Friday, February 14, 2025

Captain America: Brave New World

My View:  Captain America: Brave New World  (2025)  PG-13  In Captain America: Brave New World, following the election of Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) as President of the United States, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) now holds the mantle of Captain America. Sam finds himself at the center of an international incident that could threaten the world and must work to stop the true masterminds behind it. My father (a professor and playwright) always said that the film had trouble if you see more than three writers in the credits, and this one has five. That’s very evident in this film, where scenes seem to be stuck together by bubble gum and baling wire. Sam is trying to figure out how to be Captain America without damaging the very large shadow that Steve Rodgers left. Along the way, Sam has to decide whether to trust new President Ross or go on his own. Since the trailer and the poster give it away, it takes a heck of a long time for us to see Red Hulk and I think you will be disappointed in the showdown between Captain and Red Hulk. The film's roots are in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, which starred Edward Norton as Banner/Hulk, Liv Tyler as his love intrest/scientist Betty Ross, and William Hurt as General Thaddeus Ross. With Harrison Ford now playing Ross (for the late William Hurt), we get a lot of playbacks from that film, including Liv Tyler showing up in a phone call to daddy Ross. Now I love Tim Blake Nelson as an actor, but his villain is another in a recent line of villains that don’t work on screen. I was pretty bored by the film, notwithstanding that I enjoyed some of the action sequences, but they seemed like filler between lots of talking about duty and country. And yes, there is a post-credit sequence at the end of all the credits, giving us a really weak taste of what is coming for the next MCU films. Maybe instead of doing a bunch of reshoots, Marvel should take a few years off and rethink everything.   My Rating: Cable  Captain America: Brave New World Website   Now playing theatres nationwide.

Familyfaire Paddington in Peru  (2024)  PG   Paddington in Peru tells the story of Paddington when he receives a letter from his Aunt Lucy from her retirement home in Peru, saying that she deeply misses him. Paddington and the Browns travel to Peru to cheer up Aunt Lucy, only to find she is missing and has left a map that might be a clue of where she is. Now, Paddington must go on a journey into the Peruvian jungle to find his aunt and bring her back. I am a huge Paddington fan (I made Paddington 2 one of my top 10 films of 2018), and I am happy to say that while not quite up to the first two films, Paddington in Peru is still a delight for all. As usual, Paddington is still getting into all sorts of trouble, always with a great attitude and often with a thank you after causing some ruckus. This time, Paddington and his beloved Brown family are on an adventure in Peru. What I love about this series is that it doesn’t talk down to kids, that they, as the audience, are asked to follow along and root for the marmalade-loving little bear. The good-feeling humor works for both kids and adults. Paddington in Peru is a fun and funny film that has a lot of action sequences to keep the smaller ones happy and a few twists and turns in the plot to keep the older kids interested. Adults will be pleased with the rather substantial and humorous roles played by Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas. So, put on your hat and coat and join our little Paddington on an adventure that you won’t soon forget.  My View: Full Price   Paddington in Peru Website  Now playing in theaters.

My ViewBridget Jones: Mad About the Boy  (2025) R   In Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, it’s been four years since Bridget’s (Renée Zellweger) beloved husband, Mark, died, and she is still trying to figure out how to navigate life as a widow and a mother of two. With the assistance of family, friends, and perhaps an app or two, Bridget is ready to get back into dating in this new world. Are we certain that the world is ready? I loved the first two movies, Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) and Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason (2004). I wasn't as impressed with the third film, Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), but perhaps I was missing Hugh Grant too much. We now get a fourth installment, and this time, there isn’t a Mr. Darcy, as Mark has died, and Bridget is raising their two kids alone (with a lot of input from her friends). I have always loved Renée Zellweger, from her early roles in Empire Records and The Whole Wide World to her breakout hit Jerry Maguire to her Oscar-winning roles in Cold Mountain and Judy. What this film does really well is give Zellweger the space and the spotlight to have fun in the role again. There is a fantastic scene near the middle of the film when she is back producing a TV show and, in a rehearsal, takes the place of a singer so that the lighting people can practice for the show. Zellweger goes all out in that scene, dancing up a storm and having fun, so much so that it is infectious. Do we miss Mr. Darcy? Sure we do. But the film knows that and lets us grieve a bit before Bridget goes all out in the dating world and once again she will have to choose between two suitors. I hope this is the last Bridget Jones film in the series because it’s an excellent send-off of a character we have loved for all her kookiness and smart-aleck thoughts.  My Rating: Full Price  Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Website  Now playing on the Peacock platform.

My ViewThe Gorge  (2025)   PG-13  The Gorge is about two elite snipers (Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller) assigned to a mysterious mission: guarding a deep and seemingly impenetrable gorge. They are in guard towers on opposite ends of the gorge, forbidden from contacting each other and not knowing what actually lies beneath them. I liked the first hour of this film, which is a romance with a bit of action. The film does a great job of giving us insight into both characters, who kill for a living and are haunted by it. By utilizing high-powered binoculars and printing out large notes for each other to see across the vast expanse of the gorge, they begin flirting with one another. The second half of the film is all action, with the two fighting off evil forces. The second half of the film feels as if it was filmed on an old Star Trek set from the 60s, and the action sequences make you keep wanting to know how much ammunition these two can actually carry. I would have enjoyed this film more if they had gone a more conventional route rather than the Sci-Fi/horror way that the film turns. It’s too bad because Taylor-Joy and Teller have great chemistry, and sparks fly every time they look at each other across the gorge. It's a shame that the scary parts had to show up.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Gorge Website Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform.

