film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Category: REVIEWS

Here is where you would find our film reviews on BRWC.  We look at on trailers, shorts, indies and mainstream.  We love movies!

  • The Informer: Review

    The Informer: Review

    Crime thrillers are a dime a dozen, with audiences likely to find a handful of disposable entries stuffed at the bottom of a local bargain bin. That isn’t to say the genre lacks an innate charm, with its best entries offering a pulsating tension that throttles forward an unpredictable narrative (Good Time and Widows are some of my recent favorites). The latest in the genre’s lineage The Informer doesn’t amplify its tried and true framework, but the film compensates by offering a sturdily crafted experience.

    The Informer follows Pete Koslow (Joel Kinnaman), an ex-convict serving as an undisclosed informant for Agent Wilcox (Rosamund Pike). In his efforts to bust a Polish gang, a New York police officer is killed, leading to Detective Grens (Common) hotly following Pete’s trail. The gang’s leader decides to send Pete to back his old prison to push drugs, leaving him in a desperate situation for survival as he tries to figure out who he can trust.

    As the premise would leave you to believe, The Informer generates a web of revolving plot threads that could be convoluted in the wrong hands. Writer/director Andrea Di Stefano (who collaborated on the script with Matt Cook and Rowan Joffe) properly allows these interwoven arcs to develop and work in tandem, economically trimming the fat by thrusting audiences straight into its dog-eats-dog world. Where most low-budget efforts like this would try to sprinkle in constant action to excite audiences, Di Stefano trusts his material and allows its engaging twist and turns to be the central focus. The script is self-aware in its core pursuit of genre entertainment, with Di Stefano’s sure-handed direction pushing the pace forward in a fittingly relentless manor.

    It helps that The Informer is propped up by a strong veteran cast. Joel Kinnaman imbues enough humanity to make his straight-laced lead pop on the screen, carrying the weight of the character’s conflicted state on his sturdy shoulders. Few actors are able to infuse a cooler than cool presence into roles like Common, delivering some much-needed gravitas to what would be a thankless role in other hands. Whether its Rosamund Pike, Clive Owen, or Ana de Armas, each performer plays the material straight and enhances it through their sheer ability.

    The Informer rarely takes a major misstep, but it also fails to spice up its customary design. Di Stefano’s no-nonsense approach leads to a serious dearth of character development, with the script never quite maximizing the emotionality of Pete’s duplicitous lifestyle (the work of Michael Mann is a great example of how this can be done in an equally profound and subdued manor). The film also is lacking its own voice behind the camera, with a standard-issue shot selection rendering a product that’s more akin to a well-produced TV pilot.

    What The Informer lacks in innovation, the workmanlike thriller more than makes up for with its sound craftsmanship.

  • National Lampoon’s Vacation: Review

    National Lampoon’s Vacation: Review

    National Lampoon’s Vacation: Review – Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) decides to embark on a cross-country expedition from Chicago to an LA amusement park with his family. Their vacation turns into a nightmare when they encounter several hurdles.

    It may be hard to believe, but this week, Harold Ramis’ National Lampoon’s Vacation celebrates its 37th anniversary. Even though I wasn’t alive when the movie was released in theatres, it’s still hard to believe and it makes me incredibly nostalgic too. I basically grew up watching Vacation. Seriously. I can’t remember an exact age, but the first time I saw this movie was when I was extremely young. Maybe seven or eight years old. Is it the most appropriate film for a young child to watch? Not really. But I watched it anyway and loved every single second of it.

    Since I loved it so much on my initial viewing, I watched it numerous times over throughout the years. The Vacation movies are somewhat of a tradition in my family. Every summer we watch this film at some point, and about two weeks before Christmas Day, we all gather around to watch Christmas Vacation, which is our personal favorite in the long-running series. That being said though, Vacation is without a doubt my favorite road trip film of all time. There are plenty of great ones, and I’ll admit, Planes, Trains and Automobiles does come quite close, but there is just something so oddly endearing about watching Clark Griswold and his family embark on the most mishap-filled vacation of their lives.

    Rewatching this film today made me feel as if I were a kid again. What made this rewatch all the more special is that I watched it together with my mom and dad, just like how I grew up watching it countless times over growing up. Despite the fact that we have probably seen the movie about fifty times (no exaggeration), we still laughed so hard our stomachs hurt.

    We all know that John Hughes was one of the most legendary and influential filmmakers of the eighties, but I sometimes feel as though he doesn’t get enough credit for his absolutely hilarious screenplay here. Mostly everybody adores The Breakfast Club and the aforementioned Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but I think that his script for Vacation is without a doubt his most impressive and most comedic as well. This film has a total running time of ninety-eight minutes which is fairly standard for comedies. Sometimes though, a comedy can feel as if it outstays its welcome and there becomes a point in which the jokes just aren’t landing anymore. But not with Vacation. Every little mishap that happens on the Griswold’s adventure is sure to make you laugh and will keep you entertained all the way up to the closing credits.

