The Creator

My View: The Creator (2023) PG-13 The Creator depicts an ongoing conflict between humanity and 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 might be the little girl that Joshua has just rescued. I liked this film, but I can’t say I loved it. It’s a big, sprawling film meant to be seen on the big screen. This is a film that covers a lot of ground, and that is why I didn’t connect with it as much as I wanted to. The film deals with AI and how we will treat the robots we create once they start thinking for themselves. With overtones of the Vietnam War, big government gone wrong, and immigration, the film tries to bring all this together in one story told over two hours, and it seems to lose its focus along the way. The film is also about love lost, the guilt of not being truthful, and the actions of the present to make up for the mistakes of the past. I think that sci-fi fans will enjoy the film, but if you aren’t a fan, this film and its complicated plot may be too much to overcome. For this fan, I liked it, but I don’t know if I will ever revisit it.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Creator Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My View: Dumb Money (2023) R   Keith Gill (Paul Dano) has a Reddit channel about stocks. He tells his followers to buy GameStop, and it goes viral, taking the stock into the stratosphere and making Keith a millionaire almost overnight. However, Keith has made a lot of big-time hedge fund investors mad, and they are out for revenge. This is a film about the little guy who tries to make some money honestly and has the guts to back it up. Dumb Money is a fun film that takes a complex story and makes it enjoyable to follow along. What I love about this film is that it lets us see the stories of other small investors, like the guy working at GameStop and the couple of college students who fall in love while on this investing journey. Paul Dano is perfect as the guy who spoke to a small group of people on his webpage and, somehow, became a crusader who battled the big investors and beat them at their own game. I am not a Pete Davidson fan, but he is perfectly cast as Keith’s brother, who keeps everything real, even much to the annoyance of Keith himself. And I love America Ferrera’s performance as a nurse who invests her money in GameStop and lets it ride on the roller coaster that is the stock market. Dumb Money is a film that is a blast to watch, especially when the big boys start squirming.   My Rating: Full Price  Dumb Money Website  Now playing in theatres.

My View: Saw X (2023) R  Saw X occurs in the past when John Kramer (Tobin Bell) had cancer and was desperate for a cure. He travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure for a miracle cure, only to discover that the entire operation is a scam. They have tricked the wrong person, and it’s time for John to get revenge. A review of the film will be up tomorrow night. The Saw franchise has always been interesting, with a character torturing people while having a strange sense of morality. This is the tenth film, but it occurs between the first and second Saw films. We know who John Kramer is and what he does. And we also know that he doesn’t work alone. This film is a bit different, first with an outstanding performance from Tobin Bell, as our mad torture designer. This film has bloody and gruesome deaths, as you would expect. Interestingly, in this film, John is the hero, not the villain. Oh sure, he still puts people in horrible situations where they have to maim and torture themselves to live, but John is dealing with some very bad people. The latest Saw movie is great for Saw lovers and horror enthusiasts. However, if you didn't enjoy the previous Saw films, this one may not be for you. My Rating: Bargain Matinee Saw X Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Reptile (2023) R Reptile is a story of a real estate agent’s murder. Detective Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro) tries to find the truth, but everyone he meets is a suspect, and nothing is what it seems. I liked this detective movie about a man who can’t let things go. Everyone thinks Tom is a hero, but he still feels that there is something more to the story, and he keeps digging. I loved the chemistry between del Toro and Alicia Silverstone, who plays his wife. The two have a great rapport going, and it’s fun when his wife keeps giving him facts she has learned from true crime stories. The mystery is a little too easy to solve, and the ending is too tidy, but it is the journey to get there that is the fun part, and del Toro, who co-wrote the script, brings us along on his way to solve a crime that is more complicated than anyone would guess.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Reptile Website Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

Indiefest: Radical Wolfe (2023)   Documentary on the life and writing of Tom Wolfe, the bestselling author of groundbreaking books The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and The Bonfire of the Vanities. I am a big fan of Tom Wolfe, and I was pleased with how much of Wolfe’s personality and writing style came across in the film. Tom's life and the impact of his writing are well depicted in the movie, starting from his articles in magazines and newspapers to his successful books. Wolfe was a man whose public bought his books in droves even before the reviews came out, making him a household name and favorite of late-night talk shows. He was a writer with his own style, which captured a nation for almost as long as he wrote his stories. I hope that people who see this film will discover the beauty of his writing and how he expertly captured the people and time he wrote about.   My Rating: Full Price  Radical Wolfe Website  Now playing in theatres. 

