The East

Torn Between Worlds                                 
by Zac Ryan

Indie darling Brit Marling re-teams with her Sound of My Voice co-writer/director, Zal Batmanglij, in the taut and tension-packed The East.

In her first assignment at a new job, the young and innocent, Jane (Marling), is tasked by her boss, Sharon (Patricia Clarkson), to infiltrate the anti-corporate and anarchic group known as The East. Jane lies to her husband, dies her hair and takes on the alternate identity of Sarah, befriending someone she believes is a part of the collective that she met while free-riding in a train car. She thinks fast, finding a solution to infiltrate the secretive group.

As an outsider, she isn't easily accepted into the fold. One of the members, a deaf female, is quick to catch on that Sarah isn't who she says she is. Sarah confides in her, explaining that she is on a mission, in hopes that that she can create a bond with the woman. But that isn't the only hurdle that Sarah faces to be accepted. There is a wonderful dinner scene where Jane/Sarah learns to help others instead of only worrying about herself.

Brit Marling and Alexander Skarsgård

And the person behind such great wisdom? Benji (Alexander Skarsgård), with his long locks and beard, is the leader of the group. His piercing eyes, his smooth demeanor and his smile are all he needs to enrapture his flock. Together they fight back against the big corporations that are polluting and ruining society.

The first of the "jams" in the movie has the group conning their way into an upscale party for a big pharmaceutical company. This is Doc's (Toby Kebbell) chance to get revenge on those who caused his on-going seizures and other ailments. Together they'll spike the celebratory champagne with their own drug, hopefully causing harm to get the drug off the market, and in the end, save more lives.

Alexander Skarsgård

Will Jane/Sarah figure out what is the right thing to do and successfully bring The East to justice for her employer? Or will Stockholm Syndrome take hold, causing her to fall for Benji, even though she's not really a captive? She must judge what's right, not only for her, but for her employer, the victims of the big corporations, and the possibility of a bigger catastrophe around the corner.

Marling consistently creates complex roles that are rare in mainstream films, especially those with a female lead, and we should applaud her for that.

Zal Batmanglij grows as a director from his previous collaboration with Marling. This film is bigger in scope, the cast larger, and at times, the idea seems to outgrow Sound of My Voice. The only problem, like in the previous film, is that it seems to drag in a couple of segments, yet still manages to click along at a steady pace overall. As Batmanglij's budgets grow, hopefully he'll have a shot at an even wider audience, and let's hope he brings Marling along for the ride.

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Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEAUTY IN THE BATHTUB                   
by Zac Sanford


Beasts of the Southern Wild takes us deep into the murky waters of the south, not within the safety net of the Louisiana levee system, but just on the other side, in a little commune known as the Bathtub.  Here, the few residents celebrate all that life has to offer them, not confined to work nine-to-five, but to survive off the land, eating those animals that you've raised, spending time with friends and family, but ultimately, surviving even the worst of storms.

Wink (Dwight Henry) knows his time remaining on this planet is coming to an end, so he must take all he's learned in his years and pass it along to his daughter, Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis).  Once he's gone, she'll have no one left to call family.  Her mother has been gone for countless years, and there really isn't any explanation of what happened to her, other than she simply "swam away."  Life is tough in the Bathtub, so Hushpuppy must learn to catch crawfish barehanded, survive on what little food she can find (even when it isn't meant for human consumption), and ultimately to survive.

Hushpuppy looks up to her father, and with great direction from first timer Benh Zeitlin, along with the superb camerawork of Ben Richardson, everything in the film hovers over her.  The camera movement is free flowing, shot from the hip, as Beasts is a film from the point of view of our six-year old narrator.  In less capable hands, and without the huge influence of Terrence Malick on Zeitlin, the film could easily fall into heavy melodrama as Wink and Hushpuppy are dealt a worse fate than any that came before.

Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry

When a flash-flood of epic proportions (similar in scope to that of Hurricane Katrina) slams into the Bathtub, Wink and Hushpuppy must hold on tight. Wink yells to his daughter over the pounding rain in the shack, stacked high above the ground to avoid being carried away by the waters.  She must be strong; she must not get scared.  The storm will pass, and once again, life will go on within the bayou.  But this is no normal storm.  The bathtub has been ravaged.  Pets and animals that were meant to be food have all but vanished.  The water is too polluted to drink, but somehow, our characters know they must be strong and continue living as a community.

