Blue Ruin Is A Darkly Entertaining Film

Blue Ruin comes across as a classic American revenge story, but the stripped-down and smartly produced script satisfies contemporary appetites. It is also one of the finest indie flicks that will be released this year, propelled by a well-told slow-burn story and several breakout performances.

The most memorable aspect of the film isn't in the revenge or the bloodshed spilled in its telling. It comes from the steady transformation of a down-and-out vagabond into an inexperienced and reluctant killer and then again into a clear-headed peacemaker who wants the senselessness to end.

Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier creates an intensely suspenseful yarn with a patient reveal of why his unassuming homeless protagonist has dropped out from society. As his portrait begins to crystalize during a series of happenstance events, so does the the outlook of the audience.

Blue Ruin is a portrait of a modern tragedy.

The film opens by establishing the protagonist. Dwight (Macon Blair) as a vagrant who breaks into homes to shower, dives for food in boardwalk Dumpsters, and sleeps in a broken down car on a beach. His existence, however, is surprisingly self-selected.

When local law enforcement informs him that Carl Cleland (Brent Werzner), a man from his past, is being released from prison, Dwight conveys a desperate urgency to leave town. After producing a hidden car battery and small stash of cash, he heads toward the prison where Cleland will be released.

After watching a reunion between Cleland and two more family members, Dwight follows them to roadhouse saloon where he hopes to even the score. What happens next sets up the rest of the film.

The Cleland family, well-known for living outside the law, attempts to turn the tables on Dwight by transforming a personal fight into a family feud where everyone with similar bloodlines is fair game. And while the more obvious mechanism is the cautionary tale that revives Gandhi's warning that "an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind," Saulnier weaves in subplots that touch on friendship, family, and how our perception and reality cannot always be so easily reconciled.



Aside from the story, the cast helps make the film feel iconic. Blair seems like an unlikely lead on the surface, but his portrayal is near perfect by creating a character who is slightly unstable, obviously intelligent, and equally out of his depth. His performance has effectively rebooted his career.

Another short but sharp outstanding performance comes from Dwight's friend Den Gaffney (Devin Ratray), who is better equipped but less enduring to do the job. And while the antagonists are generally portrayed as stereotypical rednecks, Teddy (Kevin Kolak), Carl (Brent Werzner), Hope (Stacey Rock), and William (David Thompson) all contrast perfectly with Dwight and his sister (Amy Hargreaves). Eve Plumb also deserves a nod for her surprise appearance as the Cleland matriarch.

A few more graphs about writer-director Jeremy Sauliner.

Much in the same way, Saulnier had hoped to do the same. He has worked in film for years, but the majority of his work had been stuck inside the corporate world. Even this time out, he was en route to making a corporate video in Cleveland when he learned Blue Ruin had been accepted to the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

It was the first film he had completed since his scrappy horror satire Murder Party in 2007. As such, Sauliner (and Blair) both considered this film to be a swan song — meaning: either the film would reboot their careers or they would reboot their dreams.

Blue Ruin By Jeremy Sauliner Shoots 8.9 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

Saulnier relied on financing from his wife's retirement fund, his own American Express card, and a last-minute Kickstarter campaign. He and Blair also relied on friends and family for shooting locations to keep everything on the cheap. But you would never know it watching the film.

The esoteric film is a revenge movie in appearance, tragedy at its heart, and darkly comic in its presentation. You can rent or buy Blue Ruin from from iTunes or catch Blue Ruin [HD] on Amazon. Blue Ruin is what you want an indie film to be. The film has a Facebook page.

The Juxtaposition Of American Hustle

Even as the critics raise their praise for the film American Hustle, viewer reviews seems to even the score. There are a surprising number of filmgoers who were hoping to see a neo-noir like The Grifters (1990) with its odd and tightly written script and classic, albeit flat, pacing.

In contrast, American Hustle isn't anything close to neo-noir nor is it really a crime drama or dark comedy as some critics called it. The richly entertaining and engaging film is more akin to a character study that straddles the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The characters themselves aren't down to earth but rather vivid, larger-than-life characterizations of transformative times. America was settling into the changes won by an earlier decade. The protests were over and so was the hangover. Plenty of people had nothing to prove anymore.

American Hustle is a foreshadow to the self-indulgent eighties.

The film itself is loosely based on a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation commonly referred to as Abscam. The investigation began as a simple stolen property sting that wandered off course to become a full-scale public corruption investigation. Even so, the movie itself doesn't stick to the sting.

It could have, but director David Russell rewrote Eric Warren Singer's screenplay specifically to create caricatures out of the characters who more closely resembled real life counterparts. Doing so gave Russell more liberty to capture the controversy of the case rather than its procedural trappings.

At the same time, the script allows Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and Richard "Richie" DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to trade places as Rosenfeld seeks redemption and DiMaso slips toward narcissism. Likewise, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), as Rosenfeld's illicit girlfriend and partner in crime, is contrasted with his wife Rosalyn Rosenfeld (Jennifer Lawrence). They undergo similar but uneven transformations, leaving the audience to wonder which has Rosenfeld's best interest at heart.


Much like the historical investigation, Russell and his well cast troop of actors leave you wondering who is more ethical (if anyone) and what constitutes justice. In the historic case, 31 officials were targeted. One senator and six representatives, plus five other government officials were convicted.

The American public was split in their reaction, with half supporting the FBI and half believing the department had entrapped their marks as a means to seek revenge for previous criticisms. The film never touches on this implication. Russell pins most of it on the ambition of one man (and several others who are all too willing to enable and benefit from it).

A couple graphs about David Russell as a director. 

After a string of moderately successful but not very enduring films and one disaster that will likely never be seen, Russell redeemed his career with the The Fighter, a brilliant biographical sports drama that brought together Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale to tell the story of Micky Ward's rise to claim the WBU Light Welterweight title.

He followed up this film with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, which were both propelled by positive critical reviews and three Golden Globe wins, including Best Motion Picture Comedy. It also received almost a dozen Academy Award nominations but no wins.

Russell took an interesting path into film direction, first majoring in English and political science at Amherst College and then working as a union organizer in New York and literacy teacher in Boston. In his spare time, he wrote scripts and eventually interned with Smithsonian World for PBS. When he completed his internship, he returned to produce a film short, Bingo Inferno, for Sundance (1987).

American Hustle By David Russell Wrestles In 8.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

The film's inability to be confined to a single genre opens it up to mixed reviews from anyone, except the critics who were immediately taken in by the portrayal of pronounced caricatures and the artistic qualities of the film. It is memorable, a real treat for anyone who appreciates the detail and the era.

American Hustle by David Russell is available on Amazon and for rent on iTunes. You can also learn more about the film on its international release site or order a physical copy of American Hustle from Barnes & Noble. The movie, more than anything, is about people looking for something better, usually from the feet up.

