ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Mark Wahlberg

TIFF20: Good Joe Bell

by Leave a Comment

Directed by Renaldo Marcus Green, Good Joe Bell tells the true story of Joe Bell (Mark Wahlberg), a loving husband and father from the American Heartland. The picture of traditional manhood, Joe’s conservative worldview is threatened when his son, Jadin (Reid Miller) tells him that he’s gay. After Jadin is bullied mercilessly at his high school, Joe sets out on a mission across America to speak to school groups, communities or anyone who will listen about the corrosive dangers of bullying. However, as he sets out on his journey, Joe must also confront his own inner demons in an effort to be fully transformed by his experience. 

Good Joe Bell is a timely look at what means to be truly changed from within. By telling the story from Joe’s perspective, the film effectively delves into inner biases that create a dangerous culture of oppression, as opposed to merely citing examples. Known for action blockbusters and comedic roles, Wahlberg is not generally known for subtly within his work yet his performance as Joe feels both personal and authentic. As Bell, Wahlberg offers an honest portrait of a man searching the very depths of his soul for new understanding. 

For this reason, the beauty of Good Joe Bell is that it feels so much larger than Joe himself. Structurally, the story may be a tale of one man’s attempt to confront his own prejudices out of love for his son, it also serves as an example of a Conservative culture in dire need of doing the same. Moving and sincere, Green’s story of a man who understands the need for change within his own life comes at a time when Joe’s voice needs to be heard.

After all, though his walk is his own, Joe’s journey to redemption could be anyone’s.

Good Joe Bell is currently streaming on the TIFF Bell Digital Theatre during the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mile 22 – Ego Is Not Your Amigo

by Leave a Comment

Image result for mile 22

Directed by Peter Berg (known for a handful of other Mark Wahlberg movies such as Deep Water Horizon and Lone Survivor), Mile 22, set mainly in Indonesia, can be construed as a stereotypical action movie. However, there are definite artistic attempts to jazz it up that I think landed fairly well.

This film opens with an almost perfectly executed raid of a Russian FSB safe-house, where we get a glimpse of the action, violence, and team dynamic that this movie produces. The team is called Overwatch, a division of the CIA.

Image result for mile 22
CIA agent James (Jimmy) Silva (Mark Wahlberg), is an eccentric, brilliant, and bipolar character that lives and breathes his job. He is fully committed to sacrificing for his country, although he often comes off as down right arrogant. It’s obvious that the thoughts inside of his head often move too fast, which comes through in his quick speech. He wears an elastic around his wrist that he frequently snaps. We learn that this was a gift from his mother, who told him, “Snap this when you can’t slow down.” Jimmy seems to try to tame his thoughts and use them productively in his career. Wahlberg, though playing a fairly typically role for himself, should be commended for his performance. The quick speech of Jimmy Silva was executed very well.

Fellow CIA agent Alice Kerr (Lauren Cohan) is dedicated to her job but preoccupied with her daughter back home, as well as the heartache and complications that come with a family separation. She tries desperately to put her emotions aside but clearly struggles with the balance between motherhood and career.

Image result for mile 22

The CIA is approached by Li Noor (Iko Uwais) who they were initially told was a low level cop, claiming he had the code to unlock precious information that the CIA needed. His request before providing the code was for asylum and for them to get him out of the country safely. Team Overwatch must transport Noor twenty-two miles to the airport and ensure he is protected. Forced to sign documents by the CIA before embarking on this mission, team Overwatch are told that they are now ghosts, no longer working under the government, and that this was the highest form of patriotism.

Most of the character development in this film was confined to fast clips and voice-overs during the opening credits. I could have used a bit more information about Jimmy’s past and why he is the way he is. And I wanted to know more back story on Alice’s family situation. I wanted to care more about her. At only ninety-five minutes long, I felt that they could have utilized more time to better establish the characters and hash out the plot more clearly. Instead, I found that some scenes were rushed through, causing occasional confusion.

In my opinion, the real star of the film was Iko Uwais. His action scenes were top notch and did not disappoint. Even his sly smile added to the scenes he was in. (Although, if you’re squeamish, you may feel slightly uncomfortable during a few of the action scenes in this film.)

A welcomed addition to the team was the ever intriguing John Malkovich, who played James Bishop, head of the Overwatch command centre, so to speak. He added the typical Malkovich flair without stealing the spotlight. Although I wouldn’t have complained if was in more scenes.

Cinematically, I was impressed with the extreme close-ups, fast cuts and lighting in certain scenes. And the sound editing, specifically with the snapping of the elastic against Jimmy’s skin, did not go unnoticed.

This film wasn’t perfect but, at the end of the day, I left the theatre entertained.

Advance Screening Giveaway: MILE 22!

by Leave a Comment


ScreenFish is thrilled to be giving away 2 double passes to this week’s advance screening of VVS film’s Mile 22, starring Mark Walhberg and Ronda Rousey!