My View: Fair Play (2023) R  An unexpected promotion at a hedge fund is given to Emily (Phoebe Dynevor), who is in a relationship with another employee, Luke (Alden Ehrenreich). The couple is newly engaged, but this job will test their relationship to the brink and may threaten to unravel far more than their love for each other. I admit that sometimes I have trouble with films where I don’t like any of the characters. This is the case with Fair Play, where I was not too fond of either character from the start of the film. That being said, that’s not my problem with this film. It’s that the character of Luke, who starts as, at least in Emily’s eyes, the perfect boyfriend, quickly goes from that to the rails guy who can’t handle that he isn’t the golden boy he thought he was. I will not give away too much, but I hated two scenes in the film: one that takes place in a bathroom, where Emily succumbs to, I guess, lust or loss, and then the ending, which I found almost comical. The characters are flat and shallow, and the plot becomes ludicrous (how a couple living together can hide that fact from their employer is beyond me). Fair Play wasn’t a film that ever connected to me, and I felt the running time of almost 2 hours was too long to spend with two people I couldn’t care less about.   My Rating: Cable  Fair Play Website  Now playing in theatres and premiering on the Netflix platform on Friday, Oct. 6th.

Sorry I Missed It (A film that I didn’t see in theatres but have seen recently): Honor Society (2022)   Honor (Angourie Rice) is determined to survive her senior year at high school and get accepted in Harvard, and nothing is going to stop her. When Honor discovers she has three rivals for that Harvard spot, she plans to take all three of them down. Honor might be her name, but she isn’t about to be honest, fair, or have integrity when getting her way. I loved this film from the first frame, where Honor talks directly to us, giving us the layout of her life, including her parents, friends, and teachers. If Ferris Buller and Tracy Flick had a kid, it would be Honor. Honor will let nothing or anyone get in her way, and she is a master of concocting schemes to accomplish her goals. Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys, The Last Thing He Told Me) is perfect in the role of Honor, a teen who plays everyone like a master puppeteer, getting them to do exactly what she wants while acting like she is their best friend. Honor Society is if John Hughes had written a film for the TikTok/YouTube gang. It’s full of fun and unique characters, from jocks to nerds, with a dash of not-quite-so-mean girls, making the film a blast.  My Rating: Full Price   Honor Society Info Available on Amazon or Apple TV. 

Forgotten Film: King Creole (1958) PG  Danny (Elvis Presley) has flunked graduation for a second time and needs money to support his father (Dean Jagger). Danny finds a job as a singer at the King Creole nightclub, the only club in the city not run by mobster Maxie Fields (Walter Matthau). How long will Danny and the club’s success be ruined by the mobster who can’t stand anyone making money other than himself? Though I enjoy Viva Las Vegas more (because of the chemistry between Elvis and Ann-Margret), this is the film that shows that Elvis could act if given the right material and a director who knew what to do with him. Legendary director Michael Curtiz, whose career included Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood, directed the film. Elvis was in brilliant company with actors including Walter Matthau, Dean Jagger, Vic Morrow, Paul Stewart, and Carolyn Jones, who plays the woman Maxie sends to seduce Danny over to the wrong side and falls in love instead. I have a feeling the setting reminded Elvis of the small clubs that he used to hang out in Memphis, and that setting meant that he was comfortable in the role, something that wasn’t always the case (i.e., most of the late ‘60s Elvis films). With last year’s Elvis, this year’s documentary Reinventing Elvis, and the upcoming bio-pic Priscilla, now would be the time to see some Elvis magic.   My Rating: Full Price   King Creole Info   The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and Apple TV.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dumb Money: Standby Prop

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Priscilla (2023) R Teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets rock and roll superstar Elvis and begins a romance that the world followed until his death. Priscilla tells the one woman who knew Elvis the best in private moments: a thrilling crush, an alley in loneliness, and a vulnerable best friend. Directed by Sofia Coppola, the film won Cailee Spaeny the Best Actress Award at the 2023 Venice Film Festival.   Priscilla Website  In theatres on Nov. 3rd. 

