The Sun is Also a Star

My View:  The Sun is Also a Star  (2019)  PG-13   Natasha (Yara Shahidi) is going through a tough time in her life. After a chance meeting on the street, Daniel (Charles Melton) tells her he can make her fall in love with him in one day. That is going to be hard because Natasha doesn’t believe in love. First, let's talk about the good things about this film. The chemistry between Shahidi and Melton is a wonderful thing to watch and Shahidi lights up the screen. Melton has a boyish charm that he uses to great effect. The problem with this film is the dialogue is filled with just jarringly bad lines that make you cringe when the actors say their lines. Furthermore, there are so many aerial wide shots of New York City that after seeing the film, I felt I had watched a travel program. There were a couple of times that the audience I watched the film with laughed at some of the scenes where the film forced the couple to be back together. One scene stands out, a montage of the couple through the years as we see them get married and have a kid. You will roll your eyes at that sequence. This film tries too hard to hit the heartstrings but never finds it.   My Rating: Cable   The Sun is Also a Star Website

My View:  John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum  (2019)  R   Assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run again after killing a member of the International Assassin’s League. He now has a price tag of 14 million dollars and every assassin in the business is gunning for him. I loved the first two John Wick films, and this one does not disappoint. It takes place immediately after the 2nd film with Wick and his dog running in the streets of New York, Wick all sorts of beat up. The cast from the last film are in it including Ian McShane as the Hotel Continental manager, Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, but they have added some new characters: Anjelica Huston as The Director, someone from John’s past, Asia Kate Dillon as The Adjudicator, come to shake things up in NYC, Mark Dacascos as a killer assign and finally in a spectacular role, Halle Berry as Sofia, a woman from John’s past that owes him a debt. The fight sequences are what make this movie, and once again they are outstanding and brilliantly choreographed. What I really liked was there is a fight sequence where John and Sofia are fighting together and the film focuses on Berry’s Sofia’s battle instead of John. I loved this film, though I will warn you the violence is almost over the top nasty and brutal. If you loved the first two films, go see this one, you won’t be disappointed. And yes, there will be a fourth one.    My Rating: Full Price   John Wick 3 Website

Indiefest:  Aniara  (2018)  R   The story of a spaceship bound for a colony on Mars that collides with an asteroid and knocks the space ship off course. The passengers soon realize that they will never get home to Earth or to Mars, bound for a sure death. The film centers on Mimaroben (Emelie Jonsson, MR for short, who is in command of a computer that allows humans to experience their favorite places on earth and let go anything that is bothering them. When things go wrong MR and the computer becomes overwhelmed, her only chance of keeping sane is a relationship she starts with a stoic pilot of the ship named Isagel (Bianca Cruzeiro). The film time jumps through the years, and that’s the problem with the film. We don’t get enough of the background of the characters to really care about them. The film feels much longer than the 1 hour and 46 minutes in length. The CGI is impressive and the sets are amazing but that doesn’t make up for a storyline that just moves so slowly that you just want something to happen and most of the time doesn’t.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Anira Website

My View:  A Dog’s Journey (2019)  PG  A dog is reincarnated many times having been given the task of looking after CJ (Kathryn Prescott) as she goes through life. First, there are a lot of deaths (mostly the dogs, though all die with their masters by their side and it's their time), including a couple of humans, plus a couple of other scary moments, so I don’t know if you want to take really young children to this. This from the same writer that gave us a film that came out earlier this year, A Dog’s Way Home (2019), so if you liked that film, you will like this one. I loved Josh Gad as the voice of all the reincarnated dogs (even when one of the dogs is female). He brought the right about of tone to the role, making the dog the main character in the film.  Does it get a little sappy at times? Yes, but I expected that. Does it tug at the heartstrings? Maybe too much, because the dog keeps getting reincarnated and having to find CJ. The script often times goes for the obvious and there are too many times we see what’s coming from very early one. Still, if you love dogs you will love the message that dogs can fill a void in your life or give you support when you need it with their unconditional love, and that’s a good thing.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    A Dog's Journey Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  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 Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Dora and the Lost City of Gold  (2019)  Dora (Isabela Moner) was raised by her parents to be an explorer. Now she is on a mission to save her parents and find a lost city of gold. Watch the trailer and tell me you want to see this film. The makers of the film are counting on the nostalgia factor for people who grew up on the animated series that taught kids about foreign countries and their language.   Dora and the City of Gold Website

Forgotten Film:  The Shout  (1978)   Robert Graves (Tim Curry) meets an asylum inmate (Alan Bates) who tells him a tale of how he used magic to take over the lives of a married couple (Susannah York, John Hurt). Once the tale is told, Graves must decide if the story is real and take on the inmate or just blow off the story as a tall tale. This film at times is really scary, and it’s also a little confusing (on purpose). If you are a fan of the original The Wicker Man this film is made for you.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Shout Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of John Wick: Chapter 3: Dog Colorist 

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Booksmart  (2019)  R   Two high school overachievers (Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein) have always place academics over anything else. They decide they have missed the fun of being a high-school student and decide to cram four years of fun into one night. The film is directed by an actress I really admire, Olivia Wilde. The word of mouth on this film is through the roof.     Booksmart Website

Until Next Time!