The Flash

My View: The Flash (2023)  PG-13  Barry Allen, aka The Flash (Ezra Miller), uses his super speed to change the past and bring back his mother from the dead. However, messing with the past can have massive effects, including creating a world without heroes. The Flash’s only hope: a retired Batman, another Barry, and an imprisoned Kryptonian. The Flash is an attempt to reboot the DC superhero franchise. Does it succeed? Yes and no. The film is helped by an outstanding performance by Ezra Miller, who plays Barry as a young man who desperately wants to be a superhero but also wants to, somehow, someway fix the mistakes of the past. Barry discovers that through a thing called Speed Force, he can go fast enough to travel back in time. The Flash isn’t the first DC movie to do this (Christopher Reeve’s Superman), but it’s the first to do something that impacts every part of the DC universe. Because of the Flash using Speed Force to change the past successfully, it affects the present, and that’s when things get messy. It’s not a secret that Michael Keaton gets to get back into the Batman costume, and I am happy to say that it’s not just a one-scene appearance, but Keaton’s Batman is a major cog in the film and how The Flash is going to right things in the universe. I liked the action sequences and the amount of humor in the movie, but the film goes on for too long and tries to explain everything in detail. Having been a fan of The CW’s The Flash TV series, I am very aware of the Speed Force ability of Flash and the consequences that it can create. There are some fantastic cameos, and I enjoyed a new take on Supergirl (played by Sasha Calle), but an ending that seemed too easy to defeat the bad guy let me down. The Flash has created a DC multiverse with a ton of possibilities to explore in the future. It will be interesting to see where DC films go from here and how much Ezra Miller’s the Flash will be involved with them. And yes, there is a post-credit scene that brings up more questions.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Flash Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

Familyfaire: Elemental (2023)  PG  Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) and Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) live in a city where fire, water, land, and air residents work and play. Ember, a fire resident, and Wade, a water resident, aren’t meant to interact, but they start up a friendship, much to the dismay of their family and friends. Can fire and water really mix? Elemental may not be remembered for long, which is a pity, as its story of finding love in unexpected places is beautiful. Elemental is more a film for kids than adults, and they will love the brilliant animation and the unique world that it depicts. I love the two main characters. Ember wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and take over his store, but sometimes wishes she could do more. Wade is a good-hearted guy, a bit over-emotional, whose heart is huge, and who sees the best in everyone. The two star-crossed lovers learn that even though their worlds are so different, they can find common ground to explore together. I think the weak link in the film is that it isn’t as funny as I wanted it to be. Still, this is a beautiful tale worth seeing on the big screen. So go into a world where fire and water don’t mix…until they do.  There is a short film called Carl's Date, starring Carl (voiced by the late Ed Asner) and Dug the Dog from Up, before the feature film. It is a major disappointment, nowhere near past Academy Award-winning shorts that Pixar has made. It's basically a one joke story that tries to tug on your memories of that beautiful film and fails badly.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Elemental Website  Now playing in the theaters nationwide.

