The Wild Robot

My View: The Wild Robot (2024) PG    The Wild Robot takes place when a robot named Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) crashes on Earth and is stranded on an uninhabited island. Roz’s survival depends on her wits and newfound animal friends, including an orphaned baby goose. Roz is going to learn a lot about life and the importance of friends. I will tell you right off the bat that this is not only the best animated film of 2024, but right now, it’s the best film of 2024. This is that rare film that the whole family will fall in love with right from the start. We follow Roz as she learns how to survive on her own, make friends, and become a mom to an orphaned baby goose. The Wild Robot is a film about learning to adapt to your surroundings, how to parent, and how to live your life to its fullest. The animation is gorgeous, the voice cast is brilliant (especially Pedro Pascal as the sly fox), and the story will have you laughing one moment and crying tears the next. The plot is fast-moving, and I loved that there are even a few moments of dark humor thrown in. Lupita Nyong’o is perfect as the voice of Roz, making her a robot with a heart and a mind willing to learn, especially from mistakes. The Wild Robot is a magical tale of a parent’s love for a child, wanting to do everything so that the child can eventually leave the nest and have the tools to go out into the world on their own. The Wild Robot is a stunning film that dazzles with its charm, wit, and heart while wowing us with animation that comes to life. And I can’t wait to see it again on the big screen! My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again The Wild Robot Website Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  Megalopolis  (2024)  R  In Megalopolis, a brilliant architect, Cesar (Adam Driver), wants to rebuild his beloved city and create a utopian future. Not everyone believes in Cesar’s vision, including the greedy mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito). In between the battle for the city is Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), who is divided between her father, the mayor, and Cesar, her beloved. Francis Ford Coppola has made some of the greatest films in cinema history, including The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now, and The Conversation. He has also made some stinkers (Jack, Twixt), but he is at a time in his life when he has decided to use his own money to make a film that has been on the drawing board since the 80s. So he brings us Megalopolis, which he calls a fable about how America has become the new Rome, and in so Coppola asks, is America going to fall like Rome did? By the time this film ended, I didn’t care. I was fortunate to see this film about a year ago at a special showing, with Mr. Coppola in attendance. It was a work in progress, with none of the final music, lots of scenes with only natural sound (shown with subtitles so we could understand the low-volume dialogue), and almost no special effects. I came away from that screening wondering what I had just seen and hoping that the film would become much clearer as Mr. Coppola worked on it. The second screening was this past week on a huge IMAX screen. I am sad to say that while the film flowed much better, the script is such a mess that no special effects, sweetening the audio and a soundtrack could fix it. The film is filled with characters making speeches. I felt it was as if Coppola had shown the script to his friends and advisers, and had cut and pasted bits of speeches from past scripts into his final script. The film is full of weird performances that I couldn’t tell if they were due to a badly written script or if they were supposed to be campy and over the top. The plot is hard to follow as characters jump from one scene to another, always making those speeches. Speeches that don’t seem to add up too much of anything. And that’s how I felt when the film was over. The film didn’t add up too much of anything. My Rating: Cable Megalopolis Website   Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Wolfs  (2024)  R   In Wolfs, a professional fixer (George Clooney) is hired to cover up a high-profile crime. However, a second fixer (Brad Pitt) has also been hired to clean up the crime site. The two ‘lone wolves’ are forced to work together, and soon, the two find that their night starts spiraling out of control, much to their dismay. Wolfs is one of those films that will probably be forgotten by the end of the year (and rightfully so), but it’s still fun to watch two movie stars do their job on screen. Clooney and Pitt have great chemistry together, making this film watchable because the plot isn’t much to begin with and gets a little messy as it goes along. Still, I had fun watching it, laughed a few times (especially during a hilarious scene at a seedy motel), and enjoyed watching the two just be cool in each other’s company. I wish it was a better film, but for a popcorn movie that will not win any awards, it’s fun to watch. Just don’t pay much attention to the plot and let the star power take you over. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Wolfs Info Now playing in selected theaters and on Apple TV+.

My View:  Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story  (2024)  PG-13  The documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story tells the story of Christopher Reeve, who went from an unknown stage actor to Superman, only to have his world changed when he suffered a near-fatal horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed. Using the Reeve’s own voice (from his two audio books), the film tells the story of how the Man of Steel became paralyzed and then used that to become a force to get funding to help all people with paraplegia. This beautiful and touching documentary focuses on Reeve and his family fighting to regain his life after the accident. With extensive interviews with his grown children and his first wife (sort of explained in the film) and extensive footage of family videos, we get an inside look at what Reeve went through in the years following the accident. The film goes over his career, as flashbacks, that tell the story of a brash young man who went from off-Broadway to one of the biggest stars of the 70s and 80s. By letting us see and hear Christopher Reeve tell his story, it brings us closer to a man who had faults but also loved his family and his life, even when seen from a motorized wheelchair. So bring a tissue or two and settle down to go on a journey with a man that took us up in the air, flying above the clouds, even when he was still grounded by an accident.  My Rating: Full Price Super/Man Website The film will be soon released to theaters and On Demand.

