Triskele Press: Issue 1

99 Homes
October 17, 2015
Runtime: 1 hr 52 min
The hardest part of making political commentary in a narrative
film is being subtle about it. Having one’s opinion on display in a
dramatic film and making sure that it doesn’t come off as preachy or
overt from any angle is incredibly important and equally difficult to pull
off.
For the most part however, Ramin Bahrani’s new film “99
Homes” does an effective job of keeping its message about the housing
crisis and capitalism as a whole in a strictly “show not say” manner. Still
an independent director, this film additionally sports quite the cast of
mainstream actors compared to much of his previous work.
“You are to vacate these premises today.”
And that is exactly the sentiment the film begins with. Rick
Carver is a real estate shark simply doing his job, going from house to
house to deliver sad news to sad families: their houses belong to the
bank now. The interesting part, however, is that Carver feels little for the
news others might dread delivering. Shortly after evicting a young man
named Dennis, as well as his mother, Carver decides to hire Dennis to
clean out recently foreclosed properties with him- the point at which the
seedy underbelly of the government’s involvement in the housing crisis
gradually reveals itself.
This exposure would mean little if not portrayed in an honest
and informative manner, and director Ramin Bahrani for the most part
succeeds in this regard. Bahrani does an excellent job of putting on
display the government’s shady tactics (such as, using Dennis to clean
out appliances, so the government pays to replace them), as opposed to
merely referencing them. This film’s issue doesn’t quite lie with how
subtle Bahrani is with his commentary, but rather how the film has a
slight tendency to lose its message in the midst of needless thriller clichés
towards the film’s end. It is understandable for a film this informative
to not have very much meat on its plot bone, but it is still certainly
unfortunate that the film’s message has to suffer as a result.
Thankfully, the performances more than make up for this
drawback. Andrew Garfield gives quite the surprising performance as
Dennis Nash, proving once more, that losing his accent is nowhere near
a problem for him. Michael Shannon provided quite the impressive
performance as a cavalier, self-interested, and arguably sociopathic Rick
Carver- the polar opposite of Garfield’s character. While these two actors
are for the most part the film’s only legs to stand on, they are more
than sturdy enough to last.
The sick feeling left in most every viewer’s stomach will likely
be the best indication of this film’s success. “99 Homes” ultimately
does a great job of showing what is wrong with the government’s role of
seizure in the housing crisis instead of simply telling.
Forev
August 4, 2015
Runtime: 1 hr 28 min
[8/10]
[6/10]
One thing most people can likely agree on is that the romantic
comedy genre needs a bit of a refresher. Thankfully, it seems as though
the independent crowd has actually taken to the genre’s reinvention,
whether through the addition of a far more original style and presentation,
or perhaps just with the application of that good ol’ indie quirk.
The latter is certainly more the case with Molly Green and
James Leffler’s Forev. The film, somewhere between road trip comedy
and love story, presents the series of unexpected events that can occur
when a simple joke between two neighbors about getting married
becomes a full on reality. Despite a script that can read quite bare and
stretch quite thin, our three main actors (plus some very welcome
supporters) do well to make the whole experience relatively enjoyable
nonetheless.
“You guys are idiots.”
Simplicity and focus is certainly the name of the game in
Forev. It is certainly admirable that the film chooses not to deviate from
its central plot in a genre that constantly suffers from uninteresting and
forced subplots. This being said, there is unfortunately not very much
meat on this film’s only bone. Thankfully the film’s neighbors-turnedlovebirds
(played by Noël Wells and Matt Mider) outdo themselves,
almost always, pushing the script to the point of “awkwardly hilarious”
instead of “hilariously awkward”.
Despite what this film lacks in substance, Molly Green and
James Leffler’s directorial efforts certainly pay off in the way of cinematography.
Forev strangely succeeds in creating a very immersive atmosphere,
most notably during the many roadside and desert scenes where
lighting proves to be no issue. In addition, the film’s very focused shots
and seamless transitioning from fixed to moving camera placement give
the whole package a very squeaky clean feel.
It’d be cruel not to mention the quirky supporting characters
that join our main crew of three on their journey, one very subtle way in
which Forev will certainly please its audience. From the endlessly weird
AAA mechanic (played by Timmy L’Heureux) to the bearded nomad
(played by Chuck McCarthy), the supporting cast at work here does well
to provide a multitude of memorable moments in an otherwise relatively
sparse script. And that’s not all. If you remember internet sensation
Kelly, Liam Kyle Sullivan makes a very subtle voice-over cameo here.
It’s a shame more than anything that this film’s rare focus for
a romantic comedy works to its detriment. There are several moments
in which Forev proves to be something quite special. Thankfully, the
film’s cast of hilarious and talented actors are able to power through the
script to yield an overall pretty enjoyable time.
Grandma
October 12, 2015
Runtime: 1 hr 18 min
[9/10]
There is no denying that all athletes will begin losing their
skills and all singers will begin losing their voices with age. It’s nothing
to be too upset about as it’s purely natural and moreover their legacies
are bound to live on. This said, a film will come around every now
and then that proves that similar simply cannot be said for an actor or
actress.
Such is the case with “Grandma” pretty undeniable proof
that an actress not only retains her acting prowess with age, but only
continues to grow in her acting ability. With a relatively simple road-trip
narrative that allows for a colorful cast of characters along the way, Lily
Tomlin is able to prove her worth right alongside the younger actors that
won’t be replacing her anytime soon.
“You need to be able to say ‘screw you’ sometimes.”
Quite the activist in her heyday, Elle Reid is now an older
woman who is still recovering from the loss of her longtime partner to
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