Thunderbolts*

My View: Thunderbolts*  (2025)  PG-13  In Thunderbolts*, a group of antiheroes are pulled together by Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) forces the team into a dangerous mission. Only by working together and surviving can they achieve redemption.  Ever since the magnificent Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has been a little lackluster in their films. Who knew that a ragtag group of castoffs from other films would come together to make a film that is fun, funny, and a joy to watch? While Sebastian Stan’s (hot off his Oscar nomination for his role as Donald in The Apprentice) character, Bucky, is supposed to be the leader of this gang of wannabe (sort of) heroes, it’s really Florence Pugh, as Yelena, the assassin, The Black Widow’s younger sister, who steals this movie from almost the start. Pugh is brilliant as a person grieving over her sister’s loss while on the verge of quitting the business or maybe even quitting life when she gets one last job. On that job, she meets Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and a strange man in a hospital gown named Bob (Lewis Pullman). I won’t go into what happens, but along the way, Bucky pulls the gang together, along with Yelena’s father, Alexei Shostakov, also known as the Red Guardian (David Harbour). Pugh does the heavy lifting for the film, giving us a hurting, lonely character who wants to change her life but doesn’t know how. Pugh also has superb comedic timing, working incredibly well with David Harbour, who, as the Red Guardian, is hilarious as a man who wants the group to come together and succeed so he can be a superhero again. The film has some outstanding action sequences in the tradition of Marvel superhero films, but unlike some of its films in the past, this is a movie about a group of people who are used to being on their own, and having to learn to work together and trust each other (something everyone has a hard time with). Thunderbolts* is a starting point for a world without the Avengers that we knew from the past. This new group is ready to take on the challenge when the world needs them, even if the world doesn’t agree if they need this ragtag group. I, for one, am ready to follow Yelena and Bucky on all sorts of messy and screwy adventures. Even Bob can come along. And yes, stay for the two post credit scenes. They are worth seeing.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Thunderbolts* Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View: The Surfer  (2024) R  The Surfer starts when a man (Nicolas Cage) and his son (Finn Little) return to the beach of his childhood to go surfing, only to discover that locals have taken over the beach. The father soon is drawn into a conflict with the locals that keeps escalating, pushing him to his breaking point, something no one wants to see. If you are a fan of Nicolas Cage, then you will love this film, as it lets Cage go all-out weird for almost the whole movie. If you aren’t a fan, then avoid it, as a little bit of Cage can go a long way for some moviegoers. The film is about a man coming home and wanting to relive his past. This goes so far as Cage’s character is willing to sell just about everything to buy the home he grew up in. Unfortunately, for Cage, a local group of young men, led by an older man named Scally (Julian McMahon), tells Cage’s character that he and his son can’t surf here. Cage decides to plant his flag (actually, just park his car in the parking lot) and hold his ground. As the film goes on, Cage’s character becomes less and less grounded in reality and becomes obsessed with the group of men who continually terrorize him. Cage gives us a mesmerizing performance, but it’s not enough to elevate the screenplay with too many themes battling for a space in a plot that goes too far into abstract and almost parody. I became bored by the continuing descent of Cage's character into madness. We spend too much time watching Cage’s character spend too much time watching his tormentors for a far before a final confrontation that gets even weirder. Cage is as magnetic as ever. I wish the script for The Surfer had given him a little more to work with and a little less of letting Cage go ‘Cagey.’  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Surfer Website  I saw this film at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival.  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Another Simple Favor  (2025) R  Another Simple Favor takes place five years after the events that put Emily (Blake Lively) in prison. Now out, Emily and Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), who is now a successful author and part-time private detective. The two travel to Capri, Italy, for Emily’s wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. As usual, trouble finds the two, including murder and lots of intrigue. I loved the first film, A Simple Favor (2018), enjoying the sometimes dark storyline about a mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) who solves a huge mystery with Blake Lively’s performance as the beautiful and wicked Emily, so good I thought it could get her an Oscar nomination (it didn’t). So we have a return with Stephanie coming out with a book and, somehow, Emily coming out of prison and getting married. I enjoyed the first half of this film, especially the back-and-forth that Emily and Stephanie have when Emily shows up at Stephanie’s book signing to invite her to be her maid of honor at Emily’s wedding. So we go off to Capri, and then people start getting murdered. If you haven't seen the first film, you won't be able to enjoy this film because there are a lot of callbacks to the first film. I enjoyed the play between Kendrick and Lively, but this film’s plot feels more like something out of an 80s TV show and doesn’t have the darkness and humor that the first film had. Still, I had fun watching Lively play the strange and playful Emily, who scares the crap out of Stephanie every chance she can get. I just wish the tone of the first film had carried over to this one. A little less killing and a lot more darkness would have worked better.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Another Simple Favor Website Now playing on Amazon Prime.

