A Minecraft Movie

My View:  A Minecraft Movie  (2025)  PG   In A Minecraft Movie, four misfits suddenly find themselves pulled through a mysterious portal, landing in a strange, cubic world that thrives on creativity and imagination. To return home, they will need help from a peculiar resident, Steve (Jack Black), to master this bizarre world. I am not a gamer, and I only have knowledge of Minecraft from advertisements and Twitter/X. Having seen this film, I have no clue what Minecraft is or what the game is like. All I know is that I had to endure three songs sung by Jack Black and a plot that probably only makes sense to a six-year-old who has played the game their whole life (ok, maybe their last year or so). For a world that constantly talks about imagination, very little was applied when writing the script. My father, the playwright, always said avoid films with more than two writers, more means the script had troubles. This one had five. I get that the four humans that have been sent to the Minecraft world want to get back, but I have no idea why anyone else would want to be a part of this world like Steve. I am guessing kids will enjoy all the battles and the weird animals, but adults will be bored and looking at their watches to see when this film will end. And what was Jennifer Coolidge's role (she plays a school vice president) in the plot? It's such a throwaway part that has so much wasted screen time.  So many questions and so little desire to know any of the answers. And yes, there is a bonus scene at the end of all the credits that, I guess, sets up the next film. I am guessing gamers will know why that scene is worth waiting for. I certainly don't. My Rating: Cable  A Minecraft Movie Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Hell of a Summer  (2024) R  Hell of a Summer follows 24-year-old camp counselor Jason (Fred Hechinger) getting ready for his summer at Camp Pineway; he thinks his biggest challenge will be connecting with his teenage co-workers. Little does Jason know that will be the least of his worries as there is a masked killer on the campgrounds, and counselors are dying off one by one. Hell of a Summer is a take on the slasher films of the 70s and 80s, with a group of camp counselors being killed one by one by a mysterious killer. I had fun watching this film, especially the performance of Fred Hechinger, who plays a man who loves summer camp so much that he can’t seem to let it go, even in his mid-20s. Hechinger is hilarious in the role of someone who desperately wants to fit in, but try as hard as he does, he can’t seem to do or say the right thing. Written and directed by two of the cast, Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard, who are funny as best friends who continually screw up but somehow stay alive, at least for a while. The story goes on a little too long, the killer is pretty easy to figure out, and the film goes for humor much more than scares, something that it could use to keep the film moving along. Still, the cast has a great time, and the film ends on a funny and very bloody note. So, if you are in the mood for revisiting those summer camps where not everyone came back alive, then pack your duffle bag, sunscreen, and maybe a knife or two and join the gang around the campfire. Don't be alarmed if a few people don't show up for the weenie roast.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Hell of a Summer Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Friend  (2024) R  Iris (Naomi Watts) is a writer whose life is falling apart. She isn’t happy with her students, her latest writing project isn’t going anywhere, and her best friend and mentor, a fellow writer, Walter (Bill Murray), has just committed suicide. Then Iris finds out that Walter has left his dog, a Great Dane named Apollo, to Iris. Apollo is going to change Iris’s life, even if she doesn’t want it changed. Naomi Watts continues to prove that she is among the best actresses out there. Watts gives a virtuoso performance of a writer dealing with her best friend’s death while trying to teach students who are too involved in themselves. To top it off, she is struggling to put together a book of Walter’s letters, and now, she has a giant dog to care for in an apartment that just might kick her out because of their no-pets policy. The Friend is a film about dealing with grief and how pets can help us heal. Bing, the Great Dane that plays Apollo, is perfect in the role, as Apollo is grieving too, and it takes Iris a while to figure this out. What I love about this film is that Apollo is exactly what Iris needs, and Iris is exactly what Apollo needs, too. Two fellow beings are trying to figure out how to go on and realize that they can do it if they lean on each other. So, hang out with Iris and her buddy Apollo as they go on this journey together. You won’t be sorry you did.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Friend Website  Now playing in theaters.  

