It can be very stressful when you or your company is being merged with another group. Not knowing how your role will change, much less if you will have a job, the unknowns outweigh the positives for the most part. It is important not to stress out about this, since the decision is out of your hands and there is nothing you can do to stop it, especially if you are not at the highest level of the company. Most of the time you and your talent will be retained, since there are so many moving pieces, your job remains essential for longer than you might expect.

Jack Stanfield is trying to keep up on the trends of internet hacking and has a couple more tricks up his sleeve when it comes to combating them. Being in charge of internet security for a small branch of banks, his team is looking forward to a merger with a much larger bank. With his workload not being affected at this time, Jack knows that he will be obsolete very quickly since there are younger and brighter employees out there that can do more with a computer than he has been required to for some time.

Getting a strange visit from a debt collector, Jack finds out that his identity has been stolen and used to rack up a ninety-five thousand dollar gambling bill. Not ever having this happen to him before, Jack turns to his good friend Harry that can help to make this problem go away. Harry also has another proposition for Jack if he has the time, being contacted by William Cox about a possible job. Jack is more than willing to hear the man out, and the offer that has been put on a silver platter before Harry and Jack is too good to be true. Needing to think about it, Jack gets ready to drive home, but he finds that he will have a passenger with him for the duration.

Arriving home to see his family bound and gagged, Jack has no choice but to listen to what Cox wants from him. With the merger going through at the bank, Jack will have the opportunity to gain access to many more account numbers, thus giving Cox the ability to steal a hundred million dollars, electronically. Jack will not let anything bad happen to his family, but has to find a way to keep the money from falling into Cox’s hands. Trying to find an alternative to wiring all of the money with his name attached, Jack explores his options at the bank, but when he is caught, he finds out that there are penalties that will be taken out on his wife and kids. Knowing that he is being monitored by the new bank director, Jack has to find a different way to gather all of the information he needs and not get caught before the wire transfer takes place or his family will be killed by Cox and his men.

This movie was released in 2006 and it still scares me to this day. With all of our lives on the computer now, it is hard to believe that more people do not get involved in partial situations like this. I know that robbing a bank might be a little extreme, but extortion and sabotage do not seem that farfetched. I liked how the technology of the day was utilized, even an MP3 player came into the mix, but a movie like this will always feel dated, unless you have lived through the era. I do like seeing Harrison Ford running around trying to save his family from whatever threat they have gotten themselves into, since it seems like it is the role he was born for. Not a bad story, it has is parts where it may drag a bit, but overall, it plays out well and begs you to remember the horrors that the internet could cause.

​In 2008, something that has never happened in the history of the country happened, the housing market collapsed. This led to the biggest recession in American history outside of the Great Depression, but it did not only affect the United States, it impacted the world. As banks slowly started to default, nobody gave it much thought, but once the bigger banks fell, everyone knew that there was something wrong and it made its way to the little guy. Never in a million years did anyone predict that there would be such a huge economic downfall, especially when it came to real estate, but as time has shown, history can and will always repeat itself.

Doctor Michael Burry is always looking for the next big investment to make his clients their top dollar. When hiring a new employee for the company, he asks to get all of the information on the adjustable rate loans that are being handed out like candy these days. Seeing that so many people are late on their payments, he gets an interesting idea, to bet against these mortgages. With this never being done before since homes have always been a secure bet and have the highest ratings, the banks are willing to take Michael’s money as long as he continues to pay interest on his bet. But what the banks do not understand is that their portfolios are about to take a massive hit when the adjustable interest rates spike and people will not have a way to make their payments any longer.

Jared Vennett gets word of Burry’s strange investment and does some digging of his own and finds out that the bet is solid and wants to make some money before his company goes under. Misdialing a firm in the building, he gets ahold of Mark Baum and his crew instead and gives them a little run down on the situation.  What Vennett does not know is that Mark Baum has a distrust for the system and knows that if the right levers are pulled, it could drop like a pile of bricks. Doing their own research, Mark is astonished to see empty neighborhoods and renters in some of the nicest parts of town. With nobody living there or being able to afford to live there, he takes the search even deeper and finds out that the people that do own some high end housing actually own more than one and have no idea what will happen when their adjustable rates go up. The fear that Mark brings to the table is next to nothing when he knows that the economy would fail if what he is seeing is right. But to make sure to capitalize, he also invests his money against the housing market since he knows that there is a bubble that is about to pop.

