Birds are falling from the sky. Fish are floating dead in the water. Electronic devices suddenly stop working. And local fisherman Tom (Neville Archambault)Â is having regular blackouts. What is this mysterious force that is causing chaos on Block Island?
Tom’s son Harry (Chris Sheffield) and daughter Audry (Michaela McManus) try to help their dad whose drinking and hallucinations are getting increasingly out of control. Harry’s friend Dale (Jim Cummings) thinks it’s all a government conspiracy and everyone else just thinks Tom has a drinking problem. As Audry begins to investigate, Harry is slowly being taken over by this force and the ghost of his dad guides him further into danger.
Written, co-produced and directed by Kevin and Matthew McManus , The Block Island Sound is a seaside thriller that offers viewers plenty of mystery and a satisfyingly slow build. I wasn’t sure where the story was taking me but I was definitely along for the ride. This film reminded me a little of the seaside horror genre film The Beach Housewhich I reviewed recently but I found The Block Island Sound even more riveting. I appreciate that the film doesn’t offer any answers but does question the role of electronic devices in our lives and how they affect not only our minds but our bodies.
The Block Island Sound premiered at the virtual 2020 Fantasia Film Festival.
What begins as a romantic getaway quickly evolves into an unimaginable nightmare. Emily (Liana Liberato) and her boyfriend Randall (Noah Le Gros) head to his family’s beach house for some much needed alone time. Their relationship is on the rocks and while Emily hopes this trip will help mend the wounds of the past Randall is still as aloof as ever. Their reunion is interrupted by two new faces at the beach house. Older couple Mitch (Jake Weber) and Jane (Maryanne Nagel), longtime friends of Randall’s estranged dad, just happen to be staying at the house as well. Randall decides they’ll all stay at the house together and Emily is not given a choice in the matter. The couples bond over dinner, admiring the natural phenomenon happening outside their door. But something isn’t quite right. The fog, the glowing dust and the mysterious invertebrates take over, infecting the foursome. Will Emily and Randall be able to escape the seaside town before the phenomena consumes them for good?
The Beach House is an infectious genre film that will linger long after the credits have rolled. In his directorial debut, Jeffrey A. Brown offers indie horror that feels both classic and brand new. This is a quiet, atmospheric film with a slow build up of tension that will reward patient viewers.
Liana Liberato is the anchor of the film and Emily is a compelling and complex female character. She’s a biology student who offers deep philosophical observations on what it means for organisms to survive in extreme environments, unaware that she’s about to face the same thing. Randall is absolutely useless and only holds Emily back. I relished in the patheticness of his character was and kept rooting for Emily to dump the dead weight that was their relationship.
Horror films are completely out of my wheelhouse so I can’t speak as to whether this entry is worthy of its genre. I did find it comparable to other films I enjoyed including Sea Fever,Outbreak and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And being from Massachusetts, I appreciated the fact that this was shot on location in North Truro, Cape Cod.
“I wanted to take what I felt was missing from horror movies and inject that into the script and production plan. My concerns about the onset of an environmental apocalypse provided the vehicle for the horror, while an interest in evolutionary science became the microbial fuel of the story.”
“Politicians say they’re going to help us. Fuck that. The thing is a person needs a job to survive but you need work to feel like you’re worth something.”
Benny Mendez (J. Salome Martinez)
Allery Parkes (Peter Gerety) finds comfort in his daily routine. He packs up his thermos with coffee and lunch box with a simple meal, walks to the local plant and does the job he’s been doing faithfully for the past 25 years. Unfortunately for Allery, everything is about to change.
It’s the last day before the plant officially closes for good. No longer having a job is something that Allery just can’t process. The thing is, Allery is still reeling from the loss of his son Gabe. He and his wife Iola (Talia Shire) have been going through the motions, trying to get through each day. Allery’s job is the one constant in his life. It gives him a sense of purpose. And he’s not about to let it go.
So Allery goes back to work. He breaks into the plant and starts cleaning. His former coworkers think he’s nuts. But one coworker, Walter (Billy Brown), thinks Allery might be onto something. As Allery and Walter develop a bond, the work together to revive the plant. The other coworkers become curious and join in. This quiet, unassuming man is about to find his voice and reconnect with the part of himself he had lost with the death of his son.
“It’s just something I need to do.”
Allery Parkes (Peter Gerety)
Directed by Robert Jury, Working Man is a small film with a big message. It offers deep insight into the life of the American laborer. This way of life has been dwindling with the rise of globalization and corporate greed. These people have been a significant driving force in our current political climate.Â
Jury’s film explores the closing of American factories and the subsequent upheaval that this causes in small communities. The main character’s identity and self worth is wrapped up into his life as a working man. There’s something to be said about having a sense of purpose in your life. Going to work, doing a good job and feeling like you’ve accomplished something. There’s value in this that goes beyond monetary compensation. For Allery, the routine and the reliability is a security blanket. It’s also a way for him to avoid dealing with his own personal issues.
At first the film seemed predictable. I enjoyed the slow build to what I thought was an inevitable conclusion. But it took an unexpected turn which I thought made it more interesting. Peter Gerety’s reserved performance as the film’s unlikely hero is compelling. He matches so well with Billy Brown who plays Walter, a much more intense hero who shakes things up in the story. Talia Shire’s role reminded me a bit of Adrian in the Rocky films. The character of Benny Mendez, played by J. Salome Martinez, delivers the film’s ideology. There is a diverse cast with various ages, races and genders (including one minor transgender character) represented.
