Mar 26 2021

Beast Beast – Release News

Blue Finch Film Releasing presents Beast Beast on Digital Download 30 April

Synopsis:
A powerful portrayal of modern teenage life that resonates with youthful energy, Beast Beast is a powerful character study of three young lives torn apart by gun violence.
In a quiet suburban town, charismatic theatre lover Krista finds herself increasingly drawn to quiet new kid Nito, a talented skateboarder whose troubled home life pushes him towards a group of fellow social misfits. Meanwhile, Krista’s recently graduated neighbour attempts to turn his love of guns into viral internet stardom, only to become frustrated by his lack of video views. When a violent event with tragic results shatters their young worlds, the consequences leave simmering feelings of anger, trauma and guilt.

Mar 26 2021

Minari (2020) Movie Review

Minari – Stunning

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

Writer: Lee Isaac Chung (Screenplay)

Starring: Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Youn Yuh-jung, Alan S Kim, Noel Cho, Will Patton, Scott Haze

Plot: A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in the 1980s.

Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Minari starts when a Korean family, Jacob (Yeun), Monica (Han), Anne (Cho) and little David (Kim) move to Arkansas to give Jacob the land for a garden he desperately wants and letting Monica keep up with the demands on the work, moving at slower pace.

When Grandma Soonja (Yuh-jung) comes to live with the family she offers babysitting options, as she starts to get closer to the nervous David, the youngest member who is worried about his heart condition, while Jacob tries to hold together the American dream.

Thoughts on Minari

Characters & Performances – Jacob is the husband and father looking to chase the American dream for his family, dreaming of having land for a garden, which his hard work has built for him. He has put his family at risk with his choice though, knowing if things don’t go well they might not have much to recover with, as he starts to see the problems add up. Steven Yeun is wonderful in the leading role, showing us the loving father who is so desperate to make this life work. Monica is the wife and mother that has agreed to the move to help her keep up at work, but her main focus is just making sure her David remains healthy no matter what, she isn’t afraid to challenge Jacob’s decisions. Yeri Han does give us a great performance in a role that is the more grounded character of the two parents. Soonja is Grandma who comes to live with the family, she must earn David’s trust, which does take longer than normal, but her patient nature helps build the trust, as she looks to give him the best. Youn Yuh-jung is great with the way she handles the more grown up moments with the adults and the entertaining the grandchildren the next. David is the youngest child who does have a heart condition which is the biggest worry of the parents. He is not that welcoming to his grandma, but learns to enjoy having her around. Alan S Kim is the star of the show here, giving us one of the greatest child star performances. The rest of the supporting cast are brilliant to watch, being one of the best acted movies of the year.

Story – The story here follows a Korean family that are looking to start the American dream in Arkansas one that Jacob has dreamed of for years but his wife Monica is starting to become worried about making a reality. This is a nice and simple drama about chasing the dream of a better life for one’s family, it shows us not just the distance they have travelled, but the hope it has given them. It will show the importance of family and being together in such a difficult movement and best of all it avoids the easy villainous figures trying to hold back the dream, it is only the struggles, not anyone holding them back.

Themes – Minari is a drama showing the family starting a new life in Arkansas, with their beautiful landscapes of the new land, away from everyone else. We do get to look at the importance of family when making big life changes.

MINARI will be available on demand from 2^nd April 2021.

Minari is a powerful drama that is beautiful to watch.

Mar 26 2021

ABC Film Challenge – Favourites – Z – Freaks (2018) Movie Review

This is under Z because of director Zach Lipovsky.

Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein

Writer: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B Stein (Screenplay)

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, Lexy Kolker, Ava Telek

Plot: A bold girl discovers a bizarre, threatening, and mysterious new world beyond her front door after she escapes her father’s protective and paranoid control.

Tagline – They look just like us

Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Brilliantly Original

Story: Freaks starts as we meet young girl Chloe (Kolker) who is living with her father (Hirsch) in a house she isn’t allowed out of, she doesn’t meet people, while her father prepares her for the outside world.

When her father comes back injured, Chloe decides to leave the house, going to meet the ice cream man who claims to be her grandpa (Dern) who shows her about the outside world as we learn about the dangers outside.

Thoughts on Freaks

Characters – Chloe is a young girl that has been sheltered from the world because of her special abilities, ones that her father has been preparing her for, she is constantly curious about the outside world, she wants to have a normal life with a mother and father, but her curiosity leads her to create her own world, while becoming a danger to everyone else. Dad has been protecting Chloe for years, he is preparing her for the real world, knowing what will happen if the agent learn the truth about them. He will do anything to protect her even if that means breaking the rules he has created for them to live by. Agent Ray is leading the investigation into the abnormal or freaks of the world, she knows the dangers they could bring the world, but unlike most, she is willing to use them to help fight wars. Grandpa is a local ice cream man that has always been around the house, he has been watching over Chloe from a far needing to protect her in his own way.

Performances – Emile Hirsch and Bruce Dern bring the star power to this film, they are both great in their roles showing us just how determined they both are to protect their youngest family member. Young Lexy Kolker bursts onto the scene with her performance that shows the human side to the character that is in need or normality.

Story – The story here follows a father trying to protect his daughter from the world, his daughter has special abilities that if the world caught her, they would kill her or experiment on her, only her curiosity is leading to threat of that safety. This is a very different spin on the idea of treating people differently, using the idea of superhero genre, while grounding these ideas in reality. In the end it is about people just wanting to live, not wanting to become victims because of other people and just wanting to normal life. The story does keep us guessing and doe splay down the powers, only revealing them slowly as the story unfolds, which helps us understand that they have been forced into using them just to survive. Overall this story is original, hugely original and one that could be enjoyed by many more people.

Mystery/Sci-Fi – The mystery in the film comes from seeing how the father daughter are avoiding the world, why they are forced to be so secretive and this unfolds in the sci-fi powers they possess, ones that mean they can be a threat to the world.

Settings – The film uses the rundown looking house to help our characters look like they are hiding, not a beautiful clean house, like the one Chloe would like to live in, we have the standard government facility too, which isn’t anything special, but where the sets are used well, is with Chloe ability to be in other places, blending the rooms from the house with the other environments.

Scene of the Movie – The bubble revelations.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more of the agent, maybe showing her on another capturing mission first.

Final Thoughts – This is an excellent sci-fi film that brings something original to the table, while still keeping the heart of a film that is all about wanting to be part of a family together.

Overall: Outstanding Sci-Fi Movie.