GetThe MusicOut

Michael Cimino transforms a working class buddy story, into a eulogy about how a community creates and sustains itself amid tensions and contradictions; and how the insanity of war creates wounds and trauma that breaks some and redeems others. A Tour-De-Force Anti-War Masterpiece.

A Texan working man (Patrick John Flueger - 'John Donnelly'), is doing his best to provide for himself and his family. Work is hard to get and harder to keep, but his brother whom he vouched for (Austin Nichols - 'Tommy Donnelly'), is slacking at work, and neglecting his family at home. The grizzled boss (Kris Kristofferson - 'Boss Flood'), is getting twitchy, forcing John's hand to confront his brother Tommy, and learn that his troubles go even deeper. When a hard world creates hard men who deal in absolutes, it should come as no surprise that some men will break under the pressure. As a likely outcome becomes an inevitable consequence, how far can a brother's love stretch? This movie speaks strongly to themes on authority, family, loyalty, and just how far is too far. The story is well told, and though slightly unusual in the narrowness of its focus, the lead played by Patrick John Flueger, and his brother Austin Nichols; maintain the drive and tension needed for this to work. A commendable piece of work.

A priest tries to vanquish his demons by escaping to a paradise retreat; only to encounter others who are struggling as much as he is. No matter what or who they are, it seems that all creatures of passion must suffer for their pleasures.

This micro-budget offering from Paramount's 'Insurge Pictures' stable, achieves some genuine horror, and succeeds in adding a few novel twists to the Exorcism Movie genre. With this style of movie being so well trodden now; it is no surprise that 'The Devil Inside' does contain some familiar themes, but what's different here, is how the horror elements, have been adjusted and re-combined to render them just that little bit darker. Once you spot this is going on, it even starts to become a 'thing of itself' within the movie, which is fairly novel and bizarre. You begin to recognize familiar horror elements, and track how they have been re-moulded. In itself, this re-hashing of pre-existing ideas is nothing new, and not a problem at all. It actually becomes quite fascinting to observe how effective this approach is, as the scenes play through. There appear to be shades of influence (among others), from The Exorcist, Constantine, The Ring, The Blair Witch Project, and As Above - So Below. Despite the pros and cons of this approach, Director, William Brent Bell still manages to cunjure a coherent vision by sharing in both the writing and editing credits, which has certainly paid off. Some movies never let you forget they were made on a limited production budget. Perhaps it's something to do with the quality of the acting, direction, lighting, set composition, or all of the above. The Devil Inside, phases in and out of this phenomenon, so in one moment it's definately low-budget fare, and then in the next, it has suddenly become something else; something outsisde of that limitation. Though it stands on the shoulders of some better movies, if you can forgive it's shortcomings; 'The Devil Inside' punches well above it's weight, and delivers some edge-of-seat creepiness. A Ghoulish Treat.

In 1944, the Allies are racing each other to occupy Germany as Hitler's armies buckle under the relentless russian offensive. Believing the war is already as good as lost, a renegade faction of the Nazi party are planning to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Another mission of equal or greater importance was launched simultaneously by American and Russian commands, to capture the faction's key Nazi leader and bring him back alive. This leader is believed to be in posession of information that both superpowers want to secure at all costs. This information relates to not only the plan to assassinate Adolf Hitler, but also to the potential continuation of the Nazis party. This information would be of strategic importance to the post-war negotiations, and both sides want it, even though they are unsure of what it is exactly. This intriguing plot is well delivered under Claudio Fäh's Direction. The movie punches well above it's weight and most of the time, manages to look like it was produced with a much larger budget. The acting performances are excellent, and the occasional humour in some of the scenes is very well balanced, keeping the action bouncing along. Character development is very good, so we quickly know who the main characters are and where they are coming from. A worthy watch.

This procedural cop drama shines a light on the vulnerability of serving officers who make fatal mistakes in the line of duty. Director Agustín Fernández shares screenwriting credit on this with Anthony Thorne, Kevin Barrett, and Nick Montalvo. The 93 minutes run-time passes quickly, with the taught script emphasising the tension between the characters rather than the action. The scenes are edited to make for efficient storytelling, with no unnecessary time wasted on the necessary but peripheral, plot-lines. That being said, whenever a scene build-up seems slow, this is done to create atmosphere and build tension. Casting is fairly spot on and all of the actors pull their weight here. The overall mood being pretty dark and intense, is only saved from being grindingly humourless, by the fast pace and plot twists. Overall, an intelligent and solid piece of work, that is well worth a view.

