Avatar: Fire and Ash

My View:  Avatar: Fire and Ash  (2025)   PG-13  In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are trying to deal with the aftereffects of Neteyam’s death. Their status in the Metkayina clan is shaky, and Neytiri is openly shunning Spider (Jack Champion) because of Neteyam’s death. A new threat emerges: the Mangkwan clan (Ash people), led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). They ally with Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who promises them weapons if they help him kidnap his son, Spider. Here is a quote from near the end of my review of Avatar: The Way of the Water (2022): “You will have a sense near the film’s end that we have been here before, and you would be right. I hope that for the next Avatar film, James Cameron spends a little more time in the writer’s room and less time in the special effects room.” Well, he didn’t, and it’s more of the same. If you are a fan of the Avatar films, then you will enjoy this film. If, like me, you were disappointed by the plot holes and slow-developing storyline of the second film, then you will also, like me, think, ‘Oh, it’s more of the same.” This is another over 3-hour experience where the visuals are once again stunning, but the storyline is weak, and the film doesn’t really move until the last 30 minutes, when the final battle is going on. For most of the film, I kept thinking, I don’t really care about this family and their fight for survival. I did enjoy the new bad guy in Varang, played with a lot of evil fun by Oona Chaplin, but I grew weary of Spider, the son of Quaritch, who seems to speak only in one-word expletives. I will admit the final battle is engaging, and I finally cared what happened, but, boy, did it take a long time to get there. If James Cameron has grown tired of this world and wants to move on, this film ends on a note that leaves the series feeling complete. However, I have a word of warning. I hear that they have already shot about 40 percent of the next film, and there are a couple of loose ends that could come back in the next one. I kind of hope we are done and Cameron can find another world or characters to thrill us with. Blue was never my color anyway.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Avatar: Fire and Ash Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  The Housemaid  (2025)  R  In The Housemaid, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is a young woman with a troubled past who, against her instincts, takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar) and their young daughter. The seemingly perfect life of the family unravels as Millie discovers dark secrets hidden just below the surface. I like Paul Figg as a director, but his last two films, Jackpot! (2024), which was horrible, and Another Simple Favor (2025), which was nowhere near the first Simple Favor film, were not a lot of fun to watch. I am pleased to say that you can’t say this about The Housemaid. I saw it with an audience filled with fans of the book by Freida McFadden, and we both had a blast watching Amanda Seyfried have the time of her life, going nuts on screen in a role that has to be seen to be believed. I had wondered why Seyfried, who just might get an Oscar nomination for her role in the soon-to-be-released The Testament of Ann Lee, would take this role, but then I saw the film. Seyfried gets to chew up scenery with relish, and it’s a delight to watch someone have so much fun going off the wall crazy. Sydney Sweeney, who seems to be in just about everything, does an admirable job of playing the girl with a troubled past who is just trying to survive in a household where the rules keep changing by the minute. Brandon Skenar, hot off the 1923 TV series, is fine as the handsome put-upon husband, but this is Seyfried’s film, and she is front and center for it. The twists are fun (though I figured one out about a third of the way in), and the film keeps the tension ramped up all the way to the end. I talked to a few of the book club audience members who saw the film with me, and they loved it and were happy with the minor changes the film made from the book. So, make yourself a cocktail, but you might want to down it because you are about to go on a rollercoaster ride on the suburbia crazy train.  My Rating:  Full Price  The Housemaid Website  Now playing in theaters

My View:  Is This Thing On?  (2025)  R   Is This Thing On? follows Alex (Will Arnett), who is going through a rough time with a marriage that is unraveling. He is separating from his wife, Tess (Laura Dern), and their two kids, getting a small apartment in the city. Alex wanders into a comedy club and decides to try his hand at stand-up. It seems that the only place he can feel alive and make sense of his life is doing standup. This is a movie about a marriage that has lost its steam, its momentum, and both partners know it's true. So Alex is looking for something to fill the void, and by chance, he finds stand-up comedy. Now, if you are going to this film hoping for a laugh-out-loud comedy, this isn’t your film. Alex’s comedy is a slow-burn type, delivered with a world-weary tone, where he doesn’t tell jokes; he just offers observations about his life, which is crumbling around him. Arnett and Dern have a chemistry between them that makes this film feel real. We believe that they once loved each other but have grown apart, especially now that their kids aren’t little anymore and don’t need as much attention. This is a story without a bad guy, no one to blame, but about two people trying to be civil with each other during a trying time, while also exploring life without each other. The more I thought about this film, the more I enjoyed the experience of spending time with two adults who cared but knew it was time to move on.   My Rating: Full Price  Is This Thing On? Website Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  La Grazia  (2025)   R   La Grazia tells the story of the President of Italy, Mariano De Santis (Toni Servillo), a staunch Catholic who faces moral crises over pending euthanasia legislation and, at the same time, considers pardoning two people who killed their partners, all the while grappling with his late wife’s infidelity during his final months in office. Add in the fact that Mariano thinks that his best friend was the person who slept with his wife 40 years ago. This is a fascinating and well-acted character study of a man still grieving for his wife as he confronts the fact that he has grown old and has only six more months in office. This is a man who doesn’t make rash decisions but has been too cautious his whole life and now has to move on. Toni Servillo is perfect in the role of the President who secretly (sort of) loves rap, smokes one cigarette a day (because he only has one lung because of cancer) and his main sounding board and assistant is his daughter, who has devoted her life to her father and wants him to sign the euthanasia legislation that she has worked so hard to get passed. This is a man who values the law above everything and everyone else, but can’t even make a decision when his beloved horse is sick and needs to be put down. The film is full of twists, and the cinematography is beautiful and sometimes inventive. I think you will be surprised at what decisions the President makes by the end of his term. And be sure to stay for a mid-credit scene that is quite a joy to stay for.  My Rating:  Full Price   La Grazia Website Now playing in select cities 

