Spencer

My View:  Spencer  (2021) R  Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) is spending the Christmas holidays with the royal family at the famous Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. Diana has decided to do the unthinkable, leave her marriage to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing). Go into this film with the idea that this isn’t necessarily the real story of Princess Di, that, as the first title card tells you, it’s a fairy tale. Kristen Stewart is brilliant in capturing the spirit and manner of Diana. It’s a mesmerizing performance that makes you believe that you are watching the sad and tragic tales of a young woman brought down by a monarchy and its strict ways of living life the Royal way. The best parts of the film are Princess Diana’s interactions with her children. There is a beautiful scene where Diana senses that her sons are not having the Christmas they wanted, and she plays a game where they pretend they are soldiers asking each other questions. It’s a moving scene that gives us insight into their relationship and just how damaging living in this ‘fairy tale’ world was. The film deals with Diana’s battles with bulimia, of now only how the Royal family handled it but also how her sons tried to help her deal with it. The film lost me a bit in the sequences where Diana goes off, in her mind into another reality, as I felt these scenes made the reality of what she was dealing with seem lesser. That being said, Spencer is worth seeing because of Kristen Stewart's portrayal of a woman living in a fishbowl filled with piranhas, giving us another reason to feel that she is one of the best actors of her generation.   My Rating: Full Price  Spencer Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.  

My View:   Eternals (2021) PG-13   An unexpected tragedy forces the Eternals, an ancient band of aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years, to come out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s greatest enemy, the Deviants. Growing up, comic book artist Jack Kirby was my favorite. While he worked on and created such Marvel staples as Fantastic Four and Thor, his more minor works were always my favorite. So I was excited to learn that not only would Marvel be turning one of his works into a movie, that Chloé Zhao, hot off her Academy Award for Nomadland, would be directing it. I have to say that I am disappointed with this film. It’s hard to introduce characters you know nothing about, but it took so long to meet and then understand their mission that I found the plot mind numbingly slow. I enjoyed the character Kingo, played by Kumail Najiani, who brings humor to the film (which is badly needed) as he poses on Earth as a Bollywood film star. The film seems to waste the stars in heroes that are quite boring and un-charismatic. Yeah, Angelina is pretty badass and does some butt-kicking, but Salma Hayek is wasted in the role of Ajak. In fact, I have no clue what her superpower is. Maybe great hugs? Telling other superheroes ‘It’s Time’? The film also never gives us a reason why no other Marvel heroes, like Doctor Strange or Spiderman, don’t show up to help save humanity. I mean, isn’t that their job, or maybe they are all tired from saving the world from Thanos? The finale seems too easy and the plot holes too big to ignore for this to be a film that you will enjoy from start to end. Be sure though, to stay through both the first credits and the final credits to see bonus scenes that promise us more of the Eternals and a few extra characters.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Eternals Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.  

My View:  Finch  (2021)  PG-13   In a devastated world full of sandstorms, incredible heat, and no water, Finch (Tom Hanks) decides he has to move on because of a coming storm. Finch will now take his new family, a dog and a talking robot, on an adventure in a dangerous and ravaged world. What more do you want in a film than Tom Hanks, a lovable, clumsy talking robot and a dog? OK, maybe a better thought-out plot which asks you to believe a lot in the magic of creating a robot who can think for itself would have helped. Still, you have the likability of Hanks and a dog who will melt your heart. The film doesn’t always touch the heartstrings like it wants to, but you will still need a tissue or two. The film is Tom Hanks show, and he is as good as you expect him to be, I just wish the film didn’t go down the easy road that it does, making the film feel predictable and often question its science (bad for a movie about a guy whose life is science). Still, I enjoyed Finch, Tom Hanks and a very ‘good dog’ named Goodyear.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Finch Website  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform.