My View:  Killer Heat  (2024)  R  In Killer Heat, Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is a private eye American expat living in Greece, and has been hired to investigate the death of a young shipping magnate, Leo, on the island of Crete. Nick discovers that the victim’s sister-in-law, Penelope (Shailene Woodley), doesn’t believe that Leo’s death was an accident. Nick soon learns that the rich control the island, and they don’t want him around to mess up their world. I am a fan of both Woodley and Gordon-Levitt. Unfortunately, they are let down by a script that is slow to develop and makes it too easy to figure out what happened. This is one of those films where you know the two leads took the roles because they got to film on location in Crete. We are given a side story of Nick drowning his sorrows each night by drinking until he blacks out due to something bad that happened between Nick and his wife in the past. The film wants us to think it’s a mystery that only Nick can solve, but alas, most of its viewers will solve it long before he does. My Rating: Cable Killer Heat Website  Now playing on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest:  My Old Ass  (2024)  R  In My Old Ass, on her 18th birthday, Elliot (Maisy Stella) goes to a remote island with her pals and takes some mushrooms. During her mushroom trip, she meets herself at age 39 (played by Aubrey Plaza). Her older self gives her one piece of advice: avoid any guy named Chad. The next day, Elliot, of course, meets a guy named Chad. Uh oh! My Old Ass is a funny and delightful film that is buoyed by an outstanding performance by Maisy Stella. Elliot, a teenager, would rather spend her birthday camping out with her best friends than celebrating it with her family. After watching her friends get delightfully high, Elliot is convinced that she isn’t under the influence until her 39-year-old self shows up. They spend the night talking, and Elliot is left with a warning to stay away from anyone named Chad. Of course, she meets Chad the next day, and he is funny and sweet, the type of guy who could convince a young lesbian like Elliot to change teams. Elliot and Chad continue to run into each other and Elliot slowly develops a crush on him. This coming-of-age film has some emotional moments that have a real impact, and a lot of that has to do with Maisy Stella, who makes Elliot a blast to watch go through so many of her feelings in a short amount of time. If you are seeing the film for Aubrey Plaza, let it be known that she is in it for about ten minutes, and a lot of that is on the phone with Elliot (somehow she can make phone calls from the future). I will say that near the end of the film there is a powerful and moving scene that Plaza just slays. Still, this is Maisy Stella’s film, and she runs with it, bringing us along on this journey that she takes full of laughs, tears, and a better understanding of how important it is to cherish our time with our loved ones. My Rating: Full Price  My Old Ass Website   Now playing in theaters.

Forgotten Film:  From Dusk till Dawn  (1996) R  Two brothers, Ritchie (Quentin Tarantino) and Seth (George Clooney), are on a spree of robbing and mayhem, with Ritchie killing almost everyone he meets. They kidnap a family (Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu) and head down to Mexico, where they make the mistake of going into a strip club and things get really weird after the sun goes down. Co-written by Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez, the film is part Tarantino caper film and part Rodriquez horror film. The film should have been better, but I think the two styles of Tarantino and Rodriquez clashed. This isn’t a great movie, but the dialogue is off-the-wall fun, and Clooney, hot off his star-making role in ER, is great as the less crazy brother who he tries to reel in every once in a while. Plus, Salma Hayek playing a giant snake-holding stripper turned vampire isn’t too bad. My Rating: Bargain Matinee From Dusk to Dawn Info The film is available to rent/buy on most streaming services.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Wild Robot:  Hair Global Development Supervisor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Smile 2  (2024)  R  Pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is about to embark on a world tour when she begins experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. The curse of the smile is back, and Skye has become its next victim. With a great promotion campaign (creepy smilers at major sporting events) the horror film Smile became a box office hit in 2022. Can the Smilers strike twice?  Smile 2 Website The film opens in theaters on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Until Next Time!

The Color Purple

My View: The Color Purple (2023) PG-13 Musical that follows the decades-spanning tale of Celie (Fantasia Barrino), who faces hardships in her life but finds her strength to survive through her faith and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. I am not a huge fan of the 1985 Steven Spielberg film, feeling it never captured the magic of the beloved Alice Walker book. Now we have a new version based on the Broadway musical. I am still not a fan. The film feels very much like a Broadway musical, with the songs taking up much of the film’s 2 hour and twenty-minute length. I loved some of the performances, especially Danielle Brooks as the fiery Sofia. I am guessing she might have supporting actress Oscar nod in her near future. However, the film never hit the mark emotionally for me, and there wasn’t a song in the bunch that I felt was a show-stopper. I think some of the fault is that Fantasia Barrino is asked to carry the film and while she can sing, I never connected with her character. Some of that is because of its Broadway roots, where we learn about the characters through their songs, but it seems like a lot of the songs were filler and not about what was going on with the characters themselves. Ultimately, this version of The Color Purple is too much Broadway glitter and not enough character insight like what we got from Alice Walker’s brilliant book.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Color Purple Website  Now in theatres everywhere.

