Tag: James Jordan

I almost forgot to watch The Endless. The screener was given to me almost a whole month ago, and its been very busy. So I have found myself going “Oh, I have five weeks, time to wait until later!”

Needless to say, I did feel panicked when I finally saw it. But at least I didn’t forget to write this review (although this intro could use a lot more work).

This is not a film that has garnered a lot of attention, but from those who have seen it, the buzz has generally been positive.

Because really it is just about bros being bros.

Justin Smith (Justin Benson) and his younger brother Aaron (Aaron Moorhead) a few years ago escaped! What did they escape? Why, a death cult, which is one they really only knew. It was Justin who arranged it. Aaron was a bit too brainwashed. Justin got them out, got them back to the real world and they were a bit famous for some time. I mean, I guess people thought they were weird, but at least they were alive.

Now, years later, they have mostly forgotten a lot about the place. They still see a psychiatrist, but they assume their old friends are now dead and gone.

However, they receive a small tape, and on it a message from camp. What? They aren’t dead yet? This is cray cray!

After some debates, some pondering, they agree to go back and visit their old family. See how they are doing. Just to stay a day or whatever and head back out. They will not be forced to remain or anything cult-y.

And yet, here we are. In a movie about this, so things may no be entirely on the uppity up.

Also starring Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Lew Temple, James Jordan, and Kira Powell.

All cults should be required to have some sort of sign out front indicating their chicanery.

I honestly wasn’t really sure what to expect with a film like The Endless. The plot description intrigued me, and I knew the directors (/leads) from their segment in V/H/S Viral called Bonestorm. Could they do a longer film and keep my interest?

Well, the cult surely was strange with a lot of mystery behind it. Some very creepy things occurred, but it felt like a more subtle version of creepy. Not people suddenly appearing behind them creepy or jump scare creepy. Just odd creepy.

The film definitely ends with a bang, but it is quite a long fuse. Things happen, things get explained, and yet the brothers remain and things get weirder and potentially dumber.

I know I personally was hoping for a much bigger horror element. It was far to subdued, I never felt drawn into the story, but I appreciate that they went for something new.

For awhile, I was up in Northern Minnesota. This is real life, true story. How north, you ask? Well, apparently a 45 minute drive would have taken me to Canada.

I bring this up for two reasons: One, it made me miss quite a few screenings, because they show movies up there months after everyone else saw them, certainly not before. And two, the movie Wind River is set in the wilderness.

Not almost Canada, but cold enough in the months of “barely Spring” Wyoming, in the mountains.

So basically, I am this story. If you squint really really hard.

Oh hey. Avengers. I see you upgraded weapons.

Set in the titular Wind River, Wyoming, this takes us to a big reservation city where people want to just be left alone, raise their families, and not be fucked over by the white man. Basically like a lot of people in the world.

Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) is a cool white guy though, as you can tell with his white name. He is okay, because he works to help the area. He lives alone and is a hunter, and he works for the government sort of, taking out wolves or lions or whatever that are messing with people’s farms. He has an ex wife (Julia Jones) and a son (Teo Briones) that he has visitation for sometimes. Definitely some backstory there. Would be awesome if a new character was brought in so that it could be addressed at some point.

But before that, DEATH. Because while out looking for a momma lion and her cubs, he stumbles upon a dead body. A girl, Natalie (Kelsey Asbille) that he knows, barefoot, and miles away from any house. His plans have changed, and now they have to wait for an FBI agent to get there to investigate the possible murder. Which is where we meet Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen), girl totally not used to the cold, here to check things out. Despite bad things that have clearly happened to the girl, specifically physical stuff, the death cannot be ruled a murder but natural causes. Weather is a goddamn bitch.

Banner doesn’t have a lot of time to investigate this before she will be called back to a new job, so she enlists Lambert’s help in order to get someone who knows the area and land to maybe make some leads quickly before she has to run off again. Can they figure out the mystery behind her death?

Featuring the awesome Graham Greene as the local cop, and Gil Birmingham as Natalie’s dad. Also all of these people: Apesanahkwat, Eric Lange, Tantoo Cardinal, Althea Sam, Tyler Laracca, Martin Sensmeier, Tokala Clifford, Jon Bernthal, James Jordan, Austin R. Grant, Blake Robbins, Hugh Dillon, Ian Bohen, and Matthew Del Negro.

And Birmingham’s face was played by William Wallace.

After watching, Wind River seems like one of those movies that I really love for basically every aspect, that other movie watchers will find to be boring or dumb. I hate it when that happens. I want those people to open their minds and realize they just witnessed something epic, so I write about it (while begrudgingly say that yeah, everyone can have an opinion), and make sure people get out there.

But honestly I can’t see that happening. I can’t imagine people going to watch this and not being impressed with it. It is just so damn good. There is no way this can have a disconnect between critic and the average movie goer. Anyone should be able to go in, see how much Renner, Olsen and Greene brought it the entire time they weer on the screen. They should be able to see how much Birmingham did with a lot less screen time. They should be appreciative of the cast that was very racially sensitive to the area.

And they should be able to see how well the plot unfolded. When the movie decided to reveal the secrets, they should feel how their stomach turned and their anger increased. The emotions would be on a ride if someone just let them.

Sure, Wind River started off a little bit slow, but once we get dead body, it should captivate the viewer, and you will see definitely one of the best films of 2017.