Gran Turismo

My View: Gran Turismo (2023) PG-13 Jann (Archie Madekwe) is a gamer who excels at the Gran Turismo video game. Jann beats 90,000 other participants in a tourney and is rewarded with an opportunity to drive a race car for real. It’s up to a failed former race car driver (David Harbour) and an idealistic motorsport executive (Orlando Bloom) to turn Jann from a gamer to a genuine sports car driver. At times, this feels like a giant ad for the game, making the film seem more like a video game and not an actual story (which it is). I liked the racing sequences, but never got the thrill of feeling like I was in the driver’s seat with Jann. The film is greatly helped by David Harbour, who plays a troubled former driver who slowly starts to believe that Jann can be a driver in the big time. Orlando Bloom is wasted as a promotion guy whose idea is all on the hands and head of Jann and his ability to turn video game experience into a real-world one. I think fans of the game will enjoy this more than racing fans, as it always puts us in Jann’s head that this is just a game to him. The problem is, a lot of us have never played the game.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Gran Turismo Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Hill (2023) R  When Ricky (Colin Ford) was a boy, he was told he would never walk without braces because of a degenerative spinal disease. Ricky loved baseball and was determined to play the game. In his teens, he became a baseball sensation and had the chance to try out for the big leagues. Despite what his father (Dennis Quaid) thinks, Ricky is determined to follow his dreams, no matter the cost. The Hill is one of those films whose heart is in the right place but never gives you the big moment you want from the film. I am a huge fan of Dennis Quaid, but he’s not given much to work with as the father who values the word of God over baseball and wants his son to follow in his footsteps instead of the baseball shoes of Mickey Mantle. The film wants to be an inspirational film, but while Ricky’s story of overcoming a huge obstacle of spinal problems to become a baseball player is impressive, the film never finds its way and tends to stay too long in the church and not enough on the baseball field. The film is somewhat saved by the performance of Bonnie Bedelia as Ricky’s grandmother, the one person in the family willing to stand up to Ricky’s father and speak her mind. Unfortunately, it’s too little and too late to make this film tug at any heartstrings.  My Rating: Cable  The Hill Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: Golda (2023) PG-13  Golda Meir (Helen Mirren) is known as the ‘Iron Lady of Israel’ during her time as the Prime Minister of a country struggling to stay alive. She will need that iron will to lead her country during the Yom Kippur War. If I showed you a picture of Helen Mirren in her Golda makeup, you would not be able to tell me who she is. It’s a fantastic piece of makeup and, as expected, a stellar performance. Unfortunately, Mirren is let down by a script that makes the war where Israel was on the brink of disaster seem boring and dull. Golda is a film where an aspect of a character becomes almost too much of a crutch for the filmmaker. In this case, it’s Golda’s constant smoking, and it becomes a distraction to the point that during one scene in the film, the smoke fills the screen. Golda is a film that just feels lacking something from almost the start and never finds a way to make us interested in what happens.   My Rating: Cable   Golda Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023) PG-13  Stacey (Sunny Sandler) is trying to survive her teens and her parents (Idina Menzel and Adam Sandler) until it's her Bat Mitzvah. Her best friend, Lydia (Samantha Lorraine), has her back, or at least Stacey thought she did. Things change when Stacy catches Lydia kissing Stacey’s crush, and things go from bad to worse from there. This is a fun film with which everyone in the family will have fun. I’m not a big fan of Adam Sandler’s Netflix comedy films, but this one has very little about Sandler and everything about his younger daughter, played by his actual daughter. Sunny Sandler is delightful as Stacey, a young woman who feels her Bat Mitzvah should be life-changing, while she gets the dreamy boy with her best friend by her side. However, Stacey’s plans get turned upside down when she finds out that her best friend, Lydia, has stolen the boy she wanted for herself. You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a film that you will have fun with from start to finish, and maybe, just maybe, want to have a Bar/Bat Mitzvah of your very own.  My Rating: Full Price  You Are So Not Invited to by Bat Mitzvah Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Scrapper (2023)   Georgie (Lola Campbell) is a young girl who lives on her own, spending her time pilfering bikes with a friend and evading family services. Georgie’s mom died, and she is barely surviving. Suddenly, the father she never knew, Jason (Harris Dickinson), appears at her doorstep and wants to start a relationship. This is going to be an interesting pair. I loved this story of Georgie, a young girl determined to live her life on her terms. Unfortunately, Georgie is not an adult, so she is fighting a system she can’t win. In walks her father (actually, he climbs over her fence), and Georgie is dealing with someone she has never known. Jason is in the same boat, dealing with a daughter he has never had the guts to deal with before, but he feels an obligation to Georgie’s late mother to try. Scrapper is a story of two people who learn to trust each other and slowly build that trust through just spending time with each other. Lola Campbell is a delight as the independent and fiery Georgie, who misses her mother terribly and tries to keep her mother’s legacy intact while hoping that no one will take her memories of her mother away. So, go on a few adventures with Georgie and Jason as they try to figure out how their relationship will work out.   My Rating: Full Price  Scrapper Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: The Green Ray (1986) R Delphine (Marie Riviere) is a woman who doesn’t like crowds or people she doesn’t know but is on a vacation where she can’t relax. Possibly getting over a romance that went bad, Delphine is bored by the guys who try too hard to pick her up. She wants to belong to someone but doesn’t want to make the effort to start something. And then she meets Jacques (Vincent Gauthier), who seems to know what she is looking for, or does he? The Green Ray is a strange film that works because of Marie Riviere, who fills up the screen and makes you root for someone who seems to be constantly unhappy. Will Delphine find happiness?   My Rating: Full Price The film is available on Disc.   The Green Ray Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Hill: Hair Interns

