Tag: Drama

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Movie Review

The Escape (2017)

Director: Dominic Savage

Writer: Dominic Savage (Screenplay)

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Dominic Cooper, Frances Barber, Marthe Keller, Laura Donoughue

Plot: An ordinary woman makes an extraordinary decision which will change her life forever.

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Slow and Draw Out

Story: The Escape starts as we meet everyday wife and mother Tara (Arterton) who when her husband Mark (Cooper) is at work and children at school, is left with the everyday household routine, which is causing her to feel distant from her own life, which is getting boring in her eyes.

Wanting something more Tara starts learning about art, wanting to look to take classes during the days, but Mark doesn’t think it will be good for her, as she is dealing with a problem child. Does Tara just need a break or can she escape the life she feels trapped in.

Thoughts on The Escape

Characters – Tara has been married for years now, has two children, a successful husband, but her life is going nowhere, she feels alone, trapped in a cycle where she doesn’t get time to do anything for herself, she is getting unhappier as the days pass until she finally breaks, will she just need a break or can she cope without the things she has in her life. Mark is her husband and spends most of his time working and expecting things to be ready when he gets home, he can’t handle Tara’s feelings which only makes him more controlling that he wants to be.

Performances – Gemma Arterton does all she can with the role, she is meant to be playing a down character, so we don’t expect her to do anything wildly over the top, just be plain, everyday, which is what we get here. Dominic Cooper in the support role does a solid enough job with his role too.

Story – The story here follows an everyday wife and mother that is going through an early mid-life crisis, trying to figure out what she wants from her life, feeling lonely and unfulfilled, until she decides to escape for a while. This story is meant to show us how dull married life can be if you don’t find a way to keep the excitement in it, how you could blink one day and realize you are following a basic routine which isn’t going anywhere and that you need to break out. It doesn’t give us the true length of time as to why she is feeling this way and ends up leaving us wondering why more people aren’t around to help her, like friends or family outside of her husband. The pacing of the film is very slow, which doesn’t give us enough time to get invested in the film.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show just how plain and boring Tara’s life is, it doesn’t give us much else, only it does help to show how lonely she has become.


Scene of the Movie – Snapping at her kids.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It just isn’t very interesting.

Final Thoughts – This is a film that is meant to show how difficult adult life can become, it shows us just how routine can drive us insane if we let ourselves get bogged down by it.

Overall: Basic life drama.

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Movie Review

State Like Sleep (2018) Movie Review

Director: Meredith Danluck

Writer: Meredith Danluck (Screenplay)

Starring: Katherine Waterston, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman, Mary Kay Place, Julie Khaner, Bo Martyn

Plot: A woman grapples with the consequences of her celebrity husband’s double life after he commits suicide.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: No Intensity

Story: State Like Sleep starts when photographer Katherine’s (Waterston) actor husband suddenly commits suicide, which shines the spotlight on her life and her relationship with Stefan (Huisman). With her mother Elaine (Place) latest visit seeing her end up in hospital, Katherine much look after her mother in Belgium, who is there to help her deal with the grief she is facing.

As Katherine starts looking into Stefan’s life, she starts learning about his secrets including Emile (Evans) who supplied him with drugs and maybe more, while turning to American Edward (Shannon) for support in her troubled time.

Thoughts on State Like Sleep

Characters – Katherine is a photographer who is in a marriage which is starting to fall apart, things get worse when her husband commits suicide, which puts her in the spotlight, dealing with the aftermath with an overly attached mother-in-law and secrets which she is only searching to unlock to learn why he took his life. Edward is a neighbour in the hotel, he offers her friendship in her time of need. Emile is one of the secrets from Stefan’s life, he is from a club, which isn’t afraid to supply the drugs which is one of his vices. Stefan is the actor husband, about to get his worldwide break, only his strange actions have led to his suicide, his secret life is what is driving his wife in search for answers.

Performances – Katherine Waterston does every she can to make her character seem more interesting, but the character is written into grief to be so dull, it is hard to follow her journey, with only her haircuts to tell apart the two times. Michael Shannon does all he needs to without every reaching his best, while Luke Evans gives one of the most disappointing roles of his career to date, he just never gets going in his role. Michiel Huisman likewise doesn’t get too much to work with here.

Story – The story here follows a grieving wife that must look into her husband’s last few days and learn about his secrets to see if she every really knew him before he passed away. While the core of this story should be very interesting to follow, it does seem to fall into the slower paced style, we could focus on grief of a celebrity spouse dealing with added pressure after a suicide, only we get a weak look into his secret life and Katherine’s search for something new in her life. There was so much more we could have explored here only we get the very basics covered, with a mystery that just doesn’t get going or give answers that make much sense.

