Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in theatres as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

Whitey: The United States of America vs. James J. Bulger (recommended): This documentary about Whitey Bulger, the notorious mobster who faced trial last year for his many crimes after spending almost two decades in hiding, is full of facts and strong arguments, and proves interesting even if it doesn’t truly unmask the man himself. Now playing at the IFC Center. Read my review from yesterday.

Siddarth (recommended): This drama, which I screened as part of the South Asian International Film Festival back in December, is a stirring and emotional story about a man who goes to great lengths and personal sacrifices to track down his missing son in India. Now playing at Lincoln Plaza. Read my capsule review.

New to DVD

Enemy (recommended): Jake Gyllenhaal does impressive double duty as a man who sees someone who looks just like him in a movie and becomes obsessed with finding him. The film has a great suspenseful feel throughout, and it’s a captivating story that’s easy to get into and hard to shake.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Hava Nagila: The Movie (mixed bag): This light documentary about the classic Jewish song might have been endearing if it had bothered to take its subject matter seriously. Instead, it only occasionally gets interesting because it considers its topic to be a big joke.

Movie with Abe: Whitey: United States of America vs. James J. Bulger

Whitey: United States of America vs. James J. Bulger
Directed by Joe Berlinger
Released June 27, 2014

Whitey Bulger is a name that most people know, even if some don't know exactly why they know him. The Boston mobster was well-known in and out of his city, never charged with any crime up until his disappearance in the early 1990s following news of an impending arrest. Being second on America’s Most Wanted list after only Osama Bin Laden is quite a feat, and it’s that reputation of one Whitey Bulger that sustains this examination of his life, his crimes, and how some differ on whether he is the one most accountable for his criminal behavior.

As evidenced by its title, this film approaches its subject matter by dealing primarily with the highly publicized court case that found Bulger on trial for a number of assorted crimes including extortion and murder. It recounts the events discussed during the trial by looking at the players in great detail, and interviewing family members of those whose lives were taken directly or indirectly by Bulger. While he is certainly guilty of something, the film doesn’t directly assign blame or target Bulger, but it does stack considerable testimony against him.

Where this documentary takes a more interesting and hard-hitting turn is in its indictment of local and federal law enforcement authorities for their role in allowing Bulger to operate. Whether or not Bulger was an informant is up for debate, and it’s a question the film is not able to answer. Its importance is paramount, since sanctioning the activities they would have known Bulger was involved in is morally questionable in itself. The film’s extended title is telling, implicating the U.S. government and those charged with carrying out justice alongside one of its most notorious offenders.

What the film doesn’t do, and its creators can hardly be blamed, is get the chance to see and hear from Bulger himself. The picture of Bulger is painted by those who knew him or knew of him, and as a result it’s hard to really tell who the man was and is. Whitey Bulger is a legend whose full identity has not yet been revealed, and this otherwise insightful documentary doesn’t offer many clues as to his true nature. As a chronological catalogue of Bulger’s operations and the many red flags throughout his life, this film succeeds, even if it doesn’t have the opportunity to truly and accurately analyze its protagonist.

B

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Drop

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Drop – Opening September 12, 2014

This film has a lot of things going for it, and there are a few positive places to start. The source material for this film comes from Dennis Lehane, whose novels have been adapted into “Mystic River,” “Gone Baby Gone,” and “Shutter Island.” His short story “Animal Rescue” is the basis for this movie, which is set in New York. Tom Hardy, who impressed in a big way with a solo performance in “Locke,” is the understated star headed down a bad path but trying to stay straight, with James Gandolfini as his mentor. It’s bittersweet to see Gandolfini again since he passed away last year. He was a strong actor famous for one role, and I liked him a lot in some of his other efforts, like “The Mexican” and “Enough Said,” so seeing him here as the senior mentor figure should be satisfying and a fitting tribute to his too-short career. Also in the cast is Noomi Rapace, who has made an interesting and relatively successful translation to English-language American cinema after breaking out in the original Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The storyline indicated by this trailer isn’t terribly fresh or innovative, but sometimes films just work, and Lehane’s track record suggests this could be another strong cinematic adaptation, with an equally competent cast. Director Michael R. Roskam’s first film, “Bullhead,” was nominated for Best Foreign Film as Belgium’s submission to the Oscars a few years ago, so maybe this could end up being another Oscar contender.

