My View: Jackass Forever (2022) R The Jackass gang is back for one last time of death-defying stunts that any normal person wouldn’t do, but we know that these guys aren’t normal. Ok, so I was never a fan of the TV series, but I did enjoy the last movie, Jackass 3D. I will tell you what I told the studio rep after seeing the film; despite my better judgment, I really thought this film was funny and fun to watch. Now I will warn you that this film is not for the squeamish, and you will see a whole heck of a lot of male full-frontal nudity. I think what makes this so much fun to watch, besides all the crazy, idiotic stunts, is the reactions of the rest of the gang when something horrible happens in a stunt. It's also the relief on their faces when they realize that that could be them tied down in a room covered in honey and salmon with a big live bear. The gang is led by Johnny Knoxville, who has the most fun watching his friends get creamed (no pun intended) by a stunt, as he is the instigator, often starting stunts on his own with a taser. Jackass Forever is undoubtedly the last one that Knoxville will do, as he is now over fifty and was very seriously hurt several times during the filming, including a stunt near the end of the film where I think he may have died for a few seconds. Most of the Jackass gang, which has added a few new recruits, look like they have been through several wars these past ten years since the last film, with the exception of Steve-O, who looks better now than he did in the previous movie, mainly because he has gotten off of drugs and alcohol. So, if you are brave, sit down and enjoy a bunch of people being tortured just for the fun of it. You will laugh, though you might be a little ashamed afterward. My Rating: Full Price Jackass Forever Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.
My View: Moonfall (2022) PG-13 A mysterious force has knocked the moon from its orbit and is in a collision course with Earth. A former astronaut, Jo Fowler (Halle Berry), enlists a ragtag team (Patrick Wilson, John Bradley) to help her go on an impossible mission, leaving everything they love behind to try to save the Earth. The only problem, the moon isn’t what we think it is. Let me give you an example of how stupid this film is (or how stupid the filmmakers think we are). Halle Berry, a former astronaut, has become head of NASA (don’t ask how) and is now on a mission to save Earth. She states how she doesn’t know how much time they have to complete the mission before the world starts to send nukes to blow up the moon. Five minutes later, she states that ‘We have only ten minutes before they send the nukes.’ That is how well the plot of this film has been thought out. In fact, I bet a ten-year-old could come up with a better plot than this film has. Besides saving the Earth from disaster, all three leads have back stories where they are trying to repair their relationships with their loved ones. Patrick Wilson is a former astronaut whose life was destroyed after being blamed for a disastrous mission and now has a troubled teenager (Charlie Plummer) who goes on a joyride that turns into one of those car chases you see on TV. Berry is a single mom whose marriage has fallen apart, and John Bradley has never lived up to his mother’s expectations or his own. So while trying to save the Earth from certain destruction, they are still trying to fix their families. The plot has so many holes in it that you start going, ‘well, that would never happen, but ok, let's let that go.’ I will leave you with this. A central plot point is that they take a Space Shuttle, a spacecraft that hasn’t flown since 2011, and in 24 hours, it is launched in space. Oh, and it has graffiti on it. My Rating: Cable Moonfall Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.
Indiefest: Jockey (2021) Jackson (Clifton Collins Jr.) has been a jockey for a long time, and the toll that it’s taking on his body is catching up to him. When Jackson learns that his longtime trainer (Molly Parker) has acquired what appears to be a championship horse, he knows this could be his last chance. Jackson’s failing body and a new hot jockey (Moises Arias) on the scene are throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. All he needs is one last ride. What would you do if your mind told you to keep going but your body couldn’t? This is what almost every professional athlete has to go through in their career. When do you hang it up? Jackson is a jockey who has had past success but struggles to keep riding due to mounting injuries, some of which could be life-threatening. Clifton Collins Jr. gives us a touching and meaningful performance of a man who loves what he does and doesn’t want to give it up. Jackson is supported by his trainer Ruth, played by the fabulous Molly Parker. Ruth, a longtime trainer, has bought a horse that she thinks could be a champion, and she wants her partner in crime, Jackson, to ride this horse to fame and glory. But Jackson has two secrets that are bringing him down. The new jockey in town, played by Moises Arias, says that he is his son, and Jackson is starting to suffer serious side effects from previous injuries that could stop his ability to ride. Clifton Collins Jr. is brilliant as Jackson, a man who has a good heart and is a standup guy but can’t admit that he needs to hang it up. If this was a bigger studio film or had more star power behind it, I would say that Collins Jr. would be getting an Academy Award nomination out of this role, but I just don’t think enough voters will see this smaller film. But you should. My Rating: Full Price Jockey Website Now playing in select theatres.
