Love at First Fight

Les Combattants (2015), AKA Love at First Fight, is a French romantic comedy new to Netflix Watch Instantly.  Truly a drama at heart with thoughtfully nuanced character interaction, this film is centered around Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs), a young man who befriends a girl, Madeleine (Adèle Haenel), bent on survivalist military training.  Madeleine enrolls in a militia boot camp of sorts and Arnaud takes leave of the family construction business to go along for the ride against the wishes of his brother who is carrying the weight of the business load.

To begin the commentary on the merits of this film and not in order of importance, I should mention the acting is wonderful and there is real depth in the chemistry between the two central characters. The dialogue is a bit sophomoric in parts but appropriately so for a film about young adults.  The contrast between this film and similar films of this genre here in the States is remarkable.  The latter habitually clings to childish gimmicks and stereotypes typically in the tradition of goofball summer camp flicks and the like.

To end this review I submit that the most amazing aspect of Les Combattants is David Callie's beautiful cinematography.  Memorable scenes include the long trailing shot of Arnaud wading into the sea; the vibrant dance scene set to euphoric beats with brilliant colors enveloping the room; and delicate moments in the scenic countryside and forestland of France.  The cinematography alone is so good that a viewer could even enjoy this movie with the sound off.

I highly recommend Les Combattants, especially to young adults so they can experience what's out there beyond cliche-riddled American teen flicks.  4/5.

Director: Thomas Caille

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead and Reading Rainbow

I was perusing new releases on Netflix for the month of August and found the selection to be a tad sparse. However, a couple titles worth mentioning are The Hurt Locker and Casting By. For this review I chose one film and one show, one that's naughty, one that's nice.

Benny: [upon firing his shotgun] Oh shit, he wasn't a zombie?
Barry: No he fucking wasn't!
Benny: Is he alright? Is he ok?
Barry: His head is fucked!

A wickedly funny scene from Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2015), a most twisted tyrannically terrible treat which resembles The Walking Dead but without the soap opera. Bianca Bradey delivers a standout performance as Brooke and I hope to see more of her in the near future. Not since Sigourney Weaver in the Alien franchise has a woman believably kicked so much ass.

Directed by Kiah Roache-Turner, Wyrmwood's style reminds me quite a bit of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead I and II. If you loved the campy vibe, extreme camera angles and darkly dank frights of those films, it is a pretty safe bet you will enjoy this one, so get out the popcorn and dig in for the ride. Not just any ride, but one that runs on zombies (thank me later). Wyrmwood makes my personal zombie top 10 list. Speaking of which, I am looking forward to reviewing my favorite (The Battery) once that film is available online. I should also mention there is an evil scientist in Wyrmwood--think Mr. Blonde from Reservoir Dogs in a hazmat suit. 4/5.
Directed By: Kiah Roache-Turner Written By: Kiah Roache-Turner, Tristan Roache-Turner


Also new to Netflix is Reading Rainbow, the perfect follow up to a couple hours of extreme zombie gore. You know, get your mind right. I don't think there is a person on this planet who is more likable than LeVar Burton--especially remembering his roles in the late 80s and 90s when he was on a hit streak with Star Trek and Reading Rainbow, incredible! Anyway, Reading Rainbow appeals to audiences of all ages even though it is intended for children. An enormous amount of work and detail went into every single episode, which is quite obvious, and no one could have done such an outstanding job helming the show for so many years as LeVar (ok, well maybe Jean-Luc Picard). Psst, the theme song isn't so bad either right? 5/5.
Stars: LeVar Burton, Jennifer Betit Yen, Arnold Stang

Cop Car

Once in awhile a unique sleeper comes along which, unfortunately, is not met with the attention it deserves. Meanwhile, the Hollywood machine keeps cranking out subpar films with screenplays seemingly written by children. In fact, the two central figures of Cop Car, young boys played by James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford, could easily pass for Hollywood writers. Cop Car is a slick and delightful little thriller about an abandoned (you guessed it) .... cop car sitting in the middle of nowhere.

Two of the most ridiculously naive kids come upon the car and the excitement begins. The cop car belongs to Kevin Bacon's character, a small town sheriff with some unfinished bad behavior unwittingly interrupted when his car goes missing. Bacon plays the role of a bumbling psychopath quite well. I always enjoy Bacon in decent low-budget thrillers (Stir of Echoes comes to mind) and he definitely has fun with this role. I had a bit of an issue with how dumb the two kids are portrayed in Cop Car. Kids cannot possibly be THAT stupid. However, if an aside of the film was to slip in reminders that children and guns are a bad mix or if the message was that guns are bad in general, mission accomplished. 

Cop Car is a charming low-budget thriller that will put a smile on your face and moments later cause uneasiness owing to the generous amount of dark humor set against interesting middle-of-nowhere scenery and Coen-esque intensity. 3.5/5.
Directed By: Jon Watts