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: She Came to Me (2023) A composer, Steven (Peter Dinklage), is having writer's block, and his new opera is due in two weeks. His wife (Anne Hathaway) suggests he take the dog for a walk. Steven finds himself in a bar and meets a tugboat captain (Marisa Tomei), who invites him on her boat. There, he has a one-night stand with the captain and is inspired to write his new opera. The problem is the tugboat captain loves being Steven’s newfound muse. You had me at Marisa Tomei, Anne Hathaway, and Peter Dinklage. I didn’t need to know more.   It is scheduled to be released in late September.   She Came to Me Info

Until Next Time!

Cocaine Bear

My View: Cocaine Bear (2023) R  An odd group of people, from cops to criminals, tourists, and teens, all converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a rampage after ingesting cocaine. Rare is a movie where the title tells you everything you need to know about the film. This is a film about a bear who not only ingests cocaine but then seeks it out. I love how the film unfolds, letting us in on how the cocaine got dropped in the forest and the setup of letting us know all the people who will encounter the coked-up bear. But what I really liked was that we never see how the bear initially discovered the coke; we just see the results, and boy, is it bloody. I better use a stronger word. This film is gory. Gory with a capital G. Cocaine Bear is right up there with some of your horror films in gore and violence, with a bear that doesn’t just kill; it’s a bear that destroys. The film is off-the-wall funny, with many great lines and some scenes that will have you on the floor, laughing while also going, ‘that’s so gross.’ The cast is a lot of fun, with Margo Martindale as a horny park ranger, an almost unrecognizable Jesse Tyler Ferguson as the nature environmentalist the park ranger lusts for, and Christian Convery as Henry, a kid who has something to say about everything. We also get to see the late Ray Liotta in his last role as a crime lord who won’t back down to find his missing cocaine in the woods, even though it’s got a bear in it that has gone nuts. The film, directed by Elizabeth Banks, is fast, funny, and a blast to watch. Make sure to see it in a theatre, where the crowd will help you enjoy it even more. The women seated behind me started laughing almost from the title sequence and didn’t stop laughing until the final credits. And by the way, stay through the first bit of credits to see a couple of bonus scenes that will top off your viewing experience. And remember, friends don’t let bears do drugs!   My Rating: Full Price  Cocaine Bear Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: We Have a Ghost (2023)  We Have a Ghost takes place when Kevin’s (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) family moves into a new home that neighbors call ‘The House of Death.’ It turns out that a ghost haunts their new home in the attic named Ernest (David Harbour), a trapped soul from the 70s that Kevin recorded on his phone. When Kevin’s father, Frank (Anthony Mackie), attempts to cash in on Ernest, now a social media sensation, it opens an entire world of attention, including the CIA and a washed-up paranormal scientist (Tig Notaro). We Have a Ghost is a fun, family comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ernest is a ghost who can’t speak but makes friends with Kevin, who isn’t happy moving to a new home again. He has a father who hasn’t found business success; his businesses are usually bad ideas that fail quickly. Ernest becomes an Internet sensation, and that’s when all the trouble begins. You have added to the mix a possibly evil scientist, a bad guy government, and a girl next door that Kevin is trying to impress. Harbour is fun as the ghost with a comb-over and an ugly bowling shirt, and Jahi Di’Allo is likable as Kevin, who wants to stay in one place and make some friends, even if one of them is a ghost. Ernest is never scary, so kids of all ages can have fun with Kevin and his ghost. Join Kevin, climb up to the attic, and join Ernest in having some fun.