Indiefest: The Secret Agent (2025) R   In 1977, Marcelo (Wagner Moura) lives in Brazil and is a technology expert fleeing a mysterious past. He moves back to his hometown to be near his son, but he soon realizes that the city is far from the refuge he seeks. The Secret Agent is a film you have to stick with, because it is so layered that it takes a while to get to know the people in the story, what Marcelo is up to, and why. Once you learn his story and what he is searching for, you fully understand the stakes of the film and of Marcelo. The film perfectly captures the paranoia of the time in Brazil. It’s a warranted paranoia, and the film ramps up the tension as Marcelo gets closer to the answers he needs, but so do the long tentacles of the regime. Wagner Moura gives a moving and complex performance as a man who knows the long arm of the government is closing in, but he must continue, even if it means his dreams become nightmares. The Secret Agent is a film whose opening sequence becomes more meaningful and menacing as it goes along, and that is rare.  My Rating: Full Price  The Secret Agent Website  Now playing in select theaters

Forgotten Film:  Chicken with Plums  (2011)  PG-13 A violinist in 1950s Tehran loses his love of music and decides to die. Over the next 8 days, we see how he and his family deal with his decision. As the man slowly dies, the film shows how he made this decision through a series of flashbacks that trace the major events of his life. This is a beautiful film, and it’s one that I wasn’t really liking, that is, until the last fifteen minutes, when everything we have seen earlier in the film suddenly fits together. It was then that I fell in love with this film. My Rating: Full Price  Chicken with Plums Website  Available for rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Avatar: Fire and Ash: Practice Nurses

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Mercy (2026)  PG-13  In the near future, a system is implemented that, if you are arrested for a capital crime, you go before an A.I. Judge, and you have only 90 minutes to prove your innocence. Detective Raymond (Chris Pratt) wakes up and is accused of killing his wife. He now has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the A.I. Judge (Rebecca Ferguson).   Mercy Website  The film will be in theaters on Friday, January 23, 2026

Until Next Time!

Ella McCay

My View: Ella McCay  (2025) PG-13 Ella McCay follows Ella (Emma Mackey), who is juggling life as a 34-year-old lieutenant governor with a family that is falling apart. To make matters worse, the state’s longtime incumbent governor (Albert Brooks) has suddenly accepted a cabinet position in the upcoming administration, leaving Ella as the new governor. Writer/director James L. Brooks has won 3 well-deserved Oscars and has brought us some great films, including writing my favorite Burt Reynolds film, Starting Over. Add in Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News (a huge favorite of mine), As Good as it Gets, and another favorite of mine, Spanglish. So I was excited when it was announced that after 15 years, he was writing/directing a new film. So after walking out of the screening of his new film, Ella McCay, I was incredibly sad. I couldn’t believe how bad the film I had just seen was. With a plot that makes little sense, side stories that just lay there and do nothing to move the story along, and a lead character that you just want to slap and say the old “Moonstruck” line, “Snap out of it!” The film is dead on arrival from the first scene, with a couple that you can tell right away is destined to fall apart. Almost nothing is funny in this film, and that’s saying a lot when you have talent on the screen like Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, and the legendary Albert Brooks. The film feels much longer than its almost 2-hour runtime, and I wanted it to be over about 30 minutes in. Ella spends half the movie worrying about her brother (Spike Fearn) and trying to avoid her estranged father (Woody Harrelson), who wants to make amends for being such a crappy husband/father. All the while being announced as the Governor, a role she seems to avoid for most of the film. This is a film with tone-deaf dialogue, characters you don’t care about, much less want to spend time with, and an ending that feels slapped together after Brooks realized he had put his main character in a corner with no exits. If I wasn’t a film critic, I would be looking for the exit to the movie theater. My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again Ella McCay Website Now playing in theaters

My View: Merv  (2025) PG  In Merv, Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and Russ (Charlie Cox) have broken up after living together. The problem is that they share a dog named Merv, and he has become depressed over the breakup. Will a trip together with Merv help mend their relationship? Or perhaps bring them back together just in time for the holidays? I am a big fan of romcoms, though I try to avoid most of the Christmas ones put out this time of year. While this takes place at Christmas time, most of the film takes place at a resort in Florida that caters to dog owners who want to vacation with their beloved furry friends. Merv (played by a lovable dog named Gus) is cute but depressed after his two owners break up. The film features two likable characters who broke up after receiving bad news, and Russ tried to make up for it by proposing. Now, they share a dog, trading him off every week. Unfortunately, much like Merv for most of the movie, the film just lies around. There isn’t much spark between Deschanel and Cox, including a very awkward dance between the two that is not fun to watch. When we watch a rom-com, we want some fun, some romantic moments, and an ending where the two characters finally figure out they are right for each other. I got little from this film, other than Merv/Gus is a very cute dog.  My Rating: Cable Merv Website Now playing on the Amazon Prime format