The haunting images of the flooded bayou are enough to break any viewer's heart.  The shacks that are homes to the locals have varying levels of damage.  Even the local bar will be on short supply as no one will be coming in and out of the area for quite some time.  So Wink and a couple cohorts decide to head on out to the levee, to find a way to release some of the pressure, allowing them to live a somewhat normal life, at least in their eyes.

Hushpuppy is once again left to survive on her own.  This is her land and her people, and through her constant narration, she will do whatever it takes to find the way to a lighthouse where she feels her mother has been living.  And if it isn't just to see her mother, it is also to escape the Aurochs, beasts formerly frozen in ice, but now free due to global warming, that are in route to the bathtub.

Quvenzhane Wallis

 
Beasts has been the buzz on the festival circuit since it premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.  What this film lacks in stars, it more than makes up for in the visual imagery and the wonderful performances that easily catapulted it to win the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Caméra d'Or award at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.  One has to wonder why Fox Searchlight decided to release the film so early in the year.  As it stands right now, it is easily the front-runner for many end-of-the-year top-ten lists and countless nominations for its cast and crew.

Most notably of all are the performances by first-time actors, Quvenzhane Wallis and Dwight Henry.  Wallis was only five years old when she was cast from a local call of over 4,000 submissions.  While most films with kid leads are sunk by their young actors, she shines and carries the film, filling the frame with such a force of emotion and heart.  Dwight, a local baker in New Orleans, carries a heavy burden of impending death and of constant sorrow. It is amazing to think he and his costar had no previous training before being cast in the film.  They both embody their characters, and it will be interesting to see if either of them are able to break through and have a career in their future.  As of release, Dwight Henry will next be seen in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave.

Seeking a Friend For The End Of The World

A DEEPER IMPACT                                
by Zac Sanford

Hollywood has a long running fascination with the "end of the world" scenario, and as the clock ticks closer to the end of the Mayan calendar, a slate of films has hit the multiplexes exclaiming the "end is near."  In Seeking a Friend For the End of the World, it isn't the CGI spectacle that drives the narrative, but the range of real emotions as the human race comes to its end.

And that end is just around the corner, three weeks to be exact, after an Armageddon-style mission to stop a doomsday asteroid fails.  The clock is now ticking and it is too much for many to take.  The first casualty is the marriage of Dodge (Steve Carell), as his wife bolts from the car, running into the night, never to be seen again.  And this is the central question within the movie - with only a finite amount of time before you cease to exist, what would you do?

Dodge takes the high road.   A man to never rest on his laurels, he still arrives to work daily, but won't take the newly vacated CFO position.  He fills the 9 to 5 by answering calls at his insurance job, exclaiming that the pending disaster would not be covered under one's policy.  But why go to work?  To some, the normalcy is a way to keep your mind at a distance from the bleak future that is right around the corner.  Or maybe as best exemplified by Dodge's housekeeper, there may be a bit of faith buried under the surface that things might not go as expected, or there's something better awaiting in the afterlife.

While the themes of the future and what could or couldn't happen aren't really explored within the context of the film, most of the characters Dodge comes across in the first act have a chance to live out every fantasy.  There really aren't any repercussions when the end is near.  Dodge's best, and it seems only friend, Warren (Rob Corddry), wants to make the best out of his last few days.  It's time to smoke those Cubans and to teach his children to "drink through the burn" as they take their first alcoholic drinks.  It is the party to end all parties; girls will sleep with any man, including one of Patton Oswalt's stature, and since there's no time to worry about getting addicted, why not enjoy the heroin that someone brought to the party.

But Dodge doesn't want to try new things.  He is a man who has lived a life of regrets, most notably letting the first love of his life get away from him.  When he comes across a letter that has been in the possession of his neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightley), for an unknown amount of time, he makes it his mission to find a way to reunite with her one last time.  Penny also has a life of regret.  Instead of heading out on one of the last flights to be with her family in the UK, she decided to stay with her boyfriend (Adam Brody).  When Penny gets in a final fight with her boyfriend, only Dodge is there to console her and says he can get her to a plane if she can drive him to find his lost love.