Two young and hungry investors are ready to take the jump to the big time, but they just need to get their foot in the door. Being able to turn one hundred and ten thousand dollars into thirty million in a couple years, they are on the right track, but they are well short of the two billion dollars needed to be backed by a big bank. When finding out about Vennett’s proposal about buying into the shorts of the housing market, they are able to see the same thing and with promises of a minimum of 20-1 payouts, they are in, but need help from someone that is higher up on the food chain to get them heard. With the help from Ben Rickert, the two are able to get their investment placed and even though their interest payments on the shorts are massive, they decide to stick with it even though they are questioning their decision. When attending a massive housing convention, they see that everything that they thought was right and decide to get deeper into their investment, but while they are celebrating their victory, they are reminded that they are betting against the country and while they might be okay, the rest of the country will fall into deficit. 

This is a very insightful look at what happened during this last economic depression, and while it is just a movie, there are some pretty good points that are made. With the economy looking so good for so many years and the introduction of the adjustable rate mortgages, people were able to live outside of their budget for so long. But as the research was not done by the homeowners about what would happen when the rates went up, or how much they would go up, they had no idea that their lives would change so drastically. You know, it is a frightening look at how things can go so bad so quickly and having lived through it, I am kind of surprised that our economy has been able to come back, not as strong, but at least we are not completely in the red anymore. There are great performances from everyone involved and it really opens your eyes to see what might have actually been going on behind the scenes.  

​One of the things that goes with living inside a big city is that you get to live in a high-rise apartment. Sometimes I am happy that I live on the outskirts since I have a terrible fear of heights, but at some point, I will have to face my fears and stay on a top floor of one of these buildings. Although I know that these buildings are safe for the most part, I have also watched too many movies where they end up on the ground. I know it is not the building's fault, but if aliens come and blast the city, an earthquake hits or a giant monster comes barreling down the street, there is no safety in any building. At this point, I would rather live under the streets, at least there you have other options outside of sitting on the couch as your fiftieth floor apartment falls to ground level.

It is Jason’s final night in New York before he makes the big move to become Vice President of his company and moves to Japan. Knowing that he has to be sent off in style, his brother Rob and his girlfriend Lily have plans to throw the greatest going away bash for him. Walking in and seeing all of his friends, Jason is blown away by the surprise and jumps right into the party mood. Talking to his best friend Hud, Jason sees that a face from his past has come to the party as well. After a great day a couple of weeks ago, Jason has not called or talked to Beth about his feelings or what happened on that fateful night. As the rest of the group finds out what happened, they want Jason to make the sacrifice and tell Beth how he really feels, but he dismisses her and she leaves on a sour note.

As the party carries on, the news has a report of an earthquake by the bay and an explosion is heard. Wanting to get a better vantage point, the group head up to the roof of the building to check it out and see a building explode in the distance. As the debris from the exploding building starts to fill the sky, the group evacuates the building and make their way to the street, only to witness another explosion and the head of the Statue of Liberty being hurled towards them. Upon inspecting the head, people start to see what looks like claw marks on her face but have no idea what could have caused it. As more buildings start to fall and debris clouds start to get heavier, a low growl is heard in the distance and a strange figure is seen. Having to get off of the street to avoid the debris and whatever is walking down the street, the group ducks into an electronics store, only to feel the ground shaking as whatever it is outside passes by.

Thinking that he knows what it is, Hud breaks out the tape and shows everyone what he thought he saw. With nobody believing it, the city is under evacuation orders and the group makes their way to the bridge to get off of the island, but the creature is there as well. Smashing the bridge with its tail, the creature is moving quickly around town with little opposition. Getting a call from Beth, Jason finds out that she is trapped in her apartment and not able to move. With Beth becoming his overall obsession, Jason takes his friends Lily, Hud and Marlena on a trek uptown to save her. Trying to stay out of the military’s way and out of the footsteps of whatever the creature is now walking the streets, the group gets to see how ineffective weapons are against this behemoth. Having to duck off of the street and use the subways to travel, everything seems fine, but there are terrors that the group does not know about yet as the news and the military are finding out more about this creature as time goes on.

Sometimes I hate the found footage movies, but this one I actually liked upon watching it again. The thing I like most about it, is that it is all shot by the one camera and there is no jumping from cell phone to video camera and back again. The thing I did not like about the movie was the exact same thing. Several people had a hard time with the shakiness of the camera work, making them dizzy while sitting in the theater. Besides that, it was a pretty good monster movie. I really enjoyed how the characters played off of each other and how they were able to pull together to reach their one goal. As people are lost along the way, it is sad, but they continue to press on to make sure their friend’s lives were not lost for no reason. I really loved the ending and it was left open for a sequel, which looks pretty darn good as well. I hope to never encounter are giant monster in my lifetime, but if I do, I now know that guns will only make it mad, and I might have to try a different tactic to survive, maybe try to feed it or something. Happy Viewing.

