Dorie Barton makes her writing and directorial debut with “Girl Flu,” a hilarious yet wonderfully accurate look at a young girl as she begins the process of becoming a woman.  Yep, she gets her period.  Precocious 12-year old Bird (Jade Pettyjohn) and her mother, recent transplants from “The Valley” now live with Grandma on the other side of town.  Adjusting to her new school and environment is one of the many challenges for Bird.   Jenny (Katee Sackhoff), Bird’s mom, isn’t going to win the coveted Mother of the Year Award—not by a long shot.  In fact, it’s frequently Bird who is more  mature than Mom!  Jenny is a self-centered, pot-smoking yet loving mother who believes the world revolves around her.  Jenny’s boyfriend, Arlo (Jeremy Sisto), gives some stability to this chaotic family,  but when Bird, a bit of a geeky outcast at school, gets bullied and then humiliated as she (wearing white pants) gets her first period, an explosion of emotions occur, warranting both mother and daughter to begin growing up.

“Girl Flu” is a no holds barred look into what every  mother and daughter have experienced on some level.  And you brothers/fathers/husbands have gone through it as well just by your mere presence in the background.  Now we have a film that lays it all out there to laugh and empathize with all parties involved.  While some of the situations are obviously over-the-top, it does so in a way to call attention to the situation and make you laugh.  Pettyjohn is extraordinary in her performance, giving truth and comedy to this point in a girl’s life.  This wonderfully developed character not only has to figure out her own life, but also find a way to help her mother all the while attempting to wrangle her first crush feelings.  Oh, to go back to that time in your life…would be a curse!

Barton hones in on this time “period” perfectly with succinct writing and precision direction of this talented cast.  The dialogue she creates is fast-paced, smart, and unbelievably witty as well as relatable.  Every word out of Bird’s mouth has either been said or at least thought by every  female out there!  And if you’re a mom with a daughter who has already gone through this, it’ll be even more hilarious!  Barton is bold with a

 topic matter that I don’t think has been broached in such an incredibly inventive way before.  

Jenny and her best friends seem to provide her with all the aspects of motherhood, but even Jenny’s friends see that it’s time for her to step up to the plate.  With pressure from Arlo, Jenny has hit a wall and having a hormonal teen on her hands is more than she can handle.  Her responses are wildly strange (and hilarious) as she throws a coming of age party and attempts to show her how to insert a tampon.  It’s a journey for all involved as not only do Jenny and Bird grow up, but the film addresses love, peer pressure, identity, confidence and bullying as well as first love.  “Girl Flu” is a simply charming, sweet, honest and comedic look at what happens to us all, shown with vivid imagery.

“Girl Flu” is a rite of passage that gets it right!  It’s a film for every mother and daughter to see and if you guys want to get a glimpse of what we go through, check it out!  You’ll be enlightened and wonderfully entertained.  Now available on Video on Demand.

Award-winning actress Sarah Hawkins is branching out quickly to the executive producer role of a new web series, “Or Die Trying” and creating her own production company, Dadley Productions, with fellow director, also her father, Bradley Hawkins. She’s on fire right now, paving a new path not only for herself, but for other young women in Hollywood and beyond.

“Roller Coaster,” her first film which happens to be a silent one, is filled with more heartfelt emotion in every action than most other dramatic or comedic short films. Based on her own humorous situations as she attempts to “make it” in Hollywood, she auditions and tries to live life on a shoestring. It’s a compelling short film which she and her father created and was the springboard for her next endeavors, “Or Die Trying” and “Filling In.”

Hawkins is shooting for the stars and I had a chance to talk with the talented and ambitious actress/producer recently about being female in this male-dominated world and the making of “Or Die Trying.”

Pamela Powell (PP): You’ve gone from award-winning actress to the lead and executive producer of “Or Die Trying.” Tell me about how you navigated this path.

Sarah Hawkins (SH): I love being on screen, but guiding a project from inception to final product is incredibly fulfilling. I’ve worked for a female-driven production company called Busted Buggy Entertainment, and recently produced a comedy-fantasy proof-of-concept called “Filling In.” It’s exciting to see [ODT] finally out in the world. It was also a fun way to put the acting hat on again as my character “Ellie Hansen.”

