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!

Blue Beetle

My View: Blue Beetle (2023) PG-13  Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is picked by an alien relic, a scarab, as its symbiotic host, giving Jaime a suit of armor capable of extraordinary but unpredictable powers. Jaime is about, no matter if he wants it or not, to become the superhero Blue Beetle. However, he is not alone. He has a family that always has his back. I loved this film. The film is about family and how when you need them, your family is there, ready to fight along with you. You will want to see this film with a crowd because it is so much fun. Xolo Maridueña is perfect as Jaime, a recent college graduate who comes back to find that his family is not doing well financially and health-wise. He has a ‘meet cute’ moment with a wealthy heir to a big corporation, Jenny (Bruna Marquezina), who gives Jamie a mysterious object that soon changes Jamie from an ordinary guy to a superhero. This film works because Maridueña’s Jaime is such a likable guy with a love for his family and his heritage. The LatinX portion of the film is the film’s center and how no matter the obstacles, Jaime and his family will overcome them. I felt the film’s only weak point was the evil bad guy, played by Susan Sarandon, who wants the scarab to power her company’s quest to become a supplier of symbiotic warriors. Sarandon doesn’t get to do much, but say a few lines and look like a powerful businesswoman. Adriana Barraza, who plays Jaime’s grandmother, overshadows Sarandon. Barraza steals the movie in the last 20 minutes of the film, and it’s worth the price of admission to see her. I even liked George Lopez as Jaime’s uncle, though it takes a while to warm up to his character. This is a superhero film that has lots of heart, and it does such a better job of making us enjoy the characters than some films that have come out in the past few years. I can’t wait to see this character develop and hope that Blue Beetle is one of the centerpieces of the new DC Universe.   My Rating: Full Price  Blue Beetle Website   Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: Strays (2023) R  Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) is a dog whose owner (Will Forte) has abandoned him in the city. A pack of stray dogs led by Bug (Jamie Foxx) adopts Reggie, and they are off to find Reggie’s owner and get revenge. With a little help from his friends, Reggie is going to figure out how to survive on the streets. Strays is a R-rated film and is not for kids, though some of the dogs, including Reggie, are adorable. What’s not adorable are the things these dogs say and do. A lot of what these dogs do and talk about are peeing, smelling, and humping any and everything. Reggie and Bug are joined on the quest to find Reggie’s owner by Maggie (voice by Isla Fisher), a dog with a nose that can find anything, and Hunter (voiced by Randall Park), a big dog who washed out of the police academy and wears a cone because it comforts him. There are some laugh-out-loud funny bits, one of which had me on the floor, but the film should have been a short. Strays is a film whose novelty wears out by the last third of the film. The film is R-rated and probably deserves it, but I felt that, at times, the movie didn’t push the raunchiness enough. It’s a strange film, but dog lovers (like myself) still will have a good time, though it might make you wonder what the heck your dog is thinking about.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Strays Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

Indiefest: Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) R  Landscape with Invisible Hand is set in the future, where aliens have invaded and taken over Earth. The alien’s bureaucratic rule and advanced technology have left most of the Earth impoverished and unemployed. Two teenagers, Adam (Asante Blackk) and Chloe (Kylie Rogers) hatch a plan to ensure their family’s futures, but it’s risky and involves them being in love, even if they aren’t. The film is from Cory Finley, whose two previous films, Thoroughbreds (2017) and Bad Education (2019), I liked. This film starts with a strong premise, but I felt it lost its way when the story focused almost solely on Adam, and Chloe is left on the back burner. I would have loved it if the two had continued with their relationship, but instead, the story veers off of that and goes more into how Adam and his mom, played by Tiffany Haddish, try to keep the family from losing their home. I am not a fan of Haddish, and I found that her character’s storyline was the weakest part of the plot. There are some fun scenes that comment on our society and how we love to document every aspect of our lives, but the film lost me for the 2nd half of the film and never got me back in for the end of the film. I enjoyed the two teens and their chemistry on the screen, I just wish they had more time together.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Landscape with Invisible Hand Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

