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grantbent
Reviews
Used and Borrowed Time (2020)
This Student Film Shocks The Teacher
The sponsoring producer of this singular cinematic work is a council of the Avant-Garde which is strangely appropriate for a film that borrows heavily from both Fellini and Tarantino. The former because every frame is literally decorated with visual madness and the latter because the dialogue is designed to shock audiences out of their chairs with imagery that runs amok and taste that frequently visits the gutter of modern America.
If you are still with me, I can report that the plot is really only a canvas for the artist to apply her colorful brushstrokes of character and setting. We have an eclectic musical combo as a recurring element placed respectfully front and center in the mix while the action swirls about them like some mad tea party in the woods.
I gave this tour-de-force a rating of "6" because, after the first episode, I needed to take a mental break from the mash-up shenanigans of societal pressures foisted upon my brain. When I am ready for more in-your-face schooling, then I may return but, be fore-warned, binge watching is highly discouraged.
Amy's F-It List (2023)
Fresh Outta Sac-town
This is a sleeper that was well steered by its Director Mark S. Allen. Sometimes you encounter these little indie films coming out of backwater cities that create a sense of place. We have seen it with the Pacific Northwest where everything is rainy and grainy. We have seen it with the Deep South where everything is down home and steamy. What about Sacramento - a flat place with a river and a bridge?
This film uses lots of drone shots to get above the flatlands and give Amy's life some welcome dimension. It throws in some obvious CGI clouds above the horizon and let's us all resonate with goofy Zoom calls.
Once you get past all these low budget choices, what you are left with are the strength of the characters in this fable. First and foremost. Alyson Gorske as Amy has a winning attitude (similar to a young Jennifer Aniston) that makes you want to pull for her even as she faces insurmountable news about her mortality. Her sister Mary (played with empathy by Ms Taylor) inhabits her role much more than the average sidekick in a zany comedy. Mary springs into companionship when Amy's fate is revealed and, even though her first pregnancy is a topic to be considered, the movie keeps the focus on Amy and her final redemption. Finally, there is a roster of character roles that color this production upside, downside, left and right side. I had that same feeling of being introduced to funny people as I was watching the Princess Bride movie. Somehow the obvious lack of slickness works to propel the story along.
Ascendant (2021)
Not All Entertaining Films Need Answers
The film's attractive lead actress is a literal force of nature but she doesn't know it yet, because her memory has been partially erased. Her twin sister has unstoppable powers but her judgement is questionable. Her father is mixed up with the CIA and her mother is trying desperately to keep the family together. Sounds like the elements of a conventional sci-fi action thriller, right?
But that's not how this movie begins. It starts in a dark elevator in a skyscraper and Aria (Charlotte Best) is bound and confused and clearly in danger. Around that small confined space, first time director Antaine Furlong weaves a complex tapestry of clue-filled flashbacks and present action that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The left side of your brain is constantly connecting the dots to solve the mystery of why this damsel is in distress, while the right side is constantly relating to a sequence of flight or fight triggers.
The director is completely in charge of the way in which you are fed this visual information and I appreciated the skill with which I was led from point to point along the movie. While clearly low budget, the non-linear story-telling was not hampered by money. All the FX that you expected to see were in place.
Perhaps some floating phone highlights could have been used since Aria's cell phone was clearly a primary object in the elevator. Also, a little bit of humor might have worked well to set up the audience for the next shocking spectacle or epic reveal. Overall, my wife and I were entertained from the start to the end and the movie's lack of final answers or retribution did not detract from the film's impact. It's good for cinematic imports to occasionally remind American audiences that plots don't always have to be tied up with a tidy bow.
Dream Killer (2019)
Music Video in Search of a Plot
Barbie loves Taylor and Taylor loves music. So why not hire some friends to make a movie about driving around Miami lookin sharp in our import SUVs? I mean that's what Moms do right? Note to self, if you want to mine for gold in the hills of High School Musical, your first hire should have been a choreographer and you should have bought a permit to shut down a boulevard and get these bodies movin' girlfriend! Hairspray wants it's salon back Maggie,
Evolution (2001)
Awkward Writing
Done watching stupid cinema that uses tone deaf black stereotypes, western theme music and enema references.