PP: Women in the film industry is a hot topic right now, thankfully. How do you see your role in helping to improve where women currently are and what can others do to help?

SH: As women working in the film industry ourselves, we were desperate to change the conversation on this topic as, more often than not, it focuses on depressing statistics and systemic misogyny. We knew our show wasn’t going to fix a patriarchal society like Hollywood; however, by committing to hire a team of at least 85% women, our audience was not only contributing to a female-driven narrative on screen, they were contributing to giving women in the industry a practical leg-up off screen. [And] who better to tell the story of millennial women in film than women in film? We made the decision early on to hire a predominantly female crew.

PP: Women supporting other women…there must be great strength with that!

SH: The simple switch in mentality from being competitive to being collaborative is what makes the women-in-film community so strong. When one woman succeeds in this business, we all do. We received so much support from brands, businesses, and badass women (and men!) who genuinely wanted to move the needle on gender equality. It was overwhelmingly encouraging to witness, and that much more exciting to be a part of.

PP: I’m sure you must have encountered hurdles in completing ODT which was funded through a campaign through Seed & Spark.

SH: Lack of time and money are always obstacles, but I think what is unique about OR DIE TRYING in this capacity is that we shot close to 70 pages within five and a half days, producing the entire series with a budget a little over 13k. It’s definitely not something I’d recommend, but looking back, I think it was a pretty excellent feat that we were able to get it all in.

PP: Do you feel like your show reflects the reality of women in your age group in the film industry?

SH: Absolutely. I have to give props to Myah Hollis, the series creator, writer (and my producing partner). She nails the highs and lows of the industry, and the work/life balance struggle [we] millennials go through exceptionally well. “Success” is an ambiguous term that can mean many different things to many different people. Who you become in the process of balancing your personal and professional lives while trying to achieve “success” AND being a woman on top of that makes for a hotbed of issues [that] I know a lot of our peers grapple with every day.

PP: What have you learned and what are your words of advice after creating this series?

SH: I think the biggest take away was a lesson in faith…the entire process was a little over two years. [And] leave nothing on the table, work fiercely and fervently, and don’t dare [to] give up on the end goal just because things don’t come easy.

Hawkins and her team’s series can be found on YouTube with a season 2 already in development. It certainly looks like Hawkins’ aim was a bulls eye in shooting for those stars.

What happens when a 33 year-old photographer and an 89 year-old director team up together?  The answer, sheer beauty in the most humanistic way possible.  JR is a Parisian-born photographer who, thanks to a found camera in the NYC Subway, is now a muralist.  He crossed paths with an eccentric and equally innovative French filmmaker, Agnes Varda to create one of the most charming and heartwarming documentaries I have had the pleasure of viewing.  Their adventures as they travel the countryside, meeting everyday people and transforming their faces into works of art, allow us to see humanity and the world through a different lens…a most beautiful lens.

Through a light-hearted introduction, we see how these two very different people came together.  The process by which they develop this documentary is as casual and spontaneous as the trips they take.  Armed with a camera, specialized truck with scaffolding, and a small crew, their road trips bring them to small towns with histories and memories to share through the art of murals.  Some of the towns and people they encounter bring back fond memories for Agnes as we, too, join in their road trip down memory lane.  The film captures the “here and the now” just as beautifully as it does the past as we see giant murals of faces transforming old buildings into treasured pieces of art.  We are a part of the farm whose goats have horns and the farmer who farms 2000 acres by himself as well as the miners’ homes which are slated for demolition and all of the everyday people who are the faces of these places.  While taking this physical journey, there is also an emotional one that takes place as Agnes and JR get to know one another.  Their bond and connection has such great depth that mere words cannot describe it…but the film, as it captures their expressions, aptly does so.

“Faces Places” is a transformative piece of cinematic art that reminds us of the importance of others and how we see the world.  As JR, the sunglass wearing hat-donning hipster and Agnes, the woman with bicolored hair, connect, we, the viewer, develop a deep connection with each of them as well.  We admire their skills, insights, and unique perspectives about life.  And we wait with bated breath for the next topic of art to be found and the mural to be completed.  It is with awe that each piece is unveiled all the while being reminded that nothing is permanent.

