Off The Screen Magazine February 2014

February 2014 Your one resource for what’s happening at the South African Box Office.

www.offthescreenmagazine.com

Stealing our Hearts We talk to the young actress giving life to a young German Book Thief, Sophie Nelisse

Rolling in Comedic actress Anna Faris talks to us about reprising her role in the animated comedy sequel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

JENNIFER GARNER

JARED LETO

FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE A FILM BY JEAN-MARC VALLÉE

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

TRUTH ENTERTAINMENT AND VOLTAGE PICTURES PRESENT A TRUTH ENTERTAINMENT / VOLTAGE / EVOLUTION INDEPENDENT / R2 FILMS PRODUCTION A FILM BY JEAN-MARC VALLÉE MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY “DALLAS BYERS CLUB” JENNIFER GARNER AND JARED LETO CASTINBYGKERRY BARDEN PAUL SCHNEE AND RICH DELLA COSTUME DESIGNERS KURT AND BART EDITORS JOHN M. MCMURPHY MARTIN PENSA

DIRECTOR OF YVES BÉLANGER, CSC PRODUCERCO MICHAEL SLEDD JOHN PAINO PHOTOGRAPHY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS DAVID BUSHELL NATHAN ROSS TONY NOTARGIACOMO JOE NEWCOMB NICHOLAS CHARTER ZEV FOREMAN LOGAN LEVI HOLLY WIERSMA CASSIAN ELWES PRODUCED

BY ROBBIE BRENNER RACHEL WINTER DIRECTED WRITTEN CRAIG BORTEN & MELISA WALLACK BYJEAN-MARC VALLÉE PRODUCTION DESIGNERS

© 2013 DALLAS BYERS CLUB, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

www.crystalbrook.co.za CrystalBrookDistribution

INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

____________________________________________________________________

Content s Cover Story:

16 Stealing our Hearts We speak to the young Canadian actress breathing life in the little German Book Thief, Sophie Nelisse

Features:

10 Rolling in

Comedic actress Anna Faris talks to us about reprising her role in the animated feature, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

22 The Man in the Robot We talk to the actor taking on one of the most loved robotic characters of all time. Joel Kinnaman in the reboot of the Robocop franchise

Reviews: Film Released January 17th 28 12 Years a Slave 29 Delivery Man 30 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 31 Paradise

16 Released January 24th 32 The Book Thief 33 Faan se Trein 34 Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones 35 Grudge Match

Off The Screen Magazine 6

____________________________________________________________________

Editor Jon Broeke jon.broeke@gmail.com

22

Deputy Editor Annette Bayne annette.bayne@gmail.com

10

Photo Credits Nu Metro, Ster Kinekor, Getty Images, UPI.com, Google Images, imdb.com

Released January 31st 38 Gravity (Re-Released) 39 Fire with Fire 40 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Released February 7th 41 Robocop 42 The Best Man Holiday 43 Labor Day 44 Romeo and Juliet 45 Inside Llewyn Davis

Contact us offthescreenmagazine@ gmail.com

DVD 50 Prank Riddle Evidence Rapture-Palooza

Or www.offthescreenmagazine. com

Online at www.offthescreenmagazine. com

Published by

Editors Letter

www.issuu.com

Happy February, and that means happy Valentine’s Day. While we don’t really have any features that cover Valentine’s Day, we do have a couple films coming this month to share with a loved one, namely Romeo and Juliet, Labor Day, and possibly The Best Man Holiday, though maybe not. You can check out the reviews for these great films in this issue. We do have some great features, though, including talking to the young actress breathing life into a young German Book Thief, Sophie Nelisse, the voice of a somewhat over excitable meteorologist, Anna Faris, and the man in the Robocop suit, Joel Kinnaman, so we hope you enjoy the issue, and your Valentine’s, and we’ll see you at the movies in March.

Join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ offthescreenmagazine

Best Wishes Jon Broeke Editor Off The Screen Magazine 7

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

Rolling in _________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

10

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

This month sees the crazy antics of Flint Lockwood and his friends returning to the big screen in the sequel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. We chatted to comedic actress Anna Faris about reprising her role, the food animals and how this one’s different from the first.

C

omedy actress Anna Faris burst onto the scene 13 years ago in Scary Movie and has gone from strength to strength ever since. She’s appeared in three of the subsequent Scary Movie sequels, Been a House Bunny, been Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds, dealing with a crazy Dictator and has dealt with Luke Wilson’s Super Ex-Girlfriend, just to name a few of the films she’s been in. Back in 2009 she jumped into the world of voice overs starring as the voice of Sam Sparks in the animated feature, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

This month sees her reprising the role in the sequel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

“I was so excited to come back for Cloudy 2,” she tells us. “The first experience was so much fun. I loved the way the movie turned out, and the process is just so interesting because you work on it for a year, and you don’t really know what’s going on until kind of the end. It’s amazing to see it all come together and the artistry involved is incredible, so I’m thrilled to be back.”

Cloudy 1 tells the tale of crazed inventor Flint Lockwood, voiced by Bill Hader, who thinks he’s saved the day after the local town sardine canary, the town’s main source of revenue, is closed and his invention of a machine that can turn water into food actually works. The problem is works a little

too well and results in massive food related storms that almost destroy the world. In the end Flint, along with the help of meteorologist Sam Sparks, saves the day, turning off the machine, but the machine turns itself back on, and that’s where Cloudy 2 starts, but it doesn’t stop there. The machine has created an entire food related ecosystem, including animals made from vegetables, fruits and doughnuts.

“The food creatures are my favourite part of the whole movie,” Faris tells us. “I think [the creators have] been so inventive.

We have cheese spiders, which are these enormous cheese burger spiders, and we’ve got hippotatamuses, which are potatoes which are turned into hippopotamuses, we’ve got cannelopes, which are antelopes made from canelope, so I think it’s been really fun how they’ve made food into these living creatures with personalities. It’s just so inventive and fun and beautiful.”

Of course, due to her adventurous nature Sam follows Flint to try and turn off the machine again and save the world.

“What’s great about Cloudy 2 is that it really is a whole new adventure,” she says.

