The Great Wall

My View:  The Great Wall  (2017)  PG-13  When a mercenary warrior named, William (Matt Damon), is incarcerated within the Great Wall of China, he discovers the mystery behind one of the world’s greatest structures. There has been some unjust criticism about this film being a “white guy saves the day” type of film, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  William is a selfish man who fights for whomever will pay him, but he only depends on himself. William learns from a young general (Tian Jing) that the greater good of the team is worth risking your life for. I loved the spectacle of this film, and the battle sequences are highly entertaining. Unfortunately, the scenes in between the battles are boring and other than the young female general whom Tina Jing plays, we don’t learn a lot about the people who make up the army on the wall. Matt Damon seems stiff in his performance, and I have no idea what kind of accent he was attempting to portray (I got Scotch/Irish with a bit of Spanish).  The film was not shot in 3-D so save your money and see it in 2-D. While not a great movie, gamers will enjoy the colorful and frantic battle sequences.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Great Wall Website

My View:  Fist Fight  (2017)  R  After mild-mannered English teacher Andy (Charlie Day) gets Ron (Ice Cube) fired, Ron wants to fight Andy in the school yard.  Hollywood is so devoid of good ideas for films; they are remaking bad movies into even worse films. This film is loosely based on a bad 80’s film named, Three O’clock High. Both films are unfunny and at times, very mean spirited.  I didn’t laugh once during this “comedy” and many times was appalled by the subject matter.  Running gags are repeated so much that they are latterly dragged to the ground. If you think a teacher on meth waiting for teenagers to graduate before she can sleep with them and eight-year-olds cussing is hilarious, then this film is for you. For the rest of us, this is one class that you should skip.    My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   Fist Fight Website

My View:  A Cure for Wellness  (2016)  R  An ambitious young executive (Dane DeHaan) is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from a mysterious “wellness center.”  Once he gets there, he may never get out.  This is a beautifully, very stylish looking film that fails as both a horror film and dark comedy. While there are some horrific things that happen on screen, they are not scary, just highly uncomfortable to watch. I won’t go into too many details, but if you can’t stand snakes or eels, this film is not the film for you. The film is too long (four separate times our “hero” goes into his bathroom to investigate a jittering commode handle), takes way too long to set up the storyline and, ultimately, you just want the film to be over, not caring if the hero will succeed. I did enjoy the many homages to past horror films like Marathon Man, Frankenstein, and Phantom of the Opera, but it’s not enough to make you want to sit through 145 minutes running time.    My Rating: Cable   A Cure for Wellness Website

Indiefest:  A United Kingdom  (2016)  PG-13  Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) causes an international stir when he weds a white English woman, Ruth (Rosamund Pike), from London set after WW II. I wish the film was as remarkable as the true story that it is based on, but unfortunately, the film plays it too safe and spells out almost the whole story in a way too simple storyline. Pike and Oyelowo are skillful in their portrayals, and I did enjoyed their courtship in England, which displays an exquisite chemistry between the two actors. But, the characters they portray are shown very lightly, with very little complexity. The story is predictable and never pulls on the heart strings, even at the end. I enjoyed this film, mostly because I didn’t know anything about the main characters’ lives, but I just wish the filmmaker had delved more deeply into what should have been two very complex people in a complex situation.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   A United Kingdom Website

Indiefest:  Toni Erdmann  (2016)  R  A practical joking father (Peter Simonischek) tries to reconnect with his daughter (Sandra Huller) when a practical joke goes too far. This film is one of the 2017 Oscar nominees for Best Foreign Language Film, and plenty of film critics are giving it high marks. I just don’t know why. I never could figure out if this movie was a comedy or drama. It’s a long film about a lonely man who creates a fictional character with a thinly veiled disguise to hang out with his daughter. The daughter is a driven businesswoman who is trying to land a big client. I just never got into the storyline and never cared for either the father or the daughter. I rarely laughed during the film with the exception of a naked party sequence that is quite funny.  It’s a film that is the front runner for an Oscar, but I wouldn’t even give it a nomination.   My Take: Bargain Matinee   Toni Erdmann Facebook Page

Forgotten Film:  The Pledge  (2001)  R  Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is a Nevada police officer, who, on the night of his retirement, pledges to a mother (Patricia Clarkson) that he will do everything he can to find her daughter’s killer. Jerry is convinced that his replacement on the force is going after the wrong suspect, and Jerry is determined to get to the bottom of the crime. It’s a slippery path Jerry has chosen, and it’s a journey that he may never return from   Nicholson gives one his finest performances as a lonely man who has sacrificed everything for a job that he misses greatly. The cast is filled with sizzling performances from stars including  Aaron Eckhart, Harry Dean Stanton, Robin Wright Penn, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Redgrave, and Benecio Del Toro. This film, directed by Sean Penn, is worth your time.    My Rating: Full Price   The Pledge Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Great Wall:  Silk Screen Printer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Logan  (2017)  R  Logan (Hugh Jackman) is tired of all the battles that he has fought. He is holed up with Professor X (Patrick Stewart) on the Mexican border when a young mutant (Saber Bankson) being pursued by dark forces arrives. I usually don’t get excited about Wolverine or X-Men movies, but the trailer makes this one seem like a winner.  Also, the studio is holding screenings two weeks before it debuts, a sign that they think the film will get great “word of mouth.”   Logan Website

                                         

Until Next Time!

