True Story and an Excellent Indie with Naomi Watts
"Last Rampage"
starring: Robert Patrick, Heather Graham, Bruce Davison, Alex MacNicoll, Molly C. Quinn, Skyy Moore, Casey Thomas Brown, Chris Browning, Jason James Richter, William Shockley, John Heard, Tamara Clatterbuck
written by: Jason Rosenblatt
directed by: Dwight H. Little
Based on a true story, Dwight Little’s Last Rampage examines the twisted family dynamic between Gary Tison (Robert Patrick) and his three teenage sons, who help him break out of the Arizona prison where he’s serving a life sentence. After he and his cellmate, Randy (Chris Browning), bust out of the clink, and before the opening credits have finished rolling, Gary declares to his sons that “blood calls to blood.” This favorite phrase of Gary’s evokes both the film’s biblical overtones and reminds everyone of the unquestioned obedience he expects as the family’s patriarch. Expectedly, the group’s escape to Mexico and supposed freedom transforms into an inevitable journey down the destructive, predestined path laid out by the sins of the father.
Though Gary’s wife, Dorothy (Heather Graham), and sons always believed that he was innocent of the murder that landed him in jail, they’re soon made aware of the evil he’s capable of once he and Randy murder a family of four that stops to help their group fix a flat tire. Although Last Rampage’s overarching narrative travels a well-tread road, it strikes a number of potent grace notes along the way. Donnie’s (Alex MacNicoll) coming of age is particularly intriguing for the way he struggles with the sense of duty he feels toward his tyrannical father, butts heads with Randy, and fights to extract his brothers, Ricky (Skyy Moore) and Ray (Casey Thomas Brown), from a seemingly hopeless situation only to find them resistant to his help.
This is one of those "classic" gang-on-the-run kind of films, with Robert Patrick plays the moody leader of the group. For being a character study of a true story, there's a few too many characters here to really dive into each one, or even specifically of Gary Tison as a man. At the heart of it, there's a family drama that is interesting and deserved to be a bit dissected.
................................................................
"Sunlight Jr."
starring: Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, Tess Harper, Norman Reedus, Antoni Corone, Adrienne Lovette, Keith Hudson, Beth Marshall
written and directed by: Laurie Collyer
This is one of those indie gems that just sort of hits you in the feels and leaves you feeling unsure of yourself or your own life, much like Amy Adams early work in "Junebug." I found it on Netflix and full disclosure, Noami Watts has always been one of my favorite actresses. Finding her in an indie film that really flew under the radar was a bonus.
This is a rare story that observes the lower class with a close eye toward understanding precisely how such an economic prison forms and is perpetuated. What's interesting about this specific film is that the filmmaker, Laurie Collyer, was inspired by the expose book titled "Nickeled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, which I read back in college as I was studying to become an educator, and eventually began teaching in the lower-economic areas of Maine.
This film's story centers on a couple:
convenience-store clerk Melissa (Naomi Watts) and unemployed Richie (Matt Dillon), who’s disabled and confined to a wheelchair. Living in an eyesore section of Florida littered with strip malls and empty storefronts, they’re shacked up at a grungy motel while plotting a way out of their predicament. But options are limited: Melissa talks vaguely about enrolling in college courses, while Richie repairs abandoned VCRs and tries to resell them when he’s not busy nursing a drinking problem.
This isn't exactly an expose on "the poor" as a "lazy" demographic, as we learn more about these two characters as products of their own circumstances. It does explain that there are certain reasons why Melissa and Richie are poor- lack of schooling, lack of marketable skills (Melissa seems to be unhappy with her "career" as the 2nd/3rd shift staff at the convenience store and wants more for herself but doesn't really know how to pursue it or if she's worthy of a better education), lack of stable upbringings (a vicious cycle), disability and alcoholism (re: Richie)- and the story mostly focuses on both characters' inability to find their own way out of these circumstances. The filmmaker doesn't try to make amends or ask forgiveness for these shortcomings and flaws, but rather puts them into context for us.
