Jonathan Salemi’s new 17-minute short film, Chasing the Past, was screened on April 14th at this year’s Boston International Film Festival and won Best Cinematography for short films. This is Salemi’s second film in the festival and second award. In 2010, Salemi’s short Sidewalk Symphony won the Indie Soul Special Recognition Award.

Chasing the Past is more dramatic than Sidewalk Symphony. A distraught man (Adam Marcinowski), whose fiancé (Ceri Bethan) passed away, discovers a female self-proclaimed time traveler (Alycia Grant) in the desert. Both actors deliver notably compelling performances. I wouldn’t want to give anything away, but when I spoke to Salemi about the film; he said the ending was influenced by the German film Faust (1926). It took seven days to film and he spent a year in postproduction.

Time travel is very difficult to approach when telling stories. Traditionally I find that filmmakers choose one of two ways to approach this element; some attempt to get very technical, giving logic or reason to the time travel, as in Donnie Darko (2001), and others try to convey time travel as an accepted fact and move on, as in Terminator (1984). I liked Donnie Darko, but I prefer not to dwell on the logistics of time travel unless it’s the heart of the movie. In this case, it was not, and I like that Salemi did not dive in and try to justify it or get into the details. Doing so could take away from the effect of the story.     Overall Chasing the Past is one of the better short films I have seen in a while. If you get a chance, see it. Between the award-winning cinematography, by Josh Fritts and the exciting, unpredictable plot ending, it is worth the watch.

Jonathan Salemi is from Revere, Massachusetts. Some of his other films have been broadcast on PBS and DirectTV. Chasing the Past will screen at the New Jersey International Film Festival on May 30th, 2014.

The web-slinger is back in a not so satisfying sequel. Andrew Garfield returns as the masked hero and along with his partner (both in the movie and in real life), Emma Stone, delivers a good performance. The superstar-filled cast of villains includes Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, and Dane DeHaane; all also gave good performances, but that’s not where the problem with this movie lies.

The writing was the weakest element of the story. Only one of the three villains gets a bit of development (I will not spoil which one), while the second gets an even smaller, completely flawed amount, and the third gets none at all. 

The first movie of this franchise was better because we could relate to the villain a bit more. Doctor Connor’s character had a better development and made the audience root for a morally-balanced Spider-Man to prevent The Lizard from harming others and killing Doctor Connors. The villains in this sequel have poor development and Spiderman is not as forgiving as he was with Doctor Connors with some of the other villains, which is a point never fully explored.

Director Mark Webb gets creative leeway that is not usually seen in summer tent pole films by directing a lot of the complicated character driven scenes with a more independent vibe than Hollywood vibe. He uses a lot of hand held and Dutch camera angles to display these emotional scenes. Webb focuses a lot of attention on the scenes revolving around the relationship of Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, but the action scenes get little attention. This is clear based on the quality and duration of the action scenes; compared to the character-focused scenes, they almost feel rushed.

Before I end this review, I must note a comparison to the previous Spider-man franchise. Spider-Man 2 (2004) is one of the best comic book superhero movies because one cannot watch that movie without feeling how much it can suck to be a superhero. The goal of most movies is to bring across either a message or feeling. Sam Rami does so masterfully in Spider-Man 2, making audiences feel pity as the constantly beat up Spider-man tumbles through the film. This is important because many superhero films don’t have a message outside of the cliché “it’s hard to do the right thing” and that message isn’t even all that clear because the hero wins and gets the girl at the end every time! Though this also happens in Spider-Man 2 (2004), you still better understand Parker’s inner struggles. This movie doesn’t come close to the originality or quality of Spider-Man 2 (2004).    

Overall, the movie had a mixed bag of really good and really bad moments. You might enjoy it, but you might also regret it. I expect better from these movies and I hope those colors will shine in the next two films in this franchise.

Grade: B-

Structured like its title character, Joe slowly builds tension until it reaches short points of intensity. At these points Joe's (Nicholas Cage) flaws are explored as we try to decide the type of man he is. Is he going to help Gary (Tye Sheridan of Mud, Tree of Life), a 15-year-old boy living in poverty with an abusive and alcoholic father? Or is he going to drive drunk and get in bar fights?