My View La Dolce Villa  (2025)  In La Dolce Villa, successful business executive Eric (Scott Foley) travels to Italy when his daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) buys a villa for next to nothing. The only problem is that the villa is in horrible shape, and Eric has little time to convince his daughter to return to the States. That and the town’s mayor, Francesca (Violante Placido), is single and interested in Eric. La Dolce Villa is your typical romantic film where the widower falls for a local while dealing with his wayward daughter. The film is a little light on a storyline, but the Italian scenery and the chemistry between Placido and Foley works. I was surprised that the daughter’s romance never became a plot point. This is a lovely romance that you can watch once and move on to the next one. My Rating: Bargain Maintee  La Dolce Villa Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My ViewSly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) (2025)  The documentary Sly Lives! focuses on the life and legacy of Sly Stone, who, along with his group Sly and the Family Stone, was one of the most popular groups of the 60s/70s. Sly rose to the top, only to fade out due to Stone’s drug use and continued erratic behavior, which he never completely recovered from. The director of the film, Questlove, won an Oscar in 2022 for his documentary Summer of Soul. I remember seeing Sly and the Family Stone performances on TV, and the band’s high energy stage show was one of the highlights of the documentary Woodstock, where they had the giant crowd in the palm of Sly’s very large keyboard-playing hands. I also remember when Sly got married in 1974 in Madison Square Garden and thinking, ‘huh, he’s still around?’ The film celebrates the genius of Sly, who, from his early days as a radio disc jockey, also produced bands from English rock to Motown. And then he started his own band. It was unusual because it had a mix of Black and White musicians, as well as female musicians in critical roles, such as keyboards and trumpets. Sly and the Family Stone were huge hitmakers in the late 60s and early 70s, filling auditoriums and stadiums with their music. Then, the pressure of being an enormous star got the better of Sly, and it all started falling apart. The documentary does an incredible job of letting us get to know the man through interviews with both Sly (all done in the past) with interviews with not only his band members but also his many romantic partners, his kids, and artists like George Clinton, André 3000, and Chaka Khan. Even if you don’t know who Sly was, you know his songs, as they show up in commercials and movies all the time, along with all the songs that hip-hop and rap artists have sampled. Now it’s time to get to know a man who, for a while, was one of the most creative and popular musical artists in the world.   My Rating: Full Price  Sly Lives! Website      Now playing on the Hulu platform. 

Forgotten Film:  Maurice  (1987) R  Two English university students, Maurice (James Wilby) and Clive (Hugh Grant) find themselves falling for each other. They go their separate ways to keep their place in society, with Clive marrying Anne (Phoebe Nicholls). While visiting the married couple, Maurice discovers a new love, Alec (Rupert Graves), a gamekeeper. Maurice is a film from the team of Merchant and Ivory (Remains of the Day, A Room with a View, Howard End), and as usual, the cinematography and set designs are stunning. Grant gives the best performance of the two very early in his career, and we can see why he was destined to be a star. The film is helped by a stellar supporting cast, including Ben Kingsley, Simon Callow, Billie Whitelaw, and Denholm Elliott. While not one of Merchant/Ivory’s best, watching a very young Hugh Grant find his acting chops is still fun.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Maurice Info    The film is available to buy/rent on many online servers. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Captain America: Brave New World: Stunt Office Assistant 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:   Novocaine (2025) R Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) has finally found the courage to ask Amber Midthunder out, and their date was incredible. Now, right in front of Nathan’s eyes, the bank that she works at is held up, and she is taken hostage. What’s a guy to do but go to her rescue? What her kidnappers don’t know is that Nathan has a condition where he is incapable of feeling pain. He’s going to need it to get her back.  The trailer is a blast, so I hope this film matches that fun.  Novocaine Website   The film will be in theaters on Friday, March 14, 2025.  

Until Next Time!




Friday, February 7, 2025

Love Hurts

My View:  Love Hurts  (2025)  R  In Love Hurts, Marvin (Ke Huy Quan) is a former hitman who has left his violent past for a much quieter life. Rose (Ariana DeBose), a partner Marvin thought was dead, has suddenly turned up and has some news that will turn Marvin’s quiet life into a full out battle to protect his future. I wanted to like this film, and for a while, I did. The action sequences are fun, with plenty of close-quarter flights that are inventive and fun to watch. The problem is the script has no clue what to do between the fights. The romance between Marvin and Rose is almost forgotten, with some horrible and clunky voice-overs telling us what they are thinking about each other, which brings the film to a full stop. I do not know who this film is for, as action fans are going to be bored with all the dialogue, and romance fans will be let down by the non-existent chemistry between the two leads. I wanted a role to give Ke Huy Quan something he could work with, but this film isn’t it.  My Rating; Cable  Love Hurts Website Now playing in theaters. 

