Nobody 2

My View:  Nobody 2  (2025)  R  In Nobody 2, Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a former lethal assassin, has been away from his family for too long. It’s time for him to make amends by planning a family vacation. Unfortunately, Hutch has chosen the wrong destination for him and his family to relax and unwind. I had fun watching the first Nobody film that came out in 2021, which I said, “If you are an action fan and don’t mind a bloody body count, then have fun as Hutch ruins a few bad guys’ day.” I had fun again watching 62-year-old Bob Odenkirk beating the crap out of a bunch of guys that deserved getting beaten to a bloody pulp. My problem with the movie is that, unlike the first film, we are in on the joke, and it takes a long setup time, with only a few fights, to get to the final confrontation. We have a couple of new bad guys to take on. Colin Hanks as a local sheriff and Sharon Stone, happily chewing up scenery, as Lendina, a mob boss whose solution to everything is just to kill everyone. If you can get through the first hour of setup and a few roadblocks that are soon forgotten, the last 30 minutes are a blast (no pun intended) as Hutch, his dad (played by the amazing Christopher Lloyd), and a few surprises take on Lendina and her goons. I have a feeling that we will be seeing Hutch again, this time maybe with the family joining in on the fun. My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Nobody 2 Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Highest 2 Lowest  (2025)  R   In Highest 2 Lowest, set in New York City, music mogul David King (Denzel Washington) becomes the target of a kidnapping. However, in a case of mistaken identity, his chauffeur’s son is abducted instead. As King strives to protect his family and preserve his legacy, he faces a significant moral dilemma. I made the mistake of watching the morning before our screening, Akira Kurosawa’s film High and Low (see review below), which is a two-part drama, the first part a character study and the second a hard-boiled detective film. Spike Lee adapted Kurosawa’s film, updating it for the modern world. He transformed Toshirô Mifune’s character, a shoe company executive, into Denzel Washington’s character, a music mogul who once had the music world at his feet but may have lost his touch. I had problems with Highest 2 Lowest, mostly because I couldn’t figure out if this was a drama, a comedy, or a satire. Unlike the original film where the ransom exchange is full of tension and drama, the ransom exchange in this version is full of humor with a very loud combination of Yankee fans chanting and a Puerto Rico day celebration with a jazz performance by Eddie Palmieri and his Afro-Caribbean Jazz Orchestra, where the ransom bag full of money exchange is seemingly bungled, or is it. Lee seems to be constantly poking at us with somewhat clever items like an apartment adorned with the address of A24 (the distributor of the film) or jokes about insurance ads when Dean Winters (the star of a series of insurance TV spots) is in the cast playing a constantly angry and possibly racist cop. I predicted to a fellow critic that, unlike the original film, where Mifune’s character disappears for the most part in the 2nd half of the film as the detective’s work to find the kidnapper, Denzel’s character would do the searching on his own. I also had a hard time with the character of King’s wife, Pam, played by Ilfenesh Hadera, who didn’t help anything with a wooden performance that lacked spark. In the original film, Gondo’s wife (Kyôko Kagawa) is the voice of reason and conscience, who convinces Gondo to pay the ransom. Pam, on the other hand, is cold-hearted and only cares about her wealth and her son’s safety. She shows little concern for the child whose life is at stake if the ransom is not paid. As always, I enjoyed watching Denzel perform, and his scenes with Jeffrey Wright, who portrays his chauffeur and best friend, are the highlights of the film. However, these performances were overshadowed by the film's bizarre tonal shifts, which transitioned from a drama (with a very conservative soundtrack) in the first half to a wild, sometimes off-the-rails, cheeky film that let Denzel explore a wide range of antics. Additionally, I hope not to see another Yankee uniform in a film anytime soon, as they appeared in seemingly every scene.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Highest 2 Lowest Website  Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest:  East of Wall  (2025)  R   East of Wall takes place in the Badlands of South Dakota, where Tabatha Zimiga is working to keep her horse ranch running after the death of her husband. As she navigates personal grief and financial challenges, Tabatha also provides refuge for a group of troubled teens. I highly enjoyed this slice of life film that director Kate Becroft has described as a docu-fiction. The film is based on Zimiga’s real life, and most of the cast is playing a version of themselves as fiction and reality are combined. While not a perfect film, as some scenes feel a little too loose, East of Wall captures the joy of riding a horse, the emotional connections that the kids make with their animals and with Tabatha, and the emotional toil it takes to keep the operation running as kids flock to Zimiga’s ranch to escape their almost non-existent parents. Tabatha’s daughter, Porschia, steals the movies as a teen whose talent for riding horses is matched by her ability to get into trouble with her mother. There are a few established actors in the cast, with Jennifer Ehle playing the continually drunk mother of Tabatha, whose heart sometimes guides her to a bit of wisdom when dealing with the kids or her daughter. East of Wall is a film where both adults and kids are trying to survive, with their happiest times on the Badlands plains riding a horse as fast as they can, where emotions are out for everyone to see.  My Rating: Full Price  East of Wall Website  Now playing in theaters 

