Clear Cut, 2024.

Directed by Brian Skiba.
Starring Clive Standen, Tom Welling, Stephen Dorff, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Metcalfe, Lochlyn Munro, Lucy Martin, Chelsey Reist, Tom Stevens, and Mike Dopud.

SYNOPSIS:

A team of loggers discover a meth cook site in the middle of the forest and are forced to fight for their lives while being hunted by a drug cartel.

With a title such as Clear Cut, one might think director Brian Skiba is trying to be cutely vague and intentionally jumbling since his narrative distractingly jumps back and forth in time with no grace. The reality is that what the film is trying to do with its story is fairly obvious after roughly the second flashback, executed with such outright poor editing technique (Skiba also performs those duties) that one sits there in shock at the ineptitude when it cuts back to a scene with Alec Baldwin who was recently killed at the beginning.

Dead characters appearing in flashbacks is inherently fine, but watching it play out here is baffling; you could reconfigure the scenes chronologically, and this already lousy film might play better. Alec Baldwin isn’t a recurring presence after that; the movie is just pointlessly like this. At the very least, the not-so-smooth attempt at (I think?) trying to trick the audience regarding what is happening with its central plot could have been avoided. It’s hard to tell since the editing makes everything come across as more confusing than the story is. Furthermore, the fact that I have so many questions about the filmmaker’s intent mostly already proves whatever he was trying to do with structure didn’t pan out. That’s an understatement.

The story itself concerns Clive Standen’s Jack, taking on logging work en route to a job site with his superior and mentor (Alec Baldwin.) Now, if reading this brings about some interest that there might be some positive and earnest deforestation messaging at the heart of the action, let me remind readers that this is one of those super cheaply made Lionsgate VOD entities that somehow slides its way into a few theaters across America. Jack is seeking revenge on some criminals running a meth operation out here in the woods, which also brings up several questions of logistics that the film never bothers to take a stab at answering.

Unsurprisingly, the one cooking up the meth gives the zaniest performance, which basically means Lochlyn Munro is playing clichéd psychopathic redneck running around with a crossbow, murdering anyone who might throw his shady business out of whack. Bringing an inexplicably large amount of money to a deal where the one cooking up the meth lives in a camper, presumably in the middle of nowhere, the leader of the buyers conveniently leaves the money in the back of a truck for Jack to steal and run off with. Stephen Dorff also plays a Park Ranger who gets involved in the two battling sides. The less said about the women who pop up in this movie is probably for the better.

For as much as Clive Standen gives a passable performance regarding both the emotional toll recent tragic events have taken on him and the close-quarters action, it’s also undermined by the film (written by Joe Perruccio) concocting scenarios that tastelessly ramp up that drama. Regarding the direction, nothing here stands out aside from one or two moments toward the end of Clive Standen letting loose some of that bottled-up anger and sadness. There’s a chance that if you show someone the final 10 minutes of Clear Cut, they will wrongly assume you just watched a decent movie. Fortunately, what is clear-cut is that this is anything but worth checking out.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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NEW YORK (OSV News) – Back in the early days of the Ford administration, disaster movies were all the rage. A capsized cruise ship, a skyscraper aflame, airplanes imperiled — the genre ran the gamut of mishaps before fading away at the end of the 1970s.

Two decades later, advances in computer capabilities led to something of a revival, one product of which was 1996’s “Twister.” Director Jan de Bont’s film had separated spouses Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton working through their marital tensions while trying to make a breakthrough in early storm warning.

Flash forward nearly 30 years and a standalone sequel, “Twisters” (Universal), looms on the horizon. While moviegoers need not take shelter from this long-distance follow-up — which is only loosely connected to its predecessor — neither will it transport them over the rainbow.

The main flaw in the production, helmed by Lee Isaac Chung, is its consistent air of Hollywood phoniness. Its main asset is the mostly appealing antagonism-turns-to-love tale that unfolds amid the rising winds.

Haunted by an experiment during a tornado that went fatally wrong, meteorologist Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) has spent the ensuing half-decade practicing her craft from the safety of a desk. She’s reluctantly drawn back to storm chasing, however, when her old friend Javi (Anthony Ramos) suddenly appears on the scene seeking her help.

Javi is out to launch a potentially beneficial new technology. But he’s convinced he can only succeed with the aid of Kate’s expertise and intuition.

Once back on the plains, Kate — who quickly becomes the guiding force of Javi’s team — crosses paths with a squad of apparently reckless thrill seekers led by cocky self-proclaimed “tornado wrangler” Tyler Owens (Glen Powell). Kate and Tyler initially clash, then develop a relationship of mutual respect that eventually deepens into a romance.

Like the burgeoning bond between the principals, the hairbreadth escapes chronicled in screenwriter Mark L. Smith’s script are entirely predictable, the sacrifice of the odd extra notwithstanding. So much so, that viewers may emerge from the Cineplex humming that old standard, “Just in Time.”

