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Dallas Movie Screening
Dallas Movie Screenings started out as a mailing list on Yahoo Groups to facilitate finding free screening passes in the DFW area. When Yahoo Groups shut down, we are now posting screenings on our Facebook page at http://www..facebook.com/groups/dallasmoviescreenings
Earlier Reesa's Reviews can also be found at:http://www.moviegeekfeed.com
Synopsis: In the fifth film in the series Jason Bourne is drug back into the muck and the mire as he is once again trying to piece together the fragmented memory's he can't seem to hold on to. And this time he is on a path of vengeance.
Review Summary: Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon team up once again to make yet another good action film. Although out of the four Matt Damon installments this might be the most lackluster. The action scenes are riveting, and the performances are terrific. The only problem that seemed to take this movie down a notch is the jumbled story. There are moments where it is as if your eyes are glued to the screen, but then a scene comes along that feels it is out of left field. When Bourne is on screen there are no complaints, but the weird political agenda that is thrown in at times totally didn't seem like a Bourne film. Overall Jason Bourne is a good action film with lots of amazing set pieces, but with a duo such as Greengrass and Damon you expect more than just good, you expect great.
(Review by Joel Hinson)
This emotionally twisting film presents the story of a hotel room going through many decades of events and inhabitants. A scene at the beginning of the film set in the 50s involves two men having a last talk before they separate because of war. Minutes before that we see two people having sex in this grimy room while a man sits on a chair singing a lyric of what the place used to be. This type of story line, which I think is brilliant, was used in Moulin Rouge as a similarly eerie and engaging segment.
Initially, I had tremendous trepidation about the explicitness of this film when it came to sexuality. I have to say to my amazement that I was pleasantly surprised. Each story laid out linearly about this particular room in the hotel was so gripping that by the end of the film I had tear stains running on my cheeks. Stories of death, desperation, comfort in friendships, worried partners, and tumultuous events were brilliantly woven into this creation of the script.
A woman who is a maid at the hotel is guided through her life by a ghost of a pleasant soul who greeted her on her first day. The scenes where she gets older are so much more meaningful to watch because you’ve seen the character’s first job become years of work. Another incredibly touching story occurs between a man and a prostitute. The woman is married and this man is just another payday. The first scene though, although very sexually explicit, expresses that the woman and man feel a strong love for each other beyond the sex. Little instances throughout the film remind us of this secret and special relationship and trigger feelings of compassion.
For the most part, the actors did a fine job of telling really melancholy stories. They convinced me to the point enough where the film became immersive. Director Eric Khoo creates beauty out of love mixed with darkness. He brings out in this film a connection for me to have with the characters. I felt the feelings of nostalgia and bad choices. I felt the feelings of true friendship that the maid has with her ghost. True, this film is adult and is definitely not something to bring even a teenager to. Even including those facts I felt that all of the shots in this story were justified.
(Review by Wyatt Head)
Hope y'all are surviving these hot summer days. Its been a busy week with the Asian Film Festival Dallas that has just closed. Y'all really have to take advantage of the events offered in the DFW area.
We are expecting you will be scrambling for Jason Bourne passes this week. Just remember you have to enter to win before you start to mooch from some one else. And those folks who get multiples please release them or offer them if you are not going to use them.
July 24 - July 30
Sunday
July 24
Monday
July 25
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise - 7:00 pm - Cinemark Alliance
Nerve - 7:30 pm - AMC North park
Tuesday
July 26
Hillsong: Let Hope Rise - 7:00 pm - AMC Mesquite
Jason Bourne - 7:30 pm- TBA
Wednesday
July 27
Lights Out - 7:30 pm - AMC North park
Captain Fantastic - 7:30 pm - Angelika Dallas
Jason Bourne - 7:30 pm - tba
Zombie movies are normally of a dime a dozen that fill the movie channels nightly. Filled with scantily clad women who scream and stereotypical useless people. It takes a South Korean film to bring back the faith of the genre. Directed by Yeon Sang ho and written by Park Joo sum sets the story on a passenger train for an hour long journey from Seoul to Busan. Well acted it is carefully paced with horror and character development. The film had a big midnight screening at Cannes and opened in South Korea breaking box office records. It's well worth the trip to Cine Oasis in Carrollton to catch this train.