The one thing that seems to be an answer is that Melissa and Richie love each other passionately, and in the end, they at least have each other- but, staying with one another isn't necessarily helping them find their own way in the world, or helping them better themselves, especially when Melissa discovers she's pregnant, which sort of shows her that she is indeed stuck.
As a teacher, I've learned that every student comes to school day after day with a story, especially behind their actions. This film helps explain the answers to "why?" in a respectful way.
.................................................................
"AWOL"
starring: Lola Kirke, Breeda Woole, Dale Soules, Bill Sage, Ted Welch, Britne Oldford
written and directed by: Deb Shoval
Another film exploring the small-town lower socioeconomic characters within a simple love story between two young women (one, an unhappily married young lady with children, looking to perhaps explore another side to herself; the other, a "lost" girl venturing to join the military, but she falls for a young lady in town which makes her believe there's more in the world for her).
The ladies are convincing of their attraction for each other, but you can tell that Rayna is solely in an exploration phase and looking for excitement in her life, and thus, will never leave her husband. It's also a bit unrealistic to assume that Joey would go so far out on a limb to be with Rayna, basically upending her life for the chance of a romance with Rayna. Their relationship is doomed from the start, and as a smart audience, you can see it coming from a mile away.
starring: Robert Patrick, Heather Graham, Bruce Davison, Alex MacNicoll, Molly C. Quinn, Skyy Moore, Casey Thomas Brown, Chris Browning, Jason James Richter, William Shockley, John Heard, Tamara Clatterbuck
written by: Jason Rosenblatt
directed by: Dwight H. Little
Based on a true story, Dwight Little’s Last Rampage examines the twisted family dynamic between Gary Tison (Robert Patrick) and his three teenage sons, who help him break out of the Arizona prison where he’s serving a life sentence. After he and his cellmate, Randy (Chris Browning), bust out of the clink, and before the opening credits have finished rolling, Gary declares to his sons that “blood calls to blood.” This favorite phrase of Gary’s evokes both the film’s biblical overtones and reminds everyone of the unquestioned obedience he expects as the family’s patriarch. Expectedly, the group’s escape to Mexico and supposed freedom transforms into an inevitable journey down the destructive, predestined path laid out by the sins of the father.
Though Gary’s wife, Dorothy (Heather Graham), and sons always believed that he was innocent of the murder that landed him in jail, they’re soon made aware of the evil he’s capable of once he and Randy murder a family of four that stops to help their group fix a flat tire. Although Last Rampage’s overarching narrative travels a well-tread road, it strikes a number of potent grace notes along the way. Donnie’s (Alex MacNicoll) coming of age is particularly intriguing for the way he struggles with the sense of duty he feels toward his tyrannical father, butts heads with Randy, and fights to extract his brothers, Ricky (Skyy Moore) and Ray (Casey Thomas Brown), from a seemingly hopeless situation only to find them resistant to his help.
This is one of those "classic" gang-on-the-run kind of films, with Robert Patrick plays the moody leader of the group. For being a character study of a true story, there's a few too many characters here to really dive into each one, or even specifically of Gary Tison as a man. At the heart of it, there's a family drama that is interesting and deserved to be a bit dissected.
................................................................
"Sunlight Jr."
starring: Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon, Tess Harper, Norman Reedus, Antoni Corone, Adrienne Lovette, Keith Hudson, Beth Marshall
written and directed by: Laurie Collyer
This is one of those indie gems that just sort of hits you in the feels and leaves you feeling unsure of yourself or your own life, much like Amy Adams early work in "Junebug." I found it on Netflix and full disclosure, Noami Watts has always been one of my favorite actresses. Finding her in an indie film that really flew under the radar was a bonus.
This is a rare story that observes the lower class with a close eye toward understanding precisely how such an economic prison forms and is perpetuated. What's interesting about this specific film is that the filmmaker, Laurie Collyer, was inspired by the expose book titled "Nickeled and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich, which I read back in college as I was studying to become an educator, and eventually began teaching in the lower-economic areas of Maine.