Saturday Night Movie Recommendaions with Abe

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in theatres as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

Coherence (recommended): This sci-fi head trip is a compelling claustrophobic drama, one which includes just the right amount of eerie genre material to make it intriguing and worthwhile. Now playing at Village East Cinemas. Read my review from yesterday.

New to DVD

Ernest and Celestine (highly recommended): This French Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature, which screened at Sundance as part of the new Sundance KIDS category, is a wonderful and enthralling story about the friendship between a mouse and a bear. It’s great for kids and adults alike. Now playing at IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

Joe (highly recommended): Nicolas Cage is better than he’s been in a decade as the title character in this dark and involving story, which also features a superb performance from Tye Sheridan, one of the breakout stars of last year’s “Mud,” and strong filmmaking all around.

The Lego Movie (recommended): This animated smash may not be “Frozen,” but it’s still a lot of fun. Its catchy theme song and voice acting, particularly Chris Pratt as bubbly protagonist Emmet, exemplify its extremely likeable nature.

Movie with Abe: Coherence

Coherence
Directed by James Ward Bykrit
Released June 20, 2014

Some sci-films take place in the future, or in worlds where technology and society are virtually unrecognizable. There might be aliens or other beings, those who would definitely not be termed human. And then there are those films whose universes don’t look all that different, yet there’s something about the present-day setting that’s off, controlled by a mysterious power that permits bizarre and unexplainable events. The new film “Coherence” uses a meteorological event to inflict slow, seeping chaos on its characters, throwing their lives into turmoil by unpeeling their paranoia and sanity with every new unsettling revelation.

“Coherence” begins the way that some horror films do, with a seemingly harmless and everyday gathering occurring at the home of one friend for a large group. They spend plenty of time preparing food and discussing guests that have yet to arrive, including one unexpected participant whose attendance feels invasive and irritating. Yet the manner in which the story unfolds, segmented by brief jumps in time, indicates that there is far more going on here, and a power outage and phantom knocks soon reveal that, due to this astrological event, there may be more than one reality existing simultaneously, which, at the very least, has the power to unravel these confused and frightened people.

“Coherence” never makes explicitly clear just what is going on and exactly what its parameters. It does, however, clearly indicate that something is amiss, and it’s the sheer terror and befuddlement in its characters’ faces that makes the film work. When humans meet aliens or ghosts in movies, it’s often alarming how quickly they accept the validity of the situation in which they have been put. That’s not the case here, and it’s the characters’ denial of what seems an impossible but uncontradictable truth that truly drives home the effectiveness of its sci-fi premise.

The cast of “Coherence” is made up of mostly unknown faces, led by Emily Baldoni, whose guest TV credits are extensive, and including Maury Sterling, who portrays silent techie Max on “Homeland.” The acting is not central here, as these performance are not meant to be complex or groundbreaking, but simply those of scared, selfish people in the middle of a crisis. The dialogue is far from exceptional too, and its very mediocrity is what makes its surrounding events and concept all the more worthwhile in a haunting and greatly captivating film.

B+

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Birdman

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Birdman – Opening October 17, 2014

You don’t see Michael Keaton in a lot of movies these days. The onetime Batman hasn’t had the starring role in a film in a while, and certainly not one of this caliber. Yet it’s just this kind of part that is designed to bring once-great actors who never had the chance to deliver a knockout performance back to critical prominence (see Mickey Rourke and Bill Murray, among others). This is the fifth feature film from writer-director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, all of whose previous films have earned Oscar nominations. I thought “Bitiful” was strong and devastating, and I consider “21 Grams” to be an amazing film and the best film of 2003. Inarritu, who netted his first Oscar Best Director bid in 2006 for “Babel,” which I didn’t love, is taking on a true biopic of a fake person, one which is reminiscent of “Raging Bull” and any story about a washed-up celebrity well past his prime, though with considerably more cinematic creativity. The cast around Keaton is impressive, to say the least: Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Ryan, and Naomi Watts. Listed solely as a comedy on IMDB, this film appears to have a certain spunk and style to it that could prove enormously effective. This is poised to be one of the big Oscar movies of the year, an independent hit from the reliable Fox Searchlight that looks like another smart and savvy choice from the realm of independent cinema and a proven quality auteur.

Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in theatres as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

A Coffee in Berlin (recommended): This German hit is a highly enjoyable and interesting story of Niko, a young man without much motivation to make much of his life. The performances are great, and so is the story. Now playing at Landmark Sunshine. Read my review from yesterday.