Sepideh Movie Reaches For The Stars

Opening in the Sa'adat Shahr in the Fars province of Iran, 16-year-old Sepideh Hooshyar dreams of becoming an astronaut while stargazing the universe from just outside the light limits of her small town. She carries her telescope up and down the hills of Sa'adat Shahr, just like her father used to do before his death.

In looking for others who share her passion for astronomy, she joins an astronomy club headed by Asghar Kabiri. Several of them meet up to view astronomical events together. As she invest more and more time into stargazing at night, she begins to find more pressure during the day as it becomes clear her ambitions and the expectations of her family are in conflict.

Sepideh is a reminder that dreams remain the most important freedoms.

It's easy to forget that Sepideh is a documentary at the hands of Danish director Berit Madsen. He spent a few years in the company of this teenage girl who dared to dream about becoming an astronaut in a world where astronauts have no place in a conservative Muslim culture.

Even more remarkably, Madsen manages to tell the story with compassion as opposed to criticism. While her family is comfortable compared to her neighbors, their finances are increasingly strained. The fields they own have gone dry; the oil from the irrigation pumps stolen.

Because they cannot afford to send Sepideh to a university, the family continues to receive criticism for the teenager's increasingly unlikely dreams. They tell her, on more than one occasion, that it might be time to stop sleeping the day away to stay up and see the stars. Instead, she should study cooking or other domestic skills that would make her more attractive to marry.

Despite making promises to her mother to consider a change of course, Sepideh still feels that it is her destiny to become an astronomer and make her father proud. She applied for a scholarship in an attempt to pursue her dreams.


It is sad but perhaps not surprising that she is eventually turned down for the scholarship (likely because she is female). She turns to Kabiri, but even he doesn't seem to be on her side. He would rather see her stay in Sa'adat Shahr and use her passion to help him reach his dreams of seeing a 20-year-old observatory be built in the area.

Because this is real life, the story becomes an important warning for anyone who thinks they have to give up on their dreams. In showing us how Iranian society piles on obstacles for someone with big ideas, some might find those obstacles creeping into their own societies as exception or dependency replaces their race toward something better.

As the film progresses, it becomes increasing infuriating as Sepideh swims upstream while never giving up hope of following in the footsteps of multi-millionaire Anousheh Ansari, who became the first Iranian into space. The story, as well as its conclusion, is mesmerizing in its ability to rekindle the dreams of an audience as well as keep her dreams alive after struggling for two years.

Another graph or two about filmmaker Berit Madsen.

Berit Madsen is a social anthropologist and documentary filmmaker from Denmark best known for carrying out film work in the Caribbean, Nepal, and Niger. She has produced a number of documentaries as part of her research, slowly becoming a master of ethnographic research and observational cinema.

Madsen has lectured extensively on the subject of ethnographic filmmaking in Denmark, India, and Serbia. She has been a member of the working committee of the Nordic Anthropological Film Association since 1991, NAFA vice general secretary since 2006, and co-editor of its electronic newsletter NAFA-Network since 1993. Sepideh is perhaps her most visually striking and emotionally stirring film.

Sepideh By Berit Madsen Shoots 7.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

In watching Sepideh, it is almost impossible not to feel simultaneously empathetic for the girl and sympathetic for any of our own dreams that have remained unfinished. It is an expose of personal conviction and courage, one that is inspiring despite any trials and tribulations that Madsen takes us through.

You can find the film available for rent or purchase on iTunes. You can discover more about the film on the digital issues of DFI-FILM website. A remarkable film all around and two years in the making.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints Is A Life Test

Set against the backdrop of Texas hill country in the 1970s, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a brooding slow burn of a film that almost gets lost in the Terrance Malick/Robert Altman style it emulates. As such, the film feels mischaracterized as an outlaw movie or love story. It's a slice of Americana.

Following the conventional plot lines of the outlaw couple, Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) wants to rob a bank with his buddy Freddy (Kentucker Audley) and make a clean break from the dusty rural town where they grew up. Muldoon's pregnant girlfriend, Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), volunteers to drive for them.

Writer-director David Lowery never provides any insight into the robbery itself, but centers on a shootout between the trio and county law enforcement, some of whom went to school with them. The standoff quickly ends when Freddy is killed and officer Patrick Wheeler (Ben Foster) is shot, establishing the foundation for the real story.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints is test of character and commitment. 

If there is a theme to the indie film that came out of the Sundance Institute's Writing and Producing Labs, it's the test of commitment of the bonds we make with other people with Ruth set at the film's center. Much of the movie weighs heavily on her splintered loyalties.

Although it is Ruth who shot Wheeler, Muldoon frames himself as the shooter to protect her and their unborn daughter. His sacrifice works well enough. He is sentenced to a minimum of 25 years while she is left to raise their daughter Sylvie (Kennadie Smith/Jacklynn Smith) in a home given to her by grizzled and protective shopkeeper Skerritt (Keith Carradine).

After several years, this becomes their new normal until Muldoon breaks out of prison. His escape sets Ruth on a collision course, forcing her to choose what is best between him, her daughter, the shopkeeper who remained a faithful father figure, or the officer she shot who had always harbored secret affections for her. As such, it feels less like a love story as much as a lost love story.



Ruth may have waited for Muldoon, but his early escape forces her to confront her life. While he still feels the same way for her as the day he was sentenced, her life has moved on and her feelings seem much more grounded to his sacrifice than the love they once felt for each other.

As law enforcement and bounty hunters track Muldoon, he places his trust in other old relationships too. Although any of them could be misplaced, he places his trust in long-time friend Altman (Artist Thornton) and Skerritt. While either man could be his undoing, it's Skerritt who tells Muldoon to give up on reuniting with Ruth and the daughter he never met.

A few graphs about writer-director David Lowery's vision. 

There are three standouts in the film, with the first being the cast. Everyone delivers ovation-worthy performances. The second is the writing, with Lowery creating a script that is as poetic as it is plodding. The third is the cinematography, with its narrow focus on a few characters but ample attention paid to some sprawling and beautiful landscapes.

This is how Lowery proves once again that he is an artistic storyteller to watch with his third and possibly finest film even if that doesn't make it perfect. Not everyone will appreciate the Terrance Malick stylings that make this too slow to be a thriller, too cold to be a love story, and too intellectual to make be a drama. Instead, it plays just like Lowery wanted it to, like an American murder ballad.

The story is tragic even if it never gives you a clear hero or anti-hero to root for or an ending to hope for. Much like life sometimes, what constitutes a happy ending or a tragic one is obscure and blurred. And in this telling, it amounts to a focus on a narrow but emotionally distant film, with characters seemingly lost in their own uncertainty.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints By Lowery Breaks 6.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

If you love films with deep, contemplative moods and beautifully shot textures, Ain't Them Bodies Saints will be appropriately mesmerizing and linger in your memory. But if you like your movies tight, spun around a distinct genre, or carriers of some cathartic message, it might be best to keep your expectations in check.

