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Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Five New Indie Titles

Five new Indie flicks to check out this week that hopefully keep lesser-known cinema alive and well.  (Or in some cases at least still breathing!)  Tales of romance under dark circumstances, the passion of people climbing tall structures, what to do when disenfranchised with life, a wedding run amok and a little feisty female payback all headline the movies covered via this week’s Encapsulated Movie Reviews.  Check out the critical opinions on the five films Beast, Mountain, The Escape, Another Kind Of Wedding and Revenge all laid out below!

BEAST
(Roadside Attractions/30 West)

A sweet and somber outing about an awkward budding romance between two introverted but passionate people, Beast is a film full of surprises.  Be it the captivating work by in-love lead couple Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, clever story twists and turns or the careful layering by writer/director Michael Pearce throughout, this is a flick that should be experienced without any advance knowledge for maximum effect.  In a film world where everyone knows your name, it’s nice to see Beast bring back a little movie mystery.

MOUNTAIN
(Greenwich Entertainment)

With its lush landscapes, spectacular cinematography and tales of human endurance abound, Mountain is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen.  Not that it cannot be all together appreciated at home, but the frail structure of the scattered subjects within (mountains, history of structures, people who climb them, ect.) do start to show their unfocused veneer on a smaller screen.  But as far as sheer visual spectacle (with a little narration help from the lulling vocal tones of Willem Dafoe!), Mountain takes eye-popping doc opticals to soaring new mile-high heights.

THE ESCAPE
(IFC Films)

While this tale of a mother and wife who becomes increasingly depressed and distraught by her mundane day to day family life is incredibly well acted, it’s also definitely a difficult watch.  Meaning the turns by Gemma Arterton as the disenfranchised mom (the best work of her career so far!) and Dominic Cooper as the floundering father are so real, so effective and so utterly heartbreaking that it makes this one a tough flick to get through.  A conundrum but also a compliment, The Escape is a difficult row to hoe.

ANOTHER KIND OF WEDDING
(Vertical Entertainment)

While some of the comedy in Another Kind Of Wedding is spirited satire, the film frankly feels like a by-the-numbers stage play.  So wacky are the characters (Wallace Shawn is at his nasal pinched best!), so silly are the situations (see mavens Frances Fisher and Kathleen Turner fight…and flirt!) and so over-the-top are the story surprises (this one has more romantic connections between characters than a Harlequin romance!) that it feels like film farce gone awry.  Pleasant but way too potent, Another Kind Of Wedding tries too hard to be humorous.

REVENGE
(Shudder/Neon)

While this rape revenge flick was in fact written and directed by notable female filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, Revenge nevertheless feels just like stagnate male dominated films of old.  Meaning even though Fargeat shows plenty of visual savvy (her style kicks ass!), musical genius (her score is right out of 80’s chic!) and a flair for dramatic film moments (the sequence where the heroine cauterizes her wound with a hot Mexican beer can that brands her is First Blood 101!), she also unfortunately hits all the tropes that have made this genre a tired one.  (Get her another film STAT!)  The sadistic rape, the awakening ‘phoenix moment’ and especially the lead lethal girl walking around scantly clad while dispatching dudes all remind the audience that even when helmed by a woman this this kind of flick has frankly worn out its welcome.