Settings – The film is mostly set in Belgium, which is different for a mainstream drama, it does have chance to go to the bigger known locations, but they don’t seem important to what is going on.


Scene of the Movie – The bar dinner.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It just doesn’t get the going.

Final Thoughts – This is a film that just feels like it is clogged down by not much going on, which only just about gets solid performances out of the cast.

Overall: Disappointing drama.

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Movie Review

The Furnace (2019 Movie Review

Director: Darrell Roodt

Writer: Darrell Roodt, P.G. de Jonge (Screenplay)

Starring: Jamie Bernadette, Luthuli Dlamini, Laura Linn, Thandi Puren, Armand Aucamp

Plot: Newlyweds Mary and Matt celebrate Christmas, and their passion for running, with two honeymoon tickets to Africa’s ultimate footrace, The Furnace. Their excitement to race together across the biggest animal reserve in the world has them inspired. Then in a horrific flash, everything’s gone including Mary’s purpose for living. A year later, Mary is grieving. Struggling to breathe with an oxygen tank, she cries out her anger at God. Standing nearby, a man sees her suffering, and shares his own story of loss. Once a doctor in Africa, he fled to America when civil war annihilated his town. Now known by the nickname, Coffin, he digs graves after losing his practice. Coffin urges Mary to keep on believing, push through and recover, offering his help as a doctor and friend. Over time Coffin’s dedicated support and intense training helps Mary grow strong, and live to run again. But what will it take to let go of her pain .

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Inspiring Faith Based Drama

Story: The Furnace starts on the first Christmas days after Mary (Bernadette) and Matt’s (Aucamp) wedding, who have plans to challenge themselves to a race known as The Furnace 150km across African wild reserve, tragedy strikes though, leaving Mary needing an oxygen mask to get through the days.

Spending her time at her husband’s grave Mary meets the gravedigger Coffin (Dlamini) who consoles her, telling her his own story, offering to try and help her recover to the levels of fitness she is used to, so she can use her new found faith to complete the Furnace herself.

Thoughts on The Furnace

Characters – Mary starts this film married and about to go on a honeymoon the pair had been dreaming off, this goes in an instant, leaving her needing an oxygen tank to get through the day, with any hopes of running dashed. Angry at the world, she starts to close off, finding any attempts at returning to her passion ending in hospital trips, until she meets Coffin, here she learns about faith and new technology to overcome her odds to compete in the race that was her honeymoon plan, one that is a test for even the toughest runners in the world. Coffin is a gravedigger in America, even though he is trained as a doctor back in Africa, he offers to help Mary get back to her former self, teaching her to pace herself, preparing her for the impossible sounding race. He must watch from the side lines, with hope that she will make it through each stage of the race. Raphaella is a fellow runner that Mary meets along the way, one to help support her over the course of the journey.

Performances – Jamie Bernadette steps away from the action horror roles we have seen her in recently for a much more serious role, one that does play into her strengths, she deals with the athletic demand of the performance with ease, while bringing the emotional impact of her character’s journey through the film. Luthuli Dlamini does a wonderful job in his role too bringing the calmness to help make Mary strong through the film.

Story – The story here follows one woman that loses everything she had a dreamt off until she finds her faith and pushes herself to get back on the track and complete the race she was meant to do with her husband. This is a story that shows the inspiration of wanting to overcome tragedy and finding a way to achieve this in a world you wouldn’t normal consider. We do get a normal montage of training, while a large part of the story follows the race being competed in. we do get to see just how much needed to be overcome, though it could have given us more of a time frame and just what the injury Mary had, like how likely it is to overcome, or would it be something she was meant to be living with for the rest of her life.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us just how her life changes in America, while it does get the beauty shots of the African wild reserve seeing the different animals around area.


Scene of the Movie – The race final leg.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not getting a full look at the time frame.

Final Thoughts – This is an inspiring story of overcoming tragedy to get back to the former strength, with powerful performances throughout.

Overall: Inspiring Throughout.

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Movie Review

Obey (2018) Movie Review

Director: Jamie Jones

Writer: Jamie Jones (Screenplay)

Starring: Marcus Rutherford, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Michael Quartey, Sam Gittins, T’Nia Miller, James Atwell, Taurean Steele

Plot: As London slides towards a time of violent social unrest, on the estates of East London, a young man’s life is torn apart by a love for a girl from a different place.