Simply put, people who love films, especially nostalgic slices of life, will consider this a sleeper. Others will likely scratch their heads and wonder why it received such high ratings. And maybe that is why we like it so much.

You can find Ain't Them Bodies Saints [Blu-ray] by David Lowery on Amazon. You can also order the DVD from Barnes & Noble or download the movie from iTunes.

Two Takes For The Classic Great Gatsby

Sometimes the best way to measure a movie is by what you can remember — not in those fleeting few minutes after the reel runs out but in the months that follow. Baz Luhrman made such a film, one that can easily draw someone into the exuberance and excesses of the Roaring Twenties.

It captures the raw emotion if the not the reality of the era. The reality of it is more likely akin to the quieter, more contemplative counterpart directed by Jack Clayton. But which might be better, excluding the earlier renditions such as the lost film by Herbert Brenon (1926) or Elliott Nugent (1949)? It depends almost entirely by which point of view you prefer.

You can either slip inside the head of Nick Carraway or ride along as an observer. The former is significantly stylized, with an emphasis on passion from his persecutive. The other invites you to think about the substance of the novel, a straightforward retelling that concentrates on composition.

The earlier adaptation fills in blanks, but it's all matter of fact. 

If there is an irony about the "style-over-substance" slug that critics forced upon the 2013 adaption, it is that different critics admonished the 1974 adaptation for not having enough of it. And without the fairytale landscape or lavish and over-the-top parties that oversell the superfluous, the chemistry between Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby never gets off the ground.

The result is a tiredness that takes place in the 1974 film, one that can be tied to Clayton for being too hung up on class and status in some instances but not enough in others. The party crowds, for example, seem too silly to contrast a world of pretenders against what Carraway sees as love.

Even with the help of the Rosecliff and Marble House mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, as stand-ins for Long Island estates, the film doesn't deliver the grandeur of a common walking tour. The shots are mostly too tight and the color too muted to make it magnificent.

Between these challenges and perhaps the limitations of Mia Farrow, who was pregnant during the shoot; Robert Redford, Bruce Dern and Sam Waterston only manage to deliver a few scenes with enough conviction to salvage it. The film was still a success, with Dern's performance the best.

There is a magic in the modern remake in its passion and urgency. 

Where Luhrman does a better job with the story is in never losing sight of the story belonging to Carraway. As much as critics have called the film too stylized, it plays well to how Carraway might see it — and possibly closer to the middle ground than Clayton did. The Roaring Twenties roared.

While Tobey Maguire may make Nick Carraway a little too rural and Joel Edgerton plays Tom Buchanan more snobbish than callous, Leonardo DeCaprio delivers the most underrated performance. In playing Jay Gatsby, he finds the perfect balance between being convincing and uncomfortable. Likewise, Carey Mulligan presents Daisy Buchanan in exactly the way Carraway might see her.



He idealizes his cousin from the start, believing her to be above the rottenness of the rest of them. But as the movie progresses, she begins her transformation from a fragile victim and into a passive villain, no better than those she chooses in the end. The most authentic person in the story may be a pretender like everyone else, but only with the purest intent.

This isn't to say that the film didn't falter at times. The infusion of rap and hip hop was questionable. While it's clear that Luhrman wanted to bridge a century-old gap with the music, the decision might ultimately date his work. Jazz can be roaring enough in its own right.

The Great Gatsby Roars Along At 8.1 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

The rating belongs to the 2013 adaption. The 1974 adaptation, despite telling a bit more about the story, tends to plod along as a backgrounder in comparison despite several sharp performances (and some that aren't so sharp). Luhrman hits the high water mark in making a film that can haunt someone's memory as much as the novel because he sticks with the story inside Carraway's head.

The Great Gatsby (2013) and The Great Gatsby (1974) are both available on Amazon. The 2013 and 1974 adaptations can also be rented or purchased from iTunes. Barnes & Noble carries the special edition DVD (2013) and widescreen version (1974) as well. Walmart also has an exclusive (2013). The novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, will be reviewed another time.

Mr. Nobody Is Fun Sci-Fi Jumble

With the science fiction drama Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael surviving as a cult film for the better part of four years, there was bound to be a bit of hype overshadowing the release by Magnolia Pictures. Even its premiere at the 66th Venice International Film Festival is a thing of legend. The audience reportedly gave it a 10-minute standing ovation before slipping away into relative cult obscurity.

My advice is pretty simple. Ignore the hype because there are only three kinds of people who will enjoy this film: those who appreciate cinematically stimulating shots and set details, those who enjoy a philosophical cerebral puzzler regardless of its packaging, and those who appreciate the offbeat nature of relatively good indie films. Look around. Almost everyone who likes this film fits in one category.

It's easy enough to fit into all three categories too, while remaining objective enough to know that this film isn't for everyone. It feels long after slogging through the middle and the non-linear format sometimes lends itself to the film and other times feels haphazard. It's not great, but it has greatness.

The whole is not really equal to the sum of its parts. 

Or, more exactly, Mr. Nobody (Jared Leto) is riddled with clips and bits and moments that transcend the finished product. And even though there are not enough of them to make this film a masterpiece, there is a timeless quality about the work that will linger at least as long as the storyline, literally 2092.

Not all of the story takes place in 2092, but this futuristic jumping point is a good enough indication that things can get weird. The protagonist is a 118-year-old man, being billed as the last mortal on Earth.

The balance of the population has conquered mortality. They live in a world where everyone has access to an endless renewal of cells, except Nemo Nobody, which makes him the most interesting novelty on the planet. Everyone wants to know about his finite life and how he lived it.


The only rough patch is that he can only remember it through dreams and hypnosis-induced memories, mostly pre-birth until age 9, age 15, and age 34. These three later ages aren't random either. The first represents a major life choice, the second represents the consequence and second major life choice, and the third plays out the consequences of those outcomes.

You have to make the right choice. 

If Nobody has a gift, it is best summed up as the ability to see far into his own future in order to make the "right choice" or at least what appears to be the "right choice." He initially learns this when he cannot decide what to buy with a quarter that he eventually pockets. He can own all three, any time.

But not all choices work that way. Sometimes you have to choose, such as making the choice between parents who divorce, and play your life out from that point. Nobody gets to choose both. Nobody also gets to choose which girl will become the love of his life, for better and worse.

This choices plays out in a myriad and sometimes mired number of ways, but sometimes they also lead to beautiful lines, thoughts, and philosophies that are often sardonic and other times astute. The only trick is that you have to ferret many of them out because Jaco Van Dormael doesn't make it easy.

A few graphs about Jaco Van Dormael.

The Belgian film director Van Dormael won his first award for a short film in 1981, before going on to make a series of films that respectfully portrayed people with disabilities. His best known full-length films include Toto the Hero and The Eighth Day.