Joe and Gary first meet when Gary, determined to leave his father and a life of poverty behind, looks for work and encounters a group of men illegally poisoning trees so a lumber company can cut them down and plant new ones. Joe seems to have a soft spot for Gary and gives him work. As their relationship develops, Joe becomes an alternate father figure. Like many fathers, Joe sees some of himself in Gary but wants better for the boy. Joe slowly becomes more involved in the boy’s life and the film explores what kind of man he is and how far he will go to ensure Gary’s path doesn’t mirror his own.

Luckily this film features good Nick Cage (of Adaption and Raising Arizona), who uses subtle nuances to bring depth to characters and in the process making them complex and compelling, as opposed to bad Nick Cage (of Ghost Rider and Knowing), who feels flat and one-dimensional. Cage’s chemistry with Tye Sheridan was especially spot on as the two played off each other extremely well, and Cage managed to balance revealing many faults while still showing his truly good heart. Cage’s performance was almost overshadowed, though—between this film and Mud I’ve become convinced that Tye Sheridan is one of the best young actors currently working. I’m excited to see where he goes in the future as he turns 18 later this year.

Joe is directed by David Gordon Green who is most recently known for his stoner comedies Pineapple Express and Your Highness, but seems to be channeling his filmmaking roots like he once did with his first two films George Washington and All the Real Girls by focusing on struggling people in small town America. On the visual side, Green often employs a bleak set of colors (browns, greens) but is still able to capture the natural beauty of this rural area in a way that can be oddly peaceful at times. He used a similar style in another film, Prince Avalanche.  Rain is also common throughout the film and while it visually sets a more dreary tone it also acts as a story device that limits the tree crew from working.

Overall Joe does an excellent job of examining an unusual relationship between a young, abused boy and a new father figure. While many of the situations of the film are tragic, it shows that even when old trees are chopped down they make way for new ones to grow.

Grade: B+

In Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day, Kevin Costner plays Sonny Weaver Jr., the Cleveland Browns’ General Manager. It’s NFL draft day, and if the draft doesn’t go well for the Browns, Sonny could be fired.  

I love football. Don’t get me wrong, I am no expert, only recently joining my first fantasy league, but I definitely love the sport. I really enjoyed this movie. It’s a sports drama for both fans of The League and football in general. It is the Moneyball of football, though not as good but still worth seeing. The movie has a star-filled ensemble cast including Jenifer Gardner, Sam Elliot, Denis Leary, Frank Langella and more. 

The characters are not overly complicated and the plot isn’t too thick, however that’s ok as far as I’m concerned. It’s probably not going to get any Oscar nominations, but the performances are solid and the movie overall is well directed. Sometimes a simple movie that isn’t exactly challenging can be great for a Friday night after a long week.

Ivan makes some interesting special graphic effects choices that I think most of the time really worked. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a type of picture in picture kind effect. It helps keep up the momentum of the movie and made some scenes a little more interesting.

Take anyone to see this movie. It’s an all around good movie to watch and worth the price of a ticket.     

Grade: B+

Storytelling professional Ellis Henican visited Northeastern University as part of Professor Bill Lancaster’s class called Business of Entertainment. Ellis, a born and raised southerner, is best known for his political contributions on Fox News’s hit programs such as The O’Reilly Factor and Fox News Watch. What most people don’t know is that Ellis is a storyteller in all media mediums, not just on television. Lancaster says that though Howard Stern claims to be the king of media, Ellis wears the true crown, having major success in most media realms not only in political television, but also books, journalism and radio.

Ellis came into class with an incomparable energy, starting off by making a simple story of how he broke his toe comedic and engaging. At that moment, I recognized that he was deserving of the crown.  We got the chance to hear his thoughts about the industry and how he got his start as a journalist at the Kentucky Post. He now lives in New York City where during the week he is a columnist for Newsday and makes appearances on television, and on the weekends he is the host of his own radio show called The Ellis Henican Show. In his spare time, Ellis works on novels like his bestseller, Home Team, about the New Orleans Saints’ Superbowl win after post hurricane Katrina.    