Indiefest: Sundown (2021) R Neil and Alice (Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg) are with their family on vacation at a fancy resort in Mexico. When a family emergency cuts their trip short, the family’s tight-knit order is struck to its core when one family member refuses to go back, bringing long-simmering tensions to rise to the surface. I love a film that doesn’t spell anything out for you. This is a film that slowly reveals itself, letting you try to figure out what is going on with its characters and never giving you too much information (though almost everything is explained by the end of the movie). Sundown is a character study on how different people deal with a crisis. Roth gives us a man who seems always to be moving in slow motion and is one of very few words (I would love to know the total of his lines in the script are). I loved this film and how it slowly peels back the story to let us into Neil’s world. Neil is a man you will not like until maybe the end of the movie, and even then, you might still not like or understand him. But that’s ok; it’s still an interesting journey that we go on with him. My Rating: Full Price Sundown Website Now playing in select theatres.
Indiefest: The Wolf and the Lion (2021) PG After her grandfather’s death, 20-year-old Alma (Molly Kunz) decides to return to his cabin on a little island in the heart of the wilderness. While there, she rescues a wolf cub from certain death. While raising the cub on her own, a plane crashes nearby, and the only survivor is a new addition to Alma’s growing family, a lion cub who was destined for a zoo. This is a sweet, simple, and well-meaning tale that kids and animal lovers will enjoy, while the rest of us may become a little bored. The two cubs are adorable, and their interactions are the highlight of the film. Unfortunately, the film has a plot that is a bit dull and very predictable, with a bit of over handedness on the cruelties of caging wild animals for people’s entertainment. The film writes itself into a corner that it quite can’t get out of, and the ending to the film is unbelievable. Still, young children may be entertained by two very different wild animals interacting and enjoying each other’s company. My Rating: Cable The Wolf and the Lion Website Now playing in theatres nationwide.
Indiefest: Book of Love (2022) Young, uptight English writer Henry (Sam Claflin) has a novel that has been an absolute failure. Henry is startled to find out that his book is a massive hit in Mexico and is invited there to promote it. He soon discovers why his book is such a hit; his Spanish translator Maria (Verónica Echegui) has rewritten his book into an erotic romance novel. Consequently, Henry must go on a book tour with Maria, not knowing anything about a book he is supposed to be the author of. I was really looking forward to this film. I love rom-coms, and I have much love in my heart for Mexico, but I was a little disappointed in the movie. I loved the fact that about 1/3 of the film was in Spanish. I'm not too fond of films that make everyone speak English in a foreign land. I wish the film had done a better job of showing the beauty of Mexico, but I felt that the film never left their one location, except for a few shots of Mexico City. I wanted more sparks between Claflin and Echegui, both of which are very likable on screen but never entirely developed the chemistry and fire that we need to see to make this film work. It’s not a bad rom-com, but nothing that the Hallmark channel doesn’t put out on a weekly basis, and I wanted more. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Book of Love Website Now playing on the Amazon Prime platform.
Indiefest: Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2021) Criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States from the beginnings of slavery in this country to the modern myth of a post-racial America. I am a history buff and took a couple of courses in college on the Civil War, so I thought I knew a lot about slavery and its history in the United States until I saw this eye-opening and engaging documentary. It’s staggering and depressing how much I didn’t know about this country's history with slavery and just how much the country's history is taught, so one-sided. Robinson gives us the story of slavery and oppression in a well-thought-out discussion where he travels the country to interview people who have suffered and lost loved ones throughout the years. Robinson talks about the assignation of Martin Luther King, Jr. and how it was a tipping point fifty years ago. This is a sobering discussion on the subject of race in America and how we haven’t really progressed at all in the fifty years since the Civil Rights era. Please watch this documentary and then discuss it with your family and friends. Robinson lets us know that we are at another tipping point in our history, and this time we must not let it slide back down the hill. My Rating: Full Price Who We Are Website Now playing in select theatres.
Forgotten Film: The Long Good Friday (1980) R Harold (Bob Hoskins) is doing well as a gangster about to hit the big time. When bombs start exploding in inconvenient places, Harold realizes that a new syndicate is trying to muscle its way on his territory. The syndicate will learn very soon that Harold isn’t going to go down without a fight. Hopkins gives one of the best performances of his career as a short-tempered mob boss who deals with force with the only thing he knows, brutality. The Long Good Friday is a film about a man who will stop at nothing to protect his stake and not take anything lying down. It’s a marvelous film that is both brutal and, at times, almost breathtaking, with a powerful performance by an actor at the top of his game. My Rating: Full Price The Long Good Friday Info
Weird Credits: From the credits of Moonfall: Splinter Unit Gaffer
Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Outfit (2022) R Leonard (Mark Rylance) is an English tailor who used to work on London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, Leonard now makes his home in Chicago, in a part of town where only mobsters can afford his hand-crafted suits. All Leonard wants to do is be left alone to make clothes with his assistant (Zoey Deutch), but his life is about to get complicated when two killers show up on his shop’s doorstep. The Outfit looks like a good old-fashioned thriller with a great cast headlined by Mark Rylance. The Outfit Website
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