Kingsman: The Secret Service

My View:  Kingsman:  The Secret Service  (2015)  R  A secret spy agency recruits a young man to join the organization just as a global threat emerges. This film was directed by Mathew Vaughn, who directed the 2010 film Kick-Ass.  If you liked/loved Kick-Ass, you will enjoy this film. If you didn't, then don't see this one, as it is ultra-violent with a sense of humor. I enjoyed Colin Firth as the super-cool secret agent, and Taron Egerton is up to the task as the young apprentice, but there is a major scene in this film that I have a real problem with and, in my opinion, it brings down the whole film. Without giving anything away, the scene is incredibly violent, with people dying in every way imaginable. I don't have any problems with that, but I do have a problem with Colin Firth's character participating and doing most of the killing in the scene. I did enjoy Samuel L. Jackson as the Steve Jobs-like villain with a lisp.  And, the ending of the film is highly enjoyable, but the scene in the middle, which is a game changer, does not fit and makes me not like this film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Kingsman: The Secret Service Website

Indiefest: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) In a town that is full of people doing bad things, no one notices that there is a new woman (Sheila Vand), a woman who just happens to be a vampire. I loved this film, and it has one of the best soundtracks of any film of the  past five years. It's very stylish, shot in black and white, with the main character, the mysterious woman, almost uttering no lines throughout the film. It's a mixture of a  modern vampire film with bits of an Italian Spaghetti Western thrown in. Vand is perfect in the role of the woman who only comes out at night and wears a long, black cape. If you are a fan of horror films  I highly recommend this one.   My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Website

Forgotten Film:  The Day I Saw Your Heart  (2011)  Melanie Laurent plays Justine, an x-ray technician who refuses to keep a boyfriend.  Every time she starts going out with someone, her father (Michel Blanc) secretly befriends the boyfriend.   She is bored with her job and would rather create art from her x-rays than do her actual job.  Now it’s going to take a major event to propel Justine out of her funk.  Laurent is brilliant as Justine and just shines on screen.  I loved the message of this film, and it’s worth checking out this French gem.   My Rating: Full Price  The Day I Saw Your Heart Info

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

#1 Worst Film:  Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)  Directed by the legendary director Ed Wood, who directed some of the worst films of all time, this one is the ultimate in bad filmmaking. The acting is horrible, the special effects are incredibly bad, and the storyline makes no sense. If you tried to make a crappy film, you couldn't do it as pathetically as Wood does in this one. Be sure to look for the flying saucer, which is two paper plates glued together, spray painted and suspended by a string. The legendary actor Bela Lugosi, known for playing Dracula, makes an appearance.  He died before principle shooting, but there were test shots of him done, so producers just put those in the film.  I mean, why wouldn't you have Dracula in a film about space aliens invading the earth and creating zombies?   Plan 9 from Outer Space Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Kingsman: The Secret Service:  fight arranger

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Cinderella (2015)  While it sounds like a bad idea to remake a classic as a live action film, the trailer looks incredible and it’s directed by Kenneth Branagh, so I have hope that this will be fantastic.   Cinderella Website

Until Next Time!