My View: The Boys in the Boat (2023) PG-13 The story of the University of Washington junior eight-man rowing squad, from their Depression-era beginnings to their magical trip to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton) molds the crew into winners and picks them over the more experienced senior crew to race. It’s a pick that could end his job. Joe Rantz (Callum Turner), a self-made man who has been on his own since he was 14, joins the team as his only way to stay in college. There is nothing new in this old-fashioned sports film directed by George Clooney, and that’s ok. This is a good film that hits all the right notes in a movie about a group of young men who start as cast-offs and work together to become something great. Edgerton works well as the hard-nosed coach who is short of praise but believes in his crew and makes them believe in themselves. Callum Turner does a fine job as the main character, Joe, who has had to work for everything he has ever achieved but isn’t sure he deserves any success until he meets a man who shows him he can overcome any challenge. While not an Oscar-worthy film like Chariots of Fire, The Boys in the Boat still is everything you want in a come-from-behind sports film, and that’s ok, too.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Boys in the Boat Website Now in theaters everywhere.

My View: Ferrari (2023) R  In 1957, Enzo Ferrari’s (Adam Driver) auto empire is in trouble, and all that he and his wife Laura (Penélope Cruz) built in the last ten years is about to crumble. Enzo decides to bet it all on winning one race, the 1,000-mile trek across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia. Enzo and Laura recently lost their son, and Laura controls the company’s finances. Complicating matters even further is Enzo’s mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley), who has given Enzo another son. This film only works as well as it does because Adam Driver is such an outstanding actor. The problem is that Enzo is not a likable character and is a control freak who thinks he can outsmart and out-manipulate not only his competitors, but his loved ones as well. The script doesn’t give Driver a lot to work with, but he commands every scene he is in and holds his own with Cruz, who plays Laura, a woman who is constantly battling Enzo at every turn (and justly so). Ferrari feels a little like the cars that Enzo builds: fast and sleek but hard to control, and at times, I felt the story bogged down the back story of how Enzo’s company is failing and not enough about the man himself. I found Cruz’s Laura to be the more interesting of the two main characters and wanted more of her story to come to the surface. But this is Enzo’s story, and he will drive that car as fast as he can, no matter who tells him differently.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Ferrari Website Now in theatres everywhere.

Forgotten Film: A Midwinter’s Tale (1995) R  Joe (Michael Maloney) is an actor who is having a bit of a crisis and decides to save his sanity and career by staging a play as soon as possible. He picks Hamlet and perform a Christmas production in a small town in England. His agent (Joan Collins) thinks it’s a bad idea, and it is. To say mildly, the talent is almost nonexistent in the small town, and Joe is forced to cast a motley crew to put on his play. Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, a man who knows a bit about Shakespeare and theatre, it brings us a fun and funny movie where everything that can go wrong does, despite that, the troupe tries to valiantly put the play on. I love the dialogue in this film as Branagh lets his cast spout off with hilarious results. My Rating: Full Price  A Midwinter's Tale Info   Available to rent or buy on Apple TV or Amazon.

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Color Purple: Child Labor Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Miller’s Girl (2024)   Cairo (Jenna Ortega) is a high school student who excels at everything she sets her mind to. Her English teacher, Jonathan (Martin Freeman), sees talent in Cairo and gives her some extra attention. When he realizes things may have gone too far, he rejects her, and now Cairo is out for revenge. The film has been talked about quite a bit, with some worrying about the underage girl having a possible affair with a teacher. Ortega is a rising star, and it will be interesting to see if she has some box office draw.   The film comes to theatres in late January.  Miller's Girl Info

