Cherry

Note to readers: I currently am not willing to risk my health (I’m 63 and an asthmatic) by visiting a theatre. All films that I have seen for review have been screened in my home. 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: Cherry (2021) R  Cherry (Tom Holland) is an Army medic suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who becomes addicted to drugs and starts robbing banks to feed his addiction. This is an interesting pick for the Russo brothers to make after their incredible run of Marvel films (including one the best of the series Avenger: Endgame) with one it those Marvel stars, Spider-man’s own Tom Holland. This is a sometimes funny but mostly dark look at how someone who seemed to have a promising life ahead of him went into a dive down a hole of addiction and crime. Tom Holland gives a magnetic performance of Cherry, who meets the love of his life, Emily (Ciara Bravo), while in college, and their fate is tied together when the two decide to get married right before Cherry goes into the Army. Cherry comes back from war, a wrecked man, and their life together begins a downward spiral that no one would have seen back when they were in college together. Holland leaves behind the squeaky-clean Peter Parker behind and gives a gritty performance of a man who is so broken, he must escape, no matter the cost. Ciara Bravo is brilliant and moving as the woman who falls for Cherry and sticks by him, even if it means she goes down that dark rabbit hole along with Cherry. Cherry isn’t a perfect film, and I felt the ending felt a little rushed, but I look forward to what both Holland and Russo brothers can do beyond the superhero world.   My Rating: Full Price   Cherry Website    The film is currently playing in select theatres and is available on the Apple TV+ Platform on March 12th. 

My View: Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry  (2021) R We ride along as Billie and her brother Finneas are shown behind the scenes as they go from writing and recording Billie’s debut album in their parent’s home to winning six Grammy’s. I didn't know much about Billie Eilish, having only seen her perform on SNL, but I fell in love with her and her family. The film is a little long, and the first part of the film starts very slowly, as we see her and her brother write and record the songs for her debut album. It’s a fascinating look at the process, and I am sure fans of Billie are going to eat it up but having very little knowledge of her or her songs, I found this part a little slow. The second half of the film is more about Billie dealing with the rigors of touring and dealing with fame and nagging injuries, both that overwhelm her for a time. After seeing the Britney Spears doc, the best part of this film is how wonderful and supportive her family is. Besides the fact that she writes and performs with her brother, they have a loving and fun relationship that gives her a great deal of support, which makes Billie feel real and not some manufactured pop star. I loved the concert footage where we see the impact that Billie’s music makes on people, especially young women. Because of this film, I am now a fan of Billie Eilish and her music, and I think you will be too.    My Rating: Full Price    Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry Info     The film is available on the Apple TV+ Platform.

My View: Crisis (2021) R   Three stories about the opioid’s crisis: an undercover agent posing as a drug trafficker (Armie Hammer) arranges a complicated smuggling operation, an architect (Evangeline Lilly) recovering from an OxyContin addiction tries to find the truth about her son’s disappearance and his involvement with drugs and a university professor (Gary Oldman) finds out that the research he is working on is about to bring a highly addictive drug to the market. This film never quite fits all its pieces together, with Lily's storyline as the grieving mother out for revenge the weakest of the stories. Hammer is fine as the undercover agent trying to take down the source of the illegal drugs, but his storyline is hampered by his attempt to keep his sister off drugs while conducting the big hit. Oldman is given much to do as the college professor who uncovers something wrong about a new pain drug, and the film tries too hard to bring all three stores together in the end. Like its characters, Crisis is well-intentioned but never fully delivers the gut punch that it needs to make the film feel successful.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Crisis Info   The film is currently playing in select theatres and  is available to rent on participating on-demand services on March 5th. 

Indiefest: The Vigil   (2019)  PG-13   Yakov (Dave Davis) agrees to provide an overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community. Soon after his watch starts, Yakov discovers that something in the house is very, very wrong. I really enjoy horror films that create their scares not from the j’ump out of the dark’ action but build tension by making you wonder if what you are seeing and hearing is real or just a figment of the character’s imagination. Dave Davis is perfect in the role of Yakov, a man who reluctantly takes the job of ‘shomer,' someone who watches over the dead body and reads prayers to protect the person until they can be put to rest. From the start, we realize that Yakov is a damaged individual as he is meeting in a support group. Yakov must watch the body for 5 hours, which will become to longest 5 hours in his life. The film lets us settle in and learn not only about Yakov but also about the man who he is protecting, slowly giving us information that builds the tension that comes to a thrilling conclusion.   My Rating: Full Price    The Vigil Website   The film is currently playing in select theatres and  is available to rent on participating on-demand services.

