Long Shot

My View:  Long Shot  (2019) R  Fred (Seth Rogan) is a writer, Charlotte (Charlize Theron) is Secretary of State and is about to run for President. Fred and Charlotte used to know each other, and they have a chance meeting at a party. Charlotte decides to hire Fred to punch up her speeches.  Can love be far behind? I had so much fun watching this movie. It reminded me of the goofy romcoms of the 80s with the difference is that the man is the shy, goofball and the woman is that smart one that is in control. Rogan and Theron have a blast, and they have incredible chemistry right from the start, making their attraction seem real. You will have to leave your brain at the door for a couple of sequences (especially the final ending which we see in the credits) but that doesn’t detract that this film is funny, warm and surprisingly sweet. I could have done without the drug sequence but it’s a Seth Rogan production, so it’s kind of a given. As with any Rogan comedy, it gets a little raunchy but it fit into the storyline, so it works. Go see this winning comedy. By the way, I believe this is Charlize Theron’s first comedy, and she hits it out of the park. Let's hope she gets to do more like this one.  My Rating: Full Price    Long Shot Website

My View:  The Intruder  (2019)  PG=13  A young married couple (Meagan Good, Michael Ealy) buy an isolated house on several acres of land only to realize that the man that sold it (Dennis Quaid) does not want to give it up. First let me say that the audience that I saw this film with thoroughly enjoyed the film, reacting every time Quaid made an appearance in the shadows or when the main characters made bad decisions that we knew would cost them.  That being said, this is a horrible movie that doesn’t bring anything new to the bad guy is in your house genre. Dennis Quaid gives one of his worst performances as he goes so over the top that the audience, which wanted to believe him as a villain starting laughing at some of his antics. The film is incredibly predictable and follows all the genre’s rules, including the wife that just can’t see the possibility that she could be in danger until it’s too late. Unlike the audience I saw it with, I wasn't ever scared, just annoyed by how badly the film was written.   My Rating: Cable    The Intruder Website

FamilyFaire:  UglyDolls  (2019)  PG  The UglyDolls have been content to live in their little world until a group decides to go exploring. They encounter a world that seems to be perfect and where the UglyDolls don’t fit in. However, soon the UglyDolls learn that perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. With a bunch of forgettable songs (that waste the talents of singers like Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, and Janelle Monáe and a plot, while its heart is in the right place, just is boring and slow. Parents are going to be looking at their watch a lot (as I did) wondering when this film will stop, and kids are not going to be entertained by a bunch of characters that are badly thought out. Unless your kid is a big UglyDoll fan, just skip this film that doesn’t work on any level.   My Rating: Cable     UglyDolls Website

Indiefest:  Red Joan  (2018)  R  Joan is a young brilliant student at Cambridge in 1938. She meets the love of her life, Leo (Tom Hughes), the leader of the university Communist student group. When World War II breaks out, Joan is asked to work on a top-secret project, one that could change the world, but she will also be asked by her former lover to betray her country. The question is will she?  If you are going to see this film because Judi Dench (she plays Joan in 1990) is in this film, you will be disappointed. Dench is merely a supporting player, used to bring the flashbacks of Joan’s life in the 30s and 40s. Dench does a lot of staring off into the distance, as we then travel back to see the 1940s Joan trying to decide to betray her country. The story is hurt by the constant back and forth of 90s Joan and Joan in the past storylines, making the storyline progress in sprits instead of flowing along if they had just stayed with the more interesting plot. I got to the point in the film, where I didn’t care what happened with either Joan, both deserved whatever fate they got.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Red Joan Website

Indiefest:  Ask Dr. Ruth  (2019)  Documentary chronicling the amazing life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who overcame almost insurmountable odds to become the world’s most famous sex therapist.Brilliant documentary on the long and sometimes tragic life of a dynamo of a woman, Dr. Ruth. Dr. Ruth was orphaned at age ten, though she didn’t fully know what happened to her parents until she visits a Holocaust museum in Israel late in the film. Her childhood experiences are told through animation, which helps soften the blow of such a difficult childhood where basically by age 13 she was an indentured servant at an orphanage in Switzerland. Sr. Ruth constantly fought against the odds to get as much education as she could, whether it was being taught by an orphan boy at night or going to graduate school as a single parent, Dr. Ruth was on a constant drive to better herself and get as much information as she could absorb. I loved this film and we get to know Dr. Ruth, though you get the feeling that she is always holding back a bit about her troubled childhood. Go see this year's RBG, you are going to fall in love with this smart woman who fearlessly talks about sex, making us re-examine the way we see ourselves.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Aks Rr. Ruth Website

Forgotten Film: The Wrecking Crew  (1968)  PG  Super secret agent Matt Helm (Dean Martin) is set to see if he can stop a crime boss from cornering the world’s gold. Unfortunately, the British send in their own agent Freya (Sharon Tate) who just keeps making this worse for Matt. In the 60s, the secret agent craze hit movies and TV. Brought out mostly by the success of James Bond, not only were there serious attempts to dethrone Bond but also a number of films went the other route and made fun of the super slick agent that could bed any woman. At the top was the Matt Helm movies, which not only made fun of (in a cool way) the James Bond films but also made fun of Dean Martin’s reputation as a drinker and womanizer. The Austin Powers films took a lot from the Helm movies, all in good fun. This film is distinguished from the other two Matt Helm movies because of a brilliant performance by Sharon Tate. Her portrayal of the bumbling agent Freya is so good, you don’t want the movie to stop. These aren’t great films and are incredibly dated but they are still fun to watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     The Wrecking Crew Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Intruder:  16mm Film Projection

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Tolkien  (2019)  PG-13  J.R.R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) was an orphan who had to work hard to get anywhere. He falls in love with a fellow orphan, Edith (Lily Collins) and just when he finds his calling, language, he is swept away in the horrors of WW I. Tolkien has always been one of my favorite authors, so to see what influenced his “Middle Earth’ writings will be fascinating.    Tolkien Website

Until Next Time!