Indiefest: Scarlet  (2025)  PG-13  Scarlet is an animated film about a medieval-era princess who has trained all her life to handle herself in any situation. After failing to avenge the death of her father, the king, Scarlet finds herself injured in a surreal world. Desperate to return to the real world, she meets a young man who helps her understand that revenge isn’t always the best path forward. I often have trouble with Japanese animated films because they are often based on TV shows or manga books, and knowledge about the characters is needed to fully enjoy them. This is not the case with Scarlet, a standalone animated film loosely based on Hamlet with a little bit of Joan of Arc thrown in. It’s a gorgeously animated revenge film that takes our heroine to an underworld where she tries to find a way back to the living to get her revenge. Scarlet is ruthless on her journey, but along the way, we see that learning about life and forgiveness is beautifully told. My Rating: Full Price Scarlet Website  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest: Dust Bunny  (2025) R  Dust Bunny is about Aurora (Sophie Sloan), an eight-year-old girl who is convinced that a monster under her bed has eaten her family. She asks her neighbor, a hitman (Mads Mikkelsen), to help kill the monster. What could go wrong? Well, to answer that question…a whole lot. I loved this quirky movie, a feast for the eyes, as a young girl decides the only person who can save her and get revenge for her parents is a neighbor she discovers is a man who can take on anything. I love that the film takes a story that we all know, about the child who claims monsters are underneath her bed, and turns it on its side when we discover the monster isn’t a figment of a child’s imagination but is real and deadly. The film works because of the chemistry between Sophie Sloan, who plays Aurora, a child with determination and guts, and her not-so-friendly neighborhood hitman, played by the sullen and magnetic Mads Mikkelsen. It’s a fun relationship between a world-weary killer and a young, wise, and confident girl. Aurora goes as far as stealing money from the collection plates of a church to buy the hitman’s services. What I loved about this film is that nobody believes Aurora until it’s too late, with the exception of the hitman, who slowly realizes that there may be more here than meets the eye. Dust Bunny is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen, as the fight sequences are spectacular and the apartment Aurora lives in is off-the-wall nuts, especially when the monster that no one but Aurora thinks is real actually shows up. Just heed Aurora’s warning and stay off the floor, or you will regret it!  My Rating: Full Price Dust Bunny  Now playing in theaters

Indiefest:  Lone Samurai  (2025) R  Lone Samurai follows Riku (Shogen), a 13th-century samurai who, after successfully defeating an invading fleet, finds himself shipwrecked on a deserted island. As despair sets in, he contemplates ritual suicide. However, his plans are abruptly interrupted when a tribe of cannibals arrives, making him their next intended meal. I saw this film at the Rome International Film Festival and had a blast watching it. It’s a film that takes its cue from the gory Samurai films of the past, with a little Tarantino thrown in. The first third of the film is about a Samurai who has completed his mission, is on what he thinks is a deserted island, and is ready to end his life. Then a group of cannibals shows up, and Riku decides he will go out on his terms and not by the hand of someone who wants to eat him for dinner. The last third of the film is thrilling, and the fight on a beach between our lone samurai and a horde of angry cannibals is an outstanding bit of fight choreography. It’s an amazing piece of fighting (mostly by the stunt crew that worked on The Raid films) and swordplay, which is thrilling and bloody. If you like Samurai films or want to see more after seeing the Kill Bill extravaganza, then get ready for a bloody fight to the end. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Lone Samurai Website  Now playing in select theaters

My Rating: Silent Night, Deadly Night  (2025) R  Silent Night, Deadly Night opens with the scene of a child witnessing the murder of his parents by a man in a Santa suit. That child is now grown, dons the Santa suit, and embarks on a violent quest for revenge. This is a new version of the 1984 film of the same name. In fact, this film uses four songs written for the 1984 film. This time, Billy (Rohan Campbell) talks to someone inside his brain who tells him who to kill and how to find them. Now, Billy kills only during the Christmas season and only kills people who have done horrible things. This is a stupid but fun film that has no scares but plenty of bloody deaths and a whole lot of surprises (you will not believe one of his victims). The original film wasn’t great and had some controversy because of the violence in the film, but this one does a nice job of adding humor and some really fun twists. If you like your Santa impersonator with a little blood on his suit and maybe an axe handy, then this is your film.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Silent Night, Deadly Night Website Now playing in theaters

Forgotten Film: Gorillas in the Mist (1988) PG-13  Gorillas in the Mist is the story of Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver), a woman with no formal training, who ventured into the jungle to study the mountain gorillas of central Africa. She was instrumental in expanding our knowledge about the gorillas and became famous through a number of TV specials. The film’s first half is brilliantly done, as we, along with Dian, discover the wonders of gorilla life, and we see how deeply she cares about them. There are some amazing scenes between Fossey and the gorillas as she slowly earned their trust. The film is magical in the first half, and Weaver’s brilliant performance gives us a glimpse into a complicated woman who found her calling alone in the jungle. The film falls apart in the 2nd half, with a romance that Fossey has with a photographer (played by Brian Brown) and Fossey’s attempts at stopping the killing of gorillas, which eventually (spoiler alert) cost Fossey her life. I came away from the film thinking that I knew more about the gorillas than I did about Fossey.  My Rating: Full Price Gorillas in the Mist Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon

Weird Credits: From the credits of Scarlet: Stunt Coordinator

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Housemaid (2025)  R  In The Housemaid, Millie (Sydney Sweeney) is a young woman with a troubled past who, against her instincts, takes a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar) and their young daughter. The seemingly perfect life of the family unravels as Millie discovers dark secrets hidden just below the surface. Fans of the McFadden book are really looking forward to this film. The Housemaid Website  In theaters on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025

Until Next Time!