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

My View:  The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  (2015)  PG-13   Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) team up with the help of a beautiful woman (Alicia Vikander) to stop a mysterious international criminal organization led by Victoria Vinciguerrra (Elizabeth Debicki).  This is a Guy Ritchie film, and it looks it. It’s very stylish (in a good way) with lots of creative action sequences and witty dialog. There are also some great running gags, including Solo and Kuryakin having such a fashion war that they could be contestants on Project Runway. I liked Alicia Vikander in the role of the German mechanic who can hold her own with the boys, though I wish she had done more action scenes. Both Cavill and Hammer play their roles with perfection. I especially liked Hammer’s tough, Russian vibe that he gave his character.  The film is a little long but has an enjoyable ending that sets the team up for more adventures.  My Rating:  Full Price   The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Website

My View:  Straight Outta Compton  (2015)  R  The film revolves around the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip hop group N.W.A., led by Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr.).  The first part of this film, showing the origins of the three principal rappers, is a blast to watch. I especially enjoyed Ice Cube’s story, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Ice Cube’s real life son) stands out in his picture perfect portrayal. The movie's concert scenes are fun, powerful and make you feel like you are in the live audience.  The film slows down considerably once (spoiler alert, sort of) when the group breaks up. And, it just seems that the film is just introducing characters like Snoop Dogg and Tupac for the wow factor instead of propelling the storyline. I also would have liked to have seen more of how songs were written and recorded. Fans of hip hop and N.W.A. will enjoy this film as music is used perfectly to set the scenes.  Overall, it’s an interesting film that has some stunning and awesome concert scenes.  My Review:  Full Price   Straight Outta Compton Website

Indiefest:  The End of the Tour  (2015)  R  In 1996, immediately after the publication of his second book, David Foster Wallace (Jason Segal) goes on a five-day book tour with Rolling Stone writer, David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg).  I think that if I had read either of David Foster Wallace’s books I would have enjoyed this more. It’s a movie mostly about two men, both writers, discussing life, writing and being famous. Segal gives a great performance as the rather withdrawn and quite strange Wallace. The film shows that Segal has quite the range, as his performance is brilliant and moving.  I felt that Eisenberg didn’t have to work too hard in his performance, and the film bogs down a little when they guys are traveling by themselves in the car. I wanted to like/love this picture, but like a few of the conversations, it’s a little long-winded and boring. The End of the Tour is a road picture that just doesn’t seem to go anywhere.   My Rating:  Full Price   The End of the Tour Website

Indiefest:  Cop Car  (2015)  R   A small town sheriff (Kevin Bacon) sets out to find the two youths who have taken his police car on a joyride. Director Jon Watts, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher D. Ford, brings out the best in his cast. The two boys, Welftford and Freedson-Jackson, play well off each other, and Watts lets the boys be boys, as they have a blast driving around in a police car. Bacon is perfect as the menacing sheriff, and we know the instant that we meet him, he is not to be annoyed. This sheriff is certainly someone who will do anything to survive. The film's second half just isn’t as compelling or fascinating as the first. The film becomes a cat and mouse game with a very ambiguous ending that is downright frustrating.  Overall, the cast and the excellent pace make up for that ending and make the film an engaging and sometimes amusing film with an acute style that slowly creates tension. “Cop Car” is an interesting take on the modern western.   My Take:  Full Price   Cop Car Website

Indiefest:  Fort Tilden  (2014)  R  Allie (Claire McNulty) and Harper (Bridey Elliot) are best friends, and all they want to do is spend a day at the beach, but life has other plans for their day.  Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, who co-directed and wrote the film, have created two lead characters to whom you would hate to be seated beside at Starbucks. Allie and Harper are two young women who are spoiled, egotistical and clueless about how the world works.  Harper is a mixed-media artist who spends most of her days coming up with ideas that will never be realized. Allie, who sometimes is the more level-headed of the two, is solely consumed with her upcoming Peace Corps trip. Harper is convinced that, like many other endeavors that Allie has taken up, that Allie will not go on her trip, afterall. Neither woman has faith in each other; and it's as if they are in an endless cycle of letting each other down, only to forget about the transgression in a short amount of time. This is one of those films that some critics will find endearing and even possibly enchanting. I found the film a little tedious, rarely funny, and I was very often frustrated with the characters and their cluelessness.  My Rating:  Cable   Fort Tilden Website

Forgotten Film:  Newsfront  (1978)  PG  A group of cameramen and reporters struggle in post-war Australia to create newsreels for the movie going public. For a long time, most of Australia got a lot of their news from newsreels shown before the featured movie. The film, while a little low-key, is a poignant look at a proud cameraman (Bill Hunter) who takes all sorts of risks to get the best shot. Hunter is brilliant in the role and makes the film work as well as it does. The movie shows a lot of actual newsreels which gives it a bit of authenticity. It’s an intriguing film about our quick changing world and how it affects people.   My Rating: Full Price   Newsfront Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.:  Costume Cutter

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  A Walk in the Woods  (2015) R   After spending 20 years in England, Bill (Robert Redford) decides to travel the Appalachian Trail to reconnect with his homeland. This film has a brilliant cast including Nick Offerman, Nick Nolte, Kristen Schaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Emma Thompson.   A Walk in the Woods Website

Until Next Time!