By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Colliding Dreams and Embrace of the Serpent are two serious motion pictures that open tomorrow. Both films are thought-provoking and could lead to some serious discussion after viewing.

According to director Oren Rudavsky, the original title for Colliding Dreams was going to be “The Zionist Idea.” This two-hour documentary begins with the Roman repression of the Jews, which sets the stage for nearly 2000 years of persecuted history. The theme of finding a homeland is almost permanently dashed due to Hitler’s genocidal madness.

This film offers a new perspective on the Middle East, a few years before Hitler’s rise to power. We learn about the rise of anti-Semitism in the early 20th Century. Under the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the British Empire promised the Jewish People a homeland. Almost 20 years later under the Arab Revolt, the ever-changing British government bowed to Middle Eastern political pressure and ended their support of a Jewish state.

With generous use of archival footage, the producers interview a wide variety of people — young, old, Jewish and Palestinian. Colliding Dreams is a film for the historically responsible individual.

Oscar nominated for Best Foreign Language Motion Picture, Embrace of the Serpent is the first time the country of Colombia has been so honored. Shot in black and white with English subtitles, this film is a unique piece of digital imagery.

It deals with the loss of the indigenous people of the Amazon. We see two stories told decades apart. The first deals with an ill German, Theo (Jan Bijvoet), who is taken to safety by the Cohiuano tribe. The second features Evan (Brionne Davis), an American biologist whose specialty is botany. Both the German and the American are in search of the yakruna, a sacred healing plant. The central character of both stories is Karamakate, a shaman who sadly watches the extinction of his tribe from colonization.

For all the dire circumstances, this film provides some life-affirming moments. Director Ciro Guerra utilizes some cinematography magic to make Embrace of the Serpent an important motion picture.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Another awards season has come to an end, with only the Super Tuesday Primaries and March Madness to distract us until the next major mass media conflict on March 25, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

While Amy took the Best Documentary Oscar, the most fan favorite documentary (according to www.rotten tomatoes.com) is Embrace of the Serpent, which makes its South Florida debut on March 11. Mad Max Fury Road garnered the most awards for its well-deserved visual and technical feats, but it was Spotlight that earned the Best Original Screenplay, which led to Best Motion Picture Award.

While Chris Rock lampooned the lack of diversity for the Academy Awards, there is a box office success story that is being ignored by Hollywood: Risen. Produced on a relatively small budget of $20 million, Risen has already earned its investors a return on their investment. Directed by Hollywood veteran Kevin Reynolds (Waterworld, Rapa Nui), Risen is a thriller about an event that happened nearly 2000 years ago.

Roman Tribune Clavius (Joseph Fiennes) is assigned to oversee the execution of a political insurgent named Jesus. By the time Clavius arrives, Jesus has died on the cross during crucifixion. While two other crucified men are tossed in a common burial pit at Golgotha, Joseph of Arimathea asks of Clavius that Jesus be interred in a family tomb. Clavius agrees.

After meeting with his supervisor Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth), Clavius is told to assign two men to guard the tomb for fear that the body of Jesus would be stolen to create a new religious movement. Despite following every forensic procedure, after three days, the body disappears.

Being the middle of the Lenten Season, many Christians are counting down to Easter Sunday on March 27. Risen opens as if it were another television version of CSI and appears to offer another series of Christian clichés. Yet, unlike many New Testament epics that focus on Jesus’ final days, Risen presents a different perspective, the afterlife of Jesus Christ.

This film provides a fresh perspective to the Independent Christian genre born12 years ago with the release of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. While he does not strive for Gibson’s artistic intentions, Reynolds’s low key direction enhances the narrative. The film begins with violence and despair, but grows into a peaceful resolution that does not feel dull or forced.

While Risen is not likely to be mentioned in next year’s Academy Awards, a story about Jesus’ life after death is too good to pass over.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

While Deadpool dominated last weekend’s box office, both independent movies Risen and The Witch: A New England Folktake (printed on posters as “The VVitch”) were moderately successful, given their modest production budgets. Both films could not be more different forms of entertainment. According to Rotten Tomatoes, [the Biblical tale] Risen was well-received by the public, but was not certified “fresh” by the mainstream critics. In contrast, The Witch was not warmly received by the public, but was embraced by mainstream critics.

The Witch is an art house horror movie that was obviously influenced by The Blair Witch Project and Val Lewton’s The Seventh Victim and I Married a Zombie. The Witch is what Rob Zombie tried to do with his home movie, The Lords of Salem. With shades of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, The Witch is pure rural horror with great attention to detail.

It opens with a religious family of seven being exiled from a New England plantation. While Tomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy, a South Florida native) plays peek-a-boo with her infant sibling, the baby disappears into the black forest. Things get far worse for the exiled family.

For horror fans suckled on the slice and dice horror of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, this film will feel slow.

