Movie review

2023 - 2 - 21

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On The Line (2022) Movie Review - This is one movie you should ... (The Review Geek)

Gibson stars as LA radio host Elvis Cooney, who we quickly discover is a bit of a prankster when he plays a cruel joke on Dylan (William Moseley), his show's ...

There are a couple of decent sequences during the movie’s second half, such as a sequence on top of the radio station where Cooney is given a chilling ultimatum, but there is nothing to match the suspenseful scenes that came before. Therefore, this is probably a movie you should ignore, even if you are a fan of its lead actor. Gibson turns in a good performance as the pressured radio host and the first half of the movie is actually quite decent, as director and writer Romuald Boulanger manages to ratchet up the tension nicely. This twist in the plot becomes the catalyst for a cat-and-mouse game as Cooney and Dylan attempt to track down the abductor but these scenes, which take the focus away from the single location of the radio studio, are rarely believable and they suck away the tension that had been built up previously. 2020’s Fatman did much to win him favour after a series of critical flops but he has continued to make bad career choices in the years since. The caller’s name is Gary, a man who claims to be at Cooney’s home holding the show host’s wife and daughter hostage.

Shadows: Stephy Tang shines in stylish if illogical crime mystery (South China Morning Post)

Stephy Tang shines as a psychiatrist who can read her patients' subconscious, and who suspects a senior doctor is compelling his patients to commit murder.

A House Made of Splinters movie review (2023) | Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert)

Wilmont's film edges into emotional exploitation a bit too much at times, but the raw moments he captures in this facility are a testament to the trust he ...

Wilmont is careful not to betray that trust with overdone music or too many close-ups of tears—although there are enough of those to make this one of the more emotionally exhausting films in a long time. There are times when Wilmont could have turned away a few seconds earlier, but that's likely just the protective parent in me who wanted to turn off the camera and give these young adults their space. The idea is that it's a place for kids to be while adults deal with things that no child should endure, like alcoholism or abuse. Wilmont's film edges into emotional exploitation at times, but the raw moments he captures in this facility are a testament to the trust he clearly built with everyone there—and that ability to capture truth without interfering or manufacturing gives his film an undeniable emotional power. "A House Made of Splinters" unfolds at Lysychansk, a facility in Ukraine where parents can drop off children for up to nine months, at which point they're put into the foster system. Last month, one of the most surprising Oscar nominees was "A House Made of Splinters," a film that edged out some strong contenders in the Best Documentary category and is getting a VOD and limited theatrical release today.

“iMordecai” Oy Mordecai [MOVIE REVIEW] (Easy Reader)

Judd Hirsch as Mordecai Samel. Photo courtesy of Femor Productions. Marvin Samel, director of “iMordecai,” ...

The Mordecai we meet was certainly not a victim to his circumstances and lived his life to its fullest but he did so by burying an important aspect of his being. This is certainly not “The Fabelmans” and Samel is definitely not a Spielberg. Glossing over the importance of the past in the decisions of the present is a worthy investigation. As far as the real Marvin and the real Mordecai were concerned, they hit the jackpot with their doppelgangers. Ostensibly he is telling the story about trying to bring his father into the modern world as exemplified by the use of an iPhone, the phone with no buttons. Perhaps Samel the director didn’t want to drag the comedic elements of his irrepressible father into the abyss of painful memory. When, and it’s rarely, Mordecai does talk about his family, he marvels at the luck of the draw, if you can call it that, that a tiny branch of his extended family fled to Russia while the rest stayed behind and perished. It was a noble effort but doesn’t rise to an exploration of the primary issue that I think is at the root of Samel’s narrative. And that is the unspoken question begging to be answered in this personal film. He’s not too sure about the phone but he is entranced with the charms and gentle persuasions of Nina, a young woman whose compassion for the elderly Jewish population is very pronounced. Not hiding behind fictitious characters, Samel tells the story of his father, Mordecai Samel, mother Fela Samel, and himself. Set in Florida, Samel paints a picture of a family, while not exactly in crisis, floating in difficulty, conflict and denial.

Gaga: indigenous culture explored in award-winning Taiwanese ... (South China Morning Post)