Cyrano

My View: Cyrano (2021) PG-13   The legendary story of a wordsmith and master swordsman, Cyrano (Peter Dinklage), who falls madly for the lovely Roxanne (Haley Bennett). Despite being in love with Roxanne, Cyrano is too full of self-doubt to make a move but then is enlisted by the dashing Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) to woo her with letters that Cyrano writes for Christian. Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite plays and has been brought to the screen numerous times, including some of my favorites of all time: Love Letters (1945), Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), Electric Dreams (1984), and the classic Steve Martin romantic comedy Roxanne (1987). So, accordingly, I fell in love with this version of Cyrano, a musical starring Peter Dinklage, who, instead of the enormous nose making Cyrano feel that he is not worthy of Roxanne’s love, it’s his size that causes his doubts. This version of Cyrano is a musical with a score written by members of the Indie-rock band The National. While not a great singer, the songs in the film allow Dinklage to half-sing, half-speak the songs, but this makes for a more mournful and soulful Cyrano, as he pours out his heart for a love lost. Dinklage is one of those performers who commands your attention, and he does this with an ease that makes him seem effortless on the screen. Haley Bennett is superb as the lovely Roxanne and Kelvin Harrison, Jr. belts some of the film's best songs as the tongue-tied Christian. I thoroughly enjoyed this revisit to an old friend about a man who sacrifices his happiness for what he thinks will make the love of his life happy, only to be disappointed by the cruel turn of events.   My Rating: Full Price  Cyrano Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View:  Studio 666  (2022) R   Dave and the rest of the Foo Fighters are looking for the perfect place to record their much-anticipated 10th album. Finally, they have found the ideal location, a mansion in Encino that is steeped in rock and roll history. However, there is one problem: supernatural forces threaten to take over their lives. If you are a fan of the Foo Fighters and have enjoyed their music videos, you will have a good time watching this film. Based on a story written by frontman Dave Grohl, a huge horror fan, the film is a take on the haunted house theme, with an evil force possessing Grohl for mayhem and gore. The film is a takeoff on all the low-budget slasher films you have seen, with each new death bloodier and grosser than the last one. The film is funny, but it overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes, and I got tired of the seemingly endless plot, as the killings keep going long after I thought it was fun. The band looks as if they were having a blast and a lot depends on if you like Dave and his tendency to overact. If you're not a fan, you might want to skip Studio 666 and maybe try something like The Cabin in the Woods (2011) or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010) instead.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Studio 666 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: No Exit (2022) R  Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is a runaway from rehab desperate to visit her sick mother, but Darby is stranded by a blizzard in an isolated highway rest stop. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a kidnapped child hidden in a car belonging to one of the people inside the rest stop she is stranded with. Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is a runaway from rehab desperate to visit her sick mother, but Darby is stranded by a blizzard in an isolated highway rest stop. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a kidnapped child hidden in a car belonging to one of the people inside the rest stop she is stranded with. No Exit is a gripping suspense film that starts with the premise that there is a kidnapper among the four people you meet in a rest stop, and you have to figure out who it is and how to get the child safe while trapped in cramped quarters. The film has plenty of nice twists to keep you interested while keeping the suspense high. I enjoyed this film, where you get to play detective along with Darby and try and figure a way out of an impossible situation. Havana Rose Liu gives us someone in Darby to help us figure out what is going on in a desperate attempt to rescue the child. No Exit loses a bit of steam in the second half, but it’s still a cool roller coster ride that becomes a bit horrific.  My Rating: Full Price   No Exit Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): A Day to Die  (2022) R   After killing a drug syndicate member while protecting a parolee, Connor (Matt Dillion) has one day to pay two million dollars in reparation. He enlists his old military ops crew, led by Brice Mason (Bruce Willis), to steal two million dollars. Anything these days with Bruce Willis on the movie poster is a bad sign. Willis is making a ton of these direct-to-video movies where he comes in, acts for a day or two, and then departs, making the film basically a walk-on for him, and the rest of the film is an action film without its star.    A Day to Die Info

