All posts by Kenna

About Kenna

Kenna McHugh is an established freelance writer living in California. Her writing credits include the published book, BREAKING INTO FILM, Film Production book for inner-city kids, three screenplays, seven produced plays and hundreds of how-to videos on the Internet. "I love the challenge of writing because the end does satisfy the means. The writer is a valuable being. If the words aren't there the message isn't received. It is as simple as that. Give me a circumstance, a theme and away I go at my keyboard."

“Marrowbone” a Haunting Tale

children, horror, mystery, , , , , ,

Written and directed by Sergio G. Sanchez, Marrowbone marks Sanchez’s directorial debut. The Spanish director is known for his screenwriting talent in such movies as The Orphanage and The Impossible.

The story follows four siblings filled with secrets that entice and invites you to stay and live inside their world. The siblings cross the Atlantic, escaping from a mysterious trauma with a life of its own. They seek refuge in an old home after the death of their mother, only to discover that the house has another, more sinister inhabitant, and it turns into a haunting tale.

The siblings are full of life but also show apprehension. And all of it comes across with a unique romanticism and beautifully framed movie.

The older sibling, Jack, played by George MacKay, faces the responsibility of looking after his siblings. He struggles with the usual concerns of a boy his age—his love for Allie, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The responsibility his mother has given him by asking him to keep the family together.

By contrast, Jane, the second sister, played by Mia Goth, symbolizes goodness in the mother’s absence. In the scenes, Jane compensates whenever there is a violent or hostile instinct. She fights for her brothers so that they can leave behind their painful past. Goth’s presence on film is quite overwhelming but compelling.

Billy, the third of the siblings, played by Charlie Heaton, is best known for the series Stranger Things. His performance is heartbreaking. Billy is perhaps the most troublesome. He represents courage, the bravery that Jack sometimes lacks. The fourth is Sam, played by Matthew Stagg, Sam’s the youngest, so everyone feels they have to overprotect him by hiding the most disgusting aspects that have led them to their present situation. He verbalizes everything he knows. His older siblings seem to believe he is more tender and naïve than he is. For them, his innocence is living proof that not everything is corrupted in the world. Allie is the only link they have with the outside world since she is not part of the family. She comes across as bright and cheerful and keeps the story moving forward.

The romance between Jack and Allie accurately sums up the quirkiness of the story. It’s teenage love shared by two young people who neither want nor have time to consider where it will lead.

Another character in the movie is the house where the siblings live. Its appearance of being semi-abandoned with an unkept yard marks the boundary between the home and the outer civilization—isolated with no signs of modern life. The siblings live in the world with their own rules, invisible to society that continues their concerns on the other side. However, I would call Marrowbone a horror movie. It is much more haunting than scary with the clever nuances Sanchez uses to engage the audience.

Don’t Grow Up Horror of Becoming an Adult Zombie

horror, science fiction, thriller, ,

Directed by Thierry Poiraud, Don’t Grow Up, is not your typical young adult story. It’s almost brutal and disgusting. The unique movie is a horror movie that might mesmerize horror fans because it brings a whole new level of horrifying.

If you are a horror fan, you might be familiar with Poiraud’s  Goal of the Dead. Like Dead, Don’t Grow Up flourishes in a world of terror where the possibility of survival is limited.

A group of teenage delinquents living in a youth center wake up to find themselves all alone with no one to watch over them. The teens celebrate their newfound freedom by partying, playing loud music and visualizing a life without guardians.

After the excitement fades, they decide to leave the group home for good. Upon arriving in the nearby town, they find the streets deserted, and in a post-apocalyptic state. Now, the real story brings us to the outskirts of London, where six teens find themselves without supervision and immediately take to making the most of their new privilege. No longer limited to the space of their detention center, they explore the inner city with Liam, played by McKell David, as their self-appointed leader.

