Category: Film

By Miv Evans

The balancing act needed for an ensemble cast is hard to master. Character risk remaining unexplored in the midst of a race to bind story threads before the curtain falls. It’s a high-skill endeavor and, sadly, this film is punching over its weight as it stumbles at every hurdle.

WORTH THE WAIT’S STORY

The screen time is shared between four Asian-American couples. Kai (Ross Butler) and Leah (Lana Condor) meet in an ER. Leah is a nurse and Kai is on a short business trip from Malaysia. Blake (Ricky He) and Riley (Ali Funiko Whitney) are in love and about to graduate high school. Riley hides her relationship from her over-protective uncle and guardian (Sung Kang).

Amanda (Elodie Yung) and Scott (Andrew Koji) are respectively a movie star and a director. They were once in a long-term relationship that ended badly and are now working together on a new film. Teresa (Karena Kar-Yan Lam) and Nathan (Osric Chau) are married and suffer the loss of their firstborn in the delivery room. Teresa’s mother (Kheng Hua Tan) is a house guest who doesn’t want to leave.

THE STRANDS

Each story strand is plagued with plot holes. Kai and Leah profess they love each other but stay permanently apart. Kai is wealthy and everyone takes vacations so why hasn’t he hopped on a plane to visit his amour?

Riley is 18 and afraid to tell her uncle that she has a boyfriend. This would make sense if she was 14, but at 18, it feels more like an obstacle that has been grabbed from thin air.

When Amanda attends a rehearsal, Scott, for no reason, makes her do the same scene 22 times. Stars are protected and someone would have stopped the madness before it hit double digits.

In a different world, the story of Teresa and Nathan stands compelling and true. But it’s a tragic tale and jarringly out of place in a film that lives in the frivolous will-she-won’t-he genre.

ACT lll

With such shaky foundations, the third act becomes the truthsayer.

The moment of decision for Kai is when Leah posts a video online, even though the video subject has barely been mentioned before. Blake decides

that the answer to his life problem is to find a father-figure, which has zero to do with his relationship with Riley. Amanda injures herself while doing a stunt that somehow gives her clarity about what to do about Scott.

SAYING GOODBYE

Teresa’s resolution is also a physical one that wraps up her world while conveniently herding some of the cast to the same place. It’s a cheesy and contrived feel-good farewell, so objective achieved if that’s what the filmmakers were going for.But what can’t be justified is the film’s title. It applies to one of the couples but is anathema to the rest. How could the filmmakers get it that wrong?

Director: Tom Lin

Produced by King Street Pictures

Watch the Trailer

ABOUT SANG KUNG

Kang’s first major role was in Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), directed by Justin Lin, in which he played Han Lue, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in The Motel in which he played Sam Kim.

Kang reprised his role as Han Lue in the Fast & Furious franchise, first appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , Lin’s second movie. Kang’s role in Tokyo Drift was originally written as a one- off character As production progressed, Lin expanded Han to a significant supporting character who proved “emotionally affecting” and provided “a more delicate touch than the Fast movies had seen before, or since.” An unexpected fan favorite, Kang was brought back to the Fast & Furious franchise by Lin, appearing in Fast & Furious , Fast Five , Fast & Furious 6.

By Miv Evans

A Double Life has everything. True crime. Treachery. Tragic victim. Self-sacrificing hero. Omnipotent villain. International subterfuge. A thriller could want no more but this, in fact, is a compelling documentary.

Stephen Bingham was born into the Connecticut elite. He attended Yale and, after participating in a Freedom Summer civil rights project, he decided to pursue a career in law. On graduating, he became a legal aid lawyer, believing his destiny was to help those in need. By the age of 29, he had earned a reputation as being one of the most radical lawyers of his time.

George Jackson grew up in the ghettos of Los Angeles. He was incarcerated in San Quentin when he was 19. It was here that he served the longest prison sentence in California history for stealing $71. During his protracted imprisonment, his activism was given birth. By the age of 29, he had become the best selling author of ‘Soledad Brother’ and the founder of the Black Panther Family.

By the age of 29, J. Edgar Hoover was the director of the FBI. He was nervous about the growing presence of activism, in particular the Black Panthers, and ordered his counter intelligence to target them. The National Lawyers Guild of America was also in his sights, who he described as “more dangerous than the people throwing bombs.” And with that utterance, he ushered in an era that sought to stifle lawyers who riled against racism.