Indiefest: Americana (2025)   R  Americana revolves around a Ghost shirt, which is sacred to Indigenous communities and valued at half a million dollars. Everyone wants the shirt, including Mandy (Halsey), who has a kid, Cal (Gavin Maddox Bergman), with local tough guy Dillion (Eric Dane). Also on the hunt are Lefty (Paul Walter Hauser) and his girlfriend, Penny Jo (Sydney Sweeney), along with almost everyone else in town. Which raises the question: who will find the shirt first, and who will be left to cash the reward in? I have a soft spot for modern-day westerns, and this funny, strange tale of a bunch of misfits who all think risking everything is better than the life they are living hits you over the head with interesting characters and a few outstanding performances. Paul Walter Hauser proves again what a talent he is in being able to take a simple character and give it grace. Just his presence on screen makes you root for his character to find the love he desperately needs. Americana is a combination of a Coen Brothers movie, combined with a bit of a zany 60s comedy, but without the whole happy ending. I particularly enjoyed Halsey’s portrayal of the abused girlfriend with a hidden past, who is willing to confront it to achieve her goals. At its core, Americana has a big heart, but be warned—there are many characters in the film eager to put a knife in it.  My Rating: Full Price   Americana Website Now playing in select theaters

Indiefest:  Went Up the Hill  (2024) Went Up the Hill is about Jack (Dacre Montgomery), who ventures to remote New Zealand for the funeral of his estranged mother. There, he meets his mother’s grieving widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps), who insists that he stay at her home. While there, both will experience the spirit of the deceased woman who returns to inhabit each of their bodies. Went Up the Hill is a ghost story that is all visual and very little story. It’s a film that is told in darkness, as the two strangers are suddenly thrown together, having to deal with the idea that when they go to sleep, one of them will be possessed by the dead woman. When the ghost takes over Jill, she transforms into the mother that Jack never had. Conversely, when the ghost inhabits Jack, he becomes Jill's wife and lover again, but with a sinister plan for the two to be united.  The film has almost no scares and is more about a disturbing way of looking at love, grief, and control. I wanted more than filmmaker Samuel Van Grinsven was willing to give us. It’s a visually striking movie that never matches the look to the feel of the film. Went Up the Hill is a ghost story that only shocks but never gives you a scare.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Went Up the Hill Website  Now playing in theaters

Forgotten Film:  High and Low  (1963)   High and Low is a film that is part character study and part detective film. Starring Toshirô Mifune as Mr. Gondo, a ruthless business executive who is trying to pull a deal that will give him control of a company that he has poured his life into. His plans are ruined when his son is kidnapped and demands 30 million, which will not only ruin Mr. Gondo’s plans for a takeover but also financially ruin him. Mr. Gondo is willing to pay the money until it is discovered that a huge mistake has been made. It’s not Mr. Gondo’s son but his chauffeur’s son who has been kidnapped. The film then becomes a detective film in which we see how they plan to catch the kidnapper, with or without Mr. Gondo’s help. High and Low is a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat as clues slowly start coming in, a money drop is involved, and even a look at the ugly side of Tokyo’s nightlife. Directed by the legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, High and Low is a master class in pacing and framework.  My Review:  Full Price  High and Low Info  The film is available on most streaming sevices

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Highest 2 Lowest: Helicopter Ground Coordinator 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  The Long Walk  (2025)  R  Set in the near future, a group of teenage boys compete in the annual contest known as “The Long Walk.” The winner is awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple; maintain a pace of four miles per hour or you're out - permanently. The film is based on a Stephen King novel.  The Long Walk Website In theaters on Friday, September 12, 2025

Until Next Time!

Wicked

My View: Wicked  (2024) PG Wicked is about Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman who has been looked down upon because of her green skin. Glinda (Ariana Grande) is a spoiled rich girl who is a little boy crazy. At Shiz University in the Land of Oz, they find themselves becoming unlikely friends. We are about to learn that there are always two sides to a story. Wicked is a perfect example of what film can do with an adaptation of a Broadway musical. Take the music and story from the stage and flesh the story out, giving us more about the characters than what we get just from a song. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shine in this adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. Both are award-worthy performances and, like the two characters, the performances of Erivo and Grande are different but still both fantastic. Grande is perfect as the vain Glinda (pronounced with a hard G, by the way), who knows she is something special and loves the attention she gets just walking in the room, always looking perfect. Grande shows impressive range in her songs and commands the screen in every scene she is in, which is hard when your cast-mate in many scenes, Cynthia Erivo is equally compelling and commanding. Wicked is Elphaba’s story, and Erivo runs with the role, making us fall in love with her character from her first song. It’s an impressive and multi-level performance that gives us insight into what Elphaba thinks and feels as she discovers she isn’t a freak with green skin but someone who can have friends who care about her. The musical numbers range from some solos for both Erivo and Grande to big production numbers that are inventive and fun to watch. The musician number which takes place in the school’s library where the love interest of the film, Jonathan Bailey, as Prince Giyero, does a rousing number that has people dancing upside down that will blow you away. For fans of the Broadway musical, this will be a wonderful addition to a story they love. To the rest of us who haven’t seen it, it’s a beautiful film anchored by two terrific performances and a set design that is truly out of this world. I don’t know if there are any songs you will be humming as you walk out the theater door, but I know that you will be looking forward to part two.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again.  Wicked Website Now playing in theaters nationwide, including 3-D. 