The more I think about John Wick, the more I appreciate it. Because with its delicate balance of action and story, it comes across as a perfect action film and that level of seamless storytelling, quite frankly left me slightly nervous to see the sequel to this intrepid story. Not because I expected the quality of the film to suddenly drop significantly. No, what had me worried about this film, was the sheer unknown that comes with a sequel.
 
After all, you can have everyone involved from the first film and still settle in for a sub-par sequel. Because sometimes outside influence or creative overthinking can force a fun property into an ‘alternate direction’ that removes everything the audience loved about the original. Or, the folks behind the scenes can take a page from The Hangover saga and give us so much of what we loved in round one that in essence, you’re basically getting the same move over again and thankfully, my concerns about such matters disappeared as John Wick: Chapter 2 played out because well, it is simply a magnificent sequel.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with this film, it picks up a short time after the first one, and in this tale, we find John Wick finally wrapping up the last loose ends when it comes to his dealings with the Tarasov family so that he can finally return to retirement and live his life out in peace. But alas, that kind of peace is something that John will never enjoy. For an old friend comes calling to have a debt that John owes, repaid, and this act of repayment will not only send John back into the world he’s trying desperately to escape, but it will change his life in every negative way imaginable when treachery and revenge, come into play. 

​Truly, what made this sequel so memorable for me, was the sheer fact that the story was able to deliver more of those powerhouse action sequences we so enjoyed from the first film, all while providing us with some outright incredible character development, specifically for John. Instead of being a tortured vessel focused on revenge, he’s a character who has clearly had enough of the killing and the brutality of his world and wants nothing more than to escape this life and everything it stands for and once more all of that comes across in Keanu Reeves’ subtle performance and the desire and conviction that comes from said performance allows for the audience to cheer John on in his quest to be free of the darkness surrounding him at last.
 
However, while the character study portion of the film was downright beautiful to watch, there is another incredible aspect of this story that stayed with me long after it ended…the world that John inhabits. This fascinating community of assassins that John is a part of was only touched upon in the first film, so to see a sprawling world hidden away from our prying eyes where murder and deceit have created a thriving community and economy is compelling to watch and by immersing us into that world…it makes John’s disdain for it all the more powerful and his decision to turn his back on it, regardless of the cost…all the more logical as well.
 
When all is said and done however, this is that rare breed of sequel that manages to hold a flame to the original and thrill the audience in new and exciting ways and while it doesn’t surpass the original, it doesn’t have to in order to qualify as an amazing film. After all, the first film was a fresh and original idea and that can never be replicated, and I’m glad that this story didn’t try to surpass the first one. Instead it embraces and expands upon this world and sets the stage for an epic finale and I simply cannot wait to see how John Wick’s harrowing and heartbreaking story comes to an end. 

The fact of the matter is, each and every one of us have a breaking point. There really is only so much pressure and pain a human being can take and when that breaking point comes, we never quite know what the result will be. Some of us shut down and isolate from the rest of the world, hoping to gain a few moments to catch our breath and heal.

But others, well others let the pressure stew within them and when the time comes, nothing but sheer fury erupts. Depending on the severity of that eruption, there will be consequences of course. One might lose their job, or their friends, who knows. But there are some people out there with nothing to lose and when they reach their breaking point and snap, they become nothing more than a force of nature and that's exactly what is explored in the surprisingly intelligent action film, John Wick. 

John Wick is trying his best to heal right now. The love of his life, the woman who married him and changed his life for the better has passed away and the days are difficult for John without her. In fact, he is genuinely touched when she sends him a gift from beyond the grave, a beagle puppy to care for so that he doesn’t continue to stew in grief. But as John begins to steel his mind for a life without her, tragedy strikes. A thug and his friends that meet John at a gas station decide they need to own his ride, and they beat John within an inch of his life and kill the puppy that was his last link to his wife before taking his car. But as it turns out, the thug, Iosef, is the son of a Russian mobster named Viggo and once his father discovers what his son has done he fills his boy in on exactly who John Wick is; a former hitman so lethal he was nicknamed ‘The Boogeyman’ and Iosef's actions have sent John over the edge and he is coming to settle the score with Iosef...no matter the cost.  