Gong yoo , the favorite actor of Korean drama Coffee Prince, plays a fund manager Seok woo who is a workaholic divorced dad to Su-an (Kim Su an) who just wants to see her mom in Busan. His mother guilts him into accompanying Su-an on the train. At the same time the train is departing the station there are news reports of some unrest happening in the city. Seok woo is too distracted by the stress of his job that he doesn't notice the news or his daughter who wandered off curious about the conductor checking out a stow a way muttering some thing about everyone being dead. Elsewhere on the train, an injured young woman has also boarded and it doesn't take long before mayhem erupts.
These zombies are particularly gruesome. The change happens quickly and they are World War Z fast. Survivors manage to huddle on one car while the major players are established. The pregnant Sung kyunk (Jung Yu mi) and her tough husband Seok hwa (Ma Dong Seok), teenagers Young guk (Choice Woo sik) and his girlfriend Jin hee (An Soon hee), and the selfish paranoid CEO Yong sum (Kim Eui sung). Seok woo at one point tells his daughter to think only about her self when push comes to shove, but despite most peoples inclination for self survival some rise to the occasion to save each other.
The claustrophobic surroundings of a train hurtling down the tracks while flesh eating zombies plaster their dead eyed faces against the glass partitions is a bit unnerving. There are terrifying moments when the train stops and people debark looking for safety but finding none there, they get back on the train but some end up trapped. The last portion of the film is a nail biter as a rescue attempt is made and the selfish CEO becomes problematic. While there is so much going on we actually feel for the people involved and not distracted by the usual stupid character that takes one out of the story. This is absolutely one of the best zombie movies ever, a must see, but you may want too drive there and skip the DART.
(Review by reesa)
My phone interview with Director Roger Ross Williams on his recent film Life, Animated. The film follows a autistic man, Owen Suskind's, family in his journey to independence and reflects back on his childhood.
(Interview by Wyatt Head)
Life, Animated
This happy and uplifting film shares the story of Owen, who has Autism, from the time he was very young to his young adulthood. We are taken through the family’s trials and first realizations that he had the condition. The camera follows him through his life using animation, interviews, and footage of Owen going to through his current day. Owen gained his tools that he has today through Disney animation. The shots of him viewing the films, which he has thoroughly memorized, brought memorable and magical moments to me as I remembered those films.
The animation used as a sketch 2-D type to tell Owen’s story really was remarkable and pretty. The thick lines and colors added to the animation as if it were a painting brought a sense of adventure to the family’s recollections. They actually in the opening credits took video footage from the family and made it into a sketch. A piece of footage with Owen’s father and him playing in the yard was gripping because his dad didn’t know about his Autism at the time. His father explains that at the age of three Owen just stopped being the Owen they knew.
The film had a great balance between the story of the family’s history and what was going on currently in Owen’s life. Something that was mentioned well was that Autism was an unflattering thing back in the early 90s. That gave you a sense of where the family was at the time of his diagnosis and the work they would have to do. The filmmakers use audio to imitate the garble that Owen now says he heard from everyone when he was young. It was a wonderful way for us as the audience to understand his over stimulation.
There is a segment where the father explains how Owen said something to him for the first time in a year through a puppet. The father spoke through a voice and used a Disney puppet to ask him how his son felt. This is reminisced upon while the father tears up in the interview. One can imagine how emotional and trying it was to just get their son to speak to them. The film made a very clear path towards understanding all of Owen’s needs and breakthroughs.
Owen says it himself that he uses the films to make sense of the world. To watch the sequences of Disney films on the screen is quite an extraordinary thing because for Owen this was his cherished tool. This documentary supported the growth of Autism awareness and made animation more aesthetic than ever.
(Review by Wyatt Head)
Opening:
Don’t get discouraged that is a review for part 1 and part 2 of this film. I consider it a four hour movie instead of two separate two hour films so I figure it would easier to review that way. I have never been to the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, but after this film I want to go back and watch more brilliant anime. This is based off a popular manga series from Japan and then adapted as a television series with the first season being released and it runs about twenty-five episodes with a second season along the way. These two films are essentially the twenty-five episodes crammed into four hours so simpletons like me don’t have to sit through it all. However, after watching this epic film, I want to go back and watch the rest of the television show. Let’s get reel and break this down.