In 1971, the Black Panthers asked Stephen Bingham, in his legal capacity, to escort one of George Jackson’s visitors into San Quentin. She was denied access and Stephen met with George alone. Just hours after he left, a bloodbath ensued and amongst the six dead was George. He was felled by a sniper’s bullet in an exercise yard, surrounded by 40 foot walls. The FBI claimed Stephen Bingham had smuggled in a gun that caused the carnage. He was indicted on five counts of first degree murder and overnight became an international fugitive.

This politically charged film is a lot more relevant in 2025 America than it should be. Assaults on public media and democracy are being made daily. But even though a dramatization of this story has a guaranteed audience, Hollywood studios have no desire to rattle their capitalist stronghold by amplifying any activist voices.

Fortunately, however, American stories don’t just get made in America. And with the current administration’s global enemies stacking up, the timing of this documentary might just be perfect.

Watch the trailer

Directed by Catherine Masud

Streaming on Amazon, Google Play and YouTube Movies

Distributed by Indie Rights

By Miv Evans

The film’s title is original and promises humor but, unfortunately, delivers neither. It’s formulaic to an extreme and feels old fashioned. The latter particularly jars as les Francois generally have an avant-garde attitude. It’s beautifully shot and every frame is worthy of a place in the Louvre, but that’s not why we go to the moves.

Agathe is delighted when she gets accepted but leaves the familiarity of home with great trepidation. The film begins with Agathe and Felix at work. The two have a contrived conversation that details all their flaws, bad habits and lifestyle. It’s a lazy way to introduce characters and stops the audience from making up their own minds. Meet-and-greet scenes are there to invite viewers to step inside and take a look around. If they keep watching from the outside in, disengagement has begun.

When Agathe arrives in England (which looks suspiciously like France), she’s met by a Hugh Grant clone (Charlie Anson). He isn’t carrying an ‘I’m the one’ sign but, there again, he doesn’t need to. It really is that obvious. The two love interests plod through the obligatory misunderstanding and alienation stages but, astonishingly, the ‘getting together and falling in love’ milestone is skipped over. In retrospect, it must have been a series of quick shots of the ‘deux amours’ having a drunken night at a bar. This emotionless tryst takes lazy writing to a catastrophic level. As Jane Austen and every movie fan will tell you; you can’t montage love.

The idea for this film, which is the same as its title, becomes weakened during the telling of its tale. Agathe dreams about a life in a Jane Austen novel but she also has developed a neurosis from the trauma of a car accident. The neurosis is dismissed when convenient but it does do a great job of muddying the waters. With confusion reigning, it’s questionable whether being a wannabe novelist, who’s hoping Mr Darcy will show up, is wrecking anything.

Watch the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C7eJgzqIUo

Written and Directed by Laura Piani

Produced by Gabrielle Dumon

Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics

Limited theatrical release May 23, 2025

By Miv Evans

This is a unique, wildly entertaining Irish musical that dramatizes the true story about how a hip hop band found success.  You don’t have to like hip hop to enjoy it.  You just have to love the Irish – and who doesn’t love folk who are never happier than when they’re dancing, drinking, fighting and cursing.  And that’s just the women.

The Story

DJ Provai (JJ  O’Dochartaigh) is a talented music teacher.   His world is forever changed when fate sends him to the rescue of Moglai Bap (Naoise O’Caireallian), who’s one half of a hip hop band called Kneecap.  The other half of the duo is Mo Chara (Liam Og O hAnnaid).  The two are in need of some production assistance and JJ  volunteers his services.  He discovers their music is of the soul, their daring is contagious and their patriotism provocative.  The teacher is smitten and the trio is launched.

Mo and Moglai are Republicans who reject the Queen’s English.  Despite their youth, they have the courage of their convictions and only rap or speak in their mother tongue.  Their rebellion attracts the attention of a myriad of fans, makes a lot of politicians nervous and incites a call to arms by the police and paramilitaries.  But like all true anarchists, the more attention they get, the more defiant they become, and mayhem ensues.  As the chaos grows, their battle cry defends not only the Emerald Isle, but native culture on a global scale.  Inevitably, they become the face of a Civil Rights movement to save the Irish language.  And their cause could not be more justified.  Celtic is enjoying a revival in Wales; the Scots let their language die a century ago.  

This biopic covers a lot of ground, some of which may not be entirely clear to a global audience.  But what is universal is the humor.  It ’s sacrilegious to the point of profanity and self-deprecating to the point of destruction.  The subject of sex gets turned on its head when a young Colleen sets the romantic stage for Moglai’s blow job .  She glares, grits her teeth and snarls. “If you come, I’ll f****** kill you”.  By the look on his face, he’ll be following orders.  