“It’s a whole new world that’s so big and so wild and so imaginative, and my character, Sam Sparks, and Flint Lockwood, are

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

11

___________________________________________________________________________

adventurers, so hopefully we can take the audience on a great adventure as well.”

Of course there’s more to the island where the food monsters live, and the person they think is saving them, the very Jobs like character Chester V, voiced by Will Forte, and his Live Group, which really casts your mind to Apple, is not the good guy everyone thinks he is. Of course, that’s just a small part of the film and the comedy aspect is very important.

“I think what’s so fun about these movies,” she says. “Is that they’re really witty and kids love the world that it is, all the food.

It’s a kids fantasy to have it raining ice cream or whatever, but for adults I think there’s a lot of really funny jokes, great characters with a lot of wit to them, and I think, the last Cloudy my husband told me that it was his favourite

Feature

movie that I’d done. He just loved it, so I think there’s something about it. It’s such an uncynical world, the world of animation, and Sony Pictures, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, that it’s really just an escape.”

Well, if you want to escape with odd creatures, odd characters and odder animation, then this is the film for you. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is showing at cinemas now.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

12

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

Stealing our Hearts

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

16

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

The latest book adaption hits our screens this month with the release of The Book Thief. We spoke to the young Canadian actress that managed to land the lead role, Sophie Nelisse, about the role the book and her co-stars.

T

his month sees the screen adaption of a much loved book, The Book Thief, hitting the silver screen. The film tells the tale of Liesel, a young German girl sent to live with foster parents at the very beginning of World War II. She’s immediately out of place and uncomfortable in her new home, but the bond she creates with her new father, Hans, played by the incredible Geoffrey Rush, is solidified as they learn to read together and Liesel discovers the magic that the written word can hold, all this while the Nazi’s are trying to eradicate all individual thought from the population of Germany.

Of course finding a young actress to portray the in-depth emotions that Liesel needs to show was no easy task, searching all around the world at more than a thousand applicants, and it was the author of the book, Markus Zusak, who actually found the perfect girl when he saw a young French Canadian actress by the name of Sophie Nelisse acting in a French Canadian film, Monsieur Lazhar, nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2012

Oscars. He immediately knew that this was Liesel and called the director, Brian Percival, who immediately agreed. We caught up with Nelisse on set, on a snowy February morning at Studio Babelsberg in Germany, to chat about her role.

“She’s really tough and she’s really fun to play because she goes through a lot of different emotions,” Nelisse tells us about Liesel, her blonde hair falling around her face and her slight French accent an interesting change from the German one in the film. “At the beginning she was thinking, “I’m a bit scared and a bit intimidated,” and then while the movie goes on she’ll get more tough and courageous. But then she’ll find love and then she’ll have a really special bond with Max, so she really goes through a lot of things. She’s so amazing to play because it’s not just an easy role. It’s interesting to play with.”

She feels a kinship with the character as well.

“She’s a fighter, a bit like me,” Nelisse says. “I won’t really give up when I want

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

17

___________________________________________________________________________

“They’re so good because they’re professional and I can learn so much from them,” she says about her co-stars. “They’re inspiring in how they work, how they act and their preparation beforehand.” something. She’s courageous and she never gives up, which is most like me.”

Nelisse is rather new at acting and almost didn’t take the role in the film because of her other great love, gymnastics. Nelisse was in the middle of preparing for the 2020 Olympic Games when the offer came through, so after some thought she decided to pass on the gymnastics and focus on her acting instead. And we’re very thankful she did, after the performance in this film, and she hopes it’s not her last.

“Yes,” she answers emphatically when asked if she’s an actor for life now.

“Unless people stop liking me and won’t hire me! But as long as I have an opportunity, I’ll keep going.”

We asked her what it was about acting that got her to give up the gymnastics to follow it instead.

“I just love to play a role that’s not mine and to try other things that I never tried before,” she tells us.

“It’s amazing to go into other characters and to really be like that character.

Feature

It’s hard - it’s a job - but it’s so fun, and then you can look at yourself and say, ‘I’ve experienced that,’ and it’s fun to do.”

She’s always loved films as well, even stupid little ones.

“Films are not like books, so even if they’re boring, and even if the movies are bad, I’ll watch them anyway. I know it’s stupid but I like these little stupid movies. My dad’s like, “Why do you watch these stupid things?”

And I’m laughing at myself because I’m watching it, but I really like all movies.”

Of course her first international film is no silly little film. We asked her what kind of film she thinks The Book Thief is.

“I think that it’s an inspiring movie, because as much as it’s about the war, it’s not depressing,” she says after thinking about it for a moment. “It is sad because of the fact of what happened, but it is sort of another way to see things in this movie. Words are like life.

Liesel learns to read and she survives because of that. That applies to your own life; if you’re having a hard path you can look on the other side of things. And because of words she can see the world in a prettier way.”

The film is based on a book, and about books as well, so we asked what books Nelisse likes to read.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

18

___________________________________________________________________________ “I like books that I like,” she says. “I mean, you know some people don’t like a book and they’ll just finish it and say, “Okay, it was bad.” But if there’s a bad book I have to read, I’ll think, “This is boring. I won’t read it at all.” If it’s a good book I’ll read it really, really quickly and go, “Okay, I want to read the other one.” If it’s bad it’ll take me like ten years to read it!”

Not like the stupid little movies she watches. We asked her what her favourite book was.

“I really like journals” she says. “Diary kinds of things, girl stuff. But my best friend showed me a book that I liked. At first I didn’t think it’d be my type of thing. It was a mystery/fantasty sort of thing about animals, called Fableheaven. It’s really good. I really like it and I read all four of them. It’s a big book, but they’re really good so these are my favourites.”

Acting alongside Nelisse in the film are screen legends Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson. We asked her what it was like to work with actors of their calibre and if they had given her lots of advice during the filming.

“They’re so good because they’re professional and I can learn so much from them,” she says about her co-stars. “They’re

Feature

inspiring in how they work, how they act and their preparation beforehand. Sometimes they give me advice, which is really good. It’s so fun to get the chance every day to be sort of spoiled to be with them.”

