Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 89 min.

Director Fede Alvarez made his cinematic debut three years ago with the better-than-expected remake of The Evil Dead. His follow-up is an original tale of a heist gone wrong. While the plot may suggest it’s a thriller or sorts, make no mistake... it is a graphic and distressing horror picture all the way... just not one that features any kind of supernatural scares. Don’t Breathe is definitely gross and at times a little trashy, but it effectively accomplishes its simple goal — to make you feel uncomfortable and unnerved.

The story follows Rocky (Jane Levy), her boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto) and friend Alex (Dylan Minnette). They’re a trio of break-in artists, looking for a big score to help them escape Detroit and their poverty-stricken lives. They think they’ve found it when they learn about a blind, ex-military man (Stephen Lang) who has just come into a massive cash settlement following the death of his daughter in a car crash. He lives alone in a dilapidated old house in a derelict district, making the trio believe that this heist is the one they’ve been waiting for. But soon after arriving, the group comes to the disquieting realization that there are just as many locks on the inside as on the outside.

This movie is fully populated with ethically and morally gray characters. These kids aren’t the nicest lot and are initially difficult to relate to, but a scene or two that shows just how miserable their lives are helps somewhat. And of course, The Blind Man is even more unstable and threatening, leading to a painful game of cat and mouse between the participants. All do their best to succeed, but are consistently stymied. While brutal and ugly throughout, there are just enough winks and a sense of demented joy to the proceedings to keep one curious — since all of these people are deeply flawed, it makes the resolution a little more up-in-the-air than many other films of its genre.

What really helps the film stand out is the skilled visual storytelling. For a little scare picture, there’s some impressive camerawork to behold. Despite the majority of events taking place in a single location, the movie is filled with inspired moves. This includes a lengthy shot early on that explores the home with the characters as they break in. Not only does it heighten tension as it follows the robbers from room to room, but it also establishes the geography for future events in the story. There are unusual and creative angles throughout that really amplify the suspense.

It also helps that so much anxiety is derived from the characters being in such close proximity to the vision-impaired homeowner. They’re often inches away, with the camera holding on the still, fearful characters for lengthy periods of time. A standout sequence involves the power going out, stranding everyone in the dark. Viewers will get to witness a particularly gripping moment as one of the team members fumbles around, very slowly approaching their pursuer in the blackness, without even realizing it.

And special mention must be made about the sound design. This is a movie filled with extended silences, individual floor creaks, characters accidentally making noise, and of course, the very sound of their breathing. Every tiny noise is audible and amplified, suggesting that every little reverberation will give away their position. The movie also features a metallic, clattering score that emphasizes the onscreen squeaks.

Many horror films have at least one big gross-out and this title is no exception. It has a few twists up its sleeve, and a big revelation results in a sequence that is so darn icky it veers dangerously close to tastelessness. Yet one has to concede that it is a completely unique and ultimately memorable horrific moment. As a genre fan, you don’t want a movie’s journey to be predictable. You expect these films to push boundaries, and this effort delivers a disturbing and unsettling shock near the end of its second act.

Don’t Breathe is undeniably pulpy and raw. In the end, there are a couple of things that are a little difficult to buy, and it may be hard to side with the participants, but the technical skills on display are more than apparent. Once the second act begins, the movie delivers about 70 straight minutes of increasingly tense and nutty madness that had me feeling uncomfortable on several occasions. On that basis, mission accomplished. If you’re a horror aficionado, this one delivers solid thrills and chills in equal measure.

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun

SHIPROCK, N.M. - Navajo Police Department Shiprock District is currently attempting to locate convicted felon, Kendale Johnson, 31, who is wanted on a federal arrest warrant for possession of a firearm. Johnson is also a person of interest involving multiple car thefts and home invasions that has occurred within the Shiprock police district.

On July 14 at about 8:25 pm, the Shiprock Police District was engaged in two separate vehicle pursuits in Shiprock, N.M. Johnson is believed to have been in one of the vehicles. The pursuits ended with the occupants abandoning the vehicles, resulting in a foot search of the area which led to the apprehension of five individuals.

The apprehension of the five individuals was the result of a collective effort by multiple agencies who assisted the Shiprock Police District, including the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, who provided aerial support; Navajo Department of Emergency Management drone support; Farmington Police Department K-9 unit; as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and state and federal partners.

A vehicle Johnson is known to drive, a Black Chevy SUV, was one of the vehicles abandoned and recovered. However, Johnson managed to elude capture and remains at large. He has known ties to the Beclabito, Hogback, and Shiprock area, as well as the Dennehotso, Ariz. area. He is known to frequent the Southeast Heights area in Shiprock.

Johnson is 31 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, has brown eyes, black hair that is shaved bald, weighs 150 lbs. and is thin in build. He is Native American and a member of the Navajo tribe. He is considered to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

If you have any information regarding Kendale Johnson, or know of his whereabouts, please call the Navajo Police Department Shiprock District at 505-368-1350 or 505-368-1351.

Congratulations to Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe’s Teacher of the Month, Fern Spencer. Spencer teaches Business and Vocational Office Education classes to 9th-12th grade students at Tohatchi High School.

Tisha Boyd of Camille’s presented Spencer with a basket full of goodies at the school.

“I was surprised. I did not know that this happened, and it was really nice,” Spencer said.

Spencer has been teaching students at Tohatchi for the past 42 years and says it’s the kids that keeps her coming back. Spencer who is half Hopi and half Navajo has lived in the Tohatchi area since 1957.