Unlike most documentaries, this one finds a way to have not just one narrative, but two.  While the artwork that is completed is the driving force of the film, the secondary and perhaps even more important story is that of JR and Agnes’ relationship and what hopes she still looks most forward to— introducing her friend, Jean-Luc Godard to her new friend JR.  Her wonderfully rich past is as clear as a bell, but her future is a bit blurry.  With the prospects of eventually totally losing her sight, the kindness JR shows her by helping her to see is simple, yet so emotionally complex.

“Faces Places” is a rich and endearing journey that made me smile from the very beginning to the final scene.  Its engaging topics and unique form of creativity reminds us of the beauty of everyone and everything, never taking it for granted and treasuring our memories.  This is true cinematic art.

FACES PLACES opens on Friday, October 27th at The Music Box Theatre located at 3733 North Southport Ave. For further information, please visit www.musicboxtheatre.com  

Zoe Papadopoulos (Shannon Elizabeth) has a major meltdown on the women’s golf circuit resulting in a suspension.  Wrestling with her inner demons, she attempts to find comfort and solace in going back to her roots, grandparents, and familiar surroundings in Greece.  What she finds is much more beneficial than comfort—she finds strength and determination as she takes on an American developer (John O’Hurley).

Zoe is obviously struggling after burying her putter in the green on national television.  Her meltdown has gone viral and there’s no escaping it, not even half way across the world in an idyllic little town in Greece.  Unsure as to how to come back from this extraordinarily embarrassing and totally unprofessional situation, Zoe attempts to lose herself in Yaya and Papou’s  cooking and baking.  As she befriends a little girl who shows exceptional potential as a golfer, their relationship leads to fighting big business in an attempt to save not just the local golf course, but the identity and preservation of this quaint town.  WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

“Swing Away” is a beautiful film visually, aesthetically, and emotionally.  While it isn’t exactly unpredictable, it is a wonderfully pleasant reminder about who we are and what is truly important in life.  The story is Zoe’s story as she initially wallows in self-pity, but then with the support of her family and eventually the town, we watch her grow as a woman and as a role model in her profession.

For those of us who grew up in a small town, these unique and quirky characters are exactly what we would picture for this town.  The priest and the church are the center of everything, unless there’s a soccer match going on, and everyone knows everyone else’s business.  Progress is bound to happen, interfering with the slow pace as “Glenn” (O’Hurley) comes in with developers, completely dismissing anyone’s worth, particularly a woman and a girl.  Hmmm…does this sound familiar?  I’ll let your mind take it from here.  And yes, there’s a little love story, but it’s not overwhelming, it’s just a hint of one.

It’s a Davida vs. Goliath story complete with a challenge instead of a sling shot, but aim in most certainly necessary.  Elizabeth gives a wonderful performance as Zoe who is not only beautiful, but insightful, caring, and smart.  Her relationship with her grandparents is sweet, particularly with Yaya and Papou as they interact and react differently to Zoe.  Her backstory acquaints us better to Zoe, allowing us to not only understand her better, but to also connect with her.  Viktoria Miller  who plays Stella, the golf prodigy, is equally adorable, but it is the main character’s backstories that give the film more layers of interest.

Many of the characters are a bit exaggerated, but that’s what makes this film fun.  No one but O’Hurley could better portray the big-time American developer who is self-serving, pompous, and egotistical, giving the film the humor it needs and the perfect “bad guy” to root against.

The cinematography captures the essence of this gorgeous seaside town in Greece, beckoning the viewer to visit.  The beauty of the colorful homes along narrow cobblestone streets and the presentation of homemade bread and savory pastries will make your mouth water as you crave a taste of Greece.  Zoe and Stella could be golfers based on the editing of shots and swings.  Who knows?  Maybe they truly are, that’s how spot-on perfect the editing is.

