Red, White & Royal Blue

My View: Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) R  Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez) is the son of a current President (Uma Thurman), the first woman in the job and seeking re-election. Alex has a rivalry with the young Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine), which has gotten heated after an incident at the older Prince’s brother’s wedding. The two must act like friends on a goodwill visit to the UK to avoid a scandal. Their rivalry will soon turn to friendship, and maybe even more. This is one more of the recent additions to the Hallmark-like romance stories, but this one has a bit of a twist. First, I was surprised at how the film went in the romance department between the two, and while I don’t think it deserves the R rating, it does get a little risqué in their love scenes. The film works because of the chemistry between the two leads. The movie takes a bit to get going, and the incident at the wedding is a little forced. However, the rest of the film picks up when the two men figure out they are interested in each other, and their romance takes off. I loved we get to see how the romance starts as a friendship and that one of the two isn’t as experienced as you think he would be (I won’t tell you which one, let that be a bit of an eye-opener). The film is helped by a strong supporting cast (though I hated Uma Thurman’s attempt at a Texas accent), and I loved Sarah Shahi’s performance as the President’s chief of staff. Shahi’s reaction when she finds the two men together after a night of passion is worth watching the film just for that scene. I am sure that everyone who read the best-selling book will be satisfied with this adaptation and will go home happy.   My Rating: Full Price  Red, White & Royal Blue Website  Now playing on the Amazon Prime Website.