Forgotten Film: Nobody's Fool (1994) R  Sully (Paul Newman) is a man in his 60’s who has lived a carefree life. He has a job as a construction worker, lives in a rented apartment, and gets by because he is charming and good-looking. He spends most of his days drinking beer at a local watering hole and flirting with his boss's wife (Melanie Griffith). Then in walks his son, Peter (Dylan Walsh), going through a messy divorce and has moved back to his hometown. Now, Sully must confront the past he has long ignored. Newman was one of those actors who could do incredible things with very little. Newman’s Sully is a man who, though full of faults, is someone you still root for. It’s that easy-going charm that Newman fills the screen with as no one else can. Nobody's Fool is a film that lets Newman fill with his presence, and it's a performance that is one of his best, especially of his later career. The cast is outstanding, including Bruce Willis as Sully’s boss and Jessica Tandy as Sully’s landlord (and old 8th-grade teacher), but it’s Newman that makes this film work and worth watching.   My Rating: Full Price    Nobody's Fool Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Cyrano: Action Prop Buyer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)   A cash-strapped Nicolas Cage (yes, that Nic Cage) has agreed to make an appearance for 1 million dollars at a billionaire’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. It gets complicated when Nic learns that the billionaire is not only a fan but is a drug kingpin. OK, Nic Cage is playing himself, so this could go one of two ways: a heck of a lot of fun or a huge mess. Either way, it will be worth seeing for this Cage fan.      The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Website

Until Next Time!

Encanto

Familyfaire:  Encanto  (2021)  PG  Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz) is a young girl who has a problem. Mirabel lives in a town, called Encanto hidden in the mountains of Colombia. She belongs to a family named the Madrigals, where everyone has magical powers except her. Mirabel learns that the magic that surrounds Encanto is in danger, and it’s up to her, the only ordinary Madrigal, to save the town and its magic. Encanto is a charming and rousing musical with beautiful songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and the animation is vibrant and captures the beauty of Colombia. This isn’t your typical Disney animated film because there isn’t a villain to root against. Instead, Mirabel is an outsider in her family, the only one who doesn’t have the ability to do magic, and that feeling of loneliness and not living up to your family’s standards is Mirabel’s own villain, the one that she has to overcome to save her family. Stephanie Beatriz gives a mesmerizing performance that provides us with the joy of being a part of a family she loves and is proud of, but at the same time, someone who longs to live up to her family's high expectations. Beatriz gives Mirabel a character that we can all relate to and root for. I applaud Disney for their continuing to expand the ‘princess’ line of characters, giving us a look and feel of a different country, with heroes from other cultures and other parts of the world. Encanto is a film that is truly magical.  My Rating: Full Price    Encanto Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  House of Gucci (2021) R  Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) has fought her whole life to get ahead in life. As an outsider from humble beginnings, Patrizia marries into the Gucci family, and her drive and ambition begins to unravel their legacy and starts a downward spiral into betrayal, decadence, revenge, and finally…murder. This is a bizarre story that makes for a strange and almost campy movie. Lady Gaga is a force of nature on the screen, playing the brash, bold, and at times, fearless Patrizia, who finds by luck, her way into the life of the rich by latching on to one of the heirs of the Gucci kingdom, Maurizio (Adam Driver). Driver is brilliant as the man who at first didn’t want to be part of the glamorous life of being a Gucci but, through Patrizia’s drive and a taste of money and power, decides to go into the family business. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the off-the-wall, bizarre performance of Jared Leto as the idiot Paolo Gucci, who bumbles his way through life, thinking he is destined for greatness but is met with defeat after defeat. Leto is almost unrecognizable as the balding, paunchy Paolo, who talks and acts as if everything is a big production. It’s a strange performance that is at times brilliant and other times annoying, as Leto goes way over the top with his portrayal. Overall, House of Gucci an interesting movie that doesn’t quite know if it’s a melodrama or a play on mafia films, but it’s worth checking out for the performances. You have to see Leto' Paolo. It’s worth the price of admission.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    House of Gucci Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bruised  (2020)  Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) used to be somebody, a mixed martial arts fighter who left the sport in disgrace. Now scrubbing toilets for a living, she has a son (Danny Boyd, Jr.), who she gave up as an infant, show up unexpectedly at her door. Jackie gets discovered by a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) after Jackie fights in a brutal, illegal underground fight and is given the chance to fight back in the octagon. This isn’t a second chance for Jackie; it’s her last chance. First, let me say that I admire Halle Berry for starring in and directing a film that had to be challenging both mentally and physically on her. I can’t imagine how hard it was to direct a movie that you are starring in and then have the role so physically demanding. That being said, the film is filled with too many cliches of sports films of the past. The washed-up fighter who gets a second chance. The woman who learns to stand up for herself in an abusive relationship. The mother who abandoned her child and then is forced to become the mother that child needs. And add to all that, finding love in an unexpected place. It just feels like the scriptwriter took everything in a bowl and mixed it up. Berry gives a powerful performance, as you feel the weight of her past bring her down time and time again, but Berry can’t overcome a script that is too predictable to make it tug on the heartstrings like we want it to.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Bruised Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Cusp  (2021)  Documentary about three teenage girls, Brittney, Aaloni, and Autumn, growing up in a Texas military town, dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up under the constraints of being a teenager clashing with wanting to find out who they are. This is a gritty, painful, and sometimes sweet film about growing up as teenage women in a world that forces them to become adults far too soon. All three girls are 16, which in Texas is not the legal age of consent, but all three are sexually active and are dealing with boys as old as 21. The film deals with the harsh reality that these young women, who are all military brats, have had to do a lot of growing up quickly, and without much guidance from their parents, some are gone for vast parts of time serving our country. The subject matters that the girls discuss are graphic and sometimes shocking, including the discussion of how a friend of theirs was raped by her boyfriend. The women are incredibly open and frank on camera, getting into subjects that most of us would have difficulty even talking to a therapist about, including sexual assault. It's a depressing film about three young women who are seen not as people but as sexual conquests, and these young girls will be suffering from these experiences for a long time. After seeing this film, I felt like I spent time with these girls, but I never got to know them, as if they were performing for the cameras. It’s like the camera was another person that they had to put on a show for. I don’t know if that’s just the way they are, or it's the fault of the filmmakers, but it left me wanting more from these women who have dealt with so much in such a young life.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Cusp Website  Now available on the Showtime Network.