The story is set in the Rust Belt and filmed in the Chicago suburbs. About the film, Robert Jury said, “my greatest hope for Working Man is to create a curiosity, a dialogue, and a meaningful connection with folks – regardless of personal beliefs or alliances. Loss, grief, recovery, and love are universal. The time feels right.”
Working Man is now available on DVD and video on demand.
You’re never too old to reinvent yourself. Bobby (James Le Gros), a middle-aged bartender, hasn’t quite figured this out yet. He’s spent too many years of his life just coasting by. After the sudden death of his mother and the dissolution of his marriage, Bobby has spent his time working the bar at a local restaurant and chipping away at his work-in-progress, a graphic novel memoir. When his old crush Tanya (Lisa Edelstein) pops back into his life, he’s too timid to whisk her away from her suitor, a debonair investor named Mario (Reynaldo Gallegos).
Bobby has become complacent, a bit too comfortable in his situation. He’s sitting on a nest egg of $50k but chooses to live in his airstream trailer and continues to work for the morale killing, tip stealing boss Kyle (Diedrich Bader). But his buddy Carlos (Jesse Borrego), a talented chef who works at the restaurant, has an idea. They should invest their money into a new concept: a local bowling alley/pizzeria that offers more than just cheap entertainment and greasy fare. Bobby suddenly finds a new purpose in life. Will he realize his dream and get the girl? Or will he just go back to his usual humdrum life?
“Are we all just a bunch of ones and zeros?”
Written and directed by Gary Lundgren, Phoenix, Oregon is a heartfelt exploration of self-reinvention, friendship and love. It’s for anyone who felt that age was a roadblock to forging a new path in life. It also champions the notion that you don’t have to accept your situation as it is, that you can always take steps, no matter how big or small, to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Phoenix, Oregon is a small city in the southern part of the state but within the context of the film, Phoenix, which is also referenced in the name of the bowling alley-pizzeria, Rising Phoenix, is symbolic of rebirth. Of shedding the old and starting anew.
This film really checked off a lot of boxes for me. The focus on middle-aged characters looking to reinvent themselves really resonated with me. I’m getting very close to middle age and am growing tired of watching films about young people starting their lives. Also, there are so many films now with diverse casts, which is fantastic, but the Latinx community is still largely missing from that equation. I was grateful to see so many Latinx actors/characters in this film including the main character of Carlos, played by Jesse Borrego, who is a supremely talented chef and is tired of wasting his talents on a soul crushing job. He’s more than just a buddy character who serves to support the protagonist. I really enjoyed the performances overall. Le Gros and Edelstein have great chemistry. Bader is hilarious as the evil restaurant manager Kyle. Another win for me was the graphic novel conceit. Throughout the film, Bobby’s hand drawn illustrations flashback to his old life, giving the viewer a sense of who he is and where he’s come from through the lens of some terrific graphic novel art.
“It’s a bizarre day when you realize you’re middle-aged, especially when you were just in your prime with your whole life in front of you. Somehow we fool ourselves into thinking we have more time than we do.”
Director Gary Lundgren
Phoenix, Oregon will lift your spirits. Seek this one out. You won’t be sorry you did.
This film is available to watch online through a theatre at home platform which allows viewers to choose which independent theatre to support with their ticket purchase. Visit the official website for more information.
Izzy Alden (Isabelle Barbier) needs to get laid. She promised herself that she’d lose her virginity by the end of her freshman year in college. And with finals just around the corner, she’s running out of time. The problem with Izzy is that she’s hopelessly awkward. She doesn’t have the same natural confidence and social intelligence that her two best friends Fiona (Sadie Scott) and Anuka (Deeksha Ketkar) do. Fiona works at the local bowling alley and is lusting after the popular lesbian on campus. Anuka is Izzy’s closest ally but is dealing with her own drama of her complicated feelings for her long-distance boyfriend Juju (Dylan Rogers) and the hot blonde guy she spotted in the cafeteria. Izzy is determined to get an invite to a Crush party, where only people who are submitted as a crush can attend. But Izzy keeps sabotaging herself by putting her friendships at risk and ignoring the one guy, Oliver (Raph Fineberg), who is genuinely interested in her.
CRSHD is a quirky and authentic coming-of-age story that speaks directly to social media savvy youth. Director Emily Cohn wrote the script at age 21, produced it at 22 and wrapped up post-production by 24. She incorporates social media, texting and dating app technology into her film by having the characters act out the communications on screen. Having a young cast and crew working on the film makes the end result more relevant to its intended audience. Cohn and her team have assembled a fine cast of players. Barbier, Ketkar and Scott have natural chemistry with each other. Viewers will feel like they’re watching three friends rather than watching three actors playing friends.
“As a filmmaker, I’ve been interested in finding ways to make a computer or tablet or phone act not only as a prop, but also as a scene partner, since these devices often carry the weight of human emotion but lack the cinematic nuance to convey it.”
Director Emily Cohn
The cast is diverse with different races, ethnicities and sexual orientations represented. There has been a lot of discussion about diversity in film and TV as being forced to meet certain criteria. I appreciate films like CRSHD that demonstrate that this is a natural way of things. It also deconstructs beauty standards and highlights how beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder and should not to be mandated by some artificial cultural norms.
CRSHD is available via virtual cinemas May 8th. Visit the official website for more information.