My View: Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback (2023) Elvis, who in 1968, was considered a has-been and a sellout, overshadowed by The Beatles and other rock acts. He needed a vehicle for his comeback, and Steve Binder was hired to produce a TV special to put Elvis back on the map. Conflicts with Elvis’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, and a highly doubtful Elvis made this an almost impossible task. However, it was Elvis, after all. This is a wonderful and insightful documentary about one of the most iconic concert specials ever seen on TV. The 2022 film Elvis gave us a brief look at what went on, but this film lets Steve Binder tell how the special came about and how the battle with Col. Tom Parker went on and on. There are plenty of songs from the special, but what is really cool is all the behind-the-scenes footage that we get to see, along with interviews with the dancers and audience members that were there to witness a historic taping. You get to see Elvis not only as the consummate performer but also as someone who was at home on the stage and knew he was indeed ‘The King.’ My Rating: Full Price  Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special  Now playing on the Paramount+ platform. 

Familyfaire: The Monkey King (2023)  PG  The Monkey King (voiced by Jimmy O. Yang) believes that he is destined for greatness. Challenged to defeat 100 demons, he sets out to take on demons, dragons, gods, and his greatest adversary of all, his ego. Sometimes you get animated films that feel designed more for adults than for kids. This is one of those films where the storyline is overcomplicated, one of the film’s songs is heavy-metal based, and a lead character is obnoxious and full of himself. I was unfamiliar with the storyline, and maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had been since it’s based on a famous story over 1000 years old. There were some of the fight scenes that I liked, but even those get a little old after a while. I did like the twist at the end, but it sure took a long time to get there.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Monkey King Website   Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest: Afire (2023)   Leon (Thomas Schubert) is a novelist who is about to share a work retreat house on an Island with his artist friend Felix (Langston Uibel). When they arrive, they learn they are sharing the house with Nadja (Paula Beer), who is dating a local lifeguard. As a forest fire threatens their house, Leon tries to finish his latest novel, but Nadja becomes a distraction he cannot ignore. We have another protagonist that you will not like, but this time, unlike some other films (I’m looking at you, Shortcomings), you end up rooting for the guy in the end. Leon is a man who can’t do the right thing, even when it’s right in front of him. It’s clear from the start that Leon is infatuated with Nadja but can’t seem to say anything close to something that would even begin for Nadja to pay attention to him. And yet, there is still a chance because Nadja sees something that we don’t, and she is willing to dig a little to find it. Leon isn’t an easy character to root for, and he keeps sticking his foot in his mouth, even when things get serious. But in the end, we see the genuine writer at work and what makes this man do what he does. It just takes a long time to get there.   My Rating: Full Price  Afire Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Indiefest: Between Two Worlds (2021)   We learn that Marie (Juliette Binoche) is not the job-seeking housewife she says she is, but a journalist researching what it’s like being unemployed and willing to do any type of work. Marie makes friends wherever she goes, but how far is she willing to go to write a book that could make her famous? Juliette Binoche does almost the impossible, allowing the spotlight to focus not on her but on her co-stars, the actors portraying the workers Marie is trying to get to know and understand. What comes across in this film is the kindness and humanity that people who work in thankless jobs show to each other. Time and time again, Marie is taken under somebody’s wing to help her survive, even when it could hurt them. We get to see how challenging a job service work is, and it gives us an idea of just how tough it is to survive when everything seems stacked against you. I loved some of the performances in this film, giving a real-life feel to a story that touches the heart.   My Rating: Full Price  Between Two Worlds Website  Now playing in select theatres. 

Forgotten Film: Chan is Missing (1982)   Two San Francisco cab drivers (Marc Hayashi and Wood Moy) go looking for a man who has mysteriously disappeared named Chan, who owes them money. This isn’t about a hard-boiled detective but two ordinary guys looking for a guy and asking questions. We learn about life in San Francisco, the people who live there, and their views on life and love. Chan is Missing is one of those low-budget films that perfectly captures a city and a time. So spend a little time with two guys who go around knocking on doors and talking with people about a guy named Chan but really talking about life in America in the 80s.   My Rating: Full Price  Chan is Missing Info   The film is available to rent/buy on Amazon and Apple TV.

Weird Credits: From the credits of Blue Beetle: Store Person

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: 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 recently engaged, but this job will test their relationship to the brink and may threaten to unravel far more than their love for each other. Netflix is high on this film (it got a Grand Jury Prize nomination at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival), so much so they are releasing the movie in theatres first.  Fair Play Website   Set to be released in theatres in late September.

Until Next Time!