He is a Father from STILLWATER

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to DVD and Bluray from writer/director Tom McCarthy and Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is the story of a father looking for redemption in STILLWATER.

Bill Baker (Matt Damon) is a construction and oil-rig worker from Oklahoma who spends his days working hard and visiting Sharon (Deanna Dunagan). Packing his bag, he arrives in Marseilles to visit daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin) who is in prison convicted of murder. Their relationship is strained as she has issues with her father, and he did not handle her upbringing well.

On this particular visit, Allison slips her father a note and asks that he deliver it to her attorney. Trying to do as his daughter wished, Bill discovers that the letter contained information that might help his daughter, but the lawyer has no interest. Determined to not let her down, Bill turns to private investigators to find someone Allison has mentioned who might know something.

Offering to help is Virginie (Camille Cottin), a theatre actress he met at the hotel and her little girl Maya (Lilou Siauvaud). Not speaking the language, Virginie helps translate and sees that Bill is dealing with a lot. Wanting to stay longer to help Allison, he becomes roomates with Virginie and forms a friendship with Maya.

He continues his visits with Allison and still looks for the potential killer. There time together reopens old wounds and yet when an unexpected event happens, Bill’s world is about to change. The pains of the choices he is making will follow him back to Stillwater.

Damon as Baker is a man who has a past that is not pretty and has caused emotional stress. Trying to make things right is made harder when his daughter Allison is 5,101 miles away in another country so when he has the chance to make things right with his daughter, he can not help himself but dive right in. The problem is he involves Virginie and Maya who come to care for him. Damon is a good ole’ country boy who says ‘yes ma’m’ and believes in helping just to help.

That’s what makes his character believable, Damon’s ability to draw us into this character who is like a fish out of water. That being said, it does not change who he is but instead quietly changes the way he sees the situation they are all in.

Cottin as Virginie is charming and although her first meeting with Bill is not a good one, she changes it around. She is also a good person at heart and sees what Bill is going through and wants to help where she can. Cottin gives her character so much understanding towards Bill’s situation.

Breslin as Allison is a daughter who is trying to get out of prison telling anyone who would listen that she is innocent. Bill believes her and tries everything and when old father-daughter issues come up, she remembers those problems and it causes problems. Breslin character is angry, frustrated and has a story to tell.

Siauvaud as Maya is adorable, charming, funny and the one character that seems to bring Bill any peace. Their relationship is based on nothing more than understanding one another until the bond they both loved so much becomes tested. Siauvaud gives the viewer a look at a child who gets caught up in adults messes.

Other cast includes Idir Azougli as Akim, Anne Le Ny as Leparq, Moussa Maaskri as Dirosa, William Nadylam as Patrick, Mahia Zrouki as Samira and Massiriat Mohamed as Souad.

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 Bluray and DVD Bonus Features include An Alchemy of Viewpoints – The cast of STILLWATER discuss their characters and the research that went into portraying them authentically, An American in Marseilles: The Location of STILLWATER – Hear from the cast and filmmakers on what it was like filming in locations such as the streets of Marseilles and the Calanques along the coast.

Also With Curiosity and Compassion: Director Tom McCarthy – Cast and filmmakers discuss the thought and interest that goes into director Tom McCarthy’s stories, and how he uses his natural curiosity about real life interactions to guide his filmmaking style.

STILLWATER is a story of a father and his past mistakes, a daughter and her own mistakes and anger issues and two other people caught up in the middle of their story. Watching Damon make his way through Marseilles trying to be the father he always should have been, it is heartbreaking and heart pounding every step of the way.

The cast allows the story to be told in a pace that is believable and director McCarthy gives us not only a tour of France but of the lives filled with grief and attempted redemption. Beautifully done.

In the end – secrets run deep!

 

A Father and Son Journey with JOE BELL

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Roadside Attractions is a walk to finding answers for JOE BELL.

Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg) lives in Oregon and is husband to Lola (Connie Britton) and son’s teen Jadin (Reid Miller) and young Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins). Rough and rugged, one day Jadin pulls Dad aside and tells him that he is gay. Joe tries the rugged approach and makes it out to be an ‘okay, is that it?’ reaction much to Jadin’s dismay.