When we asked her who she would like to act with she grins and looks like a little girl again.

“I really like Johnny Depp because I think he’s hilarious in Pirates of the Caribbean.” She tells us. “Maybe Jessica Chastain, I think she’s good. There are a lot of good actors. Most of the actors I’d like to work with, all of them have so much to give me.”

Well, with a debut like The Book Thief it’s just a matter of time until these great actors are knocking on her door asking her to act alongside them. Maybe there’ll be a role for her alongside Depp in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film, Maybe Captain Jane Sparrow, Jack’s daughter? It could happen.

Either way this is not that last we’ll hear of this remarkable young lady and this remarkable film. The Book Thief is showing in cinemas now.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

19

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

The Heart of the Tin Man _______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

22

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

This month sees the return of the metal suited police machine, Robocop, to our screens. We chatted to the heart and soul of the machine, actor Joel Kinnaman, about the role, his co-stars and what it meant to him to play this walking metal icon

R

emakes are big business in Hollywood at the moment, whether it’s remakes of classics, like Romeo and Juliet, which opens this month, or reboots of cult followings like Batman Begins, or Man of Steel. This month sees another superhero, of sorts, hit the big screen with the reboot of the much loved part man, part machine police officer from Detroit returning to our screens. In the original Robocop Peter Weller donned the metal suit and became the metal peacekeeper, this time around Joel Kinnaman, best known for his work in his home country of Sweden, and on the American TV show, The Killing, dons the armour plated helmet and becomes the robotic man. It was something he fought tooth and nail for.

“Knowing Josè [Padilha, the director] and seeing his movies you know that the action is going to be exciting,” says Kinnaman.

“It’s going to be realistic and gritty. So all of a sudden this became something that I was dying to pursue, and I worked my butt off to get the part. I was shooting The Killing up in Vancouver and I’d fly down on the weekends to audition, I think it was three or four times that I flew down, and auditioned and auditioned and I really tried to convince them all that I would be good for the role, because I felt like this could be something really special, and now I know I was right.”

The story is basically the same as the original, a police officer in Detroit, Alex

Murphy, Kinnaman’s character, is killed in the line of duty and turned into a robot, the only human part of him left is his brain, lungs and, in this one, a hand. He then becomes a beacon for hope and peace in Detroit, but all the while he’s being used by the company that created him, Omnicorp, and it’s CEO Raymond Sellars, played

by Michael Keaton. The original version was very against big business and cast the entire Omnicorp group as evil money hungry villains, almost cartoon like in their plots sometimes.

This time around it’s all a lot more real.

Omnicorp is trying to get a bill reversed that stops them using their drone soldiers on American soil, so they create Robocop as a loophole to show the American people, and the politicians, the error of their ways. Of course things don’t go as planned and that’s where the fun comes in. We asked Kinnaman what he thought this film would offer to the public.

“I long to see a big exciting action movie that has intelligence,” he tells us. “That has a lot of emotion, that appeals to both the kid in me and the adult in me, and I feel that this movie does all of those things. I think it’s something that I will be proud of on many levels. It’s great entertainment, but it’s also entertainment with some substance.”

They have achieved that, lots of action and explosions and gunfire, but also a human story that we can all connect with. It’s

_______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

23

___________________________________________________________________________

Feature

feeling. Also the vibe that Josè created around the cast, where everybody was very helpful and enthusiastic and everybody was really putting in their best work and really trying to make this into something special. It was the experience of a lifetime.”

Go and see Kinnaman as himself, and the robotic policeman, right now in cinemas everywhere.

something Kinnaman felt stronglyabout, being a fan of the original Robocop series.

“I was a huge fan of the original. I’ve seen it twenty, twenty-five times. I’d seen it twenty times before I got this part, and now I had a reason to watch it a couple more times.

I was working around like a mini Robocop when I was a kid, so I’ve been practising my movements for a long time,” he laughs. Being a virtual newcomer in Hollywood, not having an American feature starring role under his belt, he found the experience of making Robocop somewhat surreal.

“At first the whole experience was a bit surreal.

That I was going to be Robocop.

That I was going to be in the same movie as Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, then Michael K. Williams, who I idolised from Warrior, it was just an incredible _______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

24

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 17

th

12 Years a Slave 9/10

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender Directed by Steve McQueen

The Story: Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a professional black musician living in the late 1800’s in New York, but his life is turned upside down when he travels to Washington for work only to find himself kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.

He keeps his head down, trying to just survive the insane circumstances he finds himself in, especially considering the completely inhuman way he and the others he is taken with are treated. He gets sold to a plantation owner, Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), at heart a good man, but when Solomon gets on the wrong side of one of the overseers, Tibeats (Paul Dano), and the man wants Solomon dead, Ford sells him to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), an evil amoral man who treats al his slaves very badly. So Solomon’s 12 year trail begins until the day he is finally saved from the hell he finds himself in.

The Verdict: Based on the true story of Solomon Northup and based on his book, published in the late 1800’s just after his release, this is a harrowing, unapologetic look at life as a slave. It is insane to think that something this so obviously wrong went on for as long as it did, but it did and this film highlights that even good men got caught up in it, while bad men used it as an excuse to fulfil their evil intentions. I had no idea that

free men living in the North were actually kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South, something that was completely illegal. It is really an eye opener. The performances by everyone involved in the film are stellar, but Ejiofor, Fassbender and Lupita Nyong'o as Patsey, another of Epps’ slaves, one he takes a specific liking too, really stand out. Ejiofor is compelling as a man caught in a completely unbelievable situation. He shows the vulnerability and complete terror the man must have felt, but at the same time the courage and will shines through and gives him the strength to simply survive, something many others wouldn’t have been able to do.

