Eddie the Eagle

My View:  Eddie the Eagle (2016)  PG-13  Eddie the Eagle (2016)  PG-13  Eddie (Taron Egerton) has always wanted to compete in the Olympics, and he discovers there hasn’t been a British Ski jumper since the 1920’s.  So, if Eddie can just figure out how to jump, he can compete for his country and achieve his dream though, he needs help learning how to jump. Can he persuade Bronson (Hugh Jackman), a former US ski jumper to coach him?  I loved this feel-good film. It’s not at all what I expected, and I credit Egerton for giving such a warm and funny portrayal of a man who was fearless and wouldn’t quit no matter what the odds. Jackman is perfect for the washed-up former ski jumper who doesn’t like to be reminded of his past. Egerton and Jackman have superb chemistry which is important as much of the dialogue in this film is between just the two of them. Go see this film and root for Eddie!   My Rating: Full Price   Eddie the Eagle Website  

My View:  Gods of Egypt (2016)  PG-13  Bek (Brenton Thwaites) joins the god Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in a battle to save the world from the god of darkness Set (Gerard Butler). This is a mess of a movie. It’s as if the writers decided to throw most of what we know about ancient Egypt and create superheroes from the Egyptian gods. The gods are twice as big as the humans, so the scenes between the two species look weird, the Gods bleed gold when cut and not to mention that Sun God Ra (Geoffrey Rush) flies around in a spaceship. Set’s chariot is pulled by giant beetles, and the bad guys ride on the back of giant sand serpents. The specials effects are so dreadful I could almost see the “green screen” used for almost the entire film. Some of the actors, Rush especially, look downright depressed that they agreed to make this mess of a movie. This is a bad film, and, because it takes itself so seriously, it’s not fun to watch. It's the kind of film that, thirty minutes into it, I wished it would end.  My wish was granted an hour and thirty-seven minutes later.   My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Gods of Egypt Website

Indiefest:  The Club  (2015)  Four retired Catholic priests share a house in a small Chilean beach town.  Their world is turned upside down when a fifth man shows up and makes them relive the past. This is an hard film to watch. The four priests have all done bad things (most seem to be child molesters) and have been moved to a small remote village on the coast. A fifth priest is sent to figure out if the house should be disbanded and so he interviews, at length, each priest about their past sins. The performances are riveting, especially the role of the housekeeper, played by Antonia Zegers, who has a past sin of her own. This is not a movie for the easily offended, but if you can tolerate the in-depth look at the subject, it’s well worth watching.  My Rating: Full Price   The Club Website

Forgotten Film:  The American Friend  (1977)  Directed by the great German filmmaker, Wim Wenders, this film is a modern film noir story. An American forger (Dennis Hopper) is living in Germany when he becomes a middleman between a dying picture framer (Bruno Ganz) and French gangster (Gerard Blain). The gangster needs a hit man, and, since the picture framer is dying, he decides to do the job. The American soon finds out that not everything is on the up and up. The film is shot almost as if it were a black and white film using shades of color to create what looks as almost textured darkness on-screen. Hopper gives one of his better performances, and the film will keep you guessing until the end.   My Rating:  Full Price   The American Friend Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Eddie the Eagle: Special Effects Teeth

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You (Repeated from June 2015.  That’s how long it has taken for this film to premiere):   The Bronze (2015)   R  A foul-mouthed former gymnast (Melissa Rauch) has made a living on the fact that she won an Olympic bronze medal. Now she is asked to put her ego aside and help mentor a new up-and-coming star. I love Melissa Rauch and am looking forward to seeing what director Bryan Buckley can do with this material. Buckley has directed some of the best commercials of the past ten years.    The Bronze Website

Until Next Time!

The Choice

My View:  The Choice  (2016)  Travis (Benjamin Walker) and Gabby (Teresa Palmer) are neighbors who just can’t get along.  Travis is a veterinarian who likes playing the field.  Gabby is studying to become a doctor and has a steady boyfriend (Tom Welling). Only Travis’s sister (Maggie Grace) knows that Travis is about to fall hard for Gabby.  Will Gabby fall equally for Travis?  What makes this film watchable, for all the Sparks schmaltz that’s in this movie, is that Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer work well with each other. They have exceptional chemistry on-screen, especially in those moments where they are bickering. There is quite a spark between them, and it's very apparent their characters are attracted to each other from the start, and that draw continues to build throughout the film. My biggest problem with the movie is that it almost slows to a stop when the big crisis starts happening. The crisis goes on way too long, forcing us to experience the agony of the situation for what seems like forever. However, the chemistry between the two lead makes this a movie that fans of Nicholas Sparks films will enjoy.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Choice Website

My View:  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)  A plague has hit 19th century Britain, and it’s turning the dead into zombies. Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) has been training her whole life in martial arts and weaponry. Now she, along with Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), must save the world from the zombie hoard. I enjoyed this film though I will say that it does take a bit of getting used to the blending of Jane Austen with horror. I thought that action sequences were fun, and Lily James did a fantastic job as a samurai zombie killer. I thought there was excellent chemistry between James and Sam Riley, who plays Mr. Darcy. The plot is a little complicated, has a lot of players to contend with, and I didn’t quite understand the logistics of where everything was, but I still had a good time watching this weird mix of genres.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Facebook Page

Indiefest:  Hail, Caesar!  (2016)  Eddie (Josh Brolin) is a Hollywood “fixer” who helps the studio produce their blockbuster, “Hail, Caesar!” starring the famous actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney). When Whitlock is kidnapped, it’s up to Eddie to rescue him with the aid of one of the studio’s biggest stars, singing cowboy (Alden Ehrenrech) Hobie Doyle. I liked this film, but with this cast and the Coen brothers as Producers, I should have loved it. I didn’t laugh enough and found the film very quirky. The film barely has a plot because I think the Coen brothers just wanted to make a movie that celebrated the Hollywood of the old studio system of the forties and fifties. We see scenes being shot and then, later (in a screening room or at a premiere), we see those actual scenes. The movies within the movie are the best things about this film. The Channing Tatum dance number is brilliant, and the Scarlet Johansson water dance sequence is fun. Alden Ehrenrech, as the simple singing cowboy, is exceptional and his scene where he’s trying to learn a line with Ralph Fiennes as a director of fancy dramas is brilliant (though it does go on too long).  This is a film whose many parts are scintillating but when pieced together, just don’t mesh.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Hail, Caesar! Website

Forgotten Film:  Me Myself I  (1999)  Pamela (Rachel Griffiths) is an unhappy woman. She has sacrificed her home life to put everything into her job.  On her birthday, she gets drunk and finds a picture of a guy (David Roberts) whose proposal she turned down.  She wonders what if she had said yes.  The next day she gets hit by a car and wakes up discovering that she is in a parallel universe where she did marry the guy, and they have a family. Rachel Griffiths gives a winning performance in this funny and sweet film. She is so much fun to watch as she deals with problems she has never before had to handle.    My Rating: Full Price   Me Myself and I Info

Weird Credits: From the movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:  Weather Consultant

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Eddie the Eagle  (2016)  Eddie (Taron Egerton) has a dream to compete in the Olympics as a ski jumper. The only problem is he has never ski jumped before, and the Winter Olympics are only a year away. Can he talk Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), a washed out, drunken ex-ski jumper into coaching Eddie?  The trailer is funny and charming, plus the film has Hugh Jackman, which is always a plus.   Eddie the Eagle Website

Until the Next Time!