I'M SET FREE // A FILM REVIEW OF "18 TO PARTY"

BY MATEO MORENO

Setting a nostalgia filled film in another decade, especially one like the 80's, is a tricky thing to get right. Many films have tried, hoping to grasp onto fond memories we have of the past. And although some obviously succeed, most seem to simply make a joke of the era instead of letting their characters truly live there. 18 TO PARTY makes no such mistakes. It takes place in 1984 and except for the fact that the film quality looks much better than any film did back then, it feels like it could be a lost movie from the Reagan era. From the sharp costuming to the fantastic soundtrack (featuring The Alarm, The Velvet Underground and Mick Jones, along with many other great tunes), writer/director Jeff Roda seamlessly transports you to a different era, one without cell phones and social media.

The plot centers around a group of kids, eighth graders in fact, in a small town who are waiting outside of a nightclub, hoping to get in. The younger kids have to wait in the back of the club until all of the older kids are let in through the front. Only then might they be allowed inside. They are a band of misfits, kids that may not fit into any popular circles but have all found each other (even if some of them really don't like each other terribly much). As they wait, they have nothing to do but talk so they talk about this and that and everything in between. We find out how 9,000 people in their small town has supposedly seen a UFO, with about half the group believing it and half still skeptical. We find out how several kids in their town have all killed themselves, oddly all at the same time. There's a possible romance beginning to bloom and a return of an old classmate with a dark history. Through it all, we listen. We listen to the kids talk and talk and just be kids. Kids with nothing else to do but wait and hope that they'll be able to catch a glimpse of their favorite bands inside those walls before them.

The entire cast is full of dynamic faces that you probably won't recognize, which makes it feel even more like a true slice of life, and the dialogue is sharp and fresh. Charming, funny, dramatic and strange, it hits all the right notes and never overstays its welcome. Better yet, there's not even a stand out actor or character in the bunch, because they all are equally standouts. They blend so well together you may forget that you're not watching a real group of friends from the 80's. Truly one of the best surprises of this year and one that makes you feel nostalgic and warm, 18 TO PARTY is one of the best films of the year.

GRADE: A

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY Jeff Roda STARRING Tanner Flood, Sam McCarthy, Alivia Clark, Taylor Richardson, James Freedson-Jackson, Oliver Gifford, Nolan Lyons, Ivy Miller, Erich Schuett. Now playing in Virtual Cinemas. For more info: https://www.18topartymovie.com/

FINDERS, KEEPERS // A FILM REVIEW OF "COP CAR"

BY MATEO MORENO

The sheer intensity of watching children in danger on screen is enough to make me curl up into a ball and pray for the best. Add in the fact that said children are in harm’s way of multiple dangerous individuals, and I'm all over the place. In Jon Watt's pulsating new film COP CAR, the stakes are extremely high for our two lead characters, as they commit a crime (innocently enough) and get into an adventure that you never want to have.

Harrison and Travis (Hays Wellford and James Freedson-Jackson) are two 10 year old friends who have decided to run away from home. The opening scene is a wonderfully drifting moment of actual real conversation between the two boys, as they walk through a field, deciding where to take their journey and daring each other to say "swear words." Then they come across a Cop car, sitting alone in a field. They're fascinated by it, first running up to it and running away before they realize that no one is in the car, but the keys are. When they decide to steal it and take it for a joyride, they don't know the danger they're putting themselves in. When one asks the other one what will happen if they get caught, the answer is a solid, "We'll just tell them we're cops!" Obviously. So they do take it on a joyride, but when the Officer who left the car returns, he is NONE too amused. That cop is Sheriff Kretzer (Kevin Bacon) and he is a shady, crooked cop who's been up to no good, and this little stunt of theirs could bring some serious light into his activities. So he sets out to get the boys, at any cost.

There are plenty of curl into your seat moments, as you are always constantly feeling that you're on the edge of seeing something very bad happen to these boys. When the boys start playing with the cop’s rifle, the entire audience I sat with let out a collective gasp exactly at the same time. The film is shot beautifully, with long still shots of their surroundings and uninterrupted, extended takes. Kevin Bacon is a fireball of intensity here. He knows how to play a dirty dealer while still entrancing you, and he does so expertly here. With each step he makes towards the boys, you want him to fumble, but know that he probably won't. The two boys are both great as well. Hays Wellford and James Freedson-Jackson have a natural charisma and curiosity that never feels forced. We really do feel like we're watching two real kids messing around and getting into trouble accidentally. Camryn Manheim appears briefly as a woman who first notices something is strange with that Cop Car and Boardwalk Empire's Shea Whingham appears as... well, I don't want to spoil it. But his appearance really kickstarts the third act.

Director and Co-Writer Jon Watts (recently tapped to direct the upcoming Spider-Man movie for Marvel Studios) shows a delicate care for his characters and never manipulates the emotions we see on screen. It's a small, lovely, and frighteningly simple film that will make you tense up uncomfortably throughout. Tightly written and strongly directed, COP CAR takes you on a journey that's not easy to shake off. I can't wait to see what he does with our favorite Wall Crawler.

MATEO'S GRADE: B+

 Written by Jon Watts, Christopher D. Ford Directed by Jon Watts Starring: Kevin Bacon, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford  Now Showing in limited theatrical release, August 14th on VOD

MATEO MORENO  recently won a bet on who could hold their breath the longest underwater. He won the bet, having beat local loudmouth Jimmy "Thunderbird" Thomas with a record breaking "fourteen minutes." True, part of that time was him unconscious and the other part was him being revived, but he still counts it, and is now $20 richer. Take THAT Thunderbird! He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.