Scream VI

My View:  Scream VI (2023)  R  It’s been a year since Ghostface killed again in Woodsboro, and some of the survivors have moved to New York City to start a new chapter in their lives. Unfortunately, Ghostface is going to be a part of that too. The Scream films have always been fun because, from the start, they have played with tropes of horror films. The mantle of the steely victim who fights back has been passed from Sidney (Neve Campbell) to Sam (Melissa Barrera). After starring in the first five films, Neve Campbell decided she wanted out after they offered her a salary that she (and frankly, I) felt wasn’t in line with what she was worth to the franchise. Sam is now the target of Ghostface, and Barrera is perfect in the role of the long-lost sister, marked by the internet as a potential killer. Jenna Ortega continues to have fun in the horror genre as Sam’s younger sister, who wants to live her life without Sam constantly keeping a close watch on her. The film is fun, with lots of deaths in the typical fashion of Ghostface calling people on the phone before killing them. There is some controversy early in the film, as Ghostface uses a gun instead of a knife (something Ghostface has never done before), and I wish the filmmakers had addressed it in the movie. Also, I enjoyed the return of Kirby (Hayden Panettiere), a fan favorite from Scream 4. As with all the Scream movies, there are a bunch of clues who Ghostface is this time, and this film revisits all the previous Scream films, making it fun to go down that nightmare lane of past killers. And in the usual Scream fashion, you must ignore that our heroes can miraculously heal to keep fighting or even walk off in the sunset. But don’t fear; Ghostface is sure to return. And there is a small post credit scene after the main credits.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Scream VI Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Champions (2023) PG-13  The court orders a former minor-league basketball coach, Marcus (Woody Harrelson), to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. Marcus will soon learn that his players have more to teach him than he will ever teach them. This is one of those films that when you see it, you go, ‘well, that was ok but enjoyable.’ Not a great film in any sense, but because of the supporting cast of the players on the team, it will bring a smile or two to your face. It’s not a very funny film, and because of who directed it (Robert Farrelly of the Farrelly brothers fame), there are a couple of times the humor goes a little too far (fart jokes and projectile vomiting for laughs). However, still, I had a good time watching Harrelson interact with the players. There is the typical plot device of Marcus being forced to coach while knowing that he won’t be here for too long, but little does he know he will fall in love with the players on the team and with one of the player’s sisters (Kaitlin Olson). I loved the final scene at the last basketball game and felt it made Champions conclude on a high note. Be sure to stay during the credits for a fun musical number.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Champions Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: 65 (2023) PG-13 An astronaut, Mills (Adam Driver), is piloting a ship when it crashes on a mysterious planet. Along with the only other survivor of the crash, a young girl named Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), Mills must survive in a hostile world full of giant creatures. You know a movie is in trouble when it feels that it has to explain everything right up front with a lower third. Thanks, I think we figured out that he crashed on Earth back in prehistoric times, before man. And oh, by the way, that meteor that damaged your spaceship might be the cause of the death of the dinosaurs. We get it. The special effects seem almost out of a Godzilla movie, and a plot that is pretty easy to figure out makes for a film that, no matter how hard Adam Driver tries, never gives any thrills or scares. And by the way, one of the worst endings I’ve seen in a long time (I actually laughed out loud at one point).   My Rating: Cable   65 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: The Quiet Girl (2022) PG-13  Cáit (Catherine Clinch) is a young girl who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere, including in her wildly dysfunctional family. She is sent away to live with foster parents for the summer, and there she discovers a world that will open up for her. It’s a home where affection slowly grows, and there are meant to be no secrets, but Cáit will discover one. Nominated for an Academy Award and to be sure on my top films of the year list, The Quiet Girl is a wonderful and magical film about a young girl who would rather spend time alone in a field than with her family or fellow students. Picked on by both those students and her own family as being strange, she finds a place with her foster family that accepts her the way she is and lets her slowly discover that the world isn’t as scary or mean as she thought it was. Catherine Clinch is brilliant as Cáit, the young girl that walks to the beat of a different drummer. I loved the foster family of the middle-aged relatives (Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett) that let Cáit alone to discover that kindness and love do exist. The Quiet Girl is a beautiful and sometimes heart-breaking film about what can happen when a child feels accepted and loved.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Quiet Girl Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Chang Can Dunk (2023)  PG  A young Asian-American teen named Chang (Bloom Li) loves basketball but isn’t good enough to make the team. When a school bully makes fun of Chang, and it goes viral, Chang bets the bully that by the end of the football season, he will dunk a basketball. Chang just wants to dunk a ball but ends up learning how to believe in himself. Chang Can Dunk is an enjoyable teen film for the whole family about getting what you want and learning from your mistakes. Bloom Li is fun as the teen who wants to change his image now that he is no longer a freshman in high school, but he soon learns bullies don’t care. When a new girl (Zoe Renee) joins the band and Chang thinks he has lost his chance with her, he challenges the bully (the basketball team’s star player) with a bet that Chang, at 5’8, can dunk a basketball in 10 weeks. What I liked about this film is the event of dunking the basketball is only half the movie, and the consequences of the event make up the second half of the film. Chang Can Dunk is just a fun film with some cool messages along the way for teens and younger kids to learn.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Chang Can Dunk Website Now playing on the Disney+ platform. 

Forgotten Film: The Anniversary Party (2001) R  Ever wondered what attending one of those exclusive parties at a star’s home is like? Well, that’s what The Anniversary Party is. The party is held by Joe and Sally (Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh) to celebrate their on-again, off-again, on-again relationship. He is a director, and she is an actress, and boy, do they have problems. She has left him many times because he sleeps around. However, this time it was because he didn’t cast her in a movie based on her life because he felt she was too old for the part. The film was written and directed by Cumming and Leigh and shot with an early version of a digital camera, giving us an almost fly-on-the-wall look at a Hollywood party. Many of the cast are playing versions of themselves, including Kevin Kline as a former leading man who is no longer getting those roles, Phoebe Cates as his wife who has quit the business to raise their family, Parker Posey as an up-and-coming actress, and Gwyneth Paltrow as an actress who has grown up in the industry. So, pour out a drink and join the party. It’s going to get a little weird.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Anniversary Party Info The film is available to rent on Amazon and iTunes.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Scream VI: Body Track Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Beau is Afraid (2023) R  I am just going to quote IMBD to describe this movie ‘Following the sudden death of his mother, a mild-mannered but anxiety-ridden man confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.’ This film stars Joaquin Phoenix and is written and directed by Ari Aster, who brought us Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019). That is all you need to know, but watch the mind-blowing trailer to confirm that this will be one trippy movie. Beau is Afraid Website  Coming to theatres in late April. 

Until Next Time!