Fassbender is just plain evil as the plantation owner. He is slimy and crass, but coated in an air of Southern charm that makes him even more repulsive. It is a real standout performances and worthy of praise. In her first feature role Nyong’o shines as the slave who the master likes a little too much. She has some of the most harrowing scenes in the film and really conveys the hopelessness that her character feels, it breaks your heart. I will say that this film will not be a lot of people’s cup of tea. It pulls no punches, showing the truth to slavery, but also has a very art film feel in a couple of the scenes, especially when Ejiofor is standing staring out into the darkness, mulling over his situation. If you like this type of film, and enjoy amazing performances, then this is one for you. If you prefer Thor, then probably skip it.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

28

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 17

th

Delivery Man (not rated) Starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt and Cobie Smulders Directed by Ken Scott

The Story: David Wozniak (Vince Vaughn) has always led a simple life. A delivery driver for his family’s meat company, he is seemingly content existing in a state of perpetual mediocrity. While David has a good heart, charming everyone he comes in contact with, he is immature, unfocused, in serious debt and in desperate need of some sense of direction in his life. But when he finds out he is the biological father of 533 children and 142 of them are suing to learn his identity, everything hanges, and David decides he wants to do the right thing and for once, be held accountable for his actions.

The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you liked The Internship or Dodgeball, or any of Vaughn’s other films then you should go and see this one too.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

29

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 17

th

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit 8/10

Starring Chris Pine, Kenneth Branagh and Kiera Knightley Directed by Kenneth Branagh

The Story: Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) is a young student studying in London when the Twin Towers are hit. He joins the Marines and serves in Afghanistan, but a helicopter accident leaves him almost crippled. He struggles through rehab and gets his legs back, but also attracts the attention of two people. The first is trainee doctor Cathy Muller (Kiera Knightley) and the other is CIA agent Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) who offers Ryan a job, go back to school and finish his Economics doctorate, then come work for the CIA as an analyst. Ryan jumps at the chance and a few years later he’s living with Cathy as his girlfriend, and working as an economic expert in Wall Street, passing information to the CIA about possible financiers for terrorist activity. It’s in this job that he spots inconsistencies in certain financial statements from a Russian company, but when he goes to try and figure out what’s going on, in Moscow, he comes face to face with Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh), the CEO of the company he’s investigating, who is more than meets the eye, and manages to stumble onto a plot to cripple America’s economy.

The Verdict: This is the fifth incarnation of the Jack Ryan character, after Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October, Harrison Ford in

Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger and Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears. What’s nice about this film is it goes back to the beginning. We see how Ryan got involved with the CIA, what inspired him to help save the world, and how he met his wife, a character featured in all of the other films. This film is just as good as the others in the series. It’s got great action, an interesting plot and compelling characters, including Ryan and Cathy. Pine is good as Ryan. He’s the intellectual action hero, using his brain as much as his brawn, and balancing it really well. Knightley is lovely as the doctor who gets a little more involved in CIA business than she should, while Branagh is the typical evil Russian bad guy with his thick accent and homicidal tendencies. He also does a great job with the directing of the film, something we’ve come to expect from him through the years, and thankfully, he doesn’t disappoint.

Costner is mysterious and mentor-ish as Ryan’s mentor in the CIA. He has a rather small role, but does it with gusto. If you like action films with a fair share of explosions and gun fire, you can’t go wrong with this film.

Now we’ll just wait to see who will play Ryan in the next instalment.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

30

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 17

th

Paradise (not rated)

Starring Julianne Hough, Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer Directed by Diablo Cody The Story: Paradise follows a sheltered young woman (Julianne Hough) who loses faith after a plane crash and decides to go to Las Vegas to experience the wild side of life.

On her journey she meets unlikely companions (Russell Brand and Octavia Spencer) who inadvertently help her find her true self.

The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you liked Juno you’re sure to like this one, from writer, director Cody, as well.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

31

th

________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 24

The Book Thief 10/10 Starring Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson Directed by Brian Percival

The Story: Germany, 1938. Liesel (Sophie Nelisse) is sent to live with Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson), her new foster parents, on Heaven Street in Germany.

Mourning being taken from her mother and the loss of her brother (Julian Lehmann), who was supposed to make the trip with her, but died on the way, Liesel tries to make the best of her situation, which worsens when the children at her new school discover she can’t read. This immediately puts her on the back foot with everyone, except Rudy (Nico Liersch), the sweet boy next door who falls in love with Liesel the first moment he sees her and begins to follow her around like a puppy, much to Liesel’s annoyance at first, but enjoyment later on. Things begin to look up when, together with Hans’ help, Liesel begins to learn to read, which opens her up to the magic of words and stories, a dangerous thing at that time in Germany when the Nazi’s are burning books, this complicates things for Liesel as she’s torn between her new love of books and the written word, and what she’s being taught in school about how those very books are evil. Then Max (Ben Schnetzer) arrives on their doorstep, a Jew hiding from the Nazi’s, whose father saved Hans in the First World War, so they take him in and care for him. This adds to Liesel’s confusion as she tries to reconcile what’s happening outside with what’s happening in her own new home.

The Verdict: This is a fascinating film. Based on the book by the same name, the film illustrates how the written word can bring light to the darkest of places, something we writers are very proud of. The scene in the

film when the Nazi’s are burning books in a big pile in the middle of the town square actually bought me physical pain, to see such works of art destroyed because of a mad man’s insanity, but that’s why, in the end, he lost. I always remember a line from Captain America, believe it or not, it goes, “People forget the first country the Nazi’s invaded was their own,” and how true it is. This film shows that the people of Germany were stuck in an impossible situation, terrified of what would happen to them if they stood against the party, so they just towed the party line. As it goes, the only thing evil needs to succeed is for good people to stand by and do nothing, a dangerous stand, and this film shows the humanity that shone through anyway.

