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!

Sinners

My View:  Sinners  (2025)  R  In Sinners, twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) are trying to leave their troubled past behind and return to their hometown to open a dance hall. They soon discover that their hometown has changed, and a great evil is waiting to welcome them back. Back in 2013, filmmaker Ryan Coogler hit us right between the eyes with the outstanding Fruitvale Station, starring an up-and-coming young actor named Michael B. Jordan. Since then, Coogler has given us Creed and the two Black Panther films. In what is his most original and best film to date, we now get a vampire thriller that has roots in everything from legendary blues singers, prohibition, and Jim Crow to even Irish folk music. With a huge nod to Robert Rodriquez and Quentin Tarantino’s 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn, the film follows twins Smoke and Stack, played by the brilliant Michael B. Jordan, as they come back from spending time in Chicago, where they may have stolen a whole lot of money and booze from the mob.They are back to open a blues joint with some locals’ help. Along the way, they gather a cast of characters to make their endeavor a success, including a local blue legend in Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), their cousin, Sammie (Miles Caton in his feature film debut), a budding blues singer/guitarist, and a couple of former flames of the twins in Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), a love of Stacks that ended badly, and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku), Smoke’s one true love. Both relationships with the twins have history and baggage that hangs over the two couples like a huge dark cloud. Coogler spends the first hour giving us a clear understanding of the history that follows each of the characters, giving us insight into how they function in this world of gambling, song, stolen whiskey, and even religion. The film’s second half is the opening of the juke joint, which is a rousing success, until a trio of white musicians want to join the party, and the twins tell them to find somewhere else to party. However, we already know that these musicians aren’t there to make music but are to turn everyone they can into vampires, and it’s up to the twins and a few of their friends to stop them. Coogler uses this backdrop to tackle everything from lost love to race in America while making an entertaining and bloody horror film where the odds of the twins and their friends surviving the night look pretty grim. Sinners is a film that explores the strength of family, religion, and music and how the monsters that show up in the middle of the night might be worse than you ever thought. The action sequences are fast, bloody, and sometimes humorous, as the body count keeps rising.  Something has to be said about the performance of Miles Caton as Sammie. His singing and blues guitar playing is joyful, brilliant and moving. When he plays and sings, he commands the screen and you can't take your eyes off of him. Don’t be afraid of the two-hour and seventeen-minute run length, as the film moves at such a fast pace and instantly puts you in the middle of the Twins world that you will be sorry that the film has ended as soon as it does. So grab a beer, sit down to listen to some great blues music, and maybe get up to dance a bit. But here’s a bit of advice: if anyone asks if they can come in to join you, maybe see if they like garlic or have trouble with holy water. Just a suggestion that might come in handy. Catch it on the biggest screen you can, and stay through all the credits, as there are a couple of bonus scenes worth staying for, including a tremendous cameo. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Sinners Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  The Wedding Banquet  (2025)  R The Wedding Banquet is the story of two couples: Chris (Bowen Yang) and Min (Han Gi-chan), Angela (Kelly Marie Tran), and Lee (Lily Gladstone). Min needs a green card and strikes a deal with Lee, who is trying to get pregnant via the costly IVF procedure. Min will be responsible for paying for the IVF procedure if Lee marries Min. Things are going great until Min’s grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung) unexpectedly comes to the U.S. to throw a lavish wedding for her grandson. What seemed so simple is now one big lie that could fall apart at any minute. The Wedding Banquet is a remake of the 1993 Ang Lee Oscar-nominated film of the same name, and I think I enjoyed this film more than the original. What makes this film work so well is the relationship between Angela and Lee. Angela is trying to get pregnant via IVF, and they are running out of time and money to make it happen. The chemistry between Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran is off the charts as a couple that is totally in love, but Angela has trouble expressing it, along with a lot of other feelings. Angela’s best friend, Chris, is also in a relationship that has a few problems of its own. Chris and Min are in love but are also running out of time, as Min’s visa is about to expire. To make matters worse, Min’s family wants him back in Korea to take over the family business. All this sets up the wedding between two people who love other people. Can they pull the wedding off when Min’s grandmother comes to oversee the wedding of her only grandson? The movie was warm, funny, and unexpected, with a predictable ending that still surprised me.  My Rating: Full Price  The Wedding Banquet Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  The Ugly Stepsister  (2025)  The Ugly Stepsister is about Elvira (Lea Myren), who has enrolled in a finishing school to get her ready for the ball, where she is her family’s hope to meet a young prince and marry into wealth. The problem is that Elvira is competing with her beautiful stepsister (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) in a society where beauty is to be achieved, even if it means extreme measures to attain it. The film's focus is not on Cinderella, but on the ugly stepsister who will do anything to get the Prince of her dreams. Unfortunately for her, it’s one long nightmare as her mother puts her down right and left while financing a nose job (done with a chisel and hammer). Elvira does go through a metamorphosis, but it’s all done with surgical tricks and other nasty procedures to make the ugly duckling look good (even if it seems it will be temporary). This Norwegian film alternates between grossness and a sense of pity for Elvira. The Ugly Stepsister is a very graphic and sometimes very uncomfortable look at what a price beauty plays in both the physical and psyche of a woman’s well-being. I have a feeling that the original tellers of this tale would be thrilled with this version and not the Disney sugar and spice version we know better. This tale, which is sometimes amusing but always disturbing, belongs in the body horror hall of fame. Although I enjoyed the film, it requires a strong stomach to handle it, and I won't likely watch it again. The clock has stuck twelve, the coach has turned back into a pumpkin, and Elvira is not doing well. And Cinderalla, once again, gets her prince.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Ugly Stepsister Info Now playing in theaters. 