Director Robert Eggers puts the viewer into another world. The language is 17th Century English with the generous use of the pronoun “Thou.” Visually, this film echoes the nightmare paintings of Francisco Goya and the contemporary (to the timeframe) work of Johannes Vermeer.

This is not a happy film, but this motion picture is pure horror, much like the cult film Se7en. It will be talked about in film school for years to come.

Truly Deadpool is in a universe far different from The Witch, which is a welcome relief.

It opens with the Chicago song “You’re my Inspiration” as we watch a slow motion car wreck. During this montage, a roster of fake credits roll, creating the first belly laughs for the film, which last right through the post-credit teaser inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

So who is Deadpool, besides being another mutant superhero who wears a shabby Spider-Man costume found in a Salvation Army store? He is Wade (Ryan Reynolds), a con artist mercenary who finds the love of his life, Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) but discovers he has terminal cancer. He learns of an experimental drug that may cure his disease, but, of course, the drug is administered by a certified mad scientist who turns Wade into a mercenary mutant.

Under Director Tim Miller’s firm direction, Deadpool takes all the clichés of a successful comic book movie and makes them feel fresh. There are ties to the eight X-Men movies with a few Easter eggs tossed in from the Disney Marvel comic universe. The fourth wall is broken with Reynolds being the perfect conduit.

Both The Witch: A New England Folktale and Deadpool know how to appeal to their respective audiences.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

While most people celebrated Valentine’s Day at the Renaissance Festival or the Pioneer Days Festival, yours truly was busy screening Spotlight, a movie about the child sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by Catholic priests in Boston. While the subject matter is distasteful, Spotlight is a masterful film that has earned its accolades.

The film opens on Valentine’s Day in 1976. A child is abused by a priest who is detained by the Boston police. A representative from the Catholic Church is called in with a bundle of cash to give to the family. The film fast forwards to 25 years later when a new editor, Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber), takes the reins of the Boston Herald newspaper. A veteran of “a Miami paper” and The New York Times, Baron assigns the Spotlight team to investigate the subject of pedophilia in the Boston community.

“Spotlight” is the code name of the investigative team of veteran journalists from The Boston Herald. Walter “Robby” Robertson (Michael Keaton) is the editor of the Spotlight team who confronts some apathy from his past. Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo) and Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) are investigative journalists who are lapsed Roman Catholics. As the team interviews victims of abuse, they are frustrated by a bureaucratic mentality that blocks their pursuit of evidence.

Given that Ben Bradlee Jr. (John Slattery) is involved, Spotlight feels like a generational sequel to All the President’s Men, given Ben Bradlee Sr.’s involvement with that White House scandal. The methods of journalistic investigation are similar. Both films reveal what successful journalistic investigations used to be.

Spotlight has a conscience. As the team (and the audience) get closer to the truth, each character is given a moment of confession. This film is full of dialogue, but the pace does not drag and the story is strong. Spotlight is a must-see.

Touched With Fire opens tomorrow. Katie Holmes portrays a bipolar poet who tries to balance the mania of creativity with the stability of a love life. Inspired by writer/director Paul Dalio’s personal struggles with bipolar disease, Touched With Fire also stars Griffin Dunne, Christine Lahti and Luke Kirby.

For those seeking less serious entertainment, join the Deadpool bandwagon. Deadpool is rude, crude and socially unacceptable, yet so funny … more next week.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

With full Michael Moore mass media pomp and circumstance, Where to Invade Next opens tomorrow in neighborhood theaters. Moore “invades” European countries in a quest to solve the problems of the United States of America. It has been said this documentary will present Moore in a kinder and gentler light.

Also opening this weekend is Dough, an independent comedy that tackles serious themes of racism and capitalism. The situations are painful, but director John Goldschmidt sets a lighthearted tone that does not alienate the ticket buyer.

Nat (Jonathan Pryce) is an old Jewish baker who is trying to maintain his business in a financially depressed London neighborhood. With Sam Cotton (Phillip Davis) attempting to use Eminent Domain tactics upon Nat, the old man stubbornly maintains his discipline and focus.

Enter Ayyash (Jerome Holder), a Muslim refugee from Darfur who lives with his mother. Ayyash hangs with a bad crowd who sells drugs. When caught with his pants down, Ayyash comes under his mother’s wrath.

She works for Nat and convinces him to hire her son. Ayyash and Nat find similarities through their differences – both adhere to their respective faiths with disciplined prayer. However, they discover they have generational differences, too; Ayyash ends up using his drug connections to increase the sales revenue for Nat.

Unlike a Cheech & Chong comedy, Dough takes a sophisticated approach to the effects of narcotic usage, much more in line with the Craig Ferguson comedy from 16 years ago, Saving Grace, starring Brenda Blethyn. Jonathan Price and Jerome Holder forge a unique comedy team, and I would love to see these two actors work together again on a future project.

