Quick takes on 5 films

Blow the Man Down is very original-feeling film from a pair of new director-writers, Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. Taking place in the tiny fishing village of Easter Cove, Maine, it has a cast of characters as varied and quirky as the plot. Sisters Priscilla and Mary Beth are mourning the death of their mother. Mary Beth goes out that night to get drunk, and ends up in the car of a local hoodlum, Gorski. After wrecking the car, she opens Gorski’s trunk and sees blood. She freaks out and runs, and when Gorski chases her down, she kills him. Mary Beth runs home to Priscilla, and the two try to cover up the murder by dismembering Gorski and throwing him in the ocean. Of course it doesn’t end there, and the next day a body washes up on shore. To the sisters’ surprise, it isn’t Gorksi, but is instead a girl from the local brothel, dead of a gunshot. The seedy underworld of this tiny part of the world comes out, and all are involved, even the town’s little old ladies. Morgan Saylor and Sophie Lowe received top billing, but really it features an ensemble cast, with quite a few recognizable faces from both the small and big screens, though no bonafide “stars.” And for once, I really liked Morgan Saylor. She was the snot-nosed brat in Homeland as a kid, and I didn’t care for her much in We the Coyotes last year, but she shows us a much more nuanced approach in this film. All of the characters are fleshed out and multidimensional, and it’s a great piece showing how a great story, solid acting, and strong direction can combine in a low budget film for a memorable impression. ★★★

I’ve been wanting to see Harriet, a biopic based on the life of real hero Harriet Tubman, from as soon as I’d heard of it. I’m a nut for historical films. Portrayed by Tony and Grammy award winner Cynthia Erivo, it shows Harriet’s life as a slave, through her career rescuing others to freedom. Born Araminta “Minty” Ross, Tubman made the brave journey north by herself the first time, then made many more trips to Maryland and surrounding lands to rescue family, friends, and others. When new laws allowed hunters of fugitive slaves to go north and bring their “property” back south, Harriet continued to work to bring people all the way to Canada. Unfortunately a whole lot of the film feels forced. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good moments, but in an effort to make the good guys “good” and the bad guys “bad,” the majority of characters come off as caricatures rather than fleshed out people, and the soundtrack does nothing more than force emotion. I don’t like feeling like I’m being told what to feel, I prefer filmmakers let those emotions come naturally without being hit over the head with them. They also relied a little too heavily on Tubman’s intuition to get the out of tricky situations, so much so that when things got bad, I waited for the slow pan of her face as she took on a deep contemplative look, while she awaited divine intervention. ★★

The Lighthouse on the other hand, is incredible, and lives up to all the hype. This one features two indelible actors (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) who seem perfectly matched to their roles. Wake is an aging lighthouse keeper, who has hired the younger Winslow as a helper for their four week stay on the isolated lighthouse island. While alone there, Winslow or Wake (or both) start slipping. We learn Wake’s previous assistant went crazy on the island, and Winslow isn’t exactly who he claims to be. As Winslow starts hallucinating, and the pair start drinking more and more heavily (especially after they run out of food), things get weird and scary in equal measure. Shot in black and white, and an aspect ratio of just 1.19:1, it has the look and feel of an old-school horror picture, but it is twisted in a way that would never get made 60 or 70 years ago. It also, surprisingly, has a lot of humor, and though the idea of a horror/comedy might sound strange, it works. Young director Robert Eggers has really made a unique picture here. It isn’t going to be for everyone, but film lovers will eat this one up. ★★★★½

Gemini Man could be an amazing film, with strong actors (Will Smith and Clive Owen, backed up by a solid Mary Elizabeth Winstead), often mind-blowingly good fight scenes, and (usually) amazing tech, but unfortunately the movie suffers from a poor story and shoddy writing. It’s an odd miss from historically good director Ang Lee. The film follows Henry (Smith), an aging assassin working for a secret government agency, and probably the best assassin they’ve ever had. However, he thinks he’s finally losing a step, and is ready to retire. Unfortunately they won’t let him go quietly, and when he asks the wrong question, he becomes a target himself. The government group, headed by Owen’s character, sends a new hotshot assassin, Junior, after Henry. The big twist is Junior is a young version of Henry, and is actually a clone, though Junior himself doesn’t know it. The car chases and hand-to-hand fights between these two are really impressive, and the CGI making Will Smith look young is mostly incredible, though there are moments where the facial expressions look false. However, the great moments can’t hide all the warts in the film, and it comes off as a poor man’s Mission Impossible, albeit if the poor man still had a huge budget for everything except the writing department. I’ll give it a couple stars just for the action sequences. ★★

Uncorked is about a young man named Elijah, who works at his family BBQ business in Memphis, a business started by his grandfather, and which will fall to him one day. However, his love isn’t in BBQ, but in wine. He holds a second job at a local wine seller, and has dreams of becoming a master sommelier (basically a wine professional, who would work at a fancy restaurant suggesting the right wines to patrons). The school that classifies sommeliers is very expensive though, and Elijah doesn’t have his dad’s support, who wants Elijah to carry on the family business. Elijah is backed by his mom, but when she grows sick, she is unable to continue to be the bridge between Elijah and his dad, forcing them to come to terms with each other. It’s a decent enough film; there isn’t anything groundbreaking here, but what it has, it does well. There’s a comedic character who provides most of the laughs, and for myself, he grated on me too much and I could have done without his character, but that’s a minor quibble. In the end, the film is about the love of a father and son, and the sacrifices both are willing to make for each other. ★★★