Most everyone can bring to mind at least one favorite Christmas movie, and 1965's 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' has got to be right up there in shining lights. The creator of the world-wide famous cartoon and comic strip character 'Peanuts'; Charles M. Schulz, had been publishing his comic strip character since the early 1950's., and 10 years later in 1965, it was a world-wide success. The Coca-Cola Company commissioned and sponsored the creation of an animated television special based on his comic strip, which was completed in only six months and just ten days short of its national broadcast premiere. The program premiered on CBS on December 9, 1965, at 7:30 pm Eastern Time, and was viewed by over 15 million homes that evening. With the exception of Animator Bill Melendez, and Producer Lee Mendelson, who were convinced of its quality, almost everyone else involved in its production thought it would be a disaster. New York Network Executives complained of the show's slow pace, the music not 'fitting', and the animation being too simple. It actually received unanimous critical acclaim. So what's so great about it? Well, first there's the music, described as an unorthodox mix of traditional Christmas music and jazz. The Vince Guaraldi Trio, scored the jazz portions, and if you are a jazz lover, you may smile as you pick up hints of possible influence from Miles Davis, and Charlie Mingus to name a few. Vince Guaraldi also had a history with Bossa Nova, so his rich fusion of musical tastes and influences ended up in the music score, and became this superbly seamless accompaniment to the show's scenes. The pace is beautifully measured and keeps in step with the story, allowing slow and reflective scenes to give way to the quicker pace of scenes with humor and banter, and back again. The humor ranges from one liners, to sit-com, to observational, to absurd and everything in-between. You just never know what kind of gag is coming next, and the laughs and smiles just keep coming in all shapes and sizes. The plot and it's themes are gently and consistently focused on a search for the true spirit of Christmas, but this never feels preachy or lecturing. Part of the magic of this show is in the casting of child-only voice actors, one of whom was only six years old and had to be read her lines. The characters were carefully thought out as this show after all had started out as a silent comic strip. Casting the characters was tricky, with Charlie Brown's character being played by child actor Peter Robbins who had good acting skills, but who could also appear nonchalant. The script is sophisticated and the children were said to have viewed the script's dialogue as "edgy," finding several words and phrases, among them "eastern syndicate", difficult to pronounce. Now approaching its 55th year, 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' feels like a classic that might still be watched and enjoyed at Christmas in 2065, when it reaches 100. Diamond.

Assigned behind enemy lines to assassinate a wanted target, a Canadian Intelligence Officer is forced to take a circuitous route to his rendezvous. His parachute descends over Northern Africa, French Morocco, and he makes a hard landing on a sand dune in the dessert. It's 1942. World War 2 is raging, and he has yet to meet his partner for the mission, a Female French Resistance Fighter. As he walks along the nearest road, an aproaching dust cloud rises from the horizon, indicating an oncoming vehicle. As he reaches for his gun belt, he does not know if the driver is friend or foe. As espionage war dramas go, this one is fairly decent. Though the pace can feel a bit slow occasionally, on the whole, the show rattles along quite nicely. The plot manages to remain credible throughout, and avoids any blatant artifice or tired tropes to induce a heart racing finale. Solid Stuff.

Set in the dusty arid outback of rural Winton, Queensland Australia, in the middle of seemingly nowhere; Mystery Road is a docudrama style movie, telling the story of Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), an indigenous cop, attempting to deal with the consequences of tensions between people in this hostile environment. Ivan Sen's direction, like the barren landscape of its setting, is sparse, and allows the impact of each scene to build up in its own time, and at its own pace. His screenplay (perhaps because he Directed, Wrote, and Filmed this), feels beautifully measured, and achieves so much more by saying so much less. The spaces between the words, and the spaces between the sentences, are punctuated by the background noise of the natural surroundings, or the background noise of silence. Both the natural surroundings, and the silence, are strongly present, and speak wordlessly to what it is to inhabit this part of the world, and what it takes to draw breath here. Jay deals with tough people on both sides of the law, and has only his instincts and his skills, to avoid becoming a victim himself. He treads a careful line between enforcing justice, and being a somewhat helpless witness to in-justice, because his work in the system gives some meaning to his life, and pays the bills as well. He knows more than most, there isn't much room to be vulnerable here, and the price of a mistake can be high. Somehow despite it all, he also knows that while he maybe can't change things much, he can choose how he deals with them. As he sleeps, Jay's phone rings out in the darkness. He wakes, and dutifully answers. Another day awaits. Meditative Magic.

An outwardly successful high flier is living the dream when a shift in the financial market brings about unforseen changes for him and his family. This heartfelt story explores what it can truly cost in this world to be a success, and how the price is probably completely worth it. Ace.