My View:  Gladiator II  (2024)  R    Gladiator II tells the story of Lucius (Paul Mescal), who, after his home is conquered by a Roman army led by Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), is captured and taken to Rome to become a Gladiator to fight in the Colosseum. Lucius vows revenge and looks to his past to find the strength to return the glory of Rome to its people. Gladiator II takes place fifteen years after the first film, and the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen), Lucias, is living a good life with his loving wife, Arishat (Yuval Gonen), in Numidia. That city is attacked by a Roman force led by General Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal), who conquers the city. Lucius’ wife is killed, and he is forced into slavery, where he is spotted by Macrinus (Denzel Washington), who hand-picks Lucius to become a gladiator. Lucius vows to kill Marcus Acacius and anyone who gets in his way. The reason Gladiator was such a fantastic spectacle of a movie was because of the star power of Russel Crowe, the absolutely bonkers performance of Joaquin Phoenix and the incredible fighting sequences (including tigers). Now we have Gladiator II, which is still worth the price of admission because director Ridley Scott knows how to bring something this big and magical to the screen. However, there are some problems with this film that the first film didn’t suffer from. First is Paul Mescal doesn’t have the star power to play this part. I love him in smaller films, but this role needed a commanding presence that when he walks into any room, people will follow him to the death because of his charisma and star power. Russel had it. Even going back to Kirk Douglas in another gladiator genre film, Spartacus, had it. Mescal doesn’t. He is too soft- spoken and not charismatic enough for the role. In fact, I think the film might have been better if Mescal and Pedro Pascal had switched roles. The second problem is the CGI is not worthy of a movie that cost 250 million to make. Some of the CGI effects look like they didn’t go through a final process, making the film, at times, lose some of its impact. However, some of the battle sequences are fun to watch, and then there is Denzel Washington. Washington has a blast playing the string pulling Macrinus, who plays people like they are pieces on a board game. Washington does what few can do, chew up scenery and still make it look like a master class in acting. Watching Washington act on screen makes up for any fake-looking CGI severed head any day. So, pay tribute to Maximus and the past with a new adventure in the land of sandals, blood, and sweat. We are entertained. Just not as much as the first one.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee Gladiator II Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View:  Bread & Roses  (2023)  Bread & Roses is a documentary that follows three women living in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul. The documentary is a heartbreaking and powerful film about women at great peril fighting for their rights. The film is shot by the women on their phones as we see the fall of Kabul and how the Taliban started taking away the rights of women. One of the women, Dr. Zahra Mohammadi, is an outspoken dentist who has her own successful practice. She is vocal in street protests, constantly having meetings in her dentist offices, and is arrested several times during the film. Her practice is shut down, and she can no longer even take a taxi alone on the streets of Kabul. As the film progresses, we see the bravery of these women who keep speaking up, even when threatened with imprisonment and beating. The film shows the bravery of these women, as we see scene after scene where their protests are shut down with violence and arrests. In one shocking scene, after being arrested and put in a police car, the women are told that if they don’t shut up, they will be killed. A woman in the car dares the officer to kill her. Bread & Roses is a film that puts you right in the middle of a fight for basic human rights, where women are fighting against a regime of tyranny. Bread & Roses has gotten some publicity because of actress Jennifer Lawrence and activist Malala Yousafzai (who, as a teen, was shot in the face by the Taliban), but the focus should be on the film and the women who put their lives on the line to protest the ceasing of women’s rights at great peril.  My Rating: Full Price Bread & Roses Info  Now playing on Apple TV. 

My View:  The Piano Lesson  (2024) PG-13    The Piano Lesson focuses on the Charles family in 1936 Pittsburgh during the Depression and their conflict over what to do with a treasured heirloom piano, a legacy of their enslaved ancestors. This is another film produced by Denzel Washington that is based on a play by the legendary playwright August Wilson. The film is directed by Malcolm Washington (Denzil’s son), who co-wrote the screenplay with Virgil Williams, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay Mudbound, which he co-wrote with Dee Rees. Another Denzel son, John David Washington, stars as Boy Willie Charles, who comes into town and into the lives of his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) and their uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson). Boy Willie is there to claim his inheritance, a piano carved by a relative, a slave at the time, who carved the Charles family’s faces and scenes from their life into a piano owned by their slave master. Boy Wille’s father, who lost his life in the heist, stole that piano, and Boy Wille wants to sell the piano to buy some farmland. His sister is dead set against selling the piano and is convinced that ghosts are protecting it from being taken. Most of the film, like the play, centers on a couple of rooms in the home, as characters talk and drink, debating if the piano should be sold and if the ghosts of the dead are still around to protect it. There is a show-stopping scene in the middle of the film when the men are all drinking late one night and start a work song from the past that they sing with their hearts. The Piano Lesson is a film filled with powerful performances and always with August Wilson’s work, some fantastic speeches that seem to fill the air with those ghosts from the past. My Rating: Full Price The Piano Lesson Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Forgotten Film:  The Comedians  (1967)  A Welsh hotel owner (Richard Burton) secretly romances a diplomat’s wife (Elizabeth Taylor) while the harsh and violent reign of the despot ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier brings a country to its knees. The Comedians isn’t a great film, but it has a ton of star power from the 60s. Taylor and Burton were at the height of their fame and relationship, and they bought the rights to the book by Graham Greene as a vehicle for them to work together on. No matter that the wife in the book is barely in the film, Graham Greene wrote the screenplay and put Taylor in a scene every ten minutes to satisfy the couple and ensure the check would clear. Besides the power couple (Taylor looks terrific in the film), we have a cast that includes Alec Guinness, Peter Ustinov, Lillian Gish (great performance in a sea of bad ones), James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, and Paul Ford. The Comedians is worth watching to see a great example of Hollywood of the 60s trying to find things for the world’s most famous couple and failing.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Comedians Info  Available to rent/buy on Amazon.