From director Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day), Mile 22 tells the story of CIA operative James Silva who leads a small but lethal paramilitary team on an urgent and dangerous mission. They must transport a foreign intelligence asset from an American embassy in Southeast Asia to an airfield for extraction — a distance of 22 miles. Silva and the soldiers soon find themselves in a race against time as the city’s military, police and street gangs close in to reclaim the asset.


 When: Wednesday, August 15th at 7:00 pm (Doors: 6:00 pm)

Screenings are available for Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver

Montreal             Wednesday, August 15 Cinema Banque Scotia   7:00 PM

Toronto                Wednesday, August 15 Yonge and Dundas          7:00 PM

Vancouver          Wednesday, August 15 International Village       7:00 PM

 

To enter, simply write your city in the comment section and like or share our post on Facebook! For a bonus entry, like or share the post on Twitter and Instagram.

Entrants must be 18 and over. All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on Tuesday, August 14th, 2018.

A special thanks to VVS Films for their support.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSEY-y5ZByw

Social: @vvs_films, @Mile22Movie

All the Money in the World – What Are Riches For?

by Leave a Comment

“Everything has a price. The real struggle in life is to determine what that is.”

How do you determine the price of the important things in life? That question lies in the background all through All the Money in the World. “Inspired by true events”, it is a thriller based on the 1973 kidnapping of a grandson of “the richest man who had ever lived”, J. Paul Getty. But it is also an examination of the way money can shape or distort our lives.

J. Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped off the streets in Rome. When the kidnappers call his mother Gail (Michelle Williams), her first reaction is that it is a joke. Paul has often joked that faking his kidnapping would be a way to get money from his tight-fisted grandfather and namesake (Christopher Plummer). The elder Getty enlists the aid of a former CIA operative, now his head of security, Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlburg), to get young Paul back. When Getty is unwilling to part with any of his fortune for Paul’s return, Fletcher and Gail become allies in trying to get save Paul.

The thriller aspect of the film, with various twists along the way, is compelling to keep our interest, but that just serves to lead us to consideration of the role money has in our lives. Do we see it as a means to an end? Can we use money to achieve happiness or to buy things we want? Or is money an end in itself? Does having wealth fulfill us?

Although Getty is exceedingly rich, in this film we see him as a miser. An early scene shows him in his lavish Roman hotel suite, with his laundry draped over bathroom fixtures. Why pay someone to do that? he asks. When he eventually does pay the ransom (negotiated down over several months while Paul is held captive and facing brutal treatment), it is based on what he can write off on taxes and as a loan to Paul. He uses his wealth as a weapon to punish Gail for the divorce settlement with his son.

Getty, at least as portrayed in the film, uses his vast wealth to acquire great art. He places his trust (and his hope for fulfillment and happiness) in possessions. He does not expect people—even his family—to provide those things. He only trusts in the tangible. The attitude that money has inherent value and should be obtained is something that Getty has in common with the kidnappers. They all consider money as more important than people. For Fletcher Chase and Gail Getty, money is only valuable for what can be done with it—and especially done to aid someone in need.

Wealth is a topic that comes up frequently in the Bible. At times it is seen as evidence on God’s blessing, but it is frequently seen as an illusion or even as a hindrance in our relationship with God. Some scriptures that could be appropriate to consider in thinking of this film:

  • The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
  • It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. (Mark 10: 25 and parallels)
  • The Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12: 16ff
  • The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10a)
  • For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower fails, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. (James 1:11)

Our attitude towards riches often shapes our spiritual lives just as much as it provides the trappings of our day to day lives. All the Money in the World gives us a chance to reflect on how our approach to money affects the way we understand so much more.

Photos courtesy of All the Money US, LLC

Deepwater Horizon: Courage Goes Deep

by 1 Comment

dwh

Mark Wahlberg has fought Decepticons, a stuffed bear, the Taliban, apes, the Dallas Cowboys, and a host of nefarious bad guys. But in Deepwater Horizon, he stars as electrician Mike Williams who must fight a much more intangible force, the sudden and immediate destructive fire eating through his oil rig. Based on a true story, the film follows Wahlberg’s Williams and his immediate supervisor, Mr. Jimmy (Kurt Russell), who find that their latest three-week shift is anything but typical.

dwh3Without knowing the history of one of BP’s oil rigs, the audience knows that things aren’t quite right when Williams and Jimmy find themselves unsatisfied by the safety team’s report. While they express their frustration to the BP representative on board, Donald Vidrine (John Malkovich), there is little they or rig engineer, Andrea Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez), can do to change Vidrine’s mind. The end result is terrifying and disastrous.

dwh2Thanks to Warner Bros.’ home media package, the audience can dive into the way that the film’s incredible on-rig stunts were performed and shot in “The Fury of the Rig,” and explore the rig itself through “Deepwater Surveillance.” But those who find the story disturbing and inspiring will enjoy hearing from eight real-life drillers in “Work Like An American.” Only those who purchase the Blu-ray will get the cast and crew sounding off on director Peter Berg in “Captain of the Rig,” as well as the straight-from-their-mouth feature, “Beyond the Horizon: An Hour-Long 5-Part Series,” that takes Wahlberg and his co-stars into conversation with the real-life oil rig workers who they played.