“Swing Away” is an entertaining film that will make you laugh aloud and bring a smile to your face.  Beneath the surface, however, you are reminded of how important a sense of community truly is and preservation of a quality of life.  Progress doesn’t always mean money. “Swing Away” isn’t just about golf…it’s just the vehicle to drive us to the fairway and get that hole in one.  For more information about seeing this film on VOD, go to swingawaymovie.com

The documentary film, “The Experimental City” by Chad Friedrichs, will be a part of the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival taking place in Chicago from October 12-26 at the AMC River East.  The film, a part of the Spotlight: Architecture program, is a bold, innovative, and entertaining discovery of an almost lost and forgotten story of Athelstan Spilhaus.  Spilhaus lead a team of scientists attempting to develop MXC, the Minnesota Experimental City in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  This endeavor, targeting the results of climate change actually garnered state funding and political support, but just as quickly as it was considered, it fizzled out and was buried…until now.  Friedrichs unlocks the treasure of information and provides audiences with the opportunity to know Spilhaus as well as to ponder the era and the outcome.

Friedrichs talked with me about his discovery of Spilhaus and the arduous journey in making this wonderfully entertaining and enlightening film.

UNCOVERING SPILHAUS

I think outside certain sections of Minnesota, [the Experimental City] has been a largely forgotten subject. I came to it as I was searching for a topic along the lines of retro-futurism which is what people in the past used to think the future would look like…I came across some articles about Athelstan Spilhaus who is this scientist [and] academic…[and] this comic that he had written called Our New Age which of course is featured in the film…The very first ‘Our New Age’ that Spilhaus ever wrote in 1958 was about climate change.  He talked about [the fact] that we lived in a greenhouse and the carbon dioxide that is being emitted from our burning of fossil fuels is on the increase with the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere thus creating warming. And the last panel of that ‘Our New Age’ is NYC under water.  The very first one that he ever wrote!   But it’s one thing to do a profile on an individual, it’s another thing to try and define something far greater.  I actually looked it up on Wikipedia (You never know what you’ll find there!)… it mentioned that he had been a part of this project called the Minnesota Experimental City.  I’m originally from Minnesota, so this was something that I kind of cued in on…and you go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and you start reading about this very futuristic sounding city.  Now, of course the Wikipedia article doesn’t give you any where near the kind of depth that we eventually arrived at, but it gave me enough of an indication that  there might be something really cool here.    

AUDIO RECORDING DISCOVERY

When I began this project, like all projects, you have no idea what this thing is going to look like, but…once I read the story of the MXC…[I thought] I’ve got to make this story somehow.  And I didn’t even know that those archival recordings were out there.  Walter Van den Broeck…who was one of the leads on the project donated all of these recordings and all of his materials associated with the MXC to the Northwest Architectural archives at the University of Minnesota.  A quick internet search revealed that they had these boxes. We didn’t know what was in these boxes, but it did mention that there were some reel to reel audio recordings.  Those are the kind of things that can change a film…when I say recordings, probably 40 or 50 reel to reels, and it says Steering Committee meeting, July 1967…this is going to be Spilhaus and all the rest talking about it and sure enough it was.

That was the first find and then the second find was when we went down to Texas to interview Louise O’Connor, Spilhuas’ friend. She mentioned off-hand that she had these recordings when she compiling his biography…In her recordings with Spilhaus, [he was] drinking heavily during the recording… he could say whatever he wanted, he was liberated. That was fun to listen to! That really gives you a sense of this character… we had 200 hours of audio…We had way more audio that we ever knew what to do with.  It’s a wonderful problem to have, but it is a problem.

REINACTMENTS USING ARCHIVAL AUDIO

The people (shown seated from the neck down) who are reading the MPCA transcripts at the end of the film, they’re all family members.  Even through editing, that was always the question mark, were audiences going to accept it? The idea: I’ve seen a film called “The Arbor,” that has lip-syncing involved. I didn’t have either the chops or the budget to pull off something like that. Another obvious choice would to be to do comics, to do an animation, but for some reason I just wasn’t feeling that.  And I really wanted to make sure that those recordings didn’t feel abstract.

So when you’re exposed to all this archival footage, all these still images…it’s going to distance you away from that audio…it just doesn’t have that same kind of immersion  when you’re actually seeing people talk even if you know in the back of your mind that those people aren’t real.

