12-year-old Michael (Etienne Kellici) desperately tries to uncover what happened to his mother, Rosemary (Allison Miller) when she comes home one night with a black eye and a bruised lip while hearing his father, Brian (Bill Heck), yell at her  If I Tell You . Did his father abuse her or did someone else do it?  Writer/director Tessa Blake and co-writer Jennifer Manocherian keep those questions unanswered for most of the film which, in turn, keeps the audience on their toes. That means also that the audience remains on the same page as Michael because they know as much as he does, so Blake and Manocherian have a great command of exposition. Michael goes to the police when he suspects that his father is the abuser, but doesn't have any evidence to prove it, so he seeks the help of his friends including Paul (Zelalem Oestreich), Ralph (Tiegen Fryberger) and Alice (Kennedi Butler). There are a few scenes during the second half that are poignant and somewhat emotionally devastating, especially when the truth about what happened to Rosemary gets revealed.  Fortunately, IF I Tell You avoids becoming melodramatic or maudlin. It's sweet without being saccharine and wise without being preachy.

      The always-reliable Carol Kane shows up as Michael's grandmother who provides some levity. Etienne Kellici gives a charismatic and emotionally convincing performance as Michael while finding the emotional truth of his complex role. Allison Miller and Bill Heck are also terrific here. Ultimately, If I Tell You is an engrossing and profound coming-of-age drama that deals with heavy and dark themes that aren't usually found in those kinds of films which makes it all the more unique and refreshingly un-Hollywood without any sugar-coating. It's great to see a main character who learns valuable life lessons and grows innately by the time the end credits roll. At a running time of 1 hour and 38 minutes, If I Tell You opens in select theaters in Ely, Minnesota and Duluth, Minnesota via Suncatcher Productions. It would be an interesting double feature with The 400 Blows, especially because the filmmakers, much like Truffaut, manage to grasp the complexities of human nature even if it means delving gently into darker and sadder territory.  

      Learning to Fly, directed by Max Lowe, is a mildly engaging and occasionally moving documentary about Aisha McAdams, a former competitive runner who became a photographer, and her experiences photographer other runners who compete in 100-mile ultramarathon races. It's more effective on an emotional level as a biodoc of Aisha McAdams who comes across as candid, introspective and emotionally mature as she looks back on her life and how competitive running has helped her heal from her emotional pain and trauma. If Learning to Fly were to delve more into her backstory, it might've been more moving and insightful because she makes astute observations.

    &nbs When it shifts its focus to the ultramarathon races and other runners, namely, Jim Walmsley and Eszter Csillag, who compete in the Western States Endurance Run and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the French Alps, the film becomes undercooked, overstuffed, repetitive, oversimplified and less engaging. There are also squandered opportunities to generate suspense and exhilaration from those races. During those scenes, though, the breathtaking scenery stands out the most. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, Learning to Fly opens at Angelika Film Center via Unreasonable Studios. It would be an great double feature with Jack Johnson: SURFILMUSIC about a surfer-turned-filmmaker-turned-musician.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      In The Magic Faraway Tree, Tim (Andrew Garfield), his wife, Polly (Claire Foy), and their children, Ben (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Fran (Billie Gadsdon), and Joe (Phoenix Laroche), move from the big city to a small dilapidated farm in the countryside where they grow tomatoes to start a tomato sauce business. Soon enough, the children discover a giant tree that transports them to magical kingdom where they meet Moonface (Nonso Anozie), Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), Angry Pixie (Hiran Abeysekera), Mr Wazisname (Oliver Chris), Silky (Nicola Coughlan), Mr. Oom Boom Boom (Mark Heap), and the Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). Jennifer Saunders shows up as the children's grandmother, Director Ben Gregor and screenwriter Simon Farnaby have made an amusing, enchanting and harmless fantasy adventure that will charm and delight little kids, but will only keep adults mildly engaged. Based on the book series by Enid Blynton, the screenplay is more silly than funny and has too many cartoonish characters none of whom are particularly memorable, including the tyrannical villain, Dame Snap (Rebecca Ferguson). The best aspect of the film is its costume and production design which looks quite lively.

      Unfortunately, the narrative itself is quite bland and panders to younger audiences while neglecting older audiences. Moreover, the film overstays its welcome with a running time that clocks nearly to the 2 hour mark that could've been trimmed down with tighter editing with less padding. If you're expecting something as exhilarating for both adults and children as The Chronicles of Narnia or The NeverEnding Story, you'll be disappointed. At a lengthy 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Magic Faraway Tree opens nationwide via Vertical. In a double feature with The Wizard of Oz, it would be the inferior B-movie. 

Number of times I checked my watch: 3  

      Never Stop Chasing is an equally heartfelt, illuminating and exhilarating documentary about Reed Timmer, a meteorologist and storm chaser. Director Ken Cole captures awe-inspiring footage of Timmer and his crew chasing storms with his armored car, Dominator 3, that's built especially to survive severe storms unlike other cars. That footage makes this doc a truly cinematic experience that should be seen on the big screen. Fortunately, Never Stop Chasing offers more than just storm chasing footage and Spectacle because Cole delves into Timmer's backstory, how he became a storm chaser, his setbacks, his determination, and how has managed to grieve the death of his storm-chasing friend, Joel Taylor, who died of a drug overdose.

