Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and Sean Astin on stage at Fan Expo Chicago
Celebrating 25 years with The Lord of the Rings, the many hobbits shared many wonderful memories with the audiences of Fan Expo. Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and Sean Astin! Aka Frodo, Mary, Pippin, and Sam! They participated in many activities.
The cast of Lord of the Rings trying different pizzas.
The cast had the chance to try and be food critics with the many pizzas of Chicago. With the pizzas from Giordano’s and Lou Malnati’s. Much of their humor and fun hunger was displayed. It was Windy City grandeur of fantastic grandeur.
The cast of Lord of the Rings Role-playing
The hobbits did an activity where they played different roles. The opposites of their main character. It was a moment of laughter and humor. The Lord of the Rings passion still shined with memories.
Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, returning with a new project. One where it is IT Follows meets Jurassic Park. A portrayal of a world hitting its breaking point and evolving into uncharted territory. There are dinosaurs and prehistoric forests growing, yet the year is 1982. There is a clever setup of nostalgia with a family trying to be happy, but with too many flaws in the dynamics. All normalcy goes downhill in an adventurous way. The End of Oak Street has some entertaining moments for many audiences.
With an apocalyptic setting that comes from the ground, the creativity is vibrant. The film focuses on a family. The mother and father are Denise and Greg (Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor). The daughter and son are Audrey and Brian (Maisy Stella and Christian Convery). Many family struggles abound asGreg struggles to hold down a job, and Denise tries to write a book. Brian has issues with friends and experiments with cigarettes. Audrey is seen as just a normal and social human. They have their issues, however, and the dynamic of how a family sticks together holds lots of faith. This is tested here, because outside of their home, there are dinosaurs. The new apocalypse rises in The End of Oak Street.
Mitchell’s directing has stepped up. He knows how to add comedic value in The End of Oak Street with dinosaurs hopping out in one moment and new worlds colliding in another. There is deep sense of satisfaction in watching all of this–I was sold with The End of Oak Street. The survival modes had me especially roped in. Many films surrounding the “fighting to live” scenariohave predictable flaws, putting limitations on the action. That is not the case with The End of Oak Street.
As the family tries to survive in the neighborhood, Denise and Greg hit a bad patch, and Hathaway and McGregor show that they are one-of-a-kind when it comes to these things. With being used to seeing McGregor as Obi-Wan from Star Wars, it is like watching a former jedi trying to survive on a Jurassic Worldplanet. Also, with being used to viewing Hathaway as the nerd employee from The Devil Wears Prada, I found when watchingher play a woman dealing with pure disaster her outbursts are astounding.
The End of Oak Street feels like a Steven Spielberg flick, but it is one where Mitchell definitely has his own vision. I applaud the fun he incorporates. It is quirky and not so perfect. However, the characterizations and the era of the film speak true, making for an unusual gem here. This is one that will be fun for teens and up. Even though it is rated PG-13, some graphics go a bit over the top for the rating itself, especially surrounding some of the violence and nature moments. There are also some odd innuendos. The offbeat direction of Mitchell is what makes The End of Oak Street a classic. Three out of four stars.
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.
Movies with Tarek 