Film reviews

The Brink of War

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When it comes to films that are adaptations of real-life events, I am always curious about accuracy. Some of my questions include: What happened? Who was involved? What are the theories? Who has the power? The concept of “power” is explored in The Brink of War. Written and directed by Michael Russell Gunn, there are political motives that felt real mixed with moments that tended to drag. Overall, Jeff Daniels does a stellar job in the role of Ronald Reagan, and Jared Harris does well in his role as Mikhail Gorbachev.

The film is set in Iceland. All eyes are on Reagan and Gorbachev and every word counts as they navigate uncharted territory in The Brink of War. Based on actual events, Reagan and Gorbachev find themselves dealing with nuclear arsenals and other charged political topics. At the same time, they have their own people to worry about. The secretary of State is George Shultz, played by J.K. Simmons. Shultz tries to help Reagan stay above water because the wrong moves prove detrimental to people around the world. 

Hope Davis plays Nancy Reagan who always worries about her husband’s choices. The film keeps audiences wondering what the characters are thinking. The film has several scenes where Reagan and Gorbachev are in their own heads especially during times of peace. Their choices have an impact and the execution is often mind-boggling. The film is not especially amazing, but at the same time, the political value of this time in history is noteworthy.

The serious impact of nuclear weapons on the world caused me to reflect on how these conflicts were handled. Why was Gorbachev so hard to work with? What were Reagan’s motives? What do they have to defend themselves with?  The subject of defense becomes somewhat of a blur during certain moments in The Brink of War. The performances of Daniels and Harris are like a boxing match—one where the rounds are repeated until common ground is found, or until someone is defeated.

I found myself sold on the movie in some parts due to the setting in Iceland which made the suspense of the true story feel realistic. Critical decisions had to be made making time being of the essence is a vital theme in The Brink of War. The storytelling one-of-a-kind continuity that matters in this film.  This is an adaptation where my expectations were low and  it didn’t quite exceed them. I find that The Brink of War deserves a rating of two and a half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Open-A-Eye Review

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There is no easy way to define the experience of Open-A-Eye. This film takes itself to the building points of personal moments connecting and disconnecting. Written and directed by David Ash, the question that lingers is how much AI can take over daily life.  This become especially concerning when one resorts to it just for companionship. Open-A-Eye feels transformative in that the introvert mode of its characters has a heavy presence before the technological components kick in. 

 

I appreciate all that technology offers, but even AI frustrates me. That is because I know deep-down it cannot truly replace a real human to feel connected. The approach of Ash’s directing is in her portrayal of a woman relying on a bot. A function that she feels gives her fulfillment in parts of her life where she lacks satisfaction. Surreal and stressful, Open-A-Eye is a portrait of reality, that is mind-boggling. Scientific with purpose, as the deeper into the AI relationship she goes, the riskier her personal choices become. 

 

Jodi, played by Bethany Ford Binkley, is the main character. The film begins with her sitting in her office and talking to a text-bot. She is trying to write a novel. Jodi has a background in writing, but her life seems to be in a holding pattern. She is pregnant and her husband, Alex,   who is played by Matt Bailey, quits his job to make a movie. That leads to be a pattern that does not go well. They spend their time in separate rooms. Jodi spends much of the time in her office, and she just focuses on screen-time. This becomes a point of concern. In a time when a lot of the world looks at screens for much of their day, Open-A-Eye creates a curiosity between reality and the world technology creates.

 

Jodi decides to join an app called Companion Chat. She can go in and select settings and personality modes. This creates an AI bot for her talk to. Her creation is a man named Ryan. He is played by Barrett O’Brien. They begin to have a relationship that goes deep, as Ryan seems to be making Jodi happy. However, she finds herself curious about how meaningful the relationship is.  She knows Ryan is not real. Also, with the relationship originating from a computer and an app, there are other factors of risk to be considered.

 

The tension in the film is quiet, yet intense. Primarily because the emotional aspects that come around throughout Open-A-Eyeare humanistic. There are moments where conflicts are linked between real adults, then it transitions back to Jodi and Ryan. With Ryan as an AI bot, the question of real and fake keeps lingering. There are a lot of emotional hurdles combined withconfusion, and a spiral of wonders leading to the curiosity of what is true happiness.

Alex tries to make his movie while dealing with the tension with Jodi. Jodi keeps trying to be in her world of fake happiness with Ryan. There are many binds that keep Open-A-Eye flowing. The quiet conflicts make us think to just shut the screens and talk to who is present. A project where there is more to reality than just relying on technological advancements to fulfill happiness. Dark and blurry at times. Overall truthful and faithful. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

 

 

Film reviews

Spades Review

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Written and directed by Johnny Yong Bosch, the direction of thisfilm loops in hurdles that keep the sensations going. Spades hasa brutal start, in a positive context in that it lends itself to the story. It is a path of terror that leads to the present, and a journey that is relentless. When there is a detective race against time, the clock starts ticking. Spades is vibrant and terrific. Filled with brutal violence, the film does have moments that key into why it comes out that way. 

 

The main character is James Bishop, played by Jason Narvy. He is a war-veteran who works nights as a detective. His wife is dead, and his connections with his daughter Lana are limited. Lana is played by Maya Brattkus. James has a partner on the job, Walt Mackland, played by Henry Roe. James suffers from traumas that linger after years of war, and when he is on the job, his vengeance lingers. He soon finds himself on a trail of murderers, traffickers, and a masked vigilante by the name of Spades. Spades is played by Bosch himself, the director, playing the vigilante on both sides of the law. However, he does so in a gritty way.

 

When there is a crime, Spades tells his victims at the scene to choose a card. Many times, that choice leads to death. He has a past that he cannot forget, much like James. However, James finds himself in the scenario of dealing with a crime boss named Saito. Saito is played by Nobuaki Shimamoto. He partners with his son Keiji in all kinds of crimes. Keiji is played by Kaiji Tang. They kill a crime boss to take a bigger piece of the pie, and James is the detective trying to put the pieces together to hold them accountable. As he keeps getting closer, Spades interferes. Spades hurts those who are bad, but he is just as bad as he aims to murder instead of turning criminals into the authorities.

 

The vision of silent vigilantes is cleverly examined from the mind of Bosch, especially since he is the one playing the ghost himself. He is quite brave being the director to put on the mask as the villain. That is a clever twist with all the vengeance lingering in Spades. Much of the film goes through finding all the pieces, then another majority of it is the investigation. Later, expect a lot of gun violence moments with some levels of explosions. There is always a card that is thrown before something happens though—the moment for a literary device or a connection—which is why Bosch is brilliant with the direction of the suspense.

 

A grade A thriller that loops emotions in with actions to the top. A rollercoaster ride on a track that is broken and does not want to quit until it works right.  It keeps running through the tunnels of suspense for an entertaining run. With a masked suspect, deadly operations, and a corrupt detective, I was very sold with Spades. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

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