Larry Silverstein From start to finish this indie "thriller" never seemed to ring true. The movie's dialogue just came across to me as non-believable as did many of the nonsensical plot situations, so I just couldn't "buy in".The talented actress Patricia Clarkson stars here as Dr. Helen Matthews, who's grieving the recent loss of her husband of 32 years. She's determined to travel alone from her home in Toronto to the family's Canadian isolated lakeside cottage, where she and her spouse spent many happy days together.However soon after she arrives, amidst a severe storm, Helen will find a young man (Scott Speedman) with a bleeding bullet wound in his shoulder and going into shock. His name is Will, and the story of how he arrived at the cottage, and who shot him, is slowly revealed.When a local handyman arrives by boat to the island and sees what's occurring, he quickly departs and sets adrift Helen and Will's remaining boats, thus stranding them there. Will informs Helen that the handyman has ties to the man (Tim Roth) who shot him and that they can expect him to return soon to try and finish him off. It will all spiral down in what I would say was a predictable conclusion.In summary, I'm sorry to say this film written and directed by Ruba Nadda (Cairo Time), came across as hollow and just wasn't believable to me, thus wasting the talents of a top notch cast.

Violet Weed I really enjoyed this movie. Watched it at 2:00 am when I was writing the final revision of my latest book. I actually stopped working to watch it in entirety when I usually just listen to movies with one ear while working on my writings. Several other commentators did not like this movie. I don't know what they were expecting, I wasn't expecting anything. Netflix just 'recommended' it to me, and I said 'okay whatever'. It wasn't 'deep', it didn't make me waste time thinking about it, it was just an enjoyable semi-suspenseful movie. There was some good emotional moments and the main character, a female doctor grieving for her husband who had died the winter before, was well acted by the beautiful, middle-aged actress whose name I just forgot. (I would have said 'the fall before' but it was Canada so October is really 'winter'.) Along comes a youngish guy who is injured. He's cute, but BFD most actors in Canadian/American films tend to be good looking, which is a shame since most PEOPLE are just average looking. That's why I generally prefer BBC productions or, these days, NOLLYwood movies (Nigeria) because the people look like your neighbors. Anyway I recommend it for a rainy afternoon with a box of homemade popcorn and a sweetie. Likely he'll be reading a book or watching ESPN on his hand-held, but hey, that's fine. After the movie is over, you can go to bed and bother dissecting this movie (or whatever was playing on ESPN).

Rich Wright October Gale is a VERY apt name for this film. Like the wind, it blows briefly... And then is gone from the memory for good, leaving behind no trace it was ever there. At least the last film I reviewed, as irredeemably dreadful as it was, gave me something to talk about. This one sets up the most minor of conflicts, and proceeds to follow it to the most predictable outcome... All the while, dwelling on uninteresting scenes to pad out the length to 90 minutes, and giving us a romance/friendship which fails to convince on any level.After finding this gunshot wound victim on her estate on her island, the heroine is nowhere near a hospital and lacks the requisite supplies to treat him. So, leaving him ALONE... She gallivants off to buy what she needs from the mainland. This is just the start of many risks she takes with this stranger, who for all she knows could be a murderer. Yet, within a few days from being at death's door, he's up and about... Saving her life after she accidentally falling into the sea and exchanging stories with her about each other's 'dark pasts'. She's just lost her husband (As we're constantly reminded through tiresome flashbacks) and he's on the run after killing his adopted brother. Gripping. NOT. 60 minutes of brainless fluff ensues.Things get a LITTLE (In the mildest sense of the word) more interesting when the bloke's dad turns up to AVENGE HIS REAL CHILD, and we think we're going to get a bit of action. No such luck. More talking, more walking-around-in-the-dark-not-doing-very-much, and the most obvious of conclusions. YAWN. It all feels like a placeholder for another film, one with proper characters, not these off-the-shelf one-dimensional cyphers. When you've found it, can I watch that one instead, Pls? 4/10

theSachaHall Premiering during a special presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), October GALE is a dramatic thriller that's too devoid of tension to be considered thrilling and far short of emotional and relatable characters to be considered dramatic.It's a shame because the opening sequence of sweeping Parry Sound long shots and Steadicam shots of Helen (Patricia Clarkson) opening and cleaning the family's vacation cottage offered a promising segue into what appears to be (on the surface), a study in normative bereavement with a murderous twist. Likewise, the film's setting is a beautiful contradiction of comfortable isolation that quickly dissipates as the story's nonsensical and improbable choices become too incredulous to be believable.Grieving the loss of her husband (played in silent flashbacks by Callum Keith Rennie) in a wild storm the previous year, Toronto doctor Helen Matthews (Clarkson) decides to return to her family's isolated cottage in an effort to move on. After single-handedly opening up the warm and comforting home in Georgian Bay, Helen begins the arduous task of sifting through and removing some of the mementos accumulated during their 32-year marriage.The visual and aural planes of this transition from acceptance to perseverance are well crafted; the non-diegetic musical score gives way to diegetic empathetic sounds of the bay that feel crisp and renewing. Fortuitously so considering Helen shortly thereafter comes face-to-face with an unexpected and mysterious gentleman (Scott Speedman) crawling and bleeding on her floor with a gunshot wound. After treating his wound and grabbing her rifle, Helen waits for the stranger to wake up and when he does, Will is vague about the attack and about his life thus far until local handyman Al (Aidan Devine) decides to pay Helen an unexpected visit. Will relents and reveals that he had spent time in prison for manslaughter after a bar-fight and that the guy's father 'is not going to stop until he's killed me'.As the storm gains momentum outside, Helen agrees (stupidly I might add) to allow Will to stay in her home as they lazily prepare themselves for Al and the gunman to return. The script here is utter wish-wash: writer/director Ruba Nadda (INESCAPABLE) fails to build any suspense and tension for the ensuing action causing it to fall flat, it fails to explain how Helen's appears to be a survivalist doctor who's also a crack shot, nor the circumstances of Will's incarceration and Helen's inconceivable trust in a man she just met.Clarkson and Speedman should however, be applauded for their performances: extracting every nuance they could from their two-dimensional characters to at least be creditable. Overall, if 'it's OK' are the only two words I can come up with after 91 minutes, it's probably safe to say you might want to wait to watch it on video.You can catch me on my handle @TheSachaHall or at The Hollywood News.