A Monster Calls

My View:  A Monster Calls (2016)  PG-13  Conor (Lewis MacDougal) is dealing with the one thing that any child fears, the illness of his mother (Felicity Jones). One night, Conor meets a “monster” (Liam Neeson) who is in the shape of a giant tree. The monster promises to help Conor deal with the sadness of his life.  This is a visually stunning movie that is more for adults than kids. It’s a solemn film that deals with death, childhood bullying, and grief. The film is moving and brought tears to my eyes at several places as Conor deals with the dark realization that life sometimes really hurts. MacDougal is impressive as the kid who sees a tree come to life as a big monster. There are some beautiful animated sequences as the Monster tells Conor stories to teach him about love and life. This film is a tale that is rarely happy, but in the end, I had enjoyed my experience with the monster and Conor.  My Rating: Full Price   A Monster Calls Website

My View:  Silence  (2016)  R  In the seventeenth century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver) travel to Japan to find their mentor (Liam Neeson). They soon find that they are not welcome in this foreign country so far from home and their lives are in danger. This is a beautifully shot film that I found to be just a little bit boring. Like Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, this film also explores religion and faith. While the film is breathtaking in its visuals, I found the plot very repetitious, as we see at least five different ways the Japanese torture people to get the priests to revoke their vows. Andrew Garfield’s performance is a little too over-the-top for me. I got very tired of Garfield constantly breaking down, and he keeps falling for the same problems throughout the movie. I really felt the running time of 2 hours and 41 minutes. I think if the film had been much shorter, it would have had more of an impact on me, but I must confess, this just isn’t my type of film. Other critics whom I saw the film with were moved by it and felt that it was a superior film, but I just can’t agree with them.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Silence Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Denial  (2016)  PG-13  Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) is in the legal battle of her life when Holocaust denier, David Irving (Timothy Spall), accuses her of libel in a British court. The film is based on a true story, and that’s what makes it so riveting.  Weisz masterfully plays the headstrong woman who makes a stand against a bigoted bully. Her performance is captivating, and, at times, you can almost see the steam coming off her head when her character gets intensely mad. Timothy Spall is perfect as the smug so-called “historian,” as he portrays the man as someone who isn’t as smart as he thinks. Tom Wilkinson gives one of his best performances as the wine drinking lawyer who represents Professor Lipstadt in her case. It’s a compelling and engaging courtroom drama that will have you on the edge of your seat until the end.   My Rating:  Full Price   Denial Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Monster Trucks (2016)  PG  The film was inspired by a talk between the former president of Paramount Pictures and his four-year-old son. His idea:  Big trucks that have monsters in them.  Considering that this film has been sitting on the shelf since 2014, I think I will stay on the highway and not get off on the Monster Truck exit.   Monster Trucks Website

Forgotten Film:  Seven Minutes in Heaven  (1985)  PG-13  Natalie (Jennifer Connelly) is a teenager whose mother is dead, and her father is always on the road with his job.  Her friend Jeffrey (Byron Thames) is having trouble with his stepfather, and Natalie lets him crash at her house.  Polly (Maddie Corman) is Natalie’s best friend and is always meddling in Natalie’s life. I like this film because it’s very different from most of the teen “coming-of-age” movies from the eighties. The characters in this movie have real life problems that they realistically must deal with. I love the ending of this film as it doesn’t wrap everything up in a neat conclusion, though you do figure that all three kids will end up being significant adults.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Seven Minutes in Heaven Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of A Monster Calls:  Stand-in: The Monster

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Red Turtle  (2016) PG   This animated film about a castaway stuck on a deserted island populated by turtles, crabs, and birds, is making a lot of critics’ “Best of the Year” lists.    The Red Turtle Info 

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Doctor Strange

My View:  Doctor Strange  (2016) PG-13 Doctor Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch), a brilliant neurosurgeon, life changes after he has a tragic car accident. He decides to travel the world to rediscover his life’s purpose. He encounters “The Ancient One” (Tilda Swinton) who teaches him the art of dimensional and mystic arts. He decides to use his newfound power to defend the world from evil forces.This film is much more in the vein of “Guardians of the Galaxy” as there is a surprising amount of humor in the movie and that it stands alone in the big Marvel universe.  Cumberbatch is perfect in the role, and his American accent is flawless. He has just the right amount of cocksureness to make him a little bit unlikable. A bit of warning: if you have vertigo, don’t see this film. Remember the building inverting in the movie Inception (2010)? Well, the battle sequences in this film are Inception-like but on steroids. I do recommend seeing the movie in 3-D and in IMAX (over an hour of footage was shot with IMAX cameras).  There are two bonus scenes, one after the first round of credits and then a second one after all the credits finish.  Both are worth staying for. And you will want to “Google” Aldous Huxley after seeing the film to find out what book Stan Lee is reading in his cameo scene.    My Rating: Full Price   Doctor Strange Website