Plot:
Part 1: In a dystopian world, a young man vows to eliminate the giant humanoid creatures that threaten the remnants of humanity.
Part 2: As the Trost District is reclaimed from the Titans, Eren is taken under the wing of Captain Levi and his squad, who decide to try and teach him to master his mysterious abilities.
Directing/Writing
Pros:
Simply put, this story feels epic and sucks you in from the moment it starts. The dark, sci-fi fantasy elements are imaginative and creative while still having some great commentary on: society, social classes, vengeance, war, government and the military and even hints of obsession with power and how it can consume you and other themes sprinkled throughout. There are a lot of working elements that bring this story to life with entertainment and depth. All of the characters have their motives and distinct personalities that make each of them standout and have their moment without watering the story down with all the characters presented. The director brought had the difficult task of condensing the twenty-five hour season into a four hour film that still makes sense and brings in new fans that have never heard of this property. He brought in the original voice actors from the show to redo the dialogue to make it flow better for the films. For the most the director did the best he could do but…
Cons:
…you can definitely tell where the missing parts are from the series and it’s very apparent and makes you wonder what you missed and was it important. The other thing that felt unfinished was the whole experience itself. At the end of part 2, we are presented with an ending to the characters current journey but it leaves on a massive cliffhanger and doesn’t have a definitive ending with some questions unanswered. That’s not a bad thing but maybe I am jealous because I want more of it and have to wait until season two.
(Voice) Acting
Pros:
Everyone brings these animated characters to life with intensity and charisma for their characters. From all the epic battle scenes and the quieter, emotional moments, there is a distinct full range of emotions the voice acting carries through.
Cons:
I love anime and I would like to watch more of it but sometimes the intensity in the voice audio in some anime can be a little too much. Case in point, I am fine with the battle and action scenes because they require of intensity; but some of the smaller, quieter moments had an exaggerated voice inflection that take you out of the moment. I realize most anime is like that but when I wanted to get invested I want to feel the emotions and not have the characters yell the whole time. But then again, I am an idiot and I don’t know what I am talking about.
Cinematography
Pros:
From the inner cities to the beautiful, sometimes terrifying, open land beyond the walls, the cinematography is gorgeous and feels like this could be a real location somewhere. The action set pieces mesmerizing, the dramatic scenes are well lit to set a specific mood, the shot choices really insinuate the epic scope of the titans and the humans.
Cons:
None.
Editing/Special Effects
Pros:
If you are into anime, you will like it. If you are into fantasies, you will like it. If you don’t like subtitled movies, you won’t like it. I realize this type of animation isn’t for everyone but as soon as the movie starts with a great hook it carries you to a good ending, despite it leaving on a cliffhanger. The animation is flawless and those titans…dear lord are they creepy.
Cons:
The holes missing in the movies from the show do feel like awkward speed bumps in the story but its only temporary and the scene following gets you right into it again.
Overall:
Being my only two films I saw at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, I was entertained and sucked into this world and had such a fun time with it. This is a great anime and I really want to 1.) Go back and watch the whole first season again and see what I missed and 2.) I really can’t wait for season two and I will definitely watch it.
Hard to believe the new film directed by Mike Thurmeier and Galen T. Chu with a script by Michael J. Wilson is the fifth installment of the series that started in 2002. The continuing adventure of the characters of mammoths, sloths, and sabre tooth tigers that are now older and confronting getting older and their children leaving the nest, but they also face the possible annihilation of life as the know it when meteors rain down on them.
Ray Romano is once again the voice of wooly mammoth Manny who is not willing to let go of his daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) who is set to marry Julian (Adam DeVine). Mom Ellie ( Queen Latifah) tries to get Manny to accept his son in law to be and found some common ground with him. Everything is going in typical sit com fashion, but up in space Scratch the acorn obsessed squirrel had in earthed a spaceship frozen in a mountain of ice and inadvertainly launched it into space hitting debris causing a chunk of rock to plunge towards earth. Hoping to avoid the destruction Manny thinks that the should go to the underground dinosaur habitat from the last movie.
