Tomb Raider

My View:  Tomb Raider  (2018)  PG-13  Laura Croft (Alicia Vikander) is the daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when Laura was a teen. Laura decides to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance. After discovering the mythical island that was his last known destination is real, she decides to go to the island and find out what happened. Just getting there will be an adventure. I like Alicia Vikander, and she usually can make any film seem interesting but not with this film. The studio decided to make a straight-up action movie, but what was needed was some warmth and humor. There isn’t any joy in this film - it’s just like Laura Croft, gritty and determined, but that makes for a rather dull film. Vikander looks the part; we believe that she can climb mountains and outrun anyone, but she’s made into a superwoman, much like the Rock is in his superhero movies, where she suffers almost no ramifications when falling off a cliff or fighting with a man twice her size. Video games and the action movies they are based on them are supposed to be fun.  This one wasn’t.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tomb Raider Website

Indiefest:  Love, Simon  (2018)  PG-13  Simon (Nick Robinson) is a gay high school student who hasn’t come out, even to his best friends. He is in love with an anonymous classmate whom he has only talked to online.  Now, Simon’s life is going to change in a big way.  This is one of those rare movies about teenagers where the characters on the screen are real, with real problems, ones we can relate to and feel. Nick Robinson gives an intelligent and moving performance as the teenager who is afraid to come out. Simon just wants to last until he is out of high school before revealing he is gay. He also doesn’t want to rock the boat with his closest friends, especially with his best friend, Leah (Katherine Langford), whom he has known since childhood. Love, Simon is a funny and sweet movie that hits all the right notes. At the screening I attended, when the big scene near the end of the film happened, teenage girls jumped up out of their seats and cheered at the top of their lungs. Go see this film, and you just might do the same.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Love, Simon Website

My View:  7 Days in Entebbe  (2018)  PG-13  An Air France flight from Tel-Aviv to Paris via Athens is hijacked by terrorists and is forced to land in Entebbe, Uganda, the home of a crazy dictator named Idi Amin. The Jewish passengers are separated from the rest of the passengers, and the terrorists demand that Israel release 50 Palestinian prisoners. Israel decides to send a Special Forces squad to attempt to rescue the passengers.  Based on a true event, this film makes an unbelievable story seem bland and ordinary. Even a dazzling actress as Rosamund Pike can’t save the script that plods along. The only interesting aspect in this film is a modern dance troupe that we see practicing a routine throughout the film. When the big raid comes at the end, we see the actual performance that the troupe practiced inter-weaved with scenes from the attack, but that bit of excitement can’t save this film.   My Rating: Cable   7 Days in Entebbe Info

Indiefest:  Oh, Lucy!  (2017)  Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is a lonely, chain-smoking office worker in Tokyo who is past her prime. She decides to take an English class and discovers that she can create a new identity through speaking English, a character she calls ‘Lucy.”  She falls for her instructor, an American named, John (Josh Hartnett). When John disappears, Setsuko sets out on a quest to find him and travels all the way to Southern California.  I loved this film and the character Setsuko. Setsuko is a hard character to like, but I give credit to Shinobu Terajima for making us slowly fall in love with Lucy. Terajime gives one heck of a performance as the sad sack woman who is desperate to be loved. Writer/director Atsuko Hirayanagi takes on both an emotional and physical journey, where Setsuko keeps being dragged down by life, but continues to get off the floor for more. Take a chance on Oh Lucy! and on a journey with Setsuko as she searches for a reason to live.  My Rating: Full Price   Oh, Lucy! Website   

Forgotten Film:  Normal Life  (1996)  R  Chris (Luke Perry) is a cop who falls in love and marries Pam (Ashley Judd). Pam is all wrong for Chris as she is an alcoholic and a drug user who likes to spend money. Chris loses his job and is about to lose Pam if he doesn’t quickly do something. The reason to see this film is Ashley Judd. Judd gives one of her better performances as the overly emotional, self-indulgent Pam. It’s a smashing performance that makes you wish Judd would have taken more roles like this one. Perry is the weak link in the film as the part is out of his acting range, and you will only notice him when Judd isn’t on the screen.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Normal Life Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tomb Raider:  Chargehand Dressing Props

Coming Soon to a theatre near you:  Hichki  (2018)  Hichki (Rani Mukerji) wants to be a teacher but she can’t get hired because she has Tourette Syndrome. After numerous rejections, she gets her dream job at a prestigious school. She soon learns that her dream job is a nightmare because her class is full of misfits and rejects. Instead of giving up, Hichki decides to help her students realize their full potential. The trailer is amazing, so I have high hopes for it.   Hichki Facebook Page

Until Next Time!