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Eye-Opening Drama

Story: Obey starts as we meet Leon (Rutherford) a 19-year-old man living in London, he doesn’t have the education, he spends most of his time getting high and drinking with friends, while causing trouble with other gangs, Leon does train in boxing and is starting to wonder what his life is meant to be.

As the violence in the surrounding neighbourhood, Leon starts to question everything more, as he sees his friends acting out causing bigger problems, while he homelife isn’t getting any better with his alcoholic mother, stopping him from getting a chance to improve himself and the woman he meets Twiggy (Clark) only gives him mixed messages.

Thoughts on Obey

Characters – Leon is the 19-year-old man that was raised in the London, where he has become part of a gang, didn’t get a chance at an education and is left facing a life of uncertainty. Leon is feeling like life is going no where now and he wants to do something about it, this could see him go back into education or continue his training in boxing, but the reality comes with him that he just doesn’t want to get involved in criminal actions going on within London, it is a make or break time for the young man, that we completely understand his position in life. Twiggy is the woman that Leon meets, she has been squatting in London with her boyfriend, though she is a free spirit that isn’t looking for trouble, which makes her different to everybody else in Leon’s life. Anton is her boyfriend that we don’t learn to much about other than he is happy to hang out with whoever and fights for rights. We do get to meet most of the gang Leon is in, though the names are easy to forget, they represent a life of crime he could fall into, Leon’s alcoholic mother and her abusive boyfriend, each character does seem to reflect a life Leon could have.

Performances – Marcus Rutherford easily gives us a standout performance in this film, he will make you understand every single situation his character is going through, which is a delight to watch. Sophie Kennedy Clark is everything she needs to be, with the whole supporting cast making you feel like you are part of this world that Leon is living through.

Story – The story here follows a young man who grew up in London as part of a gang, who isn’t given a chance of a future, until he meets a stranger and is left to decide what he wants for his own future. This story is a true eye opener when it comes to showing us how the gang situation happens, is treated and how hopeless somebody could be if they are trapped within it. We do only follow one person, who is given a few outs, through support, a woman, but is also held back by his lack of education, his gang friends and caring for his addict mother. This does show us how hard the life can be, how the mentality can see the person making the wrong decisions, how the outsiders can see them as wrong, rather than not given a chance. This is an important story for the people of England to see and one that could open up more eyes to what the problems really are, not what they think they are.

Settings – The film is set in London, this does show us just how difficult the life would be for Leon and other young people in this location, if they haven’t been given a chance.


Scene of the Movie – The journey.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough development of the supporting characters.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the most important eye openers in the world of film, it doesn’t glorify anything, just keeps it feeling realistic throughout the film.

Overall: Important drama.

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Movie Review

Puzzle (2018)

Director: Marc Turtletaub

Writer: Polly Mann, Oren Moverman (Screenplay) Natalia Smirnoff (Original Screenplay)

Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Irrfan Khan, David Denham, Austin Abrams, Bubba Weiler

Plot: Agnes, taken for granted as a suburban mother, discovers a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles which unexpectedly draws her into a new world – where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined.

Runtime: 1 Hour 43 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Beautiful Life Drama

Story: Puzzle starts when housewife Agnes (Macdonald) receives a puzzle for her birthday, 1000 pieces which she finishes twice in one day, going about her everyday routine of making sure the house is tidy for her husband Louie (Denman) and kids Gabe (Abrams) and Ziggy (Weiler) she decides to look into getting her own puzzles.

Here she learns about competitive puzzling through Robert (Khan) a world champion who is looking for a new partner after his last, his wife left him. Robert starts to encourage Agnes to expand her horizons including getting out of her routine and learning to help her own children learn about their future.

Thoughts on Puzzle

Characters – Agnes is a lonely housewife that follows a routine that doesn’t give her much time with other people, she starts getting involved in doing puzzles and soon learns about competitive puzzle making with a stranger who is just as lonely in life. She gets offered a chance to compete as she starts to see her whole life start to spiral out of control because of the lack of communication in her family life. Robert is the competitive puzzle player that has been feeling lonely even after making his money through one invention. He does open Agnes’ eyes to a potential life after her kids have left home, one that could see her being happy again. Louie is Agnes husband, he works for their garage and beliefs his children will follow in his footsteps, he doesn’t like to let his kids think for themselves or Agnes. Ziggy is the eldest son that works with Louie, he dreams of more but doesn’t know how to speak to his parents about this dream.

