Dolphin Tale 2

My View: Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) PG  Winter the dolphin and the rest of the gang are back at the Clearwater Marine Hospital. Now it appears that Winter has become depressed and is in need of a companion. Will the rescued dolphin, survive, and will this be the partner that Winter needs? It’s hard to strike lightning twice, and sequels usually don’t .  I thought the first Dolphin Tale was an interesting and moving family film that worked because it focused on the human element. This film doesn’t work because it forgets about that element; instead of focusing on the human storyline, it focuses on the animals. The only part I found interesting was at the end when the actual animals are rescued and rehabbed by the Marine Hospital.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Dolphin Tale 2 Website

My View: No Good Deed (2014) PG-13 Terri (Taraji P. Henson) is a mom, home, alone, with her two young kids. A dangerous escaped prisoner (Idris Elba), claiming car trouble, shows up at Terri’s door. Terri offers to let the man in to use the phone and soon she learns that no good deed goes unpunished.  I enjoyed this film that has a few twists and turns to the plot along the way. The strength of this film is the two leads as Henson and Elba are on-screen together for most of the film.  I especially enjoyed the character development of Henson’s character, who goes from a milk toast soccer mom to someone who can stand up for herself. While not a great film, this is an enjoyable thriller with two outstanding actors.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  No Good Deed Website

Indiefest: Love is Strange (2014)  R  Ben (John Lithgow), and George (Alfred Molina) have been a couple for thirty-nine years and decide that the time is right to get married. When word reaches the archdiocese, George loses his Catholic school teaching job and, now, without an income, the couple cannot afford their apartment. Each of them move into separate homes to stay with friends or families. Will the marriage survive this separation?  This is a moving film about how quickly our good fortune can change at a moment’s notice. Lithgow and Molina make us believe they have been a couple for almost forty years. Lithgow gives an understated performance that perfectly blends with Molina’s portrayal of the more positive and high-strung character. This is a film that shows the power of faith, and family can overcome almost any obstacle.  My Rating: Full Price  Love is Strange

Indiefest: The Drop (2014) R Bob (Tom Hardy) works at a mob-controlled bar, where money is funneled to local gangsters. Bob finds himself at the center of a robbery gone bad and now must use every resource of his neighborhood to get out of this mess. I think Tom Hardy is one of our finest actors, but even his presence can’t make this film be more than just an ordinary mobster movie. It’s sad that this is the James Gandolfini’s last film appearance, and he is not given enough to make his part memorable. I did enjoy the interaction between Hardy and Noomi Rapace, who plays his love interest. The storyline is simple with a script that doesn’t live up to its actors. It’s not a bad film, but it’s not the complex, exciting film that you wanted for this cast.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee The Drop Website

Indiefest: The Man on her Mind (2014) Nellie (Amy McAllister) is a young woman having a secret affair with Jack, a super cool lawyer. The only problem is that Jack is a figment of Nellie’s imagination based on a man, Leonard (Samuel James), whom she went on a blind date with a few months ago. Leonard also has an imaginary lover, based on Nellie. Now the two meet once again in real life. Will they choose reality or keep their perfect imaginary lovers? This film is based on a very successful West End stage play. The problem is it still looks and sounds like a stage play. The acting is overly dramatic, the dialogue is unnatural and too rapid, and the placements of the camera make you feel like you are sitting in row five, center, watching the story acted out in that West End Theatre. The concept was original, but the execution lacked any imagination. My Rating: Cable  The Man on Her Mind Info

Forgotten Film: Bird (1988) R Clint Eastwood directs this bio-pic about the legendary jazz saxophone musician, Charlie Parker.  Forest Whitaker is masterful as the talented but troubled Parker. Eastwood perfectly blends the drama of the story with some of the best jazz music to ever grace the screen. Diane Venora plays Parker’s wife, Chen, who heart is broken trying to save her husband from drugs and his demons.  My Rating: Full Price  Bird Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Love is Strange: Paperwork PA

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Boxtrolls (2014)  PG A young orphaned boy is raised by underground trolls who collect trash. The boy must mount his courage and try to save his friends from an exterminator. This stop-motion animated film is from the same people who gave us the 2009 animated film Coraline.   The Boxtrolls Website 

Until Next Time!

