Boy

Indiefest:  Boy  (2011)  Boy, an 11 year-old, who lives in Waihau Bay, New Zealand with his younger brother, Rocky (who thinks he has superpowers), and his grandmother, is obsessed with Michael Jackson. His mother died giving birth to Rocky, and Boy spends a good deal of his day thinking about what his long lost father is doing.  Is he a spy, a famous rugby player, a brilliant artist?  Boy’s world is changed when his father suddenly shows up, and he must come to grips with the realization that his father will never live up to the image he created of him over the years.  The director (who also stars as Boy's father), Taika Waititi, gives us a wonderful world of interesting characters, where Boy's fantasies about his father come to life, and cartoon drawings illustrate what Rocky thinks is going to happen when he applies his imagined superpowers.  It's no wonder that this film won the Audience Award at the American Film Institute Festival last year.    My Rating:  Full Price   Boy Website

Indiefest: The Raid:  Redemption  (2011)  A twenty man SWAT team is sent to raid a thirty-story tenement run by a ruthless mob boss. To make matters worse, the whole building is occupied by thieves, murderers and rapists. Soon, it is not about arresting the mob boss…it’s about survival.  This film is non-stop action, with its fast and furious fight sequences so well choreographed that it has quickly become one of the most buzzed-about films on the Film Festival circuit.  But, make no mistake, this is an ultra-violent film where you wonder how many stunt men got hurt during the sequences where you can almost feel bones breaking and necks snapping.  While I did enjoy all the action, the film goes on just too long, and you actually become a little numb to all the violence on the screen.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   The Raid: Redemption Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#23 Best Film

The Palm Beach Story  (1942)  This is a film that only the brilliant director/writer Preston Sturges could pull off.  It's about an inventor (Joel McCrea) who is in desperate need for an influx of cash to develop his next sure-fire idea.  His devoted wife (played by the beautiful Claudette Colbert) decides the only way that they can raise the money is if she divorces him and marries a millionaire.  This is one of the best of the "screwball comedies" with mistaken identities, fast talking dialogue and numerous twists and turns that come at you at such a  fast pace, the audience is constantly straining to keep up with the each changing plot.  Colbert and McCrea have an easy-going chemistry that makes it easy to believe that these two lovers will eventually end up together.    The Palm Beach Story Info

Forgotten Film:  Time Bandits (1981)  From the creative minds of former Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, this is film about a young boy, Kevin (Craig Wamock), who takes an adventure with of bunch of time-traveling, treasure-hunting dwarves.  The band of adventurers has "borrowed," (i.e., stolen) a map of the Universes' time holes, which allows them to jump from one time period to another and steal treasures.  During their time travels, they meet some of the most important and historic figures in time, such as Napoleon (Iam Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese), and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery).  There is a big problem as a number of people are out to get their map, including the Devil/Evil (David Warner) and the Supreme Being himself(Ralph Richardson).  This film is a magical ride across the universe where we wonder if Kevin will ever get back home to his family, or will evil triumph over our merry band of thieves.   My Rating:  Full Price   Time Bandits Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  We Bought A Zoo  (2011)  I liked, but didn't love this family movie about a recently widowed father (Matt Damon) of two who quits his newspaper job to buy a small, rural zoo in hopes of reconnecting with his children.  I especially liked that the romance between Damon and Scarlett Johansson was not the main focus of the film - the healing of a family was.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   We Bought a Zoo Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Battleship  (2012)  All I have to say about this film is that it's based on a board game and in the trailer, singer Rihanna, is shown shooting a heavy artillery gun (insert your own joke here).   Battleship Website

Weird Credits:  From the film Boy:  Goat Trainer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel  (2012)  Directed by John Madden (The Debt, Shakespeare in Love), this film is about British retirees who move to India to live at an exotic retirement community.   The cast is what makes me want to see this film, which includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson.    The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Website

Until Next Time!