Star Wars: The Last Jedi

My View:  Star Wars: The Last Jedi  (2017)  PG-13  Rey (Daisy Ridley) joins Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to learn about her Force abilities. Rey and Luke go on an adventure with Leia (Carrie Fisher), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac). Rey will learn that The Force is more powerful than she could ever imagine. This is in my top three Star Wars film, and Mark Hamill gives a performance of a lifetime. The storyline moves at a quick pace, making it seem much shorter than its run time of 153 minutes. Star Wars fans will be happy with the introduction of new characters along with homages to the past. Daisy Ridley shines in the role of Rey, making her a new champion for the rebels. We have a new villain in Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) worthy of taking the role that Darth Vader played in the first three films of the Star Wars sequence.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Star Wars Website

Family Faire:  Ferdinand  (2017)  PG  Ferdinand (John Cena) is a gentle soul with a big heart. He is mistaken for a dangerous beast and is taken from his home to train as a bull for bullfighting. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit gang to go on the ultimate adventure. As a kid Ferdinand the Bull was my favorite book. The movie does do a good job of capturing the essence of the book. The animation is a little dull and the movie is way too long to keep the kids interested. I did like the song from the film Home sung by Nick Jonas. I thought John Cena made a great Ferdinand.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Ferdinand Website

Indiefest:  The Other Side of Hope   (2017) Wikstrom (Sakari Kuosmanen) buys a restaurant with his poker winnings. Khaled (Sherwan Haji) is a Syrian refugee who stows away on a freighter to Helsinki. Khaled goes underground to avoid being deported and is found by Wikstrom who offers him a job that will change both their lives.  I can’t tell what type of film this is. I think it is meant as a dark comedy, but the storyline never really pulls that off. I found the film boring, and I never really cared for any of the characters which are key to liking this film. The plot takes forever to get moving, and its ending feels rushed.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee     The Other Side of Hope Website

Forgotten Film:  All That Jazz (1979)  R  Joe Gideon (Roy Schneider) is working himself to death. Between editing a movie and choreographing a Broadway show, Gideon uses drugs to burn the candle at both ends. The movie is by filmmaker/choreographer Bob Fosse and is loosely based on his life. Scheider gives the performance of his career as Gideon. Fosse cast some of his dancers in the film such as Leland Palmer and Ann Reinking, giving the film an air of authenticity. The dance sequences are spectacular, and I love Deborah Geffner as a dancer willing to do anything to get Gideon’s attention.  My Rating:  Full Price   All That Jazz Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Star Wars: The Last Jedi:  Wookie Consultant 

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  All the Money in the World  (2017)  R   The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III whose grandfather was one of the richest men in the world but wouldn’t put up a ransom to free his grandson. I can’t wait to see this film since all the scenes were re-shot with Christopher Plummer replacing Kevin Spacey in the cast.    All the Money in the World Website

Until Next Time!