For an even lighter side of Ellis, check out his voice acting skills on the Cartoon Network show Sealab 2021. One of Adult Swim’s first shows is a hilarious take on several co-workers living in an underwater lab and their shenanigans. His next book will be about the Florida Governor Rick Scott and his re-election campaign.  The biggest take away from his visit is that no matter how technology influences the media, a well executed story will always be the most important aspect in all disciplines of the entertainment industry.

Short Term 12 follows a young foster care supervisor through her daily life of relating to, helping, and dealing with troubled youth. This character-driven drama features a thin plot and is more of a series of events. Throughout the movie, we encounter all sorts of abused characters.

Films with slower paces often exercise the philosophy that films should feel more like real life, where not every day has a major event or clear goal. Normally, I find slowly paced movies boring, but in this case it helped make it clear that the characters were the most important element of the movie.    

Though I understood the filmmaker’s intent in focusing on the one supervisor, I would have liked to know more about some of the other staff at the home. Learning a lot about only a few characters and only enticing tidbits about the others feel like a teaser that never pays off.

Despite those concerns, I can hardly express how much I liked the cinematography and coloring. Both were subtle but effective. Many of the shots use a shallow depth of field, in which a specific item is in focus but behind that item is out of focus. These types of images correlate to the depth of which we learn about these children’s struggles, whether their parents abused them or they feel depressed from having no relatives alive. When the kids express their feelings of being lost and abandoned via art, music and through stories, I couldn’t help but consider myself grateful that I don’t feel as upset and angry as they do.

I hope only a few can actually relate to the characters in Short Term 12, but it is a movie that anyone can respect. This heart-wrenching tail won several awards and nominations for performances and writing from film festivals such as the Nantucket Film Festival, the Gotham Awards and many more. Check it out and don’t be surprised if you shed a tear.

Grade: B+

NUFEC writer Dan Simeone had the opportunity to meet producer Christine Vachon at an educational screening of Kill Your Darlings, the recent film in which Daniel Radcliffe stars as young Allen Ginsberg of the beat generation. With credits stretching back to the 1980s, Vachon has had quite the career. She was a co-producer on Kids, which NUFEC screened in the past, producer on Boys Don’t Cry, and producer on the recent Bob Dylan film I’m Not There. She has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy’s, nine Independent Sprit Awards (including one victory), two PGA awards, and won the National Board of Review’s Producers Award. She has worked with directors including Todd Haynes, Todd Solondz, Ethan Hawke, Robert Altman, and John Waters. Vachon is currently working on a new film with Todd Haynes called Carol, starring Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. 

Dan Simeone: What inspired you to be a producer?

Christine Vachon: I was inspired after having worked in many departments of production, and decided that producer was right for me.

DS: You work on a bunch of films each year. How do you choose what you'll work on and manage all that time?

CV: I decided what to work on based on if I could get financing for it and above the line actors, and director’s schedules. And I manage it, just like anyone in any other business, by calling people, taking meetings, etc.

DS: How did working on the set of Kill Your Darlings compare to other films?

CV: Working on the set of Kill Your Darlings was not different from others. Period pieces have their challenges, ambitious directors and not enough money.

DS: Why are you telling a beatnik story now? Were you inspired by other recent efforts like Howl, Big Sur, and On the Road? Why do you think the beats are such a hot topic right now in independent cinema?

CV: Beatniks have a timeliness to them. It’s like a pendulum, sometimes it’s up more than other times. Due Walter Salles’ unsuccessful film [On the Road, a recent adaptation of the beat classic novel of the same name starring Sam Riley, Garret Hedlun and Kristin Stewart], we had to make ours stand out and be different.