Jersey Boys

My View:  Jersey Boys (2014)  R  The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks who become the bestselling singing group, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  There are so many things that are wrong with this movie.  First, this is a movie with songs, not a musical (even though it’s based on the long-running Broadway musical).  What I mean by that is, in a musical a character breaks out into song, usually to express what is happening or how they are feeling.  In this film, each song is done when they perform in front of an audience (state fair or Ed Sullivan show), or they are in a recording studio. The film is incredibly choppy, and the narrative between songs jumps around the timeline very quickly.  One minute one of the characters is happily married, the next scene his marriage is in trouble due to him sleeping around and his wife becoming an alcoholic.  The characters narrate the film while talking to the camera, which can work in certain films (like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) but in this film, it works to make the film slow down and rarely gives us any insight to what is happening. The film has an R rating, solely due to the language in the film.  It’s a film where the Mob is involved heavily with the band, but there is almost no violence or sex. There is an incredibly creepy moment in the film when Valli, trying to comfort his daughter, sings "My Eyes Adored You." Finally, while John Lloyd Young comes close to singing like Frankie Valli, he has no charisma on screen, something the real Valli had just standing on stage.  All more frustrating is, during the closing credits, there is a rousing musical number with the whole cast singing and dancing in the streets of New Jersey, showing the potential of this film. I wish someone creative, like Martin Scorsese, would have directed this film. Instead, it’s Clint Eastwood, who plays it too close to the vest and gives us a boring film with songs.  My Rating: Cable  Jersey Boys Website

Indiefest: The Grand Seduction (2014) PG-13  A small fishing village must get a lucrative business contract to escape financial ruin, but their odds are slim as a town doctor is needed to land the contract. The problem is they've been searching for years for a doctor, and no one has taken the bait. After the mayor skips town, resident Murray French (Brendan Gleeson) takes it upon himself to find his village a doctor. The town is able to get a doctor to come but only for thirty days, now they must convince him that this town is paradise.  This is a delightful film to watch, a kind of combination of Northern Exposure meets Waking Ned Devine. Taylor Kitsch (yes, that Taylor Kitsch) is perfect as the big city doctor that the town is trying to woo. Brendan Gleeson is brilliant as the fisherman who has a plan to save the town. This is one of those films that you will want to buy to watch when you need a laugh.  It's incredibly well done and a joy to watch.  My Rating: Full Price  The Grand Seduction Website

Forgotten Film:  Murderball (2005)  R This is a documentary about a group of young men who are quadriplegics who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs.  The men are trying to make it to the Paralympics in Athens.  It’s a rough sport and the men in this documentary hold nothing back, whether talking about the injuries, their sex life or how they compete in a grueling, tough sport.  It’s an inspiring film that makes you appreciate life and all it has to offer.  My Rating: Full Price  Murderball Fan Site

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Dolphin Tale 2 (2014)  PG  I liked the first film, but it’s very hard to capture the magic twice.  Dolphin Tale 2 Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray):  The Grand Budapest Hotel  (2014)  R  Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes) is one of the best concierges in the world, and he works at the famous Grand Budapest Hotel. He hires Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) as a lobby boy.  Now, Gustave and Zero are about to go on a great adventure.  An absolute joyride of a film that takes a Wes Anderson (the director) type of film and adds the Marx Brothers to it.  Fiennes is hilarious in the role of the stuck up, pompous concierge with a heart of gold. Revolori, as the “Lobby Boy,” perfectly works off of the energy of Fiennes creating great chemistry between them. An absolute delight of a film.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  The Grand Budapest Hotel Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Jersey Boys: pig wrangler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Life Itself (2013) R Documentary on one of my heroes, the Pulitzer Prize winning Roger Ebert.  Ebert was an incredibly talented writer who could make a film review seem like a work of a master artist.  Ebert was a flawed man, who battled many problems, but ultimately, he was a man who loved life.  I am guessing I will shed a tear or two watching this film.  Life Itself Website

Until Next Time!