Tag Archives: Film reviews

Film reviews

Bank of Dave Review

Leave a comment

This is one of those rare movie experiences that leaves you feeling positive. Bank of Dave is about how entrepreneurship for a positive cause can have many trials and errors but still lead to growth and new beginnings. The setting of Burnley, UK is a place where resources and economics go together. It is a place where community and outreach are presented in an encouraging fashion. The film has many fascinating moments seen through the eyes of Dave (our main character played by Rory Kinnear). The story is majestic from a comedic perspective and leaves viewers enriched.

In the film, Dave is the true story of a self-employed man who has a goal of building a community bank. The intention of his bank is to help businesses stay afloat and keep growing to be more successful. Dave’s colleagues and attorneys are Hugh (played by Joel Fry) and Clarence (played by Angus Wright). Dave sells minibuses and continues to help build foundations for small businesses. The story involves the various obstacles Dave faces but shows that an attitude of hard work is essential.

The moving parts required to get Dave’s bank open showcase how the different businesses he wants to help have different problems. Many have been impacted by the recession and a negative economy. Diversity is Dave’s mission because he wants a true community bank. The people around him in Burnley, UK are what matters to him most. Bank of Dave made me ponder the importance of building blocks for success. The story sends the message that debt or business closings of businesses do not represent a complete failure. The film makes it clear that there are resources, even if accessing them is multi-stepped and time-consuming.

Dave says himself, “It’s about the quality of life for the whole community.” Those words connect to the enlightening moments regarding the mission of the bank (and film.) I love how the film and the true story focus on the fact that Dave’s mission is to help those in debt. He believes that those in poverty will find encouragement and that his bank can provide support. Helping those in need crawl out of their frustrations based on errors in the past.

Ultimately, the brilliant part is that Dave’s bank is intended for those to get back what they once lost. There are some legal issues for Dave around this practice, especially with loan operations, and some minor deficits. Overall, there is a positive angle in all of Bank of Dave.

The film is filled with foundations, numbers, banking scenarios, and countless invigorating moments. Bank of Dave does lack in a few scenes, but its entrepreneurship and businessman vibes hold true and are excellent. It is truly a different type of film that is based on a true story. It does not try to over-analyze, be over dramatic, or misrepresent its characters or the nature of their issues. It is just neutral and faithful. Three out of four stars for Bank of Dave.

Film reviews

The Equalizer 3 Review

Leave a comment

I’m sure director Antoine Fuqua did his best to bring the Equalizer franchise to a promising conclusion with The Equalizer 3. And it does have some interesting twists and turns. But the film is far from spellbinding or exhilarating, it has a rushed conclusion, and it falls far short of bringing a monumental closing to the franchise.

The Equalizer 3 begins in Sicily, Italy. Denzel Washington is back in his role as Robert McCall. His new home and setting seem like the calm life he has needed, an atmosphere where the violence and mayhem he’s experienced are behind him. But finding peace and new beginnings takes an unfortunate and not very compelling turn for McCall. The mob shows up, via Vincent Scarduzio (played by Andrea Scarduzio), as well as drug cartels with the disasters that they bring. A CIA operative, Emma Collins (played by Dakota Fanning), is there to help McCall.

Unfortunately, the way the mobsters and drug sellers are introduced to us in The Equalizer 3 is awkward and poorly done. The film seems to care more about Washington’s performance than finding a interesting path through the story. I will say that his performance, and the joint performance of he and Fanning, were invigorating and poetic, and that was definitely the high point. The mob operations and the performances of Fanning and Washington make The Equalizer 3 feel almost like a reunion of Man on Fire (2004), which the both starred in. In that film Washington is assigned to protect Fanning. In The Equalizer 3 they are helping and protecting each other. The chemistry between Fanning and Washington in both films is excellent, but it’s not enough to carry this film.

The Equalizer 3 is relatively quick and sharp in its moments of action, but there are not as many action sequences as the first two films, which had one after another. The Equalizer 3 tries to set a foundation for its central conflict, but the writing is just poor in that regard. The beginning of the film in particular was boring and made me forget about previous events from the first two films. I found myself wondering how long it would be before there was something to grab my attention. The film is just all over the place. Many of the conflicts are presented without context, and the presentation is simply dull.

At one point in The Equalizer 3 McCall says there are “nine seconds to decide your fate”. There are more than nine seconds of entertainment in this film, but the action vibes start slow and steadily decline. My expectations were not set too high for this film, but I had faith that it would surprise me. But having faith did not help with this experience. Two stars out of four for The Equalizer 3.

Film reviews

Birth/Rebirth Review

Leave a comment

In a film about medicine and surgery, the concepts of rules and codes of conduct are questioned. In Birth/Rebirth, the experimental aspects are astounding and lethally inviting. It is a psychologically suspenseful film that becomes an acquired taste.While watching Birth/Rebirth, I reflected upon just how far the risks of unethical conduct can go. In this film, time is of the essence. Director Laura Moss explores meaning through realism in her direction of Birth/Rebirth.

The film focuses on Rose (played by Marin Ireland) who is a morgue technician. Rose does her own operations outside of her medical office, many of which cross legal boundaries. Then there is Celie (played by Judy Reyes), a hospital employee and a mother. Her daughter Lila (played by A.J. Lister) gets terminally sick. Rose decides to take Lila into her home as her experiment. Celie discovers Rose’s bizarre and questionable operations on her daughter. Rose is keeping Lila alive by harvesting biological materials. This leads Celie and Rose to work together to save Lila’s life. However, what they are doing is morally wrong.

When the movie gets into Rose’s self-directed operations, the attention-grabbing suspense of this movie really starts to get twisted. This is because Rose’s home is filled with bizarre studies. One includes a hog that has died, but Rose has restored its life. Now Rose is trying to revive Lila’s life, and Celie is playing the assistant in all of Rose’s operations.

There are times where medical practices, surgeries, and treatments are questioned in the film. There are also consistent errors being made. While working together with Celie, the risks Rose is taking only make her critical thinking worse. Celie realizes this. Also, her daughter, Lila, exhibits weird signs and reactions to the treatments. There are various negative responses to the operations which is not surprising since they’re medically not right. Of course, Rose is not one to turn down taking risks as she is driven to accomplish the impossible in her career as a morgue technician.

Can Celie continue to work with Rose and save Lila? The cinematography remains neutral and keeps its darkness throughout the entirety of Birth/Rebirth. It creates a vibe that supports the film’s subject matter. While viewers sense that although things are wrong, it is a struggle to be undone. There is also a backdrop of questioning what is ethical and non-ethical. All these factors allow Birth/Rebirth to keep its flow of a creating a chilling experience. It is bizarre, but also cleverly creative and one of the best horror films I have seen. There is originality and purpose in this story which even leads to finding a path of new beginnings.

How grotesque is Birth/Rebirth? How many theories support the saving of Lila’s life? Is there a key to a better treatment? If Lila is saved, can she live a normal life? How will Rose and Celie be impacted by their operations? All these answers may come with consequences. Three and a half out of four stars for Birth/Rebirth.