Dances With Films Festival 2018 – Opening Night Review – ‘No Alternative’
The amazing and movie filled Dances With Films Festival 2018 (taking place June 7-17 at the Chinese 6 Theaters at Hollywood and Highland – go to www.danceswithfilms.com for more details!) is now underway and the flicks are unspooling hard and fast! Both Jason and Michael are getting ready for a busy cinematic weekend, so their first piece of coverage hits now – ladies and gentlemen from the perspectives of the young and old Coleman gents here is the review of the DWF 2018 opening night film.
No Alternative
Jason’s Review
A cross between Ordinary People and American Beauty but without any of their poignant dramatic gravitas, No Alternative is a movie mess right from the script stage. Biting off way more than it can chew in terms of multiple story lines and utterly unsure of who its lead character is, the film feels like it’s examining the era of Kurt Cobain grunge teen angst with the subtlety of an out of control house fire. Not to mention that the parents of the two disturbed featured adolescents, played with little fanfare by Harry Hamlin and Kathryn Erbe, add one note work to a film already on thin character ice. Less than effective due to a weak and watered down movie message, there’s no alternative but to skip this one.
Michael’s Review
No Alternative is a merely adequate film that revisits Kurt Cobain angst and the grunge world and attempts to show it’s damning ramifications on one family that’s already dysfunctional to begin with. Typical tropes of kids seeking different ways cope and parents trying to deal with their children on the verge of adulthood are ever-present and with flat performances across the board sadly none of the characters significantly engage. Not to mention that as the patriarch of the family, actor Harry Hamlin is all but wasted in a small side story that proves to be more of a distraction than anything else. In fact you may wonder which of the many stories within No Alternative are going to reign – in the end all fail in their effort to help their characters and the audience live and learn.
So get out of the house and hit the movies in LA this weekend via the Chinese 6 Theaters at Hollywood and Highland between June 7-17 for the ongoing Dances With Films Festival 2018 – we’ll definitely see you there!
Jason Coleman
I'm a passionate and opinionated film critic/movie journalist with over 20 years of experience in writing about film - now exclusively for WhySoBlu.com. Previous sites include nine years at Starpulse.com where I created Forgotten Friday Flick back in 2011, before that as Senior Entertainment Editor for The213.net and 213 Magazine, as well as a staff writer for JoBlo.com. My other love is doing cool events for the regular guy with my company Flicks For Fans alongside my friend, partner and Joblo.com writer James "Jimmy O" Oster. Check us out at www.Facebook.com/FlicksForFans.