    Vacation holds some of the most outrageously funny moments in cinematic history. As I said, I have seen this movie probably fifty times or more. I knew every single thing that was going to happen in the movie, yet I still laughed as though I had just seen it for the very first time. That’s because the script is so timeless and the jokes are still just as funny as they were more than thirty years ago.

    One of the greatest moments in the film is when Clark sees a woman he finds to be attractive and wants to impress her so he starts dancing while he is holding a sandwich that he’s about to eat. He takes a big bite only to be told by his wife Ellen that the family dog had peed all over the sandwiches which makes Clark spit the whole thing on the ground. There’s also the moment where Clark punches the Wally World moose mascot right in the nose or the scene in which the Wagon Queen Family Truckster goes airborne fifty miles in the desert.

    But one scene that I have always found to be hilarious seems to be one that not a lot of people take notice of. In one of the earliest scenes in the film, Clark and Ellen are discussing their exciting trip to Walley World while they are doing dishes. A hilarious little tidbit that can be hard to spot is that Clark never actually cleans the dishes before putting them back in the cupboard. Ellen hands Clark dishes to wash, but instead of washing them, he simply takes a rag and rubs it on the cutlery and plates for a few seconds and just puts them away. It’s a small moment but it’s so funny. Once you notice it, you’ll be sure to appreciate the scene and the film as a whole even more.

    This is just one of the most feel-good comedies ever made. It’s the definition of a perfect summer road-trip movie that will always stand the test of time. I honestly can’t see this film being boring or outdated in the future. This Griswold family adventure will forever remain a staple in the comedy genre, even thirty more years from now.

    National Lampoon’s Vacation is an outrageously hilarious road-trip comedy filled with tons of heart and goofy moments that still stand the test of time.

  • Yes, God, Yes: Review

    Yes, God, Yes: Review

    Many films adhere to the indie coming of age formula, making it exceedingly rare for even a pleasant project to transcend the genre’s normative qualities (I Used to Go Here being a prime example). A few delightful surprises do find their way to cinemas though, including the latest adolescent comedy Yes, God, Yes. Written and performed with a keen sensibility and emotional authenticity, the film ranks as one of the summer’s most rewarding achievements.

    Based on a short film set in the early 2000s (from the same writer/director and star), Yes, God, Yes follows Alice (Natalia Dyer), a precocious teenager whose sexual awakening contrasts with her family and school’s conservative, faith-based culture. To understand her urges, Alice goes on a weekend trip run by Father Murphy (Timothy Simmons), where she begins to discover the blurry truth about her situation.

    Yes, God, Yes mines some potent thematic depth from its finite focus. Karen Maine’s screenplay humorously observes the hypocrisy at the center of Catholicism, displaying religion’s suppressive nature and the superficial, overly-zealous way it’s preached to developing youths – especially women (the film is inspired by Maine’s experiences). Instead of approaching her satire with a bitting bleakness, Maine imbues a sense of warmth and catharsis that counterbalances her critique nicely while still finding a sharp voice when required (the final scene is a picturesque conclusion). Her script sings with sneakily searing comedic beats (whether its a counselor philosophizing Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes” as a holy track or through its distinctly 2000s zeitgeist references), often being quite funny in its recreations of authentically awkward moments.

    Maine’s balanced delivery helps render an endearing coming of age journey through Alice’s self-discovery. Where many ventures have viewed teenager’s awkward interactions with sexuality through a simplistic gaze, Maine explores this time of growth and curiosity in an assuring light that doesn’t belittle its subjects. Even as the film goes through some familiar motions (a third act speech made by a sage older character), these frames are colored with enough honesty to exceed the common framework. Star Natalia Dyer deserves significant credit for elevating the material, portraying Alice with a charming innocence that steadily evolves as she uncovers her conformist setting.

    Perhaps the only aspect holding Yes, God, Yes back from reaching grander heights is its straightforward visual design. Maine has some fun jazzing up scenes with pop confectionary tracks, but cinematographer Todd Antonio Somodevilla’s style never rises to the level of its written craft. Perhaps enhancing some of the film’s personal frames with more visceral camerawork could have rendered an even more meaningful experience, similar to what Greta Gerwig accomplished with her debut film Lady Bird (though in the grand scheme of things, this is a fairly minute complaint).

    Finding a sincere voice in her debut film, Kelly Maine’s Yes, God, Yes shines as a coming of age delight that articulates a well-realized portrait of Conservative culture.