“Twisters” does promote compassion for catastrophe victims, making concern for them the moral standard by which its characters are to be judged. And objectionable ingredients are mostly kept out of the mix, so mature adolescents may be given the go-ahead to reap the whirlwind.

Yet human interaction comes in a poor second throughout the proceedings, which are focused instead on the wizardry of special effects. So audience reaction to the picture will largely depend on each patron’s interest in large-scale displays of Mother Nature’s fury.

The film contains some medical gore, several mild oaths, occasional crude language and a couple of crass terms. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Copyright © 2024 OSV News

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While working at Disneyland last summer, Cyn Carranza lived in her car with her dog and showered on resort property.

As recently as this spring, the 39-year-old custodian scrubbed, waxed and buffed floors inside the theme park from 11:45 p.m. to 7:55 a.m. before working a 9 a.m.-to-2 p.m. shift at a nearby Goodwill and struggling to stay awake on the freeway.

Carranza, who now resides with her boyfriend in Santa Ana, has been employed by Disney for nearly six years. She makes the minimum wage for hospitality workers in Anaheim, $19.90 an hour.

“It’s so expensive here,” Carranza said. “I was homeless because I had three jobs, and I still couldn’t afford any place to live.”

Carranza is among roughly 9,500 workers at Disneyland who are eligible to participate this week in a strike authorization vote as they continue to bargain with Disney for higher wages and improved working conditions. Results of the vote are expected to be announced Saturday.

If the authorization passes, union leaders will have the option to call a strike in the event that they are unable to negotiate a new contract deal with Disney.

“We’re not ungrateful,” Carranza said. “We just wish that they would make it easier for us to be there — that they would consider us. … The union is moving closer to striking because this is all we got. We gotta come together and let them know.”

The Master Services Council — an alliance of labor unions representing custodians, ride operators, candy makers, merchandise clerks and other employees at the Anaheim theme park — scheduled the strike vote last week.

Disneyland employees haven’t staged a major walkout since 1984. That work stoppage lasted 22 days. The Disneyland employee contract terminated June 16, while the California Adventure and Downtown Disney agreements are set to expire Sept. 30.

“It’s the first time in 40 years, and also it’s a coalition of unions, so it’s a potential for being a huge strike,” said Victor Narro, project director and labor studies professor at the UCLA Labor Center.

“Post-pandemic, [the tourism] industry has recuperated, is thriving in significant ways. But working conditions … have not improved at all.”

A strike authorization vote “is not unusual as part of the negotiations process and does not indicate a strike is imminent or underway,” company spokesperson Jessica Good said in a statement posted on the Disneyland website.

“We have a long-standing history of successful negotiations with the Master Services Council with our next meeting scheduled for July 22. We remain focused on reaching an agreement on a new contract that is fair and equitable for our cast members.”

The website also notes that all Disneyland Resort parks and hotels “will remain open and ready to welcome guests if any number” of employees walk off the job.

Tensions escalated in June when the unions filed unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board for allegedly threatening to discipline hundreds of employees who wore union buttons depicting Mickey Mouse’s raised fist to work.

The Master Services Council maintains that wearing the pins is a protected form of union activity and that Disney cannot legally take action against staffers for doing so. Disney contends that the buttons violate the employee dress code and that only “a handful” of repeat incidents have led to disciplinary action, starting with a verbal warning.

Disneyland Resort employees have affixed the buttons to their uniforms in a show of solidarity amid their contract negotiations with the company, which began in late April.

Some 14,000 workers at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney are seeking wage increases to keep up with the cost of living in Southern California and reward senior employees, as well as stronger safety measures and changes to Disney’s attendance policy.

On Wednesday, more than 400 Disneyland Resort staffers rallied outside the main entrance to Disneyland with picket signs bearing phrases such as, “Disney, don’t be the villain” and “Mickey would want fair pay.”

“With today’s rally, we continue to be focused on the wellbeing of our guests and cast members,” Good said in a statement posted on the Disneyland website.

“We remain committed to … reaching an agreement with Master Services that focuses on what matters most to cast members, positions Disneyland Resort for growth and job creation and enables us to continue delivering incredible guest experiences.”

Disneyland Resort employees rally outside the main entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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A key tactic in the unions’ playbook has been engaging with resort guests. This month, workers distributed the forbidden Mickey buttons to park patrons and encouraged them to sign a petition endorsing the unions’ campaign. The petition has amassed more than 10,000 signatures, according to the Master Services Council.

“In this industry …. tourists can be a major source of support for the union to put pressure on the employer,” Narro said. “I think that’s an excellent strategy.”

Ellie Gonzalez, a custodian at California Adventure, said she gets “a lot of compliments” on her union button from guests who approach her with “love and respect.”

“They love my button, and they know what it means,” Gonzalez said. “I’m so appreciative and thankful for that.”

Gonzalez and other workers have expressed frustration with Disneyland Resort management for moving forward with a $1.9-billion expansion while park staffers are seeking higher pay.

“I’m pregnant with twins, so finances is definitely a stressful point for me,” Gonzalez said.