Halloween

My View:  Halloween  (2018) R Michael Myers comes back to get revenge on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) four decades after their first confrontation. Let me say first off that Jamie Lee Curtis gives one heck of a performance, giving the role everything she has. This is a sequel to the 1978 original film, it’s if all the other Halloween movies didn’t happen. So Michael has been locked up in a mental institution for the past 40 years. Laurie has been obsessed with Michael, convinced that he will come back for her and she wants to make sure she is ready. Laurie became obsessed with Michael has cost Laurie her family, her marriage broke up, her daughter taken away by child services when Laurie’s daughter was twelve. What I loved about this film is it captures the essence of the first film. The film continually references the first film both visually and in the storyline. The audience that I saw it with, thoroughly enjoyed the movie, continuously screaming throughout the film and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. I will say that this is different from the first film, the body count is high (only five people died in the first film) and extraordinarily bloody and violent. Lovers of the original will have a great time as Michael and Laurie battle it out once again.  My Rating: Full Price   Halloween Website

Indiefest:  The Guilty  (2018)  R  A police officer (Jakob Cedergren) is assigned alarm dispatch duty when he gets a call from a kidnapped woman. This tense thriller that has plenty of twists and turns, some of which I didn’t see coming and a plot that moves at a quick pace. The cool thing about this film is that it takes place all on the phone as the police officer attempts to track down the kidnapper and keep the kidnapped woman calm and alive. What starts out as an ordinary and boring night of answering and dealing belligerent, drunk callers turns into a night fraught with tension that continues to build as the film moves along. This Danish film that is their entry for the Foreign Film Academy Award competition is a riveting film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  My Rating:  Full Price    The Guilty Info

In Case You Missed It (A movie just released on DVD/Blu-Ray):  Eighth Grade (2018) R  Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is all about blending into the woodwork so that she doesn’t stand out. All Kayla wants to do is survive the last week of the eighth grade so she can start high school on a clean slate. Life has decided that Kayla should come out of the shadows. Kayla decides to give advice on how to navigate life through a series of YouTube videos. I loved this film, and Elsie Fisher is a delight to watch on screen. Her performance is heartfelt and beautiful and writer/director Bo Burnham treats her with a loving touch. The film is filled with beautiful moments about an awkward kid trying just to survive one last week of school. This is a film that everyone will enjoy going into the last week of eighth grade with Kayla.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again  Eighth Grade Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Johnny English Strikes Again  (2018) PG  After a cyber attack exposes all of the undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) comes out of retirement to find the hackers and bring them down. I have stated before I don’t get Rowan Atkinson’s style of comedy and I can’t believe they have now made three of these films. This one is not for me.    Johnny English Strikes Again Website

Forgotten Film:  Lymelife  (2009)  R  The story of two families in the 1970s that are struggling to stay together as seen through the eyes of two fifteen-year-old kids, Scott (Rory Culkin) and Adrianna (Emma Roberts). Charlie (Timothy Hutton) has Lyme disease, his wife, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon) is having an affair with their neighbor, Mickey (Alex Baldwin), whose wife, Brenda (Jill Hennessy) knows about the affair. The characters are complex and the acting, especially Hutton and Culkin, who give some of their best performances of their careers. This is a sad, sensitive film that sometimes delves in comedy.   My Rating: Full Price    LymeLife Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Halloween:  Prosthetics Lifecasting

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Overlord  (2018)  R  Two American soldiers find themselves behind enemy lines on D Day. It appears that the Nazi’s have been up to some very evil experiments. The trailer looks really scary, and it’s being produced by J.J. Abrams.   Overlord Website

Until Next Time!

Mission Impossible: Fallout

My View:  Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) R  Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team have a mission go wrong, and now Ethan is a wanted man. The MI series just gets better with every film. What I love about this series is that it keeps upping the game, making the action sequences bigger and bigger. I’m not a huge Tom Cruise fan but he gives it his all, and it is evident that he does almost all his own stunts. The action sequences are some of the best I’ve ever seen and the last fifteen minutes of the film are on the edge of your seat amazing. The plot has plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested, and the film moves at a breathtaking pace. I can’t express how much fun watching this film is. Just go see it.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Mission Impossible: Fallout Website

Familyfiare:  Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018)  PG  The five Teen Titans dream of Hollywood making a movie on their superhero antics. Robin (Scott Menville) must make a serious decision when a Hollywood director named Jade (Kristen Bell) decides she wants to make a film only about him. I went into this film knowing nothing about the Teen Titans and expected it to be another animated snooze fest. Instead, I encountered a delightful movie full of humor and fun. I was really surprised by this film, especially the sometimes really dark humor that fills this film. The film is a blast to watch, and adults will enjoy this film as much as their kid's will. My Rating:  Full Price   Teen Titans Go! To the Movies Website

Indiefest:  Blindspotting (2018) R  Collin (Daveed Riggs  and Miles (Rafael Casal) have been friends since their childhood. Colin has three days left on his probation, three days to stay out of trouble. The problem is that trouble just seems to follow everywhere Miles goes. The film moves defy between humor and seriousness. This is about friendship, race and the changing landscape of neighborhoods. Diggs and Casal have great chemistry on screen making this film work so well. This is a film that you will be thinking about long after you see it. My Rating; I Would Pay to See it Again   Blindspotting Website

