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Film Review: Goodnight Mommy Lukas and Elias are twins whose mother has just returned from reconstructive plastic surgery following some sort of unexplained accident. The boys become convinced that who or what is in their home is most certainly not their mother. After a series of tests, confrontations and continued abnormal behavior from their mother, the boys decide to figure out the truth once and for all. Goodnight Mommy is a captivating and beautiful film that manages to evoke an atmosphere of dread and palpable sadness, shot in a fairly minimalist Kubrickian style. Cinematographer Martin Gschlacht did a wonderful job; every scene, no matter how mundane the setting, looks amazing. The directorial team of Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, who also wrote the screenplay together, crafted a tense and genuinely creepy film with strong characters and scenes that will stick in your memory well after the movie ends. While the acting is impressive from all three of the leads, in a film with some scenes that could veer into the ridiculous, the characters always maintain some semblance of reality. Now for all the praise I am heaping on Goodnight Mommy I can’t let it go scot-free without mentioning that it is very similar to one of my favorite films of the early 2000s, but I am in no way accusing the filmmakers of outright copying as Goodnight Mommy is definitely its own film. And while I won’t name names, to not potentially mar anyone’s viewing enjoyment, I felt that it was indeed similar enough that it should be called out for liberal borrowing. I’m giving a huge recommend to Goodnight Mommy, as it is certainly one of this years stand out horror titles. If you’re a fan of horror or looking for a way to kick off the Halloween season without the crowds of the multiplex, then this is the film for you. Goodnight Mommy opens at The Cable Car Cinema on Friday, September 25. Goodnight Mommy AKA Ich Seh, Ich Seh (2014); Directors: Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz; Starring: Susanne Wuest, Lukas Schwarz, and Elias Schwarz Film Review: Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution is a documentary that explores the formation and history of The Black Panther Party, a revolutionary African American political organization started in 1966. We are shown an overview of the party’s formation, ideals and actions through a series of news footage, period interviews and modern interviews with members and contemporaries alike. The documentary covers much of the party’s good side focusing on their fight for civil rights, the many community programs they operated, and most interestingly, of their legal problems with the FBI who were actively attempting to undermine them at every turn. Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution is a fascinating documentary about an intriguing political organization and is filled with numerous interesting stories. At times, however, it feels like its not giving us the whole story. I in no way mean to imply that the film misrepresents itself or gives false information as The Black Panthers were indeed a target of the FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Programs) operations, many of which were illegal forms of surveillance and attempts to discredit members of the party, and the FBI’s actions certainly lead to the murder of Fred Hampton by the Chicago Police Department. But it doesn’t seem fair to the audience that the documentary never mentions the darker side of The Black Panther Party, such as the massive embezzlement of donations along with the torture and even the admitted murder of one member thought to be an informant. What we are left with may be an incomplete version of the story, but it is still an important story and much of The Black Panthers’ good side still resonates in these times. We are still striving for some of the basic ideals that The Black Panthers were fighting for and we need to be reminded of that. I am going to recommend that anyone interested in this topic, in political activism, or in the social climate of the late ’60s / early ’70s check out Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution because overall it is a well-made documentary, chock full of interesting information and stories. Just follow it up with a little reading about the party so you can get the full story. Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution opens Friday, September 18, at The Cable Car Cinema. Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution (2015); Director: Stanley Nelson Film Review: The Visit Becca and Tyler are two young teens who have never met their mother’s parents due to their mother being estranged from them. When the grandparents reach out to the mother via the internet and request she send Becca and Tyler to visit them for five days, the mother begrudgingly agrees. Once Becca and Tyler arrive, they are told that bedtime is at 9:30pm sharp and they find that to be odd. Little do Becca and Tyler know that the early bedtime will be the least of their grandparent’s growing eccentricities as mood swings, erratic behavior and possible ill intent become the ever-increasing norm in the household. Becca has been videoing every moment of their visit for a documentary about she and her brother forging a relationship with their grandparents. Tyler and Becca begin to piece together a frightening pattern of disturbing behavior and fear that they may not make it to the end of their five day visit. M. Night Shyamalan may finally be pulling himself out of his slump with The Visit. While it’s not perfect and gets a bit predictable at times, I had fun watching The Visit with a packed audience. The film’s premise works while the conceit that the granddaughter wants to record everything for her own documentary never seems like a gimmick and fits with the development of her character. The characters themselves are all fairly well written and believable in their progression. The story itself is interesting, but gets clunky at times when you can start to sense what’s coming next. The Visit went over great with the crowd I saw it with; there were plenty of well-played jump scares and an abundance of creepy atmosphere along with a surprising amount of welcome laughs. I would definitely recommend The Visit to horror fans and general film fans looking to kick start the Halloween season with something fun and scary, but not overly gory. I have to think that taking on a lower budgeted project and working with Blumhouse Productions really helped to get Shyamalan back to the basics of good storytelling. I think this is his best film since Signs and I hope this upswing continues. The Visit (2015); Director: M. Night Shyamalan; Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dungan, Peter McRobbie Film Review: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter Kumiko is a 29-year-old office lady in Tokyo with no career prospects and no boyfriend, but she does have a VHS tape of Fargo and she believes it will lead her to “untold riches.” Kumiko abandons her life in Japan and heads to America in search of the money Steve Buscemi’s character buried at the end of the 1996 film. Convinced in her delusion, no one can convince her that Fargo was simply a movie and she perseveres on her mission no matter what obstacles she faces. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is a unique film in its ability to be both massively depressing and uplifting. Director David Zellner co wrote the film with his brother Nathan Zellner, and they craft an intriguing tale out of the urban legend surrounding the real life death of Takako Konishi; who was found dead of a apparent suicide near Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, in November 2001. It was rumored at the time that after a bad relationship break up and the loss of a job that Takako Konishi had been searching for the money buried at the end of Fargo. That story was debunked, but the Zellner brothers have crafted a story around this legend that somehow seems part neo realist cinema and part fairy tale. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter is a beautifully shot film; cinematographer Sean Porter’s photography lends elegance even to the most mundane of locations while making the fantastic outdoor settings look vibrant even in the snow. The acting is also top notch with special attention being deserved by Rinko Kikuchi in the lead and director David Zellner as a well-meaning police officer who tries to help Kumiko. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter has been available on VOD for a little while now, but is certainly worth seeking out. This is probably one of my highest recommendations of this year so far. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014); Director: David Zellner; Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, David Zellner Calling All MSTies … Joel Hodgson has Landed That’s right fans of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” Joel Hodgson himself will be making a personal appearance at the Greenwich Odeum on September 18 and 19. There will be two nights of events, which will include screenings, Q and A s and a meet-and-greet. Joel Hodgson is one of the creators and stars of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” a comedic television show that ran from 1988 until 1999. The early seasons featured Hodgson as a janitor who was launched into space by evil scientists and forced to watch bad movies accompanied only by robot friends he built himself. “MST3K” developed an ever-growing cult fan base and introduced the concept of enjoying and making fun of bad movies to generations of film fans to come.

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