 

Encanto

Familyfaire:  Encanto  (2021)  PG  Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) is a young girl who has a problem. Mirabel lives in a town, called Encanto hidden in the mountains of Colombia. She belongs to a family named the Madrigals, where everyone has magical powers except her. Mirabel learns that the magic that surrounds Encanto is in danger, and it’s up to her, the only ordinary Madrigal, to save the town and its magic. Encanto is a charming and rousing musical with beautiful songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the animation is vibrant and captures the beauty of Colombia. This isn’t your typical Disney animated film because there isn’t a villain to root against. Instead, Mirabel is an outsider in her family, the only one who doesn’t have the ability to do magic, and that feeling of loneliness and not living up to your family’s standards is Mirabel’s own villain, the one that she has to overcome to save her family. Stephanie Beatriz gives a mesmerizing performance that provides us with the joy of being a part of a family she loves and is proud of, but at the same time, someone who longs to live up to her family's high expectations. Beatriz gives Mirabel a character that we can all relate to and root for. I applaud Disney for their continuing to expand the ‘princess’ line of characters, giving us a look and feel of a different country, with heroes from other cultures and other parts of the world. Encanto is a film that is truly magical.  My Rating: Full Price    Encanto Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  House of Gucci (2021) R  Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) has fought her whole life to get ahead in life. As an outsider from humble beginnings, Patrizia marries into the Gucci family, and her drive and ambition begins to unravel their legacy and starts a downward spiral into betrayal, decadence, revenge, and finally…murder. This is a bizarre story that makes for a strange and almost campy movie. Lady Gaga is a force of nature on the screen, playing the brash, bold, and at times, fearless Patrizia, who finds by luck, her way into the life of the rich by latching on to one of the heirs of the Gucci kingdom, Maurizio (Adam Driver). Driver is brilliant as the man who at first didn’t want to be part of the glamorous life of being a Gucci but, through Patrizia’s drive and a taste of money and power, decides to go into the family business. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the off-the-wall, bizarre performance of Jared Leto as the idiot Paolo Gucci, who bumbles his way through life, thinking he is destined for greatness but is met with defeat after defeat. Leto is almost unrecognizable as the balding, paunchy Paolo, who talks and acts as if everything is a big production. It’s a strange performance that is at times brilliant and other times annoying, as Leto goes way over the top with his portrayal. Overall, House of Gucci an interesting movie that doesn’t quite know if it’s a melodrama or a play on mafia films, but it’s worth checking out for the performances. You have to see Leto' Paolo. It’s worth the price of admission.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    House of Gucci Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bruised  (2020)  Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) used to be somebody, a mixed martial arts fighter who left the sport in disgrace. Now scrubbing toilets for a living, she has a son (Danny Boyd, Jr.), who she gave up as an infant, show up unexpectedly at her door. Jackie gets discovered by a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) after Jackie fights in a brutal, illegal underground fight and is given the chance to fight back in the octagon. This isn’t a second chance for Jackie; it’s her last chance. First, let me say that I admire Halle Berry for starring in and directing a film that had to be challenging both mentally and physically on her. I can’t imagine how hard it was to direct a movie that you are starring in and then have the role so physically demanding. That being said, the film is filled with too many cliches of sports films of the past. The washed-up fighter who gets a second chance. The woman who learns to stand up for herself in an abusive relationship. The mother who abandoned her child and then is forced to become the mother that child needs. And add to all that, finding love in an unexpected place. It just feels like the scriptwriter took everything in a bowl and mixed it up. Berry gives a powerful performance, as you feel the weight of her past bring her down time and time again, but Berry can’t overcome a script that is too predictable to make it tug on the heartstrings like we want it to.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Bruised Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Cusp  (2021)  Documentary about three teenage girls, Brittney, Aaloni, and Autumn, growing up in a Texas military town, dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up under the constraints of being a teenager clashing with wanting to find out who they are. This is a gritty, painful, and sometimes sweet film about growing up as teenage women in a world that forces them to become adults far too soon. All three girls are 16, which in Texas is not the legal age of consent, but all three are sexually active and are dealing with boys as old as 21. The film deals with the harsh reality that these young women, who are all military brats, have had to do a lot of growing up quickly, and without much guidance from their parents, some are gone for vast parts of time serving our country. The subject matters that the girls discuss are graphic and sometimes shocking, including the discussion of how a friend of theirs was raped by her boyfriend. The women are incredibly open and frank on camera, getting into subjects that most of us would have difficulty even talking to a therapist about, including sexual assault. It's a depressing film about three young women who are seen not as people but as sexual conquests, and these young girls will be suffering from these experiences for a long time. After seeing this film, I felt like I spent time with these girls, but I never got to know them, as if they were performing for the cameras. It’s like the camera was another person that they had to put on a show for. I don’t know if that’s just the way they are, or it's the fault of the filmmakers, but it left me wanting more from these women who have dealt with so much in such a young life.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Cusp Website  Now available on the Showtime Network.