Hellion (highly recommended): This film, which played at the Sundance Film Festival this past year, is a deeply engaging and strong story of a young boy headed down the wrong track, with superb child performances from Josh Wiggins and Deke Garner and a supporting turn from Aaron Paul. Now playing at the IFC Center. Read my review from Sundance.

New to DVD

Alan Partridge (mixed bag): Steve Coogan is the main reason to see this bizarre story of an eccentric radio host who ends up as a go between the police and a fired radio host who takes the station hostage. The tone is inconsistent, but the film has its moments.

Capital (recommended): Gad Elmaleh is the standout part of this decent French drama from director Costa-Gavras about an executive appointed to be a placeholder interim CEO of a bank who decides to make the most of his new opportunity. It’s an interesting and somewhat memorable movie.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Omar (mixed bag): Last year’s nominee for Best Foreign Film from Palestine presents an intriguing scenario – a Palestinian arrested by Israeli forces and turned against his people – but leaves much to be desired in the negative and unproductive telling of its chosen story. Also available on DVD.

Movie with Abe: A Coffee in Berlin

A Coffee in Berlin
Directed by Jan Ole Gerster
Released June 13, 2014

Sometimes, a film’s title can be telling about its plot, and sometimes, it can offer absolutely no clues as to what it’s about. In the case of “A Coffee in Berlin,” which was originally titled “Oh Boy,” what’s known right off the bat is the film’s setting – Berlin – and that it has something to do with coffee. That’s not entirely helpful, but what this unknown film is turns out to be an entertaining and perfectly charming tale of a young man who isn’t even close to having his life together, stumbling around trying to get it in order without putting in all that much effort, all the while searching for a decent cup of coffee.

Tom Schilling stars as Niko Fischer, who begins his adventures in a young woman’s bed only to leave early in the morning with clear intentions of finishing off what could have been a lovely romance and cutting ties with his would-be partner completely. His next stop is at the office of an unkind evaluator who judges his ability to get his license back after a DUI, and Niko then spends much of the film wandering through Berlin trying to figure out what to do after his ATM card gets eaten and tagging along with his actor friend Matze (Marc Hosemann) to the set of a major film production. Niko also meets Julika (Friedrike Kempter), a newly thin and attractive former classmate who remembers being tormented by Niko when she was overweight and now sees him in an entirely different light.

Niko lives his life in a directionless manner, expressing moderate interest in certain activities only to inevitably decide to drop them. His father delivers a particularly scathing takedown in which he recalls the many instruments Niko wanted to play and all the lessons he paid for, only to see Niko give up on it when it no longer seemed fresh and exciting. Niko is still a likeable guy, yet his decisions don’t suggest much in the way of a greater plan or effort to achieve anything monumental. An imperfect character like him makes for a perfect focus for a fun and involving film like this.

Schilling portrays Niko as a kindhearted, disinterested protagonist who doesn’t give much and doesn’t expect much in return. Watching him suffer minor miseries one after anything proves rather pleasant and enjoyable, and he’s just the kind of hero that you don’t quite want to root for. Hosemann and Kempter complement Schilling well by infusing their characters with a different kind of non-ambition, desperate to be the best at their chosen crafts but weighed down by deeper insecurities. This cast is assisted by a superb script and a wise choice to film in black-and-white, presenting Niko’s story starkly and without much embellishment.

B+

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Salvation

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Salvation – Opening TBD

I stumbled upon this international trailer, which premiered about a month ago, while browsing Movie-List.com for something exciting. This looks like an epic and relatively ridiculous Western, and certainly an international production. The story is a grand period piece, following a pair of Danish settlers to America and the lawlessness that follows when one of them avenges his murdered family. The casting is simply terrific, particularly the two Danish stars. Mads Mikkelsen and Mikael Persbrandt have both delivered astonishing performances in Susanne Bier films, “After the Wedding” and “In a Better World,” respectively, and I’m sure they’ll deliver above-average performances here in this action spectacle. Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eva Green, and, most interestingly, soccer star Eric Cantona round out a colorful cast. It’s been a while since a major Western has been released theatrically, and this kind of big-sale production is exactly what could make it great. My main concern is that IMDB lists a runtime of 89 minutes, which doesn’t necessarily spell doom, but instead suggests that it might be airy and too short rather than fully delving into the depth and vast nature of its universe. This comes from Danish director Kristian Levring, who has made an English-language film before. Any Western film fan knows that you don’t have to be American to make the ultimate Western, since Sergio Leone made three of the most classic and memorable Westerns, “A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” I’m sure this won’t be as great as those, but here’s hoping that maybe this will be terrific too.

