Thoughtful and slick, “The East” functions both as a highly engaging and riveting thriller, and also something that’s deeply conflicting, forcing you to juggle all angles of the scenario while the film is rolling and long after, too.
Sarah Moss (Brit Marling) left the FBI and is now a new recruit at Hiller Brood, a private intelligence firm dedicated to protecting some of the biggest corporations in the country. Sarah is hand selected by her boss, Sharon (Patricia Clarkson), to infiltrate an anarchist group known as The East in an effort to stop them from sabotaging the Hiller Brood clientele. At first, Sarah is determined to do the best she can to impress Sharon and jumpstart a successful new career, but after infiltrating The East and spending a significant amount of time with its members, she can’t help but to recognize that stopping them outright might not be the answer.
Like its promotional campaign, “The East” reels you in right from the start via a viral message from the group. In mere minutes the film manages to both relay The East’s motives and goals, and captivate the viewer, making for the ideal transition into the meat of the story.
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Alexander Skarsgård may tower over his tiny “What Maisie Knew” co-star, Onata Aprile, but that didn’t keep the pair from striking an instant connection, something that resulted in an incredible on screen chemistry and also left both with a particularly strong friendship when filming was done.
With a resume consisting of over 70 titles with shows and films covering a wide array of subject matter, at this point, you’d think Julianne Moore would be experienced and comfortable with everything. However, in the case of her upcoming release, “What Maisie Knew,” not only did Moore adopt the challenge of delivering a particularly intense performance in the company of a six-year-old, but then she also had to appear to be a professional rock star, too.
With a handful of weighty storylines, “Disconnect” can be a lot to digest, but thanks to impeccable transitions, well-calculated story overlap, and a congealing tone, the film doesn’t feel like a sampling of stories, rather a look inside a well-developed world.
Riggins and Landry in the Navy, Peter Berg Does Michael Bay, Transformers-esque, Not Really Battleship; any of those titles are just as fitting if not more so than Battleship.
As someone who’s generally not a Lars von Trier fan, I feel compelled to encourage everyone to toss aside your preconceptions and inhibitions and give Melancholia a shot. No, it’s still not your standard, straightforward Hollywood fare, but that’s what makes it such a unique and genuinely special experience and, after chatting with stars Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgård and Charlotte Gainsbourg, it seems as though von Trier’s unique way of working is what made creating Melancholia such a genuinely special experience for them.
As someone with an appreciation for a more literal approach to storytelling, taking to Lars von Trier’s style of work has never been easy. However, with Melancholia, von Trier finds an absolutely impeccable middle ground, providing the audience with a uniquely sensible tale, but not holding back when dousing the piece with his authorial expressivity, giving us something that’s tremendously stirring.
Whether or not you’ve seen the original, the promotion campaign for Straw Dogs lays it out quite clearly; this film boasts a bloodbath. Emotion? Character development? Some sense? Not so much. But, if you’ve got a taste for this type of horror film and don’t mind forgoing effective storytelling for some gruesome and original kills, it might be worth a watch.
Welcome to Europe, 2024. The sky is gray and the streets are barren, but below the surface is a thriving subway system connecting the continent controlled entirely by Trexx Corp. Roger (voiced by Vincent Gallo) is a self-proclaimed normal guy. Perhaps this is just because he’s got a dull desk job at call center and is rather plain looking, because deep down Roger is far from normal; he suffers from a severe case of paranoia. While the masses opt to ride the Metro to work, Roger uses a bike so as to avoid the system he suspects to be part of some sort of conspiracy.