The Adams Family 2

Familyfaire:  The Adams Family 2  (2021)  PG   Your favorite family of ghouls are back! Gomez (voiced by Oscar Isaac) is concerned that the kids are growing up too fast. Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) are skipping family dinners and are always on their iPhones with ‘scream time.’ Gomez decides the kids need a change, so the family goes off on vacation to see the sites of America. America may never be the same again. Charles Adams is one of my favorite cartoonists, and he created the weird and morbid family headed by Gomez and Morticia. The problem with making a movie about these characters is Charles Adams’s family in the cartoons think fun is spilling a vat of molten tar from the heights of their mansion on Christmas carolers, something that a ‘family animated’ picture would never show. So what we get is watered-down characters and cause mayhem primarily by accident and only scare people by mistake. The family goes on vacation and visits such landmarks as Niagara Falls, where Gomez puts each family member in a barrel to go over the falls or the Grand Canyon that Pugsley blows up (why I have no clue). The film isn’t much fun, and I kept wanting to put the family members into the guillotine that in the Adams cartoons, Wednesday used to put her dolls in just to end this film. Kids might find some fun in the action sequences, but adults will be as bored as Gomez is at a play that doesn’t have any dead bodies in it.   My Rating; Cable   The Adams Family 2 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide and On Demand.

My View:  The Many Saints of Newark  (2021)  R  Young Anthony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) is growing up fast, under the influence of his uncle, Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), who is struggling to keep his hold on his power as rival gangs are rising up and challenging the powerful DiMeo crime family. What Anthony learns now will serve him later when we know him as Tony Soprano. I was not a regular viewer of The Sopranos, having watched enough episodes that I know the characters, and like most people, I know how the show ended. So I was interested to see the origins of Tony Soprano, especially since James Gandolfini’s son was playing a young Tony in the film. I was severely disappointed by this film as it is more about Anthony’s uncle, Dickie, played by Alessandro Nivola, and less about Anthony himself. In fact, for most of the film, Anthony is a bystander in the actions of his family and the mob. He stumbles across a few things but is left on the sidelines for most of the film, a secondary character that we get to see do some really stupid crimes like running numbers at his elementary school or hijacking an ice cream truck. In fact, all the publicity of the film made it seem like Michael Gandolfini would be a prominent point of action in the movie, but the actor is in maybe half of the film, with the rest of the film taking place when he was a kid in elementary school, played by William Ludwig. Sure we get to see his home life with his sister, his thug of a father (played by Jon Bernthal), and his crazy mother (played by always impressive Vera Farmiga), but even this home life is a background for interaction with Dickie, who while Tony’s father is in prison, becomes a surrogate father to Tony. I was disappointed that one of my favorite actors, Ray Liotta, was somewhat wasted in the duel role of Dickies father and imprisoned uncle. There are a bunch of scenes between Dickie and his uncle where the uncle spouts wisdom from Buddhism and his love of jazz that do nothing to move the plot along. Maybe if I was a rabid fan of The Sopranos, I would enjoy seeming all the characters as they were in their younger days, but for me, it was one long trip of mob life that I never really cared enough about to feel anything when a character (or two) dies. Maybe filmmakers of The Many Saints of Newark should have taken the advice given in the first Godfather film ‘Leave the gun - take the cannoli.’   My Rating; Bargain Matinee    The Many Saints of Newark Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide and on the HBO Max platform.