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Gladiator II: Shooting Electricians

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You:  Mufasa: The Lion King  (2024)  PG  Mufasa is a cub who is lost and alone. He meets another cub named Taka, who is heir to a royal bloodline. They become fast friends, and with Taka’s help, along with some new friends, Mufasa might survive in this savage and beautiful world. The film is from Barry Jenkins, the Academy Award-winning director of Moonlight. Mufasa: The Lion King Website The film will be released on December 20, 2024, 30 years after the original The Lion King was released. 

Until Next Time!

The Equalizer 3

My View: The Equalizer 3 (2023) R  Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has finally found a home in Southern Italy. That home is being threatened by the mafia and its local crime boss. As the mafia flex their muscle and threaten McCall’s new friends, McCall does what he always does: protect his friends by any means possible. So McCall is having a bit of a personal crisis and finds himself in a sleepy seaside town in Sicily. Of course, bad things tend to follow McCall around; in this case, the village that McCall is falling in love with has a Mafia problem. You can imagine what happens next. Plenty of bad guys getting killed in lots of imaginative ways. I loved the first film of the series and enjoyed the second one. This one works because it’s so much fun to watch Denzel on the screen, doing that Denzel thing of saying something ordinary but giving it special meaning. Dakota Fanning is thrown into the mix as a CIA agent that McCall guides from afar. The plot is a little weak, and the whole Fanning side-plot feels thrown together, though there is a nice payoff in the end. I don’t know if there will be another Equalizer film. I hope there isn’t because I would like to think that McCall is having too good a time with his unfolded napkins and tea to disturb him with more killing.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Equalizer 3 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.  

My View: Bottoms (2023) R  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. This is a funny and absurd comedy where the football players wear their uniforms with pads to class every day, and horrible deaths caused by the rival high school are just accepted as normal. I loved this film, and the sold-out advanced screening audience I saw it with did, too. It’s goofy and surreal that utilizes the comedy chops of Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. Sennott, who was terrific in Emma Seligman’s earlier film, Shiva Baby, is brilliant as PJ, who is always thinking of ways for the two girls to find someone to love or at least make out with. Sennott gives us a smart performance that almost dominates the film, as PJ jumps into any and everything without thinking about the consequences. Ayo Edebiri, as Josie, the more responsible of the two, is willing to go along with PJ’s plans because, frankly, they are nuts and desperate. The film has a great supporting cast, including a remarkable performance by Ruby Cruz as Hazel, someone who desperately wants to be apart of the PJ/Josie gang but isn’t confident enough to speak up. The film also has a hilarious performance by Marshawn Lynch as Mr. G, a laid-back teacher whose concepts of history are, shall we say, challenging. I loved the ending, which is as weird and funny as the rest of the film, and I want to see these characters again at college. Hopefully, one as strange and goofy as this high school.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again  Bottoms Website  Now playing in theatres. 