After Liam’s girlfriend, played Natifa Mai, walks off after an argument, she has an aggressive confrontation with the group’s supervisor that leaves her wounded. Discovering that the attack is not isolated and is the result of a widespread epidemic that leaves children and adolescents unaffected, the group must defend themselves against manic adults, paranoid children and, ultimately, their own maturity.

The few adults they do encounter all seem to be infected by a mysterious epidemic, making them blood-thirsty and psychotic. They try to discover a way to survive against the zombie-like adults while helping the destitute children. In order to survive, they realize the importance of growing up and taking responsibility. They need to band together and find a route to safety. These zombie adults are nothing like the kind you typically see of late. These are fast and can think on their feet, which adds even more to the horror.

The undercurrent that some of the teens are older than the others and those older will turn into zombies before the others. The unspoke words are subtle and savage with each other. Hence, the movie’s fitting title – Don’t Grow Up.

The Blu-ray includes behind the scenes with director Thierry Poiraud, “Making of Don’t Grow Up,” and I found it interesting following the director’s perspective of the movie. There is another feature, you get a behind-the-scenes look at the cast and their characters.  

 

 

 

Golden Globe Winner – In The Fade

drama, foreign films, suspense, , ,

Written and directed by Fatih Akin, In the Fade is the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress Festival De Cannes for Diane Kruger’s performance of Katija. Her life suddenly falls apart because out of nowhere her husband Nuri, played by Numan Acar, and little son Rocco, played by Rafael Santana, are killed in a bomb attack.  Kruger performance is so believable in these scenes it was hard for me to watch. Any wife and mother will relate to what it must be like to suddenly lose your family.

Katija friends and family try to give her the support she needs, and Katja somehow manages to make it through the funeral. But the mind-numbing search for the perpetrators and reasons behind the senseless killing complicate Katja’s painful mourning, opening wounds and doubts. The mourning is not too long and fits well with the storyline.

Danilo, played by Denis Moschitto, a lawyer and Nuri’s best friend, represents Katja in the eventual trial against the two suspects. The suspects are a young couple from the neo-Nazi scene. The trial pushes Katja to the edge, but there’s simply no alternative for her because she wants justice.

In the Fade is a political film that throws a lot of punches at the injustice of senseless killings to make a strong statement.  Kruger is a strong actress and brings believability to her role. There are situations in the film which explain the injustice but Katija doesn’t buy it and wants justice.

The film is in German with English subtitles. Special features include cast interviews, Behind In The Fade & Inside In The Fade.

 

Dakota Fanning Filters Star Trek in Please Stand By

drama, movies, review, , ,

Directed by Ben Lewin, Please Stand By introduces the world of Wendy, played by Dakota Fanning, a confusing place.  Wendy is an imaginative and resolutely independent young woman. She is a brilliant young woman with autism.

The autism message is upbeat and supports individualism – accept people for who they are. If you don’t, you take away their freedom.

Wendy yearns to leave the steadfast schedule of her group home. She wants to return to a life she had with her sister’s family. They have a new baby, so she needs to prove she can be responsible first before she can live with her sister again.

Wendy is a staunch fan of anything to do with Star Trek. She even spends a great deal of her free time writing fantasy stories, proving she is a capable person.

The movie starts off tilter but we soon learn that Wendy uses her Star Trek filter to understand people. People are an indecipherable code.

The story takes an interesting turn when Wendy learns about a screenplay competition. She is determined to finish her 500-page Star Trek script, so she can enter the competition.  If anyone knows about screenwriting, you know 500 pages are about 390 pages too long.

Wendy needs to get the script to Hollywood.  The problem is getting it there by the deadline, Wendy must travel hundreds of miles outside her protected boundaries to submit her script in person.  The story becomes a road-trip movie.

Wendy has an adorable little dog named Pete. She carries him in her purse with only a few dollars in her pocket.  In her terms, she is boldly going where she has never gone before.  Her unconventional therapist, played by Toni Collette, is not far behind in hopes of catching up with her. The same for Wendy’s sister, played by Alice Eve.