Indiefest:  Bonjour Tristesse  (2024) R  Bonjour Tristesse is about Cécile (Lily McInerny) and her widowed father, Raymond (Claes Bang), and his new girlfriend, Elsa (Nailia Harzoune), are spending the summer in the south of France. However, the stay is disrupted by the arrival of Anne (Chloë Sevigny), Cécile’s mother’s best friend, who has shown up to bring up old passions from the past. This is a new adaptation of Françoise Sagan's 1954 coming-of-age novel, which unlike the 1958 film directed by Otto Preminger, is set in the present time. Bonjour Tristesse is a film that looks stunning and takes full advantage of the beautiful Mediterranean scenery. While I loved Chloë Sevigny as the icy, controlling Anne, I was left wanting more from Claes Bang, the widowed father who has a wandering eye, and Lily McInerny, who plays the father worshiping daughter who sets out to get revenge on Anne, who has ruined her summer with dad and his lover. The film's pace is so slow that it surprised me when characters suddenly changed their course in their feelings and actions. I hated the ending which doesn’t have the impact that the original film had. For a film with its characters constantly in the water or soaking up the sun, I found  Bonjour Tristesse to be rather cold.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Bonjour Tristesse Website  Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Rust  (2024) Rust takes place in the 1880s Wyoming when the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Alex Baldwin) comes out of hiding to rescue his thirteen-year-old nephew, Lucas (Patrick Scott McDermott), who has been sentenced to hang for an accidental killing. The two go on the run from the vicious bounty hunter Fenton “Preacher” Lang (Travis Fimmel) and a group of committed lawmen. For an indie film with a notoriously low budget, this is a stylish-looking western with a relatively simple plot for a movie over two hours long. The film is too long, has too many characters who give too much about their background, and takes too long to get going. Alec Baldwin is fine as the hardened gunfighter who wants to do one last thing before riding off into the sunset. The film’s stunning Western scenery shots are a result of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died in a shooting accident while working on the set. Although it’s not a great film, Rust still a stable Western that could have been improved by tightening up the script and focusing less on each character’s past. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Rust Info  Now playing in select theaters and On Demand. 

Forgotten Film:  Metropolitan  (1989)  PG-13 Tom (Edward Clements) lives on the West Side and doesn’t have enough money to buy an overcoat, so he wears a raincoat in the dead of winter to cover his rented tux. He is persuaded to share a taxi with a group of young upper-class Manhattanites who have just attended a debutante ball. Soon, Tom becomes part of this group of well-off young people who spend their days sleeping and at night going to balls and then to each other’s apartments to talk about life, books, and how they see the world. Little does Tom know that Audrey (Carolyn Farina) has taken a liking to him. Tom is still obsessed with a prep school girl who he dated, unaware of her previous dating history. Tom fits in because he isn't afraid to speak his mind, especially about the gang's way of life. Metropolitan is one of my favorite ‘indie’ films, made in 1989 for about 50,000 dollars, and most of the cast are in their first film roles, including Carolyn Farina, who was discovered by the wife of the director of the film, Whit Stillman, at a cosmetics counter. The film is a week in the life of this group of young people, as they go from party to party, always gathering at an apartment to play bridge or just talk and drink. Edward Clements' portrayal of the fish out of water kid who manages to fit in with a very cliquey group makes the film sweet, funny, and a blast to watch. In 1991, Stillman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film. As the tagline for the film states, ‘Finally…A film about the downwardly mobile.”  My Rating: Full Price  Metropolitan Info  I just rewatched this film at the 2025 Atlanta Film Festival. The film is available on most streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Surfer:  Rat Puppets

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Clown in a Cornfield  (2025) R  In Clown in a Cornfield, Quinn (Katie Douglas) and her father have moved to the small town of Kettle Springs, the once home of Baypen Corn Syrup Factory. It’s a town where the high school kids are counting down the days when they can leave, spending their time making prank videos and causing trouble. Their hi-jinks have awakened Frendo, the old clown mascot of the Syrup factory, and he is out to see that the kids are taught a lesson. A lesson that will end up in a grisly death or two. The film is from Eli Craig, the director of the award-winning cult favorite Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010).  Clown in a Corfield Website  In theaters on Friday, May 9, 2025. 

