By: Henry J. Fromage –
I’ve been getting theme-y the last few weeks, but this week it’s a good ol’ fashioned Henry J. Fromage smorgasbord of film.
686. Riddle of Fire
This goofy French-produced erstwhile children’s film sees three kids vagabonding around a Western town trying to get the ingredients for a blueberry pie for their mother. It plays like what French person thinks America is like, with a mix of non-professional actors and a recognizable face or two to deliver the hijinks (my fave is the smallest kid, who is clearly French-Canadian or something despite a clearly American big bro). There’s also an edgier 80s-PG vibe to things that makes for more fun. Three Beers.
687. It’s What’s Inside
Netflix’s big acquisition out of last year’s Sundance came and went without much fanfare. A high-concept horror/thriller about a party game in which you literally swap bodies, it probably would have benefited from theatrical distribution. This is not a movie where you can pay any l less than full attention- the characters nor actors aren’t so established that you are going to recognize them in the performances of the others. It does come together cleverly at the end, but I felt like I immediately needed to rewatch it just to get what I saw after. Three Beers.
688. The Umbrella Men
This South African heist film has already spun off a sequel that also played TIFF that I’m going to need to track down now. On one hand, it’s a pretty boilerplate bad guys and good guys bank heist movie, but the fun is in the very South African details, from the colorful festivities they schedule the job during to the way the characters and their histories come together. Three Beers.
689. The Goldman Case
This film dramatizes the trial of Pierre Goldman, a fiery left-wing revolutionary in Communist revolts across the world who returned home and starting doing petty crimes, possibly leading to the robbery and murder of two pharmacists. He’s far from the easiest client for the two lawyers who agree to represent him, but he’s capturing a bit of the zeitgeist. A well-deliver courtroom drama set at an interesting time. Two Beers.
690. Breath of Fire
Max pretty much dominates the Cult Documentary game, and this one is a doozy, examining the case of Katie Griggs aka Guru Jagat. Katie is a pretty typical white girl who gets very into Kundalini yoga, a fitness craze/spiritual movement started by an ex-security guard from India who curiously never seems to have been filmed ever doing yoga himself. She learns his ways, especially the culty, money-grubbing ones, and the story only gets crazier from there. Two Beers.
691. Hijack 1971
This Korean action film is based on a story that actually happened in 1971, which I never believe it did in its details until I just had to google it as the credits rolled. Ha Jung-woo stars as an ex-military pilot who lets a hijacked airliner defect to Korea instead of shooting it down. Now working commercial a year later, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a hijacker on board. Tense, excellently-paced, and genuinely surprising. Two Beers.
692. The Goblin
This Korean gangster tale is clearly a bit of a cheaper production- for one you’ll basically never find a studio film gangster tale that’ll let you go in any less than 135 minutes. The story and effects belie that reality a bit, too, but damn if the fight choreography doesn’t justify the enterprise. Is it actually legal for a Korean action film to have even mediocre fight choreography? Three Beers.
