No Escape

“All that matters is making it out alive”.

It was wonderful to see Owen Wilson (Meet the Parents, The Royal Tenenbaums, Night at the Museum) playing a serious character as opposed to his usual comic roles. Irish Pierce Brosnan (Bond 007) was also interesting to watch, as his character in this 2015 Action/Thriller was completely different from his usual roles. Lake Bell (What happens in Vegas, No Strings Attached) played wife to Owen Wilson and Thai Sahajak Boonthanakit (Only God Forgives, 2 Guns) also joined in on the fun.   All actors were believable in their characters, but I honestly wanted to see more of Brosnan who played “Hammond” as in my opinion he was not only engaging but seemed to be the most resourceful.

Written and directed by the Dowdle brothers, I feel like the story had fantastic potential. Overall I can say it was also a good film but there were some elements that did not make it true to life. Set in South-east Asia, the movie was shot in Thailand, however there were Cambodian actors, bill-boards and Cambodian and Laotian languages that were used. If we want to get our geography in order, and if it the family did actually go to Thailand, then Vietnam wouldn’t be such a close border, one would have to go through Cambodia or Laos before arriving there. Another thing would be if film-makers gave a little more back-story on the countries turmoil as well as the Water Company Wilson’s character worked for. I also found the characters “complaining” about the “4th World Country” and about how much they missed home a bit immature and played out.

Besides those slight hiccups, the film was rated R for strong violence and some language and a short/prevented sexual assault. It was non-stop action and intriguing almost every step of the way. Thrilling and nail-bitingly intense, it makes for a great film on how to survive and protect each other in extreme and unpredictable situations. An unpredictable and gripping ride all the way!

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Nominated for 4 Oscars, 35 wins and 34 nominations as well as nomination for youngest best actresses, Quvenzhane′ Wallis, ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ was a cinematic gem. Written by Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar and directed by Benh Zeitlin, this 2012 film is about the survival of a 6 year old girl and her father during post-storm Katrina flooding in New Orleans. 

Another great film with the risk of working with newcomer actors Quvenzhane′ Wallis who played ‘Hushpuppy’ and father ‘Wink’ played by Dwight Henry had a solid chemistry and although some scenes were un-settling like the majority of the dilapidated environment; it spread out quite beautifully; again going to show that one can strike gold with determined players and a good story.

Narrated throughout and through the eyes of ‘Hushpuppy’, the audience was able to bond with the 6 year old and really feel her strength and pain as she tried to fix things. She learns tough love and courage through her hardships and calls on her late mother for guidance in times of despair. Filmmaker Zeitlin also uses a lot of symbolism with ancient aurochs which are prehistoric creatures similar to domestic cattle; this large bison represents the 6 year olds view of how people will look back on her life as they did these extinct animals.

With an estimated $1,800,000 USD this film has already grossed quadruple of what it put out and was more than well received at the Sundance Film Festival. This drama-fantasy was a story about love between father and daughter; a story about surviving on your own and about doing the best with what you have. People learn how to be independent at different times of their lives, and sometimes the waters rise and people have to learn whether they’re ready or not. 

Exceptional cinematography, heart-warming, disturbing and lovely close-shots and soundtrack, this is a film that will be talked about for years to come. J