DAMIEN RILEY, world musician and performer

Author: Damien Riley

  • A Ghost Story (2017)

    A Ghost Story (2017)
    R | 1h 32min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance | 27 July 2017 (Australia)

    https://podomatic.com/embed/html5/episode/8569535?autoplay=false
    In this singular exploration of legacy, love, loss, and the enormity of existence, a recently deceased, white-sheeted ghost returns to his suburban home to try to reconnect with his bereft wife.
    Director: David Lowery
    Writer: David Lowery
    Stars: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, McColm Cephas Jr.

    When I look at David Lowery’s directing record, it isn’t saying much that he did the remake/reboot of Pete’s Dragon. The original was in fact my favorite movie and in fact the first film that ignited my desire to be a critic. Star Wars (2017) would be the next one. I am no fan of the Pete’s Dragon reboot but as I understand a lot of other people are so I’ll give Lowery a break there. He also did Aint Them Bodies Saints which I haven’t yet seen but have read much critical acclaim for. This film, A Ghost Story (1977) is a slow film that likely took pounds and pounds of muscle to make. Ironic I would say. It takes a big risk painting a simple picture. How many directors can say they had a strong visual idea and saw it through to completion without any nonsense added? For that I tip my hat to him. In that respect it s a rarity. The production company A24 made the film which is in keeping with their “big but simple” ideas for film. One example that comes to mind is It Comes at Night (2017).

    The two actors are excellent, no need to say anything critical about either of them. Besides, there isn’t much dialog here. There is a scene where Rooney Mara eats a pie for 5 minutes (or more) and the Casey Affleck ghost watches. So there you are for the description of the actors.

    I think this film brings up questions of eternity and hauntings but it is never for one instant scary in any way. I think Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze did this concept better but you be the judge. This film for me is the thought of a spooky, thoughtful image being displayed the full length of a movie for “open-ended” effect. It is pretty cool for about an hour. After that, it really got boring for me. Kudos to Lowery for trying, there just isn’t enough here to justify the cost of a drama, or romance ticket. And Mr. Lowery, you would probably admit, you never claimed it to be a horror. It is nevertheless a beautiful almost still picture. and some will enjoy that.

    6/10

  • Midnight Special

    “Midnight Special” combines million dollar effects with a really low budget backdrop. It’s an odd combination that works on a sci fi level with mixed results.

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    “Midnight Special is a 2016 American science fiction-drama film written and directed by Jeff Nichols, and produced by Sarah Green and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. The film stars Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, and Jaeden Lieberher.[ The film is Nichols’ fourth full-length film and his first studio production.[ It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.[6]

    The film revolves around Roy and his biological son, Alton Meyer, escaping federal and local officers, after discovering that Alton has special powers.

    The film began a theatrical release on March 18, 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures, expanding wider in subsequent weeks. It has garnered positive reviews from film critics.” (Wikipedia)

    If you recall the Heaven’s Gate cult, you’ll think you’re there in the beginning. A cult, though never identified as religious, is always annoying to me in movies. The exception of this was “Big Love” on HBO a while back. I liked the humor of a polygamist living as a Mormon with his bitchy wives. That worked on a comic level.

    This film unfortunately kept me hanging and didn’t deliver. I expect sci fi to be sort of in inner adventure. The thrill of creativity and invention is always there, beckoning me to the screen with popcorn in my mouth.

    From this point, there may be minor spoilers.

    In this film, it’s a chase that is only barely a thrill. There’s nothing thoughtful or new.

    I also like sci fi that presents another world. That is damn interesting when done right. I’m reminded of Lucas’ THX. We get to see what these magical dopplegangers of us do on a higher plane. We get allusions to that world but it is never shown. Having said that, there is light, a lot of light. The way it bleeds like milk reminded me of “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind.”

    A LOT is left unexplained. I kept hoping it would make sense. As a married man, I had to keep reassuring my wife it would make sense. She pretty much hoped for the same thing I did. I am shocked so many critics are lauding this film. As usual when I dislike a movie, I will go and read a few of them. It’s averaging in the high 80’s on Rotten Tomatoes and elsewhere. S, you maybe should see it on that basis until I get my head together.

