Well, I suppose this could be counted as a week-long movie review. I had so many films I wanted to get caught up on that I started pretty early in the week. Still plenty to be viewed over the weekend, too. Anyway, here’s a very high level review of what made the cut!
The Contractor – Another Chris Pine entry this week, to which my eyes have thanked me for. In comparison to the more subdued All the Old Knives, this drama was a little more action packed. Though in truth, they felt rather similar. In this, Pine plays a US Army Special Forces solider, James Harper. He’s pretty early discharged after finding narcotics in his system to treat a bad knee. His family is in a bad way financially, so he teams up with an old war buddy on a contract that promises a big paycheck. It’s not too far long into the journey when James realizes that he’s now the contract. Justice is served pretty sloppily and quick at the end, but overall I enjoyed this adventure!
Ambulance – About an hour and a half into this Michael Bay action flick I thought to myself, “this is bonkers.” And truly, it was! Will and Danny are “brothers” who currently live very different lives, but Danny manages to convince Will to join a bank robbery that will set him and his young family up for life. If only things are ever that easy (not that robbing banks should be). Anyway, the heist goes wrong almost immediately and Will ends up shooting a cop. The cop is still alive, so as he’s being loaded into an ambulance, Danny decides that’s the best way for them to get out. Thus, they hijack the ambulance. Failed med student, Cam, gets chosen to stay along for the ride and she stretches her training to the max. Even though this film has a runtime well over two hours, I promise you’ll never be bored. Also, Jake Gyllenhaal is gloriously unhinged in this, so that’s a good enough reason to watch.
Mothering Sunday – Well, I’m sad about how deeply boring this film was. Jane Fairchild, a maid for a wealthy family, gets the day off for mother’s day, so she meets up with her lover, Paul. He’s also wealthy, and set to be married, so their relationship has been a secret for quite some time. As he heads off to his engagement brunch, Jane spends more time walking through his home stark naked. A little while later she learns that he died in a car crash on the way to the brunch. She’s devastated, but from there we see her move towards another loving relationship, and eventually, old age. In the present, she’s a renowned and award-winning writer who privately acknowledges that her time with Paul is the inspiration for her successes. Interesting story, but just a little too slow for me.
Nitram – Well this story is just tragically sad and fascinating. Martin is a trouble maker who is either intellectually handicapped or mentally afflicted. Either way, he spends his young adult life tormenting his parents, who just more or less try to appease him. Eventually he meets a wealthy woman named Helen who takes a shine to Martin. He is ultimately her demise via a car accident, but she left all that she has to him in her will. Shortly after that loss though, his father commits suicide. It was clear that he was very depressed, but this is the event that seems to push Martin to his breaking point. He’s deeply lonely, but his decision to open fire and kill 35 people while wounding 23 others is the worst possible way to stem these feelings. The end of the film notes that significant changes to gun laws were made in Australia after this incident, but since 1996 there are even more guns owned presently. Really interesting and tragic film – I highly recommend!
Minyan – David is a young Russian Jew living in New York with his overbearing mother, abusive father, and widowed grandfather. His grandfather decides to downsize and live in subsidized housing, so that means David also gets recruited to join the minyan at a small synagogue, as well. While living there, he’s more determined than ever to go to public school, but he also forms a friendship with a elderly pair of men who he learns are a couple. Given that this film takes place in 1985, that comes as a little more shocking to David than I think it would now, but still, they inspire David to explore his own sexuality. This film also smartly folds in the AIDS epidemic, as it was coming into prominence at that time. This film was a bit slow for me, but I definitely learned more about the Jewish culture since an old Rugrats episode.
Metal Lords – I managed to get my sister to watch this great coming of age Netflix metal masterpiece. Again, I highly encourage you to watch this!