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  We Have a Ghost Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My Take: Jesus Revolution (2023) PG-13  It’s the 70s, and Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) is head of a church that is dying slowly as his congregation gets older. One day, Lonnie (Jonathan Roumie), a long-haired street preacher, comes into Chuck’s church, and his life and community are never the same. Jesus Revolution is a little better than your ordinary Christian inspirational film because of the music (which includes The Doobie Brothers and The Edgar Winter Group) and performances from Kelsey Grammer, the preacher who opens his church and home to the hippie culture, and Joel Courtney, who plays Greg, a troubled young man who has to deal with an alcoholic mother (Kimberly Williams-Paisley). Greg becomes the film’s center as he tries to make his place in the world with the constant fear that wherever he finds a home, it will be taken away from him. Grammer does a great job as the preacher who is open to new ideas to reach more people with the word of God and Jesus. I liked that this film shows a different side to the 60s/early 70s when there was such a significant movement of young people to churches that Time magazine even did a cover story. If you are into this type of film, you will enjoy its message of hope and finding faith in something bigger than yourself.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Jesus Revolution Website Now playing in theatres nationwide. 

Indiefest: A House Made of Splinters (2022)  Documentary about a special kind of home: an institution in war-torn Ukraine for children who have been removed from their homes while awaiting court custody decisions. This documentary will tear your heart out as we follow some of the children while they spend time (up to 9 months) in this kind of holding orphanage. The children here are mostly from families where the parents or, in many cases, a lone parent have lost their rights to their children due to neglect. In most cases, it seems, the parent has given up and spend their time drinking. We get to know children being forced to be the adults in the situation, questioning if their mothers are still drinking or asking to be placed in foster homes rather than returning to their homes. One scene really hit me, where a couple of kids were getting under a blanket fort with a starry light and telling stories. Instead of ghost stories, they told each other the horror stories of their lives where their father beat their mother and was drunk all the time or left them to fend for themselves for days. While it is a hard film to watch, there are some bright spots that the documentary shines its light on, including the loving and kind staff that take an interest in each child and try to give them the love they so desperately want and need. Furthermore, a few children are given to foster parents, and both the new parent and the child seem happy about it. Still, watching some of these kids go through so much and the damage that has been caused is heartbreaking. A House Made of Splinters is incredibly worthy of its Academy Award nomination and should be seen, though you will need a good cry afterwards. My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  A House Made of Splinters Website  Now in select theatres and available for rent on iTunes.