On her trip, Wendy meets all sorts of people who help her. These are colorful moments in the movie. They all encourage her to follow her dream and find her place in a world she hopes will accept her.  She wants to be accept just like everyone else.

Fanning is great as Wendy, and its refreshing to see her work with Collette and Eve.

Molly’s Game with Jessica Chastain & Idris Elba

book, drama, , , , ,

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the writer who brought us The Social Network, Moneyball, A Few Good Men, and the popular television series The West Wing, takes a turn in the world of Molly Brown with Molly’s Game. A true story about an Olympic hopeful skier’s career is wrecked. At the age of 26, Bloom uses her tenacity, stamina, wits, and perspicacity and takes over the ultimate boys club of exclusive high-stakes poker and builds an empire.

Sorkin directorial debut received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.  His speed and energy can clearly be felt and seen as we watch Jessica Chastain, two-time Oscar-nominated actress for The Help and Zero Dark Thirty, plays Bloom. Chastain embodies Bloom like she does all the characters she plays.

In an interview, Sorkin talked about how he wanted Chastain to play this role. He envisioned her as Bloom and wrote with her in mind. Clearly, Chastain commands the movie, and Sorkin choice of casting is pristine. As a powerhouse, Chastain becomes Bloom as she runs a high-stakes poker game for a decade before becoming a target of the FBI.

Idris Elba, known for Star Trek: Beyond and Beasts of No Nation, joins Chastain as her only ally and criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey. It is through Jaffey’s story that we learn there is much more Bloom than what was printed in the tabloids. But, this isn’t new news to the audience. We are wiser than Sorkin allows us to be.

Perhaps, that is where the story drops and we are lost among the charismatic supporting characters of the story.  I ask myself, “How did such a bright person alike Bloom get mixed up with a bunch of tainted characters?”

I am not sure if the scene with her father, played by Kevin Costner, answers that question, though I was hoping it would.

Her undoing was Russian gangsters and her abuse of Adderall, Xanax, cocaine, alcohol, and more becoming a drug addict.  She is also abused and kicked, which Sorkin cuts to her skiing accident in the movie. Are these justifiable reasons for her demise?

The movie has a drive and energy coming from Chastain, and I admire her ability to portray such a complicated woman. Perhaps, you will see where Bloom took the wrong turn and ended up going against the Russians and FBI with the help of Jaffey.

Daniel Pemberton’s electronic soundtrack with titles like “Starring Down a Mountain,” “Play Your Hand,” and “All the Beauty in the World” adds to the intensity of the story. Pemberton has an impressive repertoire of both movies and television including Black Mirror, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Steve Jobs (Sorkin wrote the screenplay,) and Peep Show.

Chastain and Elba are surrounded by a stellar supporting cast, including Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Bill Camp, and Chris O’Dowd.

The bonus features are light with Building an Empire – Sorkin, and Chastain commenting on Molly Bloom’s true story.

In the final analysis, the positive aspect of Sorkin’s writing and directing is he did not glorify Bloom’s adventure. He presented a tapestry of anticipation, deception, and repartee.

 

The Dance Academy: The Comeback

dance, drama, romance, , , , , , , ,

My daughter is a dancer with 10 years of ballet and over five years of jazz and tap. She is familiar with Dance Academy series from Australia and has watched a few episodes in her high school dance class. She says the dancing is really good in the series, but the storyline and acting are a bit cheesy. Still, the series has been nominated twice for an Emmy, so it does have some merit. Now, there is a major motion picture based on the series with the same characters and original members of the series.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker, Dance Academy: The Comeback follows the same characters as they work hard to achieve their dreams in the world of competitive dance.  Like the series, if you love ballet or dance, you will love this movie. It is very similar to the series because it starts off 18 months later from where they left off in the series.

