My
View: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) R On the
evening of the eleventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks, a group of
Islamic militants attack the American Embassy. A group of six CIA
security contractors undertake a desperate attempt to defend the Embassy and
the American Ambassador. I enjoyed the action sequences, and there are
plenty of them, though some during the first half of the film are very
confusing, and I wasn’t able to tell the good guys from the bad. The final
firefight is exciting and well-choreographed. I liked the cast and felt that John Krasinski was especially believable as a former Navy SEAL. My biggest problem with
this film is that it hits you over the head with trying to tug on your
heart-strings. There is too much talk from the guys about how much they miss
their family and how they wished they had done things differently. We get that
idea very early in the film when all the major participants interact via the
web with their families. We don’t need to be constantly reminded that they are
fighting for their kids back in the states. My Rating: Bargain Matinee 13 Hours Website
Family
Faire: Norm of the North (2016) PG Norm (Rob Schneider) is a
fun-loving polar bear who loves to dance. With the help of three
lemmings, Norm travels to New York City to try and stop a real estate developer
from building homes in the Artic. Unfortunately, this is another in a long line
of dull and unimaginative animated films. Only small children will like this
film, and anyone over ten will start looking at their watches thirty minutes
into it, wondering when it will end. The storyline is stupid (think a plotline
from a bad 70s Saturday morning cartoon), and you see the ending coming
from almost the start. I should have been clued into how bad this would be by
the actor in the starring role, Rob Schneider. My Rating: Cable Norm of the North Website
Indiefest:
Anomalisa (2015) R Michael Stone (David Thewlis) is a man who is
unable to interact deeply with other people, even though he specializes in
books about customer service. When he goes on a business trip, he meets
an extraordinary stranger (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who changes his life. Let tell you right off the bat, this is a very adult stop-motion animated movie, with language, a graphic sex scene and full frontal nudity. It’s a moving film with a main character that while flawed, you connect with and want him to find happiness. The animation is stunning and extraordinarily fluid. It’s a movie that touches both the heart and the mind. The storyline is a little hard to follow at times but overall it’s and experience you don’t want to miss. Just don’t take the kids. My Rating: Full Price Anomalisa Website
Indiefest:
Lamb (2015) R A man (Ross Partridge) meets a young girl (Oona
Laurence) in a parking lot and decides to take her on a trip to show her the
beauty of the outside world. It’s a journey that will shake them in ways
neither expects. First, let me say that this is a very uncomfortable film to
watch. There is an attraction between the 47-year-old man and the
eleven-year-old girl that gets creepier as the film goes along. While it never
goes beyond hugging, it still looms over the film. But that is what this movie
is about, two people who are hurting and empty, finding each other, knowing
that their time together is fleeting. Partridge and Laurence have great
chemistry, which is immensely important for this film to work. Laurence
makes this film worth watching, giving a performance that is filled with wonder
and depth. But, be warned. You will be squirming in your seat
throughout the film. My Rating: Full Price Lamb Info
Indiefest:
Mustang (2015) PG-13 Sisters Lale (Günes Sensoy), Nur (Doga Zeynep
Doguslu), Selma (Tugba Sunguroglu), Ece (Elit Iscan), and Sonay (Ilayda
Akdogan) are orphans, living with their grandmother (Nihal G. Koldas) and uncle
(Ayberk Pekcan). It’s the last day of school and after a rather tearful
good-bye to Lale’s favorite teacher, the girls decide to walk home. Along the
way, they meet some boys and head to the beach. The girls and boys play
innocently in the water, at one point the girls climbing on the boy’s shoulders
to play a game of chicken fight. They are accused of being promiscuous by their
grandmother and uncle, and the two decide to confine the girls to the house
until suitable husbands can be found for the girls. Director / co-writer
Deniz Gamze Erguven brings to the screen a tale that treats its subjects with a
caring touch, dealing with repression, but never quite delivers the emotional
punch that you want. The film spends much time on the girls’ confinement and
their various attempts to escape, as each attempt brings more barriers to their
potential freedom. We spend too much time following the girls around the house
as they try to fend off boredom, playing silly games. This film feels far
longer than its 97 minutes running time, and you come away with the feeling
that we never really got to know the girls. All we know is that most of the girls
didn’t want to get forced into marriage at such an early age. We
never got to find out their hopes and dreams, which, I believe, would have made
the film a much richer viewing experience. My Rating: Bargain
Matinee Mustang Website
Weird
Credits: From the credits of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi:
Military Webbing Assistant
Coming
Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Finest Hours (2016) PG-13 In 1952 the
Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod during a
blizzard. The trailer makes this film look like one not to miss. The film stars
Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Holliday Grainger. The Finest Hours Website
Until Next Time!
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