16 WISHES -- DVD Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 11/13/10

 

When you're considerably older than the target audience, watching a Disney Channel teen comedy can be like swallowing a golf ball.  At worst, you choke on it and die.  At best, even successfully swallowing the damn thing can be a distressing experience.  Fortunately, 16 WISHES (2010) isn't quite the painful ordeal I was dreading when I sat down to watch it.

It sure starts out that way, though--when we see Abby (Debby Ryan, "The Suite Life on Deck") pop out of bed and start freaking out because it's her "Sweet 16th" birthday, we instantly hate her.  Abby is spoiled, selfish, obnoxious, cutesy, and kind of an airhead.  She's rude to her mom and dad and little brother Mike (Cainan Wiebe, who looks so much like a young Barry Williams that I half-expected him to start crooning "Clowns never laughed before" at any moment) when they burst into her room with a birthday cake, and throws them out. 

She also can't figure out why her cute neighbor Krista (Karissa Tynes, JENNIFER'S BODY, DEAR MR. GACY), who shares the same birthday, hates her and has always done her best to one-up her in everything.  But we can sympathize, and we've only known Abby for five minutes. 

Naturally, Abby has a best guy-friend named Jay (Jean-Luc Bilodeau, TRICK 'R TREAT) who has always loved her although she doesn't realize it because she's hung up on the dashing school quarterback.  Jay is the male equivalent of Mary Stuart Masterson's character in SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, along with similar characters in countless other teen comedies.  We know that by the end of the film, Abby will realize how wonderful Jay is, but for now let's pretend that we don't know that.
 

Also, when a magical fairy godmother named Celeste (the pixie-like Anna Mae Routledge, 2012, "Harper's Island") shows up and gives Abby sixteen candles which will grant her the sixteen fondest wishes she's had since she was eight years old, we know that sooner or later these wishes will backfire on Abby and she'll come to realize that her life is just fine the way it is.  But again, for now we'll act like we don't know this, or that Abby is going to come through her impending ordeal a much better person with a greater appreciation for the good things she already has, which is the sneaky hidden lesson 16 WISHES is just itching to spring on unsuspecting teen viewers.

In the meantime, the fun part about the movie is the vicarious thrill of instant wish-fulfillment such as having the coolest clothes, a new car complete with driver's license, intense school-wide popularity, and all sorts of other great stuff that Abby can rub in Krista's face, including having a totally better Sweet 16 birthday party than her.  But then--wouldn't you know it--Abby makes the fatal mistake of wishing that everyone would stop treating her like a kid.  Whoops!  Next thing you know, her parents move her into her own apartment, she gets thrown out of school, and Jay won't let her near him because he's still 17 and she's suddenly (gasp) 21.  Is he nuts?  When I was 17, having a 21-year-old babe stalking me would've been my biggest freakin' wish.
 

The rest of the movie is like a teenybopper cross between "The Twilight Zone" and IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, which actually makes 16 WISHES kind of entertaining despite the fact that it's still a candy-coated bubblegum flick with unappealing cinematography and vertigo-inducing camerawork and editing.  While Abby isn't made to suffer the depths of despair that George Bailey went through, her predicament is still interesting enough to make us care about her character, especially when the whole thing teaches her to become a better person which, as I mentioned before, we pretty much knew was going to happen.

The DVD from Image Entertainment is 1.78:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  No subtitles.  Extras include interviews with the two stars, Debby Ryan and Jean-Luc Bilodeau, which can be a pretty frightening prospect with these Disney Channel movies, but fortunately they're very brief.  There's also a music video with Debby performing the catchy, hook-filled theme song, "A Wish Comes True Everyday", and outtakes during the closing credits.

Once you stop wishing for a really awesome movie and just settle for dumb fun, 16 WISHES isn't all that bad.  As far as swallowing golf balls goes, this one actually went down pretty easy.

16 WISHES -- DVD Review by Porfle

OXENFREE -- Movie Review by Porfle

Originally posted on 8/25/17

 

Sort of a guy flick with feels, OXENFREE (Candy Factory, 2016) takes the cake for not letting on what kind of movie it's going to be at first and then surprising us with something that resembles a cross between LORD OF THE FLIES and "Kick the Can."