Saturday Night Movie Recommendations with Abe

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. I'm going to be providing a handy guide to a few choice movies currently playing in theatres as well as several films newly released on DVD. I’ll also aim to comment on those films I have not yet had the chance to see, and I invite you to add in your thoughts on any films I haven’t seen in the comments below. Understandably, some weeks will have considerably fewer releases to address than others.

Now Playing in NYC

The Moment (mixed bag): Jennifer Jason Leigh stars in this drama about a war photographer trying to get a grip on what happened to her missing boyfriend following an injury in the field. Its story is relatively intriguing, and it has its strong moments. Now playing at the Village East Cinema. Read my review from yesterday.

Obvious Child (recommended): This comedy, which played at the Sundance Film Festival this year, is most notable for giving comedian Jenny Slate a lead role, playing a part perfect for her. The film around her isn’t always as strong, but she’s great and should have a bright and funny future. Now playing at the Angelika. Read my review from Sundance.

New to DVD

Valentine Road (highly recommended): This documentary from last year’s Sundance Film Festival is a profound and affecting look at the tragic and untimely death of a young boy because of his gender identity, one which looks in equal detail at what has become of the boy who shot him. This is not a pleasant film, but it is an important and very well-done one.

Now on Netflix Instant Streaming

Between Us (mixed bag): This drama from Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Dan Mirvish, who generously sent me a copy of his film after I wrote about it in a Tuesday’s Top Trailer feature, feels very much like the format that its source material is based on: a play. Julia Stiles, Taye Diggs, Melissa George, and David Harbour turn in strong performances in an intriguing if ultimately unfulfilling look at the ups and downs of marriage.

Cold Mountain (recommended): This 2013 Oscar contender, which won a trophy for supporting actress Renée Zellweger, is an epic war story with dazzling visuals that truly feels like it’s a relic of the past. It’s not always enthralling, but it’s still a worthwhile cinematic experience.

Stories We Tell (recommended): Despite being snubbed for an Oscar nomination, this documentary from actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley is an interesting exercise in narrative nonfiction filmmaking, an effective and hard-hitting look back at memory and the past.

Movie with Abe: The Moment

The Moment
Directed by Jane Weinstock
Released June 6, 2014

It’s not easy to identify just one moment in a film that really defines it. In some cases, one scene can stand out and serve as its most memorable part, but that is not always the case. With “The Moment,” the title has a double meaning. Lee (Jennifer Jason Leigh) spends her life taking pictures, capturing the feeling and depth of the single second in which her camera clicks. Real life, however, is not as tangible, and Lee’s ability to remember events clearly after a post-war injury proves unreliable, and she torments herself trying to piece together what happened the last time she saw her boyfriend John (Martin Henderson).

Lee is introduced coming over to John’s home looking for the cameras that she left there and frustrated that he has not been returning her calls. When she enters his house, it becomes readily apparent that he has not been there for days. Filing a police report proves unproductive, and Lee must meanwhile put on a good face for her photography show, where she sees her civil ex-husband, Malik (Navid Negahban) and estranged daughter Jessie (Alia Shawkat). A panic-induced meltdown lands her in a psychiatric hospital, where she works with a doctor to figure out what really happened to John and concurrently meets another patient, Peter, who looks exactly like John.

Lest it seem that this is the fourth of this year’s films about a man who looks exactly like someone else – following “The Face of Love,” “Enemy,” and “The Double” – it should be pointed out that this is not meant to be presented like that here. The fact that John looks identical to Peter (they are both portrayed by Henderson, albeit with different facial hairstyles) is a sign of Lee’s own inability to trust what she knows rather than the prelude to some dramatic conspiracy finish. The secrets John has are a far less supernatural and more ordinary, though certainly disturbing, variety.