Indiefest:  The Beatles: Get Back Part I  (2021)  The Beatles were the world’s greatest rock band, but they hadn’t performed live in two years, and in January 1969, they faced a nearly impossible deadline and created two of their greatest albums (Abby Road, Let It Be) and did their last live performance on a rooftop on London’s Savile Row. This is a review of only part one of this three-part documentary series because I didn’t have enough time to view all three components (each piece is over two and half hours long). Being a huge Beatles fan, at first, I loved this film because we get to see the guys in an element we have never seen before, in a rehearsal studio. In fact, the first film takes place not in a studio but on a sound stage that could possibly be used to film their live concert performance (we know it isn’t because of the famous rooftop concert that this rehearsal spawns). It is thrilling to see this legendary group work on songs that we all know so well. We even get to see them writing songs, exploring how they should sound, and changing lyrics. But, and this is a big one, it is just too much. Too much footage. Too much content. Just too much. Like a history book that gives you too many facts, the film becomes a bit tedious at times, because it is too much detail, we see so many songs being tried out (a lot are songs that haven’t been heard before because they are from the early days of the Lennon/McCartney writing team. The film breaks down part one into each day, as a deadline for the concert is looming over the band. The film is fascinating, as we get to see one of the greatest bands of all time figure out and practice songs. And yes, there is a lot of tension in the room. The band sorely missed their manager, Brian Epstein, who has died a few years earlier, and we see how McCartney tries to take a leadership role in the band, that doesn’t always work. There is also the ever-presence of Yoko Ono, who is ever present by John Lennon’s side, though to be fair, George Harrison has a couple of Hare Krishna guys sitting over in the corner for a couple of days of the rehearsal. Overall, this first part is too long, giving us so much that I think only a diehard Beatle fan will enjoy it all the way through. I really want to see the outdoor concert (of which I have only seen a song or two from), but I don’t know if I want to watch five more hours of the band practicing to get there.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Beatles: Get Back Website   All three parts are being released this holiday weekend starting Thanksgiving night on the Disney+ platform.

Forgotten Film: Heights (2005) R The story of five characters whose lives intersect on one day in NYC, all having to choose what kind of lives they will want to lead before the sun comes up on another day. The main story is the love affair that begins between Isabel (Elizabeth Banks), a woman who is engaged with another man, and Alec (Jesse Bradford) and an actor she meets by chance. The reason to see this film is another outstanding performance by Glen Close, who plays Isabel’s mother, Diana. Diana is an actress in rehearsals for Macbeth and finds out her husband is having another affair. Diana is afraid that Isabel is going to go down the same rocky road Diana traveled and wants Isabel to make the choices that are right for her. The film gets a little lost in all the characters but ties them together nicely in the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Heights Info   

Weird Credits: From the credits of Encanto: Animation Reference Dancers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Cyrano (2021) PG-13   The telling of the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage), who helps Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) woo Roxanne (Haley Bennett), even though Cyrano himself is in love with her. I can’t wait to see Peter Dinklage portray one of my favorite characters of all time, the brilliant swordsman and wordsmith Cyrano.     Cyrano Website

Until Next Time!

The Suicide Squad

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

My View: The Suicide Squad  (2021)  R   The squad of misfit criminals is back on another mission that is bound to get them killed. This time, they join the super-secret and possibly shady Task Force X as they are dropped off on the remote, enemy-filled island of Corto Maltese. I will warn you from the start that this is one of the most bloody and gruesome films I have seen in a long time, and I loved every minute of it. I thoroughly enjoyed that we are dropped right into the film, with no lengthy setup or trying to explain anything. We are just shown and told that the squad of misfit bad guys have another mission that they probably won’t come back from, but a few years will be taken off their sentence if they do. Oh yeah, and that nasty bomb set inside their head will explode if they vary off of their mission. This is nothing like the last Suicide Squad film, as it has a sense of humor, lets Harley Quinn be all her lovable, crazy Harley, and there isn’t The Joker or Jared Leto to gum up the works. The action is almost non-stop, The plot is fun, and there are some great new characters, including a wonderfully deadpanned John Cena as Peacemaker and Sylvester Stallone, who steals the movie as the voice of the stupid but mighty King Shark (think giant shark with legs and a voice). I could go on and on about the cast of the fantastic group of characters that the film contains, but that would spoil the fun. And what fun it is. In the last Suicide Squad review, I said I wanted more Harley Quinn, and this film gave me her, in all her butt-kicking glory. By the way, see this in the theatre like I did because you want those special effects to wash over you and make sure to stay through all the credits as there is a bonus scene you won't want to miss.     My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     The Suicide Squad Website  Now playing in theatres and on the HBO Max platform.

My View: Nine Days   (2020)  R   Will (Winston Duke) is an arbiter who judges souls before they inhabit the bodies in the living. He is interviewing over a span of nine days a group of candidates who have the opportunity to be born. If they are not selected, they will be given a parting memory before their existence is erased. This is one of those films that can truly be appreciated and savored in a time of great anxiety, sickness, and conflict. Nine Days is a film that slowly moves along, letting you absorb its world and its characters. The film explores what it means to live and how we choose to experience our lives. Along the way, you meet a group of people, some of which you will root for and others you just might root against, as they examine what makes up a life and why we make the choices we do. Winston Duke is brilliant as the arbiter who has to make the tough choices, but as, we learn, those choices weigh on him and that he cares, sometimes too much about the people he both judges and watches. Nine Days is a magical movie from a director, Edison Oda, that I can’t wait to see more from.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Nine Days Website   Now playing in theatres.

