New Releases for the Week of December 1, 2017

DAISY WINTERS

(Hannover House) Brooke Shields, Iwan Rheon, Paul Blackthorne, Carrie Preston, Sterling Jerins, Poorna Jagannathan, Clayton Rohner, Suzy Nakamura. Directed by Beth LaMure

An 11-year-old girl sees her close but unconventional bond with her mother broken. Somewhat cast adrift, she sets out to find her father and take on all comers as she approaches life with an eagerness for adventure and an unshakable belief in herself.

See the trailer here.
For more on the movie this is the website.
Release Formats: Standard
Genre: Drama
Now Playing: Regal Oviedo Marketplace, Regal Pointe Orlando
Rating: PG=13 (for mature thematic content including some drug material, brief strong language and some suggestive images)

Aida’s Secrets

(Music Box) Aida Zasadsinska, Shep Shell, Izak Sagi. This highly emotional documentary is about two brothers, one born in a concentration camp, both separated at birth. The search to find each other takes many years but this reunion carries with it an additional wallop as well.

See the trailer here.
For more on the movie this is the website
Release Formats: Standard
Genre: Documentary
Now Playing: Regal Winter Park Village
Rating: NR

Gangster Land

(Cinedigm) Sean Faris, Milo Gibson, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jason Patric. The rise of Al Capone is seen through the eyes of his right hand man “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn. The tale follows McGurn as he rises from prize fighter to hired muscle to hit man, culminating in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.

See the trailer here.
For more on the movie this is the website.
Release Formats: Standard
Genre: Gangster
Now Playing: AMC Universal Cineplex
Rating: NR

Jane

(Abramorama) Jane Goodall. This is the story of Jane Goodall, a naturalist who began working in an era where very little was known or understood about chimpanzees. She went out into the field into some dangerous parts of Africa to study her beloved chimps and became not only a tireless activist for the preservation of the species but a role model for women everywhere.

See the trailer here.
For more on the movie this is the website
Release Formats: Standard
Genre: Documentary
Now Playing: Enzian Theater (Saturday only)
Rating: NR

The Square

(Magnolia) Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Claes Bang, Terry Notary. A satirical drama about the role of egocentrism in our society particularly among the affluent, and the eroding role of community and moral courage in an increasingly uncertain world.

See the trailer here.
For more on the movie this is the website
Release Formats: Standard
Genre: Dramedy
Now Playing: Regal Winter Park Village
Rating: R (for language, some strong sexual content and brief violence)

ALSO OPENING IN ORLANDO/DAYTONA:

Firangi
Punyalan Private Limited
Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas

ALSO OPENING IN MIAMI/FT. LAUDERDALE:

The Divine Order
Firangi
God’s Own Country
I Remember You
Oro
Punyalan Private Limited
Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas
Ten Days Without Mom
Thelma

ALSO OPENING IN TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG:

A Bad Idea Gone Wrong
Alien Invasion: S.U.M. 1
Firangi
Inoperable
Jawaan
Love Beats Rhymes
Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas

ALSO OPENING IN JACKSONVILLE/ST. AUGUSTINE:

Firangi
Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas

SCHEDULED FOR REVIEW:

Aida’s Secrets
Gangster Land
Jane

Gangster Land

This is how you vogue, gangster-style.

(2017) Gangster (Cinedigm) Sean Faris, Milo Gibson, Jason Patric, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Peter Facinelli, Mark Rolston, Michael Paré Sean Kanan, Al Sapienza, Don Harvey, Jason Brooks, Veronica Parks, Mark Krenik, Ronnie Kerr, Ryan Kiser, Danny Hansen, Joe Coffey, Shane P. Allen, Louis Fasanaro, Devin Reeve, Drake Andrew, James Bartz, Alan Donnes, Jody Barton, Kevin Donovan, Grace Fae. Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr

 

We Americans have always had a fascination with criminals. We have tended to idolize them and mythologize them, from Jesse James on down to Charlie Manson. We have a particular fondness for the gangsters of the Depression era; even though they were vicious, brutal men we can only help admire their brazen outlook as they lived life on their own terms – and often died by them.

This film is a fictionalized account of the rise of Al Capone (Gibson) as seen through the eyes of his top lieutenant “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn (Faris) who despite his name was actually of Italian descent; he changed it when he went into boxing because he could get more bouts as an Irishman than he could as an Italian. After the murder of his stepfather by a rival Italian gang, he decides to throw his lot in with Capone who had seen McGurn box and was an admirer.

At first McGurn is just hired muscle for the Italian gang under Johnny Torrio (Sapienza) but he rises through the ranks with his friend Al and when Torrio is killed, Capone takes control and begins a ruthless war with the Irish gang of the Northside for control of Chicago. The Northside Irish gang is led by Dion O’Bannon (Rolston) and after O’Bannon is murdered, George “Bugs” Moran (Facinelli). He meets and falls in love with dancer Lulu Rolfe (Sigler) who is unimpressed at first – McGurn doesn’t have much cash and never thought much about dressing stylishly. However he wins her over and she is okay with his lifestyle as a mobster. Now known as “Machine Gun Jack” for his preferred weapon for murder, the war between the two vicious gangs quickly and decisively escalates culminating in an infamous massacre on St. Valentine’s Day that will change Chicago forever.

There is a B-movie gangster vibe here that recalls some of the great movies of that era, of James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and George Raft only with graphic violence and plenty of foul language. Cinematographer Pablo Diez uses interplay between bright colors and dark shadows to give the film a kind of updated noir aspect that I found interesting. While most noir feels more natural in a black and white atmosphere, Gangster Land gave the color a very noir-ish feel which is quite the accomplishment from where I’m sitting.

There is a bit of an amateurish feel to the movie that negates a lot of the good stuff. The dialogue feels wooden and unnatural and the lines are delivered in a ham-fisted and over-the-top manner that considering the caliber of some of the actors involved is a bit baffling. It’s like they’re channeling a community theater troupe at times and that feeling is a bit disonncerting.

This won’t compare well to the better film of the genre like The Untouchables for example but it’s rip-roaring entertainment in any event. This is, to my way of thinking, more George Raft than Jimmy Cagney. Those of you who love the gangster movies of the 30s and 40s will find this right up your alley particularly if your alley is dark, foggy and filled with shadowy men in fedoras and overcoats furtively carrying Tommy guns.

REASONS TO GO: The cinematography makes good use of light, shadow and color. Think of this as a nod to B movies with modern sensibilities.
REASONS TO STAY: The dialogue is well over-the-top and sounds a bit wrong-headed at times. There is a lot of scenery chewing going on.
FAMILY VALUES: There’s violence, gore, profanity and some sexuality.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: McGurn eventually became a pro golfer. He was assassinated in a bowling alley in 1936, a day after the seventh anniversary of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
CRITICAL MASS: As of 11/29/17: Rotten Tomatoes: No reviews yet. Metacritic: No reviews yet.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Public Enemies
FINAL RATING: 6/10
NEXT: Shadowman