Until Next Time!

Halloween

My View:  Halloween  (2018) R Michael Myers comes back to get revenge on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) four decades after their first confrontation. Let me say first off that Jamie Lee Curtis gives one heck of a performance, giving the role everything she has. This is a sequel to the 1978 original film, it’s if all the other Halloween movies didn’t happen. So Michael has been locked up in a mental institution for the past 40 years. Laurie has been obsessed with Michael, convinced that he will come back for her and she wants to make sure she is ready. Laurie became obsessed with Michael has cost Laurie her family, her marriage broke up, her daughter taken away by child services when Laurie’s daughter was twelve. What I loved about this film is it captures the essence of the first film. The film continually references the first film both visually and in the storyline. The audience that I saw it with, thoroughly enjoyed the movie, continuously screaming throughout the film and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I will say that this is different from the first film, the body count is high (only five people died in the first film) and extraordinarily bloody and violent. Lovers of the original will have a great time as Michael and Laurie battle it out once again.  My Rating: Full Price   Halloween Website

Indiefest:  The Guilty  (2018)  R  A police officer (Jakob Cedergren) is assigned alarm dispatch duty when he gets a call from a kidnapped woman. This tense thriller that has plenty of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming and a plot that moves at a quick pace. The cool thing about this film is that it takes place all on the phone as the police officer attempts to track down the kidnapper and keep the kidnapped woman calm and alive. What starts out as an ordinary and boring night of answering and dealing belligerent, drunk callers turns into a night fraught with tension that continues to build as the film moves along. This Danish film that is their entry for the Foreign Film Academy Award competition is a riveting film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  My Rating:  Full Price    The Guilty Info

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Eighth Grade (2018) R  Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is all about blending into the woodwork so that she doesn’t stand out. All Kayla wants to do is survive the last week of the eighth grade so she can start high school on a clean slate. Life has decided that Kayla should come out of the shadows. Kayla decides to give advice on how to navigate life through a series of YouTube videos. I loved this film, and Elsie Fisher is a delight to watch on screen. Her performance is heartfelt and beautiful and writer/director Bo Burnham treats her with a loving touch. The film is filled with beautiful moments about an awkward kid trying just to survive one last week of school. This is a film that everyone will enjoy going into the last week of eighth grade with Kayla.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Eighth Grade Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Johnny English Strikes Again  (2018) PG  After a cyber attack exposes all of the undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) comes out of retirement to find the hackers and bring them down. I have stated before I don’t get Rowan Atkinson’s style of comedy and I can’t believe they have now made three of these films. This one is not for me.    Johnny English Strikes Again Website

Forgotten Film:  Lymelife  (2009)  R  The story of two families in the 1970s that are struggling to stay together as seen through the eyes of two fifteen-year-old kids, Scott (Rory Culkin) and Adrianna (Emma Roberts). Charlie (Timothy Hutton) has Lyme disease, his wife, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon) is having an affair with their neighbor, Mickey (Alex Baldwin), whose wife, Brenda (Jill Hennessy) knows about the affair. The characters are complex and the acting, especially Hutton and Culkin, who give some of their best performances of their careers. This is a sad, sensitive film that sometimes delves in comedy.   My Rating: Full Price    LymeLife Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Halloween:  Prosthetics Lifecasting

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Overlord  (2018)  R  Two American soldiers find themselves behind enemy lines on D Day. It appears that the Nazi’s have been up to some very evil experiments. The trailer looks really scary, and it’s being produced by J.J. Abrams.   Overlord Website

Until Next Time!