So, I made mention a moment ago that this was one smart action flick and man...it really is. I've never seen a film like this before where the hitman in question actually found a tie to the real world, a woman in this case, that managed to pull him away from the darkness of the underworld and give him hope for a normal life and all of that depth is accomplished thanks to Keanu Reeves' fantastic performance as John Wick. He plays the man with a fury I've never seen on screen for a character like this, one who needs a place to direct his rage over losing his wife and Iosef is the perfect vessel for John to bury his anger.  

But beyond that the film is also as slick as they come. With eye popping action sequences that leave you cheering as they progress because they are just that awesome. Granted the depth in the film only comes from John himself but you don't need much more than that. You feel for the guy and you want him to succeed in his mission because man...Iosef and his father are some big-time scumbags.  

This turned out to be another one of those gems of a film that I missed in theaters because the commercials and trailers simply didn't express the awesome and I just happened to stumble upon it in the middle of the story when it showed it up on cable, and that alone was badass enough for me to watch it to the end, and then go back to On Demand and watch it again from the start. If you missed this one as well, give it a look, it really is an impressive ride that satisfies both action and drama fans and with the cinematic finale of this saga drawing near, the time has to come for me to enjoy the next chapter in the story of this tragic character.

Sometimes, life gets a little overwhelming, and when it does, our minds like to wander. Because our imagination and our fantasies help us to cope with rough times and here and there, those two elements have allowed for all of us to envision, what life would be like if we were free of the hustle and bustle of the world. For some, that fantasy involves what a dream vacation at the furthest reaches of the world might look like, and how tasty the umbrella drinks might be there. For others, they dream of a trip to the mountains where they can hike to a point where cities are mere dots on the horizon and at this point, you’re probably noticing a theme in that, when the world gets us down, a little isolation and ‘me time’ sounds delightful.
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Yet, there are some who take their fantasies further, and simply envision a world where mankind doesn’t exist and the only inhabitant of this tiny blue rock flying through space is the dreamer and the cutest of animals,, and this particular fantasy exists simply because it’s quite lovely to envision a world without bills or burdens, just the freedom to do whatever one wants whenever one wants but alas, it is only a fantasy and, such a notion may not be all it is cracked up to be. Because while it is nice to get away from it all once in a while, we do thrive on human interaction and we do need our loved ones around us and if that extreme fantasy were to come true, one wonders how we would cope in a world without our friends and family. But thankfully, film is always here to explore such concepts and recently I was able to revisit a film that explores this grand notion and all of its ups and downs in fascinating fashion in The Quiet Earth.

Now in this particular film we are introduced to a man named Zac Hobson who, is having the strangest day. Because despite the fact that it is an average morning in the world, there isn’t a single human being to be found, or animal for that matter as well and while that would potentially cause panic in the average person, there’s a calm that Zac exudes when he discovers this because he may know the reason for this desolation. For Zac works with a company that has been toying some with experimental energy theories and their work has done something to cause the vast majority of life on earth to disappear. Which means that Zac is now faced with the prospect of being the last man on the planet and while that sounds delightful at first, he quickly learns solitude is not all it is cracked up to be, which is why he’s thankful that he discovers there are a few survivors left. But while he is able to find some comfort in the new friends he’s met, the little paradise they’re trying to build for themselves may not last, for the experiment is still running and it’s primed to fire again, and unless Zac can figure out how to stop it, it just might destroy the entire universe. 

So, I think what I liked the most about this particular film, is the sheer fact that it isn’t sappy in the slightest. For one might think that a movie where all of mankind disappears, would eventually lead to some kind of lamenting from our main character, and potential remorse for a life that was not fulfilled but that’s just not present here. Instead, Zac immediately dives into the magic of having the world at his fingertips and once the wonder of that runs its course, the horror and devastation of his standing as the last man on earth sinks in and things get supremely dark, which is why I’m glad the story introduces another human being when it does so that Zac has a greater purpose outside of getting by. And what’s equally as impressive about this motion picture is that it has more to explore than the mere power of isolation and loneliness, it also takes the time to dive into the fact that even when faced with extreme circumstances, people tend to stay the course.
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Because the introduction of Joanne, and later Api, should serve as a blessing for everyone since its clear isolation was ripping everyone’s respective psyche to shreds. Meaning that this reunion of humanity should have resulted in cooperation and gratitude, the kind that saw everyone appreciate their rediscovered sense of community, but alas, that’s just not the case. It’s still every man or woman for themselves in this instance, and the past still weighs heavy on every single character’s mind and it’s just a fascinating idea to introduce the notion that we might not change when presented with the end of the world and what I truly appreciated about this particular exploration is that the film didn’t condemn mankind or try and make it seem as though we aren’t worthy of salvation, it simply presented us as we are, flawed and terrified of change.

