Two Paragraph Review: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Many have wondered, not without reason, why did the Denis Villeneuve�s original film need a sequel. In truth, it didn�t, but it would be hard to argue that the first film is some kind of once-in-a-lifetime release, even though it is really good. Sicario: Day of the Soldado is in many ways a rehashing of the same story, which now adds a bigger global angle that came along with the introduction of a strong political overtone. From a certain vantage point, it could be said that the Stefano Sollima story is more critical towards the real-world War on Drugs, but in either case, it makes little difference.

This film is primarily an action thriller, based on tense scenes and short but violent gun battles. It is geopolitical to the core, so there is plenty of headline-like elements that connect Mexican cartels, Somalia ship hijacking, ISIS and the CIA. But, like the plot itself that revolves around the kidnapping of a cartel boss for the purpose of starting a war in the Mexican underground, Sicario: Day of the Soldado feels like a cross-section of all these geopolitical issues. Furthermore, the plot as well seems to be a cross-section of a broader story that is never fully shown to the viewers. If the movie was not good in its primary genres, all of this would end up being frustrating. Because Sollima, the film is well-made - it is just hazy in its narrative but still engaging just as much as the one Villeneuve made three years ago.

Crowdfunding Push: The Great Heartbeat

The realm of human emotion and experience is one of the huge uncharted frontiers we�re, as a species, are only starting to discover. A new documentary movie is looking for support to make one such exploration -  The Great Heartbeat aims to look into the realm of love and its impact on the way we function both a society and individuals. Here is how the campaign for the same film defines itself:

The Movie is Called The GREAT HEARTBEAT is about spreading LOVE throughout the world In Unity. A Human Journey to Remember Who we Really Are and in every step of the journey we find that the Connection that everyone has in common in the world is LOVE and through that HEART Space that Sacred Place finds that people are the Greatest Gift to this world and in Love & Unity with the Creator is the Bridge to Peace on Earth. A Quest to bring that Vision to Reality ONE Connection at a time.  

Some might agree with the statements about love and its role in the human experience, while others might disagree. But, no matter what opinion a person might have about this emotion, no one can deny the power it has on anyone who is influenced by it in their own way.

The Great Heartbeat, just like any other film with a similar topic is important because it dares to explore the same space, even though it is often hard to explain both by words or images something as basic as love. Whatever the result of the exploration might be, the journey to the same destination is the thing that is most important and the creators of this film seem to fully understand that.

The film is looking for $25,000 and its crowdfunding campaign just began on Kickstarter. The backers of the film will also be able to receive a T-Shirt featuring the movie's signature image. Check out how you can help right here and use your money or online voice to help The Great Heartbeat get made!

Indie Showcase: Paraplegics List (2015)

This independent action horror is a good example of the long tradition of experimental films in these genres. Instead of going for a tried and tested formula of making a low-budget but a standard movie (like Last Shift, for example), the director of Paraplegics List Shafeeq Muhammad decided to take a different approach with this release. Here is how the film defines itself:

Three urban detectives in conflict with each other must hunt down a mythological clown killer who preys on the unsuspecting disabled all while balancing their personal lives. In the meantime, recent savage tortures/killings go on unresolved in the Chicago Hood crime scene. Time is running out as more victims become more frequent and they try to avoid being a part of the paraplegics list.

The plot reads as a strong homage to the entire movement of exploitation flicks of the 1970s and 1980s, especially because of the horrendous idea of a serial killer hunting the disabled. 

At the same time, the brand of horror the film uses and shows off in the trailer is something more in the line with the modern Saw series. In many ways, both cinematographic approaches could blend well together and Paraplegics List was clearly looking to do the same.

Also, the film is a feature-length work (almost 90 minute runtime) but its style and execution seem very similar to the low-fi cinematographic approach. From the visual effects al the way to the camera angles and use of varied material to present its story, it is a work that will appeal to all those who are not fans of the overly produced, overly ironed-out Hollywood films.

Muhammad�s style, like the entire film, will probably not sit well with everyone, but anyone who is interested in watching releases that are different will likely find this movie worthwhile in some shape or form. Paraplegic List is available on Amazon Prime so check out its official page and give it a look!