Until Next Time!

Mike's Fearless 2023 Oscar Picks

These are who I think will win the Academy Awards, not who I think should win.

Best Picture:  Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Director:  Daniel Kwan & Daniel Schreinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Actor: Austin Butler - Elvis   Could Win:    Brendan Fraser - The Whale

Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All at Once  Could Win: Cate Blanchett - Tar

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Supporting Actress:  Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All at Once   Could Win: Angela Bassett - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Best Original Screenplay:  Daniel Kwan & Daniel Schreinert - Everything Everywhere All at Once  Could Win:  Martin McDonagh -  The Banshees of Inisherin

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sarah Polley - Women Talking

  Could Win: Edward Berger, Ian Stokell & Lesley Paterson - All Quiet on the Western Front

Best International Pictures:  All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)

Best Animated Feature:  Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Best Documentary: Navalny  Could Win:  Fire of Love

Best Original Score:  Volker Bertelmann - All Quiet on the Western Front   Could Win:  Justin Hurwitz - Babylon

Best Original Song: M.M. Keeravaani & Chandrabose, “Naatu Naatu” - RRR   Could Win:   Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna & Tems, “Lift Me Up” - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Best Cinematography:  James Friend - All Quiet on the Western Front   Could Win:    Mandy Walker - Elvis

Best Editing:  Paul Rogers - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Costume Design: Catherine Martin -  Elvis  Could Win:  Shirley Kurata - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Best Production Design:  Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy & Bev Dunn - Elvis   Could Win: Florencia Martin & Anthony Carlino - Babylon 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:  Elvis   Could Win:  The Whale

Best Visual Effects:  Avatar: The Way of Water  Could Win:  Top Gun: Maverick

Best Sound: Top Gun: Maverick  Could Win:  Elvis 

Best LIve-Action Short:  Le Pupille  Could Win:  The Red Suitcase

Best Animated Short:  The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse    Could Win:  My Year of Dicks

Best Documentary Short:  Stranger at the Gate   Could Win: The Elephant Whisperers

Elvis

My View: Elvis (2022)  PG-13  Elvis is the story of how a young man (Austin Butler) from Tupelo, Mississippi, became the ‘King of Rock and Roll.’ However, it’s also how a man named Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) discovered Elvis on a local radio broadcast and guided him to the top, only to keep Elvis from becoming more. I think this is a film that only Elvis fans will love. Now, right from the start, Austin Butler gives us an outstanding performance, showing us just how Elvis was able to become the icon that he continues to be to this day. It’s a performance full of energy and charisma, something that a young Elvis had in spades. You can see why Butler spent a week in a hospital recovering from the shoot, as every song he performs is done right from his soul, just as Elvis did. It is worth the price of a ticket to see Butler give it his all as the ‘King.’ Unfortunately, director/co-writer Baz Luhrmann went with Colonel Tom Parker as the narrator of the film, placing some of the subject matter not on Elvis but on the man who discovered Elvis and controlled his career from the early days until Elvis died at a young 42. I love Tom Hanks, but this is one of the weakest performances he has ever given. It’s almost cringe-worthy, as Hanks is outfitted in a fat suit that looks uncomfortable to wear and has an accent that grates on your nerves every time he talks. Making Colonel Tom the narrator puts the spotlight more on the Colonel's character than on Elvis, and often we get what the Colonel is thinking instead of what is going on in Elvis’s mind. The film is almost two hours and forty minutes, and when Elvis isn’t performing, you feel the film drag. I also have a feeling that Luhrmann’s penchant for mixing in modern songs with classics will be grating to audiences wanting to see Elvis perform his hits instead of getting a hip-hop melody to start the film. The film tries to cover too much of Elvis’s life (though I am always shocked that he died so young) and probably would have been a more enjoyable film just covering his early years, maybe leaving the story when Elvis made his magical 1968 TV special comeback. I did love the scenes of a young Elvis hanging out with the likes of B.B. King and Little Richard and how he used to revel in going to all the blues bars in Memphis when he was starting out. There is a beautiful and moving scene near the end of the film when an overweight and near the end of his life Elvis, sits down at the piano and lets us see the power of a man who could move whole crowds to tears. Overall, this is a film that allows the center stage to not be on the man we called the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ but on the man pulling the strings from backstage, which hurts the film and its story.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Elvis Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide. 

