Film Review: “Thirteen Lives”

Howard successfully dramatizes extraordinary rescue story 

Diver Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) is skeptical that the underwater cave rescue will succeed.

Last year, for the first time ever, I selected a documentary as my number one film of the year. That doc, The Rescue, plays out like a thrilling Hollywood screenplay as it recounts the inspiring true tale of the rescue of 12 members of a boys’ soccer team and their coach after 18 days trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand. Now art imitates life as that story that so captivated the world back in 2018 gets the high-powered Hollywood treatment. Directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, Thirteen Lives proves itself an equally thrilling and moving dramatization. 

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Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #2

The 65th SFFilm Festival will take place April 21 – May 1, 2022, with screenings at various venues around the Bay Area. This year, the festival program features over 130 film from 56 countries, so there are plenty of options for everyone.

Here’s a look at five more features — get your tickets before they sell out!

1.) WE FEED PEOPLE
(USA, 2022. 90 min)

From director Ron Howard, We Feed People takes a close look at the World Central Kitchen (WCK) and the man who launched and manages it with every fiber of his being, world-renowned chef Jose Andres. The majority of the film is boots-on-the-ground footage of the WCK in action, with only snippets here and there taken from news reports. In this way, we get a devastating look at the aftermath of various disasters as WCK staff work fast among the wreckage and speak to the impacted residents. Most importantly, We Feed People contains a sense of urgency, that food shortages should be a thing of the past — it’s an inspirational gut punch. WCK is at the forefront of the fight: at the time of this writing, multiple WCK staff members in Ukraine have been injured in a recent Russian bombing. 

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., April 23rd, 5:30pm at the Vogue Theatre Continue reading “Film Feature: 65th SFFILM Festival Preview Spotlight #2”

Film Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca, Woody Harrelson is Beckett, Emilia Clarke is Qira and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opens today in just about every Bay Area theater, is a big-screen comic-book origin story, with an accomplished and sometimes first rate cast in front of the camera, and some seriously seasoned talent behind it. Unfortunately, in the year-and-a-half since principal shooting began, issues real and manufactured have given the internet too much time to speculate, postulate, pontificate, and generally expectorate on any number of meaningless side stories. Thankfully, at the center of this mostly worthless dead zone of internet fodder lies a straightforward, entertaining film that should service, if not delight, Star Wars fans and casual viewers. Continue reading “Film Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Film Review: In the Heart of the Sea

A disappointing whale of a tale.

The tail is mightier than the sword.
The tail is mightier than the sword.

‘There once was a man from Nantucket’… Pardon my immaturity, but I really couldn’t think of a better way to begin this review of the forgettable wannabe seafaring epic, In the Heart of the Sea. Based on the account of the true story of the whaling ship, the Essex, which in turn inspired the story of Moby Dick, one must wonder if anyone actually wanted or needed to see this story set to film. Director Ron Howard must have felt the need to see it through, because it seems that the filmmakers spared no expense in making it— no matter how bad the visuals, erroneous the 3D transfer, or weak the emotional storyline. In the Heart of the Sea is disappointing on so many levels, and yet its tough to figure out exactly what would’ve righted the wrongs. Hence, maybe the film, which was delayed, would’ve been better off shelved entirely.

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Film Review: Rush

Rush is a fantastic, tense drama, and character driven.

Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl revving their dramatic chops
Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl revving their dramatic chops

I don’t care for racing.  It doesn’t interest me and I think the culture surrounding it is silly and uninviting.  That being said, if I were forced at gunpoint to choose a type of car racing to watch, it would be Formula 1 racing.  There’s a dynamic of risk and impending disaster, along with more beautiful environments, in Formula 1 racing.  Rush, the new movie from director Ron Howard about a 1970’s rivalry in Formula 1 racing, is not only a great racing movie and a great sports movie, but a great drama.  Spearheaded by solid direction and terrific performances, Rush also contains all the right pieces fitted together to complete the whole package — impeccable editing, strong writing, and thrilling cinematography.

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