Air - If I stop breathing, I’ll die.

Water - Three days without water, I’ll die.

Food - People have fasted for over a month, but three days is enough to kill me.

Exercise - If I don’t, I’ll blow up and roll right to my own death.

Money - There’s even a price on just staying alive: taxes.

My mother cried the entire duration of “Life as a House.”

For $6.95 on-demand I made the executive decision to watch Sam Levinson’s Another Happy Day. Levinson won the Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt screenwriting award for this film, and I couldn’t agree more. Coupled with a powerhouse cast, the writing behind the characters in this dark family drama was perfection.

Set at Lynn’s (Ellen Barkin) parents’ house in Annapolis, the film showcases the events that take place during the weekend of her estranged son’s wedding. Lynn’s other three children have demons, like Lynn herself, testing the boundaries of the entire extended family. Barkin lets her emotions run in the film; moments are intense, raw, real, and often relatable. Lynn has to face her mother, her ex-husband (and his new wife), and an entire family with opinions on her broken family. Through conversation and simple family interaction, Levinson captures the tears, tension, smiles and laughs of a family reunion.

The show stealer for me was Ezra Miller, who played Lynn’s second oldest son, 17; he is a recovering drug addict who find himself in a relapse when given the opportunity to acquire prescription drugs from his grandfather. Miller, a Hoboken, NJ native, has played a few roles as a son in a dysfunctional family (City Island, We Need to Talk About Kevin); this was my first time seeing him act as a kid with a bad attitude, and a drug problem. He captured the immaturity and selfishness of his character, evoking feelings of anger from the audience. In confidence I rate his performance on par with that of Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married.

Demi Moore, Ellen Burnstyn, Kate Bosworth and Thomas Hayden Church are some of the other names of the incredible ensemble cast that all delivered spot on performances. Moore played a fierynew wife of Church, who was previously married to Lynn; her collected and seemingly perfect demeanor is shattered by Lynn and her children’s downward spiral. Each member of the family brought a different element to the table, and together delivered in this incredibly down to earth slice-of-life piece.

I am anticipating more great things from Sam Levinson; this directorial debut proved that he has what it takes to create powerful and moving cinema.

One of my followers recommended ‘Harry Brown’ via my Ask Box. I assume they are a fan, and rightfully so; the film is on par. I personally would not have watched it had it not been recommended, but I was pleasantly surprised by this British crime thriller.

Who is Harry Brown? An ex-Marine who’s only lover passes away from either old age, or illness, and his only friend is brutally murdered in the tunnels of the drug and crime ridden lower income housing section of an England.

This is the tale of an age vigilante taking matters into his own hands when the police fail to protect those in need. Harry, played by Michael Caine navigates the underworld to acquire a weapon and to get revenge on those who murdered his friend, subsequently protecting others in the process.

Like my previous post about ‘Eden Lake,’ the film is violent, brutal, to the point where I was looking away when blood would spurt out of wounds. But if you do not mind realistic brutal violence, then you should be alright with this film.

What I liked most about the film was the portrayal of the police. Though it was England and I’m sure things are slightly different there, it proved the notion that the police are never there when you need them. Just ask Harry’s best friend; where were the police after he asked for help and protection from the heroin addicts that were harassing him, beating him, spitting at him, and leaving burning substances at his front door. It takes a certain person to take things into their own hands, and Micheal Caine truly captured that person in a unique way: who would expect this emphysema ridden elderly man to rise to the role of protector, or avenger?

I have always been a fan of Emily Mortimer, though her role in this film was overshadowed by the younger members of the cast. She played a successful police officer on her way up the ranks via promotions, who is disgusted with the lack of concern for her thoughts on the crimes being committed. Maybe it was her woman’s intuition, but she was the only one able to link Brown to the vigilante crimes, but no one would listen (again blowing the lid off the idea of cops caring about anything other than their own image).

I must comment on the young members of the cast, particularly Jack O’Connell, who was also in ‘Eden Lake.’ If I didn’t know I was watching a film, I would be scared if I saw any of these kids on the street; they captured the behaviors and mannerisms of hoodlums to the attitude and word choice. Boy, I wanted to punch every single one of those kids, but I applaud them on their ability to convey the disrespect and completely out of control behavior that was so crucial to the film.

The film is a perfect length, a little over an hour and a half; I never lost interest and didn’t want anything more from the ending. I just wouldn’t recommend watching it before bed if strong brutal violence is an issue for you (made that mistake myself).

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I popped ‘Eden Lake’ into the DVD drive. Netflix recommended it for me as a “Gory British Film,” and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to watch it: it was.

With no emotional attatchment to any of the actors, the writer/director, I assumed that it would be a B-picture horror film with excessive gore and sex. Instead I was taken on a brutal and exciting thrill ride.

Kelly Reilly played the heroine in this tale; her and her boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) went to Eden Lake to be alone, but a group of teens start terrorizing them. When I say they are terrorizing them, I mean it. Like I said before, the film was BRUTAL. What makes this film so incredible is how real it is. The teens are believable. They are cruel, disrespectful brats that don’t give a fuck about anything but getting off to excessive suffering on anything or anyone they can.

Be prepared to hold down your food, there are some gritty scenes; and be prepared for one of the most intense endings you will ever experience.