Mr. Nobody was his first English speaking film and his last notable film. It has rightfully received praise and accolades, but has yet to recoup the largest budget in Belgian film history. The most likely reason is its inaccessibility. As noted, it's a great film but not for everyone.

Mr. Nobody By Jaco Van Dormael Unravels 6.4 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

The cast is immense, making it difficult to recognize everyone. Jared Leto stands out for his portrayal of  the adult and old Nemo Nobody. The feat required him to play variations of the same man across very different life experiences. Sarah Polley portrays an adult Elise, with a striking portrayal of someone on the verge of a mental breakdown. All of the children, playing various parts at age 15, are memorable.

For something mesmerizingly different, provided you're willing to work for it, check out Mr. Nobody [BLU-RAY] on Amazon or rent the film on iTunes. Magnolia Pictures will also be releasing the film in select theaters this November. Currently, Sante Fe, New Mexico, and Vancouver, Washington, will open with play dates on November 1.

The East Is A Cast Of Emerging Talent

When former FBI agent Sarah Moss (Brit Marling) is dropped of at Dulles Airport by her boyfriend Tim (Jason Ritter), she doesn't head toward security or her departing flight to Dubai. She exits the airport instead, hails a cab, and heads to a hotel where she immediately dyes her hair and changes her clothes.

The day before, she had been selected by the private intelligence firm Hiller Brood to go deep undercover and infiltrate an underground activist group. The group, The East, targets the corporate executives of companies that its members have found guilty of humanitarian or environmental exploitation.

The movie opens up with the group breaking into the home of an oil company executive and pouring oil into the ductwork. Apparently an act of retaliation for a coastal spill, the oil slowly seeps out of the vents, covering everything in its wake. While never shown, it's implied the executive might have been covered too, an event that attracts the attention of Hiller Brood clients.

A terse psychological thriller that takes aim at emotions and ethics. 

The theme of the movie is relatively straightforward as a modern take on whether the ends justifies the means. But where producer/cowriter/actress Marling and director/cowriter Zal Matmanglij find their footing is in exploring the familiar. The East has many cult-like characteristics and ritualistic activities similar to those in their last film, The Sound Of My Voice.

Moss finds The East by transforming herself into a vagabond traveler and eventually joining rail-riding drifters. She suspects one of them is a member of The East, but he turns out to be an undercover federal agent. She sees him flash his badge when the pack is caught by railroad police.


He flashes as Moss intervenes on behalf of the most vulnerable looking drifter, Luca, whom the railroad police rough up while escorting him off one of the boxcars. Ironically, the unassuming man she saves is a member of The East. He helps her escape and offers to take her someplace for medical attention.

The members of The East are suspicious and divided when Luca brings Moss to their secret squat in the woods. While the group's leader Benji (Alexander Skarsgard) seems open to accepting her into the group, the outspoken Izzy (Ellen Page) is not. They only agree to let her stay two nights to recover.

Instead, Moss is recruited to take another member's place in what the group calls a "jam." In this case, one of the members uses his connection to infiltrate a government contract signing party for a pharmaceutical company.

The member, Doc (Toby Kebbell), has evidence that the drug company is marginalizing the extent and severity of the side effects of the antibiotic that the company intends to mass produce for the military. The jam includes spiking champagne with the antibiotic, secretly forcing members of the executive team to take the same risk they find acceptable for servicemen and women.

This jam and others cause Moss to question the ethics and morality of her job to protect what the group considers corporate criminals. It becomes especially difficult as she gets to know and trust other members of the group. Some of them, it seems, have been personally affected by corporate cover ups and negligence. The is one especially pointed scene when Moss tells her boyfriend during a brief reunion that she felt like she was living in a foreign country, but now coming home feels like a foreign country too.

The East By Zal Batmanhlij And Brit Marling Jams 7.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

This time the duo had a bigger budget to bring their vision to life and it shows, but the movie would have done better without the eco-terrorism moniker that reviewers adopted. Eco-terrorism films tend to cool audience interest, making the moniker somewhat of an injustice.

While environmental crime is on the group's radar, The East is more in line with being a corporate vigilante cult as opposed to green police. Despite landing somewhere between commercial and independent, The East reinforces the abilities of Batmanhlij and Marling to entertain our heads.

The East was released early for high definition purchase on iTunes. You can also order The East [Blu-ray] on Amazon (Sept. 17). The movie can also be ordered from Barnes & Noble. For more on Batmanglij and Marling, see the previous review of their work.

Baran bo Odar Stuns Into The Silence

If you can see past the repugnance of the subject matter, the slow burn suspense of the German-made psychological thriller The Silence will stun you into a different kind of silence. Despite never shooting anything grotesque or gratuitous, Baran bo Odar knows how to make an audience feel uncomfortable.

It is the relentless effectiveness of what is unseen that makes The Silence a masterpiece of a foreign film. Presented in German, with English subtitles, The Silence hits on the same subject matter that underpins The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy without any action or graphically painful jolts.

The unsettling nature of it relies almost exclusively around the casual nature of the crime and casual impact that it has on a carousel of broken people, indirect victims who are unable to resolve their loss. Some of them are swept up in suffering in the present. Others have been victims for 23 years.

The Silence is the story of two murdered girls, 23 years apart.

At the onset, the film begins in the past with two men watching a 16mm film in an apartment building. The curtains are drawn and the film runs out. As it does, the two men step out for a hot summer's drive.

As they drive outside of the city and into a densely wooded rural area, they pass a girl riding her bike beside the road. When she takes a turn down a dirt road, the car passes her but then slows to a stop, backs up, and begins to follow her. Even a glimpse of it in the trailer seals the scene.


It is this intensely creepy scene that sets the pace of the entire film. It's not overt actions — the driver hailing her to ask a question or chasing her into a wheat field — that gets under the skin. It is the near-paralyzed disbelief of passenger Timo Friedrich (Wotan Wilke Mohring) that steals the scene.

Whether Friedrich meant to be an explicit accomplice or is passive and complicit in the crime is left largely unanswered. He neither helps the girl nor killer Peer Sommer (Ulrich Thomsen). When the pair return to the apartment complex, Friedrich wastes no time escaping on a bus with all of his possessions.

The past becomes irreparably connected to the present by a time, place, and people. 

Twenty-three years later, Elena Lange (Katrin Sass) is still grieving over the loss of her daughter Pia (Helene Doppler) and retiring detective Krischan Mittich (Burghart Klaussner) is still haunted by never having solved the case. And it isn't long before their wounds are reopened as a new girl, 13-year-old Sinikka (Anna-Lena Klenke), goes missing.

While there are several detectives assigned to the case, perhaps none are as striking as David Jahn (Sebastian Blomberg). Although he is still an emotional train wreck after losing his wife to cancer five months earlier, Jahn returns to make Mittich's farwell party. He and his new partner, Jana Glaser (Jule Bowe), are assigned the missing girl as his first case back. They, along with the Weghamms (Roeland Wiesnekker and Karoline Eichhorn) become the de facto present day counterparts to the crime in 1986.