And that's when the movie shifts gears a little.  Sure there's a couple more episodic bouts with doomsday preppers and overzealous cops, but the real heart in the story is trying to find that human bond and connection within a time of chaos. Lorene Scafaria, who previously wrote Nick and Norah'sInfinite Playlist, penned the script and is behind the camera for the first time.  She perfectly maneuvers the change from an over-the-top comedy into a dramedy, and as the movie gets closer to the final moments before impact, the film goes into longer stretches without a comedic beat.

Keira Knightley and Steve Carell

The road trip aspects allow a real chemistry to be built between Carell and Knightley, considering so much screen time is filled with the two.  Keira does a great job playing against type, while Steve doesn't bring too much new to the table.  We've seen him play the affable guy who is a little down trodden.  But somehow the bond is quickly built and believable between the two.  And like any good rom-com, you hope and root that they'll end up together, but is the end of the world enough to send them in opposite directions?  Or will they ultimately spend the last remaining seconds together, true friends in the end?

Seeking a Friend For the End of the World is a fun twist on the doomsday scenario. What it lacks in special effects in makes up in heart, hopefully making this a memorable film in the end.

Lola Versus

Millennials Lost                               
by Zac Sanford

On the cusp of turning thirty, all seems on the right track for Lola (Greta Gerwig), the titular character in Fox Searchlight's latest offering, Lola Versus.

Lola's been living with her boyfriend Luke (Joel Kinnaman) for long enough that he's finally ready to settle down. Isn't that typically what people in their thirties do if they haven't already? Besides her wonderful boyfriend and eclectic group of friends, Lola is working on her dissertation covering the topic of the "Silent Moments in French Cinema." What could actually go wrong?

 Joel Kinnaman and Greta Gerwig

As Lola and her parents (played by Bill Pullman and Debra Winger in thankless and under-utilized roles) prepare for the upcoming nuptials, Luke comes down with a case of cold feet and calls off the wedding. Also, since Lola and Luke shared an apartment together, she must now find solace in a new locale as she continues a downward spiral of sexual encounters, alcohol and self-pity. But something about Gerwig's performance makes the sad state of affairs endearing, keeping the viewer locked in and along for the ride.

It also helps that Gerwig has wonderful actors to play against. Alice (Zoe Lister Jones, who co-wrote the script) is the best friend who is always just a phone call away. She's the ear for Lola to dump upon and always fires back with a witty response that isn't always helpful to her friend-in-need. Henry (Hamish Linklater), a close friend of Lola and an even closer friend to Luke, becomes another support system. There's always been somewhat of a spark between them, but based on the previous relationship, they've held back. One night when Lola can't be alone, she calls up Henry, who is more than happy to oblige sharing a bed with her for the night. The two must learn to balance their growing feelings for one another, considering Luke is still in both of their lives.

 Greta Gerwig

If all this sounds a little familiar, it might be the fact that the film doesn't break much new ground in the RomCom genre. The plot is razor thin and lately a typical episode of Girls on HBO will have more depth than the entire run time of Lola Versus. But the chemistry of Greta Gerwig and her close friends make this a more believable ensemble than those littered through the scripts penned by Lena Dunham. If only I could find the best of both programs and combine them into one movie or TV show, I'd be one happy viewer.

Newport Beach Film Festival

Lives in Crisis                                       
by Zac Sanford

The theme for this year's Newport Beach Film Festival appears to be "Characters in Crisis."  Many of the characters have hit a rut - the mid-life stepping stone or even a quarter-life crisis - and are looking for a change to get out of it.  Some will sleep their way to enlightenment, while others will hit the road to find their purpose.  Each will be better for it in the end.  I'm not sure I've changed much by watching these journeys.

Dreamworld:  Everyone has had that moment of "Love at First Sight", and for Oliver Hayes (Whit Hertford, who co-wrote the script), he finds that moment in a chance encounter with a pixie named Lily Blush (Mary Kate Wiles).  The connection is instantaneous, leaving the newly-employed Oliver questioning whether to take the ride up the coast for the chance of a lifetime to find his way into Pixar.  Animation has always been his dream.  The leads are charming and the chemistry radiates on screen, but as the miles rack up, personal demons come out, putting the new relationship to the test.

Free Samples:  An episodic day in the life tale that is light on plot, following Jillian (Jess Weixler) as she hands out free samples from a frozen yogurt food truck.  She's hung over, on a break from her college boyfriend and her studies in college.  As people come throughout the day, little is done to shift Jillian's attitude until a chance encounter with a former actress and classmate start to stir her emotions and attitude, which she has a lot of.  The sarcastic nature pushes most of the laughs, but it does get a bit repetitive towards the end.  Thankfully Weixler is endearing and enjoyable in the cranky role.

