see as trying to tell the full story, but at almost two and half hours, it just seemed like it was never really sure which path it wanted to follow. I felt like the events leading up to the main story could have been trimmed back, and even some of the third act as well. The second act is so emotionally draining that anything that came after really did not give me the chance to catch my breath so I could digest the aftermath. I guess the slow pacing that book ended this film combined with the meandering story in those areas are what really took me out of it, which is a bit of a shame given some very powerful performances here from some great actors like Poulter who is so convincing that I fear that there are some out there that will have difficulty drawing the difference between the actor and the character; this performance is THAT good. Mackie is also very good in his limited screen time, but Smith absolutely brings an amazing emotional gambit to the role of Larry. Only having seen him as Ralph Tresvant in "The New Edition Story," this role gave me a whole new respect for him as an actor, and I look forward to where his career goes from here. John Boyega also has a great turn, but I really thought there would be more from his character within the story than there was. If there is one character I would have like to have seen more fleshed out by trimming more from others, it would have been his.

Given that "Detroit" is a late summer release as opposed to an October or November release raises some questions as to the general perception of its award potential given the principals involved (I would like to see Poulter at least get recognized as well as some technical awards like sound design). I cannot say that this is in any way the worst film I have seen this year or even in the bottom half; what I will say is given the keys myself, I may have approached this story differently while making sure its message and heartbreaking story stayed intact.

Donovan (2017)

Honest, Real, Well-Written, and Very Engaging!

[8/10 · 13 July 2017]

If ever we have needed independent film to fill the void Hollywood leaves in storytelling, we are in that time. With more remakes, reboots, sequels, and "this works, so let's make twenty more just like it" situations that we have going on, it is rare that original voices with original stories told in original ways get the chance that they deserve. Sure, the shoot-em-up stuff that is out there (especially in the summer) are good for what they are, but sometimes we just need a film that has something to say and grabs us by the face, dares us to face its truths, and challenges what we feel are the norms of our lives and cultures. Writer, director, actor/, and renaissance man Jason Bee has spent over half a decade along with his blood, sweat, and tears to do so with "Donovan," AND IT SHOWS.

The story of Donovan Drake (whose alliteration in his name actually works itself into one of the themes of the film and played by Bee himself) is one that takes a gritty, raw, and honest look at a man living and dealing with bi-polar disorder that takes the audience not only on his journey, but that of his family, friends, and co-workers. Donovan is a divorcée who is simply trying to get the endorsement of a therapist that will allow him to see his son, Evan (Bee's son, Grayson) more often and thinks that he can simply overcome "the other guy" on his own. When he encounters a therapist who refuses to back down from him (Dr. Raymund C. King), Donovan is torn between what could be a breakthrough for him and the volatile side of his life, led by new flame Jessica (Kelsey Deanne) for what his "normal" is.

From the title card of Bee's "Brilliant Mania Films" logo followed by an opening sequence that can only be described as disorienting (as it is intended to be), "Donovan" is a film that strikes deep into the soul of its subject matter that is unapologetic in its style while staying respectful and honest in a way that had me lose count in the number of stories told that ended with "thank you for this" by the audience at the screening and its Q&A that I attended. When people in a packed auditorium are willing to step forward and use this film as a spring board to share their own stories and struggles with a group of strangers almost three hundred deep, that speaks volumes as to its power, emotion, and inspiration. It is almost impossible to think that there is another actor that could convey the words that Bee puts to the page any better than Bee himself in a performance that takes its audience on an almost first-person trek through his triumphs, his pain, and everything in between. King plays the perfect foil to the game that Donovan thinks he is playing by giving a level of gravity to Dr. Cray that shows Donovan that he will not be like the other therapists that Donovan has seen by actually challenging him to better himself without forcing all of the "tell me about your mother" that is typically seen with these types of roles. And if Cray is the order in Donovan's life, Deanne's portrayal of Jessica brings the chaos to that balance with the force of a cyclone that keeps him spinning to a different kind of madness that is the jet fuel on the bonfire that is Donovan's existence. Combine that with strong performances by Damon Carney as Steve, his best friend, and Rebecca Frances as Haley, his co-worker and conscience that he is reluctant to listen to, and this cast is solid through and through.

The entire time that I was watching this film, two words constantly came to mind: conversation piece. To know that executive producers King and David Visser are going to be hosting a number of charity screenings to help bring awareness to these and other mental health issues as a distribution model is the perfect vessel for "Donovan," while word-of-mouth should help get the word of this wonderful film out for more people to see it, feel its message, and want to know more. With a strong script that dares its audience to stand up, take notice, and open a dialogue that is so necessary to so many, this is a film whose voice NEEDS to be heard on the biggest possible scale possible.