Especially since the teen is dealing with difficulties at school with kids bullying him mercilessly. Jadin confides in friend Marcie (Morgan Lily) who tries to help him keep up a positive attitude about who he is. Even finding an unexpected romance can not ease the daily pain Jadin is feeling.

After the Bell family experiences tragedy, the only way Joe can deal with it is when he decides to walk across the United States to talk to kids about bullying. Doing it with the wisdom of Jadin, what begins to happen is that Joe discovers more about himself than he ever thought possible. More importantly, he is not the only one dealing with it as Marcie and Joseph wait patiently for Joe to come home.

Each step brings him closer to Jadin.

Wahlberg as Joe Bell brings the rough and tumble father character to this story. As what is happening to son Jadin unfolds, Wahlberg’s character tries to justify with a ‘well I supported your cheerleading what else do you want’ as his support. Frustrated because he refuses to admit that he does not know how to deal with his feelings, Wahlberg takes his character on the road. On the wide-open pavement, it becomes a story of memories, cringe worthy realizations and a hope to be a better person.

Miller as Jadin is such a heart-breaking character to watch. Trying to fit in, keep his sexuality down low and stay away from the young raging bulls, Miller shows us on screen the pain behind it all. When pain becomes the first thing you feel in the morning and the last thing you feel at night, someone has to give. Miller reminds us of those consequences and what it does to those left behind.

Britton as Lola is a woman who already has her hands full with a house of men. Trying to support a husband who is evasive, a son in pain and another son feeling left out, Britton’s character turns to the one thing that does not require anything of her and kills the pain. Jenkins as Joseph is a young man caught in the middle of everything and getting lose in the conflicts of the family. Clearly, he loves his parents, brother and wants a few moments of recognition of his own and it gets lost.

Shout out to Gary Sinise because he deserves every shout out that can be mustered. In JOE BELL he once again plays a character, even if its briefly, of a caring man who recognizes the pain of another human being.

Other cast include Tara Buck as Mary Ivy, Ash Santos as Kim, Blaine Maye as Boyd Banks, Igby Rigney as Chance, Austin Grant as Blake, Scout Smith as Colleen, Juan Antonio as Roy Holmes, Charles Halford and Gary Sinise.

Roadside Attractions has, since 2003, grossed over $300M and garnered nineteen Academy Award nominations. They have had critical and commercial hits such as MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, BEN IS BACK, BEATRIZ AT DINNER, HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, WINTER’S BONE and THE COVER as well as so many others. For more information of what Roadside Attractions has to offer please visit www.roadsideattractions.com.

JOE BELL is based on a true story, and it will tug at your heart. As a proud sister of a gay brother who lost his fight for this life, I recognized the pain that Jadin felt frame after frame. There were so many conversations that we had about how to make the family see that ‘gay’ was not about hurting them but instead loving him unconditionally – and that was in 1987.

Watching the film also made me angry in the sense that if my brother David and I were dealing with this in 1987 and it is now 2021, how are we still having these discussions? Especially when the end results for some have been total and irreversible tragedy.

JOE BELL is a film that I would hope could be a teachable moment and one to be shared in schools. That would be something that would move me beyond words as young adults in a group setting tend to listen more when they share an experience and talk about it openly.

The cast does an amazing job telling the story of this young man and his father. Wahlberg and Miller are everything and more with twists and turns that gave me jaw-drop. Tissue worthy absolutely!

In the end – redemption is a journey you cannot take alone!

AD ASTRA Takes Us To The Stars

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from directors James Gray, Dan Bradley and 20th Century Fox comes a story of a man who needs to save the planet with AD ASTRA.

Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is an astronaut who has the uncanny knack for keeping his emotions under control. Constantly being monitored for flight readiness, it has come at the expense of his relationship with Eve (Liv Tyler). During an accident at work, his superiors notice that he kept a level head. What Roy learns is that the accident is caused by the Lima Project that was run by his father Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones).

The senior McBride left years earlier in search of other life in the universe. Hailed as a hero for his work in space, that is what Roy remembers or more so what he has been told.

