Film reviews

Youngblood Review

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It has been many wondrous months of hockey earning attention from both the Olympics and the HBO series Heated Rivalry. Now Youngblood comes to the scene. It is a film where the competitive nature of hockey is still portrayed, but brings its viewers into the early stages of  trying to make it to the pros.  The film relies a lot on hockey conflicts and players being tough guys, yet it still is written to encourage teamwork and empathy. It also depicts an underdog story that is irresistible. Directed by Hubert Davis, Youngblood is film where one rookie star hockey player has a chance to make a name for himself. The presentation is enthralling with some moments being a bit of a blur, but mostly with positive energy continuously moving forward.

The film’s main character is Dean Youngblood (Asthon James), a young man who grows up playing hockey with the support of his father Blane Youngblood (Blair Underwood). His father always encourages him to have an attitude on the ice. For Dean though this presents a challenge.  His attitude as a player always has him facing penalties–mostly for fighting and always trying to be the bigger personality. He could be a truly great player by focusing on utilizing his skills in the game, but he finds himself in probation repeatedly.

The screenplay creates a pattern where failure keeps showing up on the books for Dean. It leads to conflicts with his father. The repetition is in how much love and hate go back and forth and it sells the story. Dean finds himself with an opportunity to playwith the Hamilton Mustangs in Detroit. The coach is Murray Chadwick (Shawn Doyle). Murray sees a sense of talent in Dean; however, Dean’s anger is still an issue. The power sought in being the best in a sport encompasses a lot of angles involving politics, pride, respect and fame—that is what motivates the players in Youngblood.

As one who finds inspiration from films focused on challenging behaviors, I enjoyed the concept of one trying to overcome anger. I felt that was what the story relied upon to build the many conflicts presented in the film. It has some common ground though with the team striving to be the best, but also it made parts of the film feel dull. This was primarily because I found myself thinking I want to see Dean continue to succeed and not just keep falling apart and getting second chances. I wanted to believe he was better than that. Relying upon blame is predictable for the film’s conflict in Youngblood. I will say though, the inspiring side is when Dean falls in love with a girl, Jessie Chadwick (Alexandra McDonald). She is the coach’s daughter, and also struggles with sport herself. The constant concept of feeling accepted and being the best has a portrait of correlations for young players. Three out of four stars.

 

 

Film reviews

Local Area Network Review

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In a film centering around mental health and the importance of community, Local Area Network scores a touchdown. Written and directed by Glenn Garrabrant, the story takes a deep dive into the life of a man working through the steps while battling with his mental health. Although rejection is always on his mind, he has a friend who will not give up on him. Local Area Network tackles the tough subjects of suicide and depression. The film reminds its audiences to remember what good there is in the world…even in times when it is not seen. Life is not easy, but the positive elements are a reminder of opportunities for growth in Local Area Network.

This film spoke to me on a personal level. As a critic and someone who has dealt with my own struggles, I find light in projects tackling mental health. I relate to shows like the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and the HBO series In Treatment. Local Area Network repeatedly reminded me that having the people in our lives we trust helps people who are feeling down hold their heads high. Local Area Network is an independent film that focuses on this important issue in the most touching yet dramatic way possible. The context is engrossing. Garrabrant has an eye for creating connections that will change lives.

The film’s main character is Sam (Jeff A. Smith), and he is trying to help his friend Paul (Michael Farca) recover from the heartbreaking moments he has encountered. Paul finds himself in and out of a mental institution following conflicts with his ex-wife. Sam puts together activities to help Paul come out of his shell. He sets up old-school gaming in basements, creates other social outings, and does what he can to truly help Paul find meaning again. Despite the work Sam puts in, Paul is also good at hiding his feelings. There are moments which blindside due to the more difficult elements of dealing with mental health concerns. This is what makes the journey in Local Area Networkso spellbinding. For Sam, his life includes people who want him to have fulfillment, and they also want to be around whenever they question how he is feeling. Social settings without screens highlight human interactions and are most fulfilling.

I have admiration for Garrabrant’s directing approach. He creates the atmospheres and settings which feel touching. At the same time, he is good at keeping the possibility of relapses in the picture although his characterizations are determined to not let that happen. The hero of a good friendship is what dazzles and stirs emotions in Local Area Network. With the film being shot around different areas of Chicago, I recognized and related to many of the settings because I enjoy getting out to cultural places. The atmosphere of Local Area Network made me feel closer to home. This film is a cinematic ride where trial and error reminds audiences they can get back up from falling. The message of the story is to not give up. Viewers will come away inspired to look for help when in doubt. Four out four stars for Local Area Network.

Film reviews

Psycho Killer Review

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The title is fun and sketchy. Many will think of the famous song by the Talking Heads. However, it has no correlation to this film. The premise of the story made me feel like I was watching a repeat plot of a videogame. The film nails it with scares and kills, but the rest of the film is flawed yet utterly exhilarating. Directed by Gabin Polone, this is Psycho Killer. The familiar traits of many terror and slasher films I love are combined in Psycho Killer. Titles which correlate to this film range from Weapons to Se7en. The same writer, Andrew Kevin Walker, is also behind those films. While he may have written for some masterpieces in the past, the direction was not quite as promising as well in Psycho Killer.

The film is a murder mystery that keeps pace by keeping the grizzly components as the primary scenario. A killer kills and creates a trail. There are clues, but also a pattern where evidence goes awry. The pattern is put together and broken again, but the grizzly violence continues to shock and awe. Some may enjoy this and others will not. My mind was neutral. Although I usually love films where suspense includes puzzles and patterns, those factors did not have me aching to solve much during Psycho Killer.

The main character is Jane Archer (Georgina Campbell). She suffers a tragic loss with a killer right in front of her. The killer’s character name is Psycho Killer (James Preston Rogers). He goes from state-to-state, using traceless methods to continue to kill and send messages. While Jane tries her best with her investigations, Psycho Killer is always ahead of her. With his many tactics of kills happening on his behalf and timing them perfectly, there is a unique rollercoaster in which one kill is more detrimental than the other. The film is creepy and disturbing but still lacks quality because the predictability is so much like a videogame.

I have mentioned the concept of a videogame multiple times in this review, and I even struggled to decide if this movie did it for me or not. The videogame that Psycho Killer seems to have clips from and correlations to is called Hatred and is only available to download on Steam. The game is tougher to find because it is so violent that it got an AO rating. Psycho Killer does not have the same level of violence as the game Hatred but shares the extreme and predictable theme—kill them all! This plotline is becoming more prevalent and overused in so many slasher films like this. In short, the film was poorly written, yet there were moments of extreme graphics that were cinematic. Overall, though, Psycho Killer is below average. The kills may impress some viewers, but the quality of context is why I’m still unconvinced about this movie. In the end, I believe this director is still getting his feet wet with a genre that he may want to continue in his career. Two out of four stars for Psycho Killer.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!