My View: The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)   The Feds target blues singer Billie Holiday (Andra Day) with a sting operation led by an undercover Federal Agent (Trevante Rhodes), with whom Billie has an affair with. Andra Day is wonderful in the role, but boy, is she let down by a script that is just downright bad. I cringed very early on at some of the dialogue, and the story never finds a hold of you the way it should. Billie Holiday was a tragic figure, done in by both the time she lived in, her demons (both past and present), and the men she kept getting involved in. Unfortunately, the film never can figure out how to present Billie’s life, and the film comes off feeling stale and unemotional. Skip this film and go listen to Billie's songs instead. You will get more information and get to know more about Billie from those songs than you will ever get from this bloated, slow, badly done film.   My Rating: Cable    The United States vs. Billie Holiday Website   Available on the Hulu platform. 

Forgotten Film: The Host   (2006)  R  Don’t confuse this film with the 2013 film of the same name starring Saoirse Ronan; this film is written and directed by three-time Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite). After the US Army has polluted a river in Korea, a monster emerges from the depths to cause death and mayhem. When the monster takes a young girl, an ordinary family resolves to get her back at any cost. The monster is scary, the storyline is compelling and brilliantly told, and it out do’s any Godzilla film you have ever seen.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again   The Host Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of Cherry: Boot Camp Tech Advisor 

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Boogie (2021) R   Alfred ‘Boogie’ Chin (Taylor Takahashi) is a basketball star in the making in Queens, New York, who dreams of playing in the NBA. Boogie has battle prejudices while navigating high school, on-court rivals, and his parent's expectations. The film is written and directed by Eddie Huang, the man whose story is told each week on the great TV series Fresh Off the Boat.     Boogie Website

Until Next Time!

The Disaster Artist

My View: The Disaster Artist (2017) R   Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) meets Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class, and the two decide to make a movie. The movie they make together is The Room, considered one of the worst films of all time. I see a lot of bad movies, especially at film festivals, but I always remember that the movie that I hated was someones passion project, probably taking years of their life to bring it to the screen. That’s one of the messages of The Disaster Artist, while Tommy Wiseau created one of the worst movies of all time, it was his creative life up on the screen. The film is a comedy, but like a lot of good comedies, it has some serious moments that move you. James Franco gives an unbelievable performance mimicking Wiseau perfectly, playing a character that is oblivious to how bad an actor/writer that he is. This is a film that does, rightly so, make fun of a man who lives in his own world, literally, he believes he lives in ‘Tommy’s World,’ but it also knows that this man is someone who has feelings and is extremely isolated until Greg enters his life. This film is a fun ride from beginning to end, but it also has heart and that makes it stand out from the crowd, much like Tommy Wiseau does in real life. Be sure that you stay through all the credits for an incredible bonus scene.   My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again    The Disaster Artist Website

My View: The Shape of Water (2017) R   An other-worldly fairy tale set against the backdrop of the Cold War era America in 1962. In a hidden high-security government laboratory Elisa (Sally Hawkins) discovers a secret classified experiment that will change her world. This is an enchanting and fascinating film about a budding though strange romance and the man who wants to kill it (literally). Sally Hawkins is charming as Elisa, the mute cleaning lady who is desperate for love and is willing to do anything to get it. Hawkins gives Elisa a unique view of the world, and with the help of a neighbor, played by the soulful Richard Jenkins and a co-worker, played by the spunky Octavia Spencer, they take on one of the evilest villains in the history of cinema, Richard Strickland, played by Michael Shannon. Shannon’s Strickland is malicious, violent, and uncaring how he gets the job done, just that it is done. This is a gorgeous film and the cinematography creates precisely the right mood for each scene. This is a highly creative and imaginative fairy tale that will astound you in every scene.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

My View: Darkest Hour  (2017)  PG-13    During the early day of World War II, the fate of Western Europe was being threatened by the Nazi war machine. Newly appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) must decide to either make a stand or negotiate a truce that will surely break his country. Gary Oldman gives a dominant performance as Churchill, letting us see the man behind all the bluff, bluster and elegant words. The film lets us see that many thought Churchill would fail at the job and the man himself had doubts that he was up to the task. The legendary makeup artist Kazuhiro Tsuji did the prosthetic makeup to turn Oldman into Winston Churchill and it’s so good that I forgot it was Oldman in the part. Oldman is the reason to see this film and his portrayal is mesmerizing and a sure Oscar nomination. My favorite scene in the movie is when Churchill is full of doubt about if he should start terms to give up the war with Germany. He rides the London Underground rail and talks to the people of England, all of which tell him that England should never give up. It’s a wonderful film about a very dark time in England’s history and the man that pulled them out of that darkness.   My Rating: Full Price