It opens at the secluded family cabin where Aaron (Steven Molony) awaits the arrival of his stepbrothers Roy (Paul Vonasek) and Benjamin (Timothy R. Lane).  Aaron clearly suffers from some health difficulty--an oxygen tank is never far from his reach--which he will hide from the others. 

We sense a strained relationship between him and both the burly, somewhat overbearing Roy and the more mild-mannered Benjamin stemming from old childhood hurts that have never healed. 

Their efforts to overcome them are awkward but earnest as they spend an evening around the campfire, relating old stories, tall tales, and memories of Aaron's biological father who adopted the other two boys before he was born.

But just as it appears as though their differences may be irreconcilable, Aaron sets his master plan into motion: to lure them, via a crumbling old map, across the lake and deep into the forest where they once built a makeshift fort and pretended to be heroic adventure characters. 

Roy and Benjamin arrive at the site of Fort Buttkicker, now rebuilt by Aaron and ready for action, and find themselves gradually drawn back into the world of make-believe that once captivated them.

That's when OXENFREE becomes an odd, almost surreal world of super-soakers, slingshots, war paint, imaginary battles, and random cosplay in which these three grown men gradually surrender themselves to a totally immersive childhood fantasy that brings them together, free from the constraints of adulthood and the outside world.

Director Dan Glaser (PINCHING PENNY, PETTY CRIMES) and a lean script by Timothy J. Meyer handle all of this well, without actually getting overly cute or silly with the idea. 

And neither do they pile on the maudlin sentiment when the brothers suddenly face the harsh reality behind their wild-child weekend and are forced to come clean with each other about old family grievances and other pressing matters.

Any more I dare not reveal, save to say that I found OXENFREE much more thoughtful, contemplative, and evocative than I originally expected.  Which is probably just the way Roy and Benjamin feel after this strangely liberating excursion into childhood abandon which Aaron has in store for them.  And us.

OXENFREE -- Movie Review by Porfle

ALICE UPSIDE DOWN -- DVD Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 7/11/08

 

I've gotten quite a few DVDs to review for this site that I normally wouldn't watch in a million years, and so far I've been pretty lucky in that not only did most of them not suck, but I've actually found some to be quite enjoyable. The latest in this series is the preteen angst comedy ALICE UPSIDE DOWN (2007), whose kiddie-hip bubblegum packaging and "coming of age" synopsis had me cringing in fear. Would my lucky streak of non-totally-horrible movies continue? In a word--yes. In fact, this is one of the most entertaining family-friendly films I've seen in a long time.

Alice (Alyson Stoner, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) is a sixth grader moving to a new town along with her widowed father, Ben (Luke Perry) and older brother Lester (HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL's Lucas Grabeel). Fraught with insecurities while trying to fit in at her new school, she misses her mother terribly and yearns for a female role model in her life. Ben tries his best as a single dad and struggles to help Alice with her problems while tentatively re-entering the dating scene. Lester, meanwhile, is an affably laidback slob whose social life benefits from his membership in a popular local band called the Naked Nomads.

The very likable Alyson Stoner, with her non-glamorous looks and natural acting style, is terrific in her first starring role as Alice. She plays the character with a subtle realism that's lacking from many films of this type, and is helped by a screenplay refreshingly free of slapstick, forced "hip"-ness, and empty razzle-dazzle. Her attempts to make friends while suffering from one embarrassing blunder after another are just the sort of thing that both kids and adults can identify with.

The fact that Alice often has flashy wish-fulfillment fantasies in which she's beautiful, stylish, and wildly popular seems at first to be an intrusive gimmick, but this is used sparingly and is done in a way that I could relate to. Her habit of speaking directly to the camera to express her inner thoughts is also well-handled. Sometimes what she says is a little on-the-nose, but younger viewers may benefit from having things spelled out for them now and then.

The subtle humor comes from comparatively realistic situations. Alice is trying on new school clothes in a store, and when she opens a dressing room door there's a boy her age standing there in his underwear. Horribly embarrassed, she not only finds that the same boy goes to her school but that she's now known as "the Peeping Tom." Later, when she auditions for a school play, her off-key caterwauling is ridiculed by everyone and her appearance in a minor role during the play's premiere is a disaster. It's the same kind of stuff that happens to most kids, and it's believably done.

