Film reviews

The Good Nurse Review

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Being employed in the medical field is serious business. There are a lot of rules and regulations surrounding confidentiality, not just for patients but for medical professionals as well. The Good Nurse is a true story that shows how wrong things can go when those rules and regulations allow someone who can’t be trusted to care for seriously ill patients. As someone who has family that works in the medical field, this film spoke to me. And it shows how hospitals have changed since the true events of The Good Nurse.

Although The Good Nurse is a feature length film, its cinematography is like watching a hospital TV show. Many scenarios are rushed and the dialogue is not really enthralling. The plot of the film introduces us to nurse Amy Loughren, played by Jessica Chastain. She is a workaholic nurse with two children, and works constantly to make ends meet. Amy has a good heart with her patients and has a good home life. A new nurse, Charlie Cullen, played by Eddie Redmayne, joins Amy’s ward. He appears to have positive and caring qualities that lift Amy’s spirits when she gets down at her job. But as their patients start to die one-by-one, Amy starts to believe that Charlie is the one causing the deaths. Detectives Danny and Tim (played by Nnamdi Asomugha and Noah Emmerich) are assigned to the case, but confidentiality at the different hospitals where Charlie previously worked makes it an ordeal to get proof to put an end to Charlie’s terrible acts.

Redmayne’s performance as Charlie is sinister with a charm. He rides his evil side. Hospital confidentiality has protected him over the years and has allowed him been able to just move to another hospital when he was fired. And that confidentiality has also allowed him to continue in his evil ways.

The Good Nurse is not exactly brilliant, but it is haunting. The many patients who died makes the film disturbing. We fear for the safety of the patients, and also the safety of Amy. Chastain’s performance as Amy is breathtaking and daring, but the film is depressing. It is certainly not a feel-good movie, although I will say it is faithful to its harrowing story. It was worth a watch but it may be hard to watch again. Two and a half stars for The Good Nurse.

Film reviews

Tickets to Paradise Review

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George Clooney and Julia Roberts are always a joyful pair when they do movies together. Whether their flick is comedic, suspenseful, or serious, they always have perfect chemistry. In Tickets to Paradise Clooney and Roberts both play sarcastic and opinionated characters. The combination of their attitudes is where the joy is in the movie. Both are involved in crazy disagreements and have challenging egos which clash in an unexpected scenario in Tickets to Paradise.

Before seeing this movie, I kept thinking about Clooney’s previous film The Descendants (2011). Since Tickets to Paradise is also set in a tropical location like The Descendants, I thought the films might have more in common.  However, Clooney’s character in the former film has many more underlying personal issues. Tickets to Paradise, on the other hand, is filled with humorous moments and a risky scheme involving the main characters that results in lots of laughs. 

In Tickets to Paradise, Clooney is David and Roberts is Georgia. They are a divorced couple with a daughter, Lily, played by Kaitlyn Dever. Lily has just graduated from college and is on her way to pursue additional education in Law School. Before Lily’s days of tough schoolwork begin, she decides to go on a vacation to Bali with her friend Wren. Wren is played by Billie Lourd. With David and Georgia having lingering resentment towards each other, they both encounter a major problem when their daughter informs them that she is getting married in Bali.  Her fiancé is named Gede, played by Maxime Bouttier.  Filled with frustration and annoyance with their daughter, David and Georgia fly over to Bali in hopes of putting a stop to their daughter’s wedding. It is not that easy especially given with how much David and Georgia despise each other. Another crazy aspect to the situation is that Georgia’s pilot boyfriend Sean tags along. Sean is played by Rob Lynch. Tickets to Paradise is a wild ride of this divorced couple having to go through the crazy obstacles to stop their daughter’s fantasy.  With Clooney and Roberts in the lead roles, it is stellar fun with many twists as well as dialogue that is witty and heartfelt. I had a fun time with Tickets to Paradise.

The culture and rituals in Bali are a key element in the film and have an impact on stalling or stopping the wedding. From cursed islands and religious beliefs to egotistical and hysterical behavior, there are plenty of obstacles along the way. Tickets to Paradise will provide fans with good fun and they will get a kick out of the performances by Clooney, Roberts, Dever, and Lynch. The scenery is tropical and extravagant. Although the film is silly in certain moments, it is intended for positive entertainment.

Will the wedding go forward for Lily? Will it be altered? Can Robert and Georgia deal with each other? Find out in Tickets to Paradise. Three and a half stars.

58th Chicago International Film Festival, Film reviews

58th Chicago International Film Festival: Piaffe Review

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Piaffe opens with cutting frames, projection tools, and the tools to make audio for a production. This introduction is an invigorating one, especially for me since I have worked in cinemas. I have seen the transition of projection technologies over the years. Piaffe blends the elements of filmmaking and foley artist work to serious levels. As its main character pushes herself (as a foley artist), her own body has strange transformations. Piaffe knows no limits as the transformations gets more graphic.

The odyssey in Piaffe is just the beginning of the weirdness that surrounds the film. The film is surrounded with pressure, disconnect, sex, night clubs, and creating art. Piaffe is like an imagination on acid. The disturbing content is unexplained. The film is visually bothersome.

In Piaffe, the film focuses on Eva, and she is played by Simone Bucio. Eva’s sibling Zara (played by Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau) bails on an assignment. Eva takes Zara’s job as a foley artist. Eva pushes herself to the limits. She collaborates sounds ranging from clicks, sand noises, and horse noises to the best of her ability. As Eva thrives for success, a horsetail grows out of her body. With Eva’s strange feelings, she becomes more submissive. She starts to want deeper connection. Eva’s feelings and choices are all over the place. As Eva goes deeper into figuring out what she desires, Piaffe becomes bizarre.

Piaffe is a clever film, but it its too much to handle. The foley artist task is where the film had my attention. When Eva goes crazy is where I started to get overwhelmed. Piaffe takes a creative aspect and spoils it with eroticism. Eva’s tail is the center of the bizarre activities she takes part in. Piaffe starts out with having nostalgic fun of cinematic traits but is over-ruled with weird sexual scenarios.

Piaffe is not one that to be watched on a full stomach. The film is repulsive as Eva goes deeper with her transformations. Piaffe is one to watch with an open mind. I found the film to be much for me.

I had faith in Piaffe. That is because of being a cinema enthusiast and loving the opening introductions of cutting films and reels. My captivation was there with the foley artist fun. However, when Eva realized that she has a tail, my attention was deteriorated. Went from being invigorative and involving to overwhelming sexual horror. Two stars for Piaffe.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!