My ViewHeart Eyes (2025)  R  In Heart Eyes, for the past few years, the “Heart Eyes Killer” has stalked and murdered couples out on the most romantic day of the year...Valentine’s Day. The killer mistakes two coworkers (Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding) for a couple and sets out to make them the next victims. Can they survive this night of romance? Heart Eyes is a hard film to describe. Not as silly as horror comedies like the Scary Movie series and not quite as serious as a film like the first Scream. Heart Eyes combines a slasher film with a rom-com. The thing is that this film works, playing off of both genres. We have all seen the rom-com plots where the two destined lovers don’t like each other at first, as one feels threatened that they could lose their job to the new hotshot that rides into town. However, what makes this different is that there is a serial killer who is targeting romantic couples. Our two coworkers go to a fancy restaurant to discuss the job they need to complete and are mistaken for a couple. Now, our killer decides this couple is the next target, and the game of survival is on. The film is a blast to watch as it plays with the rom-com troupes along with all the slasher gore that goes along with that genre. Holt and Gooding have great chemistry and are helped by some good comedic timing. The plot is fun to follow, and there are a few twists that keep the film moving. Heart Eyes a film that has fun with what it is, and we have a great time watching it all come together in one big, bloody Valentine’s mess.   My Rating: Full Price  Heart Eyes Website  Now playing in theaters.

Indiefest I’m Still Here  (2024) PG-13  I’m Still Here takes place in 1971, when Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and critic of the Brazilian military dictatorship, is taken from his home by government officials, never to be heard of again. His wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), seeks to find out what happened to her husband while trying to keep her family going. This is the story of a woman and her family who fought for years to discover what happened. Fernanda Torres gives us a magical performance of a woman who won’t quit, no matter the odds or the difficulty. Torres gives us a woman who shows her emotions in her face but has a backbone that is stronger than the forces that try to wear her down. I'm Still Here a film that shows us a family in turmoil kept together by a woman who refuses to give in and is worthy of the multiple Oscar nominations . That the film is based on a true story and we see the photographs of the actual family at the end of the film makes the impact even stronger. My Rating: Full Price  I'm Still Here Website Now playing in select theaters.

My View Kinda Pregnant (2025) R  Kinda Pregnant is the story of Lainy (Amy Schumer), who, after seeing how her best friend is getting all the attention, pretends to be pregnant by putting on a fake baby bump. Things are looking up, but wouldn’t you know it? Lainy then meets the man of her dreams. As a fan of comedian Amy Schumer and the fact that I loved her in Trainwreck (2015), I was looking forward to this film. Schumer stars and co-wrote the movie, which is unfunny from start to finish. From the beginning of the film, when Schumer’s Lainy is convinced that her boyfriend of many years will pop the question, only to hit with the fact that he wants to do a threesome, this film falls flat from the beginning. I found the scenes with Schumer as a teacher to be the most uncomfortable and un-funniest, but then again, the scene where she goes to a yoga session for pregnant women, where farts are part of the comedy, might be the low point. Forte and Schumer have a couple of fun moments as a couple interested in each other, but they are few and far between the unfunny comedy of Schumer constantly falling on her stomach with the fake pillow that keeps asking us to laugh at things that just aren’t funny.  My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See It Again  Kinda Pregnant Website Now playing on the Netflix platform.

IndiefestNo Other Land  (2024)   No Other Land is a documentary that follows a young Palestinian activist who has been protesting the displacement of his people by the Israeli military. As the military and settlers keep encroaching near his town, the activist makes friends with an Israeli journalist who is trying to publicize the tearing down of Palestinian homes by Israeli soldiers. No Other Land is a first-hand account of what it is like to be Palestinian in the West Bank as Israeli forces take more and more land from Palestinians, using the excuse that the land is needed for Army maneuvers, all the while, Israeli settlers build homes on the land that the Army has bulldozed. We follow a young activist who makes friends with an Israeli journalist as the two try to document what is going on and show the world. A world that too often turns a blind eye to what is happening. This is a hard film to watch, as we see two times when unarmed Palestinians are shot by the Israeli Army, all because they protest the taking of their land and homes. No Other Land is a moving piece of filmmaking where we see elementary schools being demolished, homes being destroyed without notice, and the taking of way of life by a superior force. Nominated for an Academy Award, No Other Land makes a powerful statement that the world should be paying attention to, no matter what side you are on.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  No Other Land Website  Now playing in select theaters.

IndiefestArmand  (2024)  R  In Armand, Elisabeth (Renate Reinsve) is summoned to the school of her six-year-old son Armand over an incident. Elisabeth soon comes to the realization that her son is being accused of something far more serious than just a fight between two schoolboys. Renate Reinsve gives a powerful performance of a woman who feels that the world is against her, and in this case, it is. Elisabeth is not well-liked at the school and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the parents. She is a feisty woman who has to battle a system that seems to be judging before all the facts have been presented. This is a film where things are revealed in drips, where we, along with Elisabeth, have to piece together not only what her son is being accused of but also if the accusations are true. Armand has a few places in the story that slow it down, but Reinsve gives us a performance where we want to see where she is going to take her character and if Elisabeth can figure out everything before the end of the film.  My Rating: Full Price Armand Website  Now playing in select theaters.

