Category: Reviews

When 2 artists separated by over 30 years decide to go on the same project, touring the country seeking people to let them make murals of their faces, funny stuff happens. It’s also a touching film with depth and sadness that appears to spring up with pure spontaneity despite its profundity.

Faces Places (2017)
Visages villages (original title)
PG | 1h 34min | Documentary | 28 June 2017 (France)

Director Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
Directors: JR, Agnès Varda
Writers: JR, Agnès Varda
Stars: Jean-Paul Beaujon, Amaury Bossy, Yves Boulen

The film was written and directed by its costar duo, JR, and Agnès Varda. Both are professional artists willing to take chances with the film’s austere concept.

The first art is done on a set of town homes that have belonged to old mining families. They get permission to enlarge old photos into wallpaper posters and paste them on the houses. The people are blown away by the compliment and the woman we first meet who has lived in the houses all her life breaks out in sobs. The thankfulness of the people is truly moviing and thought-provoking to watch.

They go on several other places asking the denizens the same permissions. They also plaster photos on trains and boxcars stacked in a ship yard. The resulting effect is highly lifelike and definitely makes you look twice. I can only imagine the power these murals had on the actual local areas. There is some talk of composition in photography, especially by Varda since she has been an actress/film maker/artist for over 80 years. She gives him a lot of shit for not ever taking off his glasses (and he never does).

The film ends on a somber note when they aren’t able to meet up with her friend and colleague Jean Luc Godard. It brings the fame problem to the surface. The movie is about regular people and a famous person can’t be bothered to meet with him. Varda calls him a dirty rat. This film is a bit hard to watch but as I ave been reading lately, those can be the ones most worth getting through. It’s more of the same as far as art realizations go but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded. We are all just temporary faces on the backdrop of time. I give this film a 7/10. Charming, thoughtful, & certainly worth your time.

Big dog lovers will probably enjoy this film more than anyone. I’m not talking Saint Bernards but rather pits, bulldogs, Rottweilers and others bred for fighting that hold a dear place in their owners’ hearts. Heist movie fans will probably be let down.

Bullet Head (2017)
R | 1h 33min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 8 December 2017 (Lithuania)

Three career criminals find themselves trapped in a warehouse with the law closing in and an even worse threat waiting inside – a nigh unstoppable killer dog.
Director: Paul Solet
Writer: Paul Solet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich

Our director is Paul Solet. He has made an accomplished looking film with only a few flaws which I will get into in the body of my review. This is his first feature-length film as far as I can recognize from his IMDB page. I respect the hell out of him for getting his BA in film. So many young film students bypass that, thinking they know it all without any humility whatsoever. Besides that I’m an age-old fan of education in general. It enables you to make better stuff. Of course there are exceptions. I hope to see more from Paul Solet.

Summary: By the nature of this section, there may be spoilers. There are some robbers and a dog fight in the same warehouse. The film focuses on when the twain shall meet. The three robbers are played by Rory Culkin, John Malkovich, and Adrien Brody. The dog fight leader is played by Antonio Banderas.

A noticeable tool the director uses is the flashback technique when a character is telling a story. He even includes their modern day visage in the clip, telling the story. For example, Roy is sharing a truly touching story about how his father put a dog down in front of him as he is standing in the barn modern day watching it with his younger self. This is a cool technique but I felt it might have been misused to tell dog stories when we have a heist going on. What I found out later is that this violent heist tale is really a sentimental “tough guy” dog tale in disguise. Notwithstanding, the flashback stories are enlightening and entertaining. My favorite is Malkovich’s story about his first heist stealing fish out of a fish store. An important one is when Brody’s character shares his true love left him and that he would meet her on a beach one day when he had himself together.

Rory is an addict and in the middle of the heist in this warehouse, he od’s. And then there were two. They begin to realize they are in this warehouse with a dog fighting racket and there is at least one dog in there who has lost and is yet to be put down. There are some truly violent dog scenes that may affect dog people. If it’s not shown, it’s inferred.

In the end, Malkovich’s character ends up shot and it’s a standoff between Brody’s character and Banderas’. The last 30 mins are really unnecessary back and forth between these two. At the end the wounded dog shows up and kills Banderas supposedly out of spite for making him fight. The final scene is Brody’s character walking toward his true love on a beach with a puppy pit.

