Viewing a psychological thriller is an excellent way to get sucked into a world full of dark, shady, and morally-questionable characters. The way people think and behave is at the forefront of many thrillers and the situations the characters get into provides for highly entertaining examples of cinema. The simple and independent The Maid’s Room is a perfect example of a movie in which the characters dig themselves deeper and deeper and pull the audience in, asking “What is wrong with these people?”
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Food porn is a popular form of entertainment in the ever expanding reality entertainment market. The fascination of seeing different culinary styles and combinations on screen has been quite the phenomenon with viewers for some strange reason. Television may be the more popular medium when it comes to food porn but motion pictures also tend to dabble in this mysterious form of visual delight. The latest dramedy The Hundred-Foot Journey is a big budget silly, sometimes sincere stew full of strong performances, formulaic plot devices, and the occasional humorous moment. It is a cutesy, straightforward film rated PG, so it is easy to digest for much of the family in search of some tasty cinema.
What If
In the wake of his decade playing Harry Potter, young, talented actor Daniel Radcliffe has certainly blossomed and matured in his entertainment career. He has taken unconventional film roles and has earned much praise with his stints on Broadway. At the tender age of 24, Mr. Radcliffe continually brings joy to the world and manages to captivate his audiences. His latest film What If (aka The F Word) is a charming romantic dramedy in which he and fellow youngin Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, Revolutionary Road) play an intriguing game of emotional ping pong. The film is quirky, raw, and downright fun.
Louder Than Words
The family drama is a tricky genre to tackle on film. While most family units struggle to find equilibrium, emotions run high and drama runs rampant. Parents and children often find compromise difficult, creating awkward tension and resentment. Nothing puts a damper on family harmony other than death and when that death concerns one of the younger children, sadness and remorse cover the entire household like a dark cloud no one can escape. Louder Than Words is a prime example of a family trying to cope and accept the fact that one of their young members has died. It is a solid family drama detailing an extremely serious subject filled with utterly honest performances.
Behaving Badly
Bad movies are a dime a dozen these days. Studios tend to churn out absolute garbage in the hopes of appeasing wide audiences. Unfortunately, these absentminded studio executives take tired and recycled plots, repackage them, hire poor excuses for writers, and spotlight some attractive, young actors. Throw in some well-known performers to add a touch of “class” to the production and off they go. Behaving Badly is one such example and it is a movie so bad, that it is an insult to the good name of filmmaking.
Guardians of the Galaxy
With superhero movies being the annual norm come summertime, many audiences salivate at the very thought of seeing their favorite comic book characters portrayed on screen. The entertainment juggernaut that is Marvel has been riding this wave for over a decade and the results just keep getting better and better. Guardians of the Galaxy continues this popular trend and it is a sci-fi-action film that is as exciting as it is funny. Few films manage to capture that magical spirit but Guardians pulls it off in more ways than one.
Child of God
Many artists share their beauty with the world. They know what they want, they follow their hearts, and they proudly display their work for all to see. To call James Franco an artist is fairly appropriate. He has a unique style from his acting to his directing to his writing. The man definitely has a lot to say because it seems as though he’s somehow involved with every movie that gets released these days. His latest film Child of God (which he directed and co-stars in) is a dark and very disturbing look at a man living on the edge, and on the brink of absolute madness.
Happy Christmas
Just about every family has a black sheep, someone who goes against the grain and tends to annoy the heck out of his or her relatives. Though irritating and a burden, this individual can be full of life, piss and vinegar, making for a very colorful and downright entertaining character. This type of person has been brought to life on screen many times before but in the new dramedy Happy Christmas, we see a more realistic side to this controversial personality.
Honour
Honour is a film that addresses a topic that is far from honorable. Honor killings take place all over the world and take the lives of many people (mostly women) who have brought great shame and humiliation to their families. Many factors contribute to this form of murder: religion, marrying or having sex with a member of a different race, and so forth. Old fashioned thinkers believe it to be totally necessary to end the life of a loved one simply for going in a direction that is contrary to their family’s beliefs. This practice is atrocious and it is explored a bit in the lackluster Honour.
Boyhood
Richard Linklater is a filmmaker with one of the most impressive and eclectic resumes of any artist working today. From Slacker to Dazed and Confused to Waking Life to Before Sunrise and its sequels, the man certainly has a gift when it comes to making quality films. His latest work Boyhood continues this trend of supplying exemplary art on the movie screen and it is without a doubt, one of the best movies of 2014 thus far.
Unger the Radar 