Forgotten FilmFracture  (2007)  R  Ted (Anthony Hopkins) discovers that his wife is having an affair and shoots her. He signs a confession and then asks the court to represent himself. Willy (Ryan Gosling) is a hotshot lawyer about to go into private practice. Willy is convinced that this case will be a slam dunk, something he can leave the office with his head held high. The slam-dunk case becomes one where Willy knows Ted is guilty, but now the deck is stacked against him as evidence is lost, including the murder weapon. Facture is a fantastic and slick courtroom drama where twists and turns happen every few minutes. Hopkins is great as a man who is convinced he can get out of anything and Gosling is perfect as the lawyer who sees his career hopes slipping away as the trial goes on.   My Rating: Full Price  Fracture Info  The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and Apple TV+.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Love Hurts:  Lamp Crew

Coming Soon to a Screen Near YouThe Monkey  (2025)  R  Twin brothers, Hall and Bill, are haunted by a mechanical toy monkey they owned when they were young. When played, the monkey bangs on a drum, and when the drumming stops, it means that someone close by will die. The boys hid the monkey, and now, as adults, the monkey is back. The film is based on a short story by Stephen King and is directed by Osgood Perkins, who gave us last year’s horror hit LonglegsThe Monkey Website  The film is in theaters on Friday, February 21, 2025. 

Until Next Time!




Friday, January 31, 2025

You're Cordially Invited

My View: You’re Cordially Invited  (2025)  R  In You’re Cordially Invited, Margot (Reese Witherspoon) is planning her sister’s wedding, and Jim (Will Ferrell) is the father of another bride-to-be. They discover their destination weddings are double-booked, so they decide to share the venue. What could go wrong? How about everything? You’re Cordially Invited is a film that, with the cast it has, should be much funnier and happier than it ends up being. The story is about two miserable people who expect too much from others to be happy in the moment. This is more of a raunchy comedy than a rom-com, though it tries very hard to put Ferrell and Witherspoon into the romantic side by the end of the film, but it feels like the film is vastly overstepping that outcome. Most of the comedy falls flat, and the much-anticipated alligator scene (see the poster) is incredibly forced into really bad slapstick. There were too many times in this film that I wanted to go ‘don’t go there’ to director/writer Nicholas Stoller, but he kept pushing the film along with one cringy scene after another. Let’s put it this way, I never want to hear the old Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers song “Islands in the Stream" ever again. By the way, you can stay and listen to Ferrell/Witherspoon and the rest of the cast sing the song again and again during the credits. I wanted to scream 'Please stop singing!"  My Rating: Cable  You're Cordially Invited Info  Now playing on Prime Video. 

My ViewCompanion  (2025)  R  In Companion, Iris (Sophie Thatcher) meets a dashing young man named Josh (Jack Quaid) at a grocery store. Josh talks Iris into a weekend getaway on his country estate, but there she learns an extraordinary thing: she is a sophisticated human companionship doll at Josh’s command. If it’s up to Iris, it won’t be for long. I had no idea what I was getting into, other than (spoiler alert, not really, it’s in the trailer) that Iris is a companion robot. I immediately figured out the first twist, but the rest took me for a fun ride. Companion is a suspense film with murder and mayhem, along with a dash of romance. The film paints itself into a corner that it has trouble getting out of, but it’s a twisted, fun story that gets a little bloody along the way. Sophie Thatcher has a blast playing Iris, someone we can root for, while also having a few laughs and a lot of shocks along the way. Just a warning: this film might change how you look at the ‘meet cute’ scenes in movies.   My Rating: Full Price   Companion Website    Now playing in theaters. 

IndiefestLove Me  (2024) R    Love Me is a post-apocalyptic romance in which a buoy and a satellite start communicating with each other and decide to explore what it would be like to be human. They both pick human forms (Kristen Stewart and Steven Yuen) and find that they are falling for each other. Love Me is a very strange love story that occasionally works, but most of the time, it seems to be a film that can’t find where it wants to go. Part sci-fi film, part romance with characters played first by a buoy and a satellite, then animated characters, and finally by human forms. The film explores the question of how we love, laugh, and experience life. The problem for our two characters is that they only have what was on the internet to help them figure out how to become a couple. I found the first 30 minutes to be the most interesting, as the two machines slowly develop a relationship. Once the two become animated in a weird world where they recreate a date over and over, the film slows down too much. When the two separate and explore how they see life and love on their own, the final third of the movie suffers. The ideas that the characters explore are probably too complex for two machines to find the answers to. By the end of the movie, I was uninterested in what happened to the two characters as I had lost interest in their attempts to become human long before they did.    My Rating: Cable  Love Me Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My ViewValiant One  (2024) R  In Valiant One, a mission goes bad when a U.S. Army helicopter crashes in North Korean territory.  Now, a team of non-combat specialists must try to make it back to the South Korean side before being caught. The team is led by Captain Brockman (Chase Stokes) who isn’t too pleased to be taken off his desk duty to lead a bunch of reservists to fix a monitoring device placed near the DMZ. After their helicopter crashes, the team comes to the realization that they are in enemy territory and that no one will rescue them. It’s up to Brockman and his team to find a way back to the border before the North Koreans can find them. The cast is forgettable, with the exception of Lana Condor, who plays Specialist Selby, who becomes the sounding board for Brockman and is a kind of jack-of-all-trades type of soldier. Condor gives the film a badly needed spark when she is on screen. The film is more of your typical escape from the bad guys while dealing with the inner turmoil of a crew that didn’t think they would ever be in danger.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Valiant One Website    Now playing in theaters. 