Alice sets her sights on a beautiful young teacher named Miss Cole (Ashley Drane) as her perfect female role model and potential new mom, but ends up stuck in the class of the school's most dreaded teacher, Mrs. Plotkin (Penny Marshall). Here, of course, Alice learns that first impressions aren't always correct, and that sometimes the unlikeliest people are the ones who make the biggest difference in our lives. I'm not a big Penny Marshall fan, but she's surprisingly good here, playing the part with a lot more warmth and depth than you usually get from her.

As Ben, Luke Perry proves that he's settling into older roles quite well and is convincing as the well-meaning dad. Lucas Grabeel gets to play Alice's older brother Lester as easygoing and clumsily supportive of her, which is a nice change from the usual insensitive dolt. The rest of the kids' roles are well-cast, especially Bridgit Mendler as a Little Miss Perfect type who causes Alice constant grief by effortlessly excelling at everything.

To my great relief, this film has none of the usual MTV-style camerawork and editing, over-precocious child actors spewing artificial dialogue and cracking snarky jokes, or mawkish sentimentality. Alice cries only once in the whole movie and it comes at just the right time to be effective. Based on Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's book The Agony of Alice, the screenplay strikes just the right tone throughout while the direction and photography have the polished look of one of the better Disney Channel films.

The DVD image is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, with Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound. Extras include brief interviews with Alyson Stoner and Lucas Grabeel, both of whom seem just as likable off-camera as on, a look at the film's costuming, and trailers for this and four other Anchor Bay kid-vids. The end credits contain some bloopers.

If you're looking for a family film that will keep everyone entertained while unobtrusively teaching the kids a few valuable lessons about life, you could do a lot worse. And if you normally don't like this kind of movie but find yourself watching ALICE UPSIDE DOWN for some unlikely reason, you just may end up enjoying it as much as I did.

 

ALICE UPSIDE DOWN -- DVD Review by Porfle

GREGORY'S GIRL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 1/15/20

 

I remember seeing the promo for GREGORY'S GIRL (1980) back in the early 80s when it was on Cinemax, and although it looked harmless enough, I had no desire to actually watch it except maybe for the novelty of seeing Altered Images lead singer Clare Grogan in an acting role.

Now, however, I'm no longer trudging through the 80s but looking back on them through a haze of nostalgia, so the idea of watching this endearingly easygoing teen comedy appeals to me.

Oddly, it opens with what appears to be a sop to the PORKY'S crowd, with Gregory (Gordon John Sinclair, BRITANNIA HOSPITAL, LOCAL HERO, WORLD WAR Z) and his mates excitedly watching a young nurse disrobe in front of her window.

But they're not actually pressing their noses against the glass or peering into a hole drilled in a shower wall. In fact, they appear to be watching this apparent act of exhibitionism from behind a tree across the street.  Not exactly a gang of lechers, these lads. (One of them even faints.) I would've stopped to look too.

The nice thing we discover about Gregory is that he's really just a normal high school kid who's well-meaning enough despite the usual faults. He's a tad irresponsible, doesn't take life all that seriously, and tends to be a stranger to his parents (the latter point is played for gentle laughs in a nice scene between Gregory and his driving-instructor dad, who we never see again).

He doesn't even get upset when his football coach tells him he's moving him from lead kicker to goalie and trying out new talent for their perpetually-losing team.  This sets up the story's main plotline when a beautiful, athletic girl named Dorothy (Dee Hepburn, "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie") tries out and blows everyone else away with her skills, while stealing the lovesick Gregory's heart at the same time.

What follows is one of the most low-key and pleasantly realistic coming-of-age comedies that one could while away some time with.  Gregory's attempts to overcome his shyness and make progress with the seemingly unattainable Dorothy are easily relatable and never played for cheap laughs.

And when his little sister Madeline (Allison Forster) tries to give him first-hand advice about girls even though she's years away from any actual romantic experience herself, it's heartwarming. Through it all, Gregory is so lighthearted and happy-go-lucky that even the agonies of teenage love can't keep him from strolling through life with a smile on his face.