My View: The Black Phone (2021) R   The Black Phone is about a small town in 1978 Colorado where five children have suddenly gone missing. Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) is a shy thirteen-year-old boy who is abducted by the sadistic killer (Ethan Hawke) of the five and is thrown into a soundproof room with no way out. Finney is stuck in the room with his fate in the hands of his abductor. That is until a disconnected black phone in the room starts ringing. Ethan Hawke keeps giving us interesting characters to love or hate on the screen, and in the character of ‘The Grabber,’ we have another iconic character to hate and root against. Not only is this one of the best horror films of the year, I think that it is a sure bet to be in my top ten films of the year. Part horror film, part ghost story with a whole lot of suspense thrown in, we get a tale that will thrill and shock you without a lot of jump-out-of-the-dark scares. I loved the storyline, which is rich with characters you care about, including Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), the feisty and sometimes foul-mouthed younger sister, whose ability to dream about The Grabber, maybe a way to find her brother. McGraw gives us a much-needed comic relief as she spouts profanities at the detectives she thinks are messing up the case. Mason Thames does a wonderful job as Finney, a boy who has always relied on others to save him but now must muster the strength and courage to save himself. I won’t give much away about the mysterious phone, but to say it’s a nice twist on the horror story, and the film continues to give us surprises up until the very end. So go see if you can figure a way out for Finney to escape before The Grabber decides to move on to his next victim.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Black Phone Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On (2021) PG   Marcel the Shell (voiced by Jenny Slate) lives in an Airbnb with his grandmother Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini). Marcel and Connie were separated from the rest of their family when the homeowners broke up, and Marcel’s family and friends were accidentally packed away in the move. Marcel’s luck is about to change when a filmmaker (Dean Fleischer-Camp) moves into the Airbnb and begins filming Marcel, putting his adventures on the Internet. Can Marcel’s newfound fame help him find his lost family? I am a fan of the Marcel the Shell shorts that got a massive reception on YouTube. They were funny, adorable, and highly creative. I am happy to say that making the shorts into a full-length feature film hasn’t lost any of the magic of those shorts. You will fall in love with Marcel and his adorable outlook on life. Jenny Slate is perfect as the voice of Marcel, giving him a personality full of hope, wonder, and kindness, along with a wicked sense of humor. The film, like in the shorts, lets Slate riff on many subjects, especially when she is talking with the filmmaker documenting Marcel’s life, making this film a joy to watch. There were times I was laughing so hard that I didn’t get all the dialogue that Marcel was spouting. The storyline is sweet and heartwarming, as Marcel goes on a quest to find his long-lost family. You will fall in love with Marcel and want to experience more of his adventures after seeing this film. And if you are still not convinced about seeing this film, Isabella Rossellini, as Marcel’s grandmother, will fill your heart with warmth and love. Bring the whole family and see the world through the eyes of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.   My Rating: Full Price   Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Rise  (2022) PG   Rise is about three Nigerian-Greek brothers who, with their parents, moved to Greece from Nigeria, seeking a better life. The family struggled to make a life in Greece, selling souvenirs to tourists with the threat of deportation always hanging over their heads. The brothers start playing basketball as a way to blow off steam and are discovered by an agent, who tells them that one day they might play in the NBA. I didn’t know much about the life of Giannis Antetokounmpo, known to NBA fans as the ‘Greek Freak,’ a man who has taken the world of basketball by storm, winning multiple MVP awards and a leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a World Championship. This is the story of perseverance, faith, and family, as Giannis (Uche Agada) and his older brother, Thanasis (Ral Agada), take up basketball on a lark and become, through both natural talent and hard work, good enough to play in the NBA. However this is not only a tale of two brothers going on to be pro players, but about a family that for years spent their lives hiding and running from the law, with their parents running from the troubles in their home country of Nigeria. Rise is a story about family and how difficult it is to be a refuge in another country, always with the specter of deportation hanging over your head, all the while trying to navigate through the bureaucracy of a government that puts up roadblocks after roadblocks that almost make it impossible of getting your status legal. The film gives us a story about perseverance and believing in yourself, making it an enjoyable picture about beating the odds that seem stacked against you.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Rise Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