My View: The Blackening (2022) R  Seven black friends go away for a weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin and forced to play a game created by a killer who has a vendetta. Can the group use their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies to help them survive? Probably not. This film uses horror tropes and cliches about being Black in America, racism, and relationships for comedic effect. The game asks the group to answer questions. Some are trivia questions like ‘Name the five black actors who appeared on Friends.’ Other questions are more challenging and have dire consequences. The film uses films like Saw and any horror movie that takes place in the woods as fodder for the humor. The cast is fun and seems to have a good time making fun of horror films as they have to make choices that every horror film character has to make, like, should we stay together or split up? Should we go down to the basement? And what household items to use as protection (there is a nice callback on that one). The audience I saw it with had a blast and laughed throughout. I wanted a little more horror in the plot, but I still enjoyed the film, and the ending was a lot of fun.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  The Blackening Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Extraction 2 (2023) R  After barely surviving his last mission, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) has recovered enough to take on his next assignment. Tyler and his team are to extract a family from a Georgian gangster, who, along with his family, is in a maximum prison. This time the mission is personal, and it’s going to get messy. I wish Netflix had released this in theatres because some of the action sequences don’t belong on a small screen. The film starts where the last movie ended, with Tyler Rake victorious but on death’s door. He is soon rescued and is in isolated recovery (retirement?) when a new job is thrown his way and we are off. I find it interesting that the person offering the job is played by Idris Elba, which I think means that there are plans to make this more than just a sequel. There is an action sequence in the prison that has to be seen to be believed, with Chris Hemsworth’s character in hand-to-hand combat while on fire. Extraction 2 is not your ordinary action film because Rake is a character that not only takes a lot of punishment but is a character with a tortured past that makes him not care about his wellbeing, just completing the mission. We get to see more of what makes Tyler tick and how he bonds with his fellow soldiers, and who he rescues. The action is brutal, and the kill count must be in the hundreds. And if you think the action sequence is impressive in the prison (which is in the film’s first half), wait until the ending. So get to your big-screen TV, turn up the sound, and watch Tyler beat the crap out of a ton of bad guys. Will there be more Extraction films? I think you can count on a few more bad guys dying at the hands of Tyler in the future.   My Rating: Full Price   Extraction 2 Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Past Lives (2023)  PG-13   Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) were two childhood sweethearts who had a special connection. Then Nora moved away with her family to America and the two lost contact with each other. Twenty years later, they are reunited one fateful week in Seoul as they confront notions of love and destiny. One minor problem, Nora is married. Past Lives is one of the best films of the year, a sure bet to be on my top ten list. Past Lives is a film about love and how relationships don’t always work out how they should. It’s a film about what if. Nora has changed from when she was a kid living in Korea. She and Hae Sung have grown in different worlds, affecting how they view themselves and their place in society.. I loved Nora is in a good marriage with a husband, Arthur (John Magaro), who supports and understands her. Filmmaker Celine Song doesn’t make Arthur the villain of the film. Instead, the villain is time. What makes this film work is the brilliant performances of the two leads. Greta Lee is perfect as the headstrong young woman who has made a life in a new world and is happy but still wonders what her life would have been if she had stayed in Korea. Teo Yoo is fantastic as the idealistic young man who clings to a relationship rooted in the past. Hae Sung has years of living in a different culture than Nora, one with varying expectations of relationships, and that’s his downfall. Past Lives explores love and relationships, both ones that work and those that are better left in the past, because love doesn’t always end like a fairytale.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Past Lives Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest:  Persian Lessons  (2020)   In 1942, Gilles (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) is among his fellow Jewish prisoners facing a Nazi firing squad. Gilles, through a bit of luck, is able to talk his way from death by claiming he isn’t Jewish but Persian. An officer named Koch (Lars Eidinger) in the prison camp wants to learn Farsi so that after the war, he can move to Tehran and open a restaurant with his brother. He enlists Gilles to teach him Farsi, telling him as long as he can teach him the language, Gilles will live. The only problem, Gilles doesn’t know Farsi and will have to make up a language to teach the German. This is one of those films that I liked a lot, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse game that the officer and Gilles played back and forth. Gilles constantly must change his plan to adapt to the officer’s demands, and Koch is, at first, looking for a slip-up that signals Gilles isn’t Persian. The two actors work well with each other, and they overcome some awkwardly handled moments in the film. It’s hard to make a film set in The Holocaust where the horror of the situation doesn’t overwhelm the film’s plot, and Persian Lessons does an admirable job of focusing on Gilles's story and his almost impossible quest to survive. Persian Lessons is a story of one man’s clever survival and an interesting one at that. However, the story overshadows that so many perished, and we see them, much like the Nazis did, as a continuous progression of people coming into the camp and leaving to die without knowing who they were. That being said, the film keeps the tension going as Gilles somehow, someway, stays alive for another day.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Persian Lessons Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Sid & Nancy (1986) R  Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) was on top of the world as a member of the punk rock groundbreaking band the Sex Pistols. He was all about breaking the rules, drugs, and having a good time. Sid then met an American groupie named Nancy (Chloe Webb), and his world changed. Sid & Nancy is a Romeo and Juliet story of two people who loved each other but were on a collision course with disaster. Gary Oldman burst on the scene with this film, and it’s a remarkable performance, giving us a personal look at a man who was a tortured soul who found love, but it wasn’t enough.   My Rating: Full Price  Sid & Nancy Info  The film is available on DVD and BlueRay.

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Blackening: Assistant Crafty

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Oppenheimer (2023) R The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) who, at the urging of a desperate U.S. government wanting to end WWII, developed the atomic bomb. The film is from Christopher Nolan (The Dark Night series, Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017)) and boasts a cast that includes Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Gary Oldman, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and Olivia Thirlby. Many theatres will show this in 70mm, and it was shot entirely with IMAX cameras. Oppenheimer will be an event film not to be missed in theatres! Oppenheimer will be released nationwide on July 21, 2023.   Oppenheimer Website

Until Next Time!