Along with them, Friedrich is also tied to the crime. Despite his overwhelming sense of regret and remorse, he had restarted his life a successful architect. He is married and has two children, a 6-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, of his own.

The new crime, mimicking the old one right down to the last detail, hits him deeply and with immediacy. Like receiving a message in a bottle or a festering time capsule, he is sent reeling. He calls in sick from work and tells his wife he has to work, buying a few days in order to confront the past.

All in all, this is a stunning start for Swiss-born Baran bo Odar. It also seems a shame that his debut took so long to be distributed stateside because he is clearly among the up-and-coming foreign directors to watch. He was born in 1978 and is best known for his commercial work and award-winning short films.

The Silence By Baran Bo Odar Sticks At 5.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

The movie is based on the novel Das Schweigen by Jan Costin Wagner. While the film only managed 11 theaters at its widest release in the United States, the unrated film continues to make waves as a unsettling summer sleeper between digital downloads and post-theatrical releases.

Almost of all its second-life marketing relies on nothing more than reviews and word of mouth. Just recently, it won gold at the New York Festivals for best drama. This second life run is largely related to Movie Box Films releasing it on Blu-ray for the first time. Currently, you can find The Silence on Amazon or download and/or rent it from iTunes. The film is also listed at Barnes & Noble.

Burn Raises The Stakes On Detroit

Back in 2009, Time Magazine asked a pertinent question. Could the city of Detroit be saved? It's a difficult question to answer, knowing the population fell from 1.8 million in 1950 to 700,000 in 2010.

The drop in population has been dramatic, leaving thousands of homes and buildings vacant. As the city continues to struggle against decline, every new vacancy becomes a potential fire. And for the firefighters who work in the city, every call is potential killer. They get more calls than any other city, with one-half as many firefighters than they had in 1950 but a 300 percent increase in fires per capita.

Most days they are fighting a losing battle. The embattled fire department had suffered enough budget cuts and equipment shortages that duct tape serves as the fix all for everything from turn signals to broken boots. The firefighters are more likely to laugh about it than complain. They accept it.

Burn is a blazing documentary about dual subjects.

The 88-minute film captures a collage of firefighters, ranging from one looking forward to retirement and one looking back at the fire that left him paralyzed. Plenty of people wonder why they do it too.

Many of them in Detroit put their lives on the line for around $42,000 per year, which is manageable only if their salaries allow for overtime. The starting salary, according to the film, is only $30,000.

That is not to say that the film isn't balanced. There are several points in the film where accountability is demanded, even resurrecting a story of how one $700,000 fire truck was totaled because it was carelessly parked on a train track. It isn't an isolated accident. Some damage is caused by neglect.

The film works best in sound bites and story bits. 

There is no question that Burn is fueled by its concept and potential to go beyond the screening. It mostly follows the crew of Engine Company 50, which is one of the busiest firehouses in America. But sometimes the story becomes sidetracked rather than truly dig deep into the men or out into the bigger problems facing Detroit.


They do, however, ascend to the perspective of Executive Fire Commissioner Donald Austin, a lifelong firefighter who worked his way up in Los Angeles. He was recruited to be in charge of more than 46 firehouses that respond to at least least 30,000 fires and 130,000 medical emergencies per year. While he holds the firefighters he leads accountable, Austin also responded to budget cuts by laying off his office's one janitor. He cleans his own office now.

In addition to Austin, they spend the most time with 33-year veteran David Parnell, field engine operator. He epitomizes both a long-time Detroit resident and lifelong firefighter, neither ready to retire nor leave his neighborhood despite having eight empty homes on his block alone. Another is Brendan "Doogie" Milewski, who was paralyzed after a building collapsed on him. His struggle continues daily.

A few graphs about the filmmakers and their efforts.

The film was inspired by the tragic death of Detroit firefighter Walter Harris while battling a blaze in a vacant house. The loss sparked interest in the greater problem — why were firefighters risking their lives in neighborhoods that had been described as a mouthful of broken teeth?

This was the question that director-producers Tom Putnam and Brenda Sanchez asked when they decided to dig deeper into the content. With support from Denis Leary, five-time Emmy nominee and star of the television series Rescue Me, and Jim Serpico, president of Motion Pictures and Television at Apostle, they were off and running.

Detroit firefighters have already received $25,000 worth of gear, donated at the Tribeca premiere by Momentous Insurance and the producers have pledged that a significant portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Leary Firefighters Foundation. In fact, the fundraising structure of the film might be one of its most redeeming qualities.

Burn Lights Up Firefighting In Detroit At 7.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

While enthusiasts have called the film jaw dropping, a better descriptor is eye opening because it brings to life several problems that most people never knew existed — that the survival of Detroit remains bleak and that the issues facing firefighters are more complicated than most people would ever guess. But perhaps more important is that it also has heart. If not on the screen, then how it helps firefighters.

Burn by Tom Putnam and Brenda Sanchez is available on Amazon. You can also find Burn on iTunes or find out how you can support screenings for the film in your area.

The Intouchables Breaks All Barriers

When an unemployed immigrant with a criminal record, Driss (Omar Sy), applies for the position of a live-in caretaker, he doesn't have any ambitions to be hired. He only wants one thing — another rejection signature so he can receive state benefits. This time around, he's turned out without one and told to come back the next day.

The reason for the call back is apparent. Phillipe (Francois Cluzet) is a wealthy quadriplegic who has grown tired of the pity and patronizing manner of most professional caretakers. For him, Driss is an enigma as much as an inspiration. He seems to be the only one who can see the man beyond the wheelchair (if he even sees one).

When Driss returns the following day, he is informed that the live-in job is on a 30-day trial basis. At the end of 30 days, Phillipe promises to give him the signature if it doesn't work out. Without any options, Driss moves in to be a caretaker.

A story of spontaneous brotherhood.

Although many French films are criticized for lacking character depth, writer-director team Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano don't seem to have any problem penciling in the details of this true-to-life story. Neither do actors Omar Sy and Francois Cluzet, whose bond is both immediate and convincing.

Part of the reason the story seems so complete might be because the plot is based upon the true-life story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his caregiver Abdel Sellou. Borgo is a French businessman who became a quadriplegic in 1993 after a paragliding accident.

"We were two desperadoes who sought a way to escape: the rich tetra [suffering from the] crazy pain of losing his wife and young boss comes out of jail and wants to blow everything up," Borgo once said in an interview. "Two guys on the fringes of society who rely on each other."


The film is near perfect, creating a juxtaposition in that both men are fish out of water, attempting to find a second chance to put their lives back together. It also remains fresh in being a French film, without the usual concern for racism. Any prejudice in the film isn't based on race but rather socio-economic and physical disabilities, respectively.

