Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to scream seven times. Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the return of Sidney Prescott in “Scream 7,” the northern noir of “In Cold Light” and the music doc “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: In the crime drama “In Cold Blood,” starring Maika Monroe and Troy Kotsur, and now playing in theatres, a woman, fresh out of prison, is forced to go on the run when she witnesses a murder.
CAST: Maika Monroe, Troy Kotsur, Helen Hunt, Allan Hawco. Directed by Maxime Giroux.
REVIEW: The low-key English language debut of director Maxime Giroux, “In Cold Light” benefits from a steady hand on the wheel, and (eventually) pedal to the metal pacing.
Set mostly on one event filled night, Maika Monroe plays Ava, a felon fresh out of the joint after a drug bust. When her plan to go straight by cleaning out stalls for rodeo-riding father Will (Troy Kotsur) doesn’t work out, she is determined to reclaim her place in the drug business she left behind, now being run by twin brother Tom (Jesse Irving).
When a deal goes south, she witnesses a murder and is framed for the crime by corrupt cops and a cold-blooded rival in the form of drug lord Claire (Helen Hunt). To survive Ava—and a family secret—hoof it as her enemies close in.
“In Cold Light” takes few minutes to kick in.
Giroux takes his time with the set-up, establishing the family dynamics and Ava’s outsider status as she returns to a world and a business that is much different than the one she left behind. Once the stakes have been established, “In Cold Blood” proves itself to be a generic, but effective and stylish (thanks to cinematographer Sara Mishara) neo-noir.
Best known as a scream queen in films like “Longlegs” and “It Follows,” Munroe is a big reason “In Cold Light” remains compelling. Steely but vulnerable, she is given room in the sparse script to explore Ava’s physical and emotional sides. Ava begins as a gritty, mysterious character but slowly transcends the cliches of the crime thriller genre to become worthy of sympathy even as her behavior escalates.
As Ava’s father Will, Oscar winner Kotsur adds to the film’s emotional sweepstakes.
“In Cold Light” is a moody thriller that is a little light on memorable situations or characters—save for Ava and Will—but at a tight 93 minutes, it delivers enough style to transcend its pulpy roots.
SYNOPSIS: The new documentary, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” now playing in select theatres, is a look at the life, activism and career of the groundbreaking Oscar winning actress.
CAST: Marlee Matlin, Henry Winkler, Troy Kotsur, John Maucere, Aaron Sorkin, Lauren Ridloff, Jack Jason. Directed by Shoshannah Stern.
REVIEW: “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” is a celebrity documentary, a look back at an actor who burst on to the scene, earning an Oscar in her very first film role.
But it’s also much more than that.
It begins with the making of 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God,” the film that catapulted Marlee Matlin to fame and the subsequent tumultuous and abusive relationship with William Hurt, which meets the standard of any other slick Hollywood biography, but it does so with the Deaf community at the top of mind.
A longtime advocate for the Deaf community, Matlin’s story is told using a number of techniques to advocate for Deaf audiences. Interviews are closed captioned, but color coded so it’s easy to identify who is speaking, and one-on-one interviews with Deaf subjects, like the Oscar winning actor Troy Kotsur and John Maucere are presented in silence to highlight the natural fluidity of ASL conversation without the voice of a translator.
In another effective sequence, director Shoshannah Stern, who is also Deaf, shows Matlin at a family get-together, but we hear it from her perspective and are immersed in muffled, distorted sound. It’s impossible for her, or us as the audience, to discern what’s being said. More than any other part of the film, this scene illustrates Matlin’s isolation when she is the only deaf person in the room.
Connect that with another scene in which Matlin is directing an emotional episode of the TV drama “Accused.” When a scene featuring a deaf character, played by Lauren Ridloff, recounting her difficult upbringing with hearing parents wraps, Matlin breaks down, undoubtedly affected by the echoes of her own past.
These scenes speak to the heart of Matlin’s personal story and activism, which is less known than her high-profile acting career. Since becoming the first Deaf actor to win an Oscar in 1987, she has worked tirelessly for Deaf representation in film and TV, closed captions on television and policies that ensure equal access to education, employment, and media for Deaf individuals.
There are revelations about her troubled relationship with William Hurt and the sexual abuse she suffered, but by the time the end credits roll “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” reveals itself to be a touching story of strength and resilience, not a typical Hollywood tell-all biography.