Indiefest: Eighth Grade (2018) R  Kayla (Elsie Fisher) is all about blending into the woodwork so that she doesn’t stand out. All Kayla wants to do is survive the last week of the eighth grade so she can start high school on a clean slate. Life has decided that Kayla should come out of the shadows. Kayla decides to give advice on how to navigate life through a series of YouTube videos. I loved this film, and Elsie Fisher is a delight to watch on screen. Her performance is heartfelt and beautiful and writer/director Bo Burnham treats her with a loving touch. The film is filled with beautiful moments about an awkward kid trying just to survive one last week of school. This is a film that everyone will enjoy going into the last week of eighth grade with Kayla.  My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Eighth Grade Website

Indiefest:  Love, Cecil (2017)  Documentary about Academy Award-Winning costume designer Cecil Beaton. Incredibly exciting documentary on the life of a fantastic man. Photographer, costume designer, artist, writer, Beaton was a man of many talents, and this film highlights them all. Known for his Academy Award-winning designs for My Fair Lady and Gigi, he was a man of many talents and led an extraordinary life. The film showcases his life which was filled with celebrities and full of amazing stories. My Rating: Full Price   Love, Cecil Website

Forgotten Film:  The Unbelievable Truth (1989)  R  A man (Robert John Burke) returns home after serving time for homicide. He begins a relationship with Audry (Adrienne Shelly) who is obsessed with the end of the earth ending due to a nuclear war. This little-seen film is one of the best romantic comedies of the eighties. The film is filled with extraordinary characters that make the world of ordinary seem special. This isn't a film for everybody, but if you enjoy unusual movies that don’t follow the usual script, this is a film for you.  My Rating: Full Price   The Unbelievable Truth Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Mission Impossible: Fallout: Helicopter Fabrication

Coming Soon To a Theatre Near You: The Spy Who Dumped Me  (2018)  R  Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon) are best friends. They discover that Audrey’s ex is a spy and now the world depends on these two to  travel to Europe and save the world.  I loved the trailer, so I have high hopes for this film.   The Spy Who Dumped Me Website

Until Next Time!

Solo: A Star Wars Story

My View:  Solo: A Star Wars Story  (2018)  PG-13   Han (Alden Ehrenreich) is desperately trying to get back to the world where his girlfriend (Emilia Clarke) is held captive. He joins a thief (Woody Harrelson) and his band of thieves, meets his future co-pilot, Chewbacca, and encounters the flashy Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).  I enjoyed this origin’s story of how Han got the Millennium Falcon and how Chewbacca became his co-pilot. It’s a rollicking, fun adventure with a surprising number of laughs and some exciting chase sequences. I was worried when the studio cast Alden Ehrenreich for the part of Han, but Ehrenreich really pulls it off. The man who steals the movie is Donald Glover, playing Lando Calrissian to perfection. The film’s pacing is a little off, but that may be due to the film changing directors after it was already in production. Overall, I think that Star Wars fans will leave the theatre happy. I know I did. There is not an after credits scene in the film.   My Rating: Full Price

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Action Point (2018) R   An owner (Johnny Knoxville) of a failing amusement park decides that, to bring in the crowds, his thrill rides will be dangerous. I think all I have to say is the star of the film is Johnny Knoxville, who also came up with the story idea.

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on BlueRay and DVD): Wonderstruck (2017)  PG  Ben (Oakes Fegley) goes on a journey to New York to try and find his long-lost father, and we also see a young deaf girl named, Rose (Millicent Simmonds), 50 years ago, making her way through the streets of New York to see her mother (Julianne Moore). The film is divided into two stories: one takes place in 1927, is in black and white and is shown like a silent film (dialogue is displayed with title cards and a musical soundtrack), and one story is set in the 1970’s, is in color and uses a soundtrack of popular music from that time period. I loved the silent film part, and Millicent Simmonds (who is deaf in real life) is brilliant as the strong-willed Rose. The story, though, drags a bit in the 70’s section. I did enjoy the performance of Oakes Fegley, and I especially enjoyed Jaden Michael as Jamie, a kid who befriends Ben, and who breathes some life into the 70’s section. This is a film that I wanted to love but only liked. If only the 70’s scenes had lived up to the brilliance of the silent film part.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee

Forgotten Film:  Moon  (2009)  R  Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is about to go back to Earth after a three-year stint sending parcels of a resource that has helped diminish Earth’s power problems. His return to Earth is threatened when he encounters a major problem, a problem that may kill him. Moon is an extraordinary film exploring the loneliness and isolation in space. Rockwell gives one of his best performances, and the storyline has a few twists and turns that you don’t see coming. The film was made on a minimal budget, but it looks as good as 100 million dollar films.   My Rating: Full Price

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Solo: A Star Wars Story:  Action Vehicle Dressing Props

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Eighth Grade  (2018)  A teenager (Elsie Fisher) tries to survive her last week of middle school before she starts what she hopes will be a successful high school transition. This was the closing night film of the 2018 Atlanta Film Festival and got a lot of positive response.

Until Next Time!