"Before We Go" premiered in the special presentation undercard section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and got a second public look at the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. It landed on Video on Demand in July and finally gets a chance to shine in a limited theatrical release starting on September 4. Borrowing way too much from the "Before..." series works of Richard Linklater to be a flattering mild homage or influence, "Before We Go" is a cute, approachable, yet flawed romantic comedy. The weak chemistry can't match an innate charm to honor its simple premise.
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After the traditional summer movie season of blockbusters, the following fall movie season tends to be a lull and a letdown before the next round of event films and the awards contenders fill up the months of November and December. September is normally filled with rejects that weren't big enough for summer and not good enough for the holidays. With Halloween capping October, the darker stuff tends to fill that month. That's been the trend but the climate is shifting like the season. It is with great surprise that this fall movie season, on paper, is shaping up to be truly legitimate.
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For me, this is a very special edition of my "Guest Critic" series. It is a return for two very special little boys who have grown up before my eyes. Hop in to get reacquainted with Patrick and Nate!
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"No Escape," the rudderless and violent thriller can't muster a strong political statement to back up what it's selling. This is a horror film disguised as an expat drama. To its credit, the action is unpredictable, unnerving, and flies at a white-knuckle pace. However, its purpose and delivery is senseless and nearly reprehensible. It lacks the spine to make the proverbial wringer the characters are put through matter in some way, shape, or form outside of exploiting our fears and senses. "No Escape" undoubtedly has an edge, but it's a raw and misshapen one.
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Because of the box office clout of James Bond and Ethan Hunt and plenty of failed imitators in between, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and its small stature roots already have difficulty standing out as a ripe property for viable franchise possibilities. It would have to hit on its own unique style to succeed and stand out. Ritchie's film does exactly that to be an easy and breezy companion to the foreboding likes of the modern spies. If you feel the spy game has gotten too ominous over the years, slide over to "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and have a good time.
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Movies are the place of fantasy where the realities of normal domestic life can be bent and distorted. In the genre of thrillers, that quality can swing from peaks like "Rosemary's Baby" and "Fatal Attraction" to the gutter of cheesy TV films on the Lifetime Channel. Independent of their quality is their suspension of disbelief towards the fictional elements of each film. Some movies do too much and descend towards ridiculousness from a sharp premise that is supposed to hook us in. Every now and then, a mystery/thriller hits the right chords to haunt you just enough to both harrowing and still tangible.
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In the current cinematic landscape filled with modern technology and instant gratification, there is a lost appreciation for hand-done work. Traditional animation, stop-motion, and claymation have become a dying art form with the advent of computer animation and modern tools. It's easy to look past the old and simple in favor of the new and shiny toy, but sometimes the old and simple can show up the new and pretty with ease. That's the beauty of something like "Shaun the Sheep."
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Thank you for all of your patience with my long month of August travel for work. Things are slowing down and I'll be catching up soon. Looking ahead, the 2015 fall movie season is just around the corner. My full and complete preview will be coming soon, but here's a calendar and checklist of the upcoming season's releases. Print this, slap it on the fridge, or fill you calendar!
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