My View:  Venom: Let There Be Carnage  (2021)  PG-13  Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) has learned to live with the alien symbiote inside him named Venom, but they haven’t met Carnage, a fellow alien living inside the body of Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), a dangerous criminal who understands who and what Eddie is and wants to destroy him and Venom. I liked the first film, and they have taken what worked the best in that film, the interaction between Venom and Eddie, and made it even funnier. The action is fun, and it looks like Tom Hardy is having a great time playing this character (he co-wrote the story for the film). The ending is a little haphazard, with the final battle result feeling a little weak. Still, overall, this is a fun film that fans of Venom won’t be disappointed and yes, make sure to stay through the first section of the closing credits to see a big, and I mean big, bonus scene that is going to have everyone talking. I can’t wait to see what Eddie and Venom get into next!   My Rating; Full Price    Venom: Let There Be Carnage Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest:  I’m Your Man  (2021)  R   Desperate to obtain funds for her studies, a scientist, Alma (Maren Eggert), agrees to participate in an unbelievable experiment; live for three weeks with a humanoid robot (Dan Stevens) designed to make her happy. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The casting of the two leads is terrific, and they make you believe that a robot and a human are having conversations. There is a lot of humor in the film, but it isn’t a film that is played for laughs but for the romance that develops between the two despite the fact that Alma doesn’t want a relationship with anyone, much less a robot who has been created for her. The writing is incredibly well done, and the characters feel real (even the robot) and are richly drawn. I was afraid that the film would put itself into a corner that it couldn’t get out of, but I was blown away by how this film ended. I can see why Germany has nominated this film to be their selection to this year’s Academy Award Best International Feature Film. I can’t recommend this film more as itt gave this hopelessly romantic a thrill.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    I'm Your Man Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  Falling for Figaro  (2020)   Millie (Daniele Macdonald) seems to have everything; a great job, a good-looking but stuffy boyfriend, and a love for opera. Millie decides to chuck everything to pursue a career as an opera singer and leave her boyfriend behind to go to the Scottish Highlands to be taught by the legendary Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley). This decision will change Millie in more ways than she could ever have thought. Macdonald, who wowed film festival audiences with her performance in Patti Cake$, has a fabulous presence on the screen, and I loved her in this role, except when she sang, mainly because it was annoyingly obvious that she wasn’t singing at all. Falling for Figaro is a film for opera lovers and anyone who wants a crash course in the big hits of the genre. While under the tutelage of the former opera diva played by Joanna Lumley, Millie slowly falls for the only other student that Meghan has, the surly, handsome Max, played by Hugh Skinner. The two have a nice chemistry together, and from the first meet, you know they are destined to be with each other. I usually like Joanna Lumley’s performances, but the film never gives us a reason to think that her unconventional methods would ever take a novice singer like Millie to become a success so quickly.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Falling for Figaro Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  Old Henry  (2021)   Henry (Tim Blake Nelson) is a widower, working a farm with his teenage son, Wyatt (Gavin Lewis), when a badly hurt man, Curry (Scott Haze), shows up on Wyatt’s farm with a satchel full of cash. When three men who claim that they are lawmen show up looking for the injured man, Henry must decide who to believe. The men and Henry’s teenage son will soon discover that Henry has hidden a past that he wishes had never happened. I am a big fan of westerns, and this one did not disappoint. The history of western films has many a reluctant hero, but Henry may be one of the most reluctant ever on the silver screen. A farmer who is happy in the hard work and is constantly being disappointed by his son’s lack of enthusiasm for the work. Into their lives comes a man Henry instantly dislikes and wants him gone as soon as possible, but fate has brought trouble to Henry and his son, and there is nothing that Henry can do to avoid it. Time Blake Nelson gives us a powerful but restrained performance of a man who just wants to work his land and be left alone. Nelson is brilliant in the role of the gruff Henry, who sees things very clearly for what they are, having lived a life that has seen many things. Old Henry has a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and a compelling and potent ending. Like its title character, this film packs a punch that you just might not see coming.   My Rating: Full Price     Old Henry Website  Now playing in select theatres

Indiefest:  The Jesus Music  (2021) PG-13  From its humble beginnings at the Calvary Chapel in California to a multi-billion-dollar industry, the story of Christian Contemporary Music is a story that needs to be told about the soundtrack of a movement. I am a big fan of CCM and groups like Barlow Girl, Bethany Dillon, and Everlife, so I was really looking forward to this film. I enjoyed the insight into the early days of ‘The Jesus Revolution’ of the 60s and the look back at one of the vast music festivals of the 70s, Explo72, which brought contemporary Christian music to the forefront. The film is a good starting point for anyone interested in the genre, though they barely touch on some of the big acts, such as Point of Grace and Sandi Patty. The film is a little too close to the subject matter (it's from the directors who gave us the Christian movie I Can Only Imagine), so they only touch on a few subjects that aren’t positive (the backlash when mega-star Amy Grant got divorced and how the CCM music is dominated by white artists). Still, I enjoyed the stories from the early years, the fact that Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant are still close to this day, and that the music continues to inspire.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Jesus Music Website    Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou  (2004) R  When a shark kills his partner, world-famous ocean explorer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) sets out with his team to get revenge. It will be an expedition that the world will soon not forget. The film is co-written and directed by Wes Anderson, and the outstanding cast includes Owen Wilson, who plays his long-forgotten son, Anjelica Huston as his estranged wife, Cate Blanchett as a reporter sent to chronicle the expedition, Willem Dafoe as Steve’s troubled right-hand man, and a few more characters played by Jeff Goldblum, Bud Cort, and Matthew Gray Gubler. This is a strange film to watch, and unlike a lot of Murray films recently, this one he is in almost every scene, but sometimes you feel that he is bored with the plot, which at times feels almost non-existent. Why do I want you to watch this film? Because Willem Dafoe is hilarious as Zissou’s weird German servant. I almost wish that he was the featured character of the movie instead of Steve Zissou. I will also say that the cinematography during the underwater sequences is stunning and breathtaking. So if you are a fan of Bill Murray or just have an afternoon to kill, watch this film and relish the Dafoe antics. My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Venom: Let There Be Carnage: Lead Face Modeler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: A Mouthful of Air (2021) R   Julie Davis (Amanda Seyfried) is a best-selling author who writes children's books that deal with unlocking your fears. She is warm, kind, and loving to her husband and her child. However, when her second child is born, she discovers that her past is catching up to her, and there is a secret which will reappear that will take everything Julie has to overcome.    A Mouthful of Air Website

Until Next Time!