As football withdrawal weekend takes effect, Oscar season comes into full force. Brooklyn, The Revenant, Spotlight and Carol are on the local big screen this President’s Day, weekend.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Revenant: “one that returns after death or a long absence.” – Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

With a title like The Revenant, one would expect a ghost story along the lines of Oscar-nominated films like The Sixth Sense and The Exorcist. There are definitely scenes in The Revenant that rival horror movies, but this film is an epic equally filled with scenic beauty.

In the American Frontier during 1823, fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) has joined Captain Andrew Henry’s (Domhnall Gleeson) party. Glass mentors his son, a Native American named Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), much to the dismay of John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), a trapper who was scalped by an Indian tribe some years before.

After some quick character introductions, the party is attacked by an Indian tribe. When retreating by boat down the river, Glass and Captain Henry rationalize that the boat is more of a target than an escape. The party set off walking to find a safe haven in Fort Kiowa.

While on foot, Glass is viciously attacked by a bear. In an immobile state, Glass witnesses Fitzgerald’s cruelty and cowardice as he is left for dead. Glass, however, rises from his wounds to seek revenge upon his enemy.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) won the Best Picture Oscar and was directed by The Revenant’s director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. Both films are a study between contrasts – Birdman features urban self absorption, while The Revenant features rugged individualism in wide open spaces. Both stories are strongly told and Iñárritu deserves his accolades this awards season.

If the previous award presentations are any indicator, DiCaprio is due to receive his Best Actor Oscar. In all of his previous Oscar nominations, there was something “Movie Star” about his performances, like a manufactured Oscar nominee. In spite of grisly scenes of violence, DiCaprio gives an understated performance that is character appropriate. A bug-eyed brute with the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old, Tom Hardy steals the movie with a complete performance.

With 12 Oscar nominations, The Revenant is worth seeing on the big screen. Clocking in over two-and-a-half hours, the film feels longer in a good way. With natural lighting and minimal production techniques, this film is good storytelling based on snippets of history. When the film concludes, it is breathtakingly exhausting, which was the filmmaker’s intention, for the first line of dialogue is “If you can grab breath, you can keep fighting.”

By “Cinema Dave”

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The Oscar-nominated 45 Years opens tomorrow in local theaters. Starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, this film feels like 1970s old school Oscar nominations: the performances are excellent, the cinematography enhances the simple story with subtle symbolism and the slow pace builds to a subtle climax that is haunting.

While preparing to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, Kate (Rampling) and her husband Geoff (Courtenay) receive some surprising news. Geoff’s deceased girlfriend of 46 years has been found frozen in ice after falling off the Swiss Alps. This revelation mars the gala that is supposed to celebrate marital stability.

After screening 45 Years, you will be thinking about this film afterward and will likely want to go back and review certain scenes. At one point, Kate makes a comment that in 45 years of marriage, the couple has no photographs in the house. Later, Kate goes to the attic and discovers slides of Geoff’s late girlfriend in Switzerland.

With this scene alone, veteran Charlotte Rampling earns her Oscar nomination. It is a subtle performance that chips away at a stoic character’s strength. With pure professional understatement, Rampling reveals the empty soul of her Kate. While this film will not be embraced by a callow generation, 45 Years will resonate with individuals with life experience.

Like a delicate flower, Charlotte Rampling blossoms in 45 Years, a film that should not be forgotten in overproduced marketing hype.

With much hype and Oscar hyperbole, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight will be leaving the big screen soon. Despite three Oscar nominations for cinematography, musical score (by Ennio Morricone) and best supporting actress (Jennifer Jason Leigh), The Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s first financial flop and will likely secure his place in the Academy of the Overrated.

The first third of the film features the vast, wide open spaces that celebrate the best that the American Western has to offer. After introducing four of the Hateful Eight on the stagecoach, the film makes a pit stop at Minnie’s Haberdashery. The rest of the film becomes more claustrophobic and the tone shifts from an adventuresome Western to that of an Agatha Christie parlor mystery. With this claustrophobic scenery shift, why bother seeing The Hateful Eight on the big screen? Its running time feels longer than the Arizona Cardinals/Carolina Panther’s playoff game.

With long-winded conversations, explosive violence and repetitive motifs, the quirky Tarantino has reached the law of diminishing returns with this motion picture.

In 2012, on the evening of the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a group of Islamic militants attacked two American diplomatic compounds in Libya, killing Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, and injuring 10 more. The first response from the U.S. State Department was the claim that the attack was a protest over an anti-Islamic video that had surfaced on the Internet in July 2012. The “protest video” theory was proven false and [some say] was a diversion by the State Department, which had failed to provide adequate security for Americans on foreign soil.