Performances – Kelly Macdonald is wonderful to watch in this role which sees her bring us such a quiet performance which shows us just how easily life can spin out of control. Irrfan Khan is great to, showing us how life can give you everything and leave you not having enough. David Denman in the supporting role works very well as the husband that has become too reliant on his wife.

Story – The story here follows a housewife that has become bored of her routine after years of seeing people move away from her life, she gets involved in competitive puzzle making which sees another man showing her affection unlike her own husband. This is a drama that shows how easily people can get into routine and never want to explore just what could come from life, be it from an evening away or just a new hobby. We also get to see how proud a mother can become of their kids when they see they are reaching their next stage in life. We do get a look into competitive puzzle making which could be more interesting to see, but we get all we need from it as we are meant to be focusing on Agnes’ life more than anything else. This is a nice look that doesn’t blow life out of proportion which does feel grounded.

Settings – The film is set in and around New York which shows how the quiet life can be found outside of the big city too.


Scene of the Movie – The competition.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Gabe is an annoying kid.

Final Thoughts – This is a nice drama that shows us just how life can make us feel lonely and want us to get more out of it, through the eyes of a lonely housewife.

Overall: Enjoyable.

Rating

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Movie Review

Carga (2018)

Discover Carga: The Ugly Reality of Human Trafficking

Discover Carga: The Ugly Reality of Human Trafficking

Director: Bruno Gascon

Writer: Bruno Gascon (Screenplay)

Starring: Michalina Olszanska, Vitor Norte, Rita Blanco, Sara Sampaio, Miguel Borges, Dmitry Bogomolov

 

Plot: A lorry, a road and an unpredictable destiny, all intersecting in a human trafficking network. Caught up in this web, Viktoriya has only one chance: fight to survive.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Unsettling & Disturbing

 

Story: Carga starts as Viktoriya (Olszanska) trying to leave the Soviet Union, sees herself taken across the borders. Only to be handed off to human traffickers, they execute the men, keeping the women. Antonio (Norte) getting tired of his part in the operation, faces a difficult decision with Viktor (Bogomolov) blackmailing him into staying in, following his every wish.

As Viktoriya sees the reality of the world she is living in now. She knows she must fight to survive, as Viktor will kill anybody who tries to escape or lets him down, can she make it out?

 

 

Thoughts on Carga

Characters – Viktoriya is the latest victim of the human trafficking group, she is taken, forced into the sex trade. She faces little hope of getting out before it is too late. Viktoriya never gives up hope of getting out of this world, even if it takes her time to wait for her chance of rescue. Viktor is the ruthless leader of the operation. He will kill anybody who lets him down, tries to escape or isn’t required from the selection of people he is given. Antonio is the man that transports the people across the borders. He is filled with regret for what he is doing, which only makes him feel the guilt for the fate the victims are facing.

Performances – Michalina Olszanska is brilliant in this film, strangely playing two roles, with the lead be the victim. While the second role being one of the traffickers. Both roles are very different which does show the range she has to offer. Dmitry Bogomolov is disturbing, like we need him to be, his role is the one that will grab your attention the most. Vitor Norte does show just how difficult his characters decision is, just how much guilt he is feeling.

Story

The story here takes us into the world of human trafficking, following one of the latest victims as she looks to escape. A transporter filled with guilt being forced to remain in the game and the boss running the operation that doesn’t always go to plan for him. The story plays on the reality that this is happening. Shows the bleak future the girls will face if taken into this world and just how deadly it can be for the people working in it.

It has moments that are clearly unsettling which will disturb even the strongest minds. While also showing us just how easy it could be to be placed into this world. the story doesn’t hold back, but doesn’t dwell on any of the sexual side of the film. We don’t need to see this and the film doesn’t force us through it.

Settings – The film takes us to the realistic settings that show how the girls will be taken to isolated locations. To be put into practise before being sent to the open world to make the money the boss wants.


Scene of the Movie – The car boot.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We tend to not spend enough time with Viktoriya in the early part of the film.

Final Thoughts – This is a shocking and disturbing movie that shows us just how the human trafficking world operates.

 

Overall: Shocking, eye opening film.

 

 

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Movie Review

Two for Joy (2018)

Director: Tom Beard

Writer: Tom Beard (Screenplay)

Starring: Samantha Morton, Billie Piper, Bella Ramsey, Emilia Jones, Daniel Mays, Ibinabo Jack, David Elliot, Badger Skelton

 

Plot: A troubled family’s problems come to a head during a stay in a seaside town.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Truly Fantastic

 

Story: Two for Joy starts as a small family, mother Aisha (Morton) and children Violet (Jones) and Troy (Skelton) are living the poor life with their own problems, with Aisha struggling with depression, Troy falling in with the wrong crowd and Vi just trying to hold things together.