Writer-director Bill Forsyth (LOCAL HERO) captures the flavor of smalltown Scotland with this pleasant diversion in which the teachers are barely out of school themselves (Gregory's mousey football coach is proud that his moustache is growing in) and his pals are interested in such things as photography, baking black market goodies in Home Ec to sell after school, and, of course, girls.

Or, in the case of his likably timid friend Andy (Robert Buchanan), standing on an overpass watching trucks go by because he read that so many tons of corn flakes pass beneath it every day.

All of this culminates in a delightful sequence in which Gregory's date with Dorothy goes from a non-event (she doesn't show up) to a lovely scheme by his other female friends to set him up with the girl who really has feelings for him.

This is where Altered Images lead singer Clare Grogan ("Red Dwarf") comes to the fore as classmate Susan, who joins Gregory for an evening of simply passing the time together.

That's what watching GREGORY'S GIRL is like, and what gives it such an unassuming charm.  It's not often that I enjoy a movie so much simply because it's such an effortlessly placid and comforting look at everyday life and the modest pleasures that can be derived from living it.


Buy it from Film Movement Classics

Tech Specs
Film Movement Classics
1980
91 Minutes
United Kingdom
English
Comedy, Romance, Drama, Coming of Age
PG

Bonus Features
Audio Commentary with Bill Forsyth and Mark Kermode
Bill Forsyth on Gregory's Girl interview
Bill Forsyth - The Early Years interview
Gregory's Girl Memories interview with Clare Grogan
New essay by film scholar Jonathan Murray
Alternative U.S. and French dub versions
Sound: Stereo
Discs: 1

GREGORY'S GIRL -- Blu-ray Review by Porfle

DEADGIRL -- Movie Review by Porfle

 

Originally posted on 7/17/09

 

Recently I watched another coming-of-age film called "Bart Got a Room", which might be thought of as the happy flipside to today's very different coming-of-age story, DEADGIRL (2008).

 In this one, two high school misfits named Rickie and J.T. get a room too, only instead of being in a posh hotel it's in the dark basement of an abandoned mental institution, and instead of finding prom dates, they find a naked living-dead girl wrapped in plastic and strapped to a lab table.

Needless to say, this isn't your father's Archie and Jughead. While Rickie (the soulful Shiloh Fernandez, who reminds me of a pre-nutso Joaquin Phoenix) is disturbed by their discovery and wants to report it to somebody, the considerably flakier J.T. (Noah Segan) quickly sees Deadgirl as their own animated RealDoll.

Before long he's as paranoid and possessive as Fred C. Dobbs and acting out his twisted adolescent urges with the undying corpse. In one startling scene, he proves to Rickie that she can't die by firing several bullets into her torso with no effect. Rickie is repulsed but intimidated into silence by the increasingly unbalanced J.T. Eventually others are brought in on the sick setup, with varying horrific consequences.

In a way, DEADGIRL reminded me of "The River's Edge", a fact-based story of some disaffected high school kids who find a murdered girl's body in the weeds and bring their friends out to gawk at her instead of doing anything about it. Here, however, we go way beyond merely "disaffected" and into full-blown "deranged."

Many viewers will no doubt find it difficult to endure scenes of J.T. and his pathetic toady Wheeler (Eric Podnar) taking turns with the increasingly worse-for-wear Deadgirl as her chilling visage contorts, her eyes rolling and leering in their sockets. Equally repellent is the sight of J.T. poking at her pus-oozing bulletholes as he giddily marvels at her inability to die.

While J.T. has found the ghoul of his nightmares, Rickie still pines for the beautiful and unattainable popular girl Joann (Candice Accola), who, as J.T. points out with brutal frankness, would rather die than be with him. She'll eventually have to make that choice.

Her bullying jock boyfriend Johnny (Andrew DiPalma) and his equally sadistic sidekick Dwyer (Nolan Gerard Funk) also get drawn into the situation, culminating in some of the film's most ghastly and nerve-wracking images. Even tied up, Deadgirl is dangerous, because when you least expect it, she bites. And the bites get...infected. What happens to one hapless lad in particular is, for me anyway, quite a jaw-dropper.