My View: Choose Love (2023)   Cami (Laura Marano) is a young woman who seems to have it all: a great boyfriend, Paul (Scott Michael Foster), good friends, and a fantastic job. However, when a fortune teller tells Cami she has something missing in her life, and the clock is ticking, she starts to feel like it’s true. Cami soon, two guys come into her life. Rex (Avan Jogia) is a rock star, and Jack (Jordi Webber) is an old boyfriend, and now Cami has some choices to make. So this is an interactive film where Cami will talk directly to you and ask you to decide what she should do. Then, you get to see the consequences of what you picked. The film is very short, but it’s meant for you to go back and choose other choices, including who Cami ultimately ends up with. Choose Love is a very plain romantic film, even when you pick the different options. Which will you choose for Cami? The steady boyfriend, the activist boyfriend from the past, or the rockstar that will give Cami a life on the road? Or will you choose all three?   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Choose Love Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: The Good Mother (2023)  Journalist Marissa (Hilary Swank), who, after the murder of her estranged son, forms an alliance with his pregnant girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) to track down those responsible for his death. They are about to travel into a world of drugs, corruption, and danger. This is a film where, once again, the performances are better than the film itself. With a murder that is incredibly easy to figure out, Swank isn’t given much to work with. She is a journalist who has lost her spark, suffering from a death and finding relief only in the bottom of a bottle. When her son, a druggie, is murdered on the street, she and his girlfriend decide to find out what happened. The plot is a cluttered mess as the film loses its way as it tries to be either a whodunit or a sad commentary on how we treat drug addicts, and it doesn’t succeed in either storyline. I liked the chemistry between Swank and Cooke, the girlfriend whom Swank at first blames for her son’s death, but we never get any back story on the girlfriend, and it’s hard to root for anyone in this film. The ending is as messy as the rest of the film, making it feel very unsatisfying.   My Rating: Cable  The Good Mother Website  Now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose (2023) PG-13 The story of Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose takes place in 1935 when a para-psychologist named Nandor Fodor (Simon Pegg) travels to the Isle of Man, where a British family claims that a mysterious entity on their farm has contacted them. That entity, a talking mongoose named Gef. This strange little film starts and ends with two friends discussing the possibility that a mongoose on a farm can not only talk but can tell you secrets about yourself. The film can’t decide if it wants to be a comedy or a drama, and it unfortunately fails at both. I did like the chemistry between Simon Pegg as the stuck-up professor and Minnie Driver as his put-upon assistant. The film jumps between us believing that Gef can talk (we never see him, just bits of hair and tail) or if it is all a big joke put on by a strange little family. The film never finds its footing, and the mystery (based loosely on a true story) is never solved. Unfortunately for us, the tone of the film is never solved either.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose Website  Now playing in select theatres

Indiefest: Slotherhouse (2023) PG-13  Emily (Lisa Ambalavanar) is a senior and is desperate to be elected as her sorority’s president. She adopts a sloth named Alpha as the sorority’s mascot, hoping that it will help her win. It starts out well, but then the sloth becomes the prime suspect in a series of murders. Well, this is one of those films, which I seem to see a lot of lately, that would work much better as a midnight film at a horror film festival, rather than one that will work well in a midday theatre like where I saw this film. The idea is that this sloth differs from the slow-moving sloths of the jungle. This sloth is fast and a killer, as we see in the film's first scene when she is attacked by a crocodile and not only survives but kills the croc. The film is meant to be funny, but the deaths aren’t creative enough, the script is sloppy, and the movie is never scary. Overall, I got bored by about a third into the film. Because of the success of Cocaine Bear, the Sharknado film series, and the Winnie the Pooh horror film, I think we will see more of these animals gone murdering. I just hope they have better scripts.   My Rating: Cable  Slotherhouse Website  Now playing in theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Career Girls (1997) R Two young women, Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge) and Annie (Lynda Steadman) are former college roommates who are reconnecting after being apart for six years. Hannah still lives in the same apartment in London, and Annie is visiting with the idea of moving back. They will soon realize that nothing much has changed in six years, including how their lives are going. This film is from seven-time Oscar-nominated Mike Leigh (Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Another Year). Leigh likes to give us interesting characters in how they see life, but the stories are more about how they react or talk about their lives than actually live it. In this film, we have two women who come to realize that they may never attain what they thought their lives would become. They aren’t necessarily failures, but neither are they a success. They are just living.   My Rating: Full Price  Career Girls Info Available on DVD. 

Weird Credits: From the credits of Bottoms: Conform Editor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Creator (2023) PG-13   There is a war going on between humans and the forces of artificial intelligence. Joshua (John David Washington) is recruited to hunt down and kill The Creator, the architect of the advanced AI. The Creator has made a mysterious weapon with the power to end the human race, and it just might be the little girl that Joshua has just rescued. The Creator is one of those films creating a lot of excitement for sci-fi fans.  The Creator Website  Arriving in theaters in late September.

Until Next Time!

