So many movies intended for the big screen are having to forgo it these days, it seems odd when something as apt for home viewing as “Half Brothers” makes the Covid-defying move of opening on 1,200-plus American screens. Those looking for undemanding entertainment may give it a passing grade, but or the collective viewing experience. Nor does writer-producer Eduardo Cisernos’ concept add much to culture-clash politics beyond contrivance and reinforced stereotypes. It’s a slick film that’s forgettable at best, annoyingly broad and unfunny at worst.
A 1994 prologue has engineer Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) enjoying a close, playful relationship with only child Renato (Ian Inigo) in their native San Miguel de Allende. But a steep economic downturn forces dad to leave his wife (Bianca Marroquin) and son behind in order to seek work up north, along with many others. While he promises he’ll soon return, that promise is broken.
A 1994 prologue has engineer Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) enjoying a close, playful relationship with only child Renato (Ian Inigo) in their native San Miguel de Allende. But a steep economic downturn forces dad to leave his wife (Bianca Marroquin) and son behind in order to seek work up north, along with many others. While he promises he’ll soon return, that promise is broken.
- 12/5/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Definitely the more sober-sided of two new films involving cops and cop-killers, “Crown Vic” juggles slice-of-life observation and thriller elements as a grizzled Lapd veteran shepherds a newbie through his first patrol shift. Writer-director Joel Souza’s “Crown Vic” doesn’t always balance those elements ideally, but it’s still a respectable if non-revelatory cruise through a familiar terrain of mean streets and men in blue.
Transformed by a darkened crew cut and ’stache, with a crankypants working-stiff voice, Thomas Jane is almost unrecognizable as longtime peace officer Ray Mandel. He’s in an irritable mood even before meeting trainee Nick Holland, who’s just transferred from an off-street post in Oakland to commence his maiden tour in a squad car three years after police-academy graduation. Nick is from a family of cops, and seems to feel he’s got a lot to prove. Yet he’s taken aback by Ray’s cynical,...
Transformed by a darkened crew cut and ’stache, with a crankypants working-stiff voice, Thomas Jane is almost unrecognizable as longtime peace officer Ray Mandel. He’s in an irritable mood even before meeting trainee Nick Holland, who’s just transferred from an off-street post in Oakland to commence his maiden tour in a squad car three years after police-academy graduation. Nick is from a family of cops, and seems to feel he’s got a lot to prove. Yet he’s taken aback by Ray’s cynical,...
- 11/16/2019
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Common in All About Nina. Photo credit: Thomas Scott Stanton. Courtesy of The Orchard ©
All About Nina focuses on a woman trying to break into the male-dominated world of stand-up comedy, but Eva Viva’s feature film debut is really about a woman living with the legacy of abuse. One of the odd things about this film is that it is essentially built like a romantic comedy about the gifted but struggling comic, but then makes turns that are neither comic nor romantic but raw and real. What rescues this uneven, head-twisting film is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s wickedly funny yet heartbreaking performance as the comedian, Nina.
There is good and bad in All About Nina but the intentions are good. It starts out more dryly comedic but switches to darker tones as we learn more about Nina.
On stage, Nina is bold, with bitingly-funny, frankly-sexual routines delivered with bravura.
All About Nina focuses on a woman trying to break into the male-dominated world of stand-up comedy, but Eva Viva’s feature film debut is really about a woman living with the legacy of abuse. One of the odd things about this film is that it is essentially built like a romantic comedy about the gifted but struggling comic, but then makes turns that are neither comic nor romantic but raw and real. What rescues this uneven, head-twisting film is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s wickedly funny yet heartbreaking performance as the comedian, Nina.
There is good and bad in All About Nina but the intentions are good. It starts out more dryly comedic but switches to darker tones as we learn more about Nina.
On stage, Nina is bold, with bitingly-funny, frankly-sexual routines delivered with bravura.
- 10/12/2018
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
There’s a movie opening this week that you should be paying more attention to. It’s one of 2018’s very best, features an Oscar worthy lead performance, and announces a brilliant female filmmaker as someone to really watch out for. The movie in question? All About Nina, which I’ve been raving about since the Tribeca Film Festival. This weekend marks the time where it finally hits theaters. The performance in question belongs to Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who will blow you mind. The filmmaker in question is Eva Vives, who should be at the top of ever executive’s list when looking for an exciting director to meet with. It all adds up to something that’s among the five best things I’ve seen all year. The flick is phenomenal from start to finish. Once again, for those of you who forgot, the film is a pitch black...
- 9/24/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Back at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, the best movie, by far, was Eva Vives’ All About Nina. Featuring the best performance to date from Mary Elizabeth Winstead, it was a real gem. With The Orchard putting it out into theaters next month, a Trailer has dropped for the flick. This film remains a real favorite of mine, so it’s one that will heavily mentioned in the weeks to come, you can take that to the bank. Today, we’ll be focusing on the Trailer itself, which you can see below. First up, however, some more raving about this movie. It’s one of my top five films of the year right now, so that kind of goes without saying. Vives and Winstead deserve plenty of attention when the precursor season hits in the late fall/early winter. The movie is a pitch black comedy with a...
- 8/17/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Director of photography Thomas Scott Stanton comes to Matt Sobel’s Sundance Next button-pusher Take Me to the River from a diverse background. Born in Maine, he spent much of his childhood in Guam and the South Pacific. In Washington D.C. he founded the Green Barrel skate shops, and he still directs skate videos in addition to acting and working as a photographer. When it comes to Sobel’s film, which tells the unsettling story of a gay teenager confronting family secrets at an annual reunion, Stanton connected with the first-time director over Skype and, using the Red Epic M, brought a […]...
- 1/26/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Director of photography Thomas Scott Stanton comes to Matt Sobel’s Sundance Next button-pusher Take Me to the River from a diverse background. Born in Maine, he spent much of his childhood in Guam and the South Pacific. In Washington D.C. he founded the Green Barrel skate shops, and he still directs skate videos in addition to acting and working as a photographer. When it comes to Sobel’s film, which tells the unsettling story of a gay teenager confronting family secrets at an annual reunion, Stanton connected with the first-time director over Skype and, using the Red Epic M, brought a […]...
- 1/26/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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