Directed by Michael Oblowitz, Heavy Wave arrives at the movie theaters as a Fathom Event, so audiences have limited time to see this movie. The movie explores why surfing is so dangerous and why people like the Fletchers tackle the heavy waves worldwide.
I viewed the movie and interviewed Nathan Fletcher and Oblowitz, though I barely spoke with the director. I am mesmerized by the sheer extreme sport of surfing. I flooded Fletcher with questions about surfing.
The documentary follows the lives of several surfers. It’s a culture, a way of life that few get to adventure. Some pass away while living their dream of surfing the big one. I spoke with Fletcher about the spiritual aspect of surfing because it’s mentioned in the movie a lot. “You go to the water, and you see the sun, magnificent ocean, you’re right there. Then you get to see the fish and the birds and all the beauty…, obviously swells come from across the world, these magnificent pulses of energy, and you go out there, and you ride them. So, if that’s not spiritual…, or somehow connected to the water, and then you’re waiting for a wave, all of a sudden, your mind is somewhere else. And you’re totally in the moment because you’re totally concentrating on what’s happening right there.”
Watch the trailer and see how dangerous and unbelievably surreal surfing the heavy waves can be.
Although Downton Abbey, directed by Michael Engler, is no longer a television series, many fans followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them at the turn of the 20th century in an Edwardian English country house.
I saw the movie opening weekend; it is everything I imagined it to be and more. The film is like a television series with a significant storyline and many subplots that entertain the audience. Julian Fellowes’s screenplay’s fast-paced and witty dialogue is a pleasure to follow, with the same characters as if nothing has changed. A revelation happens at the end, but other than that, we know everyone else will return.
The final one-sheet says it all.
Over its six seasons, the series garnered three Golden Globe Awards, 15 Primetime Emmy Awards, and 69 Emmy nominations. It acknowledges Downton Abbey as the most nominated non-US television show in the history of the Emmys – even earning a Special BAFTA award and a Guinness World Record for the highest critically rated TV show along the way.
The movie arrives in all its signature storylines. Watching the second movie trailer, we can see those storylines picking up where the television show left off. The benefit of a visit from the King and Queen of England proves to the fans that even though the popular television series is now a movie, nothing is different; Downton Abbey is the same.
The movie is like its television show but with more grandeur. The sneak peek shows the actors’ perspective of returning to Downton Abbey.
The movie clip shows how dialogue can move a story along with the action in the scene.
The following two clips show how the movie is just like the television show. That is an intelligent decision by the producers. The story moves along at a quick pace without any meandering.
Do you recognize Imelda Staunton? She is a Harry Potter alumni and played the caustic evildoer Dolores Umbridge.
The following three clips prove the movie is exactly like the television series: the same women bicker, the same downstairs staff, and the same love between husband and wife.
Co-written and directed by Van Ling, Cliffs of Freedom is an epic story during the Greek War for Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Within the story is a turbulent romance between a young Greek village girl and a conflicted Turkish officer.
Twenty-year-old Anna Christina, played by Tania Raymonde, is smitten by Colonel Tariq, played by Jan Uddin, a rising star in the Turkish army. He doubts his fellow citizens’ brutal methods of governing the Greeks. He spared the life of Anna on a cliff-top when she was a child.
The romance that follows years later is tragic for her family and village. Joining the forces and swearing revenge against the Turks, Anna joins the Greek rebellion and unintentionally becomes the symbol of the Greek resistance movement. She inspires her fellow citizens and attracts the wrath of the Turks. They placed a bounty on her head.
She thought she had left her feelings for Tarig behind. She faces the man who still loves her and wants to keep her safe but now carries the burden of capturing her. Their encounters and skirmishes inevitably lead to a tragic confrontation during a pivotal battle between the Greeks and Turks. It changes the course of history.
The movie also stars Raza Jaffrey, Patti LuPone, Christopher Plummer and Billy Zane.
The Sizzle Reel shows a special screening of the movie. We meet the director, the actors, and those who know about this time in history.
Directed by Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 is a documentary that takes a look at Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon. The mission led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin is shown through real-time footage during the time of the preparation and launch of the historical event.
The footage before and during this event is amazing and revolutionary in the fact of what this event meant to the people of Earth on that summer day in 1969 when Neil Armstrong step foot on the moon.
This is Miller’s first attempt at directing a documentary, and the footage looks good.
Directed by James Kent and based on the book of the same title by Rhidian Brook, The Aftermath follows the lives of three people in a love triangle: Rachel Morgan, played by Kiera Knightly; Lewis Morgan, played by Jason Clarke, and Stephan Lubert, played by Alexander Skarsgard.
Kent’s credits include several episodic TV shows such as The White Queen and Inside Men. He’s directed a documentary and feature movies as well. Currently, he is in production with Jessica Chastain for the film Seducing Ingrid Bergman.
If you haven’t seen it yet or want to see it again, the movie is available on Blu-ray/DVD or streaming.
The story takes place during post-World War II. A British colonel and his wife were assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions with the Germans who had previously owned the house took a toll on the British couple.
Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse pen the screenplay for The Aftermath. This isn’t the first time these two wrote together. Other movies include Frankie & Alice and Race.
Watching the trailer, I kept thinking this story had a twist. Otherwise, the mundane attitude of “poor me” turns the movie into a wet toast. Yet, I am intrigued and want to read the novel before I see the film because there appear to be many deep-seated thoughts.
Very few movie clips are available to see if the movie does follow the book or what the film is about. I posted some studio interviews that offer insight into the story based on the movie’s three actors.
The first interview is with Keira Knightley, and she reveals that the movie does not follow the book. I think the married couple in the story are without children. Their son is killed during a German air raid in England, and there is no second son like in the book.
Jason Clarke has played so many different roles in movies. He is so much fun to watch. In Serenity, he played an evil and disgusting man. In The Aftermath, he plays Lewis Morgan, who is trying to rebuild Germany and his life.
Alexander Skarsgard explains how the book and the movie are similar and relates the book to his role in the film. Skarsgard stars in another movie posted on Movie Roar calledThe Hummingbird Project, which is quirky with dark humor and quite different from The Aftermath.
The featurette tells the movie’s story, so there are spoilers, and beware—you watch at your own risk. The film doesn’t follow the book, which is a bit disappointing. I wonder if it will end the same way. I liked the book’s ending.
After the featurette is a movie clip, hopefully, the studios will not block it. They sometimes do block them. I don’t know why. Showing the clips promotes the movie and helps the box office draw. As you can see, eventually, the studio blocked the clip.
The Characters and Story featurette covers everything about the movie. It’s a nice piece because you become familiar with where the story physically takes place and when it takes place.
The next feature encompasses Clarke’s character. He plays a kind and troubled man, and it’s good to see him in this type of role.
It is Knightley’s turn to explain her role. She’s done an excellent job in this movie, making quite an impression.
