FILM REVIEWS:
#UNTRUTH: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUMPISM (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Dan Partland
As the Presidential campaign heightens towards the United States Presidential Election in November, what more timely would be the release of #UNTRUTH, an antiTrump documentary that, audiences must be forewarned will anger both pro-Trump and anti-Trump supporters - the former because of how Trump gets away with all his dangerous made up lies and the latter for all the information in the doc against Trump. Obviously, the doc is compelling viewing for the nature of its content, for better or for worse.
From the filmmakers of the critically-acclaimed blockbuster #UNFIT: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DONALD TRUMP, which grossed over $2.5 million, has been viewed by millions, and was nominated for the IDA Documentary Awards Video Source Award. Director, producer, and writer Dan Partland and producer Art Horan are back with #UNTRUTH: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUMPISM examines the psychology of “Trumpism” and the authoritarian strain that it seeded in the American political landscape.
In #UNTRUTH, political conservatives, psychologists, and historians explore how partisanship, disinformation, and social media lead to the anger, conspiracy theories, and political violence, that is threatening democracy around the world.
#UNTRUTH features the most unlikeable and easiest target of mankind. Ex-President Donald J. Trump. Easily the most unpopular person outside the United States, the doc #UNTRUE talks about all the untrue lies Trump propagates. The important term Trumpism is used.
The doc spends the beginning explaining Trumpism, a political movement in the United States that comprises the political ideologies associated with Donald Trump and his political base. The dc shows incorporate ideologies such as right-wing populism, national conservatism, and neo-nationalism, and have been described as authoritarian[a] and neo-fascist. Trumpist rhetoric heavily features anti-immigrant, xenophobic, nativist,and racist attacks against minority groups. Identified aspects include conspiracist, isolationist, Christian nationalist, evangelical Christian,[52] protectionist, anti-feminist, and anti-LGBT beliefs. Trump supporters became the largest faction of the United States Republican Party, with the remainder often characterized as "the elite" or "the establishment" in contrast. In response to the rise of Trump, there has arisen a Never Trump movement, which should be included but omitted in the doc.
The doc likens Trump to dictators of the past including Mussolini and Hitler and more recently Putin with footage of Putin and Trump together during their meeting during Trump’s Presidency. Included too is his interview where he explains his statement about his one-day dictatorship.
The film begins with Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. It is still a disturbing scene that divides the country and proposes the end of democracy as the free world fears.
The magic question is why don’t people see through the lies? The answer is examined in detail. Besides the adage that one cannot argue with a moron, Trump supporters believe that he is more important than their family members or religious leaders. Everything he says holds true and they do not question him.
The doc features an impressive list of experts on interviews that include writers, psychologists, Republicans and ex-Trump supporters who make important contributions to arguments against Trump. One deals with the three types of information. One is information that is true and the other 2 types of misinformation. Trump champions the third misinformation that aims to manipulate the minds of people with lies all told in his favour. The doc includes clips of Trump’s speeches as examples of the fact.
#UNTRUTH: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUMPISM is alarming, thorough, frightening, informative and in many ways powerful, all making it compulsive viewing.
#UNTRUTH: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TRUMPISM is available on demand on September the 3rd.
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CHARLIE TANGO (Canada 2024) ***
Directed by Simon Boisvert
CHARLIE TANGO is one of those Canadian films that tries it best to disguise its Canadian roots and pass it off as an American movie. But one can tell the film is Canadian for the many in the cast with Quebec names and actors like David La Haye who plays the main role of Charlie clearly speaks with a Quebec accent.
The words Charlie Tango star for the letters C and T of the alphabet. Used in the military and in air traffic control at the beginning of the movie, when the letters C and T are to be spelled out, the words used are Charlie followed by Tango. All the letters of the alphabet are named to prevent confusion …. alpha, bravo, Charlie, delta, and so on.
Kim (Stacie Mistysyn), an air traffic controller under investigation after a tragic plane crash, is recruited by Charlie (Le Haye), her lover who specializes in lucrative real estate investments. Her police officer husband, Jeff (Bruce Dinsmore), soon begins to suspect that Charlie is at the head of a major embezzlement scheme.