These disabilities are also the basis for their mutual attraction and not repulsion. They are interested in each other as people and everything they might learn from one another as both of them are being denied an opportunity to live. One has resources but not the ability. The other has ability but not the resources.

Together, they help each other find something few people ever do. Their second chance comes from learning that most of their limitations come from their mindset more than anything materialistic. As soon as they open their eyes to the possibilities within their grasp, everything begins to change for the better.

A bit about the writers and directors.

There is something else that helped the story come together. Writers/directors Nakache and Toledano are long-time friends who have built an inseparable career together. Shortly after becoming friends, the duo began to produce dozens of short films before turning in their full-length film Je Préfère Qu'on Reste Amis, a semi-funny comedic film about two friends who chase girls.

Since then, they have gone on to write increasingly better screenplays with more believable characters. Their talent truly culminates in this film as they seem to derive as much inspiration from their own friendship as the people upon whom the movie is based. They are also very familiar with Omar Sy, who they cast in their last three films. Interestingly enough, Sy isn't a formal actor and has never been to drama school.

Also interesting is that these two friends were told not to touch the story. Even in France, it was considered too taboo to write anything comedic about disabilities, immigrants, or the projects. By going ahead anyway, they prove that provided it is done with authenticity instead of duplicity, filmmakers can bring humanity to a lighthearted film about trust and redemption.

The Intouchables Breaks Barriers At 8.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

Called Intouchables in France and Untouchables in the United Kingdom, the title takes its cue from the notion that Driss sees Philippe as untouchable (because he has to be cleaned and cared for) while Philippe is frequently told Driss is untouchable because he comes from the projects. It's this social juxtaposition that affords them a commonality, one perfectly portrayed by Sy and Cluzet.

The Intouchables received some American attention after being nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of best foreign language film. Foreign language film or not, it is arguably one of the best slice-of-life releases in the last two years (France in 2011 and other countries in 2012). The film was recently made available on DVD and other formats, which are available at Barnes & Noble. You can also find The Intouchables on Amazon or download it from iTunes.

Everything Or Nothing For 50 Years

Created by journalist, author and naval intelligence officer Ian Fleming, few characters have enjoyed as much success as James Bond. Bond, James Bond, would enjoy 12 novels under Fleming, 23 films portrayed by six different actors, and several other novels written by six additional authors. (Soon to be seven.)

All of them adopted timeless qualities that define James Bond, most notably the qualities that defined Ian Fleming, while also adapting and adhering to whatever global threats seemed to surface. In doing so,

"Here was a hero that murdered in cold blood. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam," says Timothy Dalton. "[He was] the dirtiest, toughest, meanest, nastiest, brutalist hero that we've ever seen. That is what started these movies." 

And it is also what often kept them going, with the Bond character celebrating his 50th anniversary this year and the film franchise enjoying its 40th anniversary last year. But perhaps even more striking than the onscreen insistence of the character was the behind-the-scenes insistence of everyone involved.

The World Is Not Enough might have been a Bond title that conveyed his mantra, but it was the mantra of everyone behind the camera too. Even the production company that came together to make it was named Eon Productions. EON was an acronym for Everything Or Nothing. It often was because Bond was frequently one gamble after another.

Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007

For anyone with a real interest in Bond, Everything Or Nothing is a chronological romp across 50 years, beginning with the fascinating Fleming. Although Fleming was an intelligence officer during World War II, he was largely stuck at home — overseeing two very real intelligence units.

As the film reveals, his thoughts about Bond were very much a collaboration of people who worked in the field as well as a collection of Fleming's own personal demons. He held nothing back.



In fact, one of the most striking realizations in the documentary is that Fleming was very likely looking in the mirror the one and only time that he described 007. Although Daniel Craig, the newest Bond, doesn't fit that description, he has captured the persona as the books intended. He is dark and troubled but often triumphant in turning the tide — not unlike the man who wanted to fight in the Cold War.

Although largely polished and protective, the film pulls back some curtains. 

Anytime a film franchise adds to its record as the longest-running in movie making history, it's easy to forget that the series frequently tittered on one disaster after the next, starting with endlessly negative critical reviews about Casino Royal. One of them included the hate of his wife.

Once Bond slowly started to migrate to the silver screen, it became worse. The first disastrous film adaption made Bond an American named Jimmy. It attracted Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, but they were unable to finance it. The original $1 million budget to produce the first film and Columbia turned them down.

Even after it finally found it success, the franchise always rolled along with plenty of peaks and valleys. It made the career of Sean Connery, but also tested whether or not Bond was bigger than the actors who portrayed him. None of them after Connery would escape criticism (and even Connery received some criticism on his return). And ironically, even Fleming and United Artists had doubts about him.

He proved his place in his own way, much like many of the actors did over time. In fact, although the feel of the documentary is fluff, it reveals a surprising amount of detail inside its 90 minutes with vintage and new appearances from the people closest to the project. All of it is unafraid of its controversies, much like someone might expect from Bond himself.

Everything Or Nothing Targets 6.1 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

Although the James Bond franchise has become a cultural phenomenon of sorts, the films seem to have done so in spite of themselves. Behind the scenes, most of the actors, authors, directors, and even the producers made decisions not based on what they felt the public wanted, but on their interpretation and sometimes love of the character originally created by Fleming.

While the documentary by director Stevan Riley might leave some Bond buffs wanting more, it is certainly a fine pick for the mildly curious after watching Skyfall. Both the newest film and the documentary make sense of why this British spy thriller has managed to become endearing for generations.

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is available from Amazon. You can also download the movie from iTunes. The latest Bond film, Skyfall (Blu-ray/ DVD + Digital Copy), can also be found on Amazon or downloaded from iTunes too. For more information about Bond like 50 vehicles over 50 years, visit the dedicated 007 website.

Brooklyn Castle Checkmates Education

Intermediate School 318 (I.S. 318) is a junior high school in Brooklyn, New York, that has an amazing story to tell. Despite consisting of a student population that is below the poverty line, the school has won 30 national chess tournaments, more than any other junior high school in the nation.

Their story started several years ago when a small group of children started bringing in their chess boards after school to play. The late principal Fortunato Rubino decided it would be a great experience for the students to travel to a different state and attend a chess tournament. They surprised everyone. They won.

They continued to win for more than a decade. And they continue to win today. Last year, the junior high school became the first to win the High School National Champions and the win underscores what then 12-year-old student Alexis said about the game.

"Chess doesn't matter how how old you are, how young you are, or where you come from," he said. "It only matters how much work you put into and how many hours you study it."

But mastering the game isn't the end of their dreams. Many of the students look to chess as an opportunity to advance, earn scholarships, and have a better quality of life then their parents.



For most of the 85 students who are part of the I.S. 318 chess team, many of their dreams are within reach. One of them, Justus Williams, recently became the youngest ever African-American to become a "National Master." But even for the students at I.S. 318 who aren't on the chess team, the successes of their peers inspire them to study harder, work harder, and reach for their dreams.