Magic Camp:  Young magicians duke it out in this heart-warming documentary at the famous Tannen's Magic Camp, held yearly at Bryn Mawr College, where the boys far outnumber the girls.  The camp allows the kids to not only practice their skills, but to connect to others who share their passion and desire to entertain.  While some of the aspiring magicians become homesick, others spend their hours practicing their acts to perfection to enter the final battle of the top five magicians.  The film was awarded the prize of Outstanding Family Film after having its world premiere at the fest.

 The Woman in the Fifth:  A dark and moody thriller for the first two-thirds of the film, it completely falls on its face for the last part, leaving many of the mysteries open and unresolved in the end.  Even if the mysteries set forth in the film are never fully answered, the film does contain some amazing performances from Ethan Hawke as a author who moves to be closer to his daughter, Kristin Scott Thomas as a mysterious woman with some stringent rules on when and where they can meet up for their affair, and Joanna Kulig as Hawke's soul confidant.

Save the Date:  Two sisters are polar opposites.  Beth (Alison Brie) prepares for her wedding to the man she loves, who just happens to be in a band with Kevin (Geoffrey Arend), who wants to pop the question to her sister, Sarah (Lizzy Caplan).  Beth pushes Kevin not to pop the question, knowing that it will end in heartbreak.  But what is the big deal?  Kevin and Beth just moved in together, so it seems to be the next logical step.  But Beth is in a totally different mindset.  Even as she prepares to move out, she questions her decision on this commitment.  Once Kevin pops the question during his band's performance at a sold-out concert, he is left alone, only to have the entire moment broadcast across the net.  Beth must balance her newly single life, a blossoming relationship and another possible life-changing moment.  A hilarious romp with a fun soundtrack, Save the Date just recently landed distribution with IFC films.

Ira Finkelstein's Christmas:  Ira loves everything that has to do with Christmas.  Problem is, he's Jewish and hasn't even seen real snow in his entire young life.  While on a layover to visit his grandparents (which he haven't seen in years), Ira meets up with another kid who is on his way to Christmastown, WA.  The two swap identities and set out for their ultimate destinations.  If you're able to get over the fact that the airlines mix up the kids and the other family members don't remember what the kids look like, it is a heart-warming tale about dreams and family.  The only thing bogging down the film is a subplot involving Ira's father (David DeLuise), who is producing the most awkward and embarrassingly bad Christmas film since Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

 Summer Song:  While Alexa Vega sizzles on screen as the talented musician at the center, ultimately this film crawls at a snail's pace as melodrama drags it down.  Beautifully shot in Cape Cod and with a running time of under eighty minutes, the film could have used an editor other than writer/director Aram Rappaport.  I don't require films to be straight-forward in storytelling, but many scenes didn't seem to add to the overall forward thrust of the narrative.  You can only watch a father or a bible-thumping brother over-act and be abusive so many times before it becomes dull and boring.  Sometimes blood is not thicker than water, especially when you have dreams you'd love to achieve.

Adventures in Plymptoons:  A hodgepodge of clips, interviews and admiration of the king of weird animation, Bill Plympton.  What?  Never heard of him?  While Bill has flown under the radar of mainstream success, he has been an inspiration for many artists over the course of a long and twisted career.  While the production values may be a little sub-par, if the film had delivered a high-quality and pristine flick, it really wouldn't have been in the spirit of all things Plympton.

Lola Versus:  Greta Gerwig, one of the reigning queens of the indie film scene, shines as the titular character, Lola, another twenty-something going through her quarter-life crisis while juggling love and a career in New York City.  While some may blow this off as a younger version of Sex and the City, the film has some heart buried in the trysts between the sheets.  A full review is forthcoming when the film is released this June by Fox Searchlight.

Servitude:  Like Waiting and Slammin' Salmon before it, Servitude is another in a long line of films about the disgruntled wait staff at a restaurant on the verge of change.  Even though this film is an export from our neighbors to the north, don't expect a polite and light comedy. Instead the film holds back nothing and delivers some of the biggest and most offensive laughs of the entire fest.  Be on the lookout for the almost unrecognizable Margot Kidder and a handful of other Canadian comedy mainstays.