It’s the documentarians burden I’ve struggled with all my career.  Sometimes you have fabulous material from one aspect of the film but then you have to find ways to fill in the other aspects of the film, in this case, the visuals. 

WHAT IF MXC WAS BUILT?  WOULD OUR WORLD BE BETTER?

It’s tempting to look at that.  Let me give you my point of view on that.  I always, from the very beginning, try to strike a balance.  I always want audiences to come out kind of  a 50-50 split. I want audiences to see virtues of both sides. The people from [Minnesota] absolutely had to do what they did.  I mean it’s crazy to think that the city would come in, and if you believe in where you live is a good place, that’s the last thing you want to do is have that taken away… It’s very possible that this could have ameliorated some issues that created climate change today.  It’s very possible that it may not have done anything and become a ghost town after 20-30 years.  It does show [that] Spilhaus very early on was aware.  He was on the fence.  They knew that some sort of change was going to be taking place, but throughout the 70’s they weren’t sure whether it was going to be the climate change that we know or things were going to get cooler because of particulates in the air from pollution and that would block sunlight and it would have gotten cooler.  So he was on the fence.  To cast Spilhaus as this totally prescient person about our predicament today, is to do an historical injustice to him.  He was operating on the best information he had at the time.

RELEVANCY TODAY

A lot of people expect relevance out of documentaries…[However], this film is a kind of time piece as well.  It captures the spirit of a toxic era, so I wanted to remain true to that era  I didn’t want to move it forward to the 21st century.  It was a story about the 1960’s and ’70’s…At the same time, I think it’s great that people find relevancy that makes your work fresh; it keeps it interesting. 

GOALS

Number one, I want people to be entertained. There’s a burden that’s placed on documentary filmmakers to have this larger social outcome from a film.  That is not my desire, nor is it my particular talent.  Mine is making the movie and then letting other people use it as a tool.   The reason I got into this is that I’m attracted to the story…if audience walks out of it and they’re happy and entertained or sad and entertained, that’s enough for me.

The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival, October 12th-26, has one of the most memorable line-ups in its history.  Unique to this festival, CIFF features “City & State” films showcasing “local characters and settings” and this year, there are 6 standout films in the category.  “Chasing the Blues,” starring Grant Rosenmeyer, Jon Lovitz, and Steve Guttenberg and co-written and directed by Scott Smith is just one of the truly wonderful films to see.

“Chasing the Blues” takes us into the life of Alan (Rosenmeyer) who is behind bars.  This soon-to-be released convict, previously a teacher in Chicago, has his story to tell as to how he ended up in this lowly state.  Lincoln Groome (Lovitz) visits Alan just before he’s released to dangle a carrot, hoping to entice Alan to look for the record album that landed him in prison 20 years ago.  The temptation is too much and Alan takes the bait.  We take that journey with him as he recounts to a random (and beautiful) fellow bus traveler the sordid and simply hilarious details of a mythical 1930‘s blues musician, a cursed rare record, and his rivalry with a fellow collector.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

I had the opportunity to talk with Smith, currently a filmmaker as well as a creative director at Leo Burnett in Chicago about making this Windy City independent gem and  creating the mystery and intrigue of the fictional blues legend Jimmie Kane Baldwin.

Pamela Powell (PP):  Tell me about your background and how you got into filmmaking.

Scott Smith (SS):  Long ago, when my interest in filmmaking started to get more present in my life, I decided to shoot a couple of spec commercials for myself to see what it was like. I came up with these fake commercials for a fake yoga studio…targeted to men.  There are two guys who are calling a baseball game, but there’s a rain delay.  To show something, they went out to this yoga competition and they had to announce the [it].  It’s them trying to understand what’s going on.

PP:  That sounds hilarious!

SS:  It’s a 30 second thing and it was done with a couple friends that are improv actors.  Eventually, I wrote a short film about a guy who breaks all ten commandments (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429172/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_12) in a couple minutes!  That one was the one that really encouraged me and validated my interest and belief that I could have some sort of competence.  And that short allowed me to compete in the third series of Project Greenlight.  I was one of three director finalists in the third season…I didn’t win…[but] it boosted my confidence and my ability to do something semi-worthwhile.