Indiefest: The Souvenir: Part II (2021) R   Still reeling from the death of her lover, Anthony (Tom Burke), Julie (Honor Swinton Byrne) is trying to make her final movie for film school. She goes on a mission to understand the relationship with Anthony, a man who was a troubled soul. Julie must sort through the facts and sort the truth from the fiction of Anthony’s life. The Souvenir Part II is a film that helps if you have seen part one since it takes place immediately after filmmaker Joanna Hogg’s first film, The Souvenir. In that film, a young filmmaker, Julie, falls for an older man who becomes the love of her life, only to be dragged into his world of drugs and misery. This film is a bit lighter, with Julie trying to figure out what was real in the life of Anthony, all the while dealing with the pressure of making her final film project. Like the first film, this is Honor Swinton Byrne’s film, and she once again gives a performance that is a breathtaking journey through dealing with a life-altering event and coming through the other side. I enjoyed this film more than the first one because I loved Julie more in this film, as she becomes a person the blooms, no longer dependent on Anthony or her mother (played by the actress's real mother Tilda Swinton) for her reason for living. Swinton Byrne gives us a Julie that learns to grow and use her heartbreak to realize her dreams.   My Rating: Full Price   The Souvenir Part II Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: The Harder They Fall (2021)  R   When outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) finds out that his mortal enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) has been broken out of a jail transport by Trudy Smith (Regina King), Nat rounds up his gang to track Rufus down and seek revenge for a killing that Rufus did long ago. I am a huge western film fan, and this film has created a world that didn’t exist, but we are glad that filmmaker Jeymes Samuel has built it for us. I mean, come on, a cast with Jonathan Majors as the hero and Idris Elba and Regina King as the bad guys makes for one exciting film. With a movie that has bits from classic films such as Once Upon a Time in the West and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, this film has put its own brand on the west in a world that looks at the Black cowboys of the past, some of which are based on real characters, that have never had the spotlight until now. Added to the star power of the film, the supporting cast is equally impressive. With outstanding performances by Zazie Beetz, as a saloon owner who has a past with Nat, her female bouncer who can best any man in a fight (Danielle Deadwyler), and the lawman Bass Reeves (Delroy Lindo), a man who is determined to bring Nat in but is more determined to see justice done. The Harder They Fall has some nice twists to it, some great gunfights, including a spectacular shootout at the end, and a cast that makes this western a movie to love, even for filmgoers that don’t like westerns.   My Rating: Full Price   The Harder They Fall Website  Now playing in select theatres and on the Netflix platform.

My View: Love Hard  (2021)   Natalie (Nina Dobrev) is an L.A. woman who has finally found her man online after a series of horrible dates. She travels to the East Coast to surprise him for the holidays only to discover that she has been catfished by Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). To make it up to Natalie, Josh tells her he can set it up to meet the man whom Josh used to Catfish her, a hunky guy named Tag (Darren Barnet), who Josh knows. You know precisely what you are getting before you even start watching this film, and that’s ok because it’s that time of the year for Christmas romance films. What you hope for in a movie like this is a fun plot and a winning cast. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang, making the film work. The two are cute together, and the scenes between the two are fun to watch. Is the storyline predictable and a bit obvious that Natalie isn’t meant for Tag? You bet, but isn’t that what you want in this type of film? I mean, it's a Christmas movie. And by the way, there is a friendly debate running throughout the film about a few certain movies and whether they are or are not Christmas films.  My friends know that I agree with Natalie.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Love Hard Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform.

Indiefest:   The Beta Test  (2021) R   Jordan (Jim Cummings) has it all, about to be married to a beautiful woman and a great job as a Hollywood agent. His world changes when he gets a mysterious invitation to have a sexual encounter in a hotel room with a person who he won’t be able to see due to a blindfold. Jordan decides to take up the offer, and his life becomes one big mess of lying, intrigue, and possible murder. Jim Cummings is a filmmaker that always makes interesting films; sometimes they work, sometimes they fail, but they are always interesting (Thunder Road, The Wolf of Snow Hollow). This is a satire about the industry of being an agent in Hollywood combined with a mystery about who or what is behind those compelling invitations. The Beta Test is a film that is more about a trip into madness by a man who, right from the start, has a few screws loose. A man who will just about do anything to get a client and is also willing to cheat on his fiancé with a stranger, set up by an unknown person. I liked this film because of Cummings performance of a man, who is so high strung, he becomes undone by his inner turmoil, as he becomes obsessed with finding out not only who the woman was that he met in that hotel room but who was behind the meeting. We see him destroy not only his life with his soon-to-be wife but his job, which probably, in the end, means more to him, as his lies, which used to work so well, become a poison.   My Rating: Full Price   The Beta Test Website  Now playing in select theatres and On Demand.

Forgotten Film:   My New Gun (1992) R   This is a quirky little romantic comedy (sort of) about a married couple, Debbie and Gerald (Diane Lane, Stephen Collins), in the suburbs where nothing ever happens. Then, Gerald gets a gun for Debbie to keep around for protection. She doesn’t want the gun and starts to have nightmares about it. She lets her mysterious neighbor Skippy (James Legros) borrow the weapon on a whim, and things get messy after that. My New Gun is a fun and strange little film that, once over, you just might want to know more about these characters. The film is helped by a winning performance by James Legros and a supporting cast that includes Tess Harper (Tender Mercies) and a very early role for Philip Seymour Hoffman.   My Rating: Full Price    The New Gun Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Spencer: Royal Protocol Advisor

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Licorice Pizza (2021)  R  Set in 1973, the film tells the story of Gary and Alana (Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim), who fall in and out of love as their careers begin to take off in the strange and weird world of Hollywood. Ok, any movie that sets its trailer to the music of David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’ has my attention. Then you see that Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice) is the writer/director of the film and includes a cast of Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, John C. Reilly, and Maya Rudolph, and you say ‘yes, I want to see that.’ Add all that to the fact that Cooper Hoffman is the son of the legendary actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Alana Haim is one of the members of the rock group Haim, for whom Paul Thomas Anderson has directed nine music videos for. Adding to all this fun is that even the studio didn’t quite know what the movie was about until about a year ago.     Licorice Pizza Website

Until Next Time!