 

I wasn't altogether satisfied by the ending, although I suppose there was a kind of resigned inevitability to it. The leads play their parts convincingly--Segan is especially effective as the downwardly spiralling J.T., and Michael Bowen, who was "Buck" in KILL BILL VOL. 1, is one of the best character actors working today.

Best of all, Jenny Spain's Deadgirl is a truly strange and frightening creation. The combination of the right makeup and her cunningly controlled performance, along with the imaginative direction of Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, makes Deadgirl a memorable movie "monster." You're never quite sure what's going through her fevered mind and can't wait to find out what will happen when she gets loose from her bonds. Which she eventually does, of course.

DEADGIRL is not to be confused with the similarly-titled 2006 film "The Dead Girl." That was a thoughtful, bittersweet account of the affect that one girl's murder has on the lives of several people who are connected with her in one way or another. This, on the other hand, is a pitch dark, full-blown horror flick that sets out to disgust and disturb and succeeds by being one of the most deviously over-the-top cinematic fever dreams of recent years. As for Deadgirl herself, she is both loathesome and sympathetic, repellant yet compelling, horrific yet oddly heroic--and altogether fascinating.

DEADGIRL -- Movie Review by Porfle

“Elysia: The World in Children’s Dreams,” Making the Dream Alive on Screen — TV Show or Film

 

“Elysia: The World in Children’s Dreams,” Making the Dream Alive on Screen — TV Show or Film 

 

London, UK, September 23, 2021 – It’s time to wake up in the fabulous world of Elysia. With now fully completed film treatment and screenplay, Malcolm Chester’s “Elysia: The World in Children’s Dreams” is now eyeing to become the next great series or film adaptation.

After his publishing success on both the first book and sequel, Chester endorses his beloved story to be produced and turned into a movie. It’s a magnificent tale filled with a whimsical charm that has the potential to become a box office success.

A coming-of-age story in a fantasy setting about a young girl and boy whose nightly adventures in a dreamland teach them compassion, bravery, and love. Waking up in a strange and surreal place, Courtney finds herself in a dreamland. Welcome to the world of Elysia, a place of wonder and magic, light and beauty, purity and evil—an endless imagination of adventures and friendship.

The book begins with young Courtney, unsettled by the lights and sound of a police car, covering her ears as she lies down in bed. As she closed her eyes and fell asleep, she finds herself waking in a front of an iron gate with a sign reading ELYSIA.

Where… Where am I? Is this a dream or…

Inside the gate, greets a fantasy Funland with iridescent colors, candy mounds, fantastic creatures, and different amusement rides that every kid would enjoy. Each time Courtney falls asleep, she is transported into the dreamland. There, she meets new odd friends and encounters frustrating series of events.

In the real world, Courtney has troubles at home and only longs to come back to Elysia. She also fears puberty and hates to confront the thought of becoming a fully grown woman. As the story unfolds, the fine line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred. Although rich in fun and magic, Elysia is in grave danger as the Crystal of Light has been stolen. Apparently, the walls of Elysia are becoming weaker as days passed, and a journey to retrieve the crystal must be done in haste. The journey to the Maelstrom begins.

It’s a perilous quest that no one even dared to tread and most adventurers have failed to come back ever. Along their voyage, the Light Swords have to defeat a huge black snake, a pack of wolves, the Dark King’s soldiers, and a speaking dragon. Together with her newly formed friends, Courtney must complete the quest to return the magic crystal from the evil king and restore balance to the land.

“Chester keeps the vocabulary and subject tightly geared toward those things that interest and confuse children as they begin to grow up. At the same time, he provides children with a message of empowerment no matter what difficulties they may be facing in the sometimes all-too-real world of adults.”

--US Review of Books

Readers around the world love the wonderland Elysia, a convincing world of imagination that speaks of terror and tenderness, innocence and chaos in life. Book reviewers praise the author for depicting a fantasy novel that is not only fit for kids but also offers a timeless lesson for adults alike. It’s a beloved book that stirs your imagination with poignant words, keeping you in slumber into the dreamland, Elysia.

Away in the real world, reading Chester’s Elysia brings you into a dreamy land of childlike wonder. As interesting and imaginative in the text, creating a film about the world of Elysia will dazzle young ones and educate them with lifelong lessons. 