Familyfaire:  
Dog Man  (2025)  PG  Dog Man takes place when a human police officer named Knight and his dog partner Greg are injured together in an accident. A life-saving surgery puts Greg’s head on top of Knight’s body, and Dog Man is born. The film is based on the beloved and popular graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey and is directed by Peter Hastings, best known for writing over 70 episodes of the animated TV show Animaniacs. While not as over the top as Animaniacs was, this is an irreverent animated comedy that fans of the books will love, and parents will find some of the jokes funny, too. I loved the animation, which was lively and colorful. The characters are fun, with Lil Rel Howery’s Chief stealing every scene he is in. The film is fast-paced and features a lot of action sequences to keep small children engaged. Overall, Dog Man is an enjoyable film that kids will love, and parents won’t be too bored. There is a short The Bad Guys film at the beginning of Dog Man which doesn’t do a lot, but is harmless fun. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dog Man Website  The film is now in theaters.
Forgotten Film
Into the Wild  (2007)  R Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) graduates from college as an honor student. He gives away all his possessions and money and takes off for the West Coast, then heads up to Alaska, armed with a sleeping bag and a few books on how to survive in the wilderness. Along the way, he meets people who impact his life. Directed by Sean Penn and based on a true story, this is a strange film that, while it has some fantastic performances, doesn’t quite tell the story in a way that makes the impact the ending should make. Still, there are some brilliant performances of the people that Christopher meets on his travels, including Hal Holbrook, Kristen Stewart, and Vince Vaughn.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee The film is available to buy/rent on most streaming services.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Companion: Facial Hair Fabricator 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near YouMickey 17  (2025)  R  Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is unhappy with his life, so he signs up to be an ‘expendable’, a disposable crew member on a space mission. As an expendable, Mickey is given dangerous tasks because he can be ‘renewed’ if he dies. Two problems: He renews with his memories intact, and something has gone wrong, and now there are two Mickeys. From Academy Award winner Bong Joon-ho (Parasite).  Mickey 17 Website The film will be in theaters on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Until Next Time! 




Friday, January 24, 2025

Presence

My View:  Presence (2024) R    Presence is about husband Chris (Chris Sullivan), his wife Rebecca (Lucy Liu), and their siblings Ty (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang), who are moving into a 100-year-old house. From the very first moments in the house, the family is convinced that they are not alone, nor is everything alright with this family. Presence, directed and shot by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, is shown to us through the eyes of the 'presence', a ghost or entity that inhabits the house. The film takes place entirely from inside the house, as we see what the ‘presence’ sees, experience only the conversations they are in the room for, or when the action takes place outside, through the home’s windows. The film opens with the house empty and the ‘presence’ going through the house, room by room. Soon, we are visited by a real estate agent and a family of four. Right from the start, we feel the tension coming from the family members, from the father, who has reservations about buying the house, but his wife demands they make a bid on it right then, to the brother and sister, who apparently have no choice in the matter. Presence is a film where we get bits and pieces of the family’s life, and we discover that this family has a lot of problems, so much so that it could break the family up. Chloe is the only family member at the beginning who senses a ‘presence’ in the house, and we see that the ‘presence’ has also taken an interest in her. While a ghost story, this is more of a mystery film, where we have to put things together by observing and listening to the family as they go about living in the home. The question is, can you put all the pieces together before the family does, and will the ‘presence’ have a role in that? I loved this film and enjoyed trying to figure out where it was going to go. I want to warn you that some moviegoers had a difficult time watching the movie due to the unnerving way it was shot. I found it riveting.  My Rating: Full Price  Presence Website    Now playing in select theaters. 