    Until then, Michael Shannon and Kirsten Dunst have me stumped on this one. They are 2 of my favorite actors but I honestly did not find much joy in them delivering their roles. I’m sorry to say this one did not do it for me. Because I could watch Michael Shannon read food labels and be entertained (check out “Take Shelter”) it only lost 2 stars.

  • The Boss

    This review is a repost. When I saw this film I was just starting to sort of see poorly rated films without paying attention to the critics. Otherwise I probably never would have seen this one.

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    R | 99 min | Comedy
    Director: Ben Falcone
    Writers: Ben Falcone, Steve Mallory
    Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell, Peter Dinklage

    A titan of industry is sent to prison after she’s caught insider trading. When she emerges ready to rebrand herself as America’s latest sweetheart, not everyone she screwed over is so quick to forgive and forget. (IMDB)

    I can’t say the last few movies of Melissa McCarthy have impressed me. I loved her in the 90’s dramedy series “Gilmore Girls.” She didn’t do any ft girl splits ar steal food off everyone’s plates as is common in her movies since. I usually chuckle at her films but rarely more than that. “The Boss” is a new low for her body of work and her body has changed too, probably from surgery but I don’t know for sure.

    If she did lose weight quickly, it would explain the turtlenecks. My wife pointed this ot to me. She said when people have radical weight loss surgery, sometimes they have turkey neck with the extra skin still hanging. The scenes I liked the best were when she did a dance routine on stage. She’s like the Tony Robbins of real estate and she wants to “make you rich.” I hate those greedy motivational speakers so these on stage performances with the pyrotechnics and such were hilarious to watch. Please note: every other part of this movie is neither funny nor entertaining. I think this is one of the most boring films I have seen in decades. I’m amazed it got made.

    The stuff with the girl scouts is really reaching for a laugh. It doesn’t fit with the movie it all even though I kept hoping it would. I have to shine a light of kindness as I wrap this up however: Melissa McCarthy is a hilarious comic. Her slapstick is right up there with Will Farrell and Molly Shannon. Unfortunately she’s accepting some really stupid scripts. Maybe it’s time we see her name on the writer’s credits line. In conclusion, I was bored all the way through this film, except for those stage scenes I mentioned. I suppose I’d recommend it but only if there is nothing else good playing.

    My rating: 1

    Have you seen this film? What’s your verdict?

  • Imperium (2016)

    Imperium (2016)
    R | 1h 49min | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 19 August 2016 (USA)

    A young FBI agent, eager to prove himself in the field, goes undercover as a white supremacist.
    Director: Daniel Ragussis
    Writers: Michael German (story), Daniel Ragussis (screenplay)
    Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts

    Director Daniel Ragussis gives us this film as his debut. He’s had experience with short films and he’s also a writer/producer of this and other films. This was an ambitious project for a first time director. Most people avoid controversial topics in general while a smaller group are attracted to them. The subject of white supremacy is one I find to be particularly taboo at the water cooler and also, when people are talking about what movie to see. For that reason, I suspect this film didn’t do as well as it could have with less controversy.

    Daniel Radcliffe is the star and focus of this story. He is a police officer going undercover to expose and arrest a white supremacist cult. It gets ugly in there and a couple time you really fear for little Daniel and what they might do if they find out about him. He is an interesting choice. It might have been more realistic to get a big skinhead type. The whole time I was thinking he didn’t look like he fit in. Maybe the director was trying to show that all you need is hate to get in the door of those places.

    There are older leaders in cults like this but usually I have seen these sort as being young men between 18-25. I think the film shows that men in that age range are angry sometimes, to the point of hatred for another race. When they aren’t successful, they want to blame and that is really the shame of it.

    This is not a topic I usually enjoy in a film. I was very uncomfortable in American History X. I am respecter of Ghandi and any leader who accepts all races as being equal. This is a good film but too far out for into a subject I truly despise.

    6/10

  • Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

    The lives of three young women and why they became punk revolutionaries is the main idea of “Pussy Riot: a Punk Prayer.”

