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Film reviews

Dream Scenario Review

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Ever wonder what it is like to have the same type of dream many times? Ever wonder why a particular dream shifts or changes patterns? Would it be concerning if the same person kept showing up in a dream? One man’s presence in others dreams becomes his new spotlight and nightmare. Director and writer Kristoffer Borgli brings us on a journey that is surreal and unexpected in Dream Scenario. Nicholas Cage plays his role portraying annoyance and aggravation with passion. Dream Scenario is a world of misunderstandings in a man’s life that create a hole that is hard to climb out of. Cage has taken on roles in the past where he plays characters dealing with anxietyas in Matchstick Men (2003) and Leaving Las Vegas (1995), however here he is just a man trying to live his normal and successful life, but one coincidence keeps repeating itself totorment his life.

In Dream Scenario Cage plays Paul Matthews. Paul is a tenured professor of Biology. One who is passionate about his field of study and passionate about his students and success. His life of normalcy seems intact with his wife Janet (played by Julianne Nicholson) and their daughters Sophie (played by Lily Bird) and Hannah (played by Jessica Clement). For Matthews though,things start to change, as people begin to inform him that they keep seeing him in their dreams. It happens consistently. He is in their dreams in all kinds of patterns. Some of which are him being harmful and some of which he is just a bystander. The scenarios of the dreams featuring Paul become a phenomenon. This starts to take a toll on Paul’s life. He begins to get celebrity-type attention and receives many messages from people all over the world. Somehow, Paul just cannot stop showing up in people’s dreams. The crazy part is that he is doing nothing to promote this, it is just happening.

There is a point where Paul meets with a publisher to pitch a story about his biological studies as he wants to write a book, but he is informed that they are more interested in hi existence as an unexplained legend of being in people’s dreams. This puts Paul on edge…LIKE CRAZY! Soon it begins to damage his home life with his wife Janet, his daughters and their friends. The mental strain of knowing he is part of so many people’s dream life is just too much. It is a film where Cage is in turmoil like never before. His nightmare is an adventure of searching for answers and there is no end in sight, and it is a phenomenon.

Even with the troubles of the dreams causing underlying issues for people and Paul, the film’s direction sees some lighter sides too. A touching moment in the film takes place when Cage is imagining himself dressed in the over-sized suit as David Byrne from Talking Heads. Despite both the negative and positive vibes, the continuity of Dream Scenario lies in its creativity inexploring the wonders of the subconscious. Under the direction of Borgli, the experience of Dream Scenario has its moments where its audience will feel it is revolutionary.

With Cage in the role of a professor, there is also the risk of his tenured track being at risk, as more students and faculty have complaints about him being in their dreams. This adds another layer of complexity to the film’s already engaging plot. Theturmoil of Cage’s performance becomes invigorating based upon his frustration. He always delivers that vibe of being annoyed, angry, and frustrated all at once. At the same time, we can see the embarrassment and the anxiety in his role as one whose reputation is going down a horrid ladder.

Dream Scenario delivers with a concept that is clever and unique. It is one where brilliant ideas are hidden. The onlyconcern is with the writing and finding common ground. However, that element is part of the story, based on an existence that is out of one’s control, and that is where it is classic. Will Cage be showing up in your dreams after watching Dream Scenario? Do you want him to be in your dreams? Crazy and unforgettable outcomes are all possible factors in Dream Scenario. Three out of four stars.

Film reviews

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt Review

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The film opens with a scene of someone being taught how to fish. In that moment the instruction is strict yet encouraging. However, it is a moment of much deeper meaning that spans many decades and many lives. There is a pervasive feeling of loss and disconnect. There is sadness, frustration, cultural differences and confusion—that is All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

The Mississippi setting of the film is one where poverty and daily routines are a challenge. The film makes observations of life from the past and present. It portrays moments of light and darkness in the good times and the bad. Strong writing correlates well with the cinematography in creating a sense of dramatic irony. There is drama with purpose in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, however, the film leaves a trail of questions. What is the meaning behind the film’s focus on catching and preparing fish? What part of the drama serves the biggest purpose? The trail of hopelessness is in the form of a scavenger hunt for the good times for an individual in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