Forbidden Power is out on Vimeo on Demand!

Movies, Films and Movies already covered the Forbidden Power film a few months back. This science fiction mystery thriller by Paul Kyriazi is definitely a release that has easily set itself apart from the rest of the global independent scene thanks to both its topic and the ambitious delivery. On the festival scene, it already got a range of nomination and won Best Special Effect and Best Young Performer on the AOF MegaFest.

Now, the same film has appeared on a new online streaming platfrom. The entire Forbidden Power is now available on Vimeo on Demand, where it can be watched or streamed to a smart device. Overall, I'm genuinely impressed with this Vimeo service so if you did not try it out so far, checking out Forbidden Power is the perfect moment.

Additional, Forbidden Power is now also available with Japanese subtitles. Thanks to its topic and the overall feel of the movie, there is little doubt that it will find a substantial audience in Japan. The same version of the film can also be viewed on Vimeo using this link.

If you like exciting sci-fi, wrapped in an exciting and unique film, Forbidden Power is definitely something you will enjoy. Apart from Vimeo, you can still find the film on Amazon.

Film Review: Dark Fortune (2016)

Copyright: Corinth Films

There�s a strong and hard-to-pinpoint sense of terror that runs deep in Dark Fortune. At moments, this hard-hitting family drama could be even confused for a toned-down horror film, all thanks to that existential fright that reverberates through not just the plot, but the characters themselves. In the film, the feeling of being scared of something is almost visceral for the viewer. The same emotion does not come from monsters, but something much worse - buried memories that have so much hidden power over the lives of those who suffer from them.

The film, directed by Stefan Haupt, is set in Switzerland where a psychologist Eliane gets an emergency call. Her hospital just received Yves, a young boy who is the only survivor of a car crash that took the lives of four other people - his parents and siblings. Now, he is alone, left with only his aunt and grandmother, who are actively feuding about his future.

They also bring conflicting reports about the family and the relationship between the parents, while the hospital gradually puts more and more pressure on Elaine to figure out what to recommend for the boy. Affected by Yves, she decided to take him to her home for an observation period, knowing that her own family life with a separated husband and two daughters is anything but ideal. Together, they start to seek what is never found outside, but only inside - the answers that could allow each one of them to overcome the noose of their private history.

Tragedy is sawn high and wide in Dark Fortune and Haupt manages to deal with it very well, staying clear of sappiness or banality. The emotional pain and distress of Yves is rarely clear or obvious. Instead, it resonates through Elaine, who is masterfully played by Eleni Haupt, the sensitive but troubled child psychologist. Her plight is the main story of the film and the complex web of relationships she harbors with other characters. In the serene and peaceful streets, apartments and public buildings of Zurich, the anguish could not seem to be any further away.

Yet, the eyes and terrified expressions of Elaine make this family drama more than real. Here, the previously mentioned vascular element comes to play - without the need to underline it verbally all of the time, the film shows Elaine having her insights. Often, the things she figures out or only suspects are plainly seen in her face, which is sometimes locked in a state of tension, while in other reveals an endlessly patient and loving parent who can save Yves if she only knew how.

However, the true terror comes from the other alternative - that the boy, through a set of dark (mis) fortunes is beyond help. Instead, what the audience through Elaine fears is the fact that he could stay like this and grow up only to be a shell or a shadow of something that once was a person, but was smothered but a single tragedy. In this sense, in spite of the slow pacing and long shots that the Dark Fortune generally uses, the film works with a unique sense of dynamic storytelling. It is condensed in the idea that the time is running out for Yves and Elaine�s opportunity is constantly shrinking.

Engaging and biting deep, Dark Fortune is a strong family drama that comes even with a tangible level of mystery that somehow, manages to fall into place. It is an example of storytelling that asks for no shiny parts and which does not capture the imagination of the viewers with any cinematographic tricks. Instead, it showcases only a well-told tragic tale that carries a thin possible silver lining - wanting or not, the viewer will be left, along with Elaine, to wholeheartedly look and root for the same small thread of hope.