When all is said and done however, this motion picture really is a refreshing treat to say the least. Because normally sci-fi themed films in this vein focus heavily on the technobabble and how saving humanity will in turn save the character or characters souls. But this, this is basically a grand exploration of what would happen if every day Janes and Joes found themselves in a world without people and the realism present here pulls you in, and perhaps the movie’s greatest accomplishment, is the sheer fact that it is devoid of any messages or commentary on our world. It simply speaks to the fact that while we are flawed and have plenty of problems, we really do need one another, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, and that’s why I highly recommend you see this one if you haven’t before. Because it is an original and intriguing approach to an age-old fantasy, one that deep down, we know would probably suck if it actually came true. 

​In my short years working on this website, I have been privy to going to several conventions and seeing just how much some television programs have changed people’s lives. Embracing their fandoms and completely losing it when meeting their heroes, I truly see how much it means to them. Even though I am not a die-hard fan of too many of these shows or movies, I still get blown away when seeing this happen and I still cannot get the scream of a woman out of my head when she was able to hug William Shatner, it was amazing. I love watching this with all of my heart and maybe someday I will be in the same shoes as so many other people and maybe, just maybe I will lose my mind when meeting one of my heroes.

Eighteen years after the famed show Galaxy Questhas gone off of the air, the crew of the NSEA Protector is still going strong, in a sense. Attending many conventions, all of the actors are willing to give their time to the fans that relish the series, even the former 'Commander', Jason Nesmith. As none of the group has ever been able to find another acting job as good as Galaxy Quest, they are getting burned out on their current run, with the exception of Jason who is still living the high life and is able to book jobs without the crew. When being shot down by his good friend Gwen, Jason leaves a convention early to get prepared for his next job when he is greeted by a group of Thermians that desperately need his help. 

Thinking that this is his next job, Jason agrees to play the Commander for them once again and in cocky fashion, has them fire all of the weapons aboard the 'ship' at Sarris who is looking to kill all of the Thermians. Thinking that his day is done, Jason is transported home, but when he finds out that he was really in outer space, he wants to share the experience with the rest of his friends. Getting visited by the head of the Thermians, Mathesar, Jason finds out that his actions have not made their situation and better and Sarris is still alive and on the warpath for revenge. Needing his crew with him, they are reluctant, but decide to take the gig since Jason has never shared one that he has booked alone with them.

Being transported to the Thermian's space station, they are all blown away that they are really in space and that their ship from the show, the NSEA Protector is in fact a reality. While everyone seems to have a hard time believing what they are seeing is real, Jason is more than happy to show them all of the sights. With everything in front of them being from the show they made many years ago, it all reacts to the motions that they went through on screen. After leaving the space dock, the group is greeted by Sarris who wants everyone to surrender, but when Jason tries to devise a plan to take down the hostile alien, he is found out as a fraud and now Sarris will take the first of many shots at the ship. Not being a true captain, Jason finds out that he has bitten off more than he can chew and regrets bringing his crew along, but it also ignites something in him…to join the team that he has neglected for so many years, and if everyone can get on the same page, the crew of the NSEAProtector will have a chance to save the world once again, but this time, for real.

Talk about a true fan movie, watching your favorite actors becoming the people that you have loved seeing on screen for so many years. This movie is just a joy to sit back and watch whenever you are feeling down, as it has so many aspects, not only of fandom, but a ton of character growth. I have watched this movie more than a few times and even though I like all of the characters in it, I still cannot get enough of Fred Kwan, the engineer on the ship. He never seems to be blown away by what is happening and is just along for the ride, and he steals every scene he is in. Watching as Jason is able to gain the trust of his crew, along with some of his fans, he shows great growth in the movie and shows that not everyone, even the head strong will always be stuck in their ways. Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

Whether we like to admit it or not, death is still quite the taboo subject in modern society. We simply don’t like discussing the fact that someday, our loved ones, our pets and ourselves for that matter will expire and pass into whatever awaits us on the other side and well, it’s understandable as to why we shy away from this particular topic. After all, who wants to focus on the end, when the journey has so much to offer, and that’s why we spend so much time and effort, celebrating the wonder of life and every waking moment that we are blessed with, so we can avoid the fact that eventually our hearts will break when loved ones begin to make their exit from our lives. Yet, that’s really just scratching the surface when it comes the taboo nature of death, because there is so much more that we could discuss when it comes to how we sweep it under the rug.
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But what’s relevant to today’s discussion is the sheer fact that there is one more aspect to death that just so happens to terrify us more than the end itself, and that would be suicide. Because the thought of someone ending their own life confuses so many of us, since we simply do not understand how a person could come to a point where they believe they would be better off dead instead of living in a world that offers so much and our fear of this and our confusion of it forces the topic and those considering it to be  to be pushed to the side so it doesn’t have to be dealt with head on, when it fact, it needs to be. But, important matters such as this cannot remain in the shadows forever, and one solid way to bring them out into the light is to explore them in the creative world and recently, I had the opportunity to watch a motion picture that tackles suicide and everything relevant to it in powerful and sobering fashion in Just Say Goodbye.