Indiefest:  Eephus  (2024)  An adult men’s recreational baseball game is played for the last time on a field that is about to be bulldozed and turned into an Elementary school. Having played many rec softball games in my adulthood, I could relate to this film, which perfectly pictures what it’s like to play a game where the stakes are if you can make it through a whole game without anyone getting hurt or too drunk. Eephus is a film in which not a lot happens as the game keeps going, even when it gets dark, but we get to know the cast of characters and are there for all the talk and sometimes dramatics that can go on in a game between adult men who want to spend a couple of hours playing a game. And that’s all this film is: a loving look at a game between two groups of men who spend some time playing baseball and complaining about their lives or celebrating them. Hey, any film that has legendary weirdo baseball pitcher Bill 'Spaceman' Lee in its cast is all right with me.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Eephus Website  Now playing in select theaters and is available On-Demand. 

Indiefest:  The President’s Wife  (2023) The President’s Wife is about Bernadette Chirac (Catherine Deneuve), who has always stayed out of the spotlight as her husband’s political career always took precedence. Now that her husband is President of France, Bernadette decides it’s time to change her image, and she is about to take the country by storm. Based loosely on a true story, Catherine Deneuve shines in a role that fits perfectly, much like the outfits she wears in the 2nd half of this film (Bernadette has a makeover, courtesy of Karl Lagerfeld). The film showcases Deveuve’s ability to create a character that has both charisma and a sense of humor that comes out every time Bernadette is allowed to speak her mind. The film plays on the notion that being popular with the press and trendy can make a difference in politics. Deveuve makes Bernadett a woman who knew more than she let on, someone who became tired of staying out of the spotlight and decided to make a difference, even if her husband didn’t know she could. Deveuve's performance makes the film feel like a fine French wine, with a bold flavor that grows stronger as it is savored.  My Rating: Full Price  The President's Wife Website  Now playing in select theaters. 

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see in theatres but have seen recently):  Bad Shabbos  (2024)  Bad Shabbos is about an engaged interfaith couple who are about to have their parents meet for the first time over a Shabbat dinner. The only problem is that there is a dead body in their apartment, and the parents are due any minute. Bad Shabbos is a fun movie that needs a few more laughs to push it over the top. The film starts out with a bang and ends with a whimper with a conclusion that seems a little too easy and pat for all the trouble the film puts its characters through. There are some funny setups, one with a piece of bread that needs to be seen. The cast works hard at making the film funny, with some outstanding scenes with David Paymer as the Dad who thinks he can solve any problem with a self-help book and Method Man as an ever-helpful doorman who really wants to be part of the family, maybe too much so. I wish Bad Shabbos had a few more laughs and didn't have an ending that falls flat (that’s a pun you will get if you see the film). Even so, it's an enjoyable time with a family that is more than a little eccentric.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bad Shabbos Website The film will soon be available to rent/buy. 

Forgotten Film:  Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)  Chu (Sihung Lung) is a master chef and widower with three adult daughters who all still live at home. The eldest daughter, Jia-Jen (Kuei-Mei-Yang), is a chemistry teacher who hasn’t dated for 9 years after a horrible breakup. Middle daughter, Jia-Chien (Chien-lien Wu), is an airline company executive who is driven and hard-working. The youngest Jia-Ning (Yu-Wen Wang), is twenty and works at a Wendy’s who has her sights on a young man who is dating a friend. The film uses the elaborate dinners that the family has together to explore the dynamics of the three daughters and their relationships with each other and the men in their lives. It’s a fascinating film that is, at times, a love letter to food while also a funny and warm film that explores how people see the world in different ways.   My Rating: Full Price  Eat Drink Man Woman Info The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Sinners:  Twins Consultant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  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. This is a sequel to the 2018 film A Simple Favor, which was also directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids (2011), Spy (2015)).  Another Simple Favor Website    Premiering on Amazon Prime on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

Until Next Time!