My View: The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) R  Based on a single chapter from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the story of the Russian schooner Demeter, which is chartered to carry a private cargo from Carpathia to London. On board are twenty-four unmarked wooden crates. There is something or someone in one of those crates that means that no one will survive this voyage. This is a film that is all picture and no bite. The film creates a great look and feel but never delivers the scares you want. I did love the creature himself as it harks back to the 1922 silent film Nosferatu in his appearance. However, the story takes too long to develop, and it seems to follow a script that quickly runs out of ideas. The film is about as weak as the lone chapter that it is based on. My Rating: Cable  The Last Voyage of the Demeter Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Heart of Stone (2023) PG-13  Rachel Stone (Gal Gadot) is someone the world knows as an inexperienced tech working for an MI6 team headed by agent Parker (Jamie Dornan). What MI6 doesn’t know is that Stone actually works for the Charter, an elite covert peacekeeping organization that uses cutting-edge technology to neutralize global threats. When a routine mission is derailed by a mysterious hacker (Alia Bhatt), Rachel must use all her skills to stop the hacker from stealing a weapon that could change the balance of power. After a rousing opening sequence with moments from a few Bond films, a very cool chase sequence on the streets of Lisbon, and a sky-diving scene that would fit into any Mission Impossible, this film falls apart with a storyline that is all over the place and a finale that seems too easy to accomplish. Gal Gadot gets to do some fun stunts, and she is excellent in the action sequences, but the film lets her down with a simple plot that I had figured out who the bad guy was from almost the get-go. Let’s hope that if there are more of these Gal Gadot Charter films, they come up with a more complex villain and a better ending. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Heart of Stone Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest: Jules (2023) PG-13   Jules is about Milton (Ben Kingsley), who lives a quiet life in a small Pennsylvania town until his life is upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. He names his new friend Jules. Things get complicated when Milton’s two neighbors (Jane Curtin and Harriet Sansom Harris) find out about Jules. And then Milton’s daughter (Zoe Winters) gets suspicious, and the government starts sniffing around. Can’t a guy just be let alone to live with an alien from another planet? I loved this quiet and fun film about a strange set in his ways, Milton, who is awakened in the middle of the night by a UFO crashing into his flower bed. He is at first more upset that his flowers have been destroyed than that a UFO is in his backyard, but he soon meets the alien from another planet and becomes his host. Ben Kingsley is brilliant as Milton, a man losing his way in life, and takes having an alien for a houseguest as another thing to handle. The film is helped by Jane Curtin and Harriet Sansom Harris, who play neighbors of Milton, who decide to help take care of the alien and keep the secret from the rest of the town. Jules is a warm, funny film that moves along at its own pace, much like Milton.   My Rating: Full Price  Jules Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Medusa Deluxe (2022) R  Set in the throes of a competitive hairdressing contest, one of the contestants has been murdered. Waiting for the police to interview them, what’s a group of hairdressers going to do but gossip? Medusa Deluxe is a film that uses the gimmick of giving us the appearance of the film being on one long continuous shot. The film opens with us being introduced to all the suspects who could have done the murder as we spend time with the hairdressing contestants and hangers-on backstage, waiting to be interviewed by the police. The problem is this film is all flash and very little substance. We get a lot of conversations between the suspects, but the mystery of who did the killing is never really explored. The camerawork is impressive, as are the performances that continue as the camera moves from one character to another. However, the film never creates any tension, and when we find the killer, the reveal is somewhat subdued and unsatisfying. Medusa Deluxe is one of those films that plays better at a film festival (where I saw it) than in a regular movie theatre or on an online screener.  My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Medusa Deluxe Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Aporia (2023) R  Sophie (Judy Greer) is a woman who has lost her husband (Edi Gathegi) to a drunk driver accident and is struggling to manage her grief while trying to be a good mother to her devastated daughter (Faithe Herman. She discovers that a friend, a former physicist (Payman Maadi), has invented a time machine, and Sophie might be able to go back in time to save her husband. However, choices like that always have consequences. Aporia is a film about making choices and living with the results. Sophie is a mom who loves her family and will do anything to stop the hurt and suffering of others. Greer gives a touching and lovely performance as the mom whose heart controls her every move. Nonetheless, once you go down the path of changing history, it’s a slope that is hard to climb back up from. The film explores people’s choices and whether they can live with their decisions. The big question is, when do you stop once you start changing the past?   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Aporia Website   Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: Passages (2023) R  Passages is about the choices we make in relationships. Even though filmmaker Tomas (Franz Rogowski) is married to Martin (Ben Whishaw, Tomas starts an affair with a young schoolteacher, Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and is excited by the novelty of being with a woman. Everything seems great until Martin starts an affair of his own, and now Tomas is torn between his husband and his new lover. This is one of those films where you instantly don’t like the main character, and you continue to not only not like the person but end up hating him because of how he treats everyone who cares about him. Tomas is an unlikable jerk who somehow makes two people fall in love with him. Martin and Agathe are too good for Tomas, and why either would want to stay with such an egotistical, self-centered person is beyond me. I liked that we don’t get background on anyone but are thrown into this world at break-net speed, and we have to hang on, much like the two people Tomas is toying with. Passages is not a feel-good film, and that is the point, as sometimes life is messy, and people fall in love with the wrong person. Passages is a messy and often frustrating look at a man who doesn’t care about anyone but himself and his needs.   My Rating: Full Price  Passages Info Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968) PG-13  A young Amish woman (Britt Ekland) runs away from home and her strict father to the big city of New York in 1925. She hopes to act in religious stage plays but meets two vaudeville performers (Jason Robards and Norman Wisdom) who get her a part in their burlesque show. What follows is the invention of the striptease, and burlesque would never be the same. The film is co-written by Norman Lear (creator of All in the Family) and is a little too heavy with corny jokes. Still, the film is worth watching for the performances of Norman Wisdom, a legendary British music-hall veteran and the last role for Bert Lahr. The film is directed by the late William Friedkin, known for his movies The Exorcist (1973), The French Connection (1971), and To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).  My Rating; Bargain Matinee   The Night They Raided Minsky's Info The film is available on DVD.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Red, White & Royal Blue: Royal Etiquette Advisor

Coming Soon to Screen Near You: Bottoms (2023) Two lesbian high school friends (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) decide to start a girls’ club after school. It’s all to impress their crushes, Isabel (Havana Rose Lui) and Brittany (Kaia Gerber), two of the most popular girls in school. What starts as a club for girl power becomes a fight club, and then things get really weird. The film is from Emma Seligman, whose film Shiva Baby (2020) became a big Indie hit. Bottoms was one of the most talked about movies at the SXSW Film Festival back in March.  Bottoms Website  The film is in theatres on August 25th.   