My View:  Freaky Tales  (2024) R   Freaky Tales is a collection of four interconnected stories that takes place in Oakland in 1987. You will meet punk rockers, Nazi skinheads, female rappers, shakedown artists, and even Gold State Warrior legend Sleepy Floyd as he battles a crime lord. Freaky Tales is a fun ride that has trouble at times keeping the stories moving and their connection to each other is flimsy at best, but if you like the films of the 80s with a splash of exploration films of the 70s, then this is a film for you. The battle sequences, and there are quite a few, are bloody messes done with a tongue-in-cheek flair for slow-motion. There is a story for everyone, including punk rockers deciding to take on Nazi skinheads, a rap duo who get their big break, an enforcer who wants to retire, and then there is a basketball star who grabs a few samurai swords to take revenge. So, just go on a ride to 1980s Oakland and have fun with a few tales that may involve some magic and lots of blood spilled. Make sure to stay through the first part of the credits for a bit of a bonus scene or two.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Freaky Tales Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View:  A Nice Indian Boy  (2024)   A Nice Indian Boy is about Naveen (Karan Soni), a doctor who dreams of having a big wedding like his sister (Sunita Mani), but he can’t meet the right guy. It’s love at first sight when a photographer named Jay (Jonathan Groff) enters Naveen’s life. Now, if Naveen can get his traditional Indian family to accept this white boyfriend, maybe, just maybe, he can get the wedding he has always wanted. A Nice Indian Boy is a funny, warm, and uplifting rom-com that explores what happens when you fall in love with someone who meets everything you need in a person, but one thing: your family won’t approve of them. I loved the romance between Karan Soni’s Naveen, a man who thinks he will never find love, and Jonathan Groff’s Jay, who fits everything that Naveen is looking for, except that he is not of Indian descent. Naveen is convinced that he will never get the wedding he wants, and that life isn’t like those Bollywood musicals, with couples singing and dancing to express their love. Jay is a man who thinks it’s possible to have it all and wants it to be with Naveen. But can they overcome Naveen's family and their cultural norms? You will just have to stay to the end to find out. My Rating: Full Price  A Nice Indian Boy Website   Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Luckiest Man in America  (2024)  R   The Luckiest Man in America is about Michael Larson (Paul Walter Hauser), an unemployed ice cream truck driver who, in 1984, went on the game show Press Your Luck and won a ton of money. However, Michael had a secret: he knew there was a flaw in the game show and how to exploit it to his advantage. The film is based on a true story and features an exceptional performance by Paul Walter Hauser. Unfortunately, the story can’t sustain the tension it needs and lets the story go on way too long. It’s fun to watch the game show and network officials squirm when their low-stakes game show suddenly starts bleeding money on the screen. However, the film lost me when Michael’s mind begins to go, and he wanders off onto a talk show (hosted by an out-of-place Johnny Knoxville), making the film feel as if it all was a figment in Michael’s mind. The movie ends up running out of steam with an ending that feels out of place with the rest of the film. It's interesting that the filmmakers didn't give us a postscript on what happened to Michael and his winnings. From what I know of the real Michael Larson, the story was just starting, but the film seemed to feel like Michael was already out of luck.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Luckiest Man in America Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Forgotten Film:  Real Genius (1985)  PG  A teenage prodigy, Mitch (Gabriel Jarret), is thrust into the world of college as he enters a top engineering school. His roommate, Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), used to be the smartest kid in the school until Mitch got there. Now, Mitch must perform under the pressure of a professor (William Atherton) who has put Mitch in charge of a top-secret project that involves lasers. Mitch will soon learn from Chris that life is more than school and work. It's about living in the moment and having fun. Real Genius is one of my favorite films of the 80s, and Val Kilmer is brilliant as the incredibly cool and funny Chris, who has a quip for every moment and is all about trying to have fun every waking moment. The supporting cast is amazing, and I love all the characters in this film. The film has one of my favorite lines from a movie, said by a huge crush of mine, Deborah Foreman. It's I line I can't print because this is a family review, but I die every time she says it to Val Kilmer's character. This is one film I can watch over and over again. Plus, it has one of the great final scenes of a movie.  My Rating: Full Price   Real Genius Info  The film is available on DVD/Blue Ray. 

