THE REVIEW CORNER

Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Michael Stuhlbarg Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Screenplay by: Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor      Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) lives a life of isolation.  She works as a janitor at a top secret research facility just outside Baltimore in this cold-war era story.  As a child she sustained a curious injury that has left her mute.  Her co-worker, Zelda (Octavia Spencer) does much of the translating for Elisa as she uses sign language to communicate.  Elisa and Zelda are very much outsiders.  As janitors, they are not allowed everywhere in the facility, and if they are allowed in some of the top secret places, they can only be there for a few minutes to clean up.  Elisa's next door neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins), is also an outsider.  He's a commercial artist constantly looking for work.  Giles and Zelda appear to be Elisa'...

Starring:  Merab Ninidze,  Zsombor Jéger,  György Cserhalmi, and  Mónika Balsai Directed by:  Kornél Mundruczó Screenplay by:  Kornél Mundruczó and  Kata Wéber       Jupiter's Moon is one of three foreign films I saw at this year's Palm Springs International Film Festival.  It is also one of two Hungarian films that I saw.        A young man is trying to escape from Syria.  He is one of millions of people fleeing the war torn country and attempting to seek refuge in Europe.  He and many other people are just about to cross the border into Hungary when they are ambushed by border police.  This particular young man is Aryan Dashni ( Zsombor Jéger).  After being shot multiple times in the stomach and chest and being captured, it appears he gains a mysterious ability.  He can levitate.  While recovering in a refugee camp, the camp doctor, Dr. Stern (Merab Ninidze), discovers...

Starring: Sarah Wharton, Nicole Pursell, and Matthew Connolly Directed by: William Sullivan Screenplay by: Derek Dodge and William Sullivan     Romance can be complicated.  Being in a relationship is extremely difficult and there are often a multitude of misunderstandings.  It's how the two people in the relationship handle those misunderstanding that makes this particular story happen.     Sarah Watson (Sarah Wharton) and Kristen Jennings (Nicole Pursell) are two young women in a committed relationship trying to start their own careers and start their lives together.  Sarah and her mom are cleaning out their house one day when her mom finds the ring that her ex-husband gave to her when they got engaged.  She tells Sarah that she can keep it.  Some time later, Sarah meets up with Kristen on the beach and decides to show her the ring.  She only wants to show it to her.  So, while Sarah only wants to show Kristen how cool it ...

     Well, it was back out to the desert for me again!  This time, for the inaugural Palm Springs International Animation Film Festival.  Animation has always had a special place in my heart.  I've loved animated films since I was a little kid.  I can remember clearly all the different Pixar movies I saw growing up, like  Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monster's Inc.,  and so many more.  Animation is different from live action because it can transport us to worlds that are only able to be realized through animation.  Many people think of animated films as just for kids or fun for the whole family.  While those are the vast majority of types of animated films released, there are many more that tackle much more adult subjects.  But, of the films I saw at this festival, they were almost entirely family friendly, and it was great to see so many parents taking their children to these screenings.  With that said, here are s...

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Taliah Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Barkhad Abdi Directed by: Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie Screenplay by: Ronald Bronstein and and Josh Safdie     The title for the movie might be Good Time, but the characters have anything but a good time in this film.  Nick and Constantine Nikas (Benny Safdie and Robert Pattinson respectively) are brothers who go on the occasional bank robbery.  When one goes wrong, Nick gets caught and sent to Rikers Island, a prison just outside of Queens, NY.  Nick suffers from some intellectual disabilities, for which he gets help, but Constantine wants to get him out of Rikers Island as soon as possible before something horrible happens to him inside the prison.  Constantine hears that he might be in a hospital elsewhere in Queens after potentially suffering injuries in the prison.  If Constantine is going to break him out, that's the place to do it.  Well, unfortunatel...

Starring: Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara Directed by: David Lowery Screenplay by: David Lowery     In theory, a film about a ghost lurking in the background much of the time should be a horror movie; one that should terrify you to the core (or not).  It might be a film that one thinks little of upon leaving the theater at the film's end.  Or it might be a film that sticks with audiences long after they leave.   A Ghost Story is a film that leaves the viewer unsure of what to think.     Casey Affleck plays a character only known as C.  Rooney Mara plays a character only known as M.  They are clearly in a relationship and living together, very much in love.  The film begins as they are trying to build their life together, but it comes to a tragic and crashing end when C is killed in a car accident appearing to be not far from the house.  M, seemingly unsure of how to deal with this sudden and shocking loss remains calm and some...

     Lots of film festivals lately!  Yes folks, I've been to another one showcasing short films.  I love short films.  Short films are amazing things.  A short film can do a number of things; it can showcase a particular scene and make that the central focus or even the entirety of the short film, or it can challenge the filmmaker.  It can challenge him or her by forcing him or her to condense a story into a short span of time.  It can challenge the filmmaker to develop a story, whether it be complex or simple, in a short amount of time.  I am often amazed by short films and the power they can have on the viewer.  HollyShorts is a big film festival here in Los Angeles.  It's an Academy Awards qualifier which makes it a very important and competitive festival.  I found the production value of some of these short films to be higher overall than some of the other shorts I've seen at other festivals like Palm Springs or...