Lovely and enjoyable, author Malcolm Chester charms his reader into weaving an extraordinary world while introducing fantastic and charming characters. And also, these tales are about many things, like growing in different phases is also talk about: learning to feel, getting in love, and becoming an adult. Indeed, it’s a brilliant story that has a making of a great film, plunging the viewer into the extraordinary hidden beyond the ordinary.

 

Get a copy of the book, Elysia: The World in Children’s Dream from:

www.aegadesign.co.uk
www.amazon.com
www.barnesandnoble.com
www.kobo.com

 

- - -

AEGA Design Publishing Ltd
www.aegadesign.co.uk

Elysia: The World in Children’s Dreams
https://www.aegadesign.co.uk/product/elysia-le-monde-dans-les-reves-des-enfants-french-edition-malcolm-chester/

US Review of Books
https://www.theusreview.com/reviews/Elysia-Chester.html#.YUuXpbgzZD8

“Elysia: The World in Children’s Dreams,” Making the Dream Alive on Screen — TV Show or Film

"STAND BY ME" Returns to Cinemas Nationwide May 23 & 26 for 35th Anniversary

 

"STAND BY ME" Returns to Cinemas Nationwide for 35th Anniversary 

Fathom Events to Bring Sony Pictures’ 1986 Coming-of-Age Classic to Big Screens May 23 and 26 

 

LOS ANGELES – April 26, 2021- Fathom Events is set to bring Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Stand By Me to select movie theaters nationwide on Sunday, May 23rd at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Wednesday, May 26th at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. (all times local) for the celebrated 1986 coming-of-age classic’s 35th anniversary. Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland and directed by Rob Reiner, and based on the novella "The Body" by Stephen King, with a screenplay by Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans, Stand By Me is a rare and special film about friendship and the indelible experiences of growing up.
 
This special 35th anniversary event will also include the featurette “Walking the Tracks: The Summer of Stand by Me” with Stephen King as he recalls what led him to write the stories of his childhood, how they impacted the development of the movie, and Rob Reiner as he reminisces about the casting of the four leads. 

 

VIEW THE EVENT TRAILER HERE:

 

 Tickets for the Stand By Me 35th Anniversary are on sale now at www.FathomEvents.com and through participating cinemas’ box offices. For the most updated list of exhibiting movie theaters, visit the Fathom Events website. (Theaters and participants are subject to change).  
 
Filled with humor and suspense, Stand By Me is the tale of four boys on a two-day journey. In a treehouse at the edge of Castle Rock, a small, woodsy Oregon town, a budding 12-year-old writer named Gordie LaChance (Wheaton) is about to begin an extraordinary trek into the heart of the northwestern forest, an experience that will alter the course of his life forever. His best friend Vern (O'Connell) has overheard his older brother and a friend talking about their discovery of a dead body in the woods. 

 

 

Hoping they can get credit for finding the body, Gordie sets off with insecure, frightened Vern, tough guy Chris (Phoenix), and daredevil Teddy (Feldman) on an adventure that becomes an odyssey of self-discovery. Their journey begins innocently with a dream of becoming town heroes, but before it is over, Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern will be tested in ways they had never imagined.
 
“Stand By Me on its 35th anniversary is still as touching and as fresh as it was when first released back in 1986,” said Tom Lucas, VP of Studio Relations at Fathom Events. "Whether seeing it for the very first time on the big screen, or revisiting it as a favorite, movie fans will be moved by Stand By Me at their local theater.”
 
 
About Fathom Events
Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L)., Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com  
 
About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Sony Pictures Television operates dozens of wholly-owned or joint-venture production companies around the world. SPE’s Motion Picture Group production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, 3000 Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, Sony Pictures International Productions, and Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html 

"STAND BY ME" Returns to Cinemas Nationwide May 23 & 26 for 35th Anniversary

THE DEMONS -- DVD Review by Porfle

Very, very slow and very, very contemplative, THE DEMONS (2015) unfolds much like a day in the life of a ten-year-old boy such as its protagonist, Felix (Édouard Tremblay-Grenier), whose every waking moment seems like a crossroads of decision and discovery.

