One’s first love is always memorable. To feel that intensity and longing for someone for the first time, that feeling is deeply ingrained in one’s memory. It can be beautiful, tender and special or it can be painful, dark and downright tragic. The new romantic drama The Best of Me explores “first love” and features syrupy performances from its actors. It isn’t a great film but it isn’t terrible either but what do you expect from romantic cheese. Romance novelist Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle) is no stranger to the genre and many of his works have been adapted for the silver screen. The Best of Me continues this trend and now, lovesick teenage girls can celebrate the film’s arrival.
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Rudderless
Music can be a very powerful form of therapy. The extreme comfort and utter majesty that a certain tune evokes can serve as a much needed security blanket when the occasion calls for it. The main character in the new dramedy Rudderless knows this all too well and the film follows this man on his quest to battle his demons and make his cloudy view of life a little bit sunnier.
St. Vincent
Few actors these days can play themselves on screen and get away with it. To be comfortable in one’s skin while entertaining the masses is a rarity but when it happens, it’s really a beautiful thing. Bill Murray has been a strong example of this for a while now. In fact, much of his career and many of his most notable roles are Bill being Bill. He’s won awards just for playing himself. His latest dramedy St. Vincent continues this trend and the results are actually pretty outstanding. With a great supporting cast, a bittersweet script and an overall offbeat style, this is one of Murray’s best films yet.
Camp X-Ray
Kristen Stewart is something of an anomaly. She’s a beautiful young actress who started out in supernatural romantic drivel but is thankfully maturing as a talented thespian. She could have easily remained in Twilight-like fare but she has basically graduated to more grownup features. Her newest film Camp X-Ray is a powerful dramatic effort that places Stewart in a setting you’d never picture her in, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The film is a brave effort from Stewart and certainly one of the best films of the year. Here’s hoping it doesn’t fall through the cracks.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
They say life imitates art. But in some cases, art imitates life and truer words have never been spoken in the new film Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). This unique motion picture event will not only leave you scratching your head wondering what just happened but will leave an everlasting impression because of its artful and utterly mesmerizing impact. Birdman is already earning praise from critics and seems to be one of the frontrunners come award season. It is a cinematic phenomenon that simply needs to be experienced.
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Waiting For August
Many things in this world are universal. One of those things is family and the responsibility that goes along with it. The new documentary Waiting For August is a simple film, one which highlights the importance of family togetherness and unconditional love. It takes place in Romania, a land that is fairly unfamiliar to Americans but the film’s ultimate message and style are easy to understand and almost impossible to forget. It is a foreign film with a theme spoken all around the world and in volumes.
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda is one of human history’s great spiritual gurus. He was a man of almost infinite wisdom and had a perception of life few have ever achieved. He was a Hindu Swami who brought methods of yoga, meditation as well as enlightenment to the Western world. His teachings are known the world over and are considered the most precious pieces of knowledge ever to grace mankind. A brilliant new documentary has just been released entitled Awake: The Life of Yogananda and it shines a light on the man and the miracle who has touched so many lives with a spiritual, almost magic touch.
The Canal
The horror film genre in the United States is somewhat lacking these days. When moviegoers desire quality scares, they usually look oversees. Ireland seems to have done things right with its latest horror picture The Canal, a psychological spook fest that contains many aspects of films before it but does however, offer some freshness and originality. The acting is top notch and the abidance will definitely raise the hairs on your neck. It is a film with more pros than cons and that fact is firmly cemented by an independent feel and solid editing.
The Houses October Built
Halloween is a time in which fright and the macabre run wild. People love a good scare and haunted houses provide scare-seekers with the most genuine and heart-pounding form of entertainment. Actors (people dressed up as monsters) hide out in dark corners and pop out, causing thrill-seekers to skip a heart beat here and there. The latest found footage horror/drama The Houses October Built is an intriguing entry in the same genre of The Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity saga. It is a hybrid of that which is real and of that which is spooky fiction. It is being released close to Halloween, so horror and haunted house enthusiasts might want to check out this eerie film.
Automata
The relationship between man and machine has been the basis for many science fiction stories over the years. Films like The Terminator and Blade Runner are just a few prime examples of how people and robots either coexist or do battle with one another. The latest sci-fi/thriller Automata is an ambitious foray in the futuristic eye candy genre and sadly, the results are rather lackluster. This is especially disappointing because the cast is comprised of usually reliable and gifted actors. The direction is adequate at best but the premise here feels all too familiar.
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