Final Thoughts

This movie had my attention about 3/4 of the way through and that was when it got way too nursery-rhyme for me. I expected it to be a bit about dogs but not this much. It was a little misadvertised I think. Still, it showed good chops by a new director, no pun intended. I think dog lovers and teens will find this a fun movie. The acting is so so. Rory Culkin seems the most believable and that’s sad. I have to blame the writer mostly for tha though, the actors did the best they could with a sub-par script. Once again, I do want to compliment the director. I expect great movies from him in the future. Perhaps a clearer singular focus would go further next time? I give this film a 6/10, which is an ok score. Worth checking out.

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This is Knoxville doing his stuntwork all the way to the bank. Between he and Chris Pontius, my sides hrt from laughing. Check out my audio as usual and video review I tried my hand at this time. Tell me what you think. Would you like to see more video experiments from me?

Action Point (2018)
R | 1h 25min | Comedy | 1 June 2018 (USA)

A daredevil designs and operates his own theme park with his friends.
Director: Tim Kirkby
Writers: John Altschuler (screenplay by), Dave Krinsky (screenplay by) | 5 more credits »
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Susan Yeagley

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This film is an extension of the Mad Max movies but one that extends far out into an eccentric rock and roll style and demands the attention of its viewers. Listen to my podcast on this handy player!

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
R | 2h | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 15 May 2015 (USA)

A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia in search for her home-land with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshipper, and a drifter named Max.
Director: George Miller
Writers: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy | 1 more credit »
Stars: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

On the director front: George Miller is one amazing dude. His first big movie was Mad Max in 1979. That movie really kicks ass even to this day. It’s an apocalyptic vision that would soon become developed further and more wonderfully that audiences would have ever imagined. Let me just pause for a moment and list the many films he has directed up to now:

2015 Mad Max: Fury Road
2011 Happy Feet Two
2006 Happy Feet
1998 Babe: Pig in the City
1997 40,000 Years of Dreaming (TV Movie documentary)
1992 Lorenzo’s Oil
1987 The Witches of Eastwick
1985 Tina Turner: We Don’t Need Another Hero (Video short)
1985 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie (segment “Nightmare at 20, 000 Feet”)
1983 The Dismissal (TV Mini-Series) (1 episode)
– Episode #1.1 (1983) … (part one)
1981 The Road Warrior
1979 Mad Max

What range! “Babe: Pig in the City” to Mad Max: Fury Road. How are they related? Talk amongst yourselves.

So, now back to Mad Max: Fury Road. A tyrant has risen. He is the evil one in this film, denying the people water they need to to survive. As usual, Max our hero sets out to first escape and second destroy this evil ruler. What follows are my notes taken while watching it today. I hope they amuse.

Mad Max: Fury Road

George Miller film

Mad Max Tom Hardy

Obstacle course/Physical role

Evil leader, controls the water supply

It’s a long way from Starbucks

Wide open spanse of desert

Their rich delicacy is breast milk

They took his blood for water?

The electric guitar jamming fire

For being bled these guys are all in damn good shape

CGI combined with real stunts makes for an amazing show

Its him and the girls now. The misfits. They need each other.

“I live I die I live again.”

Drums are powerful.

Like a rock concert

You might call these tactics, assertive warfare

Jumping onto cars

Before they are martyrs, they dpray paint in their mouth

Here comes religion again

My last 5 podcasts have been a day apart. They all got 10 listens each. I always think of the potential ten heads that heard my reviews and that seems exciting to me. To most podcasters that is probably nothing, they would quit if they only had that few. Of course, I wouldn’t kick more listeners out of bed if you know what I mean.

This will likely explain to my readers here why I haven’t been as active in my reviews here lately. So have you given the podcast a listen yet? Give it a whirl. I’m watching my movie now and will record a podcast this evening. I am sure I will slow down soon but for now, I like doing it like a movie diary. Bookmark it:

Short version: bit.ly/thedrpodcast

Website domain version: thedamienrileypodcast.com

Twitter: @thedrpodcast

Instagram: @thedrpodcast

-Damien

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Films made from novels are usually great in my opinion. I think screenwriting a story without a famous novel behind it may be fading by convention. “The Martian” is one of those hip cool novel-to-movie examples.

I read the first few chapters before seeing the movie. The understated humor and NASA space themes drew me in right away. That and the universal praise of the critics put seeing this one at a high priority. “Star Wars” proved a global love for space movies. “Castaway” did the same for survival films. It’s likely “The Martian” draws from both audiences along with readers of the novel. It’s already being given “Blockbuster” status in the press. In the story, a manned mission to Mars goes wrong and an astronaut, thought to be dead, is left behind. He uses his ingenuity and tenacity to survive. The movie is well over 2 hours and I wasn’t bored once. I give this one a perfect 10/10.

from The Damien Riley Podcast of Movie Reviews https://thedamienrileypodcast.com/ep-100-the-martian/
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I talk through a plot summary and review of Pulp Fiction.

Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 2h 34min | Crime, Drama | 14 October 1994 (USA)

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Quentin Tarantino (stories), Roger Avary (stories) | 1 more credit »
Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson

As usual I’m posting my rough rewatch notes below:

Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer in restaurant.

Casual talk to throw you off.

Taran is really big on the right music

Next scene travolta (Vincent) and Sam Jackson are arguing logic of whats more serious, cuningulus or a foot massage. This mindless, unrelated dialog is meant to throw the iewer off

Jacksons character recites a Bible passage about wrath before he execites people

23 mins into it you have a 3rd scenario. Bruce Willisvand Ving Raimes. Accepting a payoff to throw his fight.

Rosanna Arquette and Eric Stoltz, the heroine dealers

Marcellas wife Mia) Uma Thurman needs a chaperone to take her out. Vincent is chosen for the job.

Their famous dance

Mis finds heroin and snorts it, over doses. Vincent takes her to Stolz and Arquette and they inject adrenaline into her heart.

Willis kills the other boxer in the ring. Bets on homself and leaves town.

Marcella finds Willis character in a pawn shop.

They fall into a dark spiral of gimp hell

Driving around Vincent shoots Marvin in the face

Harvey Keitel is the fixer

Story comes full circle when Vincent and Jules are in the diner as the holdup resumes

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A cool new suspense film! (These are just my unedited notes) In Darkness – Notes A blind musician hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers that sends her down a dark path into London’s gritty criminal underworld.

In Darkness (2018)
1h 50min | Thriller | 25 May 2018 (USA)

A blind musician hears a murder committed in the apartment upstairs from hers that sends her down a dark path into London’s gritty criminal underworld.
Director: Anthony Byrne
Writers: Anthony Byrne, Natalie Dormer
Stars: Natalie Dormer, Emily Ratajkowski, Ed Skrein

Director: Anthony Byrne (Ripper Street, Peaky Blinders, The Last Kingdom) Wow!
His partner is Natalie Dormer, sophia in the film.

Orchestra playing to a movie being made very cool

Sophia is a concert pianist.
Natalie Dormer born 11 February 1982 is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Anne Boleyn on the Showtime series The Tudors (2007-10), as Margaery Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012-14), Irene Adler on the CBS series Elementary (2013-15), and as Cressida in the science-fiction adventure films The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015). She has been nominated for Best Performance at the Gemini Awards for her work in The Tudors. She has also been nominated for a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for her performance in Game of Thrones.

her other senses like hearing and feeling touch take over and are in Hanst to compensate for her lack of sight

she talks to a girl in the lobby Veronique who apparently is being abused by her spouse as she’s practicing her piano she begins to hear them fighting

she falls if you fell or if you fall do you lick your blood or do I put on your clothes I think I would wipe it on my clothes

The abused woman Veronique jumps out her window. murder?

Inspector is Mills (Neil Maskell of Kill List and High Rise)

The co conspirators:

Joely Richardson
For Joely, the theatre must be in her genes. Born in Marylebone, London, England, she is the daughter of director Tony Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave, granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave, niece of Lynn SRedgrave, and sister of Natasha Richardson. Former husband Tim Bevan is a producer. However the genes were slow – as a child she saw her older sister Natasha interested in acting but she was imagining a career in tennis. Her father put his foot down, and tennis was out. British by birth, she considers herself a sort of honorary Yank, having attended boarding school at Thacher in Ojai, California. Beginning in the ’80s film became her life, from small parts in Wetherby (1985) to BBC dramas such as Lady Chatterley (1993) to today’s Disney studio going to the dogs in 101 Dalmatians (1996).

Ed Krein (Pushed his sister to her death- Father ordered it
Ed Skrein grew up in North London, graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, and is one of the most highly versatile artists of his generation. He was selected by Screen International as one of their “Stars of Tomorrow” in 2013, which showcases the next generation of talent from the UK.

Most recently, Skrein starred as the villain Ajax in Marvel’s and Twentieth Century Fox’s box office hit, Deadpool (2016), directed by Tim Miller and alongside Ryan Reynolds. The film shattered box office records, nearing $500 million worldwide. Deadpool (2016) chronicles the story of Marvel comic book character Deadpool (Reynolds), a former Special Forces operative turned mercenary who adopts an alter ego after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers.

Skrein also recently starred in the Danish drama, The Model (2016), directed by Mads Matthiesen, who won the “World Cinema – Dramatic” award for his film, Teddy Bear at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Model (2016) follows an emerging fashion model attempting to enter the Parisian fashion scene who develops a deadly obsession for top fashion photographer Shane White (Skrein). Nordisk Film Distribution released the film in Denmark on February 11th.