The story follows the dancers Tara, Ben, Christian, Kat, and Abigail as they support each other pursuing their dreams in New York City.  I found myself cheering for Tara while still stressing over her injury, hoping she doesn’t injure herself again.

The dancers are older, so the movie deals adult situations like fatal illness, romantic relationships, and dealing with a difficult career choice. If you haven’t seen the television series, the movie will still hold its own, but it helps to know the dancers’ background stories from the series.

The movie has the original dancers such as Xenia Goodwin, Thomas Lacey, Keiynan Lonsdale, Alicia Banit, Dena Kaplan, and Jordan Rodrigues – along with some new faces, including Miranda Otto and Nic Westaway.

The DVD offers special features including behind-the-scenes glimpses, as well as cast interviews about their characters. The extras include 3 Words, Filming the Stage, The Choreographers, Shooting in NYC, and Resilience & Mentors.

Blade of the Immortal Poignant Tale of Samurai Redemption

action, foreign films, ,

Directed by Takashi Miike, Blade of the Immortal is his 100th film. Miike is best known for directing the popular samurai movie 13 Assassins about the end of Japan’s feudal era.

Immortal follows Manji, played honestly by Takuya Kimura, a highly skilled samurai, who becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. The foreboding of being haunted by the brutal murder of his sister drives Manji to continue fighting evil. He cannot die and is cursed with the pain of being sliced and hacked with swords forever more.

I found myself chuckling a couple of times when his severed hand would magically snap back to his arm. The effects were done well but a couple of shots seemed fake.

Manji wants to be able to die and regain his soul. He comes across a young girl named Rin, played beautifully by Hana Sugisaki. Sugisaki also plays his sister, which offers a correlation between him helping Rin for the sake of his deceased sister.

He promises to help the young girl avenge her parents’ death. They were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu, played by Sôta Fukushi.

The movie is in Japanese and English with English subtitles. The story is well told because Manji’s mission changes him. Kimura portrayal of Manji captured my interest and kept me watching the movie because as he changes even Manji cannot believe what is happening to him.  I am right there with him all the way.

For those who love samurai movies, this is a must to see.  The Blu-ray Special Features include a poster gallery, cast interviews, which are educational for anyone who studies movies, trailers, and a poignant interview with Takuya Kimura.

Cannes Festival Winner: The Square an Elegant Satire

drama, foreign films, , ,

Directed by Ruben Ostlund, The Square is 2017 Cannes Film Festival – Winner: Palme d’Or. The movie follows Christian, played dynamically and heartfelt by Claes Bang, who is the esteemed curator of a contemporary art museum. He is a divorced but devoted father of two girls and drives an electric car. He also supports good causes but there is an edge to him. His actions at times contradict his devotion. For example, he turns away homeless people or refuses to help a boy who is falsely in trouble with his parent’s cause by Christian’s attempt to recover his stolen wallet and cellphone. In all, the movie is a satire and a drama pointing out flaws of society’s inability to help and trust each other.

Christian’s next show at the museum is “The Square”, an installation which invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. But sometimes, it is difficult to live up to your own ideals. Ostlund points out in a recent media statement, “…The Square is a drama/satire. I wanted to make an elegant movie, with visual and rhetorical devices to provoke and entertain viewers. Thematically the film moves between topics such as responsibility and trust, rich and poor, power and powerlessness. The growing beliefs in the individual and the declining beliefs in the community. The distrust of the state, in media and in art.”

Christian’s foolish response to the theft of his phone drags him into shameful situations that are a bit drawn out for my tastes, but I understand the director’s point. Bang takes this role and owns it. He conveys the push and pulls off what he wants to do and what he should do.

Meanwhile, the museum’s PR agency has created an unexpected campaign for “The Square”. The response is overblown and sends Christian, as well as the museum, into an existential crisis. I question the crisis in the story because the PR agency generates enough free publicity and social media trends that the art piece and museum will flourish.