The Boss Baby

My View:  The Boss Baby  (2017)  PG  Tim (Miles Christopher Bakshi) was happy in his home with his mom (Lisa Kudrow) and dad (Jimmy Kimmel). Then, one day, a suit-wearing briefcase-carrying baby (Alec Baldwin) arrives at Tim’s home via taxi. Tim knows something is up with this new baby, but his parents can only see that the baby needs all the attention. This is one of those films that after you see it, you say, “Well, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.” There are some funny bits in the film (loved Alec Baldwin making a Glengarry Glen Ross joke), and kids will enjoy all the action. The film is brought down by its many sub-plots and a somewhat confusing conclusion. Older kids and adults will be bored at times, but little kids may enjoy it.  My Rating:  Cable  The Boss Baby Website

My View:  Ghost in the Shell  (2017)  PG-13  A cyborg counter-cyberterrorist field commander, called Major (Scarlett Johansson) and her task force thwarts cyber criminals and hackers. Now a new enemy has emerged that will stop at nothing to sabotage the artificial intelligence technology that the world runs on. I love Scarlett Johansson, and I hope that someday there will be a Black Widow standalone movie. Unfortunately, this film wastes her talents in a slow moving, confusing tale that has some of the dullest villains I have ever seen on screen. The action scenes are well done, and you can see the video game influence throughout the film. Much has been made about the whitewashing of this movie, and it is disturbing that the film is set in Japan but it seems like three-quarters of the cast isn’t Japanese. I understand that Johansson, someone who has proven she can open a film by herself (Lucy), getting cast in the lead, but to have almost all the other major parts portrayed by non-Japanese actors just made the film seem silly.  My Rating:  Cable   Ghost in the Shell Website

My View:  The Zoo Keeper’s Wife  (2017)  PG-13  Based on a true story, this film tells the story of Antonina (Jessica Chastain) and her husband Jan (Johan Heldenbergh), who owned a small zoo in downtown Warsaw. When the Nazis took over, Antonina and Jan saved hundreds of Jews in their zoo, right under the German’s noses.  Jessica Chastain makes this film worth watching as she gives a compelling and moving performance of a brave and loving woman who risks everything to save the lives of over 300 strangers. Being a big fan of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival (a co-sponsor of the screening I went to), I have seen a lot of films about the Holocaust. Where this film is lacking is in its depiction of the Warsaw ghetto and the horrors that went on there.  The husband travels into the ghetto numerous times (to transport Jews out under the ruse of collecting garbage for his pigs), but its depiction feels frail and sanitized. The Zoo Keeper’s Wife is a fascinating tale about two people who had the courage to step up and help their fellow man.  I just wish this film was as powerful as Chastain’s acting is in it.   My Rating: Full Price   The Zookeeper's Wife Website 

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  (2016)  PG-13  Seventy years into the future, Harry Potter will read writer Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) book. First, Newt has to have the adventures in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter film and book series, then you will want to see this movie. The film uses the Harry Potter world as its basis but makes this its own world. The action is fun and fast paced with special effects that bring the many, and I do mean many, beasts alive. Redmayne is obviously having fun with the role, and it shows in his performance. His boyish charm makes his character come alive on the screen. Alison Sudol is dazzling as the headstrong love interest for Newt, Queenie, and I adored Katherine Waterston as the sweet and mind reading-sister.  Dan Fogler steals the movie as the hilarious human who becomes Newt’s sidekick. You will enjoy this fantastic ride full of beasts and wizards.    My Rating:  Full Price   Fantastic Beasts Website

Forgotten Film:  Times Square  (1980)  R  Two troubled young women (Trini Alvarado, Robin Johnson) meet in a  psychiatric hospital. They call themselves the Sleaze Sisters, and they run away to New York City.  The two friends get help from a rock DJ (Tim Curry) and embrace the punk scene of NYC. While not a great film, there are two reasons you should check it out:  the two actresses are a blast to watch, and the soundtrack really represents what the Punk/New Wave music scene in the late 70s, early 80s sounded like with music performed by The Cars, The Cure, Joe Jackson, David Johansen, Gary Numan, Lou Reed, The Pretenders, Roxy Music and XTC.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Times Square Info

Weird Credits:   From the credits of The Zookeeper’s Wife:  Animal Prosthetics

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)  The continuing adventures of the band of misfits as they travel the outer reaches of the cosmos.  If it’s just half as good as the trailer, we are in for a fun ride.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Info

Until Next Time!