Haunted Mansion

My View: Haunted Mansion (2023) PG-13 A single mom, Gabbie (Rosario Dawson), has just bought a mansion, and it’s haunted. What’s mom to do but hire a tour guide, a psychic, a priest, and a historian to help exorcise the ghosts? I found this film boring, which is sad considering that the cast includes Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Dan Levy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, and surprisingly, Jared Leto as the bad guy, Mr. Hat-Box Ghost. The film felt like one extended promo for the Disneyland ride, and while it has a few fun moments, the film never finds a way to combine a few scares with a few (and I mean few) laughs. I have grown tired of Tiffany Haddish and her limited range, finding her more annoying than funny. LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson try hard to keep the momentum going, but this ride never makes it past the first hallway of scary pictures.   My Rating: Cable  Haunted Mansion Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Talk to Me (2023) R  A group of friends have come across an embalmed hand with mysterious tattoos. They soon discover that they can use it to conjure spirits, which becomes their favorite game to play. Until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Talk to Me is one of the best horror films of the year, maybe of the last five years. It’s downright scary without having to resort to ‘jump scares.’ I will warn you I predict some people will walk out of the theatre during the opening scenes because of the extreme and shockingly quick violence. This is a film where the tension builds from almost the beginning and doesn’t let up until the end. I loved we know what the teens are doing will go badly, but they don’t seem to care until it’s too late. Much like the stupid TikTok challenges that can become dangerous, the teens keep on tempting fate because of the rush it gives them, but we know that rush will come at a cost. Sophie Wilde is perfect as our heroine, Mia, who is reluctant at first to take part, but under peer pressure and wanting to fit in, she relents. Things get out of hand, and Mia realizes she must try to find a way out. But is it too late? If you get past the opening sequence, you are in for a very imaginative and scary film that may make you sleep with a light on.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Talk to Me Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: Happiness for Beginners (2023)   Helen (Ellie Kemper), who year after getting divorced and stuck in a rut, signs up for a week-long wilderness survival course on the Appalachian Trail. Her fellow hikers are a mess, but it does include her brother’s best friend, Jake (Luke Grimes). Can Helen survive long enough on the trail to fall in love? I am a big fan of Ellie Kemper and had fun with this slight, breezy rom-com. This is a film that I call the ‘beach read’ movie. It’s a film that, like those fun novels, you take on your summer vacations to read while getting some sun and drinking a glass or two of wine. There’s not much to the plot as it’s light and predictable, and you have a good time watching it, and as soon as it’s over, you will forget it. Kemper plays an accident-prone woman who has a troubled past and a bad marriage to get past. So, what does Helen do? Why, go on a survival hike with a bunch of strangers. Along the way, she will learn about herself and her fellow travelers and maybe fall in love. There is some good chemistry between Luke Grimes and Kemper, with their will they/won’t they possible romance. The plot is predictable, but then again, don’t we want it to be with this kind of film? So lace up your hiking boots, fill your pack with dehydrated food, and go on a hike to help find Helen a few answers and a romance.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Happiness for Beginners Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Kokomo City (2023) R  Documentary that shows the lives of four black transgender sex workers living in New York and Georgia as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves. Kokomo City is a wildly entertaining, sometimes shocking, look at four black transgender sex workers and how they look at themselves, their work, the men who pay for their services, and how others see them. Shot in B&W and using a bit of animation and play-acting make the film move at a fast pace. The subject matters range from downright X-rated material to almost innocent talks about their lives. These four women know they are living on the edge and that what they do is dangerous and looked down on. Sadly, after the film’s release, one of the subjects was found murdered on the streets of Atlanta. Needless to say, this isn’t a documentary for everyone. Still, if you want to spend some time with four fascinating and unique individuals who graciously let us into their world, it’s an interesting 75 minutes.  My Rating: Full Price  Kokomo City Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: The Unknown Country (2022)  Tana (Lily Gladstone) has just lost her grandmother, who she was caring for. She gets an unexpected call to come to her cousin’s wedding and sets out on a road trip across the Midwest in her trusty car. It’s a trip that Tana will learn about herself and the people she meets along the way. I loved this film primarily due to another brilliant performance by Lily Gladstone. The character played by Gladstone, Tana, travels after her grandma's death to experience the beauty of the land and its people. Tana is Native American, and her family lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This is a film that takes its time, much like the road trip that Tana is on. We get to know not only Tana’s relatives but also the people that she encounters along the way, including a waitress, an owner of a motel, and a convenience store worker. All are not actors, and we get a brief story about their lives, much like if you stopped and talked to them at their jobs for a bit. Tana decides to continue her road trip and find out more about her grandmother’s time in Texas, with only a few pictures to go on. The Unknown Country is a gorgeous film due to the magnificent countryside and the people we meet along the way.  My Rating: Full Price  The Unknown Country website Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: The Beanie Bubble (2023) R Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis) was a frustrated toy salesman until his collaboration with three women (Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan) grew their idea into one of the biggest toy crazes in history. It’s a story of fame, fortune, greed, betrayal, and Beanie Babies. I loved this film about the man who created Beanie Babies, or did he? Based loosely on a true story, Ty Warner is a man who went from almost nothing to one of the wealthiest men in the world (and still is), and the women who made it happen (sometimes with his help, sometimes dragging his feet all the way to the bank). This is the story of three women who, at various times in Ty’s life, made his dreams come true and then were forgotten because of a man who could not share the spotlight or admit that not every idea wasn’t his. Zach Galifianakis is fantastic in the role of a man who cares only about himself and will stab anyone in the back to get what he feels he is entitled to. I loved Geraldine Viswanathan, whose character, Maya, goes from part-time receptionist to creating one of the first company-based websites that started the Beanie Babies craze. Her character is based on a real person who convinced Ty to get on the internet long before anyone else figured out what it could do. Viswanathan is a force in the film and holds her own with Zach, someone who tends to dominate the screen with his antics. Elizabeth Banks plays Robbie, a fiery woman who has a chance meeting with Ty and goes all in on his stuffed toy company, ultimately falling for Ty. Sarah Snook plays a divorced woman, Shelia, who has two young girls and, against her best instincts, falls in love with Ty. Like Elizabeth Banks’s character, Robbie, Ty has weaved a spell and seduced Shelia. The question is, will Ty ever wake up and reward these women for their ideas and hard work, or will the women have to get revenge? Gather your little stuffed Beanies from your closets and storage units, pour yourself a drink, and find out.   My Rating: Full Price  The Beanie Bubble Info  Now playing in select theatres and on the Apple TV+ platform.

