The November Man

My View:  The November Man  (2014) R  An ex-CIA operative (Pierce Brosnan) is brought back into the investigative game when a former colleague returns to create turmoil.  This film is predictable and fits the mold of some really boring 80’s spy films.  Other than Brosnan, the producers of the film didn’t spend any money on the cast, most of which aren’t recognizable.  The first thirty minutes is so confusing that I just kind of gave up trying to figure out the storyline and just watched the action.  As with the rest of the film, the action sequences are just ordinary ones, so overall the film becomes very bland and boring.  This was what I call a “vanity piece,” something an actor does to make himself feel better.  For Brosnan, it was to prove he can still do action films.  He can, just not well.  My Rating: Cable  The November Man Website

Indiefest:  Life of Crime (2013) R Two criminals (Mos Def, John Hawkes) kidnap the wife (Jennifer Aniston) of a corrupt land developer (Tim Robbins).  They demand one million dollars.  The only problem is, the developer doesn’t want his wife back. This is one of the few films that captures the magic of an Elmore Leonard novel.  Funny and sharp, with great performances, especially John Hawkes, the film moves at a rapid pace with a few twists and turns along the way.  Aniston has marvelous incredible chemistry with Hawkes, and Robbins is very funny as the evil husband who doesn’t want to spend the money to get his wife back.  It was immensely fun to watch, and I highly recommend seeing this film. My Rating:  Full Price   Life of Crime Website

Indiefest: The Trip to Italy  (2014)  The two travelers (Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon) go on another trip to eat their way across Italy. This is a sequel to The Trip (2010) but, instead of traveling around to restaurants in Britain, the two go to Italy and eat their way across the country.  Both Coogan and Brydon are basically playing themselves, two actors who like each other’s company and enjoy trying to outdo each other with impressions.  There is an incredibly funny sequence where they do impressions of Christian Bale and Tom Hardy, as Batman and Bane, doing a radio commercial where the people listening can’t understand at all what they are saying.  It’s a funny film that is also gorgeous because of the beautiful Italian scenery. My Rating:  Full Price  The Trip to Italy Website

Indiefest:  Frank  (2014) R  Jon (Domhnail Gleeson) joins a rather strange band led by Frank (Michael Fassbender), who wears a large papier-mâché head 24 hours a day. The first half of this film is a lot of fun to watch but the second half of this film turns very dark and morbid.  I enjoyed some of the performances, especially Michael Fassbender’s, who does more with a paper-mache head on (the whole film) than some actors due their entire career.  But I hated the ending and would have preferred it to have stayed more light-hearted like the first half. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Frank Website

Forgotten Film:   Dog Day Afternoon (1975) R A man (Al Pacino) robs a bank but before he can exit the building, the cops surround him and he has to take the bank employees hostage.  This is one of the better Al Pacino performances and the late John Cazale is mesmerizing as Pacino’s friend.  It’s a film that is full of the New York City summer feel, A  rather gritty film with an outstanding cast.  My Rating: Full Price  Dog Day Afternoon Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Frank:  frank head model-maker

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  No Good Deed (2014)  A thriller about an escaped convict (Idris Elba) who charms his way into a home of a homemaker (Taraji P. Henson) and her two small children.  Elba and Henson, I’m in!  No Good Deed Website

Until Next Time!