 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Hell of a Summer:  Mask Fabricator

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You: Sinners  (2025)  R  Trying to leave their troubled past behind, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown and open a dance hall. They soon discover that their hometown has changed, and a greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. Written and directed by two-time Oscar-nominated Ryan Coogler (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Judas and the Black Messiah) and starring Michael B. Jordan in a duel role, this is one of the films on everyone’s must-see list.  Sinners Website The film will be in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 18, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

Mickey 17

My View:  Mickey 17  (2025) R  Mickey 17 is about Mickey (Robert Pattinson), who is unhappy with his life, and so he signs up to be an ‘expendable’, a disposable crew member on a space mission. As an expendable, Mickey is given dangerous tasks because he can be ‘renewed’ if he dies. Two problems: He renews with his memories intact, and something has gone wrong, and now there are two Mickeys. I have been a fan of Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho for quite a while. His films like The Host (2006), Snowpiercer (2013), Okja (2017), and Parasite (2019) were imaginative, creative and always had a biting sense of humor that combined with a lot to say about the state of the world, politics, and class. So it’s no surprise that Mickey 17 combines all of those factors and more into a delightful film that goes on too long to keep the film from feeling bloated and a bit out of control. Pattinson is enjoyable in the role of the sad-sack Mickey, who, while he gets the girl, keeps getting killed in lots of horrible ways. It’s a brilliant performance that Pattinson milks for everything he can, especially when the 2nd Mickey shows up, giving us two different takes on what we might have thought would be the same person but aren’t. There are some hilarious moments, mostly because of Pattinson’s way of making Mickey go along with his fate, no matter how bad it’s going to be. The film takes too long to get to the end, and it seems that Bong seems to lose the focus of the film, throwing out too many ideas at us, including some retreads of subjects from his previous films like Okja and Snowpiercer. Still, I had fun watching Mickey keep dying, and while watching Naomi Ackie as Nasha, Mickey’s girlfriend, have a blast playing a woman who loves Mickey but wants a little bit more. I wish the film had kept its focus on the subject and gotten to a conclusion sooner.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Mickey 17 Website  Now playing in theaters.

My View: In the Lost Lands  (2025) R  In the Lost Lands, a powerful witch named Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) and a hunter named Boyce (Dave Bautista), who journey into a dangerous landscape known as the “Lost Lands” to retrieve a magical artifact for a queen. Gray is the only one who knows that every spell she casts has unimaginable consequences. I have become a big fan of Dave Bautista, and while I don’t think Milla Jovovich is a great actress, she has a charisma that bursts off the screen. Add in that this film isn’t based on a video game but a short story by George R.R. Martin, and it should have been at least watchable. However, it’s not. The dialogue is so bad that it is laughable, and while the action sequences are fun, there isn’t enough of them to make the film work on that level. Instead, we get a film with too many working parts, a couple of big scenes that end way too easily, and an ending that is pleading for a sequel or two. In the Lost Lands reminded me of those straight-to-video sword and sorcerer films of the 80s, and we have gone too far to go back to those days. My Rating: Cable    In the Lost Lands Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Familyfaire:  Plankton: The Movie (2025) TV-PG  In Plankton: The Movie, tired of being taken for granted, Karen the Computer is going to do what Plankton has failed to do over the past twenty-five years: Take over the world. Plankton now has to stop her with the help of a few friends, including one named SpongeBob. SpongeBob fans will have fun with this film, as two of the supporting characters, Plankton and his ‘wife’ Karen the Computer, are featured in this film about Karen quitting being in Plankton’s shadow and taking over the world herself. There are plenty of songs in the film, and small kids will love all the hijinks that Plankton and Karen get into. No fear, SpongeBob fans, as he will help defeat Karen’s attempt at taking over the world, and everything will return to normal.  Well, normal for the world of SpongeBob and his friends.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Plankton: The Movie Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  There’s Still Tomorrow  (2023)  There’s Still Tomorrow is set in postwar 1940s Italy, where Delia (Paola Cortellesi) is in an unhappy marriage and the mother of three. She sees that her oldest daughter is about to repeat the same mistake that Delia did by going into a bad marriage, and plots to stop the marriage in any way she can. There’s Still Tomorrow is a film about love lost, domestic violence, trying to make up for mistakes of the past, and sacrifice. Directed by Paola Cortellesi, she also stars as the film’s central character, a woman who is in an unhappy marriage with a man who hits her for any little mistake she makes, all the while she struggles to keep her family together in a post-WWII Italy. Cortellesi commands the screen, and we root for her character as we follow her on a quest to help her daughter get out of under the control of her husband. This is a usual film, as some scenes where Delia is abused are shown as musical dance numbers. It’s a surreal look at a serious subject and takes a bit of getting used to. Shot in beautiful black and white, as an homage to the films shot in Italy after the war, the film makes a case for Delia to leave and find happiness with an old love she broke up with long ago. The film is worth watching because of Cortellesi’s performance and for the last ten minutes of the film, which gives us an ending that you will not expect. There’s Still Tomorrow is an incredible film that covers a lot of subject that isn’t beautiful at all but has a character at its center that you will fall in love with.  My Rating: Full Price  There's Still Tomorrow Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