Family Faire: Vivo   (2021)  PG  Vivo (voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda), a one-of-a-kind kinkajou, goes on a quest, with the help of a little girl named Gabi (voiced by Ynairaly Simo), to deliver a letter from his owner Andres (voiced by Juan de Marcos Gonzalez) to Andres’s long-lost love, Marta (voiced by Gloria Estefan). Too often, I am disappointed by animated films, especially ones that are musicals, with lackluster songs and stories lacking real emotions or feelings. I am happy to tell you that Vivo isn’t one of those. Instead, we get a beautiful story of a love lost and a quest to reunite that love. As you would expect, Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs are fun, full of rhymes that flow so easily, and tunes that are creative and pleasing. Vivo is a wonderful character that kids are going to fall in love with, and Ynairaly Simo does a fantastic job of not only keeping up with Miranda on the songs but has a great solo one of her own I which might be the best song of the film, though I am sure the love song that Gloria Estefan sings at the end will get some Oscar push). I loved this film and had a great time watching it, especially enjoying all the Latin and Cuban flavored songs, including a song or two from the legendary Juan de Marcos Gonzalez (Buena Vista Social Club). Join Vivo and Gabi on their quest, and you just might find yourself dancing to a toon or two in your living room.  My Rating: Full Price     Vivo Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Annette    (2021)  R  Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian who falls in love with a renowned opera star, Ann (Marion Cotillard). They form a passionate couple that soon is blessed with a young child, Annette. Annette is a little girl who has an exceptional destiny in front of her and will change Henry and Ann’s lives forever. I was somewhat prepared to see this film, having just reviewed The Sparks Brothers documentary and having seen the director of the film, Leos Carax, work before (the strange and wild Holy Motors). Still, I wasn’t ready for the fact of how much I disliked Henry, a performance comic who makes antisemitic jokes, shows disdain for his audiences, and is so self-centered, he destroys lives whereever he goes. That being said, the music is brilliant and well performed, with a rousing opening number that starts in the studio and ends with the two leads taking off in vehicles on the street. The singing was done live, making the songs feel genuine and heartfelt. There is an almost lusty chemistry between Driver and Marion Cotillard (who has a lovely singing voice), which makes the film work on every level. Not everyone will enjoy this film, with such a dislikable main character, the use of an animatronic doll for most of the appearances of Baby Annette, and a shockingly abrupt ending. Still, I enjoyed this film and the performances of Driver and Cotillard. I do know one thing; I would never want to see Henry do his stand-up ever again.   My Rating: Full Price      Annette Website  Now playing in select theatre and available for rent on the Amazon Prime platform on Aug. 20th.

Indiefest: Ailey (2021)    Documentary that paints an immersive portrait of an icon, the trailblazing dance pioneer Alvin Ailey, through his own words and a new dance inspired by his life. I was very fortunate to see the Alvin Ailey dance company perform while I was in college at the University of Texas in Austin back in the late 70s. It was a unique and inspirational experience. The film wonderfully blends in a ton of interviews that Ailey did throughout his life with footage of his most famous dance creations, some as early as the late 50s, early 60s. We also get some insightful interviews about the man from the people who knew him best, his dancers, and his staff that gives you a look into the world of Alvin and the beautiful and moving work he produced. Fans of dance and of Alvin Ailey will be trilled at all the stunning dance footage that is in this film, and while Alvin was a very private person, we do get some sense of how and why he created the incredible work that he did.    My Rating; Full Price    Ailey Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  John and the Hole (2021)  R   John (Charlie Shotwell) is a kid growing up in a family of four, with a loving mother (Jennifer Ehle) and father (Michael C. Hall), and an older sister (Taissa Farmiga). So why would John drug his family and hold them captive in a hole in the ground? We get right from the start that John is a troubled child. He is that kid that doesn’t seem to care about anything or anybody. He lives a good life, but we can see that his family life may have some problems, with a father who would instead buy than show his love to John. John is a kid who wants to be an adult but, at the same time, not have any of the responsibilities of an adult. The movie does drag a bit at times, but I did enjoy the performances in this film, especially Taissa Farmiga, who plays John’s older sister, the one person in the family that tries to understand John and seems to care about him. We never quite get why John does what he does, and that may be the point of the film. John is a person that we may never really know or understand.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     John and the Hole Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Death and the Maiden  (1994) R   When Paulina’s (Sigourney Weaver) husband, Gerardo (Stuart Wilson), unexpectedly brings home a guest (Ben Kingsley) to their house, Paulina believes that this man is the horror that raped her when the government-held her. I don’t want to give away too much from the film's plot as it is slowly revealed to you as the movie moves along. There is a speech by Ben Kingsley near the end of the film that makes this movie worth watching and experiencing. Plus, the film's opening is such a beautiful and moving way to begin a film that it alone is worth the price of admission.    My Rating: Full Price     Death and the Maiden Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Suicide Squad: Witness Camera Wranglers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Respect (2021) PG-13   The life story of one of the greatest performers we have ever had, the legendary R&B singer Aretha Franklin. Just the fact that Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson is portraying Aretha is enough to see this film, but the cast also includes Forest Whitaker, Audra McDonald, Saycon Sengloh, Marlon Wayans, Tituss Burgess, Kimberly Scott, Marc Maron, Hailey Kilgore, and Tate Donovan, make this a must-see film.     Respect Info

Until Next Time!

