Why So Blu?

Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Four New Indie Titles

A handful of indie films dissected this week to offer a little counterprogramming to a killer clown that will definitely dominate the weekend box office.  A murder mystery set in 19^th century London, a tale of past memories coming back to haunt, a troubled teen forced to count on an absentee father and a sci-fi tale where perfect genetically engineered humans become suddenly flawed all make up the films covered in this edition of Encapsulated Movie Reviews.  See the critical opinions of The Limehouse Golem, Rememory, Jesus and Beyond The Trek all below!

THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM
(RLJ Entertainment)

While there is a pinch of predictability within the murder mystery outcome of The Limehouse Golem, there is also much to cinematically celebrate along the way.  From nailing the look of the 19^th century look and feel via stylistic helmer Juan Carlos Medina to the affecting turns by leads Bill Nighy and Olivia Cooke as investigator and accused, The Limehouse Golem wonderfully takes it’s storytelling time and the result is a methodic film that washes over the viewer.  One may know the outcome, but the journey is oh-so satisfying.

REMEMORY
(Lionsgate Premiere)

The premise of Rememory – gaining access to past memories remembered and forgotten via tangible recorded images – is much more impressive in theory than the actual execution, but thankfully it’s the array of amazing actors that saves the film.  Peter Dinklage as a crime solving man of mystery, Martin Donovan as the killed creator, Julia Ormand as his grieving wife and even the late Anton Yelcin as one of his ailing test subjects all elevate the material and create a memorable movie worth remembering.

JESUS
(Breaking Glass Pictures)

An engaging tale of one youths ailing relationship with an absentee father he is forced to count on when things get tough is sidelined severely by the overuse of way too many nefarious teenage exploits.  So instead of having emotion, connection and moral questioning between father and son at the forefront, we’re inundated with a barrage of sequences involving lead adolescent Jesus doing everything from having sex to scrapping all in an attempt to be shocking – it isn’t.

BEYOND THE TREK
(Screen Media)

Yet another low budget sci-fi stab at trying to attain an emotional Event Horizon vibe, Beyond The Trek has little to offer that isn’t merely eye candy. From the picturesque cast (heavy layered character work is not their forte!) to the colorful sets and costumes Beyond The Trek is a film that prides itself on style over substance (its stab at complex storytelling is just misguided and dull) and even on that level crashes and burns.