Leigh, who has been working relatively consistently in supporting roles throughout the past decade of her career, delivers a dedicated performance as Lee, fluctuating between doubt and certainty every moment and wearing all of her emotion in her eyes and face. Henderson presents two bland but charming individuals for Lee to fixate on, remarkably different from each other yet each equally appealing. Shawkat, in her typical role as a sarcasm-heavy, angst-ridden young adult, proves a good fit to play Jessie, providing much of the film’s energy but also helping to keep it grounded in disgruntled reality. Compared with something like “War Story,” another take on the aftereffects of military tragedy on a war photographer, this is an engaging if not entirely groundbreaking film with an unexpected and mostly interesting plot direction.

B-

Dances with Films: The Historian

I’ve had the pleasure of screening a few selections from this year’s Dances with Films, a film festival in Los Angeles currently in its 17th year.

The Historian
Directed by Miles Doleac
Screening June 5 at 9:30pm

Some people have more than one passion. When one person indulges more than one interest at the same time, interesting things can result. Fashion designer Tom Ford, for example, directed “A Single Man,” crafting a gorgeous and remarkably compelling film, both technically and creatively. Miles Doleas, a trained historian from Mississippi, steps behind the camera to write and direct his first feature, portraying a history professor at the start of his career beginning a promising new job and trying to maintain balance in his life, all the while knowing that human nature and historical tendencies are inevitable.

Doleac, whose film acting credits are few, stars as Ben Rhodes, who arrives at a prestigious university as a visiting professor. He immediately meets two notable members of his department, both with extraordinarily different demeanors. Val Hadley (William Sadler) is the seasoned and respected professor with a penchant for being strict and unforgiving, and Anna Densmore (Jillian Taylor) is the perky grad student who just happens to be Rhodes’ neighbor. Trying to impress the surly Hadley and not to fall for the overenthusiastic Anna proves challenging, and Rhodes also finds himself struggling to come to terms with the primary motivator of his institution: money.

There are layers of meaning to all that occurs over the course of two cinematic hours in “The Historian,” and parallels between what is going on in Rhodes’ personal and professional lives and what he is teaching his students. Some of it is more literal than others, like when Hadley demonstrates on a curious student what crucifixion was really like. Ultimately, it’s a bizarre product, one which is truly interesting but also includes some odd inconsistencies, mainly in how its history-oriented students speak like hipsters.

Sadler, who has been working for decades, has just the right disposition to play the steely Hadley, one who has long since abandoned the notion of caring what others think of him, at least publicly. Taylor brings a spirit of excitement to her character, who is often all over the place, and John Collum and Leticia Jimenez help to anchor the film as Hadley’s ailing father and Rhodes’ most honest colleague, respectively. Doleac’s performance is certainly enthusiastic, full of emotion and energy, a possible reflection of his real-life love for the work. Though it’s difficult to come to a clear conclusion on the overall effectiveness of its film, it’s definitely an interesting and thought-provoking dissertation.

B

Dances with Films: Missing Child

I’ve had the pleasure of screening a few selections from this year’s Dances with Films, a film festival in Los Angeles currently in its 17th year.

Missing Child
Directed by Luke Sabis
Screening June 5 at 2:45pm

A title like this doesn’t leave too much to the imagination in one sense, and in another presents an endless set of miserable possibilities. It’s easy to guess what “Missing Child” is about, though this child abduction story focuses on the adult portion of the life of its protagonist, Gia (Kristen Ruhlin), as she struggles to contend with her lifelong obsession with finding her real parents from the few memories she has of being taken as a young girl. Her older boyfriend, Joe (Luke Sabis), tracks down a potential father candidate, Henry (Charles Gorgano), but, as the uneasy starting tone of the film indicates, there are far grimmer and more sinister things in store for the generally likeable Gia. In addition to starring and co-writing the script, Sabis makes his directorial debut with this initially intriguing but ultimately excessively disturbing story. Following a young woman’s search for answers about her past is an appealing concept, despite the dark nature of her history, but the film answers its questions in a fashion which is anything but reassuring or pleasant. Ruhlin does possess some talent and is capable of anchoring the film by portraying her character as someone both easy to read on a surface level and near impossible to decipher in more contemplative moments. Otherwise, this bleak drama-thriller isn’t too enticing.