Chess isn't the only after-school programs afforded to the students of I.S. 318. The school has built several such programs that engage kids after school, ranging from community service to music. They also have a successful baseball team.

The movie itself is harrowing because it chronicles the challenge that the school faced as New York, like many states and school districts across the nation, cut budgets that impact extracurricular programs, including chess. The school and students had to raise money to keep the program open and the dreams of many students alive.

The importance of after-school programs anywhere and everywhere.

As the film producers point out, organized after-school programs can make a tremendous difference in the opportunities for children. On the film's website, they cite several studies that reveal children who do not participate in after-school programs are three times more likely to engage in at-risk activities, twice as likely to skip school, and more likely to participate in criminal activities.

Even more important, after-school programs do more than reduce risky behavior. Students engaged in formal school programs (like chess or music or sports) are more likely to have higher test scores, graduate, and attend college. The reasons are three-fold. Students are engaged, enthusiastic, and develop the belief that they can succeed regardless of any socio-economic limitations.

In countries like the United States, as many as 15 million students (26 percent) are on their own after school. More than a million of these students are in kindergarten through fifth grade. But the challenge for those who become the highest risk students is that either there are no after-school programs, the programs are too broad and not focused enough, or parents are unaware of program availability.

Even more challenging, schools around the country continue to be plagued with budget cuts that jeopardize even the most successful programs like I.S. 318 as after-school programs are often first to be cut. And unlike I.S. 318, some school districts and schools are unwilling to put forth private fundraising efforts to save such programs or reallocate funds from non-vital administrative positions.

The I.S. 318 Story Is A Liquid Hip Good Will Pick. 

At least once a month, Liquid Hip highlights good will efforts undertaken by people with big hearts. We don't score them. That belongs to you.

We chose Brooklyn Castle because the story is an inspiring one that counters mistaken stereotypes.  Starting out in a family below the poverty line does not have to limit a student's potential for a better life. The students of I.S. 318 learn this through chess. You can see their story, Brooklyn Castle, on iTunes or you can order the film from Amazon. You can also visit this amazing school in Brooklyn.

There are dozens of paths that someone can take after watching Brooklyn Castle. You can find ways to help I.S. 318 continue its program or inspire other children through chess by learning from books like Thinking with Chess: Teaching Children (Ages 5-14) from Amazon. The producers of the film have also provided a start-up guide for after-school programs. While the guide doesn't address management, funding, and evaluation, it does provide a quick overview showing that it is possible.

Wallflowers Earn All The Perks In Film

Despite occasionally overzealous polish and missing any deep conflict beyond the everyday challenges of being an adolescent, Stephen Chbosky works hard to capture the mysticism that made his novel a modern classic. Where he succeeds is in creating an earnest indie with enough lightly offbeat moments that almost anyone can relate, regardless of who they might be or when they survived high school.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (Perks) is a triumph in understanding the importance of acceptance and the pitfalls of authenticity during the longest four years of anyone's life. Charlie (Logan Lerman) makes for the perfectly distant outcast, especially because there is something slightly offbeat about his mental chemistry.

Charlie eases into being the canvas for a cast of young and offbeat characters. 

Charlie is a 15-year-old boy who is a naive but endearing outsider, coping with a mental illness and the death of several people close to him. The outcast newcomer is taken under the wings of two smart and quirky high school seniors, Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), who help lure him away from a fictitious friend he writes letters to and into the real world with all of its charms and challenges.

All of the actors in the film fully commit to their various roles and relationships, especially the leading three. Lerman bravely plays Charlie by balancing his charming desire and patience to belong with a quiet and mildly disturbing belief that he will never belong. Watson is purposeful and poised, always grounded despite becoming the object of a crush. And then there is Miller.

By almost every measure, Miller delivers a movie-stealing performance as a self-assured and exuberant gay high school student. Although Miller recently went public about his own sexuality, the weight of his emerging talent as an actor is easily understood by seeing him in the contrasting role We Need To Talk About Kevin. While Charlie is the protagonist, Patrick can easily be considered the hero.


The three of them initially connect at a high school game that Charlie attends on his own. Recognizing Charlie from a class they have together, Patrick invites him to join them and takes him to a cafe afterward. At another school event, the step-sibling duo invite Charlie to dance with them and take him to a party, introducing them to their self-described group of misfit toys (slightly reminiscent of theater geeks). On the individual measure, they represent the increasingly diverse modern stereotypes that have emerged since films like The Breakfast Club.

The film is thoroughly enjoyable despite never allowing major conflicts to overshadow its even-paced, feel-good charm. While often overlooked, it waters down what would otherwise be climactic moments as large as those seen in films like Almost Famous. Instead, Chbosky makes it all easy, despite the bumps and bruises, with no real explanation other than all of it is slightly tainted by Charlie's perspective.

A bit about author, screenwriter and director Stephen Chbosky. 

Chbosky was born in 1970 and raised in a Pittsburgh suburb. The location was not at all that different from the setting of his debut novel, but he graduated from high school two to three years earlier. The book itself can be considered accidental in that Chbosky was working on a different book when he wrote the line that would become the debut's title.

As a semi-autobiographical book, it became immediately popular for dealing with teen sexuality and drug use and was eventually banned in several schools. It has twice made the American Library Association's 10 most frequently challenged books list.

Chbosky has had a somewhat sporadic but successful career since his first independent film, Four Corners Of Nowhere, in 1995. Since, he has written and produced several projects, most notably: the television series Jericho and the screenplay Rent.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Peaks At 7.5 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

Although The Perks Of Being A Wallflower might be more structurally sanitized than the novel of the same name, Chbosky clearly brings real passion to this independent project. In doing so, he delivers a certain timeless quality to the film while bringing out the very best from a young cast. Kudos to Waston too. She picked the right post-Potter part.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower can be downloaded from iTunes. The novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is available from Amazon. Although digitally available, the DVD and Blu-ray release is slated for Feb. 12. Film preorders are available from Barnes & Noble. Expect the film to find a much larger viewership than it ever did during its limited run last fall.

Headhunters Keeps Rolling For Tyldum

There isn't any other way to describe it. Headhunters is an absolutely stunning Norwegian thriller with two con games colliding in a fury of intellectual friction, fists, and gunfire. Based upon the book of a similar name by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, the film is an unpredictable joy ride filled with manipulative twists and unforgettable scenes.

The first con is perpetuated by headhunter Roger Brown. He works as one of the most powerful executive headhunters in Norway, making 20-35 percent of a multimillion dollar salary any time he matches the right candidate with the right position. It's a high stakes game with big risks and bigger rewards.

Being at the top of such a lucrative career would be enough for most people, but Brown has two distinct problems. He's short, standing a mere 5' 6" and feeding what amounts to a cool, aloof, and amoral personality disorder to overcompensate for it. He also doesn't make enough money to keep pace with the extravagant lifestyle he uses to fuel a larger-than-life reputation.