No Irish political story is complete without at least one kneecapping and, when Mo antagonizes some paramilitaries, he gets on their list.  But when the terrifying moment comes, he’s told to lie on the ground, which is puzzling.  Back in the day, the Provos would always insist that victims drop their trousers before the shots get fired.  Being crippled is one thing, but ruining a good pair of trousers is quite another.   

Watch the trailer: Kneecap

Directed by Rich Peppiatt

RELEASE DATES 2024

US & Canada, August 2

Ireland, August 9

UK, August 23

Spain, September  27

Sweden, October 18

Netherlands, November 21

Distributed by

Sony Pictures Classics

www.sonyclassics.com

By Miv Evans

This is a documentary about Ike Reilly, a singer-songwriter and rock star elect who’s as charismatic off-stage as he is on.  The music never stops and is in synch with the story at every beat.  Energy is endlessly high and Reilly is the untouchable epicenter of a true rascal’s tale.  It’s altogether an enchanting ride. 

Ike was born in Libertyville, Illinois, in 1960.  He rocked it with different bands until he finally founded his own; namely the Ike Reilly Assassination.  His genre maneuvers from folk to pop rock; sometimes even in the same song.  His lyrics are steeped deeply enough in working class rhetoric and political barbs to take him into the realm of a revolutionary.  Everything that is needed to launch him into the musical stratosphere is in place but…… his march to glory never comes.  He’s only ever been a bar band.  He’s never headlined a festival or got streamed a million times.  The success he, and so many others, believe he deserves, has evaded him.  So far.

With an absence of royalties and a house full of kids, Ike at one stage took day jobs to keep the family afloat.  One such job was grave-digging, and when he had to deal with the tragedy of burying a childhood friend, he wrote a pop song about it.  By becoming personally involved, the wild man of rock shows he isn’t impervious to tragedy.  This leads to some poignant film moments and shows a humanity in Ike that isn’t always apparent. 

Slipping into troubadour mode, he’s unapologetic when he reveals that, if he feels the urge to write, he simply relinquishes his role as husband and father.  He’s happy to lock himself away for days, even weeks, regardless of the fact that his songs are unlikely to make any money.  He also admits that he lies to himself to justify his behavior, seemingly indifferent to the fact he’s in a dizzying cycle of narcissism with self-indulgence in the rear view mirror. 

Ike doesn’t ever give the reason why he’s never stopped rocking, which is possibly because he doesn’t know himself.   It could be that he believes his life won’t be complete until he gets his big break.  Or perhaps it’s because he thinks his voice hasn’t been heard yet because he hasn’t written the right song.  Either way, it’s a sure case of death or glory.  

One of the film’s interviewees loyally attests that Ike is already successful.  He insists that writing and recording songs is an achievement in itself, clearly inferring that it’s ‘not about the money’.  This is a claim we’ve heard many times before but, the problem is, we’ve yet to hear it from someone who hit the big time and became extremely rich.         

Watch the trailer here

RELEASE

27 August, 2024

Video Purchase Online 

Directors
Michael O’Brian

Mike Shmiedeler

Distributor

Gravitas Ventures

Publicity
Cinematic Red – Film Public Relations, Entertainment PR

Comandante Manifesto produced by Clean Blood Pictures LLC.   

In addition to Ike and his band The Ike Reilly Assassination – Phil Karnats, Dave Cottini, Pete Cimbalo, Adam Krier, Tommy O’Donnell, Ed Tinley, Shane Reilly, Kevin Reilly, and  Mickey Reilly, also featured in the film David Pasquesi (“Veep,” “Book Of Boba Fett”), Tony Fitzpatrick (Artist, Actor – “Patriot”) and  Mars Williams  (Psychadelic Furs – band).   

Additional crew includes Field Producer and Director of Photography Pete Schneider (“Severance,” “The Squid And The Whale”), Postproduction Supervisor, Editor & Colorist Joe Langenfeld(“Osso Bucco,” “Waterwalk”), Postproduction  Sound Mixer Ryan Staples (“Gangland,” “Inside The Iraq War”) and Director of Photography Sean Fahey(“For Kicks,” “Bailout”).

By Miv Evans

This is a gritty David and Goliath story set in a blue collar world against a corporate America backdrop.  The dynamic has a ‘what comes next’ energy that plays games with its audience.  One minute it’s opening their eyes; the next they feel like Peeping Toms.  The  stakes are high and it feels like a journey that’s too big to end.  It’s a compelling ride.      

