I knew that Blue Bayou was going to be an emotional film, but it felt so real and is such a compelling topic that it elicited a range of emotions, from sadness to surprise. I actually found myself crying several times during the film.

Justin Chon is the director and had the lead role in Blue Bayou. The film is based on real-life issues in our society, and Chon creates a portrait of an emotional journey that can have irreparable consequences. His directing  and dramatic portrayal in Blue Bayou are astounding.

The title Blue Bayou comes from a place that carries much of the film’s cinematic empathy. The lighting and cinematography in the bayou scenes deliver surrealism and sympathy. It is also the epicenter of the film’s dark moments.

In Blue Bayou, Chon plays Antonio LeBlanc, a Korean American adoptee living in the United States with his wife Kathy, played by Alicia Vikander, and Kathy’s daughter. Antonio has a criminal background and little education and he struggles to make a living for his family. After Kathy becomes pregnant and Antonio discovers he’s on the verge of being deported, his life begins a downward spiral.

Justin Chon’s performance as Antonio as well as his directing are calculated to elicit maximum emotion, and he also displays a great amount of understanding about the subject matter. Antonio’s fight for his right to stay in the United States relates in many ways to present real-world America. And both Chon and Vikander give extremely vivid performances.

Blue Bayou is certainly a heavy film. But Antonio also gives us a life lesson on not giving up, and a picture of how far a family will go to fight for the ones they love. Three and a half stars for Blue Bayou.

Demonic has a promising premise and it has its harrowing moments, especially at the beginning. It also has a talented director in Neill Blomkamp. But overall the film is just a mess.

Neill Blomkamp has directed a number of excellent films with futuristic settings, ranging from District 9 (2009), Elysium(2013), to Chappie (2015). I definitely enjoyed those films. But Demonic is scientifically strange, it can be confusing at times, and it’s not in the same class as those previous films.

Demonic focuses on a woman named Carly, played by Carly Pope, who is selected to participate in an operation done via brainwaves, to get to the center of her mother’s issues. The operation goes awry and Carly finds herself in danger. The medical staff involved with the operation are Michael, played by Michael J. Rogers and Daniel, played by Terry Chen.

The premise of Demonic is similar to another film from earlier this year that that I also considered a flop, Reminiscence. There was simply too much confusion in Demonic, too many moments where you couldn’t put the pieces together, which contributed to Demonic being not very thrilling or suspenseful.

Demonic may be worthy of a watch for some viewers, and I was actually looking forward to the film. But it was very disappointing. I still have faith in Blomkamp to make brilliant films in, and about, the future. But until then I would prefer to revisit his other classics. I give Demonicjust two stars.

The Card Counter is a masterpiece film that keeps you thinking, and it will blindside you in many inviting ways. The film has elements of greed, gambling, and success, and it has an intensity that comes from focusing on a brilliant criminal with a dark past who can’t put that past behind him.

Directed by Paul Schrader, The Card Counter is the story of William Tell, played by Oscar Isaacs. Tell is an ex-military interrogator. The film starts with Tell in jail, developing his card counting craft. Tell has a poker face that never wavers throughout the film, and he is not a gambler to mess with.

After Tell hones his card counting craft he hits the poker tournament circuit and makes big bucks by flying beneath the radar. Tell’s quiet life of making bank via poker is interrupted when he encounters an enemy from his past, Gordo, played by Willem Dafoe. But Tell meets Cirk, played by Tye Sheridan, who is also an enemy of Gordo, and the two team up to travel the poker tournament circuit. Their efforts to thwart Gordo lead to some interesting but sometimes weird vibes between the two. Tell also has the help of, and develops a relationship with, financier La Linda, played by Tiffany Haddish.

The Card Counter is pure Paul Schrader, as he plays mind games with his audience and keeps us questioning who to trust. Oscar Isaacs is a revelation in the film and Tye Sheridan is also brilliant.

If you love Schrader’s previous work, or if you like films about casinos and high stakes risks, you will love this film. Four stars for The Card Counter.