The three go on a low budget family holiday by the seaside to get away from the troubles back home, here they meet Lillah (Piper) and Miranda (Ramsey) another family with their own problems too and caretaker Lias (Mays) tries to put a positive spin on the caravan site.

 

Thoughts on Two For Joy

 

Characters – Aisha is the mother is Vi and Troy, she is stuck in deep depression after the death of her husband, their father, she struggles with everyday tasks leading to leave Vi in charge of the household chores. She does take the children to the caravan to escape for a while, which does try to help her have communication with other adults. Vi short for Violet is the eldest daughter of Aisha, she is the one trying to hold the family together, she will do everything she can while trying to escape the life with her studies too, she desperately needs a friend. Troy is the youngster child of the family, he likes to fish, only he has started to hang around a troublesome older boy that has put gotten him in trouble. Lillah is a fellow single mother that has used the caravan home to escape the traumas of back home, she doesn’t have much control over her daughter, while her brother tries to help her escape the abusive father. Miranda is Lillah’s daughter, she takes a shine to Troy and sees him as somebody she can have adventures with, she does come off like a bratty figure, but it is clear she is dealing with the depression of not having her father around and what he did to her. Lias runs the caravan camp, he only has two visitors and tries his best to make sure they are all having a good time there.

Performances – Samantha Morton gives us a brilliant performance as the mother who has nearly given up hope on her life, we believe the struggles she is facing too. Billie Piper and Daniel Mays complete the adult cast as they both shine too. It is Emilia Jones which give the standout of a stunning performance piece here, as she must hide the pain, she is feeling to remain strong even with nobody around her. Bella Ramsey and Badger Skelton complete the cast and shine on an equal level to the rest of the cast.

Story – The story follows the lives of two broken families that are spending time at a seaside caravan site, they are the only ones here, they must use the time to try and help each other accept what has happened and move on with their lives only for one moment to become the catalyst for the biggest change. If you did see the movie ‘The Florida Project’ you will understand what you will be experience, with the children struggle to find things to do, while the parents have almost given up on their own endeavours. The story is bleak and full of darkness when it comes to everything that we go through, we touch on real matters that don’t always get talked about, especially when the people are going through the problems, this will test your emotional levels through the film.

Settings – The film has a couple of settings, first the housing area which shows how close the family is living close to poverty and just waiting to fall into troubles, before we move to seaside resort that shows us just where the poor families will spend holidays.


Scene of the Movie – The boat trip.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There are certain parts of the Lillah relationship we could have seen more from.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the best dramas you will see this year, it will play on the emotions of the audience and leave you emotionally exhausted by the end of the film.

 

Overall: Essential viewing.

Rating

 

 

Available to pre-order on I-Tunes here

Screening on the Green, Isington Wednesday 20th February, click here for tickets

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Movie Review

Anthem of a Teenage Prophet (2018)

Director: Robin Hays

Writer: Joshua Close, Andy Matic, Elisha Matic (Screenplay) Joanne Proulx (Novel)

Starring: Cameron Monaghan, Grayson Gabriel, Peyton List, Juliette Lewis, Aaron Pearl, Richard de Klerk, Alex MacNicoll

 

Plot: Anthem tells the story of Luke (Monaghan) a teenager who foresees the death of his new best friend Stan (MacNicoll), the most popular guy in school. When this premonition becomes reality, Luke must deal with the trials and tribulations of being dubbed “The Prophet of Death” and being titled a freak by the entire town.

 

Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Brilliant Coming-of-Age Film

 

Story: Anthem of a Teenage Prophet starts when high school stoner Luke Hunter (Monaghan) gets a vision that his close friend Stan (MacNicoll) will be killed on the way to school in the morning, the next morning, Stan is killed, leaving the rumours about his vision spreading like wildfire through the town. Stan’s girlfriend Faith (List) is broken up about his death as you would imagine, while Luke feels the guilt of not being able to help.

When Luke suffers a second vision of death, he tries to stop it, failing in the process, his mother Mary (Lewis) tries to help him as Luke must face the reality that he will be heading off to college and this new pressure is only going to make his life more stressful.