Now in this particular film, we are introduced to a young man named Jesse Peterson and Jesse, has seen quite the hard road in his short time on this planet. For when he was young, he came home one day to find that his mother committed suicide and her death, set in motion a chain of events that kept Jesse on an ugly path. For his father never recovered from her passing, and he turned to alcohol to dull the pain, and a bad accident along the way forces him to rely upon his son for food and proper care and well, Jesse’s plight doesn’t end there. For high school has proven to be just as challenging since he’s bullied on a regular basis and really, the only bright point in his life, is his best friend Sarah, and despite the encouragement and support that she offers, Jesse has made a tough decision in that, while Sarah is away on her trip to New York, he’s going to end his life. And unfortunately for Sarah, she’s now aware of this and must figure out how to convince Jesse that his life is worth living…

So, make no mistake about it, this is a dark film that doesn’t shy away from its subject matter in the slightest and that makes this an uncomfortable experience to say the least, one that gives you pause when all is said and done because it holds nothing back. Because you are there to bear witness to every single heartbreaking moment in Jesse’s life. You’re privy to the day he discovers his dead mother, you are there for every single moment of abuse and rejection from his father, and you also have to sit through the bullying he deals with at school and I won’t lie, this story wears you down. It leaves you squirming in your seat, even more so when he reveals his plan to Sarah, since you’re now forced to watch her have to deal with the possibility of losing her best friend in the whole wide world and all of these unsettling moments speak to what makes this film so worthwhile.
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Because, it allows for you to truly understand Jesse’s plight, and why he’s making this devastating decision and you come to realize that he really has no hope when it comes to the future, and while you won’t agree with his decision, understanding it is key. For there is plenty of research to back up the fact that people who’ve taken their lives or survived an attempt felt (or feel) worthless, and hopeless, as though there is nothing worth living for and to see that present here, is heartbreaking and shocking but necessary to say the least and while the story in and of itself matters the most here, this is still a film. And the gravity needed to express this kind of a story fails without a stellar cast and thankfully, both Max MacKenzie and Katerina Eichenberger, who play Jesse and Sarah respectively, outright deliver powerhouse performances that are so good they confuse the viewer at times. Because there are genuine expressions of emotion that make you wonder as to whether or not you’re watching a movie or living through a moment.

In the end however, this is an important film. It’s poignant, it’s powerful and devastating and beautiful all at once, and it truly captures the human condition, and some of our daily struggles growing up and this is one that stays with you long after its come to an end, and it’s one that I highly recommend. Because this film has plenty to say, and its messages will hopefully motivate all kinds of discussions revolving around suicide and the myths that surround it and really, I have to tip my cap to Writer Layla O’Shea and Director Matt Walting for assembling a brave motion picture, one that is fearless in telling its tale, and one that reminds us of the value of every single person we meet and the sheer importance in being good to our fellow man because a sliver of kindness and an ounce of hope, can do wonders for the soul.

If there’s one unfortunate truth when it comes to our modern world, it’s that, tragedy is an inevitability. Something bad is going to happen somewhere in the world to someone or a group of people, and it will stun us when it hits the news, and while there is little we can do to change the act that has already occurred, we will most certainly break it down on the news and in our homes because tragedy also fascinates us, and with good reason. Because we are raised to believe and try to believe that the world is often a fine place and pushing toward something better and these darker moments, take us completely off guard and we want to understand how and why this happened.
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If anything, tragedy can sometimes remind us of the harsh reality that we are capable of great cruelty and anger and in our minds, it’s helpful to simply see the people that commit these acts as evil and nothing more. But the fact of the matter is, often times, people don’t just wake up evil or suddenly decide they want to harm others, there are mitigating factors that go into their decision to hurt their fellow man, and sometimes poor mental health is involved as well, and recently, I had the opportunity to watch a motion picture that takes the time to present tragedy and how a person can be driven to cause it, in raw and honest and heartbreaking light in Room for Rent.