Meet Roger Brown. He's a part-time art thief. 

To compensate for the lifestyle, Brown (Aksel Hennie) has invented a second source of revenue as a part-time art thief. As inventive as the story itself, Brown uses his position to ask candidates whether or not they own any original art, mesmerizing them with analogy that reputation dictates the value of art much like it dictates the worth of a CEO, before a rapid set of questions about family, household staff, and pets.

Brown doesn't ask to merely size them up for the job as it seems. He wants to know what he can steal and how difficult the job might be. The only thing he doesn't ask about is their alarm systems. Brown has an inside man at the finest security company, someone who receives a heads up after Brown schedules a candidate's meeting to coincide with any time that no one would be home.


This is also what makes Brown such an attractive anti-hero in Headhunters. He doesn't burgle homes, but rather swaps out replica art with the original while his candidate meets with the prospecting firm. Ideally, they won't ever know the original has gone missing, at least not for months.

Meet Clas Greve. He's the hardest mark. 

Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is everything that Brown believes himself not to be. He is a handsome and charismatic son of an affluent family who recently arrived in Norway and has yet to settle on a job. In fact, Greve is the epitome of everything that Brown believes could steal away his wife, Diana Brown (Synnøve Macody Lund), who introduces the two at the opening of her art gallery.

Although immediately jealous of his wife's doting on Greve, Brown sees two opportunities. Greve could be the right fit as CEO of a conglomerate based in Oslo. He also happens to own an original painting by Sir Peter Paul Rubens that was believed to be lost during World War II. The painting could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and the answer to the debt Brown has incurred by funding his wife's gallery.

What makes Greve an especially hard mark is that any genetic and ancestral blessings he might have are backed up by his first career. He was a special forces operative, specially trained in tracking down terrorists. If there was ever a threat to thwart Brown, it would likely be the one man who is running a con of his own.

Headhunters is driven by the near-perfect handling of a sharply dark story.

Director Morten Tyldum delivers what most will measure up as his best directorial effort to date. As well earned as the critical acclaim was for his feature film debut Buddy in 2003, everything he had learned in the past decade as a rising film talent has culminated in this film with the help of screenwriters Lars Gudmestad and Ulf Ryberg.

Tyldum does an excellent job guiding Aksel Hennie to transform himself from a self-loathing and dislikable character into a protagonist people are persuaded to get behind, despite working on a relatively modest budget and a film schedule shot in the dead of winter. He also added some dark Nordic humor into the film, taking advantage of Norway's willingness to embrace morally flawed characters. He is one to watch, especially now that he is slated for English-speaking films as well.

Headhunters Creeps In To Explode At 9.4 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale. 

As a twisted thriller that creeps in as an intellectual puzzler and spirals out of control in darkly comic violence, Headhunters tempers itself with convincing performances by Hennie, Coster-Waldau, Lund, Elvind Sander, Julie R. Ølgaard, and others. Likewise, despite being driven as a thriller, it is incredibly unafraid to tap a few tender moments as well.

Although released two years ago in Norway before migrating to the United States for a film festival and theatrical run last year, it is perfectly suited to set an early bar among indies and foreign films this year. Headhunters is currently available to rent or purchase from iTunes. You can also purchase Headhunters [Blu-ray] on Amazon or order the film from Barnes & Noble. Subtitles are seldom so fun to read. You can also find the book, Headhunters (Movie Tie-In), on Amazon. For the original novel, with fewer bouts of dark comedy, try Alibris. 

Safety Not Guaranteed Sees A Future

"Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before." — Classified advertisement

As impossible as it might sound, the indie comedy-drama film Safety Not Guaranteed was inspired by an advertisement that ran in Backwoods Home Magazine in 1997. The ad was one of two placed by freelance writer John Silveira as a joke, meant to fill space. His surprise was in the response.

He received more than 1,000 responses.

It was this ad that eventually inspired screenwriter Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow to wonder what might have happened if someone else had placed it — like Kenneth Colloway (Mark Duplass), a stock clerk at a local grocery store who spends his spare time decipering time travel.

The ad does attract some attention, including the editorial team of a Seattle magazine, which assigns one of its writers, Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson), and two interns (Aubrey Plaza and Karan Soni) to investigate the person who placed it. It doesn't take long for the three of them to discover someone who is paranoid about being followed by government agents isn't very easy.

Colloway rejects Schwensen as a companion outright, leaving intern Darius Britt to partner up with the would-be time traveler. Britt, a despondent college student who lives at home with her widower father (Jeff Garlin), must pass a series of training exercises before Colloway is willing to accept her as a companion. As she passes them easily enough, she begins to endear herself to him.

While Britt continues to bond with Colloway, his paranoia is proven real as the Seattle journalists discover federal agents really are following him. At the same time, they debunk his reasons for traveling back in time. The girlfriend he claims that he wants to save is alive. And she was never his girlfriend.



Overall, the film is brought together by an amazingly strong cast, frequently clever writing, and a warmth that comes out of the disillusionment of having to grow up more than time travel storyline. While the characters feel less grounded than those in the more thrilleresque time travel indie Sound Of My Voice and Duplass plays Colloway too affable to ever be considered dangerous, the entire film comes from a different place. It relies more on heart, trust and quirkiness to propel itself.

A bit more about the people behind Safety Not Guaranteed. 

Although Connolly has written for television and film since attending film school at New York University, Safety Not Guaranteed is his first produced screenplay. Since Safety Not Guaranteed became a light-hearted indie success, he has signed on to co-write another film with Big Beach Films and to rewrite and remake Flight Of The Navigator with Disney.

On both projects, he will be working with Trevorrow as director. Trevorrow is a long-time film enthusiast who started making shorts when he was only 12. Like Connollly, Trevorrow also graduated from New York University. They met while interning at Saturday Night Live. Trevorrow also produced, directed and wrote a handful of titles, most notably the short Home Base in 2002 and Making Revolution in 2003.

While the entire cast turns in memorable performances, Duplass and Plaza are especially sharp in being purposefully one beat off from everyone else. They do develop an oddball spark between them, even if any flame feels more like friendship than a developing romance. The only place either of them seem to struggle is in a script overreach that gives the character Colloway a prosthetic ear.

Safety Not Guaranteed Bends 4.2 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

This is the indie flick that reverses the notion that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. Here, precisely, the opposite holds true. It is all the independent parts that somehow manage to elevate Safety Not Guaranteed into an offbeat, feel-good film that (albeit being amazingly light) is plainly deserving of attention.

Safety Not Guaranteed is available for rent or purchase from iTunes. You can also find Safety Not Guaranteed on DVD and Blu-ray via Amazon. The film is also available at Barnes & Noble. Since making appearances at several film festivals this year, the movie earned several awards, with Plaza deservedly earning Breakthrough Performance Award from Young Hollywood Actors (among others) and Connolly receiving the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance.