The 5th Wave

My View:  The 5th Wave  (2016)  PG-13  Four waves of increasingly savage alien attacks have hit earth and have devastated the planet. Cassie (Chloe Grace Moretz) is trying to save her younger brother from the aliens and may be the key to defeating them.  I liked this film, but it does follow the Young Adult book formula (it’s based on a best-selling soon to be trilogy): there is a love triangle, the two love interests for the main girl is a bad boy and a good guy, and kids are going to have to save the world because the adults can’t. As usual, Chloe Grace Moretz gives a satisfying performance, but the film is brought down by some rather stiff dialogue and not enough action. I will say that there was a twist in the plot that I didn’t see coming. Overall, it’s an acceptable film, but it could have been so much more.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The 5th Wave Facebook Page

My View: Dirty Grandpa  (2016) R  Jason (Zac Efron) is an uptight guy about to marry the girl of his dreams. He is tricked into taking his grandfather (Robert De Niro), a retired Army general, to Florida for spring break. After this trip, Jason will never be the same.  I hated this film. I have never seen a movie that uses more F-bombs, and most are when the Efron and De Niro characters interact. If you think jokes about pedophilia, selling drugs to minors and that it’s nothing to get arrested are funny, then this film is for you. Only Zac Efron fans should see this movie, and that’s only because you see a lot of Zac naked or without a shirt.  Oh, and it has one of the worst endings that I have ever seen.  This film is causing me to reconsider my respect and profound love for Robert De Niro.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Dirty Grandpa Website

Indiefest:  45 Years  (2015)  R  Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and her husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay) had to cancel the party for their 40th wedding anniversary, so with their 45th coming up, they plan a big celebration. Kate’s world starts to fall apart when she learns something about Geoff’s past. This is a film that moves slowly but brilliantly, as the relationship between Geoff and Kate starts coming apart closer to their anniversary. Reliving the past is tough on Geoff as he retreats further into his thoughts and spends less time with his wife. Director/writer Andrew Haigh, adapting a short story by David Constantine, has done a masterful job of bringing this moving and heartbreaking film to the screen. He creates tension slowly, as the couple deals desperately with the growing chasm between them. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are brilliant together on the screen. Their interaction makes it seem that they truly have been with each other for those forty five years. 45 Years is a touching film that will stay with you for a long time. There is a scene near the end of the movie where Rampling takes your breath away; the look she gives is just so painful to experience. We don’t know if their marriage survives.  We just know it will never be the same.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   45 Years Website

Indiefest:  Ip Man 3  (2015)  Pg-13   When a band of brutal gangsters threaten to overtake the city, Master Ip (Donnie Yen) is forced to take a stand against them. This is one of the best Kung Fu movies I have seen in the past ten years due to the excellent action sequences, a good script, Donnie Yen can act as well as fight, and the camera movement is exceptional. And, yes, Mike Tyson is in the film as the bad guy. He can’t act, but he does have a marvelous fight sequence with Yen. If you like action movies, I highly recommend this film.  My Rating: Full Price   Ip Man 3 Website

Indiefest:  Synchronicity  (2015)  R  Physicist Jim Beale (Chad McKnight) invents a time travel machine. He becomes suspicious of a woman (Brianne Davis) whom he meets.  To learn her motives, he sends himself back in time, potentially stopping the woman from stealing his invention for an untrustworthy venture capitalist.  Synchronicity is a low budget but excellent looking Sci-Fi movie that has a rather complicated love story at its center. It's also a mystery with more twists and turns than you could ever imagine. Some are slightly predictable, but more than once I was fooled and surprised. Writer/director Jacob Gentry never lets the film drag or get static. The film does get a bit complicated at times, but it does an excellent job of keeping us in the know as the movie progresses. I especially enjoyed the two leads of the movie. Chad McKnight, who plays the determined scientist Jim, has an nice presence on the screen and brings us a character that is the hero who tries to save his machine from the clutches of Klaus, yet he is also ready to risk everything for love. He has great chemistry with Brianne Davis who plays the mysterious and possible evil Helen. Davis has a quality about her that makes her the perfect femme fatale, bringing both an air of sexiness and smarts to the screen. Michael Ironside, who doesn’t play a huge part, still brings his menacing style to the screen, making Klaus a man not to be messed with. Synchronicity is a stylish Sci-Fi with a bit of film noir and mystery built in. It's a film that any Sci-Fi fan can get into and truly enjoy. It will keep you guessing on how it's going to end to very last frame.    My Rating: Full Price   Synchronicity Website

Forgotten Film:  Birth  (2004)  R  A young boy, Sean (Cameron Bright) shows up at a woman’s (Nicole Kidman) apartment and announces that he is her dead husband reincarnated. Even though her friends don’t believe the little boy, Anna (Nicole Kidman) slowly but surely starts to believe his story that the day he died while jogging, he was reborn as Sean.  This is an intriguing thriller that keeps you guessing how it will end. Kidman is dazzling as the widow. There is an scene where the camera stays on her face while she is at the Opera. In those three minutes, you see her gradually come to the decision that Sean is her husband. If you like thrillers/mysteries, and you love exceptional performances, this film is for you.   My Rating:  Full Price   Birth Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Dirty Grandpa:  Vault Operator

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Race (2016)  R  The story of Jessie Owens, who went on to win 4 Gold Medals at the 1936 Olympics in  Nazi Germany.   The trailer looks outstanding and having seen a recent documentary on the subject; I can’t wait to see what they do with the story.   Race Website

Until Next Time!