C

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Snowpiercer

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Snowpiercer – Opening June 11, 2014

It’s strange – the entire time I was watching this trailer, I felt that I had seen something like it before. Its premise is similar to “Elysium,” which I never saw, and I also got echoes of “Transsiberian,” even though that was just because it spends so much time on a train. This is an example of what good science fiction looks like, though it might not deliver fully on its potential. The difference between classes has never been more expressly laid out, with some of humanity’s survivors traveling first class in full luxury and the rest stuck in steerage. Setting the entire affair on a train racing through the snow certainly adds to the thrill, and this looks like a dystopian drama that’s going to explode and turn into an action movie halfway through its run. It does have some important things going for it, namely its writer-director, Joon-ho Bong, whose last film, “Mother,” I really liked. Chris Evans has proven himself a very capable star in movies like this, particularly in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Tilda Swinton adds a wonderful bizarre villainous vibe, and John Hurt has the old mentor role down pat. Jamie Bell also tends to make good movie choices. Weather-wise, this won’t be the first film I’ll rush to see in June, but I do think that it looks great and should be a fun and formidable sci-fi escape that might also be smart at the same time. Hopefully, it should make for a memorable movie experience.

Dances with Films: Gasp

I’ve had the pleasure of screening a few selections from this year’s Dances with Films, a film festival in Los Angeles currently in its 17th year.

Gasp
Directed by Annika Kurnick
Screening June 2 at 7:15pm

Some films are all about a feeling. It’s the mood that permeates the entirety of its run and helps to define its characters and where they are in life. It’s hard to match the sense of detached relaxation present in “Gasp,” the directorial debut of filmmaker Annika Kurnick. Molly (Elsa Carette) is the new face at the annual tradition of closing down the legendary Elijah’s seasonal island home. As she meets all of his friends, she begins to understand the loose and fluid nature with which they live their lives, treating their relationships as intertwined and gaining pleasure and satisfaction from challenging themselves to surprise each other just for the sake of surprising each other. The standouts among the guests are certainly Wyatt (Charlie Wilson), who is famous for his drinks and his speeches, and Hannah (Angela Gulner), who effortlessly seduces those around her with her passion and energy. There are moments in “Gasp” where it feels as if reality has completely dissipated and that this is all that exists, and it’s a wondrous and completely intoxicating sensation. The conversations are fascinating and captivating, and these characters have much to offer. By its end, however, it isn’t all that much clearer what motivates them and the film doesn’t have a true conclusion to which it builds. The ride, however, is quite a journey, and a contemplative and positively unusual one.

B

Movie with Abe: The Grand Seduction

The Grand Seduction
Directed by Don McKellar
Released May 30, 2014

There's something about a small town that gives it a special appeal, an opportunity to disconnect from the fast-paced, constantly evolving modern metropolis. A village or a harbor can have even more of a pull. Sometimes such a place doesn't immediately attract outsiders, and so its residents have to try harder to make it seem likeable. Therein lies the premise of "The Grand Seduction," an endearing, enjoyable film about the harbor of Tickle Head and its desperate search for a resident doctor.

The film opens with a young Murray recalling how wonderful his childhood was with his father and the other men of the harbor strutting off to work every morning and coming home to a satisfied and happy family. In the present day, there are no jobs in Tickle Head, and everyone lines up to collect welfare checks. When the possibility of a factory with jobs for all emerges, all that's needed is a doctor. A chance meeting between a resident working security at the nearby airport and a doctor with cocaine in his belongings sets in motion an elaborate and enthralling deception to make Tickle Head the only place the doctor would ever want to stay.

To call "The Grand Seduction" a serious film wouldn't be accurate, but it knows exactly what it wants to be and succeeds wondrously at doing it. Never are there enormous stakes or moments of conflict, but the movie accepts that and treats it an asset, laying on the comedy in all the right places (the fact that the doctor finds money lying on the ground in the same spot every night is one such fantastic instance). It's immensely rewarding - and often hilarious - to watch the disgruntled people of Tickle Head reluctantly band together and try to transform the harbor into exactly what they think the doctor wants it to be.

The casting is possibly the best part of an already well-rounded film. Brendan Gleeson, no stranger to wry, sophisticated comedy, is excellent as the unlikely cheerleader of the harbor's success, Murray. Taylor Kitsch of "Friday Night Lights" fame is terrific as Paul, the doctor who is a relatively nice and harmless guy despite his initial bad boy plastic surgeon attitude. In the supporting cast, Gordon Pinsent and Liane Balaban lead a thriving ensemble as two other distinctive residents. This is an all-around great movie, and it's hard not to leave smiling and satisfied.

B+