The Truth is Exposed by THE MAURITANIAN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from director Kevin Macdonald and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment comes the story of a man known as THE MAURITANIAN.

Mohamedou Slahi (Tahar Rahim) has been captured and sent to Guantanamo Bay after the 9/11 attacks on America. He is not told what the charges against him are and lives day to day in a small cell. Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) decides to take on his case bringing Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) aboard. They head to Guantanamo detention camp to meet Mohamedou.

Their first meeting is tense as he does not have reason to trust two women he does not know. He listens to what they have to say and weighs his options quickly before agreeing to be represented by Hollander. What they do not yet know is that the government has enlisted the help of Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch) to prosecute the case. Couch had lost a friend so he is motivated by emotion.

Hollander tells Mohamedou that he must write down his life and what has happened to him. While that is happening, she and Duncan have gone through everything to be allowed to read all the paperwork since his capture only to discover the government has redacted almost everything. Couch is finding himself in the same predicament as to what Mohamedou was actually being charged with.

As both sides attempt to do their job, it is Mohamedou who relives his worst nightmares at Guantanamo Bay before being allowed to have his say in court.

Foster as Hollander believes in her client to a point. It is his word against the evidence that she has read so far but like most of Foster’s character roles, she keeps going until the answers are clear. This actress has always been at her best when taking on roles of injustice and gives it her own unique take and in this film, it is the same.

Slahi as Mohamedou is a man trying to come to terms with how he got to Guantanamo Bay and how close he came to those who were terrorists. That is how he ended up spending year after year in a place where the questions were the same and so were the answers. Slahi gives his character a bit of standoffishness but that makes perfect sense giving the life and death situation his character is in.

Cumberbatch as Lt. Col. Couch is a man of faith and when the case is brought to him, he thought of his friend who died on 9/11. As the case paperwork comes in, he sees things that are curious and questionable. He realizes that the government is using his friend’s death as a weapon in the conviction arsenal, but his faith would never allow that to happen.

Woodley as Duncan is a young lawyer who is thrilled to help with the case. She enjoys their visits and believes that the wrong done to their client should be made right. Doing everything she can to be part of the process, her beliefs are challenged, and she must make a decision that puts them all at odds.

Other cast includes David Fynn as Kent, Corey Johnson as Bill Seidel, Saamer Usmani as Arjun, Denis Menochet as Emmanuel and Zachary Levi as Neil Buckland.

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The Bonus Features of THE MAURITANIAN are Alternate Opening, Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes of THE MAURITANIAN and more!

THE MAURITANIAN is a story of a man and the nightmare of Guantanamo Bay. The film dives into every aspect both legally and personally of his experience. At times his memories are disturbing and there are moments where he finds his own emotional and mental escape from everything around him.

At the suggestion of his lawyers, Slahi wrote a book in 2005 and Guantanamo Diary became an international best seller. It was his opportunity to share his experience and attempt to make people aware of what was happening.

In the end – he has a story that needed to be told!

 

 

 

He Wants to Reach ELYSIUM

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital from writer/director Neill Blomkamp and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the thriller to get to ELYSIUM.

Max Da Costa (Matt Damon) lives in the year 2154 Los Angeles in utter poverty. Above them is a spaceship called Elysium where the rich live. Elysium has a cure for almost anything that could be imagined but, only the powerful living on the ship get it.

Those barely surviving on Earth want what Elysium has and that includes Max who was hurt working for Armadyne, a factory that makes weaponry and robots policing Earth. CEO Carylyle (William Fichtner) refuses to help Max so he is taking matters into his own hands deciding to find Spider (Wagner Moura), a human smuggler that can get he and Julio (Diego Luna) to Elysium.

The Defense Secretary on Elysium, Delacourt (Jodie Foster) finds out about ships smuggling humans and shoots them down. President Patel (Faran Tahir) is furious but that does not stop Delacourt from making a deal with Carylyle for more weapons. Spider finds out about it and says he can get Max to Elysium if he stills the information Carylyle has.

Max agrees and when he gets his hands on the program, Deacourt is furious and brings in Agent Kruger (Sharlto Copley) to retrieve it. Now the rush is on to stay alive and fight their way to Elysium first!

Damon as Max is a man who has lived the best he can under the circumstances. When the CEO of the company he worked for treats him badly, Damon gives his character of Max a reason to go on – and that is to get to Elysium. He had not intended to help others, but Max is given the chance to do so and puts himself front and center when Kruger is on the hunt. I enjoyed Damon in this role because it is different and a dip into the sci-fi world.

Foster as Delacourt, well, what can I say but I actually adore Foster when she has the chance to play the bad gal. She does it so damn well that I find myself wickedly laughing when her character pulls stunts. As Delacourt, she has no use for the people living on Earth and her only concern is keeping the rich and powerful clean and healthy.

Copley as Kruger has some idea of how to go about playing this role because he was on the other end in the 2009 film DISTRICT 9 (another of my personal favs). Here he gets to be under the thumb of Delacourt but there is something about this character that does not seem to mind a good chase. Copley came on the film scene fast and has made his mark. Secretly I was hoping to see a District 10 and perhaps I still am hoping.

