Adrift
If you like your adventure mixed with romance, "Adrift" is the film for you. I was surprised how much it drew me in! Based on a true story, a young couple is lost at sea during a hurricane as they sail from Tahiti to California. Shailene Woodley is perfectly cast as a carefree young American who points her finger on a map and looks for a job. In Polynesia, she also finds a charming British sailor named Richard, played by Sam Claflin. They fall in love, and take up friends on an offer to sail their boat across the ocean. Then comes that storm. Filmed almost entirely on the water, the action is very authentic as helmed by "Everest" director Baltasar Kormákur. Woodley produced the movie. A twist to the narrative makes for clever and heartbreaking storytelling.
STX Entertainment - Rated PG-13
First Reformed
Paul Schrader, the writer who created Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver" brings us a new troubled loner in "First Reformed," which he also directs. Ethan Hawke stars as the pastor of a small historic church. Plagued by illness and void of worldly trappings, he writes a daily journal. His own faith is challenged when he takes on the concerns of an environmental activist he's counseling. This could be the best work of Hawke's career. Amanda Seyfried has a nice supporting role as the activist's pregnant wife, and Cedric the Entertainer as the pastor of a megachurch. If you really focus, you'll get into this, otherwise you'll be counting the minutes until it's over. Regardless, the ending will confound you.
A24 - Rated R
Upgrade
Looking for a violent, sci-fi thriller? "Upgrade" is about a man paralyzed in an attack that killed his wife. An artificial intelligence implant empowers him to take revenge on the people who left him for dead. This low-budget film premiered at 'South by Southwest' where it won the audience award. The buzz on it is very bloody and very intense. After all, writer/director Leigh Whannell wrote the "Saw" and "Insidious" films.
BH Tilt - Rated R
Action Point
And Johnny Knoxville is out with "Action Point." He plays the owner of a family amusement park in the 1970s. Competition is moving in, so he throws safety out the window. You can imagine the results: plenty of stunts tailor-made for his "Jackass" audience! Knoxville injured himself more making this movie than any other. And he wears that as a badge of courage. This is based on a real park in New Jersey, now shut down as you can imagine.
Paramount Pictures - Rated R