Now in this particular motion picture, we are introduced to a woman named Joyce, who suddenly finds her life turned upside down when her husband of many years passes away unexpectedly. Because in the blink of an eye, she’s on her own, and she’s ill prepared to handle life without a husband who took care of her in the traditional sense. Which means, money is getting tighter, bills are piling up and hope is starting to fade, prompting Joyce to try something radical to say afloat, and she converts her home into a cozy Bed and Breakfast. At first this plan seems to be working pretty well, minus the fact that customers can sometimes be a pain, but everything takes a turn for the worse when young Bob moves into her home, and not for reasons one might think. For Bob is not the problem, instead his arrival and his good looks and bravado bring out the worst in Joyce and she latches onto her new tenant emotionally and her newfound connection, will spell trouble for both Bob and Joyce and anyone else who enters her home…

So, it’s best I just come out and say this right now, Room for Rent is a magnificent motion picture. For not only does it harken back to the psychological thriller boom of the late 1990s, it really does add a fresh spin to the genre by humanizing the incredibly broken Joyce because we are privy to her complete downward spiral in this tale, and that’s just heartbreaking to say the least. Because you feel for Joyce from the get go, since she really is lost without her husband and struggling at every step and that’s what makes the terror so jarring because once Joyce breaks, you’re conflicted and you don’t know how to feel or think about what’s happening before your eyes and you hope that Joyce will snap out of it before things go too far because she genuinely is a nice lady with good intentions who simply loses her way.

But what’s truly impressive about this film, is the sheer fact that it offers up incredible depth when it comes to every single character present here and that’s honestly rare for a thriller. For more often than not, the people that come and go in a story such as this are merely fodder for the mad man or man woman, but here, everyone has a detailed backstory, and hopes and dreams and purpose and that oddly enough adds a frightening sense of realism to this tale since it feels as though you’re witnessing a slice of American life, and the only way to sell that kind of realism is to have a wonderful cast and every single actor in this film delivers a magnificent performance in their respective role, but while the supporting cast is strong and solid, it’s our lead that truly steals the show. For Lin Shayne is simply magnificent in the role of Joyce, and the vulnerability and fury that she displays in her performance is chilling and raw and it allows for the audience to fear Joyce because you genuinely have no idea what she is going to do next.

If anything, this is a thriller that I highly recommend, simply because it’s downright refreshing. Because most thrillers are predictable fare, but this one offers so much more. It’s human, it’s heartbreaking and it’s powerful to say the least because by the time the end credits roll you come to understand that everything you just witnessed revolves around a woman who firmly believes she’s finally taking control of her life, granted she goes about that in the worst ways imaginable, but that speaks to the harsh reality of the tragedy that populates our world. Because so many people who make hurtful choices feel as though there’s no other recourse and that they have to do this to make things right in their world and their mind and that allows for this film to give one pause and ponder upon the nature of cruelty and the wonder of treating others with an ounce of respect because who knows how many tragedies could be averted if the people that commit them, felt as though they matter.

How frustratingly appropriate it would be for me to miss the one night only premiere on account of bad weather, I thought as I embarked, braving the elements of an early spring snow storm with a name I maintain must have only been invented this year. But ‘bomb cyclone’ be damned I would make it to the theatre to see a film 25 years in the making. Terry Gilliam’s white whale, his own windmill giant, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Being myself a long-time Gilliam fan and particularly fond of the Lost in La Mancha documentary, I was enjoying having my own unfortunate obstacle to overcome, participating in my own small way in the grand tragedy of this film’s production.

The picture La Mancha paints of a perfectly constructed disaster with every imagine-able complication rearing its ugly head in wave after wave of setbacks is almost Shakespearean: both devastating and captivating. There are moments in Lost in La Mancha, on day one of production in fact, when the unexpected roar of fighter planes passing overhead seemed to signal that the fates had declared war on Gilliam’s vision. And on the second day when rain and hail rolled washing away the crews’ equipment in it seemed that nature had added her thunderous voice to the shout of disapproval, condemning Gilliam’s mad dream.

Before seeing The Man Who Killed Don Quixote I wrote the following in response to the documentary exploration of Gilliam’s failed attempt to make the film 17 years ago: The success or failure of the film will be a case of lost in translation as much as anything else and I’m not referring to the original Spanish of the source material. The film will be in essence Gilliam’s attempt to translate the vivid passion and clarity of his mind’s eye for the audience. This is what all great directors attempt but Gilliam’s surreal visions make this kind of translation all the more difficult.
           