My View: Theater Camp (2023) PG-13 Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is forced to run his mother’s three-week theater camp after his mother (Amy Sedaris) has a seizure during a performance of Bye Bye Birdie and slips into a coma. Troy must rely on staff because Troy has no talent and no idea how to run a camp. But the kids have a ‘can do’ attitude and a song in their hearts, so what could go wrong? The film’s cast is the reason to see it because they are having a blast making it. Co-written by two of the cast, Noah Galvin and Molly Gordon, the film is about an annual camp for theater kids run by a group of wannabe performers who take their jobs a little too seriously. Into the mix walk Troy, a YouTube guy who thinks he can turn the camp into a money-maker just because he thinks he can. The film is funny but very uneven because the dialogue and scenes are improvised. The kids are the best part of the movie, so much so that I wish there was less interaction with the adults and more of the kids doing goofy stuff. Theater Camp gets a little stale by the midpoint, but the last fifteen minutes are just so well done, and much like the show they are putting on, it all finally comes together.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Theater Camp website Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: The First Slam Dunk (2022) PG-13  Seventeen-year-old Ryota is trying to follow his late brother’s dream of being a basketball star. It’s hard to follow in the footsteps of someone who cast such a large shadow. The First Slam Dunk is a must for any fan of Japanese animation or anyone who loves basketball. The film takes place at a championship game while showing us in flashbacks the important scenes of Ryota’s life, and what makes him the person and player he is today. This is an impressive work of animation that lets us experience up close a basketball game while also allowing us into the character’s makeup and what Ryota is thinking and feeling. The movie is filled with amazing shots of not only the basketball game but also Ryota’s life, letting us feel like we are there with him as he goes through all the obstacles that have been put in his way. The game is as exciting as any game seven of the NBA, and it has an ending that is both touching and exhilarating. I think fans of Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk manga series are going to be very happy with his adaptation of this work.  The First Slam Dunk is one of the best films of the year, and I hope it gets recognition by the Academy come award time. So find a seat in the bleachers and get ready to root for Ryota and his team as they try to win a championship. My Rating: I Would Pay to See It Again  The First Slam Dunk Website The film is playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: The Day After Trinity (1981)  Documentary on the Manhattan Project and the man behind the creation of the Atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. This Academy Award-nominated film is a great companion piece to the Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer, with interviews of most of the participants in the research, including Oppenheimer's brother. It goes into great detail on the building of the bomb. The film’s second half goes into Oppenheimer’s fall from grace when he speaks out against nuclear arms proliferation and the hunt for Communists that cost him his clearance. The Day After Trinity is a fascinating film that will amaze and terrify you while giving you a better understanding of the man and the myth.   My Rating: Full Price  The Day After Trinity Info  Available for purchase on Amazon and playing on the Criterion Channel for free through the month of July.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Haunted Mansion: Prosthetics Silicone Runner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: The Equalizer 3 (2023)   Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has finally found a home in Southern Italy. That home is being threatened by the mafia and its local crime boss. As the mafia flex their muscle and threaten McCall’s new friends, McCall does what he always does: protect his friends by any means possible. I have enjoyed this series by filmmakers Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington and look forward to seeing this one.   The Equalizer 3 Website  Coming to theatres nationwide in September.

Until Next Time!

The Tragedy of Macbeth

My View:  The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) R    A Scottish lord (Denzel Washington) is convinced that he will be King after being visited by a trio of witches. His ambitious wife (Frances McDormand) eggs him on, and Macbeth’s act of seizing power will lead to madness and death. As a kid growing up in the theatre, I have seen a lot of Shakespeare both on the stage and on the screen, and I can say that this is one of the most beautiful and thrilling productions I have ever seen. At times the film feels like you are front row of a stage production, with its minimalist sets and stark lighting, but then Denzel and Frances fill your screen with performances that jump out at you and grab you by the throat, and you realize you are witnessing brilliance and unmatched artistry. Directed by Joel Cohen, the film is shot in beautiful black and white, making the film feel like an instant classic while using all the tricks of current cinema to make the film flow effortlessly. One of the things I loved about this film is the interpretations of the Lord and Lady Macbeth. Washington’s Macbeth is a man who is weary of living in the shadows, and his lust for power drives him into madness, a madness that he seems to have no control over. McDormand’s Lady Macbeth is different altogether, a woman who plots and schemes, knowing full what she is asking her husband to do and damn the consequences. The supporting cast is flawless, with Brendan Gleeson playing King Duncan, a man loved by his men, making his murder that much more powerful, and Kathryn Hunter playing all three of the ‘weird sisters,’ the witches that foretell what will come. Add in a much-needed bit of comic relief by Steven Root, and the film is filled with performances that will thrill and marvel you. So sit back and watch with wonder and amazement a story that still has the power to thrill you to the core.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Tragedy of Macbeth Website  Now playing in select theatres and available on the Apple TV+ platform on Jan. 14th.