My View:  Hacksaw Ridge  (2016)  R  True story of WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield) who enlists in the Army but refuses to handle a rifle due to being a Seventh-day Adventist. He becomes the first Conscientious Objector to be awarded the Medal of Honor. I thoroughly enjoyed this moving and spiritual film. I will warn you that the battle sequences are real and very horrific, with body parts flying everywhere. Garfield is perfect as the man who refuses to bear arms but is willing to sacrifice his life to save others. There is great chemistry between Garfield and Teresa Palmer, who plays a nurse who falls in love with Desmond. I also enjoyed Vince Vaughn as the tough as nails Sargent who doesn’t want Desmond in his Army. The battle sequences, though tough to watch due to the blood and guts violence, are well choreographed and exciting. This is one inspirational story that you won’t want to miss.  The film is capped off during the credits with an interview with the real Desmond Doss that just might make you shed a tear.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See It Again   Hacksaw Ridge Website

Family Faire:  Trolls  (2016)  PG  A troll princess (Anna Kendrick) and her grumpy friend (Justin Timberlake) must muster all their courage to save their friends from the clutches of the evil Bergins.  I didn’t like this film and found the storyline too simple and the music annoying, especially when the trolls are singing non-original songs. It was one long glitter bomb, too sweet to watch for any length of time, and only small children will enjoy it, mostly due to the bright colors of the Trolls. I couldn’t leave the theatre fast enough when it ended, heading directly to a pharmacy to buy some aspirin for the headache I got watching this movie.    My Rating:  Cable   Trolls Website

Indiefest:  We Are X  (2016)  R   Documentary about the legendary band X Japan. Little known in the U.S., X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined and have fans around the world including KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor. Known for their legendary concerts, the documentary tells the band’s exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades––persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache––the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking reunion concert at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden. This is a fascinating movie about a band that very few of us in America know about. The story of the band is unbelievable, so much so, that if you made it into a drama, no one would believe it could happen. The film is filled with concert performances that make you want to see the band in person.  It’s a riveting and engaging film about an outlandish group of musicians that make stunning shows.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   We Are X Website

Forgotten Film:  The White Dawn  (1974)  R  Three whalers (Warren Oates, Timothy Bottoms, Louis Gossett Jr.) crash their ship on ice going after a whale.  They are rescued by a tribe of Inuit, who take the three sailors into their community. The three men cannot leave their western ideals and ways behind and begin to undermine the native community with disastrous results. Other than the three main actors, the rest of the cast is made of Inuit’s, making the film feel real and impactful. While the movie is shot in color, there is so much snow and ice that you will think it was shot in Black and White. What makes this film even more interesting is that it is based on a true story.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The White Dawn Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Doctor Strange:  Facial Hair Maker

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)  R  19 year-old Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn) is brought home for a victory tour after experiencing a harrowing Iraq battle.  Through flashbacks, we see what really happened to his squad.  The cast includes Vin Diesel, Kristen Stewart, Chris Tucker, Garrett Hedlund, and Steve Martin.  Critics are anxious to see this film because two-time Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee is using new technology to shoot at an ultra-high frame rate, which should give the film a much sharper and clearer image.    Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk Facebook Page