This film's story centers on a couple:
convenience-store clerk Melissa (Naomi Watts) and unemployed Richie (Matt Dillon), who’s disabled and confined to a wheelchair. Living in an eyesore section of Florida littered with strip malls and empty storefronts, they’re shacked up at a grungy motel while plotting a way out of their predicament. But options are limited: Melissa talks vaguely about enrolling in college courses, while Richie repairs abandoned VCRs and tries to resell them when he’s not busy nursing a drinking problem.
This isn't exactly an expose on "the poor" as a "lazy" demographic, as we learn more about these two characters as products of their own circumstances. It does explain that there are certain reasons why Melissa and Richie are poor- lack of schooling, lack of marketable skills (Melissa seems to be unhappy with her "career" as the 2nd/3rd shift staff at the convenience store and wants more for herself but doesn't really know how to pursue it or if she's worthy of a better education), lack of stable upbringings (a vicious cycle), disability and alcoholism (re: Richie)- and the story mostly focuses on both characters' inability to find their own way out of these circumstances. The filmmaker doesn't try to make amends or ask forgiveness for these shortcomings and flaws, but rather puts them into context for us.
The one thing that seems to be an answer is that Melissa and Richie love each other passionately, and in the end, they at least have each other- but, staying with one another isn't necessarily helping them find their own way in the world, or helping them better themselves, especially when Melissa discovers she's pregnant, which sort of shows her that she is indeed stuck.
As a teacher, I've learned that every student comes to school day after day with a story, especially behind their actions. This film helps explain the answers to "why?" in a respectful way.
.................................................................
"AWOL"
starring: Lola Kirke, Breeda Woole, Dale Soules, Bill Sage, Ted Welch, Britne Oldford
written and directed by: Deb Shoval
Another film exploring the small-town lower socioeconomic characters within a simple love story between two young women (one, an unhappily married young lady with children, looking to perhaps explore another side to herself; the other, a "lost" girl venturing to join the military, but she falls for a young lady in town which makes her believe there's more in the world for her).
Lola Kirke plays Joanna, aka Joey, a recent high school grad uncertain of her future in a small Pennsylvania town where jobs, let alone career prospects, are few.
Her mother (Dale Soules) urges her to sign up for an Army stint, which would at least let her see the world a bit and provide eventual college funding, as well as utilize her natural mechanical aptitude. But Joey is semi-inclined to hang around, at least long enough to meet the baby that sister Kristin (Charlotte Maltby) is expecting, while playing a few more gigs with the folk-rock band she and stoner-ish brother-in-law Pete (Ted Welch) have assembled.
Meanwhile, she’s working for a dairy farmer scooping ice-cream at a county fair, in which capacity she first meets Rayna (Breeda Wool, who originated the role in 2010). Latter is a wild child possibly twice her age, with a penchant for drink and “tomboys.” After a first night’s drunken seduction, Joey wakens to discover Rayna isn’t exactly a full-time party animal: She’s got two young daughters, a frequently-absent trucker husband (Bill Sage as Roy), and a need to keep her same-sex adventures on the downlow.
Immediately somewhat improbably smitten, Joey begins campaigning for Rayna to leave this evidently unhappy marriage and (with her children) start anew. But her love object doesn’t find that scenario realistic. She encourages Joey to enlist, dangling the possibility that their future together might be more viable after she’s acquired benefits and marketable skills in the military. After a separation, however, impulsive Rayna is no longer willing to wait, forcing the titular action.
The ladies are convincing of their attraction for each other, but you can tell that Rayna is solely in an exploration phase and looking for excitement in her life, and thus, will never leave her husband. It's also a bit unrealistic to assume that Joey would go so far out on a limb to be with Rayna, basically upending her life for the chance of a romance with Rayna. Their relationship is doomed from the start, and as a smart audience, you can see it coming from a mile away.
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