Rock of Ages

My View: Rock of Ages (2012) Set in 1987 Los Angeles, a small town girl (Julianne Hough) and a city boy (Diego Boneta) meet while trying to make it in the big city. Both work at the hottest bar in LA, The Bourbon Room (think Whiskey Bar), where rock legend, Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise) is scheduled to perform. Will do-gooder, Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who sees the bar as the root of all things evil, succeed in shutting down the bar before Jaxx can perform? Tom Cruise is the reason to see this film, as his portrayal of Rock God Jaxx, is spot-on perfect, and he brings down the house with his performance of the Bon Jovi song “Wanted,Dead or Alive.” I was also pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the banter/interaction between Alec Baldwin, as the owner of the bar, and Russell Brand, his right-hand man. The film never can decide if it loves the 80's or it should make fun of the 80's, so the audience never knows how to react to the musical numbers.  Ultimately, this film is brought down by its overall length, coming in at 123 minutes (way too long with too many songs), combined with the lack of charisma and singing forte' of the two principal stars of the film, Hough and Boneta.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee Rock of Ages Website 

My View: That’s My Boy (2012) As a teenager, Donny (Adam Sandler) has an affair with his high school teacher and she gets pregnant with his child. The teacher goes to jail for seducing Donny, and he has to raise his son on his own. The son, Tom (Andy Samberg), leaves his dad when he turns eighteen and is determined to never see his father again. When Tom is settled in his new life and gets engaged to be married, Donny shows up, unexpectedly, and is determined to participate in the wedding plans and get back into his son’s life.  So, this is an R rated comedy, and, while it doesn't go as far as some of the recent R rated comedies, it still pushes the boundaries of good taste, and too often goes for the easy joke. Sandler's character gets old very quickly.  He is the type of guy who is so proud of himself when he gets into a fight and doesn't spill his beer, and he's the guy who wants to be the center of attention and isn't too proud to sleep with not only your mother, but your grandmother.  While 80's star Vanilla Ice is funny at first, his bad acting dominates his appearances, and Andy Samberg is wasted as the prim and proper son. I did enjoy Milo Ventimiglia as the Marine brother of Tom's fiancée (Leighton Meester), but his scenes are too few to make a big difference in a film that just isn't that funny. My Rating:  Cable   That's My Boy Website

Indiefest: Lola Versus (2012) Lola (Greta Gerwig) seems to have it all with a great boyfriend, a nice apartment, and supportive friends.  It all ends, however, when Lola is dumped by her fiancée’ three weeks before her wedding day, and she decides to go on a series of adventures to prove that she still “has it” before she turns thirty.  Gerwig is brilliant as the quirky Lola, but she is let down by a script that, like her character in the film, isn’t sure where it wants to go. Lola is one of those characters that make one bad choice after another, so much so, that you want to reach into the big screen and shake some sense into her.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Lola Versus Website

Indiefest: Peace, Love & Misunderstanding (2012) An uptight, big city lawyer (Catherine Keener) takes her two teenagers to her mother’s farmhouse in upstate New York.  Mom (Jane Fonda), though, isn’t an ordinary grandmother. In fact, you could say that she never left the 60′s. What is meant to be a weekend becomes a summer of romance, music, and, just watch, a few family secrets might spill out. Jane Fonda is phenomenal as the stuck-in-the-60’s woman who continues to live the hippy lifestyle. I also liked Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Keener’s daughter, and whose character is unhappy with a weekend trip that turns into a week long stay, that is until she discovers the local butcher (Chace Crawford). This is one of those films you wish was just a little bit funnier and smarter.  You may end up liking the film, but you may not love it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Website

Forgotten Film: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) John Cusack plays Martin, a professional hit man. At the urging of his secretary (played by the very funny Joan Cusack), Martin takes a job in his old hometown. He discovers that they are having his ten year high school reunion and his old flame, Debi (Minnie Driver) is still in town. So, Martin decides to take Debi to his reunion.  Life, though, isn’t easy for Martin. He has Federal agents breathing down his neck, and the head of the hit man union, called Grocer (Dan Aykroyd), is pressuring Martin to join up.  If he decides not to join, Grocer has promised to bump him off.  All Martin wants to do is have a dance with Debi, but he has to dodge bullets and bombs before making it to the reunion.   My Rating: Full Price    Grosse Pointe Blank Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) I enjoyed this film and felt it was better than the first Sherlock Holmes film that starred Robert Downey Jr. I especially enjoyed how Jude Law and Downey Jr. played off each other with humor and ease.   My Rating: Full Price   Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Seen Only in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Watch (2012) Okay, so the plot of this film is a bunch of suburban dads who form a neighborhood watch program only to discover that Aliens have invaded the neighborhood. Ben Stiller stars in what looks like another one of his very forgettable films.   The Watch Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Rock of Ages: Tom Cruise’s Makeup, Tattoo design and application

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Django Unchained (2012) A western written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. Can’t wait!     Django Unchained Website

Until Next Time!