The Kid Who Would Be King

FamilyFair:  The Kid Who Would Be King  (2019)  PG    King Arthur’s half-sister Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson) is going to take over the world in 4 days in modern times. Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) has found the legendary Sword in the Stone and is able to pull it out. Now Alex and his friends must go on a quest to find the opening of hell and battle Morgana. I loved this film. It’s a great family film with an excellent message for kids. Adults will enjoy this film just as much as the kids will. The cast is outstanding with Angus Imrie playing a young Merlin who makes noises with his hands and mouth to cast spells side-splitting funny. Take you your family and go see this beautiful, entertaining, moving film.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Kid Who Would Be King Website

My View:  Stan & Ollie  (2018)  PG  Once the greatest comedy team in film, Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Hardy (John C. Reilly) attempt to revive their careers as they go on a stage tour of England. First of all, the two leads look so much like Laurel and Hardy (John C. Reilly had to be in the makeup chair for 4 hours each day). It’s a touching tale about two men who just can’t accept that they will never make another film. Both performers are top notch in the film and perfectly do some of Laurel and Hardy’s best bits. It’s a bittersweet film that I hope inspires people to go explore their great library of movies.   My Rating:  Full Price    Stan & Ollie Website

My View:  Serenity  (2019)  R   The past of a fishing boat captain (Matthew McConaughey) comes back to haunt him when his ex-wife (Anne Hathaway) tracks him down with a plea for help. For a good portion of this film, it felt like an R rated version of a lifetime movie. Then something happens (that I didn’t see coming) and this movie gets really good. It’s a bold move, and I applaud writer/director Steven Knight (who also wrote/directed the brilliant 2013 film Locke). McConaughey and Hathaway have great chemistry together. I think most critics are going to kill this film, but I enjoyed it.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Serenity Website

My View:  Cold War  (2018)  R  In the 1950s, a music director (Tomasz Kot) tries to get his lover and lead singer (Joanna Kulig) to defect from communist Poland to France. The film with its B&W cinematography perfect sets the mood of the 1950s in Europe. The movie about star-crossed lovers is heartbreakingly beautiful, and the performances are breathtaking, especially Joanna Kulig, who can not only act but also sing, I can’t express just how I loved the look and feel of this movie.  My Rating: Full Price   Cold War Website

Forgotten Film:  The Wedding Banquet  (1993)  R   Wai-Tung (Winston Chao) is a gay young man from Taiwan who lives with his American boyfriend Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein) in New York City. His parents don’t know he is gay and wonder why he hasn’t found a Chinese woman to marry and start a family. So Wai-Tung sets up a marriage of convenience to a tenant in his building named Wei-Wei (May Chin, who needs a green card. Wai-Tung world spins out of control when he finds out his parents are coming for a visit and they want to host a banquet to celebrate the wedding. This is a hilarious film, where things start going bad and keep getting worse. Unlike the horrible The Birdcage, this treats homosexuality with real characters that are warm and funny. This is a very early film of two-time Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (it was a nominee for the 1994 Best Foreign Language Film).    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Wedding Banquet Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Kid Who Would Be King:  Lead Facial Modeler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  In Like Flynn  (2018)  R   Before Errol Flynn (Thomas Cocquerel)  became a famous actor, Flynn was a bit of a rascal, working in Australia as an opium smuggler, gambler, street fighter, adventurer, gold prospector and of course, womanizer. Errol Flynn is one of my favorite actors so I would love to see his early life.   In Like Flynn Website

Until Next Time!

Roma

My View:  Roma  (2018)  R  Two-time Oscar winner (Gravity, 2013) Alfonso Cuaron brings us a tale of a family in transition in the early 1970s in Mexico City. Based on Cuaron’s own childhood the center of the film is a live-in maid named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) as she tends to a large family. Roma is a beautiful film, shot in glorious black and white. Aparicio is brilliant as the maid who would do anything to make sure the children she cares for are loved and safe. The film takes place over a year as the marriage of the husband and wife falls apart. Cleo tries to make the lives of the children as normal as possible, but she is dealing with a dead-beat boyfriend and a ton of other problems. This was a passion project for Cuaron, and it shows on the screen. This is one of the best films of the year and a shoo-in for a ton of Oscar nominations.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   Roma Website

My View:  The Favourite  (2018)  R In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne. Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and a new servant, Abigail (Emma Stone) vie for the attention of the Queen. While Colman, Weisz, and Stone give Oscar-worthy performances, I would like to single out Nicholas Hoult as a snarky Earl who uses any means necessary to obtain power. Hoult’s wisecracks and put-downs are the best part of the film, and there is an incredible outdoor scene with Emma Stone that will have you laughing out loud. The makeup, the sets and the costumes are simply breathtaking. This tale of two women who battle over who can gain the affection and ear of the Queen is brilliant. Think Dangerous Liaisons with a touch of a lesbian War of the Roses.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Favourite Website

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):   Operation Finale  (2018)  PG-13   A group of Israeli secret agents, led by a brash secret agent( Oscar Issac) go after Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the man responsible for murdering six million Jews,. Eichmann, under a different name,  is hiding in South America among a group of Nazi supporters. I enjoyed this film, though the first half of the film is much better than the second half. Both Kingsley, playing the unapologetic Eichmann and Issac, playing an Israeli secret agent who hasn’t always done the right thing, give convincing performances as they play a cat a mouse game. And anytime I can see Melanie Laurent, who plays a fellow Israeli agent, on the screen, I’m happy.    My Rating: Full Price    Operation Finale Website

Forgotten Film:  Terri (2011)  R  John C. Reilly plays a high school Vice Principal who takes an overweight 15-year-old boy,  named Terri (played by Jacob Wysocki), under his wing.  Terri’s life is complicated and isolated, as his parents leave him to care for his bi-polar uncle whose moods seesaw from an almost cationic state to a hyperproductive state. Terri has given up on life and school, and in the midst of his depression, only wears pajamas.  He also has a crush on a popular girl but chooses to just stare at her from far away.  With the help of the Vice Principal, Terri starts coming out of his shell and even makes a few friends along the way.  Reilly is good in this small but well-done film, and Wysocki gives a powerfully understated performance.    My Rating:  Full Price    Terri Facebook Page

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Favourite:  Prosthetics Painter

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Cold War  (2018)  R   The story of star-crossed lovers set in Europe in the 1950s. This film is being mentioned by film critics as a possible Best Foreign Language Oscar contenders. The film received a standing ovation of 18 minutes at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.    Cold War Website

Until Next Time!