Indiefest:  The Beatles: Get Back Part I  (2021)  The Beatles were the world’s greatest rock band, but they hadn’t performed live in two years, and in January 1969, they faced a nearly impossible deadline and created two of their greatest albums (Abby Road, Let It Be) and did their last live performance on a rooftop on London’s Savile Row. This is a review of only part one of this three-part documentary series because I didn’t have enough time to view all three components (each piece is over two and half hours long). Being a huge Beatles fan, at first, I loved this film because we get to see the guys in an element we have never seen before, in a rehearsal studio. In fact, the first film takes place not in a studio but on a sound stage that could possibly be used to film their live concert performance (we know it isn’t because of the famous rooftop concert that this rehearsal spawns). It is thrilling to see this legendary group work on songs that we all know so well. We even get to see them writing songs, exploring how they should sound, and changing lyrics. But, and this is a big one, it is just too much. Too much footage. Too much content. Just too much. Like a history book that gives you too many facts, the film becomes a bit tedious at times, because it is too much detail, we see so many songs being tried out (a lot are songs that haven’t been heard before because they are from the early days of the Lennon/McCartney writing team. The film breaks down part one into each day, as a deadline for the concert is looming over the band. The film is fascinating, as we get to see one of the greatest bands of all time figure out and practice songs. And yes, there is a lot of tension in the room. The band sorely missed their manager, Brian Epstein, who has died a few years earlier, and we see how McCartney tries to take a leadership role in the band, that doesn’t always work. There is also the ever-presence of Yoko Ono, who is ever present by John Lennon’s side, though to be fair, George Harrison has a couple of Hare Krishna guys sitting over in the corner for a couple of days of the rehearsal. Overall, this first part is too long, giving us so much that I think only a diehard Beatle fan will enjoy it all the way through. I really want to see the outdoor concert (of which I have only seen a song or two from), but I don’t know if I want to watch five more hours of the band practicing to get there.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Beatles: Get Back Website   All three parts are being released this holiday weekend starting Thanksgiving night on the Disney+ platform.

Forgotten Film: Heights (2005) R The story of five characters whose lives intersect on one day in NYC, all having to choose what kind of lives they will want to lead before the sun comes up on another day. The main story is the love affair that begins between Isabel (Elizabeth Banks), a woman who is engaged with another man, and Alec (Jesse Bradford) and an actor she meets by chance. The reason to see this film is another outstanding performance by Glen Close, who plays Isabel’s mother, Diana. Diana is an actress in rehearsals for Macbeth and finds out her husband is having another affair. Diana is afraid that Isabel is going to go down the same rocky road Diana traveled and wants Isabel to make the choices that are right for her. The film gets a little lost in all the characters but ties them together nicely in the end.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Heights Info   

Weird Credits: From the credits of Encanto: Animation Reference Dancers

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Cyrano (2021) PG-13   The telling of the classic tale of Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage), who helps Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) woo Roxanne (Haley Bennett), even though Cyrano himself is in love with her. I can’t wait to see Peter Dinklage portray one of my favorite characters of all time, the brilliant swordsman and wordsmith Cyrano.     Cyrano Website

Until Next Time!