PP:  “Chasing the Blues” isn’t your first feature though.

SS:  It’s the first narrative feature.  The first feature was a documentary feature called “Being Bucky.”  “Chasing the Blues” was based on a short story that my friend wrote.  He and I wrote the screenplay…John Fromstein, the executive producer, was reading an anthology of short stories about Blues in Chicago and he read this one and said, “Oh, my God!  You have to read this.  It would be a really great short film.”  I read it and I looked at the author and said, I’m pretty sure I know Kevin Guilfoile.  The first thought I had was, yes, this would be a great film, but it would be a great feature.

Smith shared that he and Kevin would take turns writing a scene and passing it back and forth, but then the project sat on a shelf for several years.  Then, 3 years ago, they picked it up again and began rewriting it as well as beginning the fundraising process.

PP:  You have a great cast.  Tell me about getting Lovitz and Guttenberg on board.

SS:  Our first goal was to keep everything in Chicago.  When we weren’t finding what we needed, we expanded out…Steve Gutenburg came to us and was really interested in playing the lead…he wanted to be a part of the project and ended up being “Diamond Dan” and his agent is the same as Jon Lovitz’.  I started re-imagining the role before he actually came on—just the potential and the possibility of it.  We had a phone call.  He was totally into it.  He wanted to put on a southern accent [and] he signed on.

PP:  That’s great that you focused on keeping as much as possible in Chicago and it really has the flavor of our city.  What says “Chicago” most to you in this film?

SS:  Record stores here in Chicago.  When we were shooting at Val’s (Records) in Oak Park, that was a really fun scene to shoot.  Just being in there, to me it really reflects the depth of music in Chicago.  Chicago has 15-20 record stores that are prominent and busy with a great knowledge.  Re-creating the studio scene, Cicero Studios, felt Chicago-y to me.  It gave it that historic blues feeling.  And approaching the three flats… the apartment and Mrs. Walker felt very uniquely Chicago to me.

PP:  Your actors who played Paul (Ron Connor) and Alan were polar opposites, but so wonderfully compatible in their roles!  They really seemed like they were having fun while they were antagonizing one another!

SS:  The three of us rehearsed a bunch [and] luckily Ron Connor is from Chicago…we went through a lot of the scenes and pre-blocked [them].  They did bring a different energy to it and we capitalized on it.  They were really fun together and there was a lot we had to cut out!

PP:  There’s something special about filmmaking in Chicago, don’t you think?

SS:  One of the things John and I wanted to do is to really emphasize Chicago and really use a Chicago crew; support Chicago as much as we could.  There was a conscious effort to keep it here and use people from Chicago.  It’s like a family.  It’s all the same attitude:  let’s get it done [with] enthusiasm.

Energy, quick wit, and definitely enthusiasm can be found in “Chasing the Blues.”  Check out the trailer and the video that had me believing in the myth of Jimmie Kane Baldwin right here:  TRAILER   JIMMIE KANE BALDWIN VIMEO

TICKETS INFO AT CIFF

SWING AWAY
Director: Michael Achilles Nickles
Cast: Shannon Elizabeth, John O’Hurley, Manos Gavras, Renos Haralambidis, Karl Theobald,
Alexandros Mylonas, Olga Damani, Christos Sourgaris introducing Viktoria Miller
Screenplay by: Paul Robert Lingas, Julia Wall
Story by: George Elias Stephanopoulos, Paul Robert Lingas
Producers: George Stephanopoulos, Stamatios Tom Hiotis, Costas Lambropoulos, George Kiriakos
Distributor: Freestyle Digital Media

“Swing Away” takes a swing at American investors, men vs. women, and family heritage and hits a hole in one!  Zoe Papadopoulos (Shannon Elizabeth) has a major meltdown on the golf circuit, finding herself suspended.  Attempting to regain her game and composure, she goes back home to Greece, melting in the comfort of grandparents, great food, and familiar surroundings.  What she doesn’t come prepared for is the fight of her life to help a little girl and the entire town protect itself from big business.  Her game of golf just might help them all…and her!  Check out the trailer below and watch for the full review soon!