My View Flight Risk (2025)   In Flight Risk, a small plane pilot (Mark Wahlberg) is transporting an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As the flight traverses the Alaskan wilderness, tensions rise, and it becomes clear that everyone on board is not who they seem. So I saw the ads for this film, and they stated, “From the director of Brave Heart.” Uh, they don’t mention the name in the ad, but that would be Academy Award winner Mel Gibson. Now, please take a look at the poster for the film. Our star, Mark Wahlberg, looks all tough and hunky in that picture. However, he’s the bad guy of the film and isn’t close to being hunky. A gum-chewing loudmouth who is anything but hunky. He has a giant bald spot and seems to have cut himself a couple of times. Flight Risk could have been something, but the dialogue spells everything out for you, the camera work, full of closeups to give us tension that never develops, and a heroine who is one of the worst marshals the movies have ever seen make this film seem much longer than a 90-minute flight. The film is so sloppy that every cut-away to the plane flying over the Alaskan mountains, the aircraft is either banking on a turn or descending. That's a problem when they make sure we know the plane in all those cut-aways is on auto-pilot, meaning it's flying straight and level. The ending attempts to be dramatic and offer our hero, the marshal, a chance to redeem themselves, but it's too late. By then, I wished they had crashed into the seemingly endless mountains they had kept crossing.  My Rating: Cable  Flight Risk Website  Now playing in theaters. 
Indiefest: Inheritance (2025)  R   Inheritance is about Maya (Phoebe Dynevor), who has endured a rough year that includes the loss of her mother. Her estranged father, Sam (Rhys Ifans), arrives and proposes a trip to Egypt, which she accepts. Little does she know her father was once a spy and has given her a key to an international conspiracy everyone wants. Maya becomes a target and must quickly learn her father’s skills, or she will not survive. Inheritance is a film where our heroine travels from country to country, trying to find a way to help her father, while not knowing who to trust, including the father she is trying to save. The film was shot on an iPhone and on location in countries around the world. Interestingly, the film follows Maya as she travels, including scenes in stores and on streets, where everyone but Dynevor and the small crew were not in on that a movie was being made. The plot may be flimsy, but Dynevor is engaging as Maya, a young woman who relies on her wits and instincts to survive. Dynevor commands our attention and we root for Maya almost from the start of the film. The action sequences are well done, especially a motorcycle chase down some very narrow and busy streets. The intriguing camera work and Phoebe Dynevor's performance make Inheritance worth watching. Just try not to think too much about some of the plot holes that keep popping up. The scenery will change soon to keep your mind off of it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Inheritance Website  Now playing in theaters.
My View:  Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)  PG-13    Star Trek: Section 31 starts when there is a threat unlike anything Star Fleet has seen suddenly appears. Who do they turn to in saving the galaxy, giving them a command of a black ops crew? Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). I am a big fan of Michelle Yeoh, and I enjoyed her role as Georgiou on the TV series Star Trek: Discovery, as we never knew what her character was going to do or say. We knew that most of the time, whatever Georgiou had up her sleeve, it was putting herself first before anyone else. As a Star Trek fan, I was excited that they were going to let Georgiou be the center of a film. Boy, was I let down by this film. I think the biggest problem with this film is that it goes against every other Star Trek movie/series that has come before it. The core of Star Trek has always been to strive for excellence, follow the rules, and assist as many people as possible while exploring the vastness of space. Section 31 is a ragtag group of misfits allowed to break all the rules because if they get caught, Starfleet will not acknowledge them. Add to that the idea that, except for Georgiou, we have no idea who any of the crew members are or what their capabilities are from the start. We get thrown into the mix, and before we can get to know the characters, fights break out, explosions happen, and we spend a lot of time watching the crew fight both bad guys and among themselves. The film seems to think that bigger explosions and lots of fights are better than what Star Trek fans love about the series. Star Trek has always been about characters who are people (of all races and kinds) who we can relate to and care about. I didn’t care about any of these characters except for Georgiou and she never seemed to figure out what she wanted either.   My Rating: Cable  Star Trek: Section 31 Website   Now playing on the Paramount+ platform. 
Forgotten Film: The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)   In the 1930s, a Berlin doctor moved to the Galapagos Islands to escape the world and its ongoing problems. The issue is that other couples followed suit a few years later, and they did not get along. This is a tale of sex, bad behavior, and possible murder. The film uses extensive footage that was shot by the couples, along with letters and books that they wrote. The film also interviews people who live on the island, letting us into a world that seems all too strange. There is even a silent film that was shot on the island, using the people who were living there at the time as actors. The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden is a fascinating documentary that provides few answers. However, in this day and age of crime podcasts and streaming documentaries on murderers that come out every week, this is a perfect documentary to watch and try to piece together what happened. My Rating: Full Price  The Galapagos Affair Info  Available to buy/rent on Amazon and Apple TV+.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Inheritance: Audio Description Narrator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near YouI’m Still Here  (2024)  PG-13  In 1971, Rubens Paiva, a former congressman and critic of the Brazilian military dictatorship, is taken from his home by government officials, never to be heard of again. His wife, Eunice (Fernanda Torres), seeks to find out what happened to her husband while trying to keep her family going. Based on a true story, the film has three Academy Award nominations: Best International Feature Film, Best Motion Picture of the Year, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in Fernanda Torres.  I'm Still Here Website   The film will be in theaters on Friday, February 7, 2025.

Until Next Time!