See this film! Lone Survivor is based on the true story of four Navy Seals whose mission gets compromised and are forced to fight until help arrives. This drama, that is as emotional as it is action packed, stars Mark Walberg as Mas Luttrell. Wahlberg brings his tough but caring Boston bred attitude, which complements the role. Co-star Ben Foster gives a performance like none I have ever seen from him. He really is the tough guy. In the fight he gets tagged first and most. His performance is nothing short of commanding.

What got me most about this movie is the fraternal spirit of the soldiers. A lot of effort went into this film to make it as accurate as possible to the real events in 2005 during the attempted execution of Operation Red Wings. I’m glad that brotherhood was a highlighted element, because it is important to understand that part of the reason why marines are the strongest and best soldiers on this planet is because they treat each other like brothers. On the battlefield they shed blood for the same reasons, so it makes sense to act like they are blood. This is one of the biggest take always from Lone Survivor.   

The movie contains footage of real soldiers in training to become marines. Peter Berg makes his message very clear from the beginning that this movie is not only about survival, but also the mind and body. These soldiers that gave their lives went through unparalleled physical agony that will make you cringe.

I firmly believe that the goal of each movie is to provoke an audience and Peter Berg does so excellently. You will be angry that the soldiers of your free world go through this; you will be sympathetic to those who have ever lost a loved one due to misfortune and you will certainly feel guilty about the last time you complained about any physical exhaustion. See this movie!

Grade: A

In Gareth Evans’ The Raid: Redemption, a team of elite Indonesian cops tries to take down a drug lord in his 30-floor fortress of a building. Before long the majority of the team is ambushed and a few cops are left to either get out of the building or finish the mission, either way, floors of financially motivated tenants are trying to kill them.  

I had the opportunity to see this film at its 2012 Sundance Film Festival premiere. I didn’t know what to expect, but at first I was not at all impressed. The fact that the cast was made up of non-actors was painfully obvious, and the dialogue seemed more informative than natural. The plot was weak and predictable. But it occurred to me that this is not a film to be viewed with a critical mind, but rather a bag of popcorn.

The amazingly choreographed fight scenes throughout the film make The Raid a fun film to watch.  Yayan Ruhian, who plays Mad Dog, is a master choreographer and a skilled Indonesian martial arts expert. The athleticism that these “actors” put into the scenes is just jaw dropping. This film never, never, never gets old. It is by far one of my favorite action films ever. The directing and the editing compliment the fights so well, that I can look past the poor acting, flat characters and thin layered plot. 

When it comes to music scoring, the rule of thumb is that if the audience does not notice the music, a composer has done a good job. In this case, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park accomplished that exactly. I had to watch the film a second time and remind myself to listen to the music in order to hear it. The music has Linkin Park’s fingerprints all over it. Regardless of if you like their relatively new digital style, it goes so well with this movie. Considering that this is Mike’s first feature film score, he did a great job.

Get this film on Blu-ray and convince all your friends to watch it because they won’t forget it. I have shown many people, and not one of them regrets the experience.

Grade: A-

Philomena is heart-wrenching story about an Irish woman who looks for her son many years after he was adopted into an American family. Between nuns, journalists and all other types of people spinning stories, we see not only the worst, but the best in people. Director Stephen Frears teams up with Judi Dench again (Mrs Henderson Presents) for what will hopefully be another Oscar-nominated performance.   

We start with Martin, played by Steve Coogan, who was recently laid off from the British government. He decides to pursue journalism, through a human interest story. Through him, we find out how Philomena was born and raised by nuns, how she got pregnant and what she had to go through to keep the baby. After all that pain, the nuns take her son away without any warning. Martin begins this story as a cynical atheist, but by the end, he better understands those of religious faith by seeing the power of forgiveness.  

Judi Dench strays from her more common robust character and plays the role of an uneducated, goofy, warm-hearted woman. To my surprise, there was no difficulty accepting Dench as Philomena. The rest of the cast was great as well, but Dench really steals the show. 

The movie has religious themes to it, however I would say that people is the real focus of the film. Philomena is not one for the kids, but if you are really looking for an amazing story with high quality performances, this is definitely a film to see during the holidays!  

Grade: A