Indiefest: Bruiser (2022)   Darious (Jalyn Hall) is a fourteen-year-old boy who always seems angry. His parents, Malcolm (Shamier Anderson) and Monica (Shinelle Azoroh), have sent him to a private school so Darious can get the best education they can afford. The problem is that Darius doesn’t fit in with the rich kids and constantly gets beat up. Darious then meets a charismatic and muscular drifter named Porter (Trevante Rhodes), who promises to change Darious’s life. But Porter is holding on to a secret that will shatter the world of Darious and his family. This is a film where every character has flaws, some out in the open and others hidden away, only to rear their ugly heads when things get tough. This is a film about masculinity, about feeling like you don’t belong and trying to find someone to connect with. Darious seems to have a great life, but that life is built on a very shaky foundation that easily crumbles when Porter shows up in his life. The film constantly questions what it means to be a parent and how that parent should treat their child. Bruiser is a film that makes you wonder who is right and who is wrong, only to understand in the end that only one thing is sure, the child will suffer.   My Rating: Full Price  Bruiser Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

Indiefest: Emily (2022) R  The story of Emily Brontë (Emma Mackey), which follows how her life as a rebel and a misfit, full of pain and lost romances, inspired her to write Wuthering Heights. Emma Mackey shines in her portrayal of Emily Bronte and what inspired her to write one of the great British novels. Emily is a complex person who, sometimes, seems incredibly fragile but, at other times, strong and determined. She sees herself as an oddball who doesn’t fit the mold of what others expect from her (especially her father) and hides from dealing with people and situations that she doesn’t want to confront. Emily’s world changes when a new preacher, William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), comes to town and is hired to tutor Emily in French. The two soon start a forbidden romance that will shake Emily’s world to the core. Emily’s life is also filled with both admiration and sometimes hatred for her sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling), who seems to do everything with grace and their father’s constant respect and pride. Emily’s life is also complicated by her brother, Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), who she deeply loves, even though he seems lost in drink and big ideas that never come to fruition. Mackey puts everything on the screen for us to see as Emily strives to make her voice heard while also trying to find love in a relationship that will be doomed. Emily is a film you can get lost in, much like the book her character wrote many years ago.   My Rating: Full Price  Emily Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Juniper (2023)   Sam (George Ferrier) is a young man who has been suspended from his boarding school and has been sent to look after his alcoholic grandmother (Charlotte Rampling) as a way to try to straighten him out. The time they spend together will turn their lives around, or maybe not. Juniper is a film about life, death, and regrets. Lots of regrets. Sam is a troubled young man who has never gotten over the death of his mother or how his father shipped him off to boarding school almost as soon as she died. Into his life comes his grandmother, a woman he knows almost nothing about other than she drinks a lot. As they spend time together, this hurt young man and a feisty, pissed-off, hard-drinking old woman; begin to understand each other and have a relationship. The reason to see this film is Charlotte Rampling, who, as the grandmother who doesn’t seem to give a flip about anyone or anything, provides us with a performance that is far better than the script is giving her. These are challenging people to like, which makes Rampling’s character work; otherwise, this would be a very sappy tale. Juniper goes along, letting Rampling snidely work her way into our hearts. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Juniper Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: My Happy Ending (2023) R  Julia (Andie MacDowell). is a world-famous actress with a big problem: stage 4 colon cancer. She finds herself in a British hospital room, hiding from the press and sharing her cancer treatment in a room with three other women. Three women that will be the only ones who can help Julia deal with the most difficult role she has ever played. Herself. A wonderful performance by Andie MacDowell helps the film, but she can’t overcome a script that is too rooted in its stage origins. The story is about Julia, who is coming off a disaster of a stage performance who is given the news that she has cancer and must get treatment. So she picks an English hospital where she can hide from the press. Used to getting her way, she is upset when she finds out that she must share her treatment with three other cancer patients. So starts a path to discovery for Julia, who learns each of the three other women’s stories. The film takes place mostly in one room, and the dialogue sometimes feels like it needs the energy of a live audience to get the proper response from us. My Happy Ending deals with all the baggage that comes with getting sick, including all the people you have to deal with and still try to stay in the fight.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  My Happy Ending Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Lady Jane (1986) PG-13  When the death of King Henry VIII throws his kingdom into chaos and his son Edward on his deathbed, a plot is hatched by minister John Dudley (John Wood) to marry off his son, Gilford (Cary Elwes) to Lady Jane Grey (Helena Bonham Carter), who is then placed on the throne soon after Edward dies. The young couple are thrown together, hostile to the circumstances and each other, but soon realize that maybe their relationship could turn to love. Unfortunately, their love cannot stand during this time of struggle for power. Part Romeo and Juliet, part Lion in Winter, this film is about the romance of two doomed people who cannot escape the intrigue and power-grabbing of the times. Elwes and Bonham Carter have incredible chemistry on screen; their scenes are the film’s highlight. As Lady Gray’s evil father, Patrick Stewart is brilliant in the role, and the cinematography perfectly captures the mood and tone of the times. Break out the tissues and enjoy this all-too-brief romance with two star-crossed lovers. My Rating: Full Price  Lady Jane Info The film is available to buy or rent on Amazon and iTunes.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Cocaine Bear: Bear Performer