My View:  Passing  (2021) PG-13   Irene (Tessa Thompson) seems to have everything she has wanted. She lives in a nice house in a prosperous section of Harlem, with her two sons and her husband, Brian (Andre Holland), a successful doctor. But Irene isn’t happy, and this is brought out by a chance meeting with Clare (Ruth Negga), someone she was once friends with in high school. Clare is living a secret life; she is living as a white person, married to a racist (Alexander Skarsgard) who is clueless to Clare’s real identity. When we first meet Irene, she travels around shopping in New York due to her light skin, but the difference is Irene does it as a necessary way to go to shops that wouldn’t let her in if they knew her race. Passing is a story of two women who are not comfortable in the lives that they have created for themselves. Beautifully shot in black and white, we follow the two women as they become close, but there is always a barrier between the two, with Irene wanting what Clare has and Clare wanting to disappear into the life of Harlem. The film centers on Irene’s life, as she deals with a husband who wants to move to a foreign country, where he feels he can be free of living in a society that allows blacks to be hung for looking at a white person the wrong way. While the film centers on Irene, it's the performance of Ruth Negga that makes this film worth watching. Negga gives a mesmerizing performance of a woman who lives a life full of lies but is willing to lose everything for a friendship that she desperately wants and needs.   My Rating: Full Price Passing Website   Now playing in select theatres and on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:  Storm Lake (2021)   Documentary about Art Cullen, who with his family and friends put out a twice-weekly paper, the Storm Lake Times, in a small town in Iowa. Shot during a time when small-town newspapers are dying at an incredible pace, this tiny newspaper tries to continue to serve its community and be a voice for the farmer and for democracy. I grew up with a father who, on a typical day, would read three or four newspapers in a day, so I have always loved local newspapers, the smaller, the better. I often would ask friends traveling the country to bring me back a newspaper from their hometown, loving to read about the latest news about store openings, bar-b-cues, and the always happening beauty pageant or talent show. We follow Art, who writes an opinion piece for each issue, his wife, who is in charge of local events, things she calls the ‘happy news,’ and Art’s son, who covers local politics. It’s a fascinating world of a paper that is holding on by a thread to keep going, even when the paper wins the Pulitzer Prize (which, by the way, hurt the paper locally). I loved this look at everyday life in a small town, where a store owner agonizes over running two ads or one, pondering if the extra 50 dollars will pay off in sales. The film is helped by the Democratic Iowa caucus, which meant that a lot of important politicians visited Storm Lake to try and propel their campaigns (Pete Buttigieg comes off the best of the parade of wannabe presidents). So pull up a chair and sit down to watch a small staff work their butts off to put out the best paper they possibly can while still covering that baby pig in a diaper visiting an elementary school.    My Rating: Full Price  Storm Lake Website  Now available on demand including for rent/purchase on the Amazon Prime platform.

My View:  Mother/Android (2021)   Georgia (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Sam (Algee Smith) should be happy as they are about to have a baby. The problem is the world has changed overnight as the androids built to serve mankind have turned on the human population. Now Georgian and Sam must go on a treacherous journey through the No-Man’s Land, a stronghold of the android uprising, in order for their baby to be born in safety. I liked the beginning of the story on how the android revolt started, but the film takes forever to get to any action sequences, and we spend a lot of time with Georgia and Sam talking to each other about baby names and how to get to Boston. The twist is something that you see from a mile away, and the film never delivers the punch to the gut that it desperately wants you to feel. Except for some nice chemistry between the two leads, this is a pretty bland attempt of an end of the world plot.   My Rating: Cable    Mother/Android Website  Now available on the Hulu platform.

Forgotten Film: Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold  (2017)   Joan Didion was a fantastic writer, someone who could go from writing a screenplay to a novel to a series of essays without breaking a sweat, and all were interesting and sometimes brilliant. All the while, she was married to another brilliant writer. John Gregory Dunne, as they edited each other’s work. This documentary is directed by the actor Griffin Dunne, who happens to be Didion’s nephew. He uses his connection and affection for Joan to get her to open up, sometimes shockingly frank, about her life. Didion was destined to be a writer, given a journal by her mother at age five, and she never stopped writing, giving us some of the most moving and amazing work, mainly dealing with what she experienced in her life. This is a fascinating documentary about a woman who just recently passed, a woman who wrote like her life depended on it. The documentary gives us a glimpse into a life filled with glamour, Hollywood stars coming in and out of her life like the parties that she used to have. Her life was also filled with sadness, in a marriage to a man who was often angry at her and the world, and in quick succession, she lost her husband and her adopted daughter in the span of a couple of years, only to write about it in the award-winning book The Year of Magical Thinking. Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold is a beautiful and fascinating look at a complex woman who would touch the world with her writing.   My Rating: Full Price   Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Tragedy of Macbeth: Shakespeare Consultant

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: I Want You Back (2022) R   Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) meet by chance on a day that both of them got dumped. They decide to become a team to get back the ‘loves of their lives by breaking up their old partner's new relationships. What could go wrong? I can’t wait to see this rom-com because I have been a huge fan of Jenny Slate since her breakthrough starring role in Obvious Child (2014).   I Want You Back Website

Until Next Time!