Frozen II

My View: Frozen 2 (2019) PG   Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad), and Sven leave Arendelle to find the origin of Elsa’s powers to save the kingdom. While not quite measuring up to the wonder and brilliance of the first Frozen film, this movie still hits all the right spots and makes it an enjoyable experience for you and your family. The film doesn’t have a showstopper song like ‘Let it Go,’ it does have several songs that hit the mark, including ‘Into the Unknown’ sung by AURORA and Idina Menzel. What makes this film such fun to watch is the antics of Olaf, expertly voiced by Josh Gad. Olaf, the dim but always overly optimistic snowman, provides just the right amount of comic relief that will make you not only giggle but laugh out loud. The film’s animation is stunning, and many of the scenes are just draw-dropping gorgeous. I think families will enjoy this film with its central message of girl power and how family is there to stand right by our sides when faced with obstacles that seem bigger than maybe we can handle.    My Rating: Full Price     Frozen II Website

My View:  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood   (2019)  PG  Journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) is a hard-hitting reporter who is known to ruffle the feathers of the people he interviews. Lloyd’s outlook on life is about to change as his next assignment is to interview the legendary nice guy, Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks). Let me tell you right off that Mr. Rogers is not the focus of this film. In fact, Tom Hanks will probably be nominated for a Best Supporting Actor for his role and not leading role. The film centers around the journalist, Lloyd, a disliked reporter who doesn’t want to do a profile on someone he considers beneath his journalistic skills. Lloyd, while in a loving relationship with his wife (Susan Kelechi Watson) and just born baby but is troubled by his past with a father (Chris Cooper) who abandoned Lloyd and his mother early in Lloyd’s childhood. Matthew Rhys gives a winning performance as the reporter, but it's Tom Hanks that makes this film work. It would be hard to pick an actor who could do a better job in this role as a fascinating and lovely man who only wants to help children deal with their feelings and how to interact with the world around them. While it takes a little while to warm up to the structure of the film (which I won’t go into so I don’t ruin it), you will enjoy this film that has a mission at its core, to make you, the viewer, a better person.    My Rating: Full Price     A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Website

Indiefest:  Waves  (2019) R   The story of a suburban family, led by a domineering father (Sterling K. Brown), that starts to fall apart when an accident turns deadly. Writer/director (It Comes at Night (2017), Krisha (2015)) brings us a film that is separated into two parts. The first part centers around Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a popular high-school student who seemingly has everything going for him until it comes crashing down. The second part revolves around Tyler’s sister, Emily (Taylor Russell), who struggles to keep going in the aftermath of a horrible accident. The performances in this film are powerful and moving, with Sterling K Brown standing out as the father who knows he pushed his son too hard and too fast. This is a deep and weighty dive into a family's dynamics, where each member must ask the question, ‘Is there something I could have done to prevent this from happening to my family?’. You will be thinking about this film long after the final credits roll.    My Rating: Full Price     Waves Website

My View:  The Report (2019) R A Senate staffer (Adam Driver) is given the lead in an investigation into the CIA’s post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program. What he finds will cause shockwaves across the nation. This isn’t a film that you can just sit down and let it wash over you. You are going to have to think, sometimes really hard, while watching this film that is less about action and more about reaction. Adam Driver once again proves that he is one of the best actors out there, giving a complex and multi-faceted performance of a man who is driven to find out the truth, no matter the cost. It’s a intricate tale that will make you mad at times on how our government could have made the choices that it did in a quest to find terrorists, even if they weren’t always there. This isn’t a film for everyone, but for those that choose to see it, it will keep you interested until the end.  My Rating: Full Price     The Report Website

Indiefest:  Marriage Story (2019) R   The story of a couple (Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson) whose marriage is falling apart, told from the separate viewpoints of the husband and the wife. The heartbreaking story of a marriage that is crumbling before the eyes of both the parents and their young son. The story starts out with two people trying to make this break as quick and painless as possible, but as soon as lawyers get involved, the divorce becomes messy and ugly, with both sides making horrible mistakes that they both will regret. Driver and Johansson do remarkable jobs as the couple, with Johansson shining in a role that sometimes makes her the bad guy. Laura Dern is brilliant as Johansson’s characters lawyer, a woman who is all about taking as much as she can from the father, even if its not in wishes of her client. This is a devastating and powerful film that is often very painful to watch as two people we learn to care about are going through something that can destroy not only a relationship but the family dynamics as well.     My Rating: Full Price   Marriage Story Website 

Forgotten Film: Comfort and Joy (1984)   Just in time for the Holiday season is this film about a depressed Scottish morning radio host, Alan ‘Dicky Bird’ (Bill Paterson). Alan is the witness of an attack on an ice cream truck by a bunch of vandals (one who stops to make a song request for ‘Dicky Bird’ to play on the radio). Alan becomes enamored with the truck’s worker, a woman named Charlotte (C. P. Grogan) and because of her, he decides to find a solution to the great ice cream van wars, where two Italian families are battling over the rights to sell ice cream on the streets of Glasgow. Paterson gives a winning performance as the DJ that just may lose his mind over trying to solve this problem, and the film is greatly enhanced by a brilliant score by Dire Straights frontman Mark Knopfler.   My Rating: Full Price      Comfort and Joy Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Waves: Crafty Assistant

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Knives Out (2019) PG-13 World famous mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) has committed suicide, throwing his extending family into a jumbled mess. Private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is on the case and thinks that Harlan’s death might just be murder, with a house full of relatives that are all suspects. An all-star cast that includes Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, and Katherine Langford make this mystery/comedy one of the holiday’s must-see films.     Knives Out Website

Until Next Time!