This year, Skrein will appear in the comedy crime film, Kill Your Friends (2015), directed by Owen Harris (Black Mirror) and alongside Nicholas Hoult and James Corden. Based on John Niven’s 2008 novel, the film accounts the story of a 27-year-old A&R man working at the height of the Britpop music craze and going to extremes in order to find his next hit. Kill Your Friends (2015) screened at Cannes and was purchased by Well Go USA Entertainment, which will release the film on April 1st.

Last year, Skrein starred in the action crime thriller reboot, The Transporter Refueled (2015), directed by Camille Delamarre and produced by Luc Besson and Mark Gao (Lucy, Taken Trilogy). Skrein portrayed the lead role of Frank Martin, a former special-ops mercenary who now spends his life as a transporter of classified packages for questionable people on the other side of the law.

In 2013, Skrein appeared in the critically-acclaimed and BAFTA and Critics Choice Television Award winning HBO series, Game of Thrones. Skrein portrayed the character Daario Naharis, originally a lieutenant in the “Second Sons,” who takes over the company after killing his superiors and aligns with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke).

In 2012, Skrein starred in Revolver Entertainment’s critically-acclaimed drama Ill Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew. The film revolves around the lives of eight characters as they struggle to survive on the streets. It takes place over the course of seven days, each story blending into the others, painting a gritty picture of a world on the brink of destruction.

Other film credits include The Sweeney, Tiger House, Piggy, Northmen: A Viking Saga, Sword of Vengeance and Goldfish. Other television credits include The Tunnel.

Ed Skrein currently resides in London.

At the funeral, Upon being taken back to the victim’s father’s apt, Sofia steps on something encased in glass.

After visiting with the brother, Sofia realizes she has the usb. The dead woman put it in her jacket pocket.

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Welsh legends and ghost sightings permeate this film. Is the daughter really dead? That is the question. Sean Bean’s character as her father seems to be the stoic sensible one while her mother Maria Bello’s is more desperate to believe anything. Was anyone duped? That’s what we waited to see through the running time of this film.

The Dark (2005)

R | 1h 33min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | 26 January 2006 (Germany)

In mourning over the tragic drowning of their daughter Sarah, James and Adèle are visited by Ebrill, a young girl who claims she died 60 years ago – and bears a startling resemblance to Sarah.

Director: John Fawcett

Writers: Simon Maginn (novel), Stephen Massicotte (screenplay)

Stars: Sean Bean, Maria Bello, Sophie Stuckey

The director John Fawcett is also a producer, known for Ginger Snaps (2000), and Orphan Black (2013). Ginger Snaps has achieved cult status and is always a hoot to watch for it’s horror and teen ridiculous nature. Orphan Black is a tv show I really enjoyed, mostly due to the lead actress. Both of these works took enormous chances in doing something different. That’s probably why both were so successful.

Sean Bean and Maria Bello do a good job but since Sean Bean is so eponymous with The Lord Of The Rings, I couldn’t help but expect him to pick up a sword or slay and Orc. He wants his ex to accept their daughter is dead because he is rational, not unfeeling. Bello will not accept this and that’s what takes us into the supernatural portion of this film.

I’d have to say this one is a lot more predictable than Fawcett’s other two works I have mentioned. For that reason, I would recommend it as a light mystery/horror but not one you would clear your schedule to see. It does drag on a bit and doesn’t keep you guessing much with it’s simple story line. Add it to your Amazon Prime “worth watching” list, but maybe not your “must see” one.

6/10

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Hi readers and listeners. I have some exciting though maybe different sort of news for you today. After writing my own short version of movie reviews here at Riley on Film for several years now, I am stopping. I am doing this because:

1) I enjoy podcasting more than writing reviews and will continue to do so at thedamienrileypodcast.com and

2) Frankly, at nearly 49 years old I have to prioritize my art-making energy. Writing reviews has not yielded much attention in the way of comments or likes. So yeah, it’s kind of your fault along with mine 🙂 I have no desire to do solely written sites anymore.

But check this out!!!

I have some podcasting years in me so I hope you’ll support me and join me at thedamienrileypodcast.com

I will be writing a bit there as accompaniment to the audio reviews.

You can listen and subscribe to the Damien Riley Podcast at these various choices:

Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS

To my readers at Riley Film: goodbye, and to the readers who end up listening: HELLO LISTENERS! 😉

Enjoy your day!

Damien Riley