He is given the mission to go to Mars and send a transmission to his father. Mars is the only planet that hasn't been affected by the violent pulses sent through the galaxy. Going along with McBride is Col. Pruitt (Donald Sutherland), a one-time friend to Clifford and someone to keep an eye on Roy. Stopping on the moon, Roy learns more about what is expected of him once he reaches Mars.

Once landed, Roy is met by Helen Lantos (Ruth Negga) who seems mysterious but actually has information that he has never been privy to. Reaching out to his father through transmissions, all of a sudden things change and those in charge want him back on earth. He is not about to turn back now and with the help of Helen he once again gets aboard a ship that will take him on the most solitary and long voyage he could have imagined.

He has time to make the decision about how to stop the effects of the Lima Project and come face to face with a father he thought he knew.

Pitt as Roy is a man who tries to keep focus on his emotions by keeping himself apart from everyone else. Believing that his father was dead, he is still calm when told it is a possibility that the elder McBride might still be alive. Every step he takes is calculated and once realizing his purpose is served isn't about to stop until he has all the answers. There is something so very cool when Pitt takes a role that isn't full of talk but instead straight forward action. Although there is a full cast here, it is Pitt's character that commands the film.

Sutherland as Col. Pruitt is sent by the higher ups to keep an eye on Roy but there is also a history. Pruitt knew the elder McBride and seems to be hoping to see him once again but his reasons are a bit different that Roy's. I have always enjoyed Sutherland on any screen because he is an actor that may be large in stature but never pulls on the screen. Even when he yells it's brief, important and then back to center with such roles in M*A*S*H, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, ORDINARY PEOPLE and even his role in THE HUNGER GAMES, I am always all in to watch him.

Tyler as Eve has a smaller role but one that is important in understanding the repercussions of Roy's inability to let loose once in a while. She wanted more and he couldn't provide it. Negga as Helen has her own story to tell and she is absolutely ready to tell Roy, whether he is ready to hear it or not.

Jones as Clifford McBride is a hero to everyone who knows about the Lima Project. Roy has lived in the shadow of Clifford even though he didn't truly understand why he chose space over his family. When Jones is on screen there is a sincere insanity that exists in that he believes in what he says to the point of not being able to tell right from wrong.

On an interesting side note - Sutherland and Jones appeared in another movie together in 2000 called SPACE COWBOYS so it seems fitting they would come full circle in suits once again. In that film they were both space geniuses as well so kudos for bringing it back 19 years later!

Other cast include Anne McDaniels as Shunga Hologram, John Ortiz as General Rivas, Kimberly Elise as Lorraine Deavers, Greg Bryk as Chip Garnes, Loren Dean as Donald Stanford, John Finn as Stroud, Kimmy Shields as Sgt. Romano, and LisaGay Hamilton as Adjutent General Amelia Vogel. 

AD ASTRA is a film about many different things - from a man who is about to discover that his emotional world is larger than the universe he is about to fly into, to learning that history doesn't always paint a real picture. Clearly the visual are stunning but then again most space films are. In recent years there have been several and since I am a fan of space films, AD ASTRA works.

That being said I also want to say that it seems that this is a man-version of GRAVITY. Don't get me wrong, that isn't a bad thing, it's just how I see it. Throw in 2014's INTERSTELLAR and Matthew McConaughey's character Cooper along with Sandra Bullock's character Ryan Stone from GRAVITY and Roy McBride of AD ASTRA - all have emotional issues that they hide with their space work. When life and death kick in they all trust in what they know intellectually but also experience a sense of acceptance and letting go.

Now that I have that out of my system I truly did enjoy Pitt's performance because of in depth. A role doesn't have to have tons of talking in order for me to totally understand the plight of a character. Pitt seems to be the calm in the middle of a galactic storm as others swirl around the outer vortex of this character.

There is absolutely no doubt that the cinematography is also a character in the film. From the stunning landing on the moon to shooting off to Mars and then Jupiter and beyond, the colors are stunning, the space is cold yet inviting and it is eye candy for anyone who just adores the idea of space and space travel.

In the end - the answers we seek are just outside our reach!