On the other side of having seen the film that Gilliam finally got to make, what I’m beginning to realize is that Lost in La Mancha is essentially a feature length trailer for a film that didn’t exist in 2002 and still doesn’t exist today. In a way I seem to have shot myself in the foot revisiting Lost in La Mancha so close to the premiere of the final film, though the marketing leans heavily on the audience’s fondness for the documentary. The process of detangling myself from a vision of a film in transition, of wild marionette sword fights and lumbering giants, from expecting a director’s surrealist vision which would dwarf The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is one of the myriad of reasons why this review is so late in coming. It’s funny, I seemed to have taken Gilliam’s lead and shot the film in my own head and when presented with what actually came out of filming, I’m understandably underwhelmed. All of that notwithstanding, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is an exceptional adaptation of Don Quixote if an unpolished Terry Gilliam film.

The plot follows Toby, a disillusioned commercial director whose vision for a parody advertisement brings him back to the Spanish hills where he shot an adaptation of Don Quixote as a student many years before. Toby retreats from their on-location shoot to clear his head and rediscovers the village that he used for his student film. He soon discovers that his directorial influence did not benefit the locals who starred in his movie. Toby’s film gave two of its stars very different but very real delusions of grandeur which in turn have ruined their lives. First, the innocent youth Angelica (portrayed by Joana Ribeiro) persuaded by Toby’s encouragement that she ought to be a star chose a path of self-deprivation and compromise which culminated in her being treated like property by a Russian Vodka company owner, Alexei Miiskin (Jordi Mollá). And second, the aged shoemaker Javier (Jonathan Pryce), who, under Toby’s direction, became convinced that he was in fact Don Quixote de La Mancha, the Knight of chivalric legend. Toby slips between the lucid present, dreamy flashbacks, and surreal inventions of his mind as he tries to make amends for and save Angelica and Javier from the damage he caused while at the same time trying to rationalize how real Javier and his own fantasies appear as he starts losing his grip on reality. 

At its core, this film is an excellent adaptation of Don Quixote with Jonathan Pryce absolutely nailing the playful and endearing madness of the titular character. Add to that the self-referential and nuanced commentary of the disruptive director’s effect on the people and places they invade while making films and you have quite the extraordinary film, but it’s in the details and the fringe commentary that Gilliam attempts where the film falls flat.

There are fleeting attempts at a commentary of the international refugee crisis and the xenophobic violence and fear it has inspired across the globe but these elements are so brief and poorly integrated in the film that they seem tacked on rather than a nuanced commentary. One of the scenes in question is in particularly poor taste depicting several women in niqab pulling their face veils back to reveal long black beards eliciting the frightened scream, ‘suicide bombers!’ from the crowd. The scene is meant to play as comical as the line is dismissed out of hand, I believe in an attempt to demonstrate the ridiculousness of xenophobic stereotypes, but the screamed reaction is so disconnected from the tone of the scene that it only manages to pull the viewer out of the film.

The film’s other weakness has to do with Gilliam’s female characters. While we might write off the one dimensional nature of the ‘boss’ wife’ character, and I refer to her as such as that’s about as much thought went into the writing of that character, as in the spirit of the female figures of the source material, it’s rather disconcerting that so simplistic a model wouldn’t be one of the first elements you would update and modernize when adapting Don Quixote. More troubling though is Angelica, whose character is not necessarily underwritten or one dimensional so much as she is poorly used. Angelica as the village youth given delusions of grandeur which make her comprise her values and self-worth in pursuit of the limelight, is a powerful figure. Though Toby and the audience blame Toby for sending Angelica down the less than desirable path that has led her to her current state of subservience to Alexei, she does not. Angelica owns her decisions and the path that has led to the woman she’s become showing the growth and world-weary experience of her character. But the film champions Toby as rescuer, and dismisses Angelica as victim and distressed damsel, which is tonally appropriate when dealing with the chivalric world of Quixote, but ultimately undermines the depth of Angelica as a character and effectively erases her agency in the film.

From a visual perspective though, there’s not much to knock about The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Of the three sequences in which we see a Quixote of some sort tilting at windmills, (and let’s be honest that’s the only shot that matters in a Don Quixote adaptation) the one featuring Jonathan Price’s attempt is uniquely well executed as it captures the intangible and iconic dynamic visual style of Gustave Doré’s illustrations for the novel. Trading his more signature surrealist visual style from a Parnassus or a Fear and Loathing, for landscape and natural lighting, Gilliam achieves visually stunning sequences that are among the most breathtaking he’s ever captured.

A gorgeous if ultimately uneven film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote proves that Terry Gilliam’s head is still a place I like to visit from time to time and as for the film that could have been, the one whose collapse we got to watch in real time, I suppose it’s still in the Spanish hills somewhere, forever lost in La Mancha.