Learn more about Dark Fortune here. The film will be released on December 12th, 2018 in US & Canada on Amazon Prime, retail DVD (Amazon), IndieFlix and Vimeo on Demand.

Film Review: Dede (2017)

Copyright: Corinth Films

There is a deep-rooted and ancient strength locked in the sight of mountains. These distant and seemingly eternal elements of our world seem to have seen it all - they have been a silent witness to humanity in all of its struggles, glory, and despair. Through all of it, the mountains and their frozen peaks remained unmoved by the stories of mankind. They simply witnessed them. In the Dede movie as well, the entire tragic story plays out framed by the mountain peaks of Georgia. Located in the heart of Eurasia, this country and its isolated province of Svaneti is the setting in which a simple yet heartbreaking story of the movie takes place. It starts with an event that is never mentioned or shown in the film - the breakdown of the Soviet Union and the onset of the Georgian Civil War. In Svaneti, two fighters arrive in a small village, looking for the women that promised to David, one of the pair. His comrade, Gegi, follows him, but knows that a difficult time is ahead - the girl in question, Dina, does not want to become a part of the marriage arranged by her grandfather.

Instead, she loves Gegi, but both feel that the world around them, just like the mountains, cares little about their feelings. After all, that is how things have always been in the patriarchal community that seemingly changed very little over the centuries. Yet, even in the isolated snowy valley, the love individuals feel towards one another is the harbinger of change.

Directed by Mariam Khatchvani, the movie clearly showcases the young filmmaker's vast experience both about her homeland and her storytelling craft. In many moments, Dede feels like a documentary. From the rituals following death, the start of the New Year or a village justice tribunal, the movie appears as something deeply rooted in the land on which it was shot. The same goes for the actors and the pacing at which the film develops. In Svaneti, time passes on a different scale - there are no clocks in any of the shots and the seasons of the year tell more about that than any mechanical device.

However, in spite of its minimalistic environment of bare hills and barely furnished village homes, Khatchvani shows the rich and intricate inner workings of her characters. All of them face a clash of loyalty and their true feelings. Loyalties are many in Svaneti - to one�s family, tradition, comrades at arms and even St. George, the protector saint of the country. That is why their efforts to love run deep, but so do vengeance and the inability to forgive even their closest family members.

It would be easy to label Dede as a never-ending fight of a single woman for her freedom - there is no doubt that the plot includes this element. But, the film is much more than that. It is an exploration of a world locked away, far beyond the rest of the civilization, hidden among the clouds and snowy mountaintops. It is a tale of beauty and suffering, about a people whose way of life is slipping through their hands and how this maybe should happen for many to become liberated from the realities that are not of their own choosing.

Mariam Khatchvani provides a look inside of that world with an eye for beauty and a gentle narrative style that makes the entire film feel completely organic, something that is one with the place where it was made. Dede too, like the mountains, is a witness to its character and it plays its role perfectly.

Learn more about Dede here. The film will be released on December 12th, 2018 in US & Canada on Amazon Prime, retail DVD (Amazon), IndieFlix and Vimeo on Demand.

Two Paragraph Review: Sorry to Bother You (2018)

You can�t deny that this movie is different and it does not take too long for it to drive this point home. In the alternative world of ultra-capitalism, Cash, the main character, played by ever-more relevant and popular Lakeith Stanfield, just tries to get by. However, this soon brings him to a company working on the process that would eventually change entire humanity and not for the better. With this plot, Sorry to Bother You moves between a grotesque social drama and a weird dark comedy.

The cast and the acting continue to be uneven throughout the film, making it hard to gauge who is what type of person and what do they actually want. I�m not sure if this is intentional or a strange by-product of so many things being odd, but for me, it made the film something that failed to engage. The grotesque nature of the world reverberates with the characters, including Cash, so why empathize with anyone - maybe all that is strange to me as a viewer is normal to the inhabitants of the alternate world - it�s all make-believe inside of a bigger make-believe. The critique of the real-life greed as a driver is plain and called for, but the space in which it was delivered simply did not manage to impress me on any level.