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre (2023) R   Special agent Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) and his team blackmail one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars, Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett), into helping them take down an evil arms dealer (Hugh Grant) who has his hands on a deal new weapon that could disrupt the world’s balance of power. From filmmaker Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes (2009), Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) comes a new twist on the secret agent game with a cast that includes Aubrey Plaza, Eddie Madsen, Cary Elwes, and Bugzy Malone. Just Aubrey Plaza as a secret agent alone makes this a film to check out.  Operation Fortune Website  In theatres on Friday, March 3rd. 

Extraction

My View: Extraction (2020) R   Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is a black market mercenary known for his success rate. He is sent on an impossible mission to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. I had fun watching this action film and man, does it have action. The film is one bloody ride with Hemsworth’s character putting up a kill every few seconds, sometimes in very creative and gross ways. Things blow up a lot, and there are plenty of close hand to hand fighting scenes, with Hemsworth kicking butt while taking in quite a beating himself. The fighting sequences are so well done. I wish I had seen the film on the big screen, where I think the action would have stood out better than it does on the smaller scale. The film is aided by its location work being shot in India and is also helped by Indian action star Randeep Hooda and actress Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson, About Elly), who plays Rake’s handler. Stranger Things fans of David Harbour are going to be disappointed in his role, as other than getting drunk with Tyler’s character, he doesn’t have much to do. While the plot has a few holes and the dialogue is a little rough, it’s still a fun popcorn film that will satisfy any action fan.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Extraction Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Indiefest: The Roads Not Taken (2020) R   Leo (Javier Bardem) is living in New York City and is suffering from dementia. His daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), is struggling on this day to help her dad keep his health appointments, while in Leo’s mind, he is reliving two versions of his past, one in Mexico and one in Greece. The film feels much longer than its 85-minute run time. Bardem is wasted in the present-day scenes that take place in NYC. The film does find some emotional stability in the flashback sequences, especially the scenes that Bardem shares on-screen with Salma Hayek, as a couple that is grieving over the loss of their son. The problem is the film never finds any tug at the heart-strings pull in those father/daughter scenes in the present, and the sections where Leo is in Greece seem lost and almost worthless. The Roads Not Taken is one of those films that after you see it, you wonder if it was worth the time watching.   My Rating: Cable     The Roads Not Taken Website    Available for rent on participating on-demand services.

Familyfare: The Willoughbys  (2020)  PG   The Willoughby children are often neglected by their selfish parents, so the kids decide to send their parents on a vacation. Nanny (Maya Rudolph) shows up to take care of the kids, but the siblings decide to embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. Kids are going to love this loud, vibrantly colored animated film about a bunch of kids who desperately want to get rid of their parents and find a way to stay together as a family. The characters are fun to watch, especially the strange twins, both of who are named Barnaby, and Ricky Gervais, as ‘The Cat’ who narrates the story is hilarious. I got a little bored with the film towards the end, but I think this fun and funny film will be one that children will enjoy.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Willoughbys Website   Currently available on Netflix.