Indiefest:   Tom of Finland  (2017)    Touko Laaksonen (Pekka Strang) returns home to Finland after serving in World War II. He makes a name for himself with his homoerotic drawings that bring him trouble both from his sister and the Finnish society. It’s hard to explain how important Tom of Finland (he signed his drawings with just Tom but an America publisher gave him the ‘of Finland’) was to the gay culture of the 50’s and 60’s. It was a time in Europe where gays were hunted down by the police, where even two men holding hands would cause a ruckus. Touko kept his drawings hidden for a long time, worried he would be jailed for them if discovered. The film is a little slow but Pekka Strang’s performance keeps the film moving along. It’s a hard film to watch because there was so much pain and hurt in Touko’s life, but it’s an interesting look at a man whom I knew nothing about.  Just a bit of a warning, Touko's drawings can be very sexually graphic.    My Take: Bargain Matinee

Forgotten Film:  American Movie (1999) R    Documentary about Mark Borchardt, a Milwaukee resident who for the past three years has been trying to finish his short horror film. Will he overcome his demons (alcohol, gambling, a family he doesn’t always get along with) and finally complete his film? This is an immensely funny but also touching film, where you root for Mark almost right from the start. You will fall in love with Mark and his band of merry filmmakers.    My Take: Full Price

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Shape of Water: Sign Language Coach

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   The Greatest Showman   (2017) PG    P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) loses his job and decides to create the most amazing show that you have ever seen, a show soon to be called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’ With a cast that includes Zac Efron, Michelle Williams and Zendaya, and a musical score by the people that brought us La La Land, I think this could be a magical film.  

Until Next Time!

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

My View:  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) PG-13 It’s been ten years since a virus was unleashed and wiped out most of the human population.  Caesar (Andy Serkis) is leading a group of apes when they come in contact with Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and his small group of survivors.  A fragile peace between the two groups is threatened when a group of humans led by Drefus (Gary Oldman) wants revenge on the apes. Outstanding special effects, great scriptwriting and a lead performance by a man (Serkis) who could get an Oscar nomination for a role done on screen by CGI highlight,t this sequel which is better than the first film. The action sequences are incredible and the details in the special effects, such as close ups on the chimps, are just incredibly detailed.  The film moves at a nice pace, and the storyline is engaging with plenty of twists and turn.  I think it’s worth shelling out the extra money for the 3-D screening as there are plenty of scenes that use the effect. It’s a film I thoroughly enjoyed, and I look forward to more in the future.  Now if we can just get that Oscar nomination for Mr. Serkis, that would be great!  My Rating: Full Price  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Website

Indiefest: Third Person (2013) R  Three  stories that take place in Paris, New York and Rome.  Paris; Michael (Liam Neeson) has left his wife (Kim Basinger) and has taken up with his old flame, Anna (Olivia Wilde).  New York; Julia (Mila Kunis) has been accused of attempting to kill her son and now is in a custody battle with his father (James Franco).  Rome; Sean (Adrien Brody) falls for an Italian woman (Moran Atias) who may be involved with the Mafia.  A dreary film about very unhappy people.  The film is full of couples making each other unhappy, which has the effect of the audience not caring what happens to them.  Most of the cast sleepwalks through the film, with the exception of Mila Kunis, who gives the best performance of what should have been an outstanding ensemble.  If you want to be bored and depressed for over two hours, then be my guest and see this film. My Rating: Cable  Third Person Website

Forgotten Film: Hearts of the West (1975) PGIn the 1930’s a farm boy (Jeff Bridges) wants to be a cowboy, so much so that he sends off for a correspondence course on how to be one.  He decides to take off for the west and, by accident, becomes a part of a movie company making “B” movies.  He’s not the brightest guy around and starts doing stunts that no one else will dare do.  This is not a great film, but it’s a blast to watch and Bridges, as the naive stuntman, is perfect in the role.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Hearts of the West Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  My Man Is a Loser (2014)  R   Two married men (Michael Rapaport, Bryan Callen) get a playboy (John Stamos)  to help them save their marriage.  I couldn’t even make it through the trailer, so I don’t know how I would make it through the whole film.  My Man is a Looser Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD/Blue Ray):  Bad Words (2014)  R  )  I liked this movie about a guy (Jason Bateman) who has never gotten over his bad experiences in school and decides to enter a national spelling bee.  What made this film is the chemistry between Bateman and the young kid he befriends at a contest, Rohan Chand.  Chand shows real comedic timing, and the film is full of funny and interesting characters. My Rating: Full Price  Bad Words Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:  Fur Groomer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Happy Christmas (2014)  R  The writer / director of Drinking Buddies (2013), Joe Swanberg, a film about a young married couple (Joe Swanberg, Melanie Lynskey) who have a two-year-old son.  The husband’s younger sister (Anna Kendrick) comes to live with them but isn’t what you would call “responsible."  Anna Kendrick and Melanie Lynskey in the same movie?  Can’t get any better than that.  Happy Christmas Website

Until Next Time!