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2

My View:  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) PG-13 Peter (Andrew Garfield) it seems, has a great life.  His girlfriend is the beautiful and smart, Gwen (Emma Stone), and he’s a superhero.  But Peter’s world is getting complicated quickly.  As soon as he takes on a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx),  bad guys from his past start popping up.  And it seems that all his enemies have something in common –  a corporation called Oscorp.  The best thing about this film is the chemistry between Garfield and Stone, as they play off each other so well, and Emma Stone is my pick for the perfect Gwen Stacy.  But this film fails in comparison to some of the better Marvels films like The Avengers or Iron Man, as it never sets a clear tone on what the film wants to be.  Some of the actors seem to feel as if they are in a “comic book” film, hamming it up and over-acting each line.  Others, like Stone, take the film seriously and give excellent dramatic performances.  I like the action sequences and the major battle scenes. Some shots of Spider-Man traveling through the city are absolutely spectacular.  The storyline lets us down, as, at times, I was bored with parts of the film.  There is too much of a rather boring Electro character and not enough of the Green Goblin character that Dane DeHaan plays.  The emotional points in the film were not impactful enough for me, and I also did not like the ending. Unlike other Marvel films, there are no additional scenes during or at the end of the credits.  It’s been said that there aren’t any current plans to mix the Spider-Man world with the rest of the Marvel universe, and I am fine with that.  Spider-Man would just look silly interacting with Ironman and Capt. America.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Website

Indiefest:  Decoding Annie Parker (2014) R  Annie (Samantha Morton) is a young woman who comes from a long line of family members who died from cancer.  Dr. Marie-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is a researcher who specializes in cancer.  The two, Annie and Dr. King, embark on a remarkable journey to prove that some forms of cancer are hereditary. This is a smart, moving, inspiring film that also is very funny, mostly due to the outlook and dialogue of Annie Parker.  Samantha Morton gives a brilliant performance as the quirky Annie, whose quest to not only beat cancer but also understand why she got the disease dominates the film.  Helen Hunt isn’t given as much to do, mostly because she is seen mostly in scenes of doing very dry research, but Morton is a breath of fresh air and makes this film work.  It’s not often that in a scene where a patient is being told they have cancer, you are laughing.  My Rating:  Full Price  Decoding Annie Parker Website   For a full length review of the film click here  

Indiefest:  Blue Ruin (2014) R   Dwight (Macon Blair) is basically a beach bum, living out of his car and depending on trash cans and strangers for meals. Dwight discovers that a long time family rival is going to be released from prison.  Now Dwight will go back home to Virginia and try and get his revenge. This is an unconventional suspense film about a man who gets in way over his head and just tries to survive.  Blair is impressive in this tour de force performance, where he says very little, but through his body language and facial expressions, gives us so much information. The world that we see in this film is one where violence is met with violence, and Dwight is pulled further and further into it. The film is written extremely well, creating tension in even the most normal of scenes.  It is a stunning film to watch and experience.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Blue Ruin Website  For a full length review of this film click here

Forgotten Film:  Me and You and Everyone We Know (2004) R Richard (John Hawkes), a shoe salesman, has just recently been thrown out by his wife (JoNell Kennedy) and is now living with his two sons in a small apartment.  He meets Christine (Miranda July) and a budding romance slowly blooms between the two.  This is a quirky, funny film that has a number of subplots, all which come together at the end of the film.  Miranda July is delightful as a woman who desperately wants to be an artist, and the chemistry between her and Hawkes is magical.  This is one of those films that you will want to see several times to catch all the dialogue and drink in all the brilliant scenes.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Me and You and Everyone We Know Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)  Dusty, the racing plane, gets injured and now is a fire fighter.  Why Disney insists on releasing these films in the theatre, when it's obvious that were meant to be direct to DVD films is beyond me.  Planes: Frie & Rescue Info

In Case You Missed It:  The Legend of Hercules (2014) PG-13  Retelling of the Hercules legend.  It’s a big mess of a movie where I had trouble understanding what the actors were saying.  I still don’t know what happened at the end of the film.  Stay away from this film and wait for The Rock’s Hercules film that will be released this summer.  My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  The Legend of Hercules Website  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Amazing Spider-Man 2:   eco intern

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Edge of Tomorrow (2014) PG-13 A soldier (Tom Cruise) fighting aliens begins to relive the day he dies over and over.  Cruise isn’t a favorite of mine but the trailer looks like the film could be a blast and it’s got Emily Blunt as a soldier who holds the key to winning the battle.   Edge of Tomorrow Website

