Film Illiterate, wherein the proprietor records movies seen, and sporadic progress through assorted lists of the "best". Originally started after regretfully renting something forgettable for the third time. I've forgotten what, but never again! A tedious endeavour since 2005. Hello. 🙂
The elevator pitch is "Die Hard, but a school shooting" and the response to that has been predictable: hand-wringing on the one hand about the tasteless premise (RottenTomatoes critic rating 40%), with others enjoying an action thriller (audience rating 93%).
Zoe (Isabel May), struggling with the loss of her mother to cancer, is in the bathroom when fellow students take the cafeteria hostage (live streaming, naturally) and becomes an unlikely resistance. It's actually pretty good, and for a budget of only $1.5M it's astonishing. Great performances by mostly-unknown actors. I saw some criticism that framing and lighting were only workmanlike, and come on -- there are a handful of great shots, but even without them looking like a competently-shot $15 movie on 10% of the budget is achievement enough.
A very good effort and I'm looking forward to writer/director Kyle Rankin's next.