Dear Evan Hansen

Note to readers: I have started going to movies in the theaters, having received my two shots and passed the two-week standby period, wearing a mask at all times and following social distancing. Most of the films I am reviewing are still movies that I watched at home, but I will note in the review if I saw them in a theatre. I am not going to tell you whether or not to attend a theatre. Just be aware of the risks, do your research, and follow the instructions to the letter.

My View:   Dear Evan Hansen (2021)  PG-13   Following the suicide of a fellow classmate, Conor, Evan Hansen (Ben Platt), a high-school-senior with Social Anxiety disorder, goes on a journey to find acceptance and self-discovery. A letter Evan has written will change not only his life but will touch so many more. It’s always hard to translate the power of a Broadway theatre experience to the screen. Dear Evan Hansen’s production on the stage was a Tony-winning phenomenon, but  that feeling and power of a live performance doesn’t translate to the screen in this adaptation. The songs are still there, and that is what saves this film, as the songs, including a few new ones, make this film watchable. Unfortunately, the film's storyline is a bit of a mess, and its message, so meaningful on the stage, seems lost in an attempt to add a bit of flash to the production, trying but not succeed in making this film not feel predictable. I enjoyed Ben Platt’s voice, but his performance on the screen feels a bit too stagy. A lot has been made on social media about Platt’s appearance (he is playing a high-school student while he is 28), but it never bothered me. Amy Adam's part is small, and her lovely singing voice is rarely used. I did enjoy the performance of Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Conor’s long set upon sister, who Evan secretly loves from afar. A couple of the musical numbers, where the cast has also to dance, are a bit painful to watch, so maybe just buy the soundtrack or see the musical the next time your local theatre group puts it on.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Dear Evan Hansen Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: The Guilty   (2021)  R   It’s an ordinary day for 911 operator Joe Bayler (Jake Gyllenhaal), as he gets his standard calls of people asking for help, but this morning will be different. As a wildfire threatens the city and grounds air support, Joe receives a call from a woman in a car and is being held against her will. Now it's a race against time as Joe tries to trace down the woman whose last words on the call are ‘I’m going to die.’ This is a remake of a Dutch film of the same name that I really liked a couple of years ago. Unlike a lot of remakes that Hollywood does of foreign films, this one works with Jake Gyllenhaal giving an outstanding performance as the troubled cop with anger issues that is trying to find a woman who has been abducted. Gyllenhaal gives us a complex hero that you are probably not going to like very much. Gyllenhaal gives Joe an intensity that is constantly blowing over. Joe can’t seem to control his anger and outrage as his character becomes increasingly frustrated that he can’t just get out on the street and find this woman himself. The Guilty is an intense character study of a man whose world is crashing down around him as he tries to make a difference one more time and save a life.   My Rating: Full Price    The Guilty Website  Now playing in select theatres and available on the Netflix platform on Oct. 1st.

Indiefest:  Man in the Field: The Life and Art of Jim Denevan  (2020)    Documentary on pioneering artist Jim Denevan, who started out creating giant works of art on beaches and then started combining his art with a radical alternative to conventional dining. This is one of those documentaries where you would probably not want to be Jim’s friend or even co-worker, but boy, oh boy, will you ever want to be part of his dining productions. The film does an unbelievable job of giving you an insight into a highly complex man who creates artwork on beaches and other areas that will only be visible for a short time and have to been seen from the air (or at least a hilltop) to fully appreciate the art in all its glory. Fortunately for us, Jim also is a chef (his journey to become one is equally impressive), and he creates these one-of-a-kind dining events that combine his love of nature, art, and cooking to new heights. You will be astounded by his artwork and jealous of the people that have sat at his long, long dining table. His dining events are a tough ticket to get, so watching this film is probably about as close as most of us will get, but at least we have this film to watch a fantastic artist work his magic.    My Rating: Full Price    Man in the Field Website   Now playing in select theatres and On Demand including the Apple TV+ platform.

