An energized, funny fever-dream of a movie-- Mikhanovsky & Austen's GIVE ME LIBERTY

I'm not certain I have ever seen a film with more uncorked, knock-your-socks-off energy than that exhibited by GIVE ME LIBERTY, the new made-in-Wisconsin movie from co-writer (with Alice Austen) and director Kirill Mikhanovsky. That energy is so consistent and contagious -- yet somehow not overly insistent -- that it not only disarms you but absolutely pulls you into its all-embracing humor and, finally, emotion.

Mikhanovsky, shown at right, has not exactly come out of nowhere (he was a co-writer on one of last year's most interesting narrative/documentary mashes, Gabriel and the Mountain), but his work here as director/co-writer seems to TrustMovies to be something that he will not easily equal again. His film is often that extraordinary.

Give Me Liberty's "plot" begins with a very long, constantly interrupted bus-ride in which the driver, Vic (a handsome newcomer blessed with quiet charisma, Chris Galust, shown below, right), must bring various special-needs patients to and from their destination.

His passengers, this time, are both expected and not so, with the latter providing much of the movie's grand energy, charm and humor. These, some of whom are shown below, are a bunch of Russian emigres, late for the burial of a dear friend, who cadge Vic into giving them the necessary lift. (There is evidently a large Russian Jewish community in Wisconsin, of which Vic and family are part.)

The film is set in and around a large Wisconsin city on a day when street protests are taking place -- which make the usual travel routes suddenly off-limits and of course add to the film's energy, convulsions, politics and fun. There is one passenger here -- a young lady named Tracy (played by another newcomer, Lauren "Lolo" Spencer, shown above, center, and below) -- whose beauty, needs and problematic situation attract both Vic and us.

The one passenger who really charms the pants off us, however (even as he lies, cheats and steals a bit), is a younger Russian emigre named Dima (a knockout of an actor, Maxim Stoyanov, below), who would be a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actor nomination, if the Academy ever paid proper attention to movies like this one. Mr. Stoyanov is giving what is likely to be the performance of his life; you will not want to miss it.

How all these people -- and a few others I won't have  time to go into -- get where they're going, along with what they do, once they arrive there proves marvelous, and often as moving as it is amusing. We get family scenes, traumatic and hilarious; dancing and singing; artwork that is a beautiful as it is simple; and a wrap-around beginning and ending that offers up the film's most  endearing and moving character, a bed-ridden friend of Vic who provides him and us with some wonderful thoughts and ideas.

Give Me Liberty gets so much so right that I suspect you will forgive its occasional repetition and a running time that's just a tad too long at 111 minutes. When it is working full-throttle, which would be most of its duration, it is so dynamic that you can't -- hell, you won't want to -- look away. And by the by, this is also a bring-us-together movie like you have most probably never seen. It defines diversity without even trying.

From Music Box Films and one of this distributor's most unusual offerings, the movie opens today, Friday, August 23, in New York City at the IFC Center and Brooklyn's BAM Rose Cinema. Next Friday, August 30, look for it in the Los Angeles area at Laemmle's Monica Film Center, Playhouse 7 and Town Center 5.  The film will hit South Florida on Friday, September 13 at the Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale and the Cinema Paradiso in Hollywood. To view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.click here and then scroll down to click on Theatrical Engagements.

The latest contained-space thriller: Salomon/Doganoglu/Weisfeld's FREEZER

What initially seemed different, creepy, promising and fun -- single-room/contai-ned space thrillers such as ATM, Brake, Buried, Devil, Elevator and Vehicle 14 -- is beginning to look a little long in the tooth, as more and movie-makers hop on the band-wagon and threaten to bring this sub-genre to a halt by virtue of the weight of sheer numbers, not to mention content that's looking more and more been-there/done-that. The latest addition to the group is FREEZER (hmmm.... I just noticed, too, that so many of these films sport a single-word title, as though the contained space does not leave room for even a second word), the product of director/cinematographer Mikael Salomon (shown below), and screen-writers Tom Doganoglu and newcomer Shane Weisfeld.

Freezer is efficient, fast-moving and short, with a number of surprises and twists along the way. It's a decent enough time-waster, for sure, but given the number of this kind of movie you may have already seen, it breaks no new ground.