Buck (Simon Pegg), the one eyed weasel and dinosaur hunter has found pillar of prophecy etched in pictures. He's discovered that the asteroids have always landed in the same place. If they find the spot they can figure out how to stop the impeding doom. But three dromarosaurs (Nick Offeman, Stephanie Breatriz, and Max Greenfield) want to stop them figuring that since the can fly they will inherit the world. Buck's plan is to use the crystals from the last event to divert the approaching space rock bye its magnetic properties. But inside one of the crystal they find Geotopia, a hippie type world where its inhabitants don't age run my the Shangri Llama (Jesse Tyler Ferguson).
Most of this doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There are comic asides by Neil deBuck Weasel (Neil deGrasse Tyson) to point out the absurdity of it all. But that's the whole point of this film series that its not there to teach some environmental lesson to kids as much as telling a story of the importance of family. Its fun and mindless but the really young ones may get restless before its all said and done.
(Review by reesa)
Hope everyone is surviving the usual hot Texas summer where hanging out in an air condtioned movie theater is a more welcome solution. The Asian Fi!m Festival Dallas is currently screening an amazing collection of films you will probably not be able to enjoy at our local movie houses.
As usual, you must enter to win passes and not rely on someone providing you with extras. And please only enter for those screenings that you can actually attend and not to be used as hostage for another movie.
July 17-July 23
Sunday
July 17
Monday
July 18
Absolutely Fabulous - 7:30 pm - Angelika Dallas
Tuesday
July 19
Lights Out - 7:00 pm - AMC Northark
Cafe Society - 7:30 pm - Magnolia
Wednesday
July 20
Star Trek Fan Event - 4:30 pm - AMC North park and Cinemark West
Star Trek Beyond - 7:30 pm - Cinemark 17
The opening night film of the 2016 Asian Film Festival Dallas is the followup to the successful 2014 Samurai Hustle continuing with the adventures of the Yunagaya Domain's lord and samurai warriors as they return from one of their Sankin-kotai (required ritual visit to the shogun). Coming home relaxed and pleased with their visit they receive word that an insurrection by some "farmers" that has devastated the rice crops. They must now rush home by foot in a couple of days before the inspector arrives.
Kuranosuke Sasaki plays the good natured Lord Naito who is looking forward to getting married to Osaki (Kyoko Fukada), a bar maiden with whom he fell head over in heels with in the last film. She is a bit insecure being from a poor and unscrupulous background that may bring shame to her future husband. When the mismatched warriors, who had forged a strong bond in the previous movie, decide to leave everything behind, hike up their hakamas and run. They must also once again fool the postal station guards by hiring marchers to make 30 men look like 100 which is the accepted amount for a domain of their size or they will risk shame on their domain. Along the way they find out warrants have been issued for their arrest and for inciting the insurrection. They are also are waylaid by an opposing group of samurai that includes an old compatriot.
They return back to the castle to find their clan has been dissolved and replaced by another. Some of their people have been imprisoned, the field and stores of food destroyed. The instigator of their bad luck is the recently released from house arrest Councillor Nobutoki who still harbors a grudge against the pauper lord for foiling his plans in Samurai Hustle 1 and just for being poor. In fact Nobutoki has more ambitious plans. Fortunately the Edo magistrate Ooka suspects something is amiss.
The relationships of the Yunagaya clan is what gives this film some heart. One doesn't necessarily need to see the first, but it helps, and its a good. The sword fights are pretty impressive. Especially the ending battle pitting the illustrious seven plus monkey against an army of 1000. Each of the lovable characters are given a chance to shine. The bad guy is fabulously sinister with blue eye shadow. Don't worry if you missed the opening night screening. It will be playing again on the last day of the festival.
(Review by Reesa)
Opening:
Walter White has now become the good guy in this and I don’t know what to do anymore. What is life? Does it work? Let’s get reel and break this down.
Plot:
A U.S. Customs official uncovers a money laundering scheme involving Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Directing/Writing
Pros:
The tense direction given to the story is one that will keep you on edge all the way up to the bust at the end, even though you know what’s coming. The 80’s gritty film look adds a vintage look to the overall story. You feel like you are there in the cross hairs with the characters. The dialogue is also potent in scenes adding to the suspense.