The film looks terribly tacky in the way the plot unfolds, almost as tacky as the priceless tacky character, Tonya (Diana Lewis) who keeps barging into Charlie’s room, often asking for money, and carrying a talking plush artificial feline. She is one of Charlie’s exes, though one might wonder what it is that attracted him to her. Somewhat unnecessary to the plot, she is still fun to watch as a female that one wonders what men see in her,
True to form, this Canadian entry CHARLIE TANGO was written, directed and produced by Simon Boisvert. The film stars popular Canadian actors David La Haye and Bruce Dinsmore, and Stacie Mistysyn (Degrassi High). The original music was done by Oliver Palotai, keyboardist for the band Kamelot. The word Canadian is mentioned once in the dialogue near the end of the film. The film was shot in Laval, which is around the city of Montreal.
To director Boisvert's credit, the incredible story is a good yarn touting the strength of an honest relationship while putting down companies, like ponzi companies that cheat honest folk out of their life savings. From watching the film, it is apparent the difficulty to make the story believable and Boisvert does a decent job, given the many twists and turns involved in the story. This is aided by impressive performances all around, particularly from lead actress Mistysyn who from the opening sequence as an air traffic controller creates suspense on the attempt to land safely two planes on a collision course.
To the film’s credit, CHARLIE TANGO was first runner-up, Best Foreign Film being Canadian and not American) at the 2024 Myrtle Beach International Film Festival. Gravitas Ventures will release the film on digital platforms on September 3, 2024. The film has a running time of 98 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA as it goes straight to VOD.
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PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (USA 1974) ****
Directed by Brian De Palma
Director Brian De Palma is a world-famous filmmaker most renowned for SCARFACE, CARRIE and THE UNTOUCHABLES. But inches resume of movies, one odd one stands out - a musical and a horror musical mat that - THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE in 1974 which was made after the horror flick SISTERS that many are unaware of.
A naïve young singer-songwriter, Winslow Leach (William Finley) is tricked by legendary but unscrupulous music producer Swan (Williams) into sacrificing his life's work. In revenge, the composer dons a menacing new persona and proceeds to terrorize Swan's new concert hall, insisting his music be performed by his most adored singer, Phoenix (Jessica Harper). If the plot sounds familiar it is based on several classic works: the 16th-century Faust legend, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera.
Paul Williams himself appears and plays the po[iano as the villain Swan while Jessica Harper steals the show as the pretty Phoenix. There is both violence as in the scene where Leach gets his face mangled up and humour as in the really funny character called Beef (Gerrit Graham who gets his singling plugged with a toilet plunger while singing in the shower,
The film has everything going g for it -horror, humour, drama, romance, Cyrano de Bergerac style. One th year, PHANTOM has achieved cult status and deservedly so.
There is a special screening that will take place on Friday, September 6th and the Royal Cinema at 7 pm. Toronto. I have seen the film more than 3 times, and it is always a pleasure to watch the film again, not to mention enjoy Paul William's songs.
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(UN)LUCKY SISTERS (Argentina 2024) ***
Directed by Fabiana Tucornia
A female strong new Netflix film from Argentina which is in Spanish shows two unlikely sisters who could be lucky or unlucky, depending on what happens to them.
Jesi (20) and Ángela (25), two sisters who do not know each other, receive the news of their father's death, whom they barely know. They do not know each other for two reasons. One is that the father never contacted the sisters and the second is that they come from different mothers. The similarity is that both are having a shitty time in their lives. Jesi working at at a fast food joint, and overworked while Angela as a kindergarten teacher about to be fired, with screaming kids, also overworked.
He has left them an apartment as the only inheritance in the exclusive neighbourhood of Puerto Madero. The sisters, who suffer from material and emotional shortages, visit the apartment, wary of each other, and find three million euros hidden in a false wall. Together, they must decide what to do with that money and with their sisterly bond, which could change their lives forever.
Angel wants to do the right thing and turn the money in, afraid that mobsters or the police will go after them if they take the money. Jesi thinks otherwise.
The comedy comes from the two who at the beginning are always disagreeing. They do agree to take the money to spend - only to buy what is necessary. They get carried away.
The comedy is not overtly hilarious nor are there many laugh-out-loud laughs. But the humour is amusing and non-offensive and reflective daily lives of hard-working Argentinians. There are a few inspired comedic setups, like the one where Jesi first enters her over-crowded flat, her mother conducting pre-natal classes for already pregnant women. The Chemistry of the two leads, given the script’s limitations, is not bad. The film works in an entertaining and curious way. It makes one think too how one’s life can be changed if one inherits, like the sisters, three million euros. The film allows the audience to dream.