Beautiful. The performances aid in this. Rush and Watson are both sublime as the new parents. Rush is soft and squishy, a real teddy bear. The scene when he’s conscripted breaks your heart, while Watson is cold and very German, but with a heart of gold hidden underneath. She shows both sides of her character so well that by the end of the film you completely love her. They are both sublime actors and have real fun with these characters. The stand outs in the film are the children, Nelise and Liersch. They are both honest and truthful in wonderful performances that really grip you from the very start of the film all the way to the end with some really wonderful, heart-warming scenes alongside some really heart breaking ones. The cinematography really aids in this, and the first shot, the train in the snow, is immaculate. This is a fabulous film that I would recommend to anyone, and would go and watch again and again. A really stunning piece of work.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

32

th

________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 24

Faan se Trein 7/10

Starring Willie Esterhuizen, Anel Alexander and Deon Lotz Directed by Koos Roets The Story: Faan (Willie Esterhuizen) lives in a small Karoo town with his father, and his housekeeper, Truia (Anel Alexander). He’s a little slow and a little confused a lot of the time, but for the most part he’s harmless, except when he’s being teased by the local school boys, which seems to be happening more and more frequently. During the last teasing episode Faan accidentally runs into the Doctor’s (Deon Lotz) wife, Beatrice (Nicola Hanekom), a woman who was raised in Pretoria, but now lives in this one horse town because of a secret she and her husband have to hide. This confrontation between Faan and Beatrice causes Faan to become very interested in Beatrice, especially when her blouse rips during the encounter. Beatrice has no interest in even knowing this individual exists, until she discovers that he, along with his father, own some antiques that were passed down from father to son for years, including a very valuable violin, so starts her plan to get her hands on the goods, manipulating the simple minded fellow to do her will.

The Verdict: Based on the much loved stage production, this film has some good points and some not so good points. The good points are, firstly, the performances. Esterhuizen gives a good show as the simple minded man who wants to be a grown up, but has no idea what it means to be a grown up, or even to be an adult, which he clearly is. All he understands is what’s in his head and what he hears from others, which makes him easy prey for someone like Beatrice. Hanekom gives a wonderful performance as the manipulative witch that is Beatrice. She is just out for herself, not caring about whom she hurts in the interim. The way she gets her comeuppance, as one like her will always get,

is really well done. Alexander gives another solid performance as the helper in Faan’s house, and the one that really knows Faan, while Lotz is strong as the doctor, hiding his addiction from everyone, and trying desperately to be a good person, though he doesn’t always succeed in this venture. The scenery is stunning for the entire film, from the old steam train that chugs through the background of the shots, to the farm, to the town itself, the entire thing is placed well in the time period and very close attention was paid to make sure it stood true, which it does.

These are the good points, the bad points can be summed up in one word, scripting. The entire film is about 30 minutes too long, and the ending, not the same as the stage production, is a little too Disney for this project. If they’d kept to the original ending it would have had far more impact on the viewer, instead we are left feeling that it doesn’t end, that Faan rides off into what? He can’t fend for himself, he’s a danger to others, to completely honest, and he probably wouldn’t even know where he was. It doesn’t get tied up and I hate that. That brings me to what made me unsettled about the whole film. If Faan had been completely harmless, f he had just simply kept walking in the face of the taunting and the teasing, then I could have understood the concept behind the story, but we meet Faan trying to literally kill one of the boys taunting him, this, in my mind, makes him dangerous, and says that he shouldn’t be living with an old man who can’t control him, can’t hardly stand. I realise that loony bins, as they put it, in the 50’s weren’t as friendly as they are today, but it didn’t make sense to me that someone like that could just walk free and be cared for by all the towns folk. Maybe I’m wrong, but go and check the film out for yourself to come to a conclusion.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

33

th

________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 24

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones 7/10

Starring Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz and Gabrielle Walsh Directed by Christopher Landon

The Story: In this offshoot from the Paranormal Activity series, Jessie (Andrew Jacobs), a recently graduated boy, begins having strange experiences following the death of his very strange downstairs neighbour. At first he thinks the occurrences are cool, he is super strong, he can’t seem to get hurt, something is protecting him, and he’s having conversations with a childhood toy that’s seemed to come to life, but soon things start going from strange to downright frightening as Jessie’s behaviour begins to change. His friend, Hector (Jorge Diaz), and the girl he’d like to be his girlfriend, Marisol (Gabrielle Walsh), try to figure out what’s going on with their friend before it’s too late, but the truth is that it may already be too late.

The Verdict: Shot in the same manner as the other Paranormal Activity films, with hand held cameras, in a found footage type style, this is just as scary as the other films in the series. It’s considered an off shoot because it takes place away from the original characters, being Katie, played by Katie Featherston, and

the others that get caught up in her story, but what I liked about this film is that they kept it close to the original by bringing back old characters. Ali Rey, played again by Molly Ephraim from Paranormal Activity 2, makes a cameo, as does Katie herself, but back before she killed her boyfriend, back when she woke up in the kitchen with the knife, a scene from the first film. There are other aspects that are good too, like the door, which is very cool.

The performances by the entire cast is good and completely believable, and the effects are great, especially when Jessie pops into existence in the middle of his living room, floating in mid-air and scaring the hell out of the entire audience. If you liked the other Paranormal Activity films then you’ll definitely get something out of this film, and keep your eyes open, Paranormal Activity 5 opens later this year.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

34

th

________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 24

Grudge Match 8/10

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro and Kim Basinger Directed by Peter Segal

The Story: 30 years ago Billy ‘The Kid’ McDonnen (Robert De Niro) and Henry ‘Razor’ Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) were two of the boxing’s brightest stars. Both coming from Pittsburgh, they had the town split as to who their favourite was, this led to a massive rivalry between the two resulting in their first boxing match, which Kid won. In the rematch Razor won the match, and they set up a grudge match to find out who the best was once and for all, but Razor walked away from boxing forever before the fight, leaving everyone, especially Kid, wondering who the best is. Now, because he needs the money, Razor agrees to the rematch that never took place. Kid is more than happy to oblige, but as the two begin to prepare old wounds are reopened and the truth about Razor walking away from fighting, and the way Kid was responsible, is revealed.

The Verdict: De Niro and Stallone have both had great boxer characters in the past and the film makers made good use of this in the film.