The Little Mermaid

My View: The Little Mermaid (2023) PG  The youngest daughter of King Triton, Ariel (Halle Bailey), is a mermaid with adventure in her heart. Longing to find out about the world beyond the sea, she falls for the dashing Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Desperate to follow her heart, she makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), to experience life on land. Be careful of what you wish for. This is the best of the live-action remakes that Disney has done, which, of course, isn’t saying a lot. The problem with the Disney remakes of animated films is that the CGI creatures can’t show emotions as well as the animated characters can, making someone like Sebastian (voiced by Daveed Diggs) seem a little wooden in his performance. There are a few new songs with lyrics written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. One is a solo by Jonah Hauer-King, who plays Prince Eric. The song does an admirable job of giving us background into the character, but the piece falls flat and doesn’t fit with the rest of the film. Also, there is a rap song that Awkwafina does that just seems to make the film stop and doesn’t belong with the rest of the movie’s songs. Halle Bailey has a lovely voice and is extremely likable as Ariel, who longs to discover what being human is like. Melissa McCarthy does a great job as the evil Ursula, though I kept thinking about Pat Carroll, the original Ursula, who should have been nominated for her performance in the animated film. McCarthy makes the role her own and seems to have fun with the troublemaking Ursula. Unlike what I had heard (and seen from stills), the film is bright, with brilliant colors and magical underwater scenes. If you haven’t seen the original, especially for kids, the film will be a fine addition to the lineup, but if you are a fan of the original, you might be a little disappointed.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Little Mermaid Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: About My Father (2023) PG-13  Sebastian (Sebastian Maniscalco) is about to propose to his all-American girlfriend, Ellie (Leslie Bibb). When his old-school Italian immigrant father, Salvo (Robert De Niro), finds out about the proposal, Salvo insists on crashing a weekend with Ellie’s super-rich and very conservative parents (Kim Cattrall and David Rasche). The neighborhood may never recover. Sebastian Maniscalco is one of the hottest standup comedians out there. Unfortunately, that comedy doesn’t translate well to the screen. Maniscalco looks visibly uncomfortable on screen for most of the film, making him seem to be in one long audition tape instead of a major motion picture. The movie does a disservice by putting the few funny scenes in the trailer so that any laughs are lost because we see them coming all the way from New Jersey. About My Father is another of a long list of recent films that Robert De Niro has made that make you wonder what the heck his agent is giving him for scripts. Sebastian, the character, seems unhappy with anything his father does, and I can say that so does the audience.   My Rating: Cable  About My Father Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: You Hurt My Feelings (2023) R  Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a successful author, and her husband is a shrink named Don (Tobias Menzies). Beth and Don seem to have a great marriage, even when Beth is struggling with her writing. Things fall apart when Beth and her sister (Michaela Watkins) overhear Don telling someone that he thinks Beth’s newest work isn’t very good, but tells her only encouraging lies to keep her going. How can Beth trust Don ever again? I loved this film. It’s one of those films where I looked at my watch, not because I was counting down when it would end, but because I didn’t want it to end. The film is funny in a warm, comfortable way, with a winning performance from Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, whose world crumbles because she finds out that her loving, supporting husband might not always be telling her the truth. Michaela Watkins, playing Beth’s sister, gives us another winning performance as the sister who is always supporting not only Beth but also her own very neurotic husband (played by the hilarious Arian Moayed). I am of the opinion that Michaela Watkins should play a supporting role in every adult comedy that comes out because she is that good. You Hurt My Feelings is a film where you love the relationships in the movie, where the main couple love each other, and you know that even though they are going through a rough patch, things will work out in the end. We get to enjoy it while they work it out.   My Rating: Full Price  You Hurt My Feelings Website  Now playing in theatres.

My View: Kandahar (2023) R  Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) is an undercover CIA operative who, along with his Afghan translator (Navid Negahban), is stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan. When he is in a covert mission to blow up a nuclear plant, Tom’s identity and mission is exposed, and now the two men must fight their way out to an extraction point in Kandahar, all the while avoiding the elite special forces unit that has been sent to hunt them down. Look, you know, when you see a Gerard Butler film, you will get him being tough, full of action, and not talking much. Also know you will probably get some gunfights, car chases, and a few things blowing up. You get all that in this film that tries too hard to make the movie a little different in making statements about how badly we treated the translators in Afghanistan. You will need a scorecard to figure out all the players trying to capture Tom as he and his translator race across the desert to escape. Tom is pretty boring as a character (usual stuff where he has a troubled marriage because of his job and he loves his kid). However, Navid Negahban as his Afghan translator and Ali Fazal as the man trying to hunt Tom down make the film watchable. Fazal is a lot of fun as the bad guy who wears leather jackets and drives a motorcycle in the desert, though I never quite figured out who or what he worked for. You will enjoy this film if you are a fan of Butler and his shooting guns. I found it too long and confusing to care about anyone other than the translator.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Kandahar Website  Now playing in theatres. 