My View:  This is the Year  (2021)   Pining away for a girl, Zoey(Alyssa Jirrels) he believes is way out of his league, Josh (Lorenzo James Henrie), a high-school senior, decides to enlist his friends to go on a road trip, promising Zoey he can get her into the biggest concert of the year. It seems this is the year for revisiting the old 80s teen films, but this movie has a bit of a change of pace; Josh wants his life to be like his favorite 80s teen movie, a movie he has watched over and over since he was a kid, right down to the girl choosing him over the hunk that she is with. Add to the fact that his best friend, Molly (played by the always impressive and energetic Vanessa Marano), is his ‘wing-woman’ who has her own 80s movie fantasy of having her first kiss be full of magic and fireworks. This is the Year is the classic teen road trip with a crazy group of kids that trouble seems to find them just as they think they have hit the promised land of music and good times. The film even throws in the funny high school teacher (played by Jeff Garlin), who is cool, witty, and has a final paper that Josh must write in order to graduate. This allows our lead character (like in The Breakfast Club and a few other classic 80s teen films) to sum up his experiences at the end of the film. This is the Year is a fun, feel-good film that plays on those 80s teen films and gives them a push into the 21st century with a cast that makes you want them to succeed. Somehow you know that they will always prevail, and everyone we want to end up together will. I mean, isn’t that how all those 80s films ended? Of course, with the exception to the rule, Pretty in Pink…Duckie rules! Am I right?!  My Rating: Bargain Matinee    This is the Year Website  Now playing in select theatres.

My View: Hudson (2019) R After his mother’s death, Hudson (David Neal Levin) enlists his distant cousin, Ryan (Gregory Lay), on a road trip to scatter her ashes in a family favorite gathering place. Along the way, they meet an unusual hitchhiker named Sunshine (Mary Catherine Greenawalt), and the three go on a journey that will involve a broken-down Volvo, haiku's, mini-golf, and self-discovery. This is one of those films you discover at a film festival and fall in love with. It’s predictable, and not a lot happens on this small road trip, but the characters are so adorable that you won’t mind that the journey isn’t for long. Hudson, the character played by David Neal Levin, is a droll, dry little man who has a one-track mind, a man who lives for retelling stories from the past about himself and his cousin Ryan. Sunshine, who they pick up at a gas station after she fixes their car, becomes their travel guide and a welcome buffer between the troubled Ryan, who is going through some sort of meltdown, and the grieving Hudson, who steadfastly must scatter his mother's ashes at a place that the family used to picnic at. So spend an afternoon on the road with this strange trio as they have a few laughs, get lost in a corn maze, and eat pretend ice cream at 7 in the morning. You will be glad you were along for the ride.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Hudson Info  Now playing in select theatres.

Indiefest:  Lady of the Manor (2021)   Hannah (Melanie Lynskey) is a hot mess who would rather smoke pot than get a regular job. When forced to work, Hannah gets a job as a tour guide, portraying Lady Wadsworth at the historical home, Wadsworth Manor. Work isn’t going great when she meets the ghost of Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer), who tells her if Hannah doesn’t change her wild ways, she will haunt her until she does. I am a massive fan of both Judy Greer and Melanie Lynskey, and I am a regular listener to Justin Long’s podcast, but this film that Long wrote and directed with his brother Christian is just painful to watch. The jokes fall flat, Greer is given nothing to work within her character of stuffy Lady Wadsworth, and Lynskey’s comedic talents are wasted in a role that is so beneath her acting level. The film also wants you to believe that Justin Long’s character, a history professor, would be interested in Lynskey’s character, who, frankly, is an idiot who has trouble finding her way in a building that is clearly marked and keeps assuming that the professor is having affairs with his students. I had high hopes for Lady of the Manor due to its cast, but I’ve seen better student productions at local film festivals than this film.    My Rating: You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again    Lady of the Manor Website  The film is playing in select theatres and  is available On Demand. 

Forgotten Film: Period of Adjustment (1962)   It was 1962, and Hollywood had no idea what to do with Henry Fonda’s daughter Jane. So they gave her a ridiculous hairdo, a bad southern accent, and outfits to make her look like Marilyn Monroe, and you have Fond’s performance in this comedy. Add to the fact that it is based on a Tennessee Williams play and directed by George Roy Hill (Oscar winner for The Sting and nominated for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), and you get a strange comedy that is fun to watch. A newlywed couple (Fonda, Jim Hutton) has their honeymoon interrupted by the troubles of a married couple (Anthony Franciosa, Lois Nettleton). The film has an outstanding supporting cast, including veteran character actor John McGiver, and a young-looking Jack Albertson. Look quick, and you will see a wet behind the ears John Astin. The film doesn’t always work, but it’s fun to watch Jane Fonda in a role that she would soon leave behind for much better fare.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee     Period of Adjustment Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dear Evan Hansen: COVID-19 Secretary

Coming Soon to Screen Near You: Finch  (2021)  PG-13  In a devastated world full of sandstorms, incredible heat, and no water, Finch (Tom Hanks) decides he has to move on because of a coming storm. Finch will now take his new family, a dog and a talking robot, on an adventure in a dangerous and ravaged world. Tom Hanks and a talking robot is enough but add in a dog as your companion, and you’ve got me.    Finch Website

Until Next Time!