  • The Tax Collector: The BRWC Review

    The Tax Collector: The BRWC Review

    David Ayer has morphed into an enigmatic force in Hollywood, one who has endured his fair share of highs and lows in the industry. Promising offerings like Fury and End of Watch have displayed Ayer’s ability to infuse humanity into machismo conventions, yet the director’s recent run of lackluster blockbusters (Suicide Squad and Bright) have left a sour aftertaste for his fans. Returning to his crime drama stomping grounds with The Tax Collector, Ayer’s latest falters as a vapid shoot-’em-up exercise that fails to hit its mark.

    The Tax Collector follows David (Bobby Soto), a family man working as a collector for a Los Angeles crime lord alongside his loyal companion Creeper (Shia LaBeouf). When a new threat Conejo (Jose Conejo Martin) comes to town, David prepares for all-out war while trying to protect his sacred family dynamic.

    For all his misgivings, Ayer still displays assured technical craftsmanship. His tight, kinetic framing portrays the dingy streets and their unnerving dangers with visceral impact, building a sense of place that brustles with life and uncertainty. His world-building is aided by The Tax Collectors’ core leads, who command the screen with ease. Bobby Soto earnestly conveys David’s confliction with dramatic weight, displaying David’s efforts to build a sense of normalcy in his familiar bonds to right-the-wrong of his tumultuous, crime-oriented upbringing.

    Perhaps the biggest spotlight has derived from Shia LaBeouf’s presence as a Chicano crimelord (Ayer’s revealed the character to be a Jewish man indoctrinated into the LA lifestyle, though the movie could do a better job articulating that). While his performance will likely be divisive, I could not help but be drawn into his magnetic screen presence. Playing Creeper as a man overcompensating for his fears with a coldly callous presence, LaBeouf deploys a restlessly twitchy energy that bursts through the screen like a Tony Montana wannabe. He also forms a genuine comradery with Soto onscreen, which propels some of the film’s quieter earlier frames. Despite the shellacking Ayer has received for this project pre-release, I do think the director had noble aspirations to promote much-needed diversity on the screen.

    Good intentions do not birth a satisfactory film though, with The Tax Collector drowning under the surface of its self-serious exterior. Ayer’s screenplay is stuck in a murky middle ground between grounded crime-drama and low-rent actioner, often dancing between the two tonalities without much grace. This confused delivery significantly hinders any dramatic potential, as the script crafts simplistic, one-note caricatures that feel ill-fitted in its contemporary landscape (Conejo feels like he’s thrown in from another film, especially considering the ritual scene where he’s dowsed in the blood of human sacrifice). This approach creates an abhorrent portrait of the film’s female character, who thanklessly range between subservient victims to over the top henchman.

    Similar to some of Ayer’s previous projects, The Tax Collector features a vicious mean-streak that is never imbued with much-needed purpose. The violence here is as gratuitous as it gets, with Ayer dreaming up some sickening kills that only stand to shock audiences. Both sides turn to all-out bloodshed under the simplistic guise of family and honor, embracing archaic ideas without an ounce of self-awareness. A more astute narrative could have observed the conditions behind our characters’ casualty cruelty, whether it’s influenced by family lineage or as a byproduct of a disenfranchised environment. Without a substantive throughline, the abrasive violence just feels like a tacky inclusion.

    The Tax Collector highlights David Ayer’s worst tendencies as a craftsman, fixating on shallow style and noise over substance.

  • Marley: Review

    Marley: Review

    I first watched Kevin Macdonald’s Marley in Bath during its 2012 release. Watching a film about a true Rasta, in the city where Haile Selassie exiled (and watched newsreels of Ethiopia in the very cinema I was watching the doc in) was a somewhat spiritual experience. 

    Now, with a rewatch, the afterburn of the film has left a different sensation. 

    Marley is an extensive look into the life of legendary Bob Marley, with insightful interviews with family members, band mates and colleagues. As Marley’s career was so politically and socially infused, we not only get a life analysis, but also context to troubles in Jamaica and beyond. 

    There’s no doubt this film has been made with love, focusing on the positives of Marley, his amazing achievements both politically and musically. There is a distinct lack of musical and studio process, which is a bit of a shame as it was a revolutionary time for Reggae music.

    It did however encapsulate the legacy of Marley, his spiritual leadership and mission. It was sometimes a bit tonally askew, especially surrounding the topics of Marley’s womanising and domineering behaviour in the middle section of the film. One moment Marley is a peaceful being, the next he is a rule implementing misogynist, then back again, which at times leaves you feeling torn. Yet it is brave for Macdonald to have gone so deep into Marley’s character and to show Marley in every light.

    There is a bitterness to the rewatch, however, especially when watching the end credits with people from lots of countries singing Marley’s songs, as the unity and peace that he strove so hard for through his music still hasn’t come to fruition in society. It is also evident that no one like Marley has entered the music industry since.

    A must-see documentary for Bob Marley fans, but also fans of politics and making change!