My View: The Machine (2023) R  Bert (Bert Kreischer) has told the story about how, 20 years ago, as a college student on a trip to Russia, got involved with the Russian mob and robbed a train while on a drunken binder. Now Bert and his father (Mark Hamill) will pay for that when they are kidnapped by those who Bert stole from 20 years ago. People that haven’t heard Bert Kreischer’s story about his college adventure in the Soviet Union as ‘The Machine’ will be clueless as to why Kreischer has become a big-time standup star after watching this mess of a movie. The film does a horrible job of telling ‘The Machine’ story, as it goes back to show us bits and pieces of what happened, stopping that storyline by abruptly going back to the present, which has a much less interesting plot. Kreischer plays himself in the film, which apparently is a stretch because Bert, the actor, is not great. I was shocked at the attempts at humor in using violence, with killings and assaults filling in for punch lines (no pun intended). The film does such a poor job of finding any humor that I don’t think I laughed once. It’s funny how this week we get two films about fatherhood (the other being About My Father), and both give us the idea that fathers are jerks, don’t know how to treat their loved ones, and are embarrassed about their own fathers. Stay away from this film and find Kreischer’s standup routine of the same name. You will have a much better time.   My Rating: Cable   The Machine Website  Now playing in theatres.

Indiefest: The Starling Girl (2023) R  Jem Starling (Eliza Scanlen) is a 17-year-old who, along with her parents (Jimmi Simpson and Wrenn Schmidt), are members of a fundamentalist Christian community, whose strict ways Jem is rebelling against. Jem’s world changes when the new youth pastor, Owen (Lewis Pullman), takes an interest in her. Jem will be forced to decide to follow the path of her church and her parents or forge her own path to love. Eliza Scanlen gives a moving and multifaceted performance of a young woman conflicted between her love of her faith and her infatuation with Owen. Scanlen perfectly plays the role of Jem as a young woman who desperately wants to fall in love and going for someone who will lead her down a path that could be the ruin of her. The Starling Girl is a film about faith and the conflicts life puts in our way. Do you choose what your mind tells you or what your heart does?   My Rating: Full Price  The Starling Girl Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest: The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future  (2022)   Cecilia (Leonor Varela) and her two children go back to her childhood home when her father, Pablo (Benjamin Sotto), becomes ill after seeing his long-lost wife Magdalena (Mia Maestro) outside a cell phone store. Magdalena took her own life long ago but has mysteriously returned. Is she a ghost or creature who has returned to right the wrongs of the past? I missed this film at the Atlanta Film Festival last month. The film is part ghost story, part ecological warning about how we are destroying the planet. The film features a spellbinding performance by Mía Maestro, who wanders around her family farm, connecting with each family member while never speaking. It’s a beautiful performance and makes this film worth watching. I wish the movie was stronger in the plot line, as it tries too hard to be mystifying without much of a result. Still, there are some enchanting shots, and the opening scenes get your attention, creating a world that doesn’t always show up in the rest of the film.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) G  A group of motorists witness a car crash in the California desert. The driver’s dying words indicate the location of a hidden pile of money, and the group starts a race across the state to find it before the rest of them can. This is one of those films when studios were desperate to compete with TV and piled as many stars, many of which were TV stars, into a film as possible. The cast includes Spencer Tracy, Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Phil Silvers, and Jonathan Winters. The fun of this film is trying to keep up with all the cameos, which include Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, Don Knotts, Leo Gorcey (of the Dead End Kids), and some fan favorites of mine, Mike Mazurki, and Stan Freberg. Look for Jack Benny and Jerry Lewis in tiny parts. The film was up for five Academy Awards, winning Best Sound Effects. It’s one long car chase with lots of crashes, people hanging off of ladders, and lots of pratfalls. Of all the cast, Jonathan Winters probably stands out. Look for Jack Benny wearing a bowler hat. That’s because the part was meant for Stan Laurel, who refused because he vowed never to perform again after Oliver Hardy died. Some of the dialogue was improvised, a rarity for such a big, costly production. There were only about 100 professional stunt performers in Hollywood. The film used 80 of them in this film.   My Rating: Full Price   It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Info  Available to buy or rent on Amazon or Apple TV.

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Little Mermaid: Rope Safety Consultants

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Elemental (2023) PG  Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) and Wade (voiced by Mamoudou Athie) live in a city where fire, water, land, and air residents work and play. Ember, a fire resident, and Wade, a water resident, aren’t meant to interact, but they start up a friendship, much to the dismay of their family and friends. Can fire and water really mix? All you need to know is that this animated film is from Pixar. Enough said!   Elemental Website In theaters in mid-June.

Until Next Time!