Elisabeth Moss of The Handmaid’s Tale has a supporting role in the movie where she and Bang play off each other brilliantly and it is fun to watch. Her comedic timing cinches the point it is a satire. It is obvious why Moss’ career is taking off like a rocket in the stars. She is just too fun to watch.

So much happens in this movie and there are moments where my shadow of disbelief lifts because of the crazy situations like a man being an ape as an art piece. Silly.  I am sure some will find it funny, which make this movie so good.

The DVD comes with some bonus features like the trailer and casting clips, disappointingly Moss’ casting clip is not in the bunch.

The movie’s title comes from the name of a project that was first exhibited in the fall of 2014 at the Vandalorum Museum in the South of Sweden. The exhibition representing the ideal of consensus that should govern society as a whole for the greater good. The project became a permanent installation on the city of Värnamo’s central square. If someone is standing in Värnamo’s led-light version of a square, it is one’s duty to act and react if one needs help.

The movie is in Swedish with English and Spanish subtitles, though English is sometimes spoken in certain scenes. Hopefully, viewers leave the movie with a more understanding of how help is important and one should trust others more so there will be peace on Earth.

 

Extraordinary Mission Brutal and Raw

action, foreign films, police drama, thriller, , , ,

From Alan Mak and Felix Chong, co-writers of The Departed and director of Infernal Affairs, the movie follows Lin Kai, played by Huang Xuan, in Extraordinary Mission. The movie is razor sharp with intense lighting that heightens the tension in each scene.

The movie takes place in Hong Kong where crime is center staged. Lin Kai is an undercover officer delegated to break through the Twin Eagles drug cartel. The story moves fast and the shots are tight. I never found my thoughts wandering.  The subtitles were tough to follow at times because the movie moved fast with raw intensity.

Yihong Duan plays an impressive cartel boss and a firm conviction in his ruthlessness.  Seeing both Xuan and Duan in scenes together was like watching a full charged emotional push-and-pull. Their scenes were not just a cat and mouse game.  It was brutal and raw.

The movie takes a turn that I was not expecting. Xuan acting talent shines when Kai is coerced into gradual drug addiction while attempting to locate the cartel’s production base.  Being strung out on drugs creates more complications when Kai realizes Eagle has been plotting a violent revenge against his supervisor Li Jianguo, played by Jiadong Xing, for over a decade.

The ending is brutal but fun to watch.  The creative minds of Mak and Chong is a vision you don’t want to miss.

Andy Lau’s Shock Wave High-Action

action, foreign films, police drama,

Written and directed by Herman Yau, Shock Wave is spellbinding with all the action scenes in the movie. The fact that it seized the #1 box office spot in China and Hong Kong when it hit theaters speaks about how much explosive action there is in the movie. Producing the movie on a $23 million budget, Shock Wave is one of Hong Kong’s highest grossing domestic movies for 2017. Take a look at the movie’s trailer, and you will see what I mean.

The movie follows, Cheung Choi-san, played by Andy Lau, as he works as a bomb disposal expert among the busy streets of Hong Kong.  Along comes a terrorist who specializes in explosives, Hung Kai-pang, played by Jiang Wu, takes hold of the busy Cross-Harbor Tunnel. He threatens to kill hostages if his demands are not met.

This is a typical action movie plot, but the director executes these scenes is riveting, so unlike some American action movies. In Shock Wave, they are very realistic, almost scary. The movie is intense and kept my attention throughout even though there are English subtitles.

The movie has a flair for cat and mouse. Cheung effectively broke up Hung’s criminal gang, but in the course of the raid, Hung triumphs and escapes whereas his younger brother and allies are captured.

Seeking retribution for Cheung’s duplicity, Hung returns after seven years and plants a series of bombs in Hong Kong. The result is a public terror and attracts Cheung where he discovers the greatest plan for revenge.

The Blu-ray + DVD Combo is on the streets and includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, including an interview with Andy Lau.  Andy Lau is the most popular actor in China. His interview is worth purchasing the DVD.