How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

Family Faire:  How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World  (2019)  PG  When Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) discovers that Toothless isn’t the only Night Fury dragon, he must seek ‘The Hidden World.’ a secret dragon utopia with Astrid (America Ferrera) before a hired tyrant named Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) finds it.  The third and final film in the series is a fitting ending to a wonderful series of films about the love of a young man and his faithful dragon companion. The animation is striking, the storyline is heartfelt and the film moves at a nice pace. I am going to miss these characters that I have grown so fond of. One warning, if you haven’t seen the other two films in the series, you need to watch them before you take in this one.  My Take:  Full Price   How to Train Your Dragon Website

My View:  Fighting With My Family  (2019)  PG  Sayara (Florence Pugh) has been dreaming of wrestling in the WWE since she was thirteen, working small shows that her family puts on in England. She gets her chance when she is picked from a tryout with the WWE. Now can she beat the odds and make it to the big time? I am going to say something shocking, this is a really good movie! I can’t believe I am saying this about a WWE production, but the movie is fun, touching and moving. Now be warned that Dwayne Johnson is only in two scenes in the film but both are fun to watch. I loved all the cameos that the WWE wrestlers did in the film. The wrestling scenes are well done and Pugh is a force on the screen. Go see this film!   My Rating:  Full Price   Fighting With My Family Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Can You Ever Forgive Me?  (2018)  R    Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) has made her living writing about celebrities. When she falls out of style and can’t get published, she begins to forges letters from deceased authors and playwrights. Melissa McCarthy gives a stunning performance of someone who is utterly unlikeable. In fact both her character and her best friend, Jack (played superbly by Richard E. Grant), a gay man who doesn’t seem to have a job or a home, are horrible people. McCarthy’s character thinks that she is the greatest writer in the world and that nobody realizes that. It makes Lee bitter and angry at the world. Jack gets by on his looks, which are rapidly fading as he ages, and by selling cocaine. The film is entertaining to watch as we wait for when it will all fall apart for Lee. You are not going to like these characters, but you are going to love the film and its performances.    My Rating: Full Price     Can You Ever Forgive Me? Website

Forgotten Film:  Otley  (1969)  Otley (Tom Courtenay) is a down and out antique dealer and sometime pickpocket that gets thrown out of his apartment for not paying rent. He sleeps that night in a friends home for the night and wakes up two days later in an airport field. He finds out he is wanted for killing his friend and then finds himself entangled in international espionage. Because of the success of the James Bond books and films, the 60s were filled with spy thrillers but also films that made fun of the spy thrillers. This is a fun ride with a number of twist and turns that make this film so much fun to watch. Courtenay is brilliant in the role of an everyday guy that gets caught up in stuff that is way over his head.  My Rating:  Full Price    Otley Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Fighting With My Family: Personal Barber to Dwayne Johnson

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Apollo 11  (2019)  G  Documentary on the Apollo 11 mission that placed the first man on the moon. I really want to see this film on an IMAX screen. The film won the editing award and was up for the Grand Jury award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.     Apollo 11 Info

Until Next Time!