Greta

My View:  Greta  (2018)  R  A young woman, Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz), befriends a widow (Isabelle Huppert) against the advice of her roommate (Maika Monroe). Frances will soon regret that she started up the friendship. This is a really strange stalker film with a performance by Isabelle Huppert that is just wacky. I enjoyed some of the film but I think that the filmmakers pushed it too far into left field and it never quite returns. I like Chloe Grace Moretz as an actress but she only has two expressions in this film; afraid and angry. My Rating: Cable    Greta Website

Indiefest:  Ruben Brandt, Collector  (2018)  R  A Psychotherapist (Iven Kamaras) suffers from violent nightmares inspired by famous works of art. He hires four patients of his to steal the artwork because he believes if he posses the artwork, the nightmares will stop. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this film. Part film noir, part experimental animation, the film has a unique look to it. All the characters look like they are right out of a Picasso painting, with some having two heads or three eyes. The plot is really cool and there are some great action sequences (one is a car chase in the streets of Paris). I highly recommend this animated action film for adults   My Rating: Full Price    Ruben Brandt, Collector Website

Indiefest:  The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind  (2019)  A young boy named William (Maxwell Simba) lives in a small village that is suffering through a horrible drought. To help his village survive he build a wind turbine inspired by a bike headlight. This is moving film about a family that is tearing apart and how a young boy saves the family and their crops by a keen mind and determination to never give up. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who stars as William’s father, also wrote and directed the film. Maxwell Simba gives a moving performance as William. The film is a beautiful look of a family struggling with life in a harsh country.  My Rating: Full Price    The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Website

Indiefest:  To Dust  (2018)  R  Shmuel (Geza Rohrig) is a Hassidic cantor in upstate New York who has just lost his wife and is struggling to find religious solace. He is secretly obsessing over how his wife’s body will decay. He develops a strange relationship with Albert (Matthew Broderick), a local community college biology professor. This film deals with death and how two very different men help each other and become unlikely friends. Geza Rohrig gives a brilliant and passionate performance of a man who is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his wife. Matthew Broderick is funny as the dim professor who is reluctantly helping Shmuel understand how a body decomposes.  My Rating:  Full Price   To Dust Website

Indiefest:  Apollo 11  (2019)  G   Documentary that looks at the landing on the moon by the Apollo 11 mission led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Run, don’t walk, to your local IMAX theatre and see this amazing and spectacular film. This is one of the best documentaries that I have ever seen. It is worth the extra money for IMAX for the launch sequence alone. The footage is stunning and you see the mission from so many angles. I am a space junkie, having seen the landing while I was eleven on a B&W small tv in Mexico, but there is footage in this film that I have never seen before. One of the best film experiences that I have ever had.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Apollo 11 Website

Forgotten Film:  Altered States  (1980)  R  A Harvard scientist (William Hurt) conducts experiments on himself with a hallucinatory drug while he is in an isolation chamber. He starts to exhibit problems due to the process. Directed by Ken Russell and written by Paddy Chayefsky, this movie is one strange trip. The film delightfully goes in multiple directions because not only is this about tripping on mushrooms, it is also a love story between the scientist and his wife (played by the talented Blair Brown). The special effects for the time are amazing and it has a great soundtrack too.  My Rating:  Full Price    Altered States Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Greta:  Piano Coach

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Mustang  (2019)  R  Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts) is in prison for a violent crime. He volunteers for a rehabilitation therapy program involving the training of wild mustangs. The trailer is great and the stellar cast includes Connie Britton, Bruce Dern, and Jason Mitchell.    The Mustang Website

Until Next Time!