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John Hanlon Reviews

Film Reviews

Don't Breathe Review

Don't Breathe

Genre: Thriller

Director: Fede Alvarez

Cast: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Stephen Lang

MPAA-Rating: R

Release Date: August 26th, 2016

The HBO movie All the Way arrives on DVD this week. Find out why it’s a must watch political drama below.

Now that Labor Day has passed, information pills the political season is now in full effect. Politicians vying for your vote tomorrow are asking for your support today but underneath some of the campaign promises, prescription there lies an underlying truth that most of them can’t (or won’t) be fulfilled after the election is over. With that being said, rx it’s a perfect time to check out the HBO original movie All the Way, which was released on DVD this week.

The film originally aired in May on the pay network but it’s a must-see in this political season. Bryan Cranston stars as Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson who, in the film’s opening moments, becomes President of the United States after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Johnson is soon forced into the spotlight where he uses his newfound power — and the memory of the late 35th president — to fight for the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Standing alongside him are Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Anthony Mackie) and the liberal Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey (Bradley Whitford). Standing against him is his former ally Senator Richard Russell (Frank Langella), a Southern Democrat who wants the president to take his time on the Civil Rights agenda.

The feature has its flaws (check out my full review here) but it’s still one of the most urgent and important political films of the year. It shows that a political figure can be both angry and effective. Johnson proved that time and again as he often bullied his adversaries in order to build a better future for this country.

The feature illustrates the important dichotomies in Johnson’s personality — dichotomies that can be at times both refreshing and revolting.

The feature, which was executive produced by Steven Spielberg, received eight Emmy nominations. It was nominated for outstanding television movie, outstanding lead actor (Cranston), outstanding supporting actress (Melissa Leo, as an understated Lady Bird) and best director (Jay Roach)and also received nominations for outstanding music, outstanding make-up and outstanding hairstyling.

The DVD includes strong special features including a look at how Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston transformed into Johnson and a historical look back at Johnson’s presidency and the Civil Rights bill. Featuring historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, the latter feature really brings a great background and historical perspective to the movie’s proceedings.

Regardless of your political standing this election year, All the Way is an important movie to watch to learn more about the fluid and oftentimes baffling political process. Even when there are imperfect people in office (and many of the candidates running for office this year are undeniably flawed), great change can be made even though the way it happens is sometimes discouraging.

Click here to purchase the film today.
The simplicity of the plot of the new thriller Don’t Breathe is part of its allure. The feature tells the story of three young criminals who decide to rob the dilapidated home of a blind war veteran. The task seems simple. The neighborhood is deserted. The veteran is disabled. The robbery will be easy, viagra buy
they think. What they find is a terrifyingly tough rival.

Daniel Zovatto stars as Money, no rx
the most contemptible of the three thieves. His accomplices are Rocky (Jane Levy), a young mother who wants to give her daughter a better life in California, and Alex (Dylan Minnette), a smart youngster who naively pines after Rocky. Alex’s father operates a home security firm so Alex knows all of the tricks of breaking and entering. He’s the planner of the three and reminds Money and Rocky to always steal under 10 thousand dollars (the law is more forgiving of robberies that involve less).

Greed and the opportunity for one major final payday takes over the trio’s rationality though and Money finds an easy target for them: a blind man who might be storing thousands of dollars in his home. Their plan is simple: rob the man in the middle of the night when he’s sleeping and walk away with lots of cash.

What they find is a shocking night of horrors and scares as their blind “victim” (Stephen Lang) proves to be an incredible foe. When they first encounter him in the house during the robbery, director Fede Alvarez relishes the tension in the air. There’s a fierce intensity there because the audience doesn’t know how the scene will play out or what this blind man is capable of. The film is packed with such moments.

Because the blind man has a disability that prevents him from chasing the thieves outright, there’s a great quietness that takes over during unsettling moments when the robbers are being hunted.

The thieves won’t be caught unless they make a noise so much of the story is consumed with this passive power that makes the scares even abrupt when they arrive.

Lang is perfectly cast here as the potential victim. He’s a thin and seemingly harmless man who masks a quiet and violent personality. When he’s pushed, he pushes back. Watching him transform from being the victim to becoming the victimizer in seconds is one of the feature’s greatest moments. He twists the plot around and starts intimidating these criminals.

The feature’s concept may be simple but as the robbers are chased through the house, there are spooky surprises and twists. Some of the plot devices are truly twisted and will surprise and likely horrify audiences along the way. Within the confines of the story though, these major turns work to magnify this seemingly-mundane house of horrors.

Written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, the feature shows that the horror genre can still horrify audiences who may be tired of slasher films. The set-up is remarkably simple but these writers only use it as a starting point for this eighty-eight minute nonstop thriller.

Because of the blind man’s disability, the writers were forced to come up with new and unique ways to stage a horrendous game of cat and mouse and they did it remarkably well. This is an intelligent and intensely gratifying feature that will thrill fans who are looking for some great scares to end the summer.

Review by: John Hanlon

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