KIFF 2017 Reviews: Last Flag Flying, High School 911, August in Berlin
I saw three films at KIFF this year. Here are my reviews:
"Last Flag Flying"
"Last Flag Flying" is the new film directed by Richard Linklater. The movie follows three Vietnam veterans (Steve Carell, Brian Cranston and Laurence Fishburne) as they go on a road trip to help one of them bury his son, who died in Afghanistan. It is an indirect sequel to a '70s film called "The Last Detail", starring Jack Nicholson about the same three characters immediately after Vietnam, which I have not seen.
Linklater's film, like his "Before" series, is extremely dialogue-driven and is literally about the three characters talking and getting to know each other after so much time. They reminisce about the war, they joke and they get very serious at times, trying to help Carell's character make it through the trauma of burying his son.
In typical Linklater fashion, the dialogue is never boring or unrealistic. You'll definitely laugh, you'll probably cry. And by the end you will feel like you know these characters. "Last Flag Flying" is fantastic movie whether you're a Linklater fan, or a fan of Cranston, Carell, or Fishbourne (who all give fantastic performances). I highly recommend it to anyone. A
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring Stever Carrell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne
“High School 911” (2016)
"High School 911" is a documentary about an EMS- Post station in a small town run by high school students. While this idea may seem unbelievable to some it is 100% true. The film explores how the EMS- Post 53 operates and shows how high school students with little supervision take on the task of being life saving EMTs, while still being full time high school students. This idea makes a fascinating documentary that shows the surprising maturity of these kids and how seriously they take their job, but is a bit to long. It is about an hour and a half and I truly believe I would've been satisfied with an hour-long documentary. The film delves into some of the students' personal lives, which is fine in some cases, but in others I got a bit bored. One particular case that worked extremely well is when the film follows the journey of a freshman student wanting to be part of the program. This worked because it showed the selection process and what it takes to be a high school EMS. In another case the film went way into depth about a country song one of the students really liked because it reminded him of his father who had passed away and inspired the student to join the EMS program. This story may pull at people's heart strings, showing the kid singing the song in its entirety with the artist may have been a little much if they were going for a more focused documentary.
This film is very interesting but it may not hold people's attention enough to make any sort of splash at any big awards shows this year. I would definitely recommend if the subject matter interests you, and to any kids wanting to enter fields in healthcare but I wouldn't call it a Must See. B
"August in Berlin"
"August in a Berlin" is great, if you haven't seen any of the "Before" trilogy from Richard Linklater. It's about a man and a woman walking around Berlin getting to know each other. They unexpectedly open up to each other and end up sharing some deeply personal stories. The movie isn't bad by any means, the writing just can't compare with the gripping writing style of Linklater. There were a few twists about the characters that I wasn't expecting, which I did like, but overall were not able to make the film all that memorable.
The filmmaker says she has never seen any of the "Before" films so I do have to give her credit for shooting a pretty good film in eight days in Berlin.The film did keep me somewhat intrigued about the characters towards the end and did leave me wondering what happened to them. If you're a fan of indies or these types of films, I'd recommend it, but if you've seen the "Before" series it's probably nothing new. B
Directed by Becky Smith
Starring Maimillan von Pufendorf
Directed by: Tim Warren