Based on the book 13 Hours by Michael Zuckoff, producer/director Michael Bay has attempted to cut through the propaganda and present the story of the Benghazi tragedy.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi opens and closes with Jack Silva’s (John Krasinski) arrival and departure in Benghazi. Leaving his large family at home, Silva is a security contractor for the American diplomatic compound and not-so-secret CIA annex. Silva works with a competent team of former military men, who are supervised by a boss with a Napoleonic complex.

The day of Sept. 11, 2012 starts off quietly, but Ambassador Stevens and the security team are advised to keep a low profile on this sad anniversary. As the sun begins to set, terrorist thugs begin encroaching upon the diplomatic compound. It is a subtle movement at first, but by sundown, barbaric intentions are revealed.

13 Hours tells a compelling story that is nuanced by the fog of war. Director Michael Bay uses many cinematic techniques that can trigger an emotional reaction. At the start of the battle, there is use of some frantic editing. As the battle rages on, there is some fantastic cinematography that is presented with concise visual clarity.

Best known for his comedic performances, Krasinski reveals more depth as an actor in this film. The actor’s ensemble is understated, capturing the fraternal culture of soldiers in the foxhole. Bay provides subtle moments for these men, showing moments of humor in the face of dread. This film provides an emotional wallop.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

The awards season is peaking today with the Oscar nominations announcement. While films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens dominate the box office, this awards season provides unique opportunities to view eclectic movies.

Besides being a Golden Globe nominee, Mustang, which opens tomorrow in select theaters, is France’s submission to the Oscar’s Best Foreign Language motion picture nomination. Set in Turkey, Mustang follows the misadventures of five teenage sisters.

Trouble begins when the girls are seen frolicking on the beach with some boys. While the play seems innocent enough, the incident causes a scandal in the neighborhood. Things go from bad to worse as the family elders take Draconian measures to keep the girls in line.

[The girls seek to escape their repressive household where they are expected to stay virginal and spend time preparing to be good wives. Traditions seen in this film mirror everyday reality for many in that region.]

In a strange way, Mustang made me think about two Clint Eastwood movies. In Unforgiven, a personal incident is mishandled and eventually explodes into a full scale civil war. In Mustang, the girls’ claustrophobic relationship echoes that in The Beguiled. Even though it is presented as tragedy, there are moments of joy in Mustang that recall the innocence of films from France’s legendary director, Francois Truffaut.

One of Truffaut’s contemporaries was Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman, whose dramas confronted family secrets. Opening tomorrow, Closed Season, directed by Franziska Schlotterer, shares DNA with the Bergman universe. Set in the Black Forest of Germany, a childless couple hides a Jewish refugee on their farm, circa 1942. One day, the infertile husband suggests that his wife conceive a child with the refugee. Things get complicated after conception occurs.

On a lighter note, Brooklyn recently left the big screen and will soon be available on DVD. Saoirse Ronan portrays an Irish immigrant who comes to America to live a better life. This delightful film features a fine ensemble cast and was screened at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. If Brooklyn is recognized by the Academy, expect a return to the big screen.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

2014 was such a disappointing year that last year I could only name seven movies for my annual Top 10 list. A few weeks later, Hollywood released their Academy Award considerations and I would have balanced the list with the following motion pictures: American Sniper, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything and Whiplash.

The movies for 2015 provided escapist entertainment. Beyond my own enjoyment, I could consistently hear people laughing, crying and applauding the images on the big screen. With good stories, interesting characters and clear visualization, movies were simply more fun in 2015. The included Top 10 list sidebar is presented in reverse alphabetical order.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens just dethroned Avatar as the biggest grossing motion picture of all time. Given the fragmentation of movies between television and Internet, the record breaking box office figures reveal that people still want to see big screen epic entertainment. Jurassic World allowed ticket buyers to see the actual size of a Tyrannosaurus rex on the Museum of Discovery’s 5-story IMAX screen.

2016 will feature a big screen box office battle between a Star Wars spin off (titled Rogue One) and Star Trek Beyond. Given the success of the Marvel Comics Expanded Universe, arch rival DC Comics plans to expand their universe with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which will be followed up with Suicide Squad, featuring the Rogue’s Gallery of Villainy.

Despite a sense of diminishing returns from last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel is predicted to regain the box office championship throne with Captain America: Civil War. While Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) are expected to fight on the big screen, Civil Wars is a political movie that will examine the fine line between security and liberty on May 6, 2016.

Change is in the air locally. The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) is under new management. Given that the base of operations is in Manalapan, it remains to be seen if PBIFF will have relevance for our Observer readers this April. Stay tuned, we always have the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in November.

2016 will mark my 17th year writing this column in which we have witnessed the home video evolution from VHS to DVD to direct streaming through businesses like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Yet, for all of these technical innovations, nothing beats seeing a flick on the big screen for popcorn-eating Saturday Matinee fun.