Friday, January 17, 2025

Wolf Man

My View:  Wolf Man  (2025) R  In Wolf Man, Blake’s (Christopher Abbott) and his wife Charlotte’s (Julia Garner) marriage is falling apart. Blake inherits his childhood home, a remote house in rural Oregon, after his father disappears and is presumed dead. Blake takes the family, including his young daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth), to his father’s home to get away from it all. An unseen animal attacks Blake, and as the night progresses, he transforms into something unimaginable. So we all know the lore of what happens when a wolfman bites you…you turn into one. So when Blake, at the time a candidate for father of the year, gets bitten by a creature, we all know what is coming. The problem with this film is that we also know what is coming after that turn, and that’s the problem with this film. It takes a creative bit of writing and turns it into a normal and not too scary horror film. I enjoyed they used primarily practical effects, such as going old school in the transformation. I was never scared during the film, even during its opening sequence, when we see Blake as a kid with his father having to deal with their own wolfman while out deer hunting. It’s too bad because I had high hopes for this film since it is from Leigh Whannell, who gave us the very creative 2020 film The Invisible Man. Wolf Man spent a lot of time building up the monster but never delivered the goods, much like when the wolf man gave out a cry into the night that was more of a yip that a mighty howl.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Wolf Man Movie Now playing in theaters. 
The Brutalist (2024)  R   The Brutalist begins in the aftermath of WWII when visionary architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) flee post-war Europe to restart their lives. When László begins working for a wealthy client, Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), he little realizes how much his life will change. Director Brady Corbet brings us a tale of greed, art, and sacrifice. It’s a story where artistic vision clashes with new world money, with both sides unwilling to back down. László Toth is an architect who left his wife behind to find freedom and maybe even fame in America. He is an artist who sculpts with buildings, creating incredible structures that dazzle the heart and mind. Harrison Van Buren is a wealthy man who wants to build a tribute to himself in his hometown. It’s a monument to a man whose ego is almost as big as László’s, but the difference is that László has talent. Harrison only has money to back up his ego. This is a film that spans years, as we follow László through some tough times until he is given what becomes his cross to bear, Harrison’s massive building. László is not a perfect man. His and his wife's experiences in the Holocaust haunt him, causing him to develop a heroin addiction to numb the past. Adrien Brody gives us a powerful performance of a man tortured by both the past and the present as Harrison keeps changing the plans for the building, cutting costs. Brody's performance is extraordinary, full of fire and wonder, but also filled with heartbreak and sorrow. He is a man consumed by his work and nothing else. Brody is matched by Guy Pearce, who portrays Harrison, a man who is certain that his vision for greatness is always right, no matter what the facts tell him. Pearce gives us a man who likes to push people to the edge and has no problem with those people if they fall off that ledge as long as he gets his way. Their scenes together are a master class in acting, chess-like, with one making a move that is countered by the other. Brady Corbet has given us an epic film following a man on a journey to achieve what only he can imagine and who will do anything to make it come true.  Note: This film is 3 hours and thirty-five minutes long, not including the 15-minute intermission at around the two-hour mark. I have seen a host of films that have been extremely long in 2024, and many have felt their length. This film never felt long while I was watching it in a theater. It is that captivating.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Brutalist Website Now playing in select theaters. 

IndiefestThe Room Next Door (2024)  PG-13  The Room Next Door is about two women, Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton), who were best friends when they were younger. Having lost touch, Ingrid is surprised when Martha reaches out to meet her. It seems Martha has something she wants to ask Ingrid to help her do. That something is to go on a trip that Martha plans on not returning from forever. The Room Next Door is the first English language film from the acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, known for such films as Pain and Glory (2019), The Skin I Live in (2011), Volver (2006), Talk to Her (2002) and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down (1989). What would you do if an old friend from the past, someone you haven’t seen in a while, wanted you to be there when they died? And the death would not be a natural one. That is the dilemma that Ingrid has when Martha asks her to come to a remote rental home and stay with her until she takes a pill that will cause her death. The Room Next Door is a film that allows two gifted actors to carry a dialogue throughout the film as they discuss life, past loves, and, of course, death. It’s almost a dance between the two characters, one who is determined to go out on her own terms and the other who knows that the inevitable is coming but keeps on hoping for one more day to spend talking with and soaking up all that she can from a friend that has lived a glorious life. I think The Room Next Door is a film that will have the audience leave in silence, inclosed in their thoughts. I know I was.  My Rating: Full Price  The Room Next Door Website  Now playing in theaters.

My ViewBack in Action  (2025)  PG-13   In Back in Action, Matt (Jamie Foxx) and Emily (Cameron Diaz) have been living the quiet suburban life with their daughter, Alice (McKenna Roberts), and young son Leo (Rylan Jackson). However, Matt and Emily have a secret, and it has just come out, which will endanger all their lives. They are former CIA spies that made a lot of enemies. It’s fun seeing Cameron Diaz back on the screen, and she has great chemistry with Jamie Foxx. However, the film feels like a retread of a 90s action comedy, heavy on the big action sequences but light on plot and witty dialogue. I enjoyed seeing Cameron doing some hand-to-hand combat, as a sort of flashback to her Charlie’s Angels days, but the plot is incredibly weak, and much of the humor is forced. Add in a weird appearance of Glenn Close, as Emily’s British mom and this film just doesn’t work. It’s too bad because there might have been something there with Foxx and Diaz. We just didn’t need all the mommy/daddy time with the kids. My Rating: Cable  Back in Action Website Now playing on Netflix. 

My ViewUnstoppable  (2024)  PG-13  Unstoppable centers around the life of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), who was born with one leg but didn’t let him stop him from reaching his dream of becoming a wrestler at the collegiate level. We all love a Rocky-type story, but when the film keeps harking back to Rocky (twice Robles visits the Rocky steps in Philly), you want to say enough. Jharrel Jerome gives a wonderful performance that gets lost in a script that hits over the head with plot points out of every underdog movie out there. Crappy father figure? Check. Great mom whose only flaw is she keeps going back to crappy father figure? Check. A hero who won’t take no for an answer, always going the hard route (even when he turns down a full-ride scholarship)? Check. An invincible opponent who seemingly can’t be beaten? Check. And on it goes, for over two hours. I am a wrestling fan (having even gone to some of the Olympic events back in 96), and I was clueless about what was happening in the big wrestling scenes (so you might have some trouble, too). Even the strong supporting cast, including Jennifer Lopez as the mom, Michael Pena as Anthony’s high school coach, Mykelti Williamson as Anthony’s boss at his part-time job, and Don Cheadle as Anthony’s college coach, can’t help overcome a script that never finds its footing. Add in Bobby Cannavale, who plays Anthony’s stepdad, who pulls every bad dad trick in the book to make it look like Anthony will never succeed. It’s a film written using the old underdog rules. But, with this type of film, we know he will. I mean, even Rocky got a second shot at the title.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Unstoppable Info The film is now playing on Amazon Prime. 