Cons:
I don’t know if I am the only one that thought this but I feel like, even though I felt satisfied by the end, the resolution was bit rushed. The third act felt jumbled and rushed to finish and some of the scenes in general seemed a bit cut off and abrupt and not letting the story breathe. Some characters are favored over others leaving some in the dust and feeling underdeveloped.
Acting
Pros:
Bryan Cranston is a knock-out. He always brings it to every role and this is no different. He is a flawed infiltrator but at the end of the day he is doing is his job to bring the correct people to justice. All the supporting cast is great too. John Leguizamo is also a standout and there was one scene in particular where I felt all the emotions of what an infiltrator actually goes through and how it can psychologically have a toll on you. Its little moments like that with the characters that really add another level of depth.
Cons:
None.
Cinematography
Pros:
This film has a grainy texture adding to the 1980’s old school flair. It’s darkly lit feeling like the seedy underbelly of Escobar’s drug ring. With the darkness and the fact it’s set in Miami, I feel the dirt, sweat and tears from these characters making you really get invested in the story.
Cons:
None.
Editing/Special Effects
Pros:
The story plays out as a roller coaster ride and you are taken on this journey of corruption, greed, and the pursuit of justice. The tension is brimming and there are a lot of scenes that will glue you to the screen.
Cons:
After the great opening, it was hard to get into it at first but as the movie kept progressing I got more invested.
Overall:
With movies like Donnie Brasco, the infiltrating premise has been done before but, with the excellent acting, entertaining journey, and gritty, dark look to it, this is one I recommend you to check out.
Frank Zappa was taken from this world way too early. Musician, bandleader, producer, ,filmmaker, and composer, what he contributed to the art world will never be forgotten. Most of all is his shoot from the hip perspective of the world that contains a common sense approach that resonates to this day. German director Thorsten Schütte had worked a few years to convince Gail Zappa , Frank's widow, and family to show some archival footage of Frank taken in Europe where he was immensely popular. His persistence paid off with the family's cooperation signed on as producers. The resulting documentary displays not only his musical genius, but his level headed opinions on the entertainment industry, religion and government that is relevant today as it was 40 years ago.
Zappa's experimental approach to music was not understood by mainstream listeners. There is an early clip of a very young and bare faced Frank on the Steve Allen show playing a bicycle producing a wild improvised sound with a band and prerecorded music. It's crazy, but made sense as a forerunner of his later music. He first began composing at 14 years old when writing notes was more of an extension of his artistic pursuits. A self taught musician, Zappa followed classical composers as his influence. His first album Freak Out in 1966 with his band the Mothers of Invention was so polar opposite of the English pop invasion and attracting the hippie counter culture who appreciated his not ready for radio lyrics and melodies. Zappa once commented that people were familiar with his face from poster but didn't have a clue about what he does. He was more popular in Europe where his music was actually played on the radio.
The most intriguing of this doc are the various interviews over the years. His clear eyed and articulate responses to often times uncomfortable journalists makes one wish what he would have accomplished in this social media world. There is an extremely amusing moment when he testified in front of a congressional meeting regarding the labeling of music where he seriously made the censorship board look bad. Everyone tried to discredit him as a rebel and anarchist but by his own description he was a conservative with a wife, four children and a mortgage and taxes to pay. Unhappy with the record industry editing his lyrics and their claims that the bands expenses wiped out the profits, Zappa created his own label. The money generated went to fund projects like having an English orchestra and chorus record his music. For Zappa it was all about the music. Before he passed in 1991 from cancer he said he didn't do any of this too be remembered. Thanks to Schütte and the Zappa family he will never be forgotten.
(Review by reesa)
Wow last week was a crazy week for Dallas. A crazy world we live in. I hope and pray all our family members are all okay.
I will not be including my email in this post due to I will be leaving the country and will not be checking my email for a couple of weeks! I am getting out of this oven we call Texas and looking forward to some cooler weather!! I have already got vacation brain so forgive me if I make a mistake. :)
Looks like we got lots of movies this week I hope everyone who wanted passes got them. If not you can always ask. It never hurts to ask but just make sure to try.
