Free Fire

My View:  Free Fire  (2016)  R  Set in Boston in 1978, a meeting between two gangs in a deserted warehouse turns into a gunfight that few will survive. I loved this film! It’s 20 minutes of setup, where we get to know each character and why they are at the meeting, then it’s 70 minutes of one crazy firefight.  This is a funny film that has some of the quickest dialogue I’ve ever heard. The action sequences are fun to watch, even though there are times you don’t know who the characters are shooting at, but that’s the point because the action is so nutty. There are a few surprises that will keep you guessing who is conning who, and I think you will be shocked by the ending. The film is a blast to watch, and while I saw it at SXSW, I went again to a recent Atlanta screening. That’s how much I love this film.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   Free Fire Website

Indiefest:  The Promise  (2016)  PG-13  Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, Chris (Christian Bale) is a hard-drinking newspaperman who is in love with Ana (Charlotte Le Bon). Michael (Oscar Isaac) is a brilliant medical student who, even though he is promised to a woman in his small hometown, falls in love with Ana as he goes to school in the big city. This is a film that is overburdened by its attempt to bring to light a little-explored piece of history. The film feels every bit of its 134-minute length, taking way too long to get the story going and then seems to endlessly go on and on. There isn’t much spark to the love triangle, with almost no chemistry between Bale and Le Bon. I never got the emotional impact of the atrocities that this film so wants to show, which makes it feel almost lifeless.   My Rating: Cable   The Promise Website

Indiefest:  The Lost City of Z  (2016) PG-13  Based on a true story, the film centers on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon. This is a beautiful-looking film whose storyline never matches the remarkable true story of Col. Fawcett. The film is dragged down by its clumsy dialogue that, at times, feels out of place - the characters speak as though they are in the present day rather than in the early twentieth century.  I found the film vastly slowed down when Fawcett returns to his home and only picked up again when he was out exploring.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Lost City of Z Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  The Founder  (2016)  PG-13  The story of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), who turned a small hamburger shop into Mc Donald’s, the biggest restaurant business in the world.  Ray Kroc wasn’t a nice guy, as he would do just about anything to get his way. Michael Keaton gives a scintillating performance of a ruthless, unlikeable man. The film is highly enjoyable in the first half, but it loses its way when the most interesting characters in the movie, the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman, John Carroll Lynch), are forgotten during most of the second half. It’s a hard look at a man who hid behind the American flag and family values to steal a company from two honest-to-a-fault brothers.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    The Founder Website

Forgotten Film:  The Battle Over Citizen Kane  (1996)  Documentary over the battle to release the Orson Welles film Citizen Kane that newspaper owner William Randolph Hearst tried to have killed.  The film was nominated for an Academy Award and brings to light how much influence Hearst had. Welles career would never recover from the box office failure of the film. It's a fascinating documentary about one of the greatest films of all time.    My Rating:  Full Price    The Battle Over Citizen Kane Info

Weird Credits:  Credit from The Promise:  Drapes Breakdown Artist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Alien: Covenant  (2017)  I am ready to board the Ridley Scott directed ship once again. I still consider Alien (1979) as one of the scariest films of all time.   Alien: Covenant Website

Until Next Time!

Life

My View:  Life  (2017)  R  Six astronauts aboard a space station discover that life on Mars is a reality. They find a single-celled organism that will have unintended consequences for the astronauts.  I enjoyed this horror movie that takes place in the worst place ever to be terrorized by an alien, a space station. The action sequences are exciting, and the tension keeps building throughout the film.  I especially enjoyed the performances of Jake Gyllenhaal as the pilot of the space station and Rebecca Ferguson, as the security officer.  My only problem with this film is that the ending is too predictable and easy, but the film is a lot of fun to watch. You need to see this on the big screen; I’m afraid that some scenes will lose their claustrophobic feel on a TV screen.  My Rating: Full Price   Life Website

Indiefest:  Personal Shopper  (2016)  R  Maureen (Kristen Stewart) is a lonely personal shopper who starts communicating with ghosts, especially her deceased twin brother. Kristen Stewart has become quite the accomplished actress (having suffered through the Twilight series, I never thought I would make that statement), and she shines in this film. The problem is that this is such a weird movie, full of paranormal stuff, with an ending that will leave you with your head scratching. I have talked with four different film critics, and we all have no earthly idea what exactly happens at the end.. I look forward to seeing more of Stewart’s work, just not in such a strange, tangled film such as this one.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Personal Shopper Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blu-ray):  Miss Sloane  (2016)  R  Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is considered the best and most formidable lobbyist in Washington D.C. She decides to take on the most powerful opponent of her career, the “gun lobby.” Just how far is Elizabeth willing to go to win? This is a satisfying political thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Chastain commands the screen as the tough-as-nails lobbyist, and it’s her outstanding performance that makes this film worth watching. I especially enjoyed John Lithgow, who plays a slimy senator and Sam Waterston, head of the lobby group who represents the gun lobby. While not Oscar material like All the President’s Men, this film is still an excellent suspenseful movie with a sterling performance by Jessica Chastain.    My Rating: Full Price   Miss Sloane Website

Forgotten Film:  Living in Oblivion  (1997)  R  A well-known A-list actor called Chad Palomino (James Le Gros) has agreed to be in a low-budget film being made by a grizzled director (Steve Buscemi).  Everything that can go wrong does, and Chad plays every power trip a star can make.  It’s a delightfully goofy movie that will have you wondering how any film gets made.  The cast is outstanding, with Catherine Keener playing the leading lady and Dermot Mulroney as a cameraman who thinks he is a genius (he isn’t), both are brilliant in their roles.    My Rating: Full Price   Living In Oblivion Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Life:  Special Effects Teeth

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: Free Fire  (2016)  R  Two rival gangs meet in a Boston warehouse in 1978. When a deal goes bad, the two gangs start a shootout that they will be lucky to survive.  This was one of the most buzzed about films at the SXSW Film Festival. I hear it’s ten minutes worth of setup at the start and then eighty minutes of gunfight.   Free Fire Website

Until Next Time!