Until Next Time!

A Walk in the Woods

My View:  A Walk in the Woods (2015) R  Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) is a world famous travel writer whose humorous books were once on the best seller list, but he hasn’t written a thing in 5 years. Bryson decides to hike the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail with an old friend, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte).  Robert Redford has been trying to make this film, based on Bryson's book of the same name, since the late 90s. He initially wanted to star with Paul Newman in the Katz role. While that would have been fun to watch, the pairing of Redford and Nolte in a movie based on a beloved and hilarious book should have been a hit out of the park. Unfortunately, I think the script has been rewritten so many times that the final product, by screenwriters Bill Holderman and Rick Kerb, feels flat and stale. The film never really gives Redford and Nolte much to work with. The brilliant supporting cast is given nothing to do, with the exception of Kristen Schael, who briefly breathes some comedic life into the film.  While the +50 age crowd may have an enjoyable time watching the two old master actors stumble about on-screen, I think the rest of us, and especially fans of the book, will not want to go on this trip.    My Rating: Cable   A Walk in the Woods Website   

My View:  The Transporter: Refueled  (2014)  PG-13  Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) is a former special-ops mercenary who is now transporting classified packages for questionable people.  He gets caught up in a cat and mouse game between some bank robbers and a Russian kingpin. This is the typical movie written by Luc Besson, who created the Transporter series. The film has lots of action and flash but no real character or content. Ed Skrein is asked to fill the very large shoes of the star of the first three Transporter films, Jason Statham. Unfortunately, Skrein doesn’t have the charisma or screen presence. The action, while well-choreographed, is almost comical, reminiscent of an old Jackie Chan film, where the hero uses various devices like a life buoy to subdue his attackers. The acting is horrible, with the exception of Ray Stevenson, who comes off stylish and cool as Frank Martin’s father, an ex-CIA agent. The film is one big ad for Audi.  Instead of “Refueled,” I think this whole series needs to be retooled.   My Rating: Cable   The Transporter: Refueled Website

Indiefest:  Learning to Drive  (2015)  R  As Wendy’s (Patricia Clarkson) marriage falls apart, she decides to take driving lessons from a Sikh instructor (Ben Kingsley) who has relationship troubles of his own. This is a charming film about the development of a friendship between two lonely adults. Clarkson and Kingsley work extremely well together in this understated film. It’s a film about learning to believe in yourself and that a person can succeed if they just give it their all.  I especially enjoyed the performance of Clarkson, who just sparkles on the screen. Kingsley gives a powerful yet restrained performance.  This is a movie that moves at a slow pace, but that’s OK, because, like with good friends, sometimes it’s just fine to sit and talk for a while.   My Rating:  Full Price   Learning to Drive Website

Indiefest:  Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2014)  R This is a documentary by filmmaker Alex Gibney on Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. Through archival interviews and videos of Jobs, Gibney lets Steve do most of the talking in the film, making him almost a personal tour guide to the story of his life. Jobs had the uncanny ability to spot talent and the ability to inspire people who worked for him to achieve the impossible. Gibney interviews former employees from both the early days of Apple and the latter years, when the company that Jobs started had become a powerhouse not only in the computer world, but in the business world. Gibney shows Jobs as a driven man who expected his employees to create perfect products but demanded that the job take over their lives, so much so that their personal lives suffered. With this film, Alex Gibney shows us that Jobs was a man who helped connect the whole world through his products, but he couldn’t connect to people in his own personal world. It is truly ironic that Jobs created products like the iPhone, something that was meant to connect us to other people, but instead seems to isolate us as we stare at our iPhones at the bus stop or at the dinner table. The film is a fascinating, unflinching look at an extremely complicated and ego driven man. I just wonder that after seeing this film, will the fans of Apple and Jobs hold him in such high, almost god-like esteem and will they look at his products with the same reverence? Or will they just go back to staring at their iPhones?    My Rating: Full Price   Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine

Forgotten Film:  The People Under the Stairs  (1991)  R  Two adults and a juvenile break into a suburban home rumored to have a large stash of cash. What they find is their worst nightmare, a house filled with secrets, secrets that may cost them their lives. This is a film written and directed by the master of horror, the late Wes Craven. It’s a film that starts out as an ordinary heist film that quickly turns into a film filled with mystery and horror, and with any Craven film, it also has some humorous bits. It’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking that is just plain fun to watch.   My Rating: Full Price   The People Under the Stairs Website   

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Transporter: Refueled:  Patina & Tint

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Visit  (2015)  PG-13  A single mom sends her two young children to visit their grandparents. Something very wrong is going on in the house, and their grandparents are acting strange. I have high hopes for this horror film, but writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s track record lately hasn’t been stellar.   The Visit Website   

Until Next Time!

Iron Man 3

My View:  Iron Man 3  (2013 )  PG-13  Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is obsessed with building more of his Iron Man suits, however they are causing him sleepless nights and are straining the relationship with his girlfriend, Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). A new villain, named Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is suddenly attacking the U.S. and is hell-bent on destroying everything Tony holds dear, including Pepper. Iron Man has done it before, but can he come back from the brink of destruction once more?  I enjoyed this film more than Iron Man 2, as I felt the action sequences were well done and exciting. The chemistry of Downey and Paltrow from the earlier films is still there and working.  What I didn’t like about the film is that all through the film, Tony Stark is making quips, and that constant need to utter a  punch line after punch line became old after a while. But, overall this is an entertaining film.  Ben Kingsley does his usual brilliance with the bad guy Mandarin, and it is worth seeing in 3-D for all the action sequences. Be sure and stay through all the credits as there is a bonus scene at the end of the film.    My Rating:  Full Price   Iron Man 3 Website

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

#6 Worst Film

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians  (1964)  The children of Mars are upset because Santa Claus doesn’t visit them at Christmas time.  So the Martians hatch a plan to kidnap Santa and bring Christmas to Mars.  The film is filled with horrible costumes, acting that gets on your nerves and incredibly poor special effects. Legendary bad actress Pia Zadora (The Lonely Lady) makes her big screen debut as an earth child who is kidnapped to Mars along with Santa. She sings the show stopping number, Hooray For Santy Claus, which, much like the rest of this film, will haunt you for years.    Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Info

Forgotten Film:  Jacob’s Ladder  (1990):   R  Part horror film, part psychological drama that stars Tim Robbins as Jacob Singer, a man, who at the start of the film is an American soldier in Vietnam under attack.  The next thing we know, Jacob wakes up in the New York Subway, dressed as a mailman, trying to figure out how he got there and what has happened to him for the last 4 years. The film is full of mystery and suspense, with director Adrian Lyne doing a masterful job taking us back and forth between the present and the past where Jacob relives the traumatic experiences of his life.  Robbins is brilliant as the tormented Jacob, a man who only wants to find out the truth, but may never get it.    My Rating:  Full Price   Jacob's Ladder Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Gangster Squad (2013)  R  I didn’t like this film about an elite squad of  1950’s Los Angeles policemen who try to stop a mob boss (Sean Penn) from taking over the city.  I felt the film had an almost cartoon-like feel to it, as if they were remaking the 1990 Warren Beatty film, Dick Tracy.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    Gangster Squad Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  After Earth (2013)  PG-13  I only have to tell you one thing about this film, and you can make up your mind on whether to see it or not:  It’s directed by M. Night Shyamalan, whose last three films were The Last Airbender (2010), The Happening (2008) and Lady in the Water (2006).    After Earth Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Iron Man 3:  Costumer to Mr. Cheadle

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You:  Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)  PG-13  I have always been more a fan of the Star Trek series than Star Wars.  I loved the first J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek (2009) film, which, I thought, was a fresh take on the series.  Can’t wait to see what kind of bad guy Benedict Cumberbatch will play in this one.    Star Trek Into Darkness Website

Until Next Time!