My View:  Picture This  (2025)   In Picture This, Pia (Simone Ashley) is a struggling photographer who receives a prediction: true love and career success await her on her next five dates. The only problem is her ex (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) has reappeared, throwing her love life and career into a big mess. Picture This is a rom-com that has more comedy than romance, mostly because the romance part doesn’t start until near the end of the film, in a very Hallmark way. The film works because of Simone Ashley, who has a knack for comedy, and the camera loves her. The film has our heroine trying to make a go of it as a portrait photographer while telling the world and her parents that she may never get married or have kids. We all know what will happen, but it’s fun to see Pia go on the four dates, all of which end in one disaster or another. Picture This is an enjoyable film that, while predictable, works because the lead is so funny and captivating. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Picture This Website  Now playing on Amazon Prime.

My View:  The Rule of Jenny Pen  (2025)  R  In The Rule of Jenny Pen, a former judge (Geoffrey Rush), after having a stroke, is sent to a secluded rest home, confined to a wheelchair. He becomes the target of a fellow resident (John Lithgow), who torments the residents at night with a child’s puppet, abusing them with deadly consequences. I had high hopes for this film due to the pairing of Lithgow and Rush, two actors who, when given just about anything, are at the top of their game. Unfortunately,, the two are let down by a script that starts strong but can’t sustain the suspense and takes itself into a corner it can’t escape. From the trailer, I was expecting a horror film mixed with a psychological thriller. I wanted a film where the two characters were in a war of wits, but instead, it was the strong taking advantage of the weak. Like the doll that Lithgow’s character carries around, the plot is hollow and short on any sort of scares. My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Rule of Jenny Pen Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: Becoming Katharine Graham  (2025)  This is a documentary on Katharine Graham, who went from being a housewife to running The Washington Post during a time when the Vietnam War and the dirty tricks of the Nixon administration were tearing the country apart. This is a brilliant documentary on an amazing woman who became CEO of a publishing company when women were seen as only secretaries in the workforce; Katherine worked for a few years until they could get married and then take care of the household, their bread-winning husband, and raise a few kids. We see that Graham, who took over the reins of the Post when her husband committed suicide, had to learn very quickly how to survive in a ‘man’s world,’ but she soon put her mark on the company. The film focuses on key moments in Graham’s life: her marriage that ended so tragically, the release of the Pentagon Papers, which cemented the opposition to the Vietnam War, the Watergate break-in and coverup, which to the Washington Post, ultimately brought down a President, and then a crippling union strike at the Post. It’s an amazing story, one that, when both the book and Oscar-winning movie All the President’s Men came out, ignored her courageous role in the continuing coverage of the Watergate break-in. I learned just how alone the Washington Post was when they started and continued the coverage of Watergate. Graham, even when Nixon and his associates tried to ruin Graham, stood fast and kept fighting. Becoming Katharine Graham is a film that needs to be seen in our current times, showing how important a free press is to democracy, keeping us safe from those who would rather only let one side of the story be told.  My Rating: Full Price   Becoming Katharine Graham Website Now playing on Amazon Prime. 

Forgotten Film:  Memphis Belle  (1990) PG-13  In 1943, a crew of a B-17 airplane based in the UK prepares for its 25 mission. If they come back from this bombing mission over Germany, they get to go back home to the US. It’s going to take all the skill and luck that the crew has to get back to base. Based loosely on a WWII documentary of the same name, the film shows us just how dangerous their bombing raids were and how it took the crew right to the edge to complete their mission. The cast is full of young actors from the late 80s and ‘90s who were either stars or about to be, including Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D. B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, and Sean Astin. This is a well-made war film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with some outstanding performances.  My Rating: Full Price  Memphis Belle Info  Available to rent/buy on Apple TV and Amazon. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Mickey 17:  Standby Property Hands

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: A Minecraft Movie  (2025) PG  Four misfits suddenly find themselves pulled through a mysterious portal, landing in a strange, cubic world that thrives on creativity and imagination. To get back home, they will need help from a peculiar resident to master this bizarre world. The cast includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, Jemaine Clement, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Hansen. In theaters on Friday, April 4, 2025. 

Until Next Time!