Forgotten Film: Frida (2002)  Artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) overcame the pain of a crippling injury and a marriage to an egomaniacal husband (Alfred Molina) to become one of Mexico’s iconic painters. Salma Hayek gives a moving and brilliant performance, I would have loved that the screenplay was better. The chemistry that is needed between Hayek and Molina never develops and, at times, treats their relationship a little too superficially. The film just can’t find its footing with a clunky storyline, but Hayek is a wonder to watch on the screen.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Frida Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Roads Not Taken: Drum Choreography  

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Bull (2019)   In a rundown subdivision near Houston, a troubled teen, Kris (Amber Havard) breaks into a neighbor’s house, an aging bullfighter, Abe (Rob Morgan), who has seen his better days in the rodeo. Abe decides to take Kris under his wing and their relationship changes both their lives forever. The film was a big hit on the film festival circuit, including winning the Lone Star Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival.    Bull Info

Until Next Time!

Blow the Man Down

Indiefest: Blow the Man Down (2019) R   In a fishing village on Maine’s coast, two sisters (Sophie Lowe, Morgan Saylor), grieving the loss of their mother, cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To keep their crime a secret, the sisters must go into the criminal underbelly of their hometown and uncover some of the town’s darkest secrets. I really loved this quirky film that has some great twists and turns to make the plot keep moving along. The two sisters cover up a crime, but little do they know that their small town has a lot of secrets, secrets that have been kept for a long time. The film’s atmosphere is aided by an incredible supporting cast including Margo Martindale, a whorehouse madam operating under the disguise of a B&B, and Annette O’Toole, the wonderful June Squibb and Marceline Hugot as the three old ladies who control the town. Can the sisters get away with murder? Only in a town that is used to covering up a crime or two.    My Rating: Full Price      Blow the Man Down Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-ray): Uncut Gems (2019) R   Howard (Adam Sandler) thinks his life is about to change due to the delivery of an uncut gem that could be worth millions. Howard is all about taking chances, and he starts a series of high-stakes bets that he could win big on or also lose everything. Adam Sandler is an actor that, most of the time, pisses me off. My problem with Sandler is not because of his continual compulsion to make incredibly crappy films with his friends, like Grown Ups (2010), That’s My Boy (2012) and one of the worst movies I have ever seen, Jack and Jill (2011). No, it’s not that, it’s that Sandler can be an excellent, even great actor when he chooses the right material. The list is small but notable with outstanding work in films such as Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Reign Over Me (2007) and Spanglish (2004), where Sandler brings a quiet force to make an ordinary film worthy of watching. Add to the list Uncut Gems, where Sandler plays a man you probably won’t like or maybe even not root for, going so far as to hope that he fails. Still, you can’t deny that Sandler fills the screen with a magical, almost hypnotic performance as a man who is desperate to keep pushing his luck, even if it means he has to beat impossible odds. Uncut Gems is not a film that you will be able to sit back and enjoy, as Sandler and the directors of the film, Benny and Josh Safdie, take you on a journey of the high’s and low’s of a gambler. It’s like taking a ride on a roller coaster but one that rarely takes an uphill break, as Howard’s life quickly moves down from one get rich scheme to another. I loved the cast, including Kevin Garnett, the NBA all-star who plays himself, Julia Fox, who plays Howard’s combative girlfriend and Idina Menzel as Howard’s long-suffering ex-wife, who has seen Howard’s life on the edge in close-up. After seeing this film, you may need to take a few minutes to gather your thoughts and your senses before exiting the theatre.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    Uncut Gems Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): 2099: The Soldier Protocol (2019)   A former soldier (Jackson Gallagher) volunteers for an experiment that will return full function to his legs, but at what price? Not a good sign when the only actor you recognize in the cast is David Arquette.   2099: The Soldier Protocol Website

Forgotten Film: Mr. Jones (1993) R   A man (Richard Gere) is arrested during a manic episode and is put into a hospital to treat him for bipolar disorder. He slowly starts to fall for his psychiatrist (Lena Olin), who also develops feelings for him. I have not always been a fan of Richard Gere, but this in this challenging role, he shines giving us insight on what it is like to experience the incredible highs and the depths of the lows of his mental illness. Gere and Olin have great chemistry together, and both overcome a script that, at times, is a little weak.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Mr. Jones Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Uncut Gems: Dental Prosthetics for Adam Sandler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Black Widow  (2020)   The Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), goes back home to settle a few scores from the past. You had me with a cast that includes Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour.    Black Widow Website

Until Next Time!