My View: Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (2022) Your favorite slacker idiots are back, and the guys are headed to space camp, where they manage to get themselves sent into space, find a black hole and are transported to 24 years into the future…to 2022. God help us all. Mike Judge has brought back our idiot best friends, Beavis and Butt-Head, as they travel through time, all in an attempt to score with a lady astronaut. If you are a fan of the MTV show (remember when MTV had something on besides Ridiculousness?), you will love the latest adventures of stupid best friends who have only one thing on their mind; oh wait, two things on their mind; sex and nachos. This is a fun romp with the guys as they time-travel from the 90s to the present, encountering iPhones, Siri, aliens, and the Me Too generation. I noticed how quickly I fell back into watching these idiots travel around Texas searching for their astronaut, enjoying the pattern of the guys doing the absolutely stupidest things because of their one-track minds. My favorite part of the film is when Beavis, thinking he is talking to the astronaut, has a heart-to-heart conversation with Siri. So grab a plate of nachos with extra cheese and sit down to travel back to the 90s and watch the stupidity make you laugh.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee      Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe Website  Now playing on the Paramount+ platform.

My View: Love & Gelato (2022)   Lina (Susanna Skaggs) promised her mother on her death bed that she would spend the summer in Rome before college. It was a magical place for Lina’s mother, and now Lina will discover that the city has magic left over for her too. As a film critic whose guilty pleasure is watching bad Hallmark movies, I have a soft part in my heart for the Young Adult films that Netflix has been putting out, some good (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Dumplin’), some rotten (The Kissing Booth 3). This one is in the middle of the pack. What I didn’t like about the film is a pretty shaky plot at best. I won’t give away the secret of why the mom wants Lina to go to Rome, but it has a lot of baggage that seems a little harsh to put a teen through. Also, I was not too fond of Lina being torn between bad-boy Alessandro and good-guy Lorenzo. There are red flags all over the place in her relationship with Alessandro, most of which she doesn’t see, and it doesn’t help that her best friend keeps pushing for her to choose him. I liked the sweet and fun storyline between Lorenzo, a sad sack boy with a heart of gold and a chef’s touch, who seems perfect for Lina, but fate seems to want to keep them apart. Love & Gelato isn’t a bad film; instead, it's an enjoyable watch, and Susanna Skaggs has the right amount of sweetness, goofiness, and vulnerability to root for, plus the film uses the settings of both Rome and Florence to make this film worth at least a lazy Saturday afternoon watch.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Love & Gelato Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