Other cast include Alice Braga as Frey Santiago, Brandon Auret as Drake, Josh Blacker as Crowe, Emma Tremblay as Matila Santiago, Jose Cantillo as Sandro, Adrian Holmes as Manuel, and Jared Keeso as Rico.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment encompasses motion picture production for television, digital content and theater releases. The studios include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films and Sony Picture Classics. To see what is coming to theaters and to home entertainment please visit www.sonypictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

The 4K Ultra HD gives this film an epic look and since my kids were nice enough to get me a 70” 4K television for Christmas, trust me when I saw seeing this film again is awesome in scope, color, cinematography and action.

ELYSIUM is a thrill ride of a sci-fi film with the good guy who isn’t about to let a little the rich living in the sky stop him from doing what must be done for every guy (and gal). This is an futuristic underdog story that Damon takes on full force.

Also, in this film is those much less fortunate taking on those who believe they are above, literally, the rest of the world. That is where the story really gets interesting so buckle up for the Blomkamp ride because no one is holding back!

In the end – rebel against!

HOTEL ARTEMIS Has a Unique Clientele

Jeri Jacquin

Coming this Friday from writer/director Drew Pearce and Global Road Entertainment is the story of membership to the exclusive HOTEL ARTEMIS.

It is 2028 and the city of Los Angeles is about to be taken over by riots when the residents decide they’ve had enough. In the middle of the mayhem are two brothers who pick the wrong time to pull a heist.

Shot up and running from the cops, the end up at the Hotel Artemis, an exclusive hotel that caters as a secret and safe place for criminals. Running the floor is The Nurse (Jodie Foster), a woman who clearly has seen the rear-end of life but knows her stuff. She is assisted by the very large Everest (Dave Bautista) who handles anyone that gets out of line.

The Nurse immediately gives the brothers the names Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown) and Honolulu (Brian Henry) according to their suites. Waikiki managed to avoid harm with a kevlar vest but brother Honolulu isn’t so lucky. She immediately goes to work but it definitely is a hot mess.

There are other guests already on the floor with the ever complaining Acapulco (Charlie Day) and the lovely Nice (Sofia Boutella). All The Nurse asks is that the guests have no weapons on the floor, no cops and don’t kill the other guests.

While working on Honolulu, she gets a call from Crosby Franklin (Zachary Quinto), the arrogant offspring of the Hotel Artemis owner Niagara (Jeff Goldblum). He threatens that if anything happens to his father, The Nurse will pay – dearly.

If she didn’t have enough to worry about with a full house, she catches on her camera a young woman calling out her name. Helping her is going to cause problems but it seems The Nurse specializes in solving the unsolvable.

As the riot moves ever closer, the Hotel Artemis starts to break down as the guests get nervous about the outside getting in. Maybe they should worry more about how to get out before that happens!

Foster as The Nurse is absolutely brilliant! I love this character with her frailties, flaws, uncertainties and memories yet she can put a body back together in no time flat. Spending years on this special floor, Foster’s character is run down having seen almost everything – almost. I have always been a fan of Ms. Foster’s (CONTACT is a guilty pleasure) and this character is just stunning.

Brown as Waikiki is dealing with a brother who consistently screws things up, a run in with a former lover and getting the inside scoop on the inner workings of Hotel Artemis. All of that will come in handy when what his brother innocently took turns out to the be one thing that will get them killed. Brown does a remarkable job of being smooth under pressure and never once raises his voice although he certainly has plenty of reason too.

Boutella as Nice is simple a woman who has a job to do and no one or nothing is going to get in her way. Knowing her worth, it is a joy to see her take on the employer! Day as Acapulco is annoying, narcissistic and out for himself – yet he does it so damn well.

Bautista as Everest is a body guard as well as a ‘health care provider’ who shows intense loyalty to The Nurse and doesn’t suffer fools. Knowing what is the right thing and actually doing it doesn’t seem to be an issue for him, he just wants to follow the rules and get through the riot alive.

Goldblum as Niagara has some explaining to do but then again it’s Goldblum, his mere presence tends to be enough for me. Quinto as Crosby needs to be slapped several times but that’s the parent in me talking, and Slate as Morgan shows us that there is more to The Nurse than anyone has ever known.

Other cast include Kenneth Choi as Buke, Josh Tillman as P-22, Evan Jones as Trojan Nash, Nathan Davis Jr. as Rocco and Ramses Jiminez as Tariq.

HOTEL ARTEMIS is a place where bad guys go to find safety and be patched up if needs be. What it doesn’t know how to do is survive this batch of crazy people in the middle of a rioting city. Managing to keep it together long enough for the audience to learn the back story in the 93 minute film is perfect, anything longer would have ruined it.

It twists and turns down the hotel hallways giving us quick stories and an equal amount of action to go along with it. I suppose what made me the happiest is that it wasn’t a prequel, sequel, retelling or remaking of another story. That in itself deserves high praises and I’m sending it their way.

Director Pearce gives us something different and although I followed along a little too easily, I had a good time. There is something to be said for quick and to the point and HOTEL ARTEMIS gives exactly that.

In the end – no guns, no cops and no killing the other patients!