Chris Smalls worked at the Amazon Warehouse in Staten Island until he was unfairly fired.  The injustice felt by Smalls was so profound, he was motivated to launch a drive to unionize the entire Amazon workforce.  He  enlisted the support of a handful of past and present Amazon employees who were all as committed as him.  But inevitably, on a project of this magnitude, the road ahead is fraught with conflicts that arise both from without and within. 

The beginning of this film is quite shocking.  It’s hard to believe that, in 21^st Century America, a lone man is taking on the richest company in the world.  But this is what happens.  Smalls has no resources and he and his colleagues are all broke.  One of them, an Amazon employee, is homeless.  The image of her huddled in her car is juxtaposed with the lift-off of Jeff Bazos’ rocket on his $28M spaceflight.  Obscene wealth has never looked more unseemly.

Amazon’s US staff turnover is high.  Long hours, short breaks, lack of safety and oppressive surveillance are the norm.  Yet on the other side of the Atlantic, the retail giant has been named Top 2024 Employer by the European Employer Institute.  It has been highly praised for its “commitment to the development and well being of its employees”.  So the only country in the western world that allows Amazon to abuse its employees is America.  People are universal so, in this case, it’s only the law that differentiates and a case of capitalism trouncing socialism.  

Unions in America have been in decline since the Reagan era so this film will send chills down corporate America’s spine.  Companies of all sizes have been stomping on workers’ rights for so long, the ground has scarred over.  And even though this film gives breath to the possibility of change, who’s going to give breath to the film?  Not Amazon Prime, for sure, and probably not any of the other streamers who are equally entrenched in capitalism.  So if you have trouble finding this film online, maybe do what Chris Smalls did. Let  your friends know what’s going on and kick down a few doors.

Directed by Brett Story and Stephen Maing

Release date October18, 2024 (limited)

Release updates https://www.unionthefilm.com/

Watch the trailer HERE

*In the United States in 2023, despite an uptick in worker stoppages, boycotts and strikes, union density was at an all-time low. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that just 10% of hourly and salaried workers were members of unions, which is about 14.4 million people.

More recently, Amazon joined Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Trader Joe’s in a legal fight to declare the National Labor Relations Board as unconstitutional. Amazon is aggressively setting the anti-union standard for the future of labor in the United States.

By Miv Evans

This is a psycho-dramatic character study that takes place during a single cab ride.  It hits some high notes and sidesteps others but, by the skin of its teeth, it keeps the ball in play until the meter runs out.  For that accomplishment alone, it’s worth a watch. 

THE STORY

A pretty young woman (Girlie, played by Dakota Johnson) arrives at JFK airport and takes a taxi home to her Manhattan apartment.  The  driver (Clark, played by Sean Penn) is a New Yorker who’s spent most of his adult life behind the wheel of a cab.  He’s a people-watcher and likes to share his insights with the subjects he finds so fascinating.

Clark deftly surprises his lady passenger with his take on her behavior since she stepped into his cab.  His delivery is thespian and the minutiae worthy of an FBI profiler.  Girlie is intrigued and their relationship is launched.

Broad strokes of their lives are exchanged and, when challenged, Girlie admits that her lover is married.  Clark dives into a passionate diatribe that spells out exactly what she’s let herself in for. It’s priceless, but not just for its lampooning of the world’s most romantic car crash.  

The real reason Clark is venting is because the lady in his cab is letting herself be used.   He’s angry at the choice she made and, without even knowing it himself, needs to show his disapproval.  It’s assumed that the title of the film relates to Girlie’s older, married lover,  but it could equally relate to one of life’s protectors.  My money’s on the guy who’s taking someone else’s dilemma personally. 

The duologue continues but never changes pace or invites conflict.  The pair claim to be competitive, but this doesn’t ring true.  Their sparring is gentle, but it’s the dirty fighters that get us out of our seats.  Confusingly, the story does a U-turn when Girlie describes how her sister used to tie her up.  Clark sexualizes the moment by asking if she liked it.  The air of expectancy evaporates when Girlie barely reacts; so why go there?  And apart from that, it takes Clark out of character.  He doesn’t do sleazy. 

When the cab ride finally ends, the story is allowed to come to its natural conclusion.  Like two passing ships that decided to tread water for a while before going on their way  The intent may have been to tell Girlie’s story, but it’s Clark who turns out to be the smartest guy in the room.  

It’s so unfortunate that the people with all the answers haven’t got time to run the country, because they’re too busy driving cabs around and cutting hair.  

OPENS JUNE 28, 2024

Written & Directed by Christy Hall

Produced by Creative Artists Agency

Distributed by Sony Picture Classics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJrr2amlFyc