My View: The Man from Toronto (2022) PG-13   Teddy (Kevin Hart) is an ordinary guy who tends to screw up things up. Teddy mistakenly goes to the wrong Airbnb rental and gets mistaken for a hired assassin who goes under the name ‘The Man from Toronto.’ Consequently, Teddy is saved at the last minute by the FBI, who now want him to go undercover as ‘The Man from Toronto.’ One problem, the real ‘Man’ (Woody Harrelson) is hot on Teddy’s trail. With a plot as weak as Kevin Hart’s acting, the only reason to see this film is Woody Harrelson’s performance as the steely-eyed assassin, ‘The Man from Toronto.’ Harrelson is the only funny thing is this too-long attempt to make a comedy out of the mistaken identity plot which centers on the idea that anyone would believe that Teddy could ever impersonate a hit man whose mere presence makes men weep. The film keeps trying to give Hart center stage to go nuts, but everything that Hart does seems so over the top and forced that it bogs down a film that seems to last days instead of its overly long hour and fifty minutes. By the end of the movie, we are asked to forget that Harrelson’s character is the type of man who carves people up and think that he’s just fine to date the best friend of Teddy’s wife. If you must watch this film, then I suggest you fast forward anytime Hart is on screen without Harrelson and just enjoy the scenes that Woody gets to dominate with a stare and a few words.   My Rating: Cable  The Man from Toronto Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Press Play (2022) PG-13   Laura (Clara Rugaard) has just lost the love of her life, Harrison (Lewis Pullman), to a tragic accident. While playing a mix-tape that the two made together, she discovers she can go back in time. Can Laura stop the accident from happening? This is a romance film with a little bit of science fiction thrown. It explores the idea of what would you do or choose if you could go back in time and fix something that had horrible ramifications on your life and those you love. I loved the chemistry on screen between Clara Rugarrad and Lewis Pullman, as their romance seems real and gives off the feeling that their characters were meant to be together. It doesn’t hurt to have someone like a grizzled Danny Glover in the cast as a lovable shop owner of the place where Laura and Harrison first met. There are a few nice twists and turns to the plot to keep you guessing how this film will turn out. So put some batteries in your old tape player and get ready to go back in time with a song or two in order to save a romance.   My Rating: Full Price    Press Play Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) PG-13  Years after WWII, Ishmael Chambers (Ethan Hawke), a newspaper owner/reporter, covers a murder trial of a Kazuo, a fisherman of Japanese descent. The man Kazuo is accused of murder was white, and the shadow of what Japan did in WWII is still fresh in the townspeople's minds. To complicate things further, Kazuo’s wife, Hatsue (Yuki Kudo), was once the love of Ishmael’s life. Will the sins of a country convict a man before he even goes to trial? I am a huge fan of Ethan Hawke, and he gives us a moving and nuanced performance of a man who came back from WWII with both physical and emotional scars. The film covers a lot of ground and brings an emotional impact to the storyline, covering what was done to the Japanese-American population on the West Coast during WWII and its long-ranging implications. And into all that is a murder mystery that isn’t easily solved. My Rating: Full Price   Snow Falling on Cedars Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Black Phone: Masks Created and Designed By

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Fall (2022) PG-13   Best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) find themselves at the top of a 2,000-foot radio tower. The trailer I saw doesn’t tell us why they are on the tower, but if you can watch the trailer without flinching, then you will be able to watch this film in the theatres. I don’t know if I can.   Fall Info

Until Next Time!