While the story itself is ripped-from-the-headlines, there’s plenty that Berg gets across in a two-hour feature. We can see the greed of BP, the prideful decision-making of Vidrine, and the passionate, lead-from-the-front courage of both Jimmy and Williams. This is an inspiring reminder of how we’re called to act in the face of trauma and danger (Williams’ faith is noted, if not highlighted), and what it means for us to stand tall when others see no hope in sight.

Hope is what happens when people refuse to give up. And Mike Williams is a great example of that.

Most Intriguing Films of Fall 2016

by 4 Comments

magnificentseven
Here’s my annual preview of my most anticipated films for the fall. The beauty of a list like this is that that everyone will agree – especially my cohorts here at ScreenFish! So check out my list, and consider what I’ve missed – and let us know.
deepwaterhorizonIn the disaster film category, there are two major options for your consideration: Sully (out Sep. 9) and Deepwater Horizon (out Sep. 30). The first stars the incomparable Tom Hanks as Chelsea Sullenberger, the airline pilot who safely landed his commercial plane in the Hudson River in 2009, and the second stars Mark Wahlberg as Mike Williams, a worker on the oil rig that caught fire in 2010. Of the two, Sully looks more intriguing based on the grand inquisition Sullenberger experienced after safely landing the plane.

storks

The first of two animated films that I have my eye on, Storks (Sep. 23) is a funny, family-oriented lark that captures more amusement than the trailer and asks us to consider how families work. [Editor’s note: I’m cheating a bit, because I’ve already seen that one.

sing

The other animated flick is Sing (Dec. 21) features a vocal ensemble aimed at small town’s American Idol-like competition. But it’s an animal town a la Zootopia, with the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton and Nick Kroll providing the voices. It’s all about finding your gift and following your call…

queenofkatwe

Speaking of finding your gift, The Queen of Katwe (Sep. 23) stars one of my favorite actors, David Oyelowo, as a missionary with the Sports Outreach Institute, alongside Lupita Nyong’o. Give me a sports story (yes, it’s about chess) and a strong cast any day.

birthofanation

There’s controversy surrounding Nate Parker, but his film, The Birth of a Nation (Oct. 7) is bound to make waves. I know that The Girl on the Train stars Emily Blunt and is the “buzz” movie of October, but I’ll take a film about Nat Turner named after a KKK promotional piece. That takes guts.

monster

On October 21, we’ll have our mandatory Liam Neeson sighting in A Monster Calls. Well, we’ll hear his voice as the monster, the visual realization of twelve-year-old Conor’s emotional state. There’s something spiritual about the imagination personified, and the film is shooting up my list of ‘must see’ films this fall. The rest of October, hello, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Inferno, are entertaining, but not blowing my mind.

hacksaw ridge

For all of his problems, Mel Gibson makes good films. Hacksaw Ridge (November 4) is the real life story of a conscientious objector, Desmond Doss, who refused to take up a weapon but won the Medal of Honor for his efforts during World War II. The second Spiderman, Andy Garfield, stars as Doss, but Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, and Hugo Weaving guest star. This one smells like an award winner – and is the one I’m most excited about this fall. Yes, I said it.

doctorstrange

But I might have to pull a double feature that day because Scott Derrickson’s Doctor Strange arrives the same day. Benedict Cumberbatch plays another curmudgeon, only this time it’s one of Marvel’s heroes who is a surgeon-turned-magician with a big ego and damaged hands. Tilda Swinton guest stars, which of course, has caused a whole set of controversy because the Ancient One is supposed to be an old Asian dude.

fantasticbeasts

Can Harry Potter, er, J.K. Rowling’s, world make it in America? Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne will try and discover the answer in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Nov. 11). It’ll be eye-popping, and probably well scripted.

thefounder

On December 16… The Founder comes out. You were expecting something else? Michael Keaton stars as the guy who gets credit for McDonald’s. There’s something going on there though – and it’s not just about how they make the fries so addictive.

rogueone

I’m actually more excited about this one, Rogue One, than I was about The Force Awakens. In some ways, that one made me a believer. Now, with an eclectic, diversely ethnic cast, behind a female lead, I think the Star Wars universe is going where no man has gone before. See what I did there? While The Space Between Us and Passengers may explore AI questions and bigger pictures, my money will most likely get spent in George Lucas’ universe.

spacebetweenus

Have I convinced you? I doubt it. So tell me what I got wrong!