Her dad, Roy Spencer, moved her family to the area. He was also a teacher and a health educator at Indian Health services. Her mother worked at the dorms of Tohatchi Indian boarding school, Chuska. She calls Tohatchi her home where she grew up having attended both elementary and middle school. She attended high school in Gallup.

When she attended Gallup High School, there was a club called Future Teachers of America, which planted the seed for her to become a teacher.

“I really didn’t think I was going to become a teacher until much later in my educational life but the idea of it stayed with me,” she said. “I really wanted to become an administrative assistance or an administrative secretary.”

She applied for a Navajo scholarship and got it. Then came the decision as to where to go to college.

She decided upon Western New Mexico in Silver City, N.M., in which they had a two year program. Spencer joined the women’s basketball team and enjoyed it not knowing that this stint would prove valuable later on. Instead of two years, she completed four years, receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Business Education.

Shortly after receiving her degree, she came back to Tohatchi after the sudden death of her father. She began working for the tribe for a year until a job opened up at Tohatchi High.

Since then she has been the teacher for business and vocational classes, as well as being the athletic director while coaching basketball, track and field, and cross-country.

Although she wears many hats, Spencer’s passion has been the business and vocational classes – and she is the only teacher in the Gallup McKinley County Schools who has this type of class.

“We use to have it in each of our schools, but not anymore ... and I am the last of these teachers to teach it,” Spencer said. “In the job market today there are many people who are not proficient in how to get a job, and these kids need those skills in order to make it in the field they are going towards. They may not get the chance to go to college, but [if] they do, they at least have the skills to do it.”

In the near future, Spencer and 12 of her students will head off to Albuquerque to compete in a competition called Business Professionals of America, against other schools in contests that consist of: job interview skills, fundamental word processing, advanced word processing and speeches.

Spencer hopes that her students win, and if so, then they hopefully get to head off to Florida for more competitions. It’s these skills that Spencer has seen the rewards in many of her former students.

“Seeing where they go and how they get there is really tremendous. One of my former students is a heart surgeon in Albuquerque; some have become teachers (or) nurses,” she said.

Spencer tells of challenges she faces each day like lack of funds and supplies. She said many teachers end up buying their own supplies. And computers need upgrades, and school trips need funded, she added.

“We use to have silversmith classes, home education, welding, Future Farmers of America,” she said. “Our programs did a lot and it’s too bad that we don’t have them anymore … once I leave there will be no more vocational classes.”

But despite the challenges, she says it’s the kids that keep her coming back and she loves it.

“I enjoy it and the kids I taught in the 70s,” she said. “I’m teaching their kids now, grandkids, too. I like what I do, I guess if I’m still here for the past 42 years.”

“It’s a great career it keeps you young (laughs) ... so to speak, every day is different and you have to want to do this.”

To nominate your favorite teacher, fill out a form at Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe, (505) 722-5017.

Dee Velasco

Rating: ««« out of 4 stars

Running Time: 102 min.

Times are tough, and Hell or High Water is a crime flick that also manages to astutely encapsulate many financial problems (in particular, foreclosures). This is a small but effective crime film that offers plenty of thematic meat between its impressive character interplay. It’s got the vibe of No County For Old Men, with a more straight-forward plot and theme. However the project was conceived, it’s hard to imagine the end result turning out any better.

Toby (Chris Pine) and his ex-con brother Tanner (Ben Foster) are robbers plotting a string of heists through little banks in small towns on the back roads of Texas. On their trail are Texas Rangers Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Parker (Gil Birmingham).

The siblings’ plan is dicey but uniquely thought out; of course, if anything goes off course, the two know it could mean lengthy sentences, or even death. It may sound like a simple plot, but what raises this tale above the norm are the characters and the attention to detail paid by the filmmakers.

It’s a stark effort with great performances across the board. These aren’t simple good guys and bad guys being portrayed; most are more complex and are painted in shades of grey.

Hamilton would be the hero in most films of this genre, but his sense of humor is crotchety and politically incorrect in equal measure. Tanner has a nasty and impulsive streak, yet is consistently loyal and giving to his brother. And while Toby’s bank-robbing acts are criminal, his motivation is relatable, building a future for his financially strapped children. This is the only way the central character can provide for them.

Terrible things happen to good people in the film, and these layered characters add extra dimension to the drama.

And because there’s already so much strife in this story, it makes the stress and anxiety that much more palpable.

The banks are clearly using the poor economy to their advantage, leading to mixed feelings among the public.

Whenever the brothers interact with locals, we’re never sure if these people are going to react with vigilante justice or empathy and encouragement. Some of the robberies result in actions that force the characters to improvise at a moment’s notice.

While the big stars all bring their A-game to the project, just about everyone in the film deserves praise, from the leads down to the supporting cast members who include grumpy restaurant owners and waitresses. All feel authentic in their varied behaviors and mannerisms.

The movie is filled with memorable characters who are consistently interesting to watch.

The widescreen photography is also striking. In many respects, it perfectly captures the literal and figurative conditions for its troubled cast. The towns and streets are filled with boarded-up businesses. They’re bleakly dirty and dust-ridden, highlighting the hard times on an exterior level, as well as matching the sparseness and stark mindsets of the onscreen characters.

The action and violence that occur over the course of the feature are equally quick, austere, and occasionally jarring — adding to the tension.

This is a decidedly low-key movie, but its message is very clear. Big banks are taking advantage of the average citizen, profiting off of their suffering. Desperate times result in desperate people. And when things are at their worst, and the public isn’t properly cared for by the system, many begin taking extreme measures to survive.

Hell or High Water is a small, character-driven film that may take a subtle approach in its story, but its methods don’t make it any less powerful or effective.

By Glenn Kay