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UNTAMED ROYALS (Principes Salvajes)(Mexico 2024) ***
Directed by Humberto Hinojosa Ozcariz
UNTAMED ROYALS f, in this case, follows a group of wealthy, privileged youths who use their high social status to get away with crimes, but their lavish lifestyle hides a dark truth where the most vulnerable people suffer the consequences of their actions.
When one hears of a son, in this case, Xavi (short for Xavier) planning to rob his own father or even his own relative, one can only think of the lowest of the kid. Such is the gist of the plot in UNTAMED ROAYLS. Royals because the kids are the privileged few of the very wealthy in Mexico who attend country club functions with horse riding and live in fancy mansions. But when the kid plays to rob his own father, the crime is justified, sort of, anyway, by showing the father to be a ruthless and unkind person who not only has no respect for his kid, calling him an asshole, but also fires the chauffeur unfairly when his watch goes missing.
The youth are no angels either. They are cunning, with little morals and the kid has just left the Teheran institution after a period of stay. So, the audience is left to just who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The answer could swing either way. The cops investigating the case have the proper suspects, though it is never explained how they came to the conclusion.
The film, to the script’s credit (which is co-written by director Humberto Hinojosa Ozcarizhas edged moments. When the two males hug during the first robbery, the one has a hard-on. He also jerks off watching his friend having sex with the neighbour.
The film moves slowly at a slow pace, and even so, requires attention in order to follow the plot and figure out the characters.
` But as teen drama go, and this is a well thought out crime drama. The film has the feel more of an adult feature rather than having a target audience of teens with substance abuse, lots of sex, smoking and violence.
UNTAMED ROAYLS is a Netflix original movie and is original and fresh to an extent, The film is available for streaming on Netflix this week starting Wednesday.
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YOU GOTTA BELIEVE (USA 2024) **
Directed by Ty Roberts
YOU GOTTA BELIEVE It's a family-friendly film based on the inspiring true story of a Fort Worth, Texas Little League baseball team that takes its Cinderella run all the way to a record-breaking showdown in the Little League World Series in 2002. It was filmed at the historic Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario. Many London & Toronto locals were also cast.
“You give it everything you got, and you will not disappoint me.” Robert gives the advice to a kid practicing like hell to hit a baseball. Robert is soon diagnosed with advanced melanoma, which is cancer of the brain. Robert is a baseball player’s father. The story of YOU GOTTA BELIEVE deals with a Little League baseball team of misfits who dedicate their season to a player's dying father. In doing so, they accomplished the impossible by reaching the World Series finals in a game that became an ESPN instant classic.
The film centres on Little League Baseball. Little League Baseball and Softball is a nonprofit organization based in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States, that organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the United States and the rest of the world.
Actresses Molly Parker and Sarah Gadon are under-utilized as the wives of the coach and Robert respectively. Molly Parker’s Texan accent is quite laughable, Even the line: “I did not marry you for your physical. I married you for your money,” is ineffectual in getting a loud-out laugh and merely a chuckle. The script tries very hard at trying to be different or stand outing dialogue, but what eventually comes out is a mediocre, melodramatic story with cliched territory. The scene when the two wives bond discussing cancer is a bit too melodramatic too. Then there are Robert’s speeches: Do not play the game for me, Play it for each other.” Luke Wilson ad Greg Kinnear also deliver career mediocre performances The dialogue is ‘unfortunately’ family friendly with perhaps the worse words uttered being the son of a bitch.
YOU GOTTA BELIEVE that this film runs along the lines of forgettable family baseball films like THE SANDLOT. Don’t expect the height of THE BAD NEWS BEARS which treated the audience as adults rather than kids in the baseball movie, the one starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O’Neal directed by Michael Ritchie. The synopsis of THE BAD NEWS BEARS, which spun sequels read: ‘An alcoholic ex-baseball pitcher who becomes a coach for a youth baseball team known as the Bears’ is also a feel-good movie about underdogs making good.
Feel-good sports dramas are currently a dime a dozen the sports varying from baseball to volleyball to basketball to boxing The climatic game is always the most important and in this case, done with the effective editing to treat the excitement any climax deserves. The feel-good movie at times feels quite unbelievable, An example is the scene where Robert has to decide whether to get treatment and miss the baseball game,
YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is best suited for families obsessed with baseball. Nothing special, but formulaic a feel-good sports movie. ‘The Little League that Could’ should be the film’s tagline
YOU GOTTA BELIEVE opens in theatres Aug 30, 2024.
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