Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Rental Family is the second new film in a week with an actor as its protagonist. But Phillip, a struggling, unknown American actor in Japan, couldn’t be more different than the uber-successful, movie star Jay of Jay Kelly. Despite the differences in their lead characters, however, both films deftly touch on universal themes of loneliness, connection, and empathy.
Conservatives have often accused Hollywood of having a liberal agenda, so they should be very happy with Gimme Shelter, writer-director Ron Krauss’s family-friendly film about a pregnant teenager that opens today. The picture has a not-so-subtle religious, pro-life message, and feels less like a major theatrical release and more like a made-for-TV movie that might air on the Family channel or the Christian Broadcasting Network. As a film review is not the place to delve too much into polarizing political debate, I’ll set that issue aside, and will review the film purely for its entertainment value. On that level, though, unfortunately, the film ultimately fails as a compelling dramatic narrative. Continue reading “Film Review: Gimme Shelter”