The Mississippi setting of the film is one where poverty and daily routines are a challenge. The film makes observations of life from the past and present. It portrays moments of light and darkness in the good times and the bad. Strong writing correlates well with the cinematography in creating a sense of dramatic irony. There is drama with purpose in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, however, the film leaves a trail of questions. What is the meaning behind the film’s focus on catching and preparing fish? What part of the drama serves the biggest purpose? The trail of hopelessness is in the form of a scavenger hunt for the good times for an individual in All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

The director and writer Raven Jackson is poetic in her direction with All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. The pacing may seem to blur in moments, but it makes sense in order to create a certain feeling for its audience. It helps the viewer feel the dramatics of All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt. Many times, the film flashes back to the lake where the fishing moment takes place. Most of the film feels like a blur of an artistic project trying too hard, but then the realization comes that the lake setting holds together everything in the film. The setting of the lake is thepersonification of Mack’s life. The location of the lakesymbolizes the themes of the film. It rains by the lake, it shines by the lake, the water is clear, yet deep. The lake is where the meaning of Mack’s life has a form and a life that is destined to be inspiring. It is spellbinding.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an experience of dramatics that may try too hard in moments. I did not entirely love the experience; I appreciated its art form. It is a film which requires a certain mindset to watch in that takes on more of a literary approach to its storytelling over that of a typical big screen movie. The experience of the film felt like a literature class because of its use of the lake in the film like literary device paralleling the dramatic portions of the film itself. Three out of four stars for All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt.

Film reviews

Priscilla Review

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The realism in Priscilla, from director Sofia Coppola, is powerful and passionate throughout the film. It will evoke strong feelings from its audiences, especially those who were fans of Elvis Presley.

Priscilla is a true story based on the 1985 novel Elvis and Me written by Priscilla Presley (formerly Beaulieu). Priscilla takes its audience through a vast landscape of happiness, sadness and confusion through the eyes of Priscilla as she endures her relationship with Elvis Presley. Cailee Spaeny plays Priscilla, Jacob Elordi is Elvis, and both of their performances are superb portrayals of the heights of young love and the lows of dealing with the insanity that becomes their life. Although she certainly loved Elvis, the burning question is whether Priscilla was ever actually happy when she was with him.

Priscilla is the one who falls in love at first sight, despite the big age gap between the two. Priscilla had a frustrating life when she met Elvis at just 14 years old at a party on a military base in Germany where Elvis and her father were both stationed. When they reunite a few years later in the US, Elvis and Priscilla seem to be madly in love as Elvis’s fame grows. But Priscilla has problems being in the public eye, and being in a relationship with Elvis, who is constantly flocked by women fans, is hooked on pills, and is full of half-truths, is hard to bear. Will the power of love be enough, or is it too late for them to be happy?

With Priscilla’s expectations shifting and Elvis’s honesty being tested, Priscilla is a portrait of a women descending into surreal realizations of their crazy life. Elvis assumes that Priscilla will learn to accept their life, that she can’t leave because he gives her everything she could possibly want. But can money and fame buy Priscilla or Elvis happiness?

Coppola’s ability to portray shifting emotions in Priscilla is her strength. The love between Priscilla and Elvis begins to vanish, and reality surrounds them. But its not a positive reality for Priscilla, and she has just bad or worse options. The eyes of fame blind the eyes of love, and their hearts can’t overcome the turmoil in their relationship.

With the situation worsening and more reality coming, Priscilla needs to focus not on their relationship, but on her own happiness. She is the one who sacrifices everything to be with Elvis. She didn’t ask for the fame; she went with her heart. She wanted love in uncharted territory. But is it true love from Elvis? How long can Priscilla endure Elvis’s toxic behavior? There are so many questions and Priscilla needs to find the answers.

A ride of drama and surrealism, Priscilla will have audiences asking themselves what the meaning of love really is, and just how much even true love can endure. Sofia Coppola’s directing of Priscilla, the amazing cinematography, and the writing of this captivating yet devastating true story will absolutely enthrall audiences. Four out of four stars for Priscilla.