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Reviews
Forever (2015)
Flawed, but worth watching
I didn't really have any idea what to expect from this film. I actually watched it to see if the chemistry Deborah Ann Woll and Luke Grimes exhibited in True Blood would carry over into this other project they did together (answer: Definitely!). But I was surprised that this film had a central theme that will leave you thinking about it long after the film has ended. Woll does a nice job of largely carrying the movie, even though her character of Alice doesn't always seem to be well defined. I've watched this film more then once, and I'm still not entirely sure what her purpose was in finding this place, why she wanted to stay, and why she almost went through with what takes place as the film draws to a close. Strangely enough, Luke Grimes' Charlie makes far more sense, though his character does develop rapidly and sometimes confusingly. Although once his backstory is revealed, maybe some of that can be explained. Their romance is nearly instantaneous, and thats problematic. The fact that it works at all is a testament to Woll and Grimes palpable connection. There are some very interesting supporting actors in this film that make vivid impressions with paper thin characters. The atmosphere of the film, the music, the cinematography all hint at perhaps bigger things to come for writer/director Tatia Pilieva. But for what its worth, I recommend people give this one a view.
Squatters (2014)
Not a very good film, but some bright spots
The premise of this film shows promise, but the story that director Martin Weisz chooses to tell ends up being far more wish-fulfilling fairytale, and less an examination of youth on the streets, and the contrast to lives of the 1% living next door. Thomas Dekker and Gabriella Wilde are really just not substantial enough actors to bring any gravitas to the product. Dekker is way too over the top, and never strikes a note of authenticity. Wilde is incredibly lovely, and mostly vapid aside from a few sparks of life she manages in the 2nd half of the film. In fact, its probably better to speed through the first half of this film, because it picks up considerably in the second half. Probably because that's when far more competent actors show up to help carry in the film, i.e Dreyfuss, Davidovich, and Luke Grimes playing the way too perfect son that falls in love with Wilde. On a side note, did no one ever consider switching the roles for Dekker and Grimes? I suspect if they had, you still wouldn't have had a very good film, but I think you would've had a better one. Pro's like Dreyfuss and Davidovich do manage to strike some sympathetic notes as the rich couple who appear to have the perfect lives, but in reality, also are dealing with loss and heartache. And I found myself rooting for the happy ending in spite of my head telling me how ludicrous it was. Chalk that up to some nice chemistry between Wilde and Grimes. And, the film does have an interesting soundtrack, so it had that going for it.