A Star is Born

My View:  A Star Is Born  (2018)  R  A legendary musician, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) takes a young singer (Lady Gaga) under his wing and guides her to becoming a star, all the while his career beings to suffer due to his drinking. This is a fantastic movie with an excellent soundtrack (some of the songs were written by Cooper and of course, Lady Gaga). I highly recommend going out and buying the music to this film because there isn’t a bad song in the bunch. Bradley Cooper not only co-wrote the film and stars in it, he also directed the film and did an incredible job. I had doubts about Lady Gaga in the role, but she knocks it out of the park with a multi-level performance that will bring you to tears. Cooper is perfect as the weathered music star whose career has seen better times. I can’t recommend this film more. Go see this magical film but bring a tissue or two.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   A Star is Born Website

My View: The Sisters Brothers  (2018)  R  In 1850’s Oregon, two legendary gunmen (John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix) the Sisters brothers, are chasing a gold prospector (Riz Ahmed with the help of a scout (Jake Gyllenhaal). I highly enjoyed this slightly unconventional western. Phoenix is excellent as the brash, drunken younger brother but it’s Reilly steals the movie as the older, more thoughtful brother who dreams of a girl back home. Reilly’s performance is moving and funny as his character struggles to deal with his troublesome brother who tends to get them into trouble. I liked the performances of the rest of the cast, including Jake Gyllenhaal as the thoughtful scout trying to track the prospector down and Riz Ahmed as the said prospector who is on the run because he possesses something take could make a lot of money. It's also fun to see Allison Tolman (season 1 of Fargo) as the hooker with the heart of gold.   My Rating: Full Price   The Sisters Brothers Website

My View:  Venom  (2018)  R  When Eddie (Tom Hardy) acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego “Venom’ to save his life. I went into this film with minimum expectations, and all I knew about the Venom character was from the horrible Spiderman 3. That being said, I enjoyed this film. It was very different than what I was expecting. The Venom character is what you would call an ‘anti-hero.’ He really isn’t about the normal Marvel hero who is all about saving lives, he is all about what is best for him. Eddie is a self-called ‘loser’ who is his own worst enemy. His world changes when he gets infected by Venom, a creature from outer space. What was the most fun in this movie was the interaction between Venom and Eddie. Venom talks to Eddie in his mind and Eddie talks to Venom out loud, which made for some hilarious interactions. The action sequences are well done, and there is a thrilling chase sequence about halfway through the film. I didn’t like that fact that it took too long for Venom to show up (about 35 minutes into the movie) which made the film much longer than it needed to be. All in all its a fun ride, not a great film, but still fun to watch.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Venom Website

Indiefest:   Hal  (2018)  Documentary on the legendary director Hal Ashby, who directed cinema classics in the 1970s including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. Exceptional documentary about a talented man who consistently fought for his films. Ashby went on a run in the 70’s where he directed 7 films in 9 years, and Hal rightly concentrates on those years. Those seven films got twenty-four Oscar nominations and seven wins. Unfortunately, Ashby fought the studio system constantly, and his movies in the eighties suffered for it. This is an excellent introduction to a director that should be talked about in the same circles as Coppola, Scorsese, and Lucas.  My Rating: Full Price   Hal Website

Forgotten Film:  Shampoo  (1975)  Directed by Hal Ashby and written by Robert Towne and Warren Beatty, the film is about a Beverly Hills hairdresser named George (Beatty) who sleeps with just about every client. George is sleeping with Felicia (Lee Grant) a wealthy married woman who George hopes will give him money to start his own shop. George’s girlfriend is Jill (Goldie Hawn) whose best friend is Jackie, an old girlfriend of George. The performances are top notch, and Lee Grant won an Academy Award for her performance of Felicia, a woman who is a little too involved with the life and loves of George. This is a scintillating look a man who loves women too much and his indiscretions will soon catch up with him.   My Rating: I would Pay to See it Again   Shampoo Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Sisters Brothers: With the Participation of Rutger Hauer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Vice  (2018)  The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale) and his turn as Vice President of the United States.  Christian Bale does another chameleon job as he looks so much like Cheney. All you need to know is that it is written and directed by Adam McKay who won an Academy Award for The Big Short (2015) and the cast includes Amy Adams, Steve Carell, and Sam Rockwell. In addition, the film is being released in late December, which means the studio thinks it could win some major awards.   Vice Info

Until Next Time!

Incredibles 2

My View:  Incredibles 2  (2018)  PG  Bob (Mr. Incredible) is playing “Mr. Mom,” taking care of Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world. While not as good as The Incredibles, the film is still a lot of fun and the ending of the film is as good as any live action adventure film. The film moves at a quick pace and has a few twists and turns to make the film interesting. As with the first film, this is a movie not just for kids but adults as well. The best character in the film is the baby, Jack-Jack, who starts developing super powers that Bob has to deal with while Elastigirl is out saving the world. These are some superheroes that we have missed for thirteen years. The lovely short Bao plays before Incredibles 2 and it's a welcome addition to Pixar short film library.   My Rating:  Full Price   Incredibles 2 website

My View:  Tag  (2018)  R  A group of former classmates get together every year and play the kids game, Tag. One of the members (Jeremy Renner), who has never been tagged, announces he is quitting the game after this year.  I have severe problems with this film. It wants to be a raunchy comedy, but it also wants to be a serious picture about friendship, and it fails on both counts.  The film makes jokes of miscarriages and cancer. I did enjoy the performances of Isla Fisher, who plays the wife of Ed Helms and takes the game too seriously, and Hannibal Buress, who plays one of the gamers who sees a conspiracy theory in everything.   Both actors bring some energy and fun to the film. Unfortunately, both Jon Hamm and Ed Helms bring very little to the picture and take the air out of it in their main scenes. The film never finds its footing and just doesn’t deliver enough laughs to overlook the horrible writing.  My Rating: Cable   Tag Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Love, Simon  (2018)  PG-13  Simon (Nick Robinson) is a gay high school student who hasn’t come out, even to his best friends. He is in love with an anonymous classmate whom he has only talked to online.  Now, Simon’s life will change in a big way.  This is one of those rare movies about teenagers where the characters on the screen are real people with real problems, ones we can relate to and feel. Nick Robinson gives an intelligent and moving performance as the teenager who is afraid to come out. Simon just wants to last until he is out of high school before revealing he is gay. He also doesn’t want to rock the boat with his closest friends, especially with his best friend, Leah (Katherine Langford), whom he has known since childhood. Love, Simon is a funny and sweet movie that hits all the right notes. At the screening, when the big scene near the end of the film happened, teenage girls jumped up out of their seats and cheered. Go see this film, and you just might do the same.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Love, Silmon Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  Atlantis: The Lost Empire  (2001)  PG  Atlantis is a rare Disney animated film that doesn’t have any songs or dances. It’s an adventure story of a team of explorers looking for the lost city of Atlantis. The movie is based on a story idea by Buffy and Angel creator Joss Whedon. The animation looks very different than most Disney movies, with almost a Japanese anime feel to it. The storyline is sharp and it has an ending that delivers. While the film is aimed at kids, adults may also enjoy this movie with its adventure theme.  My Rating: Full Price    Atlantis Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tag:  Hoagie’s Mom Photo Double

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  A Star is Born  (2018)  R  A musician (Bradley Cooper) who has seen better days, helps a young singer (Lady Gaga) as she becomes a star. His demons get a hold of him as he falls for the young singer, and their relationship suffers. Bradley Cooper also directs this film, and the trailer looks brilliant.    A Star is Born Info

Until Next Time!