IndiefestBlack Box Diaries  (2024) Black Box Diaries is a documentary following Japanese journalist Shiori Itô, who has been sexually assaulted by a high-profile broadcaster. Her case has been dropped almost from the beginning because of the broadcaster’s job and his close ties to the Japanese government. Ito’s assault was back in 2015, and she was a 22-year-old grad student who thought she was interviewing for a job at a network. Instead, she was drugged and raped, but because of incredibly outdated rape laws, it was almost impossible to bring charges against the man through the Japanese judicial system. Ito, using her journalistic training, goes on a quest to bring justice and to change the laws of a system that makes it so that only 4% of rape cases are ever brought to trial. Black Box Diaries is a heartbreaking story, told by Ito through the use of video diaries and making a trail of audio and video recordings as she finds her way through the legal system, one that was designed to defeat her. It's a story that takes years to have an outcome and you wonder the toll it took on her to make this journey. Ito warns us at the film’s start that the experience of watching this tough documentary could trigger survivors, telling us that if it gets too much, we should close our eyes and breathe. What Shiori Ito found in making this film was that while she felt alone at the start of her journey, by the end, she was supported by a movement that gave her hope for her future. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Black Box Diaries Website  Now playing on the Paramount+/Showtime platform. 

My View:
 September 5  (2024)  R    September 5 takes place during the 1972 Munich Olympics, as an American sports broadcasting team finds itself covering a hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. The 1972 Olympics were groundbreaking for a couple of reasons. It was the first Olympics that was broadcast live around the world. It was also the first Olympics that Germany had hosted since the days of Hitler’s reign over the 1936 Olympics. This made a perfect setting for a terrorist attack, where a group of Palestinian militants held ten Israeli Olympic team members hostage while the entire world watched. The film centers on the ABC broadcasting crew, working under the sports section of ABC, who were put into action in the early morning hours in a situation they were unprepared for but would make history in their coverage of the events that unfolded. The story is told through the men and women who worked tirelessly to cover a breaking story that shocked the world. In the mix was a network executive, Roone Arledge, played skillfully by Peter Sarsgaard, who decided to keep the coverage in the sports department there on the grounds (literally right across the area where the hostages were being held) instead of giving the story off to the news department in New York. The second in command and the person who drives the plot is producer Geoffery Mason, played by John Magaro. Margaro does an outstanding job of showing us a man who has to rally his team to cover the crisis while dealing with network bosses and buying satellite time to keep the coverage going. September 5 is a powerful movie that tells the story of a group of people who banded together to show the world what was happening while doing something that had never been done before. Show a hostage crisis in real time to a worldwide audience. Even if you know the outcome, September 5 will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, with an ending that has such an impact. So go back in time and witness, through this impressive film, the guts and courage of a group of people making history.  My Rating: Full Price   September 5 Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Forgotten Film: The Elephant Man  (1980) PG  In Victorian London, a surgeon, Dr. Treves (Anthony Hopkins), comes across at a ‘freak show’, a person called ‘The Elephant Man” because of his oversized and disfigured skull along with other bodily deformities. The man on display is 21-year-old Joseph Merrick (John Hurt), who makes a living in the sideshow. Dr. Treves rescues Merrick and brings him to a hospital, where he discovers Merrick prefers to be called John and is a well-read and articulate man. Back in 1979, when it was announced that David Lynch was going to direct a film called The Elephant Man, myself and others at my film school thought we would be getting a bizarre and weird horror film, much like Lynch’s first film Eraserhead (1977), a midnight movie screening staple, which is a film that is so weird and mind-blowing, it has to been seen. Little did we know we would get a film that tells the tale of a man who was labeled a freak but was thoughtful, kind, and creative. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Picture. While it did not win any Oscars, it put Lynch at the forefront of hot directors, which he would use to make Dune. Shot in glorious black and white by Freddie Francis, the film is a brilliant look at how we see and judge people by their appearance first before ever getting to know someone. And by the way, the man who was the driving force behind getting the film made, including shot in black and white, was the great Mel Brooks.  My Rating I Would Pay to See it Again  The Elephant Man Info The film is available to buy on DVD and is streaming on Kanopy. RIP David Lynch (1946-2025).

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Wolf Man:  Pattern Maker

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Companion  (2025) R Iris (Sophie Thatcher) meets a dashing young man named Josh (Jack Quaid) at a grocery store. Josh talks Iris into a weekend getaway on his country estate, but there she learns a very strange thing: she is a sophisticated human companionship doll at Josh’s command. If it’s up to Iris, it won’t be for long. Just to show what kind of film this will be, the film’s producer is Zach Cregger, who gave us the wild horror film Barbarian (2022). Companion Website In theaters on Friday, January 31, 2025. 

Until Next Time!