Voyagers

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 63 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. 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

My View: Voyagers   (2021) PG-13    The future of mankind is at stake when a group of young men and women, bred for intelligence and obedience, are sent into space to colonize a distant planet. Christopher (Tye Sheridan), Sela (Lily-Rose Depp), and Zac (Fionn Whitehead) discover that the mission has a secret; that they are being drugged to make them comply with the mission. The three decide to defy their training and explore their most primitive natures, something that may lead them into chaos. Voyagers is one of those movies that had a lot of promise and is well made, but just never jells, never finds its footing and therefore becomes a very predictable and slow-moving film that feels like a rip-off of every ‘Lord of the Flies’ film made before it. The film never builds the tension that it needs, and some of the scenes feel forced. Due to the effects of the drug they are taking, it takes a long time to understand each character and what they are made of. When the drug wears off, the effect is too quick, too sudden, and we are suddenly asked to take sides when we don’t really know who to root for. I came away from watching this film feeling as if I didn’t care if they survived or not.    My Rating: Cable    Voyagers Website    Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Thunder Force (2021) PG-13   In a world where super-criminals are taking over, two former best friends, Lydia (Melissa McCarthy) and Emily (Octavia Spencer), reunite after one of them devises a treatment that gives ordinary people superpowers. With Lydia’s super strength and Emily’s invisibility, the two take on the villains threatening their city. Where to start with this mess of a film? The film wastes the talents of McCarthy and Spencer, putting them awkwardly into unfunny situation after unfunny situation. This is one of those films that loves to keep going back to a one-note joke until it has taken that joke and broken it into pieces. There is a running gag (no pun intended) where because of the superpower treatment, McCarthy only enjoys eating raw chicken, and the film keeps bring this up, time and time again, without a laugh anywhere to help. There is a dance sequence that I have no clue why it’s in there and what it was trying to accomplish, other than to make the film stop entirely for two minutes. The film feels much longer than its hour and forty-five-minute length, with a script that lacks any sense of humor or creativity. If you watch this film, and I’m sorry if you do, please explain to me what Jason Bateman’s characters super-power is? Nah, don’t bother, I want to forget this film as soon as I can.    My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Thunder Force Website    Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Moffie (2019)    In 1981, South Africa’s white minority government was in the midst of a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Nicholas (Kai Luke Brummer), like all white men over the age of 16, must complete two years of compulsory military service. Not only does Nicholas have to face the horrors of war, he must also deal with the fact that he is hiding a secret, the secret of his homosexuality. Kai Luke Brummer is brilliant as the troubled Nicholas, a young man who is confronted during his stint in the army with brutality, racism, and homophobia on a constant basis. Nicholas is a man who is just trying to survive and not bring attention to himself, knowing that if he is found out, life will become even more of a hell than it already is. Nicholas is constantly being reminded that his race and way of life is being assaulted by both blacks and Communists. The world that Nicholas has entered into is full of pain, ugliness and is filled with very few people he can trust. The film constantly builds tension, even in its quieter moments, so much so that it seems that Nicholas may take the route that some of his fellow soldiers take, trying to find an escape from this horrible world with drugs and alcohol, or even worse, a permanent escape. This is a film that will stay with you long after you watch it and will have you wondering what became of Nicholas after his stint in the army.   My Rating: Full Price    Moffie Website    Now playing in select theatres and is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest: The Enormity of Life (2021)   Casey's (Breckin Meyer) life is so messed up, he even fails at a suicide attempt. When he receives a substantial inheritance from a long-lost relative, he embarks on a journey with a struggling single mom, Jess (Emily Kinney), and her eccentric young daughter, Jules (Giselle Eisenberg). To say that this strange little film is quirky would be an understatement. When your lead character is someone who wants to end it all because he doesn’t enjoy life, it makes it a little hard to want Casey to get what he wants. I loved Jess and the relationship she has with her daughter. Emily Kinney playing the effervescent Jess with a lovely and captivating presence makes her character just the person that Casey needs to meet at this time of his life. Jess is someone that can see the potential in a person, no matter if that person can’t see it themselves. Giselle Eisenberg is a bundle of fun as the girl obsessed with school shoots, able to spout facts and figures about them with an almost computer-like response. Breckin Meyer is fun as Casey, a sad-sack character of a man who doesn’t quite understand why he needs to be here on the planet, until he meets Jess and Jules. I had fun going on a small adventure with Casey, Jules, and Jess, and I hope you will too.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Enormity of Life Website    The film is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

Forgotten Film: The Hidden (1987) R   When normal, law-abiding people suddenly become violent criminals, a cop (Michael Nouri) and an FBI agent (Kyle MacLachlan) team up to try and stop this puzzling outburst of murders and robberies. This film starts out as your ordinary crime spree movie but soon, you realize that there must be something behind all the crimes being committed. The film has a ton of twists and turns, some you won’t see coming, and the chemistry between Nouri and MacLachlan to fun to watch, with MacLachlan playing the strange acting FBI agent as only he can. The Hidden is one of those films that nobody went and saw but should have because it’s well done and very creative.    My Rating: Full Price    The Hidden Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Voyagers: Breakdown Artist

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Things Heard & Seen (2021)   A couple, Catherine (Amanda Seyfried) and George (James Norton), moves from Manhattan to a historic home in the Hudson Valley. Jane soon learns that not only does her new home have a sinister past, but her husband also may not be the nice guy she thought he was. Hey, a horror film with Amanda Seyfried? I’m in!    Things Heard & Seen Website

Until Next Time!