Sunday July 10th
Monday July 11th
The Infiltrator Angelika Dallas
Tuesday July 12th
Lights Out AMC Valley View and AMC Stonebriar
Ghostbusters AMC Northpark
Nothing can get us in the movies to watch an adventurous story than to add a bit of comedy. This movie based on a book by Billy Crump was written and directed by Taika Waititi about a young boy, Ricky (Julian Dennison) who is in and out of the foster care system. He sees that no one wants him so he put on this tough bully act to soften the blow of rejection from being in the foster care system. Soon, he is taken miles a way to New Zealand where he is given a fresh start with new foster parents. In the beginning, he believes that this is another one of the foster care parent that will cast him aside like all the rest. But soon he sees that his foster care lady, Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata) is a bit unlike all the previous foster care mother who sees the good in him. Aunt Bella proves him wrong with her caring but no sense kind of attitude. As things starts to feel like normalcy for Ricky, tragic strikes and Aunt Bella pass away on him. Knowing that Hec (Sam Neill) the grieving husband to Aunt Bella, cannot take care of himself as well as Ricky he decides to return him to the foster care system. Hec feels that Ricky is better off without him. Thus, as he plans to turn Ricky over to the social worker, Ricky decides to run away. Having no choice, Hec sets off a to find him which lead both character down a man hunt venture to the unknown. Since the social worker suspect foul play, she immediately gets the police involved to track them both down. Hec and Ricky go through through the ups and down surviving the trials as fugitive.
This movie was typical of Waititi's sense of off the cuff humor as in Flight of the Conchords and What We Do In the Shadows. One thing for sure the scenery was breath taken and added flavor to the movie. However, the movie felt a bit cheesy and somewhat unrealistic. To see a young overweight kid on the run as a fugitive for over five months and living off the wild of the land, at some point, Ricky should had shed some weight. It was challenging to take this movie serious due to some of the humorless dialogue. Hec and Ricky was on the run for so long it became a bit excessive and lost it flavor. The storyline was too lengthy and the writers should have considered other option verses having the two character run around in circles in the wilderness for so long. However, if you are looking for a bit of entertainment and a some adventure this movie will suit your preference.
(Review by Dr. Dwanna Swan-Ary
Opening:
If you need a wedding date, just go to Craigslist. There is no punchline here just follow the footsteps of the main characters and you will get a couple of hotties. Actually since its Craigslist, you might up with a broken lamp and a bar stool as dates instead. Let’s get reel and break this down.
Plot:
Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.
Directing/Writing
Pros:
At times, it can be filled with hilarious one-liners that would catch me off guard and almost make me cry. And with this, it’s very entertaining from start to finish; however…
Cons:
…most of the humor falls flat for me and I felt like they were trying too hard to be raunchy. The story doesn’t really help the comedy situation either because it’s very average, predictable, and kind of fall itself. The director is a first-time director to big budget films and he does fine, but nothing really exciting or new to the comedy genre.
Acting
Pros:
Zac Efron is having a rough year with the horrendous Dirty Grandpa and the mediocre Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising but he is slightly better in this. I think what works well is that he and Adam Devine have great chemistry and I wouldn’t seeing them together again the future. The improv game is strong between the two and that is what works best in the movie.
Cons:
Everyone is fine but it’s nothing to praise about. It was nice to see Anna Kendrick in a raunchy atmosphere. I have always liked her and she need to do more movies like this.
Cinematography
Pros:
It’s fine. There is nothing about this movie that screams visual brilliance. The resorts look like a beautiful brochure but that’s about it.
Cons:
None.
Editing/Special Effects
Pros:
It is entertaining enough to make the hour and a half runtime fly by. As bland and predictable as the story is, the atmosphere and characters can guide you to the finish.
Cons:
If you don’t like raunchy comedies, then will not be for you and have the pace of a turtle with broken legs.
Overall:
This is an average raunchy comedy and nothing more. I was entertained and it was sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious. But to be honest, I won’t want to watch it again. If you want raunchy counter-programming to The Secret Life of Pets this weekend, this is your pick.
