Actor Kal Penn is known for a great many things. His stoner adventures in the Harold and Kumar film series are without a doubt, his most notable works. He’s actually also on the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities under Barack Obama. With his busy schedule, he even finds time and currently stars in the new drama Bhopal: A Prayer For Rain, a film which explores the Bhopal chemical disaster which occurred in India 30 years ago. Mr. Penn was nice enough to speak with me about the very important film and it was truly enlightening, to say the least:
Obsession is usually a very effective subject for thriller films. Just look at Fatal Attraction and Misery. Unrequited love or an uneven admiration for someone can cause extreme tension and in some instances, danger. The new thriller Missionary takes obsession to new heights and it is a film full of all the creepiness and violence that usually comes with stalker fare. It takes obsession to pretty extreme heights and the results are not only frightening but genuinely entertaining.
Jon Cryer is, for all intensive purposes, a pretty funny guy. His character Duckie in the 1986 John Hughes classic Pretty in Pink coupled with his long-running role as Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men are the man’s most notable works. He always plays nerdy and naïve sidekicks who sadly don’t always get what they want (especially the girl). Cryer continues to play this type of role in the small yet charming dark comedy Hit by Lightning, a Canadian export that actually borrows heavily from other films before it. That being said, it isn’t terrible. It just has an overall average quality about it.
Mental illness is something covered in film pretty extensively. The human mind is so complex that those who are considered “insane” provides for some of the very best of cinema. The new thriller Stonehearst Asylum tackles the subject of insanity in a very dark and at times, disturbing way. The film has a fantastic cast and a gritty feel and originality that few thrillers these days possess. That originally, however, stems from Edgar Allan Poe whose short story The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether serves as Stonehearst Asylum’s primary inspiration.
The line between work and family is tight rope to walk sometimes. What comes first and what’s top priority? Sure, family might seem like the more important of the two but for some people, that simply isn’t the case. The new Irish-Norwegian drama 1,000 Times Good Night explores this subject very well and not only is it crucial issue to examine, it offers a chance for film star Juliette Binoche to play a character who is troubled and caught between what she loves to do and the strong concern her family has for her.
Revenge thrillers have become so overdone and so formulaic that they barely hold water these days. Ever since Liam Neeson decided to fight back against his daughter’s captors in 2008’s immensely popular Taken, audiences have been thirsting for similar action fare ever since. The concept of a middle-aged man kicking ass seems to be a very appealing premise for many moviegoers and studios seem to be capitalizing on this phenomenon more and more. Famed French actor Gerard Depardieu has joined this bandwagon with the latest action-thriller Viktor and the results are lukewarm at best.
Shailene Woodley is something of a phenomenon. She basically appeared out of nowhere and stepped right into the spotlight with her fantastic performance as George Clooney’s outspoken daughter in 2011’s The Descendants. Since then, she has been quickly moving up the Hollywood stardom ladder. At 22 year of age, she has shown a strong command of the dramatic arts and displayed a wide range in every role she chooses. Her latest film White Bird in a Blizzard continues to show audiences that she is more than just a pretty face and can tackle some very heavy material.
On December 2nd, 1984, a truly horrific event took place in Bhopal, India. The Bhopal disaster was an industrial gas leak, considered to be the worst manmade disaster in history. More than 10,000 people were killed in one night as a result of it and people are still feeling effects to this day. A semi-fictional feature film has been made to shed light on the disaster with a strong cast and exquisite direction. Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is a dramatic depiction of the Bhopal disaster complete with a handful of interesting character backstories as well as some rather beautiful film visuals.
Very few people in the world are worthy of the moniker “genius”. To make groundbreaking discoveries that affect humanity and make a significant impact on the way people see the universe, well that’s very rare. Renowned English physicist Stephen Hawking is one such individual to achieve this and his life and work are the stuff of absolute legends. His research and theories questioned the very nature of time and space and shook the foundation of modern science. The new biographical film The Theory of Everything shines a light on the scientist’s personal life from when he was a young college student up until the present.
The line between good and bad can at times, be rather grey. With crime, this distinction comes up a lot and whether you are right or wrong, the road getting to that truth can be pretty bumpy. The latest Australian export Felony explores moral ambiguity and during the course of the film, the main character’s motives are explored and his moral compass, seriously tested. It isn’t a very good film but it does tackle an issue that can be very important. A human drama through and through, it does have a noble purpose and that, like most films, is to entertain. Unfortunately, this film doesn’t rank too high on the fun-o-meter.
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