Capone

My View:  Capone (2020) R   47-year-old Al Capone (Tom Hardy) has been released from prison after ten years and is back with his wife at his home in Florida. Al is suffering from dementia and other ailments, causing him to relive his past while at the same time, being watched by the FBI, hoping to find money that Al has tucked away. I love Tom Hardy. His performance in Locke (2013) is one of my favorite of all time. Unfortunately, this film is not Hardy at his best; in fact, it might be one of his worst performances. Heavy with prosthetics and an accent that I have no clue what it is, Hardy gives us a bubbling, stumbling Capone who is on his last legs. The film uses Capone’s perspective quite a bit, so you never know where the fantasy starts and reality ends. If you are thinking about watching this film, hoping for gunfights and bombastic performances, you will be sorely disappointed. The film is frustratingly slow and other than watching Hardy’s Capone waste away, not much happens. I will warn you that it got its R rating for a few very violent scenes, mostly due to Capone’s dementia. Frankly, I was just waiting for Capone to die so that this film would end.   My Rating: Cable    Capone Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  CRSHD (2019)   On the last night of her college freshman year, Izzy (Isabelle Barbier) tries to finally lose her virginity. Still, her only hope is if she and her two best friends can get her into the exclusive, invite-only ‘Crush Party.’ I wanted to like this film, but it felt like a first film from a recent college graduate, which it is. The cast is a little green, though I did like Sadie Scott as the wild child best friend of Izzy, who has a flair for comedy. The film feels like it would be a big hit on a college campus at a university film fest, but it just seems a little shallow and slow in the big world. The film relies too much on gadgets such as a video-game-like map to show the girl's travels and a three-way split of the screen to show when the girls or texting to each other. The production values are excellent, and for a first-time film of such a young filmmaker, it’s a fine-looking film but just never quite gets going.   My Rating: Cable    CRSHD Website       Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Indiefest:  Straight Up (2019)   Todd (James Sweeney) is gay and hasn’t had any luck finding love. Rory (Katie Findlay) is an actress who is just looking for a roommate. Rory and Todd discover that they might not be your typical couple, but they might be great at being together. I enjoyed this quirky film about a couple that are perfect for each other, except for the fact that Todd is gay. James Sweeney, who plays Todd, also wrote and directed the film, but he gave the best part in the movie to Katie Findlay, who shines in the role of Rory. Findlay delivers her lines with great comedic timing and dominates every scene she is in. I was reminded of a young Lauren Graham watching Findlay on the screen as her Rory plays off the reserved and ever nervous Todd. The film doesn’t always work, but with Findlay’s performance, you are willing to see it through to the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Straight Up Website        Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

My View:  The Wrong Missy (2020)   Tim (David Spade) goes on a blind date from hell with Missy (Lauren Lapkus). Lucky to end the disaster date, three months later, Tim meets a woman, Melissa (Molly Sims), by chance in an airport, and she is everything he could ever want in a woman. He decides to ask Melissa to a corporate retreat and, by mistake, invites Missy instead, and Tim’s life will never be the same. Thank goodness I didn’t see this in a theatre and could stop it every ten minutes to do something, anything else to get my mind off how bad this film is. Please, please Netflix, quit giving Adam Sandler money to finance his friends to make movies. I beg you, stop the madness. I felt terrible for some of the actors in this film, like Lauren Lapkus, who I like as a comedy actress and Sarah Chalke, who I hoped enjoyed the week she got in Hawaii (where they shot the film). David Spade does show some restraint in his part, but the jokes are horrible, the plot is stupid, and watching Rob Schneider mug his way through is performance as a boat captain is painful to watch. Stay away from this one!   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    The Wrong Missy Website    The film is currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: The Last Run (1971) GP   Harry (George C. Scott) is a retired getaway driver living in a small Portuguese fishing village. Harry has become bored with his life and decides to take on one last job, a job that won’t turn out the way Harry planned to go out. Scott, hot off his Oscar for Patton, wanted to do a ‘Humphrey Bogart’ type role, and he carries it off with style. The film uses incredible locations in Europe, fantastic driving sequences (wait until you see the opening sequence on a tiny mountain road) and a brilliant cast, including Trish Van Devere, who plays a woman who is being used as bait by her boyfriend to get Harry to take the job. Scott is masterful as a man who hasn’t much to live for other than the thrill of driving as fast as he can.   My Rating: Full Price    The Last Run Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Capone: Chef Driver

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Military Wives (2019) PG-13   With their partners away serving in Afghanistan, two headstrong women (Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan) form a choir on a military base. The women in the choir form a bond that transforms their lives and gives them a way to deal with the reality of the everyday fear that their loved ones won’t return from the war. From two-time Oscar-nominated director Peter Cattaneo, this film just might be the uplifting film we need at this time.     The Military Wives Info

Until Next Time!

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

My View: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) PG-13 On Halloween night in 1968, a group of teenagers visit a haunted house, one where the family there kept their daughter in a room in the basement. The teenagers find a book of scary legends and the stories are coming to life to threaten their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this horror film that while does have a few jump out of the dark scares, build’s the tension to where the third act of the film is truly terrifying. The film is based on a YA book series, so the film is aimed at pre-teens and teenagers. Do not take your young children to this film as all the creatures in this film are just ghastly and horrific. What I really liked about this film (besides all the scares) was it also deals with some subjects that were very relevant for the time period: the Vietnam War, Tricky Dick Nixon getting elected President and racism. So go see this film and get your horror groove on.  My Rating: Full Price   Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Website