Stallone has clips from his Rocky days, while De Niro’s clips come from his Raging Bull film. This gives the characters an air of reality that

would be missing otherwise, and it really works. They are both really good in their roles. De Niro as the washed up boxing star who is living on his past, not wanting to grow up any more than he needs to, but at the same time faced with the reality that his life is catching up with him and, maybe, he needs to actually face things instead of hoping they’ll go away. Stallone’s character is very similar in a lot of ways. He’s also hiding from his past, pretending it never happened, but instead of living it up, like Kid, he’s become the everyman to hide from what happened in his past. They’re both hiding from reality. Kim Basinger is great as Razor’s ex-girlfriend, who had a child with Kid, complicating the relationship even further, and Jon Bernthal gives a solid performance as the child, now grown up, trying to make a go of getting to know his father. It all adds to the drama that unfolds on the screen. I will say that if you’re not a fan of boxing you may not get much out of this film, since it is, at the end of the day, about boxing, but the human drama will keep you interested just the same. It is a good film to put alongside the older boxing movies that the two have acted in.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

35

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 31

st

Gravity 8/10 (Re-released) Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney Directed by Alfonso Cuarón As reviewed in the November 2013 issue

The Story: Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a doctor on her first space mission to connect some or other gizmo to the Hubble Telescope so NASA can see further into space. She’s on a spacewalk connecting the gizmo along with another engineer and the commander of the mission, Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) when an errant Russian missile hits one of their satellites. The strike causes a mass of space debris to fly in the direction of the mission and before they can get out of the way their ship is hit and destroyed and they are left adrift in space. They cling to each other as they make their way to the International Space Station, cut off from all ground communication, so they don’t even know if NASA can hear them, but worse than that, they only have minutes before the debris, which is in a orbit with Earth, comes around again and finishes the job it started at their ship.

The Verdict: This film had the very real risk of being pretentious and boring. The entire film is set around two characters, or one after Clooney’s character dies, spoiler alert, so there was a risk that Bullock wouldn’t be able to carry an entire film by herself, which has happened to other, just as well versed and respected actors.

Thankfully this is not the case with this particular film. She does a great job keeping the humanity in the story and giving her plight a human face, making the audience really care whether or not she makes it. Clooney does a fine job with his performance as well, acting

as the voice of strength and reason for Bullock’s character, and getting her through the harder parts of her journey. The story is simplicity itself, but it is structured together in a strong script that keeps it running well, though there are some interesting moments, like why Bullock’s character had to have a dead daughter is beyond me, but that’s obviously something the writer wanted to do to humanise her even further, I suppose. The hero of the film is the visual effects. There are a bunch of panoramic shots of the Earth from the astronaut’s point of view, and even though they are facing almost certain doom, the Earth looks incredible. I also need to mention the homage shots the Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, especially Bullock in the foetal position in front of the Space Station door, the Earth in the porthole.

It’s a great shot and we can tell that someone watched their Kubrick. This is an interesting, compelling film and a good, well spent time.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

38

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 31

st

Fire with Fire (not rated) Starring Josh Duhamel, Vincent D'Onofrio and Bruce Willis Directed by David Barrett The Story: Fire fighter Jeremy Colton (Josh Duhamel) witnesses a murder committed by a Long Beach gang leader (Vincent D'Onofrio) and goes into a protection program so he can testify against the man who's been a long-time target of police officer Mike Cella (Bruce Willis). When the life of Jeremy's Girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) is threatened, he enlists the help of a rival gang leader (Curtis Jackson) and takes the law into his own hands.

The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you liked Duhamel in Transformers or Safe Haven, or you liked Willis in Die Hard or Sixteen Blocks you should like this one too.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

39

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Released January 31

st

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 7/10 Starring the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris and Will Forte Directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn The Story: This sequel to the hit animated feature, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, picks up directly where the last film ends off.

Flint Lockwood (Voiced again by Bill Hader) and his friends, Sam Sparks (voiced again by Anna Faris), officer Earl Devereaux (voiced again by Terry Crews), the ex-bully Brent (voiced again by Andy Samburg), Flint’s dad (voiced again by James Caan) and his pet monkey, Steve (voiced again by Neil Patrick Harris), have managed to stop his food making machine, but their island is still covered in food. In swoops Flint’s hero, the TV scientist, and creator of Live Corp, Chester V (voiced by Will Forte), to save the day. They relocate everyone from the island while they clean up the mess, even giving Flint a job at Live Corp, his dream, but when the team from Live Corp run into unexpected problems on the island, Chester turns to Flint to go home and stop the machine, which has turned itself back on. Flint takes his friends back with him and find an amazing food related ecosystem on the island, but soon discover that the animals that are trying to eat them there aren’t the most dangerous thing they have to defeat.

The Verdict: This has to be the strangest animated feature I’ve seen in a long while. It is just very odd. The whole concept

of the food animals, along with the oddity of all the characters, and they are all very strange indeed, but that’s part of the charm of the film. It’s so out there that it completely pulls you out of reality and into a world where a taco could eat you. A very interesting concept. The characters are very much the same as they were in the first film, bringing the joy that they had in that film along with them. The addition of the evil Chester V is wonderful, even if the similarities to a certain owner of a certain fruit labelled Technology Company can’t be ignored, along with the likeness between Live Corp and the fruit labelled company itself. I think someone involved in the writing of the script is not a fan of that certain fruit. This film is certainly an acquired taste. If you’re a fan of the Disney or Dreamworks animation then this may not be your cup of tea, but if your tastes are a little more out there then this may be just up your street. Your kids will definitely love it.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

40

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Releasing February 7

th

Robocop 9/10

Starring Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish and Michael Keaton Directed by Josè Padilha trying to do the right thing, as long as that right thing doesn’t interfere with the profit margin. The real bad guy in the film is the automation of the armed forces, and whether or not it’s a good thing, something we’re actually dealing with in reality. It is thought provoking, but at the same time highly entertaining. Kinnaman is fabulous as the robot. He’s emotional when he needs to be, completely robotic when the role calls for it, and can kick butt with the best of them.

Weller would be proud of the performance that he’s given. Cornish is the emotional core The Story: In the near future combat in war as the cops wife, fighting for her husband, areas has been taken over by robots. even when it seems he doesn’t want her too.