Theatrical Release

Coming to Theaters and Video On Demand on Friday, October 13th!

 In Major Cinemas for a Limited Time

Check Box Office for Showtimes

Exclusive Screenings

Video On Demand

BLADE RUNNER 2049 picks up 30 years after its predecessor, “Blade Runner”  which starred Harrison Ford, Sean Young, and Rutger Hauer in one of his best roles ever.  The original, based on the science-fiction king Phillip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” was so novel in its day that it created  a cult following, highly anticipating this sequel.  “2049” continues the premise of rogue “replicants” (artificial humans) who need to be “retired” (killed), but  this time it’s Ryan Gosling who’s the LAPD Officer, “K,” aka the assassin.  If you’re wondering whether or not you need to see the 1982 version first, the answer is a definitive yes!

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

This will be a completely spoiler-free review as I do not want to give ANY plot points or twists away.  “2049” is dark and foreboding as it looks into the future of mankind, possibly predicting what we have done to our environment, our world.  We see snow in L.A.  The water levels have risen, and any sort of plant life is all but extinct.  Protein farming (aka bugs) and synthetic food is the mainstay.  Humans have fled earth to go “Off World.”  As you watched the original film, taking place in 2019, you can’t help but wonder how much of this new film will be an accurate prediction of our coming world.

The entire 2 hours and 43 minutes experience is dark and misty, void of color and light, creating a feeling of hopelessness as we query what it means to be human.  The social relevance cannot be overlooked as there is discussion of “purity” of humankind and “a wall.”  Pondering these issues is at the core of the film as we become acquainted with “K” and his life and goals.  Finding answers to perplexing riddles of humanity takes “K” and the viewers down a forbidden and foreboding path filled with dangers lurking at every corner.  The film has all the markings of a great sequel, but the emotion of the film, unfortunately, falls flat.

The true stars of the “2049” are the special effects and Harrison Ford who returns as “Deckard.”  Technology has come a long way in filmmaking since 1982, the release year of the original “Blade Runner” and without this, “2049” would have little to hold on to.  (The studio has asked not to have any of these effects revealed in reviews in order to allow viewers to experience them first-hand.)  These visually interesting scenes  wake us up from a plot that seems lost in the darkness of the film,  but many of these effects seem unnecessary as they really have little to do with driving the story forward.  It’s not until Ford becomes more of a focal point, that “2049” finally picks up the pace and the interest level.   And for those of you who enjoyed the religious symbolism in the first film, there’s plenty more, most of it quite obvious, in “2049.”

Gosling is the perfect leading man in films like “Crazy, Stupid, Love” and “The Notebook,” but he’s just not strong enough to  carry “2049.”   His robotic characterization of “K” neither connects us to him nor entertains us.  This rather dull performance can’t maintain our interest in a 2 hour and 43 minute film.  Thankfully, from the ashes of the first half of the film, Ford brings new life to “2049.”   His performance is exactly what we expect and need to resuscitate the story.  His energy and depth of character immediately connects us to him.  Writers Hampton Fancher and Michael Green also bring a Daryl Hannah “Pris” type of character into this new version with Mackenzie Davis portraying “Mariette,” the long, lanky blonde with jester-like make-up.  She, like Hannah, gives us a moment of intrigue, but her screen time is quite limited.  Jared Leto, always an interesting character, plays Niander Wallace, the new corporate leader who is simply heartless.  Robin Wright has such potential, but her role and dialogue are simply stunted, never allowing her to shine.  While the musical score is every bit as important in this sensory film, it is frequently overpowering and heavy-handed, sometimes obliterating a scene.

“Blade Runner 2049” cinematically does shine, but it’s not all about the camera.  It’s about the story and the story falls short.  Gosling’s lackluster performance is a wrench in the system and not even the talented and charismatic Harrison Ford can completely save the film.  That’s not to say this sequel isn’t worth seeing in the theater.  In fact, if you see it, that’s the only way to do it.  It’s big.  The effects are even bigger and the music, while it’s overpowering, allows you to experience the movie in a visceral way.  The topics and questions it brings to mind are well-worth discussing, but if you wanted originality and an captivating story, you’re out of luck.

2 1/2 Stars