What to Watch This Weekend: Halloween Horror (Possessor, The Cleansing Hour, Blumhouse Movies, Do Not Reply), Once Upon a River, Charm City Kings, Ghostwriter, The Tax Collector

For Horror Fans Looking For A Change of Face - Possessor (Theaters)

Possessor will take control of you and not let go, as it pulls you into this violent, near future story with great acting, realistic effects, and a brutal story.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Ridding Themselves of Inner Demons - The Cleansing Hour (Shudder)

The Cleansing Hour will possess your eyeballs with its entertaining social media exorcism premise, fantastic special effects, and spirited, spiritual performances.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking for a Virtual Trip - Black Box (Amazon)

Black Box takes you on a technological deep dive with strong characters led by the amazing Mamoudou Athie, an intriguing story, and a mental mystery that will keep you guessing.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Obsessed With Social Media - Do Not Reply (Digital)

The unsettlingly perfect sets, convincing acting, and brutal and tense scenarios make Do Not Reply one movie you should swipe right on.  For more information, check out our review!  

For Horror Fans Keeping a Secret - The Lie (Amazon)

The Lie is a suspenseful deception film with stellar acting, a simple setup, and a meaningful ending that elevates the entire experience.  For more information, check out our review!

For Adventure Seekers - Once Upon a River (Virtual Cinema)

Once Upon A River is a beautiful coming of age film with wonderful cinematography and sound, a nuanced strong female lead, and a story with great pace and flow.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Thrill Seekers - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - Ghostwriter Season 2 (Apple TV+)

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Ruthless Family Members - The Tax Collector (Redbox and Digital)

The Tax Collector has some intense characters--headlined by a transofmred Shia LaBeouf--in this ruthless story about family and power.  For more information, check out our review!

Once Upon A River Review: A Beautiful, Flowing Coming of Age

Release date: October 2, 2020
Running time: 92 minutes
Starring: Kenadi DelaCerna, John Ashton, Tatanka Means 

Margo Crane (DelaCerna)'s odyssey on the Stark River introduces her to a world filled with wonders and dangers.  Margo is forced to flee her hometown and survive on her own as a young woman in a hostile area.  She experiences life, hardship, sadness, and kindness as she makes her way down the river and tries to reunite with her estranged mother.

First and foremost, Once Upon a River is a beautiful film.  It is set in Oklahoma in a natural landscape with beautiful nature, wildlife, and the ever present river.  It is a sight to see and one that will intrigue you with it's quiet, thoughtful beauty.  But the film isn't just aesthetically pleasing for the eyes.  Once Upon a River also has wonderful music throughout that does a great job of accentuating the beautiful scenery.  It combines to form a beautiful canvas to paint this river tale.  

Once Upon a River is a coming of age film through and through.  Margo goes through a lot of experiences in her journey and grows as a person throughout.  She goes through some overwhelming circumstances at the start, but this forces her onto the river where she starts to find herself.  Even the painful experiences--and there are some experiences that might be tough for some to watch--on the river and her journey help to steel her resolve and find her purpose.  Along the way she meets many people who both help and hurt her, but most importantly, show her that she can be herself and forge her own path.  It's great to see a strong female lead who can make mistakes and learn from them, and ultimately find her own strength and purpose.  The film has a lot of similarities to Winter's Bone, but with a softer tone and less dire circumstances.  And the film features a wonderful cast of varied characters.  No two people that Margo meets on the river are the same, and they all impact and influence Margo in some way.  And this film and its characters feature a good amount of diversity, from the strong minority lead to many of the characters that you meet along the way.  This film is a picturesque journey of emotion, pain, love, and growth.  And the film concludes this entire journey with a satisfying, fitting ending that highlights just how far Margo has come. 

Once Upon A River is a beautiful coming of age film with wonderful cinematography and sound, a nuanced strong female lead, and a story with great pace and flow.

Watch it.

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Once Upon a River is playing in virtual cinemas across the country.  For more information and for showtimes click here.