Little Shop of Movies Reviews: East Side Sushi, Krampus, Forsaken, Identicals, Joy, The Witch--(Available Now)

 This is one of those films that get pushed aside for all the big blockbuster movies, a hidden gem of a film. One that makes you feel better just because you watched the film.

 

Juana and her father own a fruit cart stand that they run quite successfully until one evening when she has to stay late with the cart she is robbed, she does not want do it any longer.

Vowing to herself to make a stand for herself , she goes outside of her comfort zone of a cook of anything Mexican to applying for a job at a sushi restaurant.

Things quickly turn around for her, she is doing well at the job and inquires about being a sushi chef , however that falls short of standard tradition in such a kitchen.

Entering a televised sushi competition gives her more backing for her quest to be the best at what she does.

 

Agreements were made that this was an odd time of the year to release a film of this kind, being entirely centered on Christmas.

That being said this was a great standard traditional story of the darkness that is Santa Claus's shadow.

Story Synopsis:

"While the holiday season represents the most magical time of year,
ancient European folklore warns of Krampus, a horned beast who punishes
naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling
causes young Max (Emjay Anthony) to lose his festive spirit, it
unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. As Krampus
lays siege to the Engel home, mom (Toni Collette), pop (Adam Scott),
sister (Stefania LaVie Owen) and brother must band together to save one
another from a monstrous fate."

 My statement that this was classic storytelling is not a bad thing but they use some of the best elements of that while using some of the effects of today's cinematic storytelling. Referring to the CGI effects that are so commonplace in today's films.

 

Some of my favorite westerns had the most basic of stories, this no different here with Forsaken.

This is a story of a man that comes home after his mother dies and has to help his father keep the land they own, but of course there are others that want the land they have.

Kiefer Sutherland does a great job here as a man returning to the town where he once left the woman he loved --played well by Demi Moore. Brian Cox also does another great job of being the villain , some actors have a gift for that and he does not miss a beat here.

 Sure we have seen this a number of times before , but that goes for a many great films before as well.

 

 

Story Synopsis:

 None Of Us Are As Unique As We Think. Brand New-U is a highly
unconventional romantic thriller: an obsessive love story stripped down
and re-arranged into the looping logic of a nightmare. 

A brand new U is that and more when they can erase everything there is to know about you in your life and your memory. Take all that and reconstruct your face onto another body , but there is room for error.

In many like a dream sequence we follow our lead through his journey where he thinks he has seen people before but uncertain from where. Elements of this reminded me very much of Total Recall for a good portion of it was whether or not he remembered anything from the past. 

This is a brave and heavily plotted film with some great twists along the way if you blink or step out of the room you could miss something that is relevant to the remainder of the film.

                                             

Having seen this some time ago I remember enjoying this film only because I so enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence's performance in the film.

Not that this was a great film by any means but it was enjoyable none the less.

Her parents played well by Robert De Niro and Virginia Madson they are divorced but Joy has a great idea and wants to have her father and new bride to help her fund her new invention of a new mop , the mop as she feels she has the mop everyone wants.

The ending seem to go on forever and when it did end there was no big surprise or anything original.In the end it really is a shame as I very much enjoyed the majority of the film.

          

The Witch is one of those gem of a horror film that through all the horror I watch through a year there are less and less I can say I enjoyed, this is one of the best of the year.

One of the most beautifully shot films , be it horror or not this eerie little film creeps some death in fast and quick.

Once the youngest child is taken, another has been put under a deep dark spell and the youngest children now are suspicious themselves of being witches.

A highly religious family who pray each night to their god Jehovah and run into their childrens brains of their utter devotion to their faith and their god.

This is a dark and dreary film with some scares but nothing where it was felt it was overdone or tedious.A great film of loss, despair and ultimately betrayal as the final scene ended I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

              

 

Thank you for reading this 

Sincerely

Anthony Nadeau