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

My View: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) PG-13   Due to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casting a forbidden spell, the doorway to the multiverse has been opened. Consequently, alternate realities are now running rampant, including multiple versions of Doctor Strange. It's a threat to humanity that Doctor Strange, Wong (Benedict Wong), and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) will need their power and skill to repair before it's too late.  I was always a fan of Doctor Strange when I was a kid, mostly because he always had an attitude when doing superhero stuff, and this film continues that trend. Part fantasy, part horror, this film is a fun and enjoyable mix that takes you on an adventure into the multiverse. If you didn’t see the Wandavision TV series, you might be a little lost on some of the plot as Wanda plays a massive part in this film. Small kids may have a tough time with this one as there are some rather horrific characters in this film, both on the good and bad sides. There are some really cool surprises in this film, and the action is almost non-stop, with a final faceoff that keeps you guessing until the end. There are two extra scenes in the credits, one setting up the next Doctor Strange film, and the other is just a blast from the past (at least the director, Sam Raimi's past) . So go on an adventure with the Doctor and help him save not only our time but the rest of the multiverse.   My Rating:  Full Price  Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Indiefest: The Duke  (2020) R   The Duke takes place in England in 1961, where a priceless painting has been stolen from the National Gallery, Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington. Was it a master thief? A gang of thieves working for an underground collector? Surprisingly, it was Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 60-year-old taxi driver who has hidden the painting in his wife's closet. Jim Broadbent is marvelous as a kind of modern-day Robin Hood (or maybe Don Quixote) as he is intent on fighting for the little man, especially the war veterans from WWI, who are in their twilight years. The interplay between Broadbent's Kempton and his long-put upon wife, Lily, played by Helen Mirren, is a wonder to watch. Mirren gives a restrained performance as the wife who continously puts up with Kempton's attempts to protest against the government, all the while the two are both still grieving the loss of their daughter many years ago. The Duke is a heartwarming true tale (though they fudge a bit with some of the story) about a remarkable man who steadfastly fought for the Everyman and his genuinely unique family.   My Rating: Full Price  The Duke Website   Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Along for the Ride (2022)   Auden (Emma Pasarow) has spent her whole life studying with her nose in a book. When Auden goes to a coastal town to spend the summer before college with her divorced father, she decides to live a little. On a late-night stroll, she meets Eli (Belmont Cameli), and the two embark on a nightly quest to help Auden experience the carefree life she never knew she needed. This is an enjoyable summer romance film with a likable cast. Emma Pasarow reminded me of a teenage Jennifer Garner with a winning presence about her that is very appealing. Pasarow has excellent chemistry with Belmont Cameli, the mysterious young man who has decided to become Auden's guide to living. Andie MacDowell and Dermot Mulroney have very little to do in this film besides being distant parents, but this film isn't meant to be hard-hitting. It's an enjoyable fling that follows a script that we all know too well but still enjoy, where everyone is happy in the end.   My Rating; Bargain Matinee  Along for the Ride Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Petite Maman (2021) PG   Eight-year-old Nelly (Josephine Sanz) has just lost her maternal grandmother. Her parents and Nelly travel to the grandmother's home to empty it out. Nelly's mother can't handle the sorrow of being back in the house and leaves in the middle of the night. The next day Nelly goes out into the surrounding woods to play and meets a girl her age named Marion building a fort. Unquestionably, there is magic in this forest of Nelly's. Petite Maman is a short, sweet, heartwarming tale of a young girl dealing with one of life's hardest lessons, the act of grieving. This is a film that oozes with warmth and heart, brought forth by a breathtaking performance by Josephine Sanz, giving us a look into a little girl's life and her ability to deal with life, and all the problems that it presents to us. I just wish we all had a magical forest to retreat to, but at least we have Nelly's.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again     Petite Maman Website  Now playing in select theatres.

Forgotten Film: Undertow (2004) R   Two brothers (Jamie Bell and Devon Alan) are being raised by their father (Dermot Mulroney), who still mourns the loss of their mother while living on an isolated pig farm in rural Georgia. Things change when the father's ex-con brother (Josh Lucas) comes to the farm. Things get ugly over a family mystery surrounding some gold coins, and the two brothers run away, going on an adventure throughout the deep south that will change their lives forever. This film is a mix of Mark Twain and Southern Gothic, with a cast of characters that sometimes don't feel real but always pack a punch of emotion. The cast is outstanding, with even an appearance by a young Kristen Stewart as one of the boy's girlfriend. This film is a little strange at times but is full of emotional moments that will not be forgotten. My Rating: Full Price   Undertow Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Duke: Rushes Runner

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Elvis (2022)   The look at the life of the man, the myth, and the legend, Elvis Presley. The film stars Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Olivia DeJonge (The Visit) as Priscilla, and Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood) as Elvis. Written and directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!, The Great Gatsby), this should be interesting to watch. I hope it captures the magic of Elvis.   Elvis Website  Scheduled for a late June 2022 release.

Until Next Time!