In fact, it gets off to a bit of a rocky start, thanks to its wavering tone. A poor (but awfully sexy) schlub (Dylan McDermott, below) wakes up to find himself bound-arms-and-legs in a meat freezer. He is then assaulted by a couple of nasty Russian mob guys and told that, if he doesn't give back "the money," he'll be killed. You might think that a guy in that position would be non-plussed at best, scared out of his wits at worst. Instead, our "hero" keeps coming back with would-be clever zingers to toss in the face of his captors. This goes on for quite awhile.

Possible spoiler ahead: This silly tonal dissonance makes more sense by the time you've reached the end of the film, but getting into it and buying it all will take a suspension of disbelief lasting too long for many viewers.

Fortunately, Freezer has a number of surprises up its sleeve. These keep coming with enough regularity to hold interest as the movie opens up to include more and more characters, while still taking place in that confounded frozen space.

In addition to the none-too-bright Russian mobsters (one of whom, Andrey Ivchenko, is shown far right, giving our hero a bear hug), as well as Peter Facinelli (below), playing a wounded cop, hot on the trail of the Russian mob.

Most luscious of all, of course, is the mob's gun moll and girlfriend of its leader's son, played by Yuliya Snigir (below, a hottie from Russia who is also a Chess Master, last seen over here in A Good Day to Die Hard).

Everyone does a creditable job, given the twists and turns they're asked to make, and I suspect that, even if you're a regular fan of movies like this, you won't quite have figured it all out until the conclusion. Even then, however, you may be likely to ask, "So what?"

Freezer, from Anchor Bay Films and running just 82 minutes  opens this Friday, January 17, in Los Angeles at Laemmle's NoHo 7. It will make its Blu-ray/DVDebut, as well as appearing on VOD, the following Tuesday, January 21.

Sex trafficking, again, via Yan Vizinberg's bizarre, two-hander road-trip -- CARGO

Who are these people? Usually, in movies about the sex trafficking trade, that question is asked regarding the nasty, brutish men who first kidnap and then abuse and finally destroy or sell their captive women. In Yan Vizinberg's new "take" on the trade, CARGO, the question is asked once again -- but this time not about these vicious guys (we're clearly growing used to them) but about the pair of characters who becomes the focal point of the movie: the young, kidnapped and, yes, abused Russian girl and the Egyptian Muslim driver who is transporting her from Mexico to her "buyer" in Brooklyn.

Mr. Vizinberg, shown at left, doesn't give us anything new in his opening scenes. If you've seen even one of these sex-trafficking films (from the much-better Trade to the more recent The Whistleblower), you'll know exactly what's going on each step of the way. And perhaps you'll be surprised that our heroine (played by Natasha Rinis, below) is so utterly clueless. Well, she does appear to be a sheltered mama's girl with little experience of the world. Still, hasn't she seen a movie or two along the way? Every move she makes, initially, at least, seems about as dumb as they come.

Ditto her driver (Sayed Badreya, below) whose first on-screen moment of importance indicates some decency to the character -- which would go against every other man we've seen so far. How, we wonder did he get a job with these people? All right: We don't quite believe these two from the get-go, but, hey -- let's give 'em a chance. We do. And they blow it. Repeatedly.

At this point, I should make clear that it is not the performances at fault here. Ms Rinis and Mr. Badreya do all they can with their really too-silly characters. The blame must fall on Vizinberg, who both wrote (pretty badly) and directed (a lot better) the movie. He has created false characters and then, in attempting to make them truer, made them even less believable. Once the girl and the driver begin unburdening themselves of their history, we begin question-ing things even more. Then, a little later, they unburden all over again -- at which point viewer manipulation goes off the charts, leading to a finale that wins the ludicrous award for the season.

The only other character of note in the film is the villain, played by Phillip Willingham (above) with proper, hiss-able relish. The film ends with yet another meaningless statistic on the number of incidents of sex trafficking each year. We don't need another statistic. We need one truthful, well-told tale of sex-trafficking. Trade, despite some faults, came closest, and that was nearly five years ago (it made its debut at Sundance in 2007). It's time for another, but Cargo isn't up to the task.

The film opened yesterday here in New York City at the Quad Cinema.  I can find no other currently scheduled theatrical playdates, but perhaps a DVD (or some streaming) is in the offing.