My View: The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) PG A dog named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) shows us the life lessons he learned from his race car driving master, Denny (Milo Ventimiglia). So the unusual thing about this film is that it’s seen through the eyes of Enzo, who believes in reincarnation and is convinced that what he learns in his life as a dog will help when he comes back as a human. This film is a great one but you laugh and yes, cry. I thought Costner did a masterful job as the voice of Enzo. Ventimiglia is fine as the race car driver who falls for Amanda Seyfried’s character. People that don’t like dogs will hate this movie but if love dogs as much as I do it will be an enjoyable film to watch.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Art of Driving in the Rain Website

Familyfaire: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) PG   Dora (Isabela Moner) was raised by her parents to be an explorer. Now, aided by a fellow explorer (Eugenio Derbez) Dora is on a mission to save her parents (Eva Longoria, Michael Pena) and find a lost city of gold. I really liked this film and I think parents will too, but I think your kids will fall in love with Dora. This movie works because Isabela Moner is so charismatic on the screen you can’t help yourself to root for her Dora. Kids will also love Boots, the sidekick of Dora, a monkey that seems almost human in his interactions with Dora. There are a couple of things I didn’t like about this movie: Eugenio Derbez is too over the top in his performance, it just doesn’t fit the rest of the film. Also, there is an animated fox called Swiper (voiced by Benicio Del Toro) that just doesn’t look like he belongs, the animation is too cartoony. By the way, there are a couple of times in the film that the film does give homage to the cartoon series this film is based on. Take your family and go on an exploration with Dora, it will be a blast.   My Rating: Full Price    Dora and the Lost City of Gold Website

My View:  The Kitchen (2019) R The wives of New York gangsters (Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish) in Hell’s Kitchen in the 1970s decide to continue their husband’s illegal business after their husbands are locked in prison. If I had been one of the other three people that were watching with me at the 7 pm Friday night screening, I would have left after ten minutes. This is one of the worst written films I’ve seen in a long time. The dialogue seems to have been written by a high school student writing a script for his AV class. The film wastes the talents of the three woman that head this cast. I did like the performance of Elisabeth Moss, whose character goes from a meek housewife to a tough, confident person. The audience (if you can call three people an audience) that I saw it with laughed at several plot points that were meant to be serious. This film might have worked as a dark comedy but as a straight drama, it is a bomb.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

Indiefest:  Tel Aviv on Fire  (2018)   Salam (Kais Nashif), a young Palestinian man, through good luck and connections gets a writing job on a popular Palestinian soap opera. What I liked about this film is that it shows you the Israeli occupation from the viewpoint of the Palestinians. The soap opera centers on a woman who is in love with a Palestinian operative who is in charge of her trying to seduce an Israeli general but the trouble is she starts falling in love with the general. While I didn’t laugh out loud, I did chuckle quite a bit. The secondary plot is that Salam is trying to get back with his old girlfriend, who he hurt deeply when they broke up in the past. I really liked the performance of Lubna Azabal, who plays the lead actress in the soap that is somewhat a diva. It’s a fine performance and she plays well off of Kais Nahif. This is a fun film to watch but we also learn how hard it is to live under the occupation of Isreal.    My Rating: Full Price

My View: Brian Banks (2018) PG-13   A football player’s (Aldis Hodge) dreams to play in the NFL are shattered when he is wrongly convicted and sent to prison. He teams with a lawyer (Greg Kinnear) to try and clear his name and start his football career. Aldis Hodge gives a powerful and moving performance of a man who just wants his name cleared, nothing more. I also enjoyed Sherri Shepherd’s performance as Brian’s mother who never wavers in her belief that Brian is innocent. I found the direction a little lacking in pace and the dialogue a little too preachy. The storyline is predictable but it’s still a remarkable story that needed to be told.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Brian Banks Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-ray): Tolkien (2019) PG-13   J.R.R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult) was an orphan who had to work hard to get anywhere. He falls in love with a fellow orphan, Edith (Lily Collins) and just when he finds his calling, language, he is swept away in the horrors of WW I. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan, so I was excited to see this film. While not bad, the film is a bit dull and spends too much time during Tolkien’s time in the war. I wanted more about how he came up with the idea of the books and less of his time looking for his best friend in the war.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee    Tolkien Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Ready or Not  (2019) R   A bride (Samara Weaving) is told that she must participate in a game of hide and seek before coming a part of the grooms family. What she doesn’t know is if they find her in the family home, she will be killed. The trailer looks really stupid.    Ready of Not Website

Forgotten Film: Coherence (2013)   During a night where a comet is going to come very close to Earth, a group of friends get together for a dinner party. The eight friends begin to experience problems when their phones all give out and electricity is shut down to the whole street except for a house down the road. The group decides to travel down the road to the house with power and then things get really weird. The tension builds as the film moves on. I would call this a suspense film and not a horror film. What I loved about this film is how natural the dialogue is (actors were not given a script, just a paragraph before each scene from the director, James Ward Byrkit). See this movie and go on a wild ride you won’t soon forget.   My Rating: Full Price   Coherence Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: Swamper

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)  PG-13   Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Downs syndrome runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. On the road, he encounters Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) a small-time outlaw that’s on the run that becomes an unlikely coach. They also convince Eleanor (Dakota Johnson), a nursing home worker to join their quest. The film has a great supporting cast including john Hawkes, Thomas Haden Church, and Bruce Dern. Everything I have heard about this film is that it is a celebration of life and is incredibly fun to watch.    The Peanut Butter Falcon Website

Until Next Time!