Omnicorp, run by CEO Raymond Sellars She delivers another great performance of the (Michael Keaton), supplies all the robots to calibre we expect of her by now. Screen the military, but due to an act passed by legend Gary Oldman is wonderful as the Senator Dreyfuss (Zach Grenier) that says that doctor that makes Murphy into Robocop. He’s robots can’t be deployed on American soil, the mentor figure and the only help when Omnicorp is losing out on a huge market, things get really bad, even though sometimes supplying robots for law enforcement in he follows monetary gain instead of doing the America. They see a loop hole and the right thing. It’s also great to see Keaton back opportunity arises when Detective Alex at the top of his game as the boss of the Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is blown up in the company, At first you really feel like he’s line of duty. He’s going to die, so his wife, trying to do the right thing, even though Clara (Abbie Cornish) consents to him money is a factor all the way through, but becoming a part man, part robot, police when he shows his true colours it is easy to officer on the streets of Detroit so Omnicorp believe that he is as bad as they come. can show the people that robots are safe and Another great performance. Other good get them on American soil. What the performances in the film come from Jackie company didn’t plan on is that there is a man Earl Haley as the controller of the robots who at the heart of the robot. At first he doesn’t really doesn’t like Robocop, in any way shape perform as well as the robots, so they fix him, or form, and Samuel L. Jackson as a TV show then he’s a little too emotional, so they fix host who pushes the agenda of Omnicorp and him again, soon he’s more machine then man, sort of narrates the film. He is wonderfully but his wife doesn’t give up on him and the crass and steals his scenes completely. If you man begins to fight back. loved the first Robocop then you’ll love this The Verdict: A reboot of the 1987 classic one. The guns, the motorcycle, not in the first starring Peter Weller, this version has had a film, the violence, it’s all here, and it’s all massive update, not just in the special effects good. department, but also in the story. In the original Omnicorp, which was called OCP in the original, was merely an evil corporation that represented all the evil corporations that were taking over America in the 80’s. Now Omnicorp is more believable as a company _______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

41

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Releasing February 7

th

The Best Man Holiday 8/10 Starring Taye Diggs, Terence Howard and Morris Chestnut Directed by Malcolm D. Lee

The Story: The Best Men are back. This time it’s the holiday season and Mia (Monica Calhoun) has invited everyone to her and Lance’s (Morris Chestnut) house for the Christmas weekend. Of course Harper (Taye Diggs) doesn’t want to go at first, since the bad blood between him and Lance over Mia hasn’t been resolved, but when he’s let go from his job at NYU and his latest book is turned down by his agent he decides to go with the idea of doing an autobiography on Lance, now a very successful running back for the New York Giants about to retire, but as they come face to face the old wounds from the past re-open and everything is thrust back into the light. Things aren’t helped by their other friends either, each going through their own troubles. Julian (Harold Perrineau) has just lost a major sponsor for his school due to a Youtube video of his wife, Candace (Regina Hall), hooking, and Quentin (Terrence Howard) is up to his old tricks, complicated when Shelby (Melissa De Sousa), arrives for the weekend too, but everything is put in perspective when someone in the

group shares a secret that changes everything.

The Verdict: A sequel to the 1999 comedy, The Best Man Holiday brings back all the original cast. It’s been a few years and their lives have moved forward, but for some of them that isn’t a good thing. The comedy is still there, and the humour, mixed with raw emotion, which made the first film so successful, is all over this film making it a really enjoyable watch. I laughed, I cried, and I really enjoyed it. Everyone is great, back in the roles that seem to be moulded to them perfectly. If you liked the first film, or you just like a good laugh or a good cry, then you should see this film. It’s worth the time.

_______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

42

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Releasing February 7

th

Labor Day 7/10 Starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Gattlin Griffith Directed by Jason Reitman

The Story: Depressed single mom Adele (Kate Winslet) and her son, Henry’s (Gattlin Griffith), lives are thrown into turmoil when they’re approached by a man (Josh Brolin) at the local supermarket. He is Frank, an escaped convict, trying to get away, but he’s hurt his leg jumping out of the second floor window of the hospital he was taken to too get his appendix out. He kidnaps Adele and Henry and forces them to take him home with them.

At first they’re both terrified of this man, but as the weekend continues and they get to know each other, they begin to sense that perhaps he’s not a bad guy, just someone that did something bad. They open their hearts to him, especially Adele, as their lives begin to take a different route and they begin to plan how they’re going to run away together.

The Verdict: I was very excited about seeing this film, especially considering the cast and the hype it’s been generating in the States, but I’ve got to say that it wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. It’s not that it’s a bad film, it’s just that it doesn’t seem to be structured right. There are flashbacks to Frank’s past, showing what happened to him to send him to prison, but these flashbacks are without context or cohesion. They make very little sense and just end up confusing the audience. Some of the other reviewers I spoke didn’t even realise that it was his back story.

Add this with the fact that I found the entire premise of the story a little implausible. What kind of woman falls for an escaped convict, that’s just taken her and her son hostage, threatened their lives, but then he fixes a few things around the house and bakes them a pie and all of a sudden they’re going to run to Canada together? I just didn’t buy it. The performances by Winslet and Brolin are alright, though not their best, while Griffith looks to have a good career ahead of him, if the performance in this film is anything to go by. If you liked the book the film is based on then you may get something from the film, but don’t expect too much.

_______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

43

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Releasing February 7

th

Romeo and Juliet 7/10 Starring Hailie Steinfeld, Douglas Booth and Paul Giamatti Directed by Carlo Carlei

The Story: In 1700’s Verona, Italy, the only daughter of the house of Capulet, Juliet (Hailie Steinfeld) and the only son of the house of Montague, Romeo (Douglas Booth), two feuding families, meet at a ball and fall madly in love at first sight. They marry in secret and plan to live their lives together, but Romeo insulted Tybalt (Ed Westwick) by simply attending the ball, which was at the Capulet’s house, so Tybalt is out for Romeo’s blood, not knowing that Romeo is now his family. When he finds him, along with Mercutio (Christian Cooke), Romeo’s friend, and Benvolio (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Romeo’s cousin, a fight ensues, one that Romeo tries to stop, ending in Mercutio’s tragic death at the hand of Tybalt. In vengeance Romeo kills Tybalt, deepening the rift between the families and pulling him apart from Juliet, especially when the Prince banishes him from Verona. Then Juliet finds out that her father has promised her to the Count Paris (Tom Wisdom) The Verdict: Based on the William Shakespeare play this is one of the most

interesting versions of the story I have seen, and the reason is simply the script. What the script writer decided to do is to take the original script, written by Shakespeare for the play, and add his own dialogue and scenes that weren’t in the original. He uses the classic Shakespearean language, thus keeping with the aesthetic, but it’s not strictly Shakespeare, which I’m sure is going to annoy a few traditionalists. I will say, however, that the new scenes really do work, and some of them are my favourites from the film. In terms of the performances, Romeo and Juliet have been done so much that it’s very difficult to do something new, and even more so to do the language well. Booth is good as Romeo.