      Never Stop Chasing's ultimate triumph is that it finds the right balance between entertaining the audience emotionally and intellectually which every great documentary should accomplish. The storm chasing footage feels so exciting that you'll forget that you're watching a documentary. There's no CGI or practical effects--it's all real which makes it all the more thrilling and even a bit terrifying. You don't have to be passionate about storm chasing or meteorology to appreciate the film nor to be engaged by it. At a running time of 1 hour and 42 minutes, Never Stop Chasing opens in select theaters nationwide including AMC Empire 25 via Abramorama.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      Joe (Chris Zuhdi ), a suspended police officer, and Joan (Hannah Brantley), a waitress, investigate the a murder at a nightclub that has something to do with a mysterious blue liquid powder in Nine Black Cats. Their investigation leads them to uncover a conspiracy that puts their lives in danger. Writer/director Chris Zuhdi has made an unconventional and visually stylish, but convoluted and tedious neo-noir. Much like the recent Her Private Hell, the production design, lighting and cinematography are the highlights while everything else including the performances and the screenplay are lackluster with very few beats that land and clunky exposition. If it were campy or more bonkers, it'd be a mindlessly entertaining guilty pleasure.

    If you're wondering about the significance of the title, you'll have to be patient because the explanation finally arrives near the third act. Ultimately, Nine Black Cats suffers from style over substance without offering enough to engage the audience beyond engaging them on an aesthetic level. It's not nearly as exhilarating nor suspenseful as the superior neo-noir, Dark City. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, Nine Black Cats opens at Cinema Village via Skytrain Films, LLC.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2  




 

      Shalin (Kapil Talwalkar), a USC graduate, discovers that he has terminal cancer and make the most out of the remaining time he has left by finding purpose and resilience in Paper Flowers. Olivia Liang plays his girlfriend, Fiona. Writer/director Michael Russell Gunn has made an inspirational, but maudlin, preachy and heavy-handed romantic drama based on a true story. The screenplay hits the audience over the head with emotions and the epiphanies that Shalin experiences that she shares with others as he finds a way to conquer his adversity. This is one of those movies where you can feel the wheels of the screenplay turning every step of the way which makes very few scenes ring true. There are also issues with uneven pacing and scenes that overstay their welcome, e.g. a lengthy scene where Fiona cries nonstop. At least it's not as much crying as there is in the similarly disappointing Hamnet which, much like Paper Flowers, also lacks nuance and subtlety.

      If writer/director director Michael Russell Gunn were to trust the audience's emotions more, Paper Flowers would've been a much more powerful film rather than such a mawkish and clunky one that's like Lifetime TV movie-of-the-week version of The Notebook, The Fault in Our Stars or the classic Love Story. The performances are decent, but not exceptional. At a running time of 1 hour and 57 minutes, Paper Flowers opens at AMC Empire 25.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3  

      After 18-year-old Dani (Cassady McClincy) gets caught with MDMA, the police coerce her into secretly becoming an informant to catch drug dealers including her love interest, Marty (Dempsey Bryk), in The Snare. Writer/director Merlin Camozzi has made a heartfelt, captivating, provocative and suspenseful crime drama that's grounded in humanism, a truly special effect. Dani has a lot at stake if she doesn't become an informant: she has to take care of her younger brother while struggling to make ends meet as a fast food worker, and she's a good student with a scholarship. The film could've easily turned into a loud, violent, physically gritty, action-packed B-movie filled with visceral Spectacle, but Camozzi chooses the more challenging path by keeping it character-driven and to find the Spectacle within the film's Truths instead. Its emotional grit manages to be more palpable and effective than any physical grit.

      Audiences might be tempted to wonder what they would do in her situation. Would you rat on your friends and loved ones to save yourself? What would be the "right thing" to do, and "right" according to whom? Will Dani display inner strength and emotional maturity through her ordeal? What will happen if and when Marty discovers that she's an informant? The answers to those questions won't be spoiled here, but it's worth mentioning that they keep the film provocative while also adding depth that makes it more than just the sum of its parts. Cassady McClincy's emotionally convincing performance provides even more depth because it helps the audience to connect to Dani on an emotional level and to care about what happens to her. Moreover, Camozzi succeeds in allowing the audience to have empathy for Dani because she's a flawed human being. Kudos to him for seeing and treating her as a human being without asking the audience to judge her, but rather to experience and empathize. At a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, The Snare opens at Cinema Village. In a double feature with 10 Kilos also opening this weekend, it would be the superior A-movie.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

      To Use a Mountain is dull, dry and poorly edited documentary about process to select sites throughout rural America to dump nuclear waste and the attempts to prevent that from happening. Director Casey Carter presents many government documents to the audience showing clear evidence of the proposals to dispose the nuclear waste at a specific location. Those documents shown are sans voice-over narration, so Carter trusts the audience to decipher the meaning of what they're reading on their own. None of the talking head interviews add much in terms of profound insights or revelations nor do they help to make the film more emotionally engrossing. A truly great documentary finds the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking the audience emotionally and well as intellectually. What about interviewing government officials? What about getting to know some of the locals more to humanise the issue? What about a fair and balanced examination of the issue?

      The blandly-titled To Use a Mountain ultimately fails to find that balance as well as to enrage the audience on any level despite the fact that the government considering those nuclear dump sites is a human rights and public welfare issue that should lead to plenty of indignation. At a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes, To Use a Mountain opens at DCTV's Firehouse Cinema.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 5