Everyday things such as struggling through lessons, gyrating in the gym, swimming at the public pool, and all the tentative social interactions that go along with them, while hazily familiar to us, are life-altering experiences for Felix and are often accompanied by intensely dramatic music which he no doubt hears in his mind as the soundtrack to his life.

Writer-director Philippe Lesage shows us Felix's mental and emotional development in near-plotless fashion, very matter-of-factly presenting him with a constant flow of unfamiliar things to deal with.

In some crucial instances, Felix must let his conscience decide how cruel or how caring he's willing to be to others. At other times, he fearfully explores a burgeoning obsession with sexuality that causes almost unbearable inner turmoil and uncertainty.

We can remember how it was to seem normal on the outside while all this was raging inside us. We see Felix in situations we recognize such as hanging out with his older brother and his friends, hearing their strange and thought-provoking conversation that he finds in many ways confusing.

We feel his pain when he suffers the pangs of unrequited love for a young teacher, and recall the casual contempt he inflicts upon a younger boy his mother forces him to play with. A blow-up between his parents becomes a major family drama, and he constantly frets about signs of infidelity that prey upon his mind.

Lesage allows all this to play itself out at such a placidly languid pace that the film is almost halfway through before we really start to be truly engaged in watching Felix develop as a person. (Some viewers will no doubt have dropped out by then.)

It's also about this time that a rumor told by one of older brother François' friends, about a mysterious serial killer said to be preying upon local children, starts to affect Felix in ways both harrowingly real and disturbingly imagined.

Here, the film's odd title comes into play when some of Felix's childhood fears and regrets become hauntingly overbearing, while his conscience suffers new pangs of spiritual unease.

We want him to come through it all as most people do with age and experience, but we fear the evil that has already turned its eyes upon him. 

THE DEMONS shows us a bland veneer, gradually reveals its many unquiet undercurrents, and makes us remember when growing up was like being lost in a dark forest and trying to follow the light.


Order it from Film Movement

Film Movement
2015
118 Minutes
Canada
French with English subtitles
Drama, Coming of Age
Not Rated
Extras: none

THE DEMONS -- DVD Review by Porfle

"RELISH" -- World Premiere at Burbank International Film Festival of Modern-Day "Breakfast Club"

"RELISH"

World Premiere at the 2019 Burbank International Film Festival


Starring: Hana Hayes, Mateus Ward, Rio Mangini, Chelsea Zhang, and introducing Tyler DiChiara

Set as a modern day breakfast club, RELISH follows the story of five teenage outcasts, who escape a private treatment facility in hopes of attending the infamous Dreamland Music Festival.

Led by a rebellious transgender male, Kai (Tyler DiChiara), and with help from Aspen (Hana Hayes), a social media influencer, Levi (Mateus Ward), a football player addicted to opioids, Theo (Rio Mangini), who suffers from bipolar disorder, and Sawyer (Chelsea Zhang) an alien obsessed nerd, the five embark on the journey of a lifetime.

The film brings a level of authenticity to the heart-wrenching struggles and challenges faced by modern teens, especially by the transgender community today.

RELISH is an emotional, and inspiring tale about the powerful bond of friendship, dealing with ones own personal demons, and learning that our differences make us special.

RELISH will have its' World Premiere at the 2019 Burbank International Film Festival and will be in competition.

RELISH stars Hana Hayes, Mateus Ward, Rio Mangini, Chelsea Zhang, Matthew Nardozzi, with James Morrison and Angel Parker, and introducing Tyler DiChiara. Written, directed, and produced by Justin Ward. Produced by Terry Nardozzi and co-produced by Mateus Ward. Cinematography by Bryan Koss, edited by Erik Swanson, and music by Rio Mangini. A MANM production, in association with Ohana Films, Inc.


Directed/written by: Justin Ward
Produced by: Terry Nardozzi

RT: 98 Minutes | Not Yet Rated
Genre: US / Drama

IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7639502/
Facebook: facebook.com/RelishTheMovie/
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RELISH will screen at the following dates and times:

Burbank International Film Festival (limited press tickets available)

Friday, September 6 at 8:00PM  -  Burbank AMC 16 Theaters
                                                       125 E. Palm Ave, Burbank, CA 91502

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"RELISH" -- World Premiere at Burbank International Film Festival of Modern-Day "Breakfast Club"