He’s comfortable with the dialogue and carries the emotion well throughout. Steinfeld is a fabulous actor, and while she has the necessary emotion for Juliet throughout the film, she’s just not as comfortable with the dialogue that I would like her to be. The stand out performance in the film is Paul Giamatti as the Friar who helps Romeo and Juliet. The dialogue slips off his tongue like he lived in those days and his control of the emotion is truly remarkable. In the scene when Juliet commits suicide over Romeo’s already dead body, Romeo and Juliet are good in the scene, but the look on Giamatti’s face when he finds them is the emotional crux of the entire scene. This is a beautiful version of the classic play, but not one of the greats like Zefferelli’s and Luhrmann’s, even so this is a good version of you like the story.

_______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

44

_________________________________________________

Film Review: Releasing February 7

th

Inside Llewyn Davis 7/10 Starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake Directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

The Story: Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) was once an up and coming music star. With his partner Mike, he had a flourishing career, but that was before Mike took his own life jumping from a bridge. Now Llewyn lives from performance to performance, not making any real money, and sleeping on his friend’s coaches, not really going anywhere in his life.

When it looks like there may be a chance for him in Chicago he treks his way there, meeting up with some very strange characters on the way, but when even that doesn’t pan out Llewyn is left wondering what to do with his life.

The Verdict: This is a very interesting and quirky film, what you’d expect from the Coen brothers whose hits include Oh Brother, Where art Thou?, True Grit and No Country for Old Men, all films that made a big impression and took audiences and critics by storm.

Inside Llewyn Davis is no different, all the way through, until the end. I

loved the film. I loved the music, I loved the performances especially by Isaacs as the listless performer trying to make a com back, Carey Mulligan as his friends girlfriend, who happens to be carrying Llewyn’s child, even though she really doesn’t like him, and John Goodman as a mysterious man on the journey to Chicago. He steals every scene that he’s in, but the film loses traction for me when it gets to the end. It seems to make sense, but then they do some kind of flashback, time travel thing that completely eluded me and, I’m sad to say, rather ruined everything they’d done up to that point. It’s a real pity because I loved it otherwise.

_______________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

45

______________________________________________________________________

DVD Reviews

Prank 7/10

Evidence 7/10

Starring Nick Renaud, Henry Monfries and Hannah Kasulka Directed by Yiuwing Lam After years of torment at the hands of Dax (Alastair Ferrie), Connor (Nick Renaud) decides the only way to get revenge is to prank the boy and humiliate him. He ropes his best friend, Jordan (Henry Monfires) into the scheme and the go about figuring out the best way to humiliate the bully, without much success, but when something they do hits home Dax comes after them, resulting in him being tied up. Connor thinks he has him just where he wants him, but when something with Jordan goes wrong it leads to mayhem and murder.

Shot in the found footage style, this film is more akin to Chronicle, which Ienjoyed, rather than the Paranormal films, which I kinda didn’t. The acting is tight and believable and the twists are good enough to keep you guessing. If you’re a fan of found footage film, or a fan of psychological thrillers, then you should get something out of this film.

Starring Stephen Moyer, Radha Mitchell and Caitlin Stasey Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi Detective Burquez (Radha Mitchell) and forensic video expert Reese (Stephen Moyer) are called in when the bodies of several people are found burnt and hacked up in the middle of the desert. They find several cameras in the surrounding area and start to piece together what happened to the group, including budding actress Leann (Torrey DeVitto), budding director, Rachel (Caitlin Stasey) and Leann’s boyfriend, Tyler (Nolan Gerard Funk).

This is a great crime thriller merging the found footage style with the more traditional style of crime thriller directing. The story is intense with enough twists to keep the audience guessing, especially at the end, and the acting is not bad for this type of film. If you liked the Saw series, or The Hills Have Eyes, then you should enjoy this one too.

Riddle 4/10 Starring Elizabeth Harnois, Val Kilmer and Diora Baird Directed by Nicholas Mross and John O. Hartman Three years after the disappearance of her brother, Nathan (Ryan Malgarini), college student Holly (Elizabeth Harnois) thinks she sees him. This sighting leads her to the small town of Riddle, trying to find out if he’s there.

She’s aided in her search by Amber (Diora Baird), the Sherriff’s (Val Kilmer) daughter, and the last boys to see Nathan, Matt (Bryan Lillis) and Cameron (Ben Bledsoe) as she searches for the truth, but each find just brings more questions, especially about herself and her brother.

This should have been a good film. It starts off pretty well, but soon the script becomes seriously flawed, the characters become ridiculous and the plot just falls through the ground. It’s as if they couldn’t see eye to eye in terms of making the film, so totally screwed it up instead. I wouldn’t recommend this film to anyone.

Rapture-Palooza 7/10

Starring Anna Kendrick, Craig Robinson and John Francis Daley Directed by Paul Middleditch The Rapture has happened and many people have been carted off to Heaven, but Lindsey (Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend, Ben (John Fracis Daley) aren’t among them. They’re stuck on Earth to deal with the aftermath, including the Anti-Christ (Craig Robinson) moving in just down the road, but when he gets his eyes on Lindsey and wants to make her his bride, they suddenly have to come up with an idea to save her, and maybe the world with her.

A really quirky, very politically incorrect film, it has a few really funny, laugh out loud moments. Kendrick is dry and unenthused, like any self-respecting Seattle-ite, while Robinson is so over the top he’s hilarious. If you liked Dogma, you may enjoy this, if not, avoid at all costs.

_________________________________________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine

50