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The Amazing Spider-Man

My View:  The Amazing Spider-Man (2012): In this re-telling of the origin of Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is a teenager whose parents abandoned him at an early age. He encounters a genetically altered spider that gives him his spidey powers. Parker sets off to discover what really happened to his parents while he tries to win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). I enjoyed this film, and you should see it in 3-D as all the shots of Spider-Man flying through the city are spectacular. Garfield does an admirable job as the nerdy Parker, but what makes this movie worth watching is the wonderful Emma Stone as Peter's true love, Gwen.  Emma Stone plays her perfectly.  What I didn't like about this film was how long it was. There is too much time taken setting up the story, and I felt the bad guy in the film, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), was too cartoony of a villain. As long as Stone is in the Spider-Man films, I’ll keep going to them. Be sure to stay through the first part of the end credits as with many Marvel films, there is a bonus scene that sets up the next film.   My Rating: Full Price   The Amazing Spider-Man Website

Indiefest:  To Rome with Love (2012) Writer/Director Woody Allen brings to the screen a story of love and relationships set in one of the most romantic cities in the world, Rome. This film has multiple storylines with a large ensemble cast that includes Roberto Benigni, Alec Balwin, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig and Penelope Cruz. This is the first film that Allen has acted in since 2006, and his character has some of the best lines in the film. Not all the stories work, as some are rather silly, and the film feels a little scattered as some of the scenes take place over one day and others over a period of weeks.  This makes the film confusing.  To Rome with Love is beautiful film with a number of shots showing how much Allen loves the city, but I felt that the script wasn’t up to par with the great cast that Allen had assembled.   My Rating: Cable   To Rome with Love Website 

Family Faire: Brave (2012) In this animated film, Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald), is a princess in a Scottish kingdom. A contest is held to decide who will wed Merida, but she defies the custom, and chooses not to follow her parents’ wishes. She decides to use a curse to change her parents’ minds about the marriage, but that curse goes terribly wrong, and Merida has to be her bravest to break the spell and save her kingdom. Children five years old and younger should not see this film.  The villain of the movie is a very large and scary bear, and when I saw this film, a child started crying and had to be taken out of the theatre. The animation of this film is beautiful, and Pixar revamped their animation process to give better detail on-screen to visuals such as Merida’s hair, an amazing sight of curls intertwined with different lengths. The storyline, though, made me feel as if I were watching an ordinary DreamWorks or Universal animated picture and not the Pixar magic that we have seen in the past with films such as Toy Story 3, Finding Nemo or WALL-E. I also wanted Merida to be more heroic, as she comes off rather mischievous than brave. While this isn’t a bad film, it just doesn’t live up to the Pixar standard of excellence that we have come to know and love.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Brave Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#18 Best Film

It Happened One Night  (1934):  The winner of 5 Academy Awards, including Best Director for Frank Capra, Best Picture and Best Actor/ Actress for Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It is the story of an heiress, Ellie(Colbert), who runs away from her family to her husband whom she just married and a man her family disapproves of. She gets help from Peter (Gable), a man she meets on a bus. But Ellie doesn't know that Peter is an out of work reporter who sees Ellie's story as a way to get back into the business. This is the quintessential screwball comedy, one with incredible dialogue that Gable and Colbert rattle off with surprising skill, speed and grace. When I first saw this film, I kept looking at my watch, not because I was bored, but because I didn't want the film to end.  This film has become one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made.   It Happened One Night Info

Forgotten Film:  Murphy's Romance (1985) Emma (Sally Field) is a divorced mom who with her teen son, Jake (Corey Haim), moves to a small town to open a horse ranch. She meets Murphy (James Garner), the town druggist, and a budding relationship begins. Things get complicated, though, when Emma's ex-husband (Brain Kerwin) shows up, and Jake wants more than anything for his parents to get back together. What I love about this film is the chemistry between Field and Garner. They give such warm, real performances and Garner has some great, folksy lines.  My Rating: Full Price   Murphy's Romance Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  21 Jump Street  (2012): This is a comedy, based on the TV series with the same name, where Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum go undercover, posing as high school students, to bust a drug ring. While I like the rapport that Hill and Tatum have, I didn't like how the film went for the easy joke too many times.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   21 Jump Street Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Seen Only in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Total Recall (2012) Why does Hollywood keep making remakes of films that weren't that good to being with?    Total Recall Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Amazing Spider-Man: Boy Soprano

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Bourne Legacy (2012) Jeremy Renner takes the reins of a film franchise that Matt Damon thrived in. After Renner's great performance in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011), I think the series is in good hands.   The Bourne Legacy

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