 

Thoughts on Anthem of a Teenage Prophet

 

Characters – Luke Hunter is the normal high school slacker, he spends his time getting stoned more often than studying and it is while getting high, he gets the vision of his best friend dying, when it actually happens, he is left guilt riddled and scared of just what he might be capable off, add in the pressures of high school, the anxiety of growing up and living up to his parents expectations, Luke will face the toughest couple of months of his life. Faith was the girlfriend of Stan the teenager killed, she is left broken and turns to Luke for friendship through the difficult time. Mary is Luke’s mother that does her best to help him through his own struggles with what he saw and what he is going through when it comes to his future. Fang is Luke’s oldest friend, he has his own problems and with Luke being there for him, the question remains can they help each other through the struggles.

Performances – Cameron Monaghan in the leading role here is outstanding, we get to see him show nearly every emotion imaginable for a teenager going through the troubles of high school, we understand each moment and this is because of his performance. Peyton List continues to give us strong performances here with her work, showing the loss she suffered in the film. Juliette Lewis bring the experience to the film handling the mother role effortlessly and knowing how to like Monaghan take centre stage.

Story – The story here shows the struggles a teenager has after having a vision of his best friend being killed becomes a reality and he must deal with the guilt of not being able to stop the accident, while continuing to use this gift to try and help other people close to his life with their own struggles. This story gets to reflect high school anxiety, pressure and demand with the guilt of not being there for friends, showing us how a couple of moments extra time with each person in your own life will provide a positive out light which will make life more enjoyable, even after getting through tragic events. This is going to be one of the best coming of age stories you will see this year, balancing everything out perfectly for the story to unfold at a natural pace.

Settings – The film is set in mall town America, showing the unity between the people in the neighbourhood and the desire to escape to make the most of life from the students, we have iconic settings that will help people achieve what they want from their moments in life.


Scene of the Movie – Climbing.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – How easy it is for the teenagers to get drugs.

Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the best films you will see, it has a serious subject matter that is relatable for the audience as well as showing us just how hard the modern pressures of teenage life can be.

 

Overall: Must watch coming of age film.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

Point Last Seen (1998)

Director: Elodie Keene

Writer: Ronni Kern (Teleplay) Hannah Nyala (Book)

Starring: Linda Hamilton, Kevin Kilner, Sam Hennings, Kieren Van Den Blink, Mary Kay Place, Kory Thompson, Holly Bishop, Dana Reilly

 

Plot: Fact-based story about a tracker who searches for a little girl who was lost in the desert, but suffers internally because her own children were kidnapped by her ex-husband.

 

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Standard TV Movie

 

Story: Point Last Seen starts by warning us that this is based on actual events. We meet Rachel (Hamilton) and Frank (Hennings) who get a visit from local sheriff who needs Rachel’s help tracking a missing little girl called Mandy. Rachel has been dealing with her own problems when her husband Kevin (Kilner) has kidnapped her own children and they have been missing for over a week.

We watch how Rachel starts her tracking while we learn how she became an expert tracker because of her abusive husband. The film continues to flick between the two timelines showing just how desperate Rachel situations are becoming.

Point Last Seen really takes a concept which could actually very exciting and makes it very slow moving and rather dull. We don’t need narration through the whole film while we watch Rachel walk around the desert. This really is one of those films that you see was made for TV and think, ‘yep 100% TV movie’. I understand how it is meant to be set on real events but a little imagination could have made it more interesting. In the end this really does come off badly with little positive about it. (2/10)

 

Actor Review

 

Linda Hamilton: Rachel Harrison is an expert tracker who gets called upon to find a missing girl all while battling her own personally problems where her own children have been taken by her abusive ex-husband. Linda doesn’t show all her skills in this film and ends up just mailing it in. (2/10)

 

Support Cast: Point Last Seen has a supporting cast that turn up through the film either in the flashbacks or the investigation but none of them are that interesting.

 

Director Review: Elodie Keene – Elodie does manage to make an easy to watch TV movie but I don’t see much of a career in feature films. (2/10)

 

Drama: Point Last Seen is one of the slow moving dramas that all end up make this hard to watch. (3/10)

Settings: Point Last Seen uses the settings very well to make the idea work but really could have been any desert. (2/10)

Suggestion: Point Last Seen is one to miss, it is too slow to really enjoy. (Miss It)

 

Best Part: Hard to find one.

Worst Part: Too dull.

 

Believability: Based on actual events. (8/10)

Chances of Tears: No (0/10)

Chances of Sequel: No

Post Credits Scene: No

 

Oscar Chances: No

Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes

 

Overall: Point Last Seen could easily have just be an episode in a television series rather than a full film.

Rating 20