    Pussy_Riot-A_Punk_Prayer_PosterIt’s a real situation and a real “group” (instead of a band) that protests the Soviet Union through punk songs and performance art. They claim to be non-violent, which is good. In some of their protest situations they have been threatened and violence has been enacted against them. Three visionaries of the group: Mariya Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova occupy the film’s content and their stories are inspiring or enraging depending on your political and moral point of view. I found these three women and their art hugely inspirational. I think we forget in America what freedom is and that at some point, it needs to be sacrificed for.

    These three women feel that Russia needs to get more progressive. By that I mean, women should be allowed to have a life with or without men.

    They also feel there should be a clear separation between church and state. More than anything, they detest the policies of Vladimir Putin, the current leader of the Soviet Union. Many of their songs decry his regime. I liked the open and forward thinking of the women but some of their techniques, such as the naming of their group and some past indiscretions on film, in my opinion are not as universally embraceable as they could be. I’m writing a review about their documentary but I cringe a little creating the title with the word “pussy” in it. Is there another way we could name this group without fanning the flames of the conservatives? I am no revolutionary but I might recommend to Pussy Riot a slightly more marketable and palatable approach to its persona.

    These women spend at least 6 months in jail (I lost track after all the updates and frankly am too lazy to look up this significant particular). When they address the court or the press, it is breathtaking. They scribble tomes while behind bars and nearly every time they read their words, they are met with unguarded applause. These is something to these revolutionaries but the movie feels at times as if much of it is staged. If not staged, the movie sometimes feels like HBO camera crews are betting on a worldwide interest in a documentary. This to me is gauche. Not everything can be captured in a documentary. Would Johnny Rotten want to be followed by HBO? How about Ghandi? Hmmm, maybe? Having said that, this movie reminds me of the times I fought to be outside the “system.” So many people these days, especially our youth, accept their position playing video games and being bored. We don’t have to accept the role society gives us. We can break out and be original. It could start by protesting the things we dislike in society. I wonder if many American kids would risk going to jail to try and make the government change. Let’s hope more American kids get that message from Pussy Riot.

  • Mother! (2017)

    Mother! (2017)
    R | 2h 1min | Drama, Horror, Mystery | 15 September 2017 (USA)

    A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.
    Director: Darren Aronofsky
    Writer: Darren Aronofsky
    Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris

    Aronofsky, director of Mother! (2017), has given us shocking and dark films with a message for many years now. I’ll never forget the jolt I got in Requiem for a Dream or the crazy, thoughtful feelings I had after watching The Fountain and The Wrestler. He is a master of imagery and developing a story through characters. This film is filled with a whole lot of acting talent. As I drove home from it, I found myself thinking of these characters. I wanted to interpret what the film was trying to say through them. I don’t know if this is Aronofsky’s best but it will be remembered as a puzzling nightmare that leaves so many deep relationship questions in the viewer’s mind.

    There is a great cast here, actors that need to introduction or accolades mentioned, they are just that good. Javier Bardem, Jennifer Lawrence, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer. None have names. They are referred to in short words like “Him.” It is being argued on the web that Him is an allegorical God who creates and destroys things. I have no doubt the director and writer may have meant such things but I am choosing to write a simple interpretation of this film. If you have not seen the film yet, please don’t read any further. Spoilers.

    My simpler take on this film is that Bardem’s poetry is his fixation. If you ask my wife, she might say I have a fixation with my blog and podcasts. I am either working on them or watching movies virtually all the time. We all have hobbies and pastimes that threaten our time with our significant other. I think Mother is examining those. Would we give them up for our spouse? Should we be asked to? These are the most thick pieces of material I got from the film. To make this point, things go berzerk! Let me say that again: things go berzerk. I’ve never seen a naked woman beat up so brutally. Let’s not even get into the breaking and eating of the newborn son. Notwithstanding the revelations of Jennifer Lawrence and the director, who incidentally are now dating, I like to think of this film as simply an unsatisfied couple: the wife lonely for more attention and the husband lusting for fame. The pain that can come from this is revealed as the massive crowds that appear and do so much